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 Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 5:06 pm
Julian looked up at Rabid, exhausted and face shuttered with sudden pain. The Dhev-Anak slipped from nerveless fingers and he gripped her arm weakly.
"I did it," he said, voice a thread. "Did you see?"
He smiled then, though a sudden shudder ripped through him and he choked. No. NO. He didn't want to die. He couldn't. He'd gone through too much, he couldn't die now! He shivered violently with cold, and could have screamed in frustration. Holding onto Rabid hard, shaking, he tried to speak but only gasped as he arched up, body tindering brilliant fire, dead freezing white giving way to deep gold and scarlet.
And a mile above Nahedathal's prison cell, Crow staggered and fell to her knees, arms wrapping around herself as fire blazed off her body. Her head was flung back and her eyes stared up at the vaulted ceiling in astonishment as the fallen bodies of the sentries caught ablaze, cold giving way to red hot heat.
---
It was sufficient to say that Ethan was going through the exact same thing. No warmth was leeching into the fire that burned, only reaching higher as he laid limp in Björn's arms. As it guttered out, a black liquid oozed like blood from his nose and mouth, pooling onto the floor.
Lenore gaped, wide eyed, as the black liquid suddenly took shape and crawled forward an inch on decaying spidery legs, lifting its heavy-mandibled head before drying up and crumbling into dust, and then nothing at all.
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 5:13 pm
"I saw," Rabid smiled, clinging hard, regardless of the fact that a sudden heat was making her sweat profusely. Huh. Maybe they were gonna die after all. She clung harder and gave Julian a quick kiss on the cheek.
"It'll be okay."
Although she wasn't sure if it would or not.
Far below, Liam cocked his head at his girlfriend's sudden...ignition.
"HNN! HEY!" he yelped and dove forward, gathering her up in his arms with wild recklessness. At least he didn't light up too.
---
Björn lifted Ethan up into a more erect position, pure instinct from the days when his buddies had drank just a little too much and ran teh danger of choking on bodily fluids.
"...Ethan?"
Hellis, in a spasm of anger, kicked at the dust.
"Thtupid thing." And then he clapped his hands over his mouth.
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 5:21 pm
Wondering vaguely why it had suddenly gotten so warm, pleasant though it was, Julian laid limp in Rabid's arms until the fire guttered and faded. Head lolling, he sucked in a long breath and coughed as the salt predictably stung like fury in his throat and lungs, sitting up dizzily.
"...huh..."
Crow, smiling only a little eerily, collapsed against Liam, watching fire blaze comfortingly in her cupped hands as the rest flickered out. She laughed, before passing out cold.
---
Body in shock, it took Ethan a good sixty seconds to respond before he gave a heaving gasp, eyes shooting open and coughing violently, expelling half-liquid, half-dust from his mouth and onto his clothes and the floor. He was alive, and clearly gagging on the taste of the dead Nahenna.
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 5:32 pm
Rabid continued clinging, heaving a sigh of relief.
"Is it over? Is it really over?"
"WOAH THERE. HGGN!"
---
Briefly, Björn hugged Ethan. Good God. Hellis, ever vigilant, raced to the kitchen and returned with two glasses, one empty and one filled with water. Face still bright red from speaking in front of people, he offered them both out to Ethan.
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:11 pm
Julian regarded Rabid blankly for a moment before lucidity started to creep back. He jolted with shock and tried to stand, failing marvelously. Scrambled memory fell into place and he looked to the salt-ring, noting the empty shackles that hung listlessly.
"...I think so," he managed finally, trying to stop acting a fool for at least a minute. "He's...I...with the knife, and he was coming right at us, I had to..."
It shook Julian to the bone to realize he'd murdered Nahedathal, in body and in spirit. He'd destroyed him completely. He shuddered, and looked away, resting his head against Rabid's shoulder.
"I never want to do that again," he said.
"She'll be alright."
Jeddeth's voice was quiet as it sat amid the scorched dead, regarding Liam sightlessly. "Go find Master. You have no more business here."
---
Struggling to remain conscious, Ethan dropped the glass, fingers refusing to work right.
Lenore sopped up the spilled water with her skirt and brought the unbroken glass to Ethan's lips, coaxing him to drink.
Gagging and choking, Ethan spat blackened water into the empty glass and fell back against Björn, still heaving for breath. A moment later his body went slack, and he went into a dead faint. The water in the second glass frothed, powdery remains drifting listlessly to coat the bottom.
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:20 pm
Rabid pet Julian's hair and peppered his cheek with kisses, wonderfully giddy that they were still alive.
"You won't have to. I promise."
Liam peered up at Jeddeth, brow furrowed.
"He's a big boy, and he has Rabid. I'm sure he's fine," he nodded, pulling Crow into his lap and stroking her hair, "I'd rather stay here with her. And you." He smiled weakly, but fondly.
---
Hellis cleaned the glass and took the glasses from Lenore, placing them on teh sidetable and going about tidying things. He felt rather out-of-place in all of this mass hysteria.
Björn, however, shifted and pulled Ethan up into his lap, checking his pulse and giving a sigh of relief. He rocked slightly back and forth, lips pressed to the top of Ethan's head. It was pathetic and adorable.
He'd already lost one son. He didn't want to lose another.
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:27 pm
Julian grinned like an idiot, the euphoria that he'd done a series of very stupid things and come out alive finally catching up with him.
Jeddeth bowed its head, as though in deep internal turmoil, and then growled viciously at Liam.
"Leave!" it said harshly, a note of despair, sudden and unexpected, in its voice. It got up and staggered, pressing a hand to unhealed wounds. Bright blood, vivid as fire, leaked from out between its fingers. "You're...you're no longer needed here! Just go!"
As though to accentuate its words, the telltale echo of marching and clanking armor rang from above, drawing closer.
"...ah, no..."
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:31 pm
"Hey. HEY! You're blee--hn?" Liam half-shouted, abruptly looking up to the ceiling. Crap.
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:37 pm
Jeddeth stumbled, body shuddering terribly. Its hands had begun to wither, bony limbs shriveling. Abandoning its attempts to frighten Liam away, it pressed the wreck of its hands to the still open wounds, wondering vaguely over the bright blood that hadn't been there a few moments ago.
"They're coming, and they will kill you if they find you," it said, voice creaking with age and the weight of centuries of exhaustion. "Liam...please. Go."
It picked him up to encourage him, hugging Crow to its steadily withering body and shoving them both through the hole in the chained door. The sounds of marching grew closer and voices echoed down the corridor. Jeddeth turned away, wrenching the scimitar free of a dead sentry and looking at Liam over its shoulder.
"I will not be able to hold them off," it said, voice rasping. "Find Master, and leave."
It turned away and raised the scimitar, waiting patiently for the soldiers to come.
"...goodbye."
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:41 pm
Liam, not realizing what was happening, gave a sudden gasp and broke into abrupt tears, holding Crow to him.
"No!" he yelped. No ******** way. No ******** way. He snivelled and reached out.
"Come with me."
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:48 pm
"No, Liam." Jeddeth's voice was infinitely patient. "I am dying. And I am asking you a final favor. Go."
The sounds of the squadron drew closer until the echoes created a horrid reverberating din in the chamber. Jeddeth drew up the scimitar, bright blood pooling on the floor as its body continued to wither. Torchlight flickered down the corridor as the enemy drew in closer. Within seconds they would emerge into the chamber. Jeddeth glanced over its shoulder once, its rictus-frozen face shadowed. It nodded once to Liam, and then it turned, facing the corridor and loosing a metallic shriek as it charged into the darkness, a final showdown.
Julian sat bolt upright as the echoes of Jeddeth's roar reached his ears.
"s**t."
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:50 pm
Liam gave a final sob and whine, biting his lower lip. Wishing he could plug his ears, he barrelled down the hallway, stumbling often, and yelping.
"JULIAN! CHARLOTTE! WE HAVE TO GET OUT."
"Charlotte?" Rabid asked, standing abruptly, "I...is he...? s**t."
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:00 pm
Standing up with effort, swaying, Julian listened to the sudden din of metal crashing on metal, shrieking roars and shouting that drifted down into the prison cell. He paled, realizing what was happening. They had to get out.
How, though.
Looking around the vast empty cell, knowing there was no way in or out besides the tunnel that was now such a vulnerable opening, Julian paced, trying to think. He wasn't Jeddeth, to know the paths of the fortress by heart. He could barely remember more than a handful of hallways and passages. He kept pacing, and he kicked something. He glanced down and saw the Dhev-Anak, coated in ash but still brilliantly lit from within. He picked it up, wondering how long he could hold off the soldiers before they were overwhelmed and killed.
Turning over the dagger in his hands, the sudden memory of Jeddeth's story sprang to mind.
With it they cut open the sky.
It was ridiculous.
It was impossible.
Taking the Dhev-Anak in one hand, Julian slashed at the empty air once. Nothing happened. He cursed, and then cursed again as Jeddeth's familiar metallic, rasping roar was suddenly cut short. A shudder of grief ripped through him and he slashed clumsily aagain, the knife twisting in his hand.
The air wavered, like a stone cast into still water. Blinking, stunned, Julian shifted his grip and cut slowly, turning the blade like a key. Light spilled out of a hole in the middle of the air, illuminating the gray chamber.
"...holy hell."
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:05 pm
Rabid gave a surprised gasp, hands clapped over her mouth, and it was about that time Liam arrived, red in the face and having trouble seeing.
"Just go..." he half-whispered, voice hoarse.
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:12 pm
The hole grew larger, until blinding sunlight filled the cell. Wanting to wait for Jeddeth, knowing it wasn't coming, he herded Liam and Rabid through, taking Crow up into his arms and vaulting through the tear. He landed on solid ground, promptly tripping over a tree root and narrowly missing being shot through the neck with an iron arrow that sailed after him. <********, ******** ******** ********," he said eloquently, slashing at the tear with the Dhev-Anak, trying to make it close. The blade rang like a bell as it cut through one edge of the tear's borders and straight to the other, and the hole closed. The dagger slipped out of Julian's hand and he collapsed against a tree, sliding down onto the ground. The sound of traffic was in the distance, reassuringly familiar of the real world. The sudden grief at Jeddeth's apparent death struck him fully and he doubled over, wracked with silent sobs and pressing a hand to his face. Something warm trickled down his palm and over his cheek, and he brought his hand away in surprise to see dark red liquid staining his skin. His back and sleeves felt wet as well, and more of the dark red substance dribbled onto the ground. Crow, crumpled on the grass, was bleeding black off her skin, the once vivid lines of her marque sloughing off.
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