|
Post by narym on May 21, 2008 13:23:15 GMT -5
Narym stood aside as Leo carried Dyona into the castle clinic and laid her carefully on a bed. She busied herself cleansing her hands and then set about washing and treating the wounds in the elf's arm and leg. They weren't the problem. What worried her was Dyona's prolonged unconciousness and the fact that she had changed into a mythical creature. Leo paced back and forth until she felt like screaming. "Go and see what's happening between Kaden and the other man!" she snapped. " What did you say his name is Cass?"
|
|
Caedyona
Full Member
Caedyona ~ Life and Truth
Posts: 174
|
Post by Caedyona on May 21, 2008 13:58:49 GMT -5
Dyona lay silent on the clinic bed, her eyes gently closed as Narym worked to stop the bleeding and remove the three arrows. She couldn't feel it, as she was still blissfully unaware of where she was. Slowly, her lips started moving, as she lay motionless on the bed, but no sound emerged for the longest time, if anyone had noticed it, it would have been eerily disquieting, but no one noticed, Leo had gone to find Kaden, and Narym and Cassandra were looking at her wounds. Her voice finally appeared, though stick thin and airy, "Eeeee.... ass... cin... te shy... ullldd. Ruw... tirnd... fur omm... daw urk...neh sssss.... " Caedyona's eyes flickered, as though she was trying to open them, and she twitched in her sleep, but didn't arise. Instead, her voice continued in that otherworldly voice, "Ine... duh.... Oh... eee... Nnn... te..." Her voice came to a sudden stop, though her lips continued to move slowly. Seconds ticked by as she started to turn red, her lungs desperately attempting to pull air into her lungs, but unable to do so. Something was slowly killing her, and her last message made little sense...didn't it?
|
|
|
Post by narym on May 21, 2008 16:01:02 GMT -5
" What the hell?" Narym jumped as Dyona started speaking, her nerves stretched taut. She bent down, trying to understand what the unconscious elf was saying. Returned from darkness? She frowned, looking up at Cass. Cody? Then Dyras face started to turn red, then purple as she gasped for breath. Dammit! Damn damn dammit! Narym placed one hand on Dyras forehead and one on her chest and began to chant her mantra. Slowly she turned inward and called for Leo and Fallow. Need your help here! she called silently and allowed herself to slip down into her friends struggling body.
|
|
Caedyona
Full Member
Caedyona ~ Life and Truth
Posts: 174
|
Post by Caedyona on May 22, 2008 3:53:07 GMT -5
Dyona could feel the warmth of Narym's magic working to help her, to heal her, and her eyes fluttered weakly. Whatever had been cutting off her air supply eased it's grip on her, but it didn't completely relinquish it. She could draw in tight wheezing breaths, that didn't sound natural, but that were much better than the non existent ones that preceeded them. Inside her, she could feel battle being fought, but she didn't have the strength required to win it. Her eyes fluttered opened and closed as she tried to find strength, a sudden realization stiffening her body. The trouble wasn't here...as her eyes opened again, she looked blearily around the room, searching for Leonyr. She didn't catch sight of him, but the whisper on her breath was spoken harshly. "My tree..." Her eyes opened wide as she jerked suddenly, "Something wrong with my tree..." Her eyes fixed sharply on Narym, a deep fear in them, before they closed as she collapsed back into unconciousness. On another plane, something very bad was happening to her tree...
|
|
|
Post by narym on May 22, 2008 7:32:25 GMT -5
Leo skidded into the room and rushed to Dyona's side. His mother took a deep breath and opened her eyes. " There is something wrong with Dyona's tree," Narym said softly, urgently. " You need to go with her Leo, like you did before. I have to stay here, linked with her and Fallow, to keep her breathing!" She looked into his frantic eyes. " Calm thyself my son. Join with me and go and help her." She nodded as Leo took Dyona's hands in his and closed his eyes. His breathing evened out and soon Narym was aware that he was following the path the elf had taken. " For a moment I thought she was talking about Cody," she said to Cass. " She must have been saying tree. But it wouildn't hurt to check on him!" She turned her attention back to Dyona and closed her eyes once more, fighting whatever it was that was causing her friend's breathing to falter.
|
|
Caedyona
Full Member
Caedyona ~ Life and Truth
Posts: 174
|
Post by Caedyona on May 22, 2008 8:10:48 GMT -5
Dyona tried to make it to the plane that her tree was on, and did, just barely. She stepped into the field that was surrounded by the trees of elves, and fell to her knees, her eyes blearily looking around. She had to get to her tree...but she couldn't.
Across the field, her tree was hidden in a grove that held others of her clan, but no other elves were in sight. Struggling to get to her feet, she felt a wave of nausea roll over her and stumbled towards towards the distant grove, unsure of what she would find if she arrived there. It was no longer a when, it was an if. Every second that passed, she could feel herself growing weaker as energy was sapped from her to support the life of her tree.
What was happening?
Back in the castle, her breathing continued in a painfully labored way, and every few seconds her body twitched. Her skin had turned cool and clammy, and was far paler than it had any right to be. Narym was working as hard as she could to keep her alive, but slowly, she was losing the battle, whatever was happening, it wasn't caused by any physical damage to her body. The three arrows were still in her, but they no longer bled, and had turned a sickly grey color.
|
|
|
Post by narym on May 22, 2008 13:04:41 GMT -5
Narym knew she was losing the battle here. She fought with desperation to keep Dyona's lungs working, but she could feel her body cooling beneath her hands. We don't have long, Leo! she cried to her son. Hurry!
|
|
|
Post by leonyr on May 22, 2008 13:10:04 GMT -5
Leo found himself in the clearing where he had met Dyona's brother. Just a short distance away he knew her tree stood, alongside those of her family. He looked around for Dyona and spotted her lying in the long grass unmoving. He rushed to her side and scooped her into his arms. Without being told, he carried her to where her tree waited her.
|
|
Caedyona
Full Member
Caedyona ~ Life and Truth
Posts: 174
|
Post by Caedyona on May 22, 2008 16:43:47 GMT -5
Dyona looked up at Leo as he carried her towards her tree, and realized that she had spent more time in his arms because she was hurt than she had kissing him or laughing with him. She felt suddenly sad on a whole different level. This effect would have meant more to her if she hadn't thought she was dying. Something was dreadfully wrong with her tree, and she didn't know if they would be able to save it.
Dyona felt Leo stiffen as they rounded a particularly large tree, her own suddenly coming into sight. Her eyes lifted from from Leo's face to the leaves on her tree, falling so fast her heart felt as though it stopped. In a single glance, she took in the entirety of the tree, from the very topmost branches, completely devoid of leaves, though the branches looked completely healthy, not even a touch of sickness, down. Her gaze traveled slowly down, catching so many details in that one instant that it flooded her senses, but all the way down, she was confused...nothing, not anything that should cause her to be this sick. Her eyes slowed as they reached the trunk, and she gasped in shock at what she saw. In the midst of a large backstroke, a man was swinging an axe. Already he had cut through almost half of the large trunk. The weight of the tree itself was making it lean towards his cuts, as the trunk prepared to snap.
Dyona felt her breath stop, and everything spun around her as she struggled to keep her eyes open. It couldn't be. She blinked, but the image didn't change, only the swing of the axe as it arced towards her tree. A sudden rage filled her, as she tracked the blade's movement, and she felt her entire body flush. The cold steel bit into the bark, and she felt the resulting echo of damage throb through her. Her voice was a whisper as she fainted, "No..."
|
|
|
Post by leonyr on May 23, 2008 2:51:26 GMT -5
Leo stood still with shock. He felt Dyona's scream echo through her body even though she has only uttered a whisper. He laid her gently down and pulled his long sword and then, for good measure, his short one. This man had an axe after all! " Stop!" he warned the stranger. He walked determinedly towards him. " Stop that immediately!"
|
|
|
Post by narym on May 23, 2008 3:00:23 GMT -5
Back in the clinic, Narym was trembling with effort to keep Dyona's body alive. She looked up at Cass. " Did you say griffins aren't mythical?" She frowned. " I have never heard of one being real!"
|
|
Caedyona
Full Member
Caedyona ~ Life and Truth
Posts: 174
|
Post by Caedyona on May 23, 2008 4:04:57 GMT -5
The man stopped swinging the axe, setting it's blade lightly on the ground while he held the handle in one hand. Reaching one hand up to wipe sweat from his brow, he looked at the man who'd just spoken to him calmly, and shook his head, as he spoke first to himself, "He told me that someone might try to stop me..." Looking back up, he continued, "Listen, buddy, I'm not trying to do anything that might get either one of us hurt...I've been hired to chop down this tree. And I'm going to finish what I've started." He looked Leonyr over, noting the two swords held with practiced ease, and then let his gaze fall to the girl lying sleeping on the ground. "What's with the hardware? And the girl?"
|
|
|
Post by narym on May 23, 2008 5:58:47 GMT -5
Leo gripped his swords firmly. " This is her tree. In cutting it down you are killing her!" He tried to remain calm. Words first, actions second his mother had drilled into him as a boy. " Who paid you to do this terrible thing?" He looked down at Dyona, who was breathing perhaps a little easier. He looked back at the man before him. " I'm asking you now to stop. I don't wish to force you, but I will if I have to!"
|
|
Caedyona
Full Member
Caedyona ~ Life and Truth
Posts: 174
|
Post by Caedyona on May 23, 2008 6:47:12 GMT -5
"Killing her?" The man laughed as he looked down at the elf, "I'd hardly think so. And who paid me to do the work, really isn't your affair. He told me that someone might try to stop me, but I promise, it won't work. He'll only send another." A somber look came over his face as he continued speaking, one hand still resting on the axe. "Besides...I must finish. My child's life depends on it. I'm sorry, sir. I know that the girl there may be upset that I'm cutting down this tree...but it has to be done."
Brawny muscles stretched taut as the woodsman once again picked up the efficient axe. Not a battle axe, but a simple axe built for the expedient work of tree clearing. His breathing slowed from the short break, he prepared to once again begin chopping down the large tree...
|
|
|
Post by leonyr on May 23, 2008 7:20:48 GMT -5
Leo sighed. Sheathing the long sword, he walked up to the man and grabbed his arm to stop his downward stroke. " You are not listening, are you?" he hissed. " Just take a look at her!" He gestured to Dyona motionless on the ground. " Her life is connected to the life of this tree.". He raised the short sword to the mans neck. " I. Said. Stop."
|
|