Na'nals scream was cut short, quickly turning into a gasp as the
clang of steel echoed in the air. My feet dug into the dirt, slowly
sliding backwards. Standing face to face with me was the monster, my
sword locked in its maw. I growled. I planted my feet and threw all my
weight and muscle at it. I caught it off guard and managed to send it
reeling a few steps. I didn't give it a chance to regain its balance. I
charged it, pushing it back further, keeping myself firmly between
Na'nal and it.
Someone had the sense to grab Na'nal and pull her away. Others
tried to help me contend with the demon, but it had enough balance to
swat them all away with its tail. My sword was still in its mandibles,
but I had to fight to keep it there so it couldn't strike. Finally, it
had knocked all the others away and had the freedom to move its tail to
attack me. One swat sent me flying down the path. I landed roughly, but
rolled to take away some of the force. It was upon me before I could
regain my feet.
I barely managed to dodge its whip-like tail. It seemed to be
everywhere at once. I couldn't stop to catch my breath or assess things.
I could only dodge, jump and roll. I swung my sword with recent found
skills from the very women in the caravan. I only scored a few lucky
slashes and quick jabs, the rest were either dodged or blocked.
By then, the demon was furious. It became faster, stronger. I was
thrown into a tree then smashed into the ground. I tried to scramble to
my feet, but I was thrown again. Before I could recover, its tail
wrapped around my ankle. I was whipped into the air like a rag doll. The
demon brought me down hard into the ground, then whipped me to the side
into a tree. It flipped me around, slamming me down on my back. The wind
was knocked out of me. However, the demon doesn't stop there. It knocked
me back and forth until I was looking through a haze, my body so
battered I was certain once I was released, I wouldn't be able to move.
The demon screamed, its tail loosened enough I went soaring free
of its grip. I rolled to a stop, barely conscious. I looked back at the
demon. In one of its eyes protruded an arrow. The haze cleared
momentarily. The sight of Na'nal running toward me made me involuntarily
smile, even though her face was tear stained and her once groomed hair
was now tangled.
My smile vanished quickly. The demon was still fighting, and once
again, its sights were set on Na'nal. To this day, no one knows how I
did what I did. They still whistle low and give me sidelong looks. By
all means, at that point, I should have passed out, possibly died. Even
I can't explain what happened. I knew I was at my limit. It just didn't
stop me.
I got to my feet. I didn't realize it until I noticed I was eye
level with Na'nal. She looked stunned I had moved. I felt like I
teleported to her side, though I don't remember having taken a single
step. All I could see was her eyes, so green, looking back into mine. I
saw my hand rise just a scant length away from caressing her cheek, then
I grabbed her and threw her to the first person I saw.
The demon tried to veer towards her, but I jumped in the way. It
veered again, the other way, but I followed. It readied itself to throw
a web, but I countered with a well aimed strike to one of its legs. I
sliced a deep cut, making one of its legs useless. It screamed, trying
to back away to recover. I followed, swinging again. It howled in rage
as I scored a slice on its long scaly tail. It rounded on me.
In a flash, we were both squirming, struggling. Though it had more
strength, I held my own decently well. It couldn't get a hold on me with
its tail, but I couldn't seem to find a mark with my sword. It finally
knocked me off my feet, coming in swiftly to bite me. Its mandibles sank
deep into my shoulder. Startled cries filled the air.
It was pitch black. I couldn't see anything. Something heavy was
on top of me. My head still felt like it was in a heavy cloud. My right
arm was numb. I could hardly feel it at all. The rest of me hurt,
burned. It didn't help that the burning was spreading, slowly running
down my face, my sides, my legs... It was everywhere, and it was getting
worse.
Again, where my strength came from, I don't know. Maybe it was the
lingering fear that Na'nal might still be in danger. Maybe it was a
natural instinct to save myself. Either way, I managed to roll what was
on me, and slip out from beneath it. I got to my feet, looking around
desperately at the scattered people around me. Na'nal burst out of
Gren's arms and came running towards me. I could feel my lips tighten to
smile, but it came out as a grimace. Relief finally took away whatever
will I had to fight.
My knees gave out beneath me, tears streaming down my cheeks
unheeded. The pain hit, and all I could do, was scream. It was torn from
my throat unwillingly. It filled the air, making everyone freeze where
they stood. I wanted to stop it, to clamp my lips down and cut it off,
but it kept going. With the weight of what had happened, and the beating
my body had taken, I was too overwrought to have the strength to halt
it. The acid was melting away my skin, and the rest of me was covered
from head to foot in bruises, cuts, and even a number of cracked, if not
broken, bones.
Finally, at long last, my voice gave out. I gasped for breath,
falling forward onto my forearms. I could see shadows beginning to form
around me.
"W-water..." I begged. All I could think about was the acid
burning my skin. I wanted to peel my own face off. "Water, please..." My
voice was hoarse, so none of them could hear what I was saying.
"Cenin!" Na'nal fell to her knees next to me, weeping. She reached
out to touch me, but I pulled back quickly.
"No! Don't touch me!" It came out rougher then I had meant.
However, Na'nal seemed to understand. Maybe she took it like a troll.
"By all that is mystical!" came a horrified gasp. Trer'mon raced
to my side. "What happened?!" he demanded. I couldn't help but growl at
him.
"Water!" I wheezed.
His eyes widened then he threw his arms in the air. He closed his
eyes, a deep soft chant escaping his lips. Quicker then anyone thought
possible, dark clouds rolled in overhead, shutting out the afternoon sun
filtering through the trees. Thunder rumbled ominously, and a few
flashes of lightening flickered across the sky. Rain started falling in
heavy sheets. Everyone was soaked in seconds.
The moment I felt the rain, I lifted my face up and spread out my
arms. I let the rain wash off all the blood acid. It took a little
while, even though it was pouring buckets. When I thought enough was
gone, I lifted my arm to wipe my face in hopes to get any missed acid.
It's then that I noticed I couldn't move my right arm. I looked down to
inspect it. My skin looked gray, as if it was dying. It felt like
someone had replaced my arm with a heavy piece of wood.
A wave of dizziness hit me. I wavered on my knees. I felt hot,
though goose bumps were forming on my exposed skin. My eyes felt heavy.
My strength gave out, and I fell sideways. Just before I hit the ground,
Na'nal caught me. She pulled me close, my torso draped across her lap. I
opened my mouth to speak, but she shook her head.
"No. Stay quiet. Trer'mon!" She looked up quickly. Trer'mon was
beside her instantly, the rain slowly clearing up. He dropped to his
knees, his mouth set in a thin line. "Can you help her?" she asked. She
searched his face desperately.
"I can try."
He lifted his right hand and put it gently on my forehead. A low,
barely audible, chant filled the air. They say a gentle green glow
surrounded me, but I don't remember seeing it. At the time, I felt like
someone stuck me in a tornado. Everything was spinning, colors and faces
blurring together. I couldn't even understand what they were saying
anymore. It was all just odd noise I couldn't put a name to.
Trer'mon slowly healed me, starting with my arm so the poison
wouldn't reach my heart. With that pink and healed, he moved on to my
cracked and broken bones, many of them being my ribs. He mended each of
them with deliberate care. When he was finished with that, he was pale
and panting. After his weather show and going through all that healing,
he was pushing his limits to continue. As it was, he refused to give up
yet. He went to my acid scared flesh, slowly making it whole and smooth.
Sadly, he ran out of energy and couldn't heal me completely.
He collapsed, gasping for air. He trembled, but he kept trying to
sit up. Gren held him back.
"She will... not die..." he gasped. "But she is... not well... She
can still die... from the latent... blood acid... It is working... like
a poison... but slower... We must get her... to town, to... treat her."
Everywhere the queen demon's blood touched me, an off color
pinkish purple patch remained. The other demons' blood hadn't been as
acidic, so Trer'mon was able to heal it completely. However, half of my
face showed blatant proof of my ordeal. It spread across part of my left
ear, across my cheek, down parts of my jaw and neck, and splashed across
my eye, eyebrow, and more. I looked like I had a large birthmark. I
still have it, actually. No one has been able to cure me of it. I have
other such markings on my chest, arms, legs, and right hand. My face,
chest, and hand were the worst hit.
When it was realized I was still in danger, the caravan rounded
everyone up, including the animals. They also burned the demon queen
until she was nothing more then ashes. That finished, they raced to
town, even though it was beginning to darken. They knew they risk of
such a trek. Potholes, critter burrows, and other obstacles can injure
or maim a horse or wreck a wagon. Actually, I was told later that a
horse did misstep and broke a leg. It had to be put down. All of the
others, praise the gods, managed to make it unharmed.
When we arrived, everyone was a gaggle of confusion, shock, and
nerves. Thank goodness Moen knows how to handle her women. She barked
out orders and they obeyed them without hesitation or question. They
helped the rescued victims find food and shelter, arranging to have
families notified of their safe return. Lodgings for the caravan were
also set up. As soon as they had a location, they tracked down a doctor
to check on everyone. But mainly, they got the doctor to monitor my
condition.
It wasn't until much later, I found out how delirious I was. There
are bits and pieces I remember more vividly then others, but I was
trapped in dreams ninety five percent of the time I was ill. And, what I
thought was weeks, months, and sometimes seemingly years, it was only a
hand span of days in real life. There are times I look back at all that
and wonder how on earth I lived. Actually, there are quite a few times
I've wondered that about many of my adventures. There was one thing I
remember best, though. It was Na'nal's hand in mine every time I woke.
I don't know when the dreams started. I don't really recall when
any of it actually happened. It felt like things were just suddenly
different. I remember looking up at the sky one moment then up at a
thatch roof the next. I remember staring at the support beam and
wondering how much weight it could bear and if it had warped at all
since being cut.
When my eyes closed for the first leg of delirious dreams, I was
back home in my world. It was if I had stepped back in time to the very
first time I had encountered... Trer'mon.
**Dream**
We, my co-workers and I, were out at a local bar for an after work
break. We had been there a while, though it wasn't our regular stop. We
liked it. It had that old Irish feel. One of those hole-in-the-wall bars
where peanut shells littered all but the dance floor. People were
friendly, even though they were all very different. There were cowboys
to street punks, businessmen to homeless. They were all crowded together
in little mixed groups here and there, just enjoying the night. I can
still vividly recall the smell of cigarette and cigar smoke that made
the bar hazy and gray. It was so real I felt I was reliving the whole
thing.
When I first saw Trer'mon, I did a double take. He was out of
place, even with all the mixed crowds around the room. He walked wrong,
talked wrong, and even looked wrong. He wore worn jeans with a satin
shirt. He was all gangly and tall, but well muscled. His nose was too
narrow and straight. His hair, though someone had tried to style it, was
sticking out every which way, like a wild free growing bush. It even had
a light greenish tint when the light hit it just right. His eyes... His
eyes were big, and they kept changing colors. I didn't believe it at
first, but slowly, after watching his eyes start blue one moment, then
become dark brown the next, I began to believe he wasn't normal.
He stood at the back of the room as if taking notes. On closer
inspection, I saw that he WAS taking notes. He took notes on everything,
too. He had at least one of every drink, without effect, mind you. He
danced every dance he saw someone else dance. He mimicked movements down
to the T, such as hand gestures, positions people sat, and even how they
held their utensils. He even played slots, cards, karaoke, and pool.
There was nothing I didn't see him do, except get drunk. He stayed sober
the entire time, even though he drank well over the twenty drinks I saw
him down.
I still find him to be the strangest person I've come across. That
night at the bar was only the first taste of my experiences to come. He
still walks and talks all wrong. He still seems out of place. Most of
that is due to his heritage, but even among the fairies, he seems...
different. The guy is a wild card. Someone just happened to toss him
into a deck of oddballs, as if to see how he would fit in. Yes, a deck
of oddballs. There are a lot of strange people I've come across. Most of
them have even ended up telling me they find ME strange. Now, why on
earth would they think that?
To be honest, I owed Trer'mon a favor. I'm embarrassed to admit
it, but at the time, I was desperate. Some drunk, weighing two hundred
and sixty pounds in muscle wouldn't leave me alone. He kept wrapping an
arm around my waist or across my shoulders. I would kindly push him away
and try to retreat. My co-workers were laughing and teasing, and really
not being any help what so ever. I was really starting to get annoyed.
He had backed me up into a corner, and though I didn't know it at the
time, Trer'mon and a few of his friends were sitting at a table nearby.
His friends had come about an hour ago and they had all sat to talk at
the table to review his "notes".
The drunk was pressing into me. The smell of his aftershave was
overpowering. He was swaying a little by now, his eyes unfocused.
"Hey, wanna drink?" he asked, his speech slurred. I was trying
hard not to gag, considering the possibility to dump his drink all over
him in the process of escaping.
"I'm fine, thanks." I answer.
"Com' on. I'll buy. Anythin' you want."
"Thanks, but I've had enough tonight." My co-workers were across
the room, laughing about something. The drunk was leaning closer, and I
couldn't help but grimace.
"Aw, com' on. Don't be a party pooper."
"Really, I don't want any."
"Jus' one. One won' hurt you."
"Excuse me," Trer'mon had tapped the guy on the shoulder. "The
lady isn't thirsty."
At the time, I had blushed. I never had anyone call me a lady like
that, like I was almost a princess.
"Sure she is," insisted the drunk.
"She's told you several times she's not. Besides, she already
promised to spend the rest of the evening in our company." Trer'mon
waved a hand at the table his four friends were at. They were all as
strange as him.
The drunk looked ready to argue, maybe even throw a few punches,
but Trer'mon smiled and firmly pulled him away from me. The drunk's jaw
dropped at the show of strength, eyes wide as he looked Trer'mon over.
Yet, the man couldn't leave it at that. His first reaction at Trer'mon's
touch was his greatest mistake. He closed his fist and shot it towards
Trer'mon's head.
****
I woke to stare blankly into Na'nal's eyes. I stared at her a long
time, her green skin seeming oddly peculiar. I didn't recognize her at
all. She was just a kind stranger silently weeping. I thought I was
still dreaming. I don't remember saying anything, but they say when the
Doc pushed her back to check on me, I spoke to him.
"Why is that angel crying?"
I guess he asked me to repeat myself four times before he could
make out what I said. Before he could answer, I was dreaming again.
**Dream**
Trer'mon was standing over the drunk, smirking. The man lie
sprawled out on the floor, his eyes rolled back in his head. His bottle
of beer was a few feet away, what was left of its contents spilled
across the wooden floor.
I was staring at Trer'mon like he had suddenly grown hooves and
wings. Next thing I knew, I was sitting at their table, talking and
joking with them as if I'd known them for years. When the end of the
night came, more like when the sun came up, they went one way, I went
another. Right then, I never thought I'd see any of them again.
About then, my dream started to swirl a little. I heard someone
calling my name. When I tried to find the owner of the voice, I couldn't
move. When I tried to spot them, I couldn't see. It became pitch black
in an instant. Everything was quiet. The voice called and called, but
there was nothing I could do to answer. After a time, the voice slowly
started calling less and less, until they stopped calling all together.
The voice started sobbing. But, as I listened, I could hear the voice
change. It became higher, more childish. Someone else was crying.
I took a step forward. The sound of my boot hitting the unseen
ground echoed all around me till it faded into the next step. The
sobbing came closer. I walked forward. I couldn't tell you how far or
how many steps, but the change was sudden.
A small girl was crying, sitting in the middle of a park, the sun
high in the sky. She reminded me of Trer'mon, but yet, she wasn't quite
the same. Her ears, they were an elf's ears. I thought someone should be
there, taking care of her, but the park was oddly empty. Some woman's
face popped into view, briefly being the only thing I could see. She was
gone as quick and as fast as she came, leaving me alone once more with
the little girl.
She looked up, her silver hair falling into her sky blue eyes. Her
brow wrinkled as she looked at me. With head tilted to the side, she
lifted her hand and reached for me. She said something, but I didn't
understand. Her eyes widened. She started to look desperate, but when I
reached for her, she seemed further away.
"Save her," whispered a voice. I looked over my shoulder, but it
was pitch black behind me. When I looked forward again, the little girl
was running toward me, but she was running in place.
I called to her, holding open my arms. She never got closer, even
when I tried running to her. A deep laugh filled the air, causing goose
bumps to form on my skin. The little girl screamed as a shadow came up
behind her and snatched her off the ground. My heart raced. My brain
told me it wasn't true, that I had gotten to her in time, while my body
panicked, saying I had lost.
I blinked. I was lying in a pool of blood. I couldn't move. I
couldn't speak. I could see what was directly in front of me, but I
couldn't turn my head to look elsewhere. I was in a street in the dead
of night, on a back road probably hardly used. A building with no lights
on was all I could see. Just out of my line of sight, I could hear
someone sobbing softly. I tried to look, but I felt light headed and
dizzy. I noticed, for the first time, the lump of cloth in front of me
was a body. As soon as I saw it, I knew they were dead. I don't know how
I knew. I just did. What I couldn't remember, though, was how the body
got there.
"Praised be!" exclaimed a voice. It sounded familiar. The sobbing
grew louder, and a pair of little white feet ran through my line of
vision. Instantly, I felt relieved. Two voices began talking, one that
of a male, the other of a little girl. I couldn't understand what they
were saying, but I listened as if I did.
At last, the man's feet came into view. He was wearing a pair of
soft leather shoes. I'd never seen their like.
"You saved her."
I knew what he meant instantly, but at the same time, I couldn't
recall exactly how I knew. I recognized him then. It was the man that
helped me at the bar. It was Trer'mon. All I could manage to get out was
a grunt of acknowledgement. He kneeled. Though I still couldn't see his
face, I noticed he was wearing a pair of cotton like trousers. Again,
I'd never seen their like, except maybe in fantasy picture books.
"You have done me a great favor. For this favor, I shall give you
a boon. Instead of dying here this day, my goddess has allowed me the
power to bring you to our world. There, you shall live out an extended
life as you wish it. Your new name shall be Cenin."
He gently presses a cool hand to my forehead.
****
I felt hot. I ached. There were voices everywhere. They were loud,
even though they were only whispers. My throat was dry, scratchy. I
gasped for every breath. One voice stood out. It kept whispering the
same thing over and over again, like a prayer.
"Fight the poison, Cenin. You must fight the poison. You can't
die, Cenin. You can't. Leaving me with this bunch would be pleasantly
horrible. Fight the poison. The otherworld can do without your carcass."
A part of me laughed, while another felt a mix of joy and sadness.
Even though I had no real control over myself, my lips parted.
"Na... Na'n..." That was the only part of her name I could get
out. It was enough. She squeezed my hand tighter. After that, I was gone
again.
**Dream**
I was standing in the midst of leafy green trees. The air was
warm, fresh. The grass beneath my bare feet was soothing, and the loose
shirt that barely reached mid thigh, gently lapped at my skin from cool
breezes. Other then that shirt and a sole knife belted at my waist, I
had nothing else on or with me.
Suddenly it was night. I was cold and hungry. It had been two
days. I hadn't seen any people since arriving. I hadn't had anything
edible but water and a few bugs because I was becoming desperate for
food. Night sounds haunted me, and daylight was spent in search of food
and a new makeshift shelter for the night. The small spring next to me
was my guide.
It was daylight again. I was stumbling through the forest half
blind to it. My stomach had turned on me, gnawing on my gut. My feet
were cut and bruised, aching with each step. I felt weak and shaky, my
limbs often seeming to have minds of their own. I scanned the forest,
but most of it was plants and animals I didn't have names for. A deep
throated yowl startled me out of my daze.
I looked up to come eye to eye with a big cat. Its green eyes
stared wide eyed, ears lay back, teeth bared. It looked like a cross
between a bobcat and a mountain lion. I froze immediately. It yowled
again, and I took a slow step back, my hand straying to my knife. Just
as I tried to decide whether to run or fight, a thundering of hooves
filled my ears.
The cat looked over its shoulder then leapt right at me. I let out
a startled yelp and fell over backward, both arms covering my face. A
soft thud landed above my head. I lowered my arms and looked behind me.
The cat took off into the trees. Just as it disappeared, a set of hooves
soared over my head, landing where the cat had. I watched in shock as a
rider holding a spear, gave chase. I hadn't been noticed at all.
A soft mewl escaped the brush in front of me.
****
I woke to hear a deep rasping cough. It took me a moment to
realize the burning in my chest was a result from coughing and that I
had woke myself up with the force of it. I felt cold, but I was drenched
in sweat. I tried to pry my eyes open, but they felt glued shut. My head
was pounding, and the weight of the blankets constricting.
I realize now that, had I not been on the verge of death, my
antics would have been amusing, and confusing. I had been told that
throughout most of my sickness, I mimicked some of the movements in my
dreams. Actually, they still found me a spectacle. They found it highly
amusing when I began squirming about and hissing and yowling like a cat.
That one, they couldn't explain, nor help but chuckle about. It was
Na'nal that blushed and finally explained the strange looks I was
receiving.
I also learned that I babbled. Not only did I babble, but I
babbled in my own world's language. Actually, now that I think of it, I
recall a moment when I remember trying to talk to Na'nal. It was after
that moment I woke up from first meeting the wildcats.
"Where... Big cat... What did I... There was... I want a face... I
need a face..." I squirmed about. I wanted to see a face, any face that
I recognized. I couldn't remember names. I couldn't even remember
Na'nal's. I just remember desperately wanting to see someone. "Hey...
Hey... Please... Someone..."
A head rose, blinking sleep out of their eyes.
"Neh?" they asked. I stared in disbelief. I didn't recognize her.
"Kuo na'halla tes? Cenin mella ste'tre?"
I blinked in confusion.
"Who? I mean...What...?" The girl had green skin. I remember being
stunned, unable to grasp what was going on. The look of worry and
concern on her face made me squirm. I noticed our hands entwined. My jaw
almost dropped. I almost pulled my hand away, but some part of me kept
it still. "Do I... know you?" I whispered.
"Dah, Cenin... Mes stu'neh tane?" At my still confused look, she
continued, a slight smile on her face. "Dah, orre na'oblle se' torre tes
una se meya. Es'mue tes Na'nal. Torre na'harra aus senne mo galla meya
suem. Nes dues se'orre mes legu, peques tes arra meya. Massane hassebel
neh orresenabel tes corre mes cas, Cenin."
"I don't understand." My throat burned. My eyes stung from
frustrated tears.
I had only been half conscious at the time. I wasn't even awake
enough to realize I was speaking in English, or to realize I knew what
she was saying. But, because I was half out of it, even though I
normally would know what she said, I can't recall it at all. I try
remembering it, but the words always seem foreign. I've even dared ask
her, but she grins and cheekily walks away. That stinker, what would I
do without her?
Err, going back to that moment. We sat staring at each other for
several minutes in silence. Neither of us could figure out what to do
next. Na'nal, seemingly to have run out of ideas, began humming. I
watched in silence until I drifted off to sleep again.
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