Bliath: Shattered (10 page)

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Larin skipped into the barn and to the tack room, where she knew Vance would be.   He was sitting in the corner with a book in his hand.  She went right over to him and sat down.  “Whatcha reading?”  She asked in an innocent tone, which Vance was beginning to think was a mere cover because she was too smart for her own good.  Ignoring her question Vance replied “What are you doing in the barn?” 

“Well, you promised Cook to keep me away, and I felt like bothering her, so I felt it was safer to bug you, where you could properly watch me.”  She looked up at him with doe eyes.

He relented knowing that she was right, “Can you keep a secret?”

She rolled her eyes at him, “duh, you didn’t know I was a seer until I let you, your mother is the only person who knew.  I promise I won’t tell.”

He believed her, the book he had was Fera’s history book, and he explained it to Larin the best he could and showed her the picture of Riel and explained it was Fera’s mother.  Larin touched the picture, and smiled.  “She looks like her mom, her mom was an Elf.”  Vance nodded.   Vance was going back over the prophecy when Larin came in.  He knew that prophecies could change, and most were left open to interpretation, but hers was signed, sealed, and all but delivered.  The first line summed it up,
An heir of all to bring peace to them all.

Larin caught on to his souring mood, she was going to ask him more about the book she was really curious about it, but instead got up, and said she was going to play with Oren. 

That jogged Vance’s memory and he stopped her, “Larin you said he wasn’t a horse what did you mean, you meant he was like an Elven mount right or like he was Fera’s” She looked worried at him and a little torn, “It’s a secret, I can’t tell you, but I can tell you secrets never stay secrets forever.”  With that she turned and went over to his stall, and he was clearly happy to see her.

Vance watched the two of them carry on what seemed like a one way conversation. 

He went about the night chores in the barn.  When he got to Oren’s stall, Larin stopped him before he put the grain in the box.  “He won’t eat it and said it is just a waste of grain if you give it to him.  Besides, since I can go into the kitchen in the morning, I promised him good food.”  Oren dipped his head down and nuzzled the girl, he really did like this child.  Vance went to put the feed cart away, when Larin let out a tiny scream, he turned around to see her pale, as if she saw a ghost, he ran over to her. 

“What happened, Larin… Larin, are you ok?”  Vance was scared

“My brother is going to be coming fast, screaming I can hear the screaming.”  She took a step back and slid down against Oren’s stall, her eyes filled with tears. 

Within minutes Leo was sprinting into the barn, he looked as bad as his sister, if not worse, he was out of breath, but managed to get out that Desree needed Vance now, that Fera was in pain, and could not get it to stop.

Vance was in the Rose room before Leo even got out of the barn.  When he saw Fera he almost lost his mind.  Desree snapped at him to keep himself under control, she needed him to help her. 

Once again he found himself on his knees at her bed side, and she was in clear pain.    He looked from her to his mother.  Trying to get control, through clenched teeth he asked what had happened.  “The binds are undoing and without being in limbo the energy more than stings, it burns.  It is burning through her.  It is like her body is on fire.  Leo doesn’t understand and was freaking out, I said to get you to assist me, but I need you to sooth her, while I go get something to sedate her.”  Desree said as calm as she could, but in her head and heart she was feeling guilty, she knew coming out of bindings were bad, and the more powerful the magic the worse it was.

Vance barely heard Desree leave, but he did hear her lecturing Leo in the hall, not to go in until they made sure what was happening was something that was not contagious. That she could not risk a prince to fall ill.  He had to give it to her, she was quick witted.  A monumental scream brought his focus back to Fera, he gripped her hand. Her breaths were labored as if she had just ran a great distance, sweat was dripping off her, and her jaw was clenched tight as were her eyes.  He instinctively reached up and touched her face, tucking a wild hair behind her ear.  He was about to get the rag from the water basin to wipe off her head, but her eyes snapped open and cut through him.  He felt her fear, her pain, her worry, and what he thought was a sense of relief that he was there.  She tried to reach out to him, but another wave of pain hit, and though she tried to keep the scream in, her body betrayed her and it escaped.  Vance didn’t think, he only reacted he climbed in bed next to her and took her in his arms and held her close. When that wave was over, instead of pushing him away, she pulled him close, finding comfort in his arms, she started to cry, then sob.  Vance rubbed her back and softly hummed to her. 

Another round of pain was being brought down on her, as she screamed into his chest, he noticed Desree was back in the room watching him.  He sat up and pulled Fera up into his arms and cradled her against him.  When she was able to open her eyes again, Desree stood in front of them. She was encouraging Fera to drink something. Vance asked what it was, when Desree explained it would send her back to limbo, and at that Fera spit it out.  She shook her head no and her eyes pleaded with Vance.  She didn’t want to go back into that world, she would gladly endure the pain just to stay awake and in his arms.  Vance tried his best to reassure her that this was for the best and she would be fine soon enough.  The worst of the pain was yet to come.

Within a few minutes she felt it start in her chest, but it escalated down to her wrist and from there it started to build.  Vance could feel it, her energy was building, her body was growing warmer, he didn’t want to let her go.  He had to cool her down fast!  He was becoming frantic, he place her back on the bed.   In the next moment Vance’s brain could not keep up with what happened and his inner battle slipped out.  Desree stopped Vance from putting an iced rag on her forehead that was all he could take.   He lost control of his energy, sending a wave of it out in the room, Leo at that moment also lost his battle to stay away and opened the door.  Vance’s energy added to Fera’s acting like a super charge, that made hers ripple out, the room glowed like the sun.  The last thing Vance could remember was blinding light, followed by absolute darkness. 

Chapter 14

When Vance opened his eyes he could still feel the wild mix of energy in the room, he was on the floor by Fera’s bed.  He pushed himself up and looked around, Leo was on the floor right inside the closed door, he hoped he had just been stunned, same with Desree who was on the floor at the foot of the bed.  His main fear was for Fera, he grabbed her hand and was pulled in limbo. 

It was pitch black.  He called out for her.  There was no answer, panic was setting in, and he knew he couldn’t use his magic in here, it might make things worse.  He waited quietly listening for a few moments, and then he heard it, she gasped, he turned and went straight toward the sound.  Tripping over her, he sat on the ground and pulled her back into his arms.  She was breathing, her hearts was going strong, so she must alive outside of limbo too.

Vance sat there for a while just holding her, humming, playing with her hair in the darkness.  He finally felt her shift, then she called out his name, his heart just about beat out of his chest.  He held her tighter.  “Vance,” she whispered followed by “too tight I can’t breathe.”   

He let go and felt the buzz, then the lights came on.  He saw her, took her in, at least in limbo she looked ok, tired still but ok.  Not sure what to do or say, he just stared at her.  In a strange turn of events she reached out, touching Vance’s arm to comfort him.  “Vance, I am ok.”  Fera was looking at him confused. 

“You were screaming, burning and screaming, do you remember being awake?”

Fera sat back and thought about it for a moment, “I remember waking up and seeing you and Larin, then I remember you had to go, I took a bath and then I talked with Desree and Leo for a while, then I remember getting really dizzy, then warm, then I woke up back in limbo.  What happened?” 

“Fera, the binding on your magic broke, I think most of the way, your body was on fire, you were screaming, I…I thought, I didn’t know what to do, you were in so much pain. Then I lost control of my magic when I started to panic, it mixed with yours and knocked everyone out.”  Vance and Fera stared at each other for a moment in silence.  Fera was the first to break it, “Are the others ok?”  Vance didn’t honestly know, and Fera was worried she might have hurt someone or worse.  Vance was more afraid that Leo would come to and see him in bed with Fera and not understand.  They both agreed that he better go back and make sure everyone was ok and take care of things outside of limbo, but he promised her he would be back as soon as he could.

He landed back into his conscious in the real world, he knew he had not been gone that long.  Fera was on the bed and appeared to be back asleep.  Vance went to Desree first, she was breathing, he gave her a slight zing of energy, she shot up with a gasp.  She looked around the room.  Her eyes narrowed on Vance and she gave him a look only a mother could, it said you are in trouble mister.  He left her side so she could get her wits about her.  Leo was going to be tricky, he would want to know what the flash was, and what was going on, both things he could not know.  Vance just stood above him staring down at him.  Desree put his hand on Vance shoulder, “Help me take him back to his room he can wake up there, and when he asks, we will say the stress of the situation caused him to faint, and hit his head.”  Vance nodded, he knew then the rest could be explained rather simply. 

With Leo tucked safely in his bed, they turned back to the Rose room and Fera. 

Vance sank back down in the chair exhausted, he watched his mom check Fera over, she had a slight fever, her energy fluctuation was becoming more stable, Desree’s main concern was Fera’s lack of actual sleep, she was starting to think it had less to do with the manic energy thrusting itself upon her and more the thoughts that were weighing on her.   Before Desree could finish her exam, Vance was on the side of the bed with her right wrist in his hand, both Desree and Vance were fixated on her arm.  Her magic mark had been restored.  Vance brought it to his lips and gently kissed the intricately twisted mark, and he felt the pull to go back to limbo, he regretted ignoring it. 

Desree took her wrist from Vance and she clicked her tongue, “A magical rebirth by fire.” With that being said she started to bandage it so it would go unnoticed.  “Vance, my boy, you look like the walking dead, in fact in my time I have seen undead that have looked better.  Why don’t you go close up the barn, let Oren know what happened and get some rest, if things change I will send for you.”  He stood, kissed Desree on the forehead, turned walked to the head of the bed, and kissed Fera on the forehead, she sighed and he left.

Once Vance was outside he saw the lights in the barn still on, and he knew Larin would more than likely still be in there.   When he got to the barn door, he heard her talking, but this time the conversion was not so one sided, someone was in the barn with her, a male.  He paused, thinking it might be Leo, he listened closely first he heard Larin, “Wow, I still can’t believe you are, well, you!”  “Do you think it will scare her?” the male voice said, that he heard Larin gasp and say something too low for Vance to catch.  Vance walked around the corner to see Larin outside Oren’s stall.  He looked around no one else was in the barn.  “Larin,” Vance said, “Who was talking to you a minute ago?”  Larin gave Vance a funny look, “umm, I was just talking to Oren, Vance are you ok? You look really bad!”  Vance chuckled, “Thanks, I think I am hearing things too.  Just so you both know everything is fine now.”  He really didn’t want to go into or think about her screaming right then.  He started closing up the barn for the night, when he was finished he turned to Larin and told her he was taking her back to her room and she needed to go to bed.  Larin said good night to Oren and followed Vance back into the castle.  

Taking Larin back to her room meant going right by the Rose room, Vance had to use most of his will power to not go back in that room.  He hoped his mother was sleeping, even if it was in a chair.  Maybe, just maybe, Fera was finally resting, and that alone was not worth the risk of rousing either with a squeaky door.

Larin was in her room for the night, and Vance was on his way to his room and to his actual bed, there was some comfort in that.

Chapter 15

Five steps, five steps past the Rose room, is all Vance got before Desree stuck her head out the door and asked him to sit with Fera until she or Leo came back.  Apparently, a bird came and told Desree that a couple was almost to her cabin with a dire medical issue.   As he walked in the room, Desree placed her hand on his cheek, “such a good boy, but don’t get any ideas, stay out of that girls head.” Desree was gone, and Vance hurled his tired body into a chair by Fera’s bed.

He sat there for a few minutes, sleep was not going to come, Desree would probably be gone for a while, what would a fast trip to limbo hurt, to check on her, to let her know everyone is fine here.  He leaned forward on the bed and grabbed her hand and gave into the pull.