MysidiaDrakkenbane

Austforbeer and Maya had finished their tradeskilling for the day and were headed back to their house. Aust complimented Maya on her quick grasp of leatherworking. She was already on to some of the more difficult backpacks that were sure to sell during the early spring. Adventurers always wanted to get an early start on treasure hunting as soon as the winter thaw released its grip on the land.

And as they both rounded the corner, Aust caught a familiar face walking towards them in the distance. The moment he recognized the orange red hair walking towards him, he knew it to be Pergy from Graystone Yard. She was no stranger to some of the leatherworks he had done years prior.

“Pergy, well met. This is my daughter, Maya.”, Aust said with a smile on his face. The moment he saw the look in Pergy’s eyes, he furled his brow with concern.

“What is it?”, he asked. Pergy didn’t say anything but merely looked over at the front door to his house.

His heart fell into his feet when he saw the blood stains on the front. The door frame was slightly splintered and because so, couldn’t close completely. He saw the disarray of the flower pots that used to line the walkway to his house and a white fear began to choke the air out of him. He started to feel the ruff of fur on the back of his neck rise.

“Daddy?”, Maya’s voice said quietly. She looked up into his face for reassurance. She began to tremble from the inside out.

“Stay out here until I tell you its safe…”, Aust said looking down at her. He tried to force a smile to give the child some semblance of safety, but there was no way he could fake the fear that he felt.

Pergy began to speak quietly to Maya as Aust entered his house. The moment he did, he nearly fell to his knees.

What was once a beautiful home, now lay in tatters around him. The lovely wooden furniture that had been made for him and Feja when they were married, had been smashed and broken, laying in pieces around him. All of the ceramic bowls that Feja used to use to make her potions out of, were smashed and several of her herbs had been strewn about.

That’s when he noticed the two huge puddles of blood on the floor right next to the kitchen counter. Deep blood… fresh blood… Feja’s blood…

Aust let out a ferocious roar which caused Pergy and Maya to rush into the house. Maya screamed and fell to her knees when she looked at her home.

“Where is she?”, Aust asked through clenched teeth. His pupils were completely dilated. Had the assailant been in front of him, he would have torn them apart with his own furry hands. If any Kerran looked more like a wild animal, it would have been Aust at that very moment.

“She’s safe, Aust.”, Pergy said.

“…alive?”, he could barely ask.

“Yes.”, Pergy said and grabbed his hand leading him up the stairs into their bedroom. Aust could barely choke back the tears when he saw his beloved wife lying bloody and broken on their bed. Maya ran in and rushed to her mother’s side, crying hysterically.

Aust watched the two of them for a few moments before wiping his face with the back of his hand. “Who was it?”, he asked Pergy.

“I’m not entirely sure. Your wife was on the ground when I got here. The only clue I had was this arrow near her head.”, Pergy said handing Aust a very sharp and intricately cut arrowhead.

Aust could see where Pergy broke the tip off the shaft of the arrow and peered closer at some of the markings on the ironwork. Aust growled low.

“Teir’Dal…”, he mentioned. “What would they want with Feja?”

“I’m not entirely sure. She mentioned that Mysidia was in danger before she passed out.”, Pergy said watching Feja sleep.

“What are you doing here, Pergy?”, Aust finally asked.

“Your hawk dropped off your note. Mysidia’s brothers met up with Machene and said that she had been captured by Orcs. I told Machene that I would come in his stead. Raevenwolf and I have been taking care of Feja since.”, Pergy said quietly.

“Raevenwolf?”, Aust asked curiously. The moment he did, an image shimmered out of the corner of his eye and he saw a very short half elf woman watching him quietly.

“Aye. I thought th’ attacker would come back. Stayed ‘ere to watch yer wife.”, Raeven said.

“I … I don’t know what to say. If it weren’t for you two…”, Aust couldn’t finish the thought. He began to choke up again at the thought of losing his wife.

“Think nothing of it, Aust. I learned a long time ago that everything has a reason and a purpose. Tunare placed me at that tavern so that one day I could save your wife.”, Pergy said and placed a hand gently on his arm. “I’m just glad that I remember most of what my mother taught me.”

“Druid?”, Aust asked curiously. Pergy shook her head.

“Old world Shaman. My father was a Ranger.”, she said.

“How long until she wakes up?”, Aust asked concerned.

Pergy sighed slightly walking over to Feja. She placed a calming hand on Maya to try and soothe the crying Kerran.

“It’s hard to say. The main thing is, she’s alive and will be fine.”, Pergy said giving Maya a reassuring smile. Maya sniffed back her tears and began to quiet her sobs.

“W..Where’s… M…Mysidia?”, Maya asked between her shaking.

Pergy shifted her eyes uncomfortably trying to avoid the topic. Maya had just seen her house destroyed and received news that her mother had been at near death. Telling the young Kerran cub that a close friend was in danger might set her off again.

“You…you said she was in danger…”, Maya said looking with fear to her father.

“Yes, but her husband and two brothers are going to rescue her, Maya.”, Aust said kneeling down to his daughter. “She’s going to be just fine.”

“You… you have to save her, Daddy. Momma said she was in danger. The Darkfury’s are supposed to protect her from all harm. We made that promise…”, the child started to ramble.

Pergy eyed Aust curiously. What was so special about this woman that caused an entire Kerran clan a life pledge and Tunare to give a barbarian a Blessing?

“Your mother is sick, Maya. You don’t want me to leave your mother, do you?”, Aust tried to explain to his little girl. Maya looked down and bit her lip slightly ashamed.

“..Aust…”, the faint name trickled off of Feja’s lips.

Pergy turned to Feja and motioned for Raevenwolf for them to fall out of sight.

Aust quickly turned his attention to his wife and in a flash, was by her side, holding her hand. He winced slightly as he saw the various scratches and wounds that littered his wife’s beautiful face.

“Maya is right.”, she said weakly. “Mysidia is in danger and we must help her.”

“What happened?”, Aust asked, trying to hold back the waves of emotion from taking hold of him.

“Akahsha…”, she said softly.

“Why would she do this to her??”, Aust asked confused.

Feja licked her cracked lips and took in a deep breath. “Not that Akahsha… Her daughter. She is setting out to finish what her mother couldn’t.”

Feja grunted a bit trying to shift her weight in bed. When she felt the sharp pain of her stomach wound, she yelped and fell back into position.

She paused for a moment before continuing. “…We have to help them save her.”

“You’re in no condition to go anywhere.”, Aust said sternly.

“It’s my duty, Aust.”, Feja tried to explain.

“Begging your pardon, Feja, but I haven’t got that kind of power to heal you. I haven’t used it in a very long time…”, Pergy gently interrupted.

Feja looked at Pergy and shook her head. “No… you don’t… but she does.”, she said and pointed to her own daughter.

Maya’s green eyes widen as she looked back at her mother. “I … I don’t know how to do that, Momma…”

“Pergy will teach you.”, Feja said with her voice trailing off. Her dark blue eyes rolled to the back of her head before giving into exhaustion again. Pergy bit her lip and cursed under her breath. Now they were on a time clock.

Aust called out to his wife, but only silence returned. Pergy pushed past him, grabbing Maya gently around the arms.

“Close your eyes, child.”, Pergy said softly.

Aust tried to get to his wife’s side, calling out to her. Pergy turned her head and gave Aust a stern look. “This would go a lot easier if we had silence.”

She turned her attention to Maya who was now shaking with fear. “It’s all right. I’m going to teach you how…”

She bent over the child and held her arms out for her. “Close your eyes and picture this warm golden light…”, Pergy started.

Maya began to picture what the early fall sun looked like against the wheat fields by her house. That color of gold she held clearly in her mind. She stretched out her fingers in front of her as if she tried to touch each strand of wheat.

“Very good… Now picture that light entering you, gently warming your insides…”, Pergy continued. Pergy watched Feja carefully. Blood started to trickle out of the mother Kerran’s mouth. Aust began to pace the floor, trying to keep quiet. The energy within the room was so intense, it almost seemed tangible.

Maya began to feel the golden light warm her from the inside out, like how it feels to get into a warm bed after being in a chilled house from a crisp night.

Outside of Maya’s imagination, Feja began to gently convulse. Pergy closed her eyes and silently prayed to Tunare. They were losing her.

“Ok, Maya, now take that warmth and push it out of you and onto your mother. Like you’re giving her a warm blanket that you had.”, Pergy explained.

Maya’s eyebrows furled under the intense concentration. Pergy really hated putting someone so young through such a hard task, but they were running out of options. Pergy simply didn’t have the power to do what Maya would. And if she had any of her mother’s talent, she would be able to do what Pergy can’t.

With all of her inner strength, Maya pushed that golden light out of her and pictured her warming her mother. At first, nothing happened. But as she began to give her mother more of this “warmth”, a bright golden light began to glow over her mother’s convulsing body.

Maya could feel the knot in her abdomen. She tried with all of her might to push this “knot” out of her body and into the warmth. Somehow, her instincts told her that this was the right thing to do and that this is where her magic resided. Maya’s insides quivered when she began to focus on this knot. She could feel her breath growing short, yet she could feel this golden light around her and on her mother.

The light grew brighter and brighter. It had gotten so bright that Pergy and Aust couldn’t look at it anymore and had to turn their heads away from such intensity.

When Maya couldn’t “push” on the knot anymore, she gasped and limply fell into Pergy’s arms. Aust looked at his daughter in complete awe. He had witnessed his wife casting spells before, and he had seen the same amount of intensity, however this came from an 8 year old girl. No child should have had that amount of power.

Feja opened up her crystal blue eyes and looked at her daughter who was magically fatigued. She gave a huge proud smile and placed her paw like hand on her cheek.

“Did…it work?”, Maya asked faintly.

“Aye, lass… I’d say ye healed th’ rest o’ the block, too..”, Raevenwolf said jesting, but she too was completely speechless about what she had witnessed.

“Yer daughter has quite o’bit of fire power…”, Raeven mentioned quietly to Aust.

“So it would seem.”, he mused back. Aust folded his arms across his chest as it puffed out in pure pride.

__________________