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A Story for Lion
Another Story for Lion
Bright Day, Dark Night
Brighteyes, Sealgair, & Erdian
Choices
Erdian's Tower
Jaret's Quest: 1
Jaret's Quest: 2
Jaret's Quest: 3
Meghan and Xarroch
Meghan & Sissra
Meghan's Journey Begins
More Problems from Curiosity
Rakanor
S'ayad'i & Felis
Troubled Dreams
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Brighteyes paused where the break in the trees allowed
a view of the next mountain. She tried to catch her breath while she
waited for Sealgair and Erdian to catch up.
"Ach, but I'm too old fer this," complained
Sealgair as he leaned against a tree. Brighteyes cocked her head and
grinned at him, acknowledging the lie. Certainly she was in no shape
for this -- she was a city thief. No amount of running across rooftops
was preparation for weeks on end clambering over mountains. The last
time she had come this way, it had been in the opposite direction, and
she had been a good deal younger. Sealgair's complaining was in
sympathy for the elf.
Erdian, however, was a cheerful now as he had been when
they set out. Despite her feelings for the mage, Brighteyes was on the
verge of throttling him the next time he told a joke and laughed
merrily. As he caught up, she saw that he was juggling pinecones, and
she started speaking before he could start up an act.
"See that mountain over there?" The question
was rhetorical. The mountain loomed in view, perhaps a day's travel,
and it looked formidable. The tallest mountain in the area, its top
third was rocky and barren.
"We'll be able to sight the beastie's lair from the
top of that, will we?" Sealgair asked hopefully. Although he
wasn't as tired as he pretended to be, Brighteyes thought that he was
probably bored. "No," she replied, almost enjoying the fallen
look on his face. "That mountain *is* the beast's lair." She
laughed as the grin spread across his face.
Erdian's grin widened. "I could just float us all
over there right now!" he offered enthusiastically. Brighteyes
shook her head. "Save it for the dragon."
She didn't quite trust him to cast magic on her now. She
had woken up the night before their departure to see Erdian standing
by her bed, trying to find her in the dark room. He was holding a vial
of something in his hand, which triggered a memory. She had leapt from
the bed and landed behind him, a wicked dagger in each hand. "What
do you think you're doing?" she'd asked -- a chance to explain
that she would not have given anyone else. He had tried to explain that
he thought that the mission was too dangerous for her. She had
"explained" to him that nothing short of deific intervention
was going to stop her. She then cursed at him for a while in dragon,
which he hadn't seemed to hold against her, but she wasn't taking any
chances now. If he thought she still needed protection, he very well
might fly himself and Sealgair over to the damn thing's den, leaving
her to catch up on foot. She was a wood elf - without the others, she
wouldn't have to stick to the trails, and could travel much faster.
However, she knew the power of her friends, and there was no way that
she would get there before they killed it. And she desperately wanted
it to know *who* had arranged its downfall.
Of course, there was nothing stopping Erdian from
ignoring her denial and flying them over anyway, but he merely shrugged
and continued juggling. Brighteyes watched him while she finished
catching her breath with some appreciation. Erdian was probably the
best juggler she'd ever seen, herself included (although she'd never
admit that to him), and even a simple three-ball circle like the one
he was doing now had a certain amount of flair and grace to it that no
amateur and few professionals could achieve. That she had it only made
her appreciate it the more in him. Finally, she turned and started back
down the trail.
They stopped at the edge of the treeline, hiding in the
brush to recover from the harsh climb. Even Erdian's insufferable
enthusiasm had quieted after an hour.
"How much further?" Sealgair asked.
"Not far," she answered. She pointed to a spur
of rock about two hundred yards above them. "That's his back door.
He's too big for it now, but it'll give us an easy access. His actual
lair is down inside the mountain, so once we reach the cave entrance,
we'll have an easy time getting to him, but it'll get more dangerous
very quickly.
Sealgair nodded his understanding, thoughtfully rubbing
his badge (Brighteyes could never pronounce the word that he called it,
so she just called it a badge). Erdian's eyes went glassy for a few
seconds as he mentally reviewed the spells he had chosen.
"Perhaps..." he whispered, "...perhaps we
should try to lure it out here. It's probably more familiar with its
own lair than we are, even with your memory, Brighteyes. It would be
easier if he came to us."
"Are ye mad, caraid?" demanded Sealgair.
"Out here 'e'd be able to spread 'is wings and attack us from
above!"
Brighteyes shook her head. "Actually," she said
thoughtfully, "if I remember correctly, it could probably take
flight in there, too, only slightly cramped. I think Erdian's right --
our best chances are out here."
Sealgair reluctantly conceded. "Wait here,"
Brighteyes whispered. "I'll lure him out." Before either man
could protest, she took off, walking toward the cavern's entrance as
softly as a cat. Erdian shrugged, and quietly cast a protective spell
on himself and readied for battle, lightly resting one hand on an
intricately carved dagger at his belt. Sealgair grasped his badge and
concentrated on its protective powers, watching Brighteyes.
When she reached the entrance, she backed up against the
mountain wall, took a deep breath, and yelled something that sounded
very ugly and harsh. An angry-sounding answer came from within, and
she yelled back. Suddenly she went very still, listening, and then she
faded into the shadows of the rock. Sealgair rubbed one eye -- if he
hadn't been watching, he would have thought she'd utterly disappeared.
As it was, he could barely pick her out from the shadows. Even the
glint of the dagger she'd drawn seemed to be a bright rock on the
mountain face.
The monster did not burst out of the rather narrow
opening. Rather, it appeared over the top of the mountain and headed
for them, or rather, for Brighteyes. While its back was to them,
Sealgair charged, drawing his swords on the run. The beast spun when
it heard Sealgair's step, but before it could defend itself, a cascade
of rock from a nearby overhang fell, courtesy of Erdian, and one
largish stone hit the dragon's wing, making it stumble in the air and
land heavily. (Erdian's hair suddenly surged in length, settling gently
around his waist.) Sealgair swung with his mighty blades, and hit
solidly while the dragon was flailing to recover its balance. It
screamed in rage, and loosed its deadly flame on them. The heatwave
preceding the flames made Sealgair stagger slightly, and behind him
Erdian cursed in pain as the flames burned him, but neither of
them were badly injured.
The monster suddenly shrieked in pain as Brighteyes
emerged from her hiding place and sank her dagger into its neck. It
spun to face her and waved a talon, casting some spell that sent her
smashing back against the rock face of the mountain. Erdian nearly
screamed an incantation. Sealgair could almost see the waves of power
as they passed him, streaming toward their target, but the dragon
seemed to brush off the spell, turning to face them once more.
Dramatically, lightening clashed and the sky darkened as Erdian's magic
released the forces of nature. Sealgair swung again, his magical blades
humming with power. His attack left deep gashes in the beast's hide.
Erdian threw another spell, and this time the effects did not go
unnoticed. Nor did it ignore the bolt of lightning that hit it as
Erdian's magic surged yet again. The dragon screamed in pain and swung
a claw at Erdian, who danced sideways just in time to avoid serious
injury -- but his brightly colored shirt would never be the same. As
Sealgair pulled back for another thrust, he glimpsed Brighteyes
groggily and painfully rising from where the dragon's spell had thrown
her. She was determinedly holding another dagger and pulling her
short sword.
The battle raged for what seemed hours and might have
been merely minutes, but slowly the three comrades wore the beast down.
Brighteyes took the worst beating, having no protective spells and very
little armor to deflect the creature's blows, but she remained upright
and vengeful, screaming at it almost constantly in that ugly language.
Finally, it collapsed, a fierce thrashing of its tail and beating of
its wings its last defense. Erdian drew his dagger carefully and edged
toward its head. Brighteyes laughed almost evilly and leaped past him,
sinking her longest fighting dagger into its eye. She spoke to it
harshly and angrily still, and drew another dagger. Erdian yelled,
"NO!!!!!" and raced toward her, but by the time he reached
her, she had slit the dragon's throat. Belatedly, she looked up, sensed
the power surging in the dagger in his hand, and realized that the
dragon's death blood was meant to christen and bind the dagger's magic.
She took a step backwards, fearfully wondering if the dagger would turn
on her now, but Erdian sheathed it with an irritated gesture, swept a
bow to Sealgair, and disappeared with a soft *pop!* A loud shrieking
filled the air, and Brighteyes covered her ears as she looked from where
Erdian had been to Sealgair. After a while, the noise (another
by-product of Erdian's magic) stopped, and she gingerly uncovered her
ears.
She looked at Sealgair, cleaning his blades. "You
don't think he's *too* mad, do you?"
Sealgair shrugged. "He's been needin' to finish the
enchantment on that dagger for some time," he said sternly.
"But I didn't *know* that!" protested
Brighteyes.
Sealgair looked at her. "Ye wouldn't have given up
the deathblow even if ye had known, lassie, so don't start that!"
She sighed softly, fearing that her determined vengeance
and rash actions had cost her the only man that she had truly cared for
since the dragon had destroyed her husband so many years ago. She
pulled her daggers out of the monster's flesh and cleaned them
carefully. The one she had used to slit its throat had already corroded
beyond use from the acidic blood, but she cleaned it and sheathed it
anyway.
She looked up to see Sealgair watching her carefully. She
raised an eyebrow at him.
"Jest makin' sure ye've lost the killing thirst,
lass."
She nodded. "Yes... Thank you for helping me. I
could never have done it on my own."
Sealgair nodded. "T'was an evil that needed to be
destroyed."
Brighteyes managed to pull her battered and wounded body
to its feet. She walked carefully toward the cave. Sealgair followed,
interested.
Within, they found mounds and piles of coin and gems,
precious statues and works of art. There were elaborately carved
scrollcases and items that reeked of magical power. Brighteyes looked
around appreciatively, but did not pick anything up yet. She looked
around the cave until she found what she was looking for: an ornate
necklace in gold with emeralds and onyx settings all over it. At its
base was a huge black pearl.
Brighteyes showed it to Sealgair. "I made this for
my husband," she explained. "He was wearing it when the dragon
slew him." She smiled at her powerful friend, and for the first
time since his death spoke her husband's name. "Xavier and I
acquired this pearl on the very first heist we pulled as a team...
" Her voice trailed off, and she sat suddenly in the middle of
the vast chamber, holding the necklace to her chest, and weeping,
finally, after decades, for her lost mate.
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