Quinn's general mood was still high, as he went along the great river in the general direction of the Madeiran lake. At the second days travel from the carnival, he had reached the point where the river changed direction southwards. That meant that with his usual travel speed, he would reach Nota in about three days at current speed.
And, hopefully, at current weather conditions.
The hills were slowly sloping downwards, giving him a great view of the plains as they stretched out in all directions. There were great patches of forests on his right, although he could still see the narrow mountain range where he knew Nota resided still. If he picked up his speed a little, he might even make it on the second day of travel, although it would be rather late. Still, it would be nice to get a good nights rest in a hotel, without having to worry about having his sleep interrupted by dung beetles or other nocturnal wildlife. He turned his attention back south.
The mountain wall to the south could only barely be seen, where on the other side the old ruins it was said Ghaleon himself had resided. The place itself were remarkably well preserved, he'd heard the traders and treasure hunters who frequented Nota say. Who was living there now, nobody knew, as the place itself were tightly secured by heavy stone doors, and a barrier spell, its equal not reached by any magician on Lunar. Rumor had it, not even the premier of Vane had managed to remove the spell-lock that held the doors, as well as the place itself, tightly secured. People who had spent the night in the vicinity of the old ruin had sworn that they heard singing from inside. Beautiful, haunting, multi-voiced and, ultimately, very sad songs.
None of them had returned after that.
Quinn's mind returned, yet again, to his surroundings. He was enjoying the wind that had picked up a little during the day. It blew through the threes that were sparsely populated over the plain, making the leaves sing in a silent whisper. Then it went over the hill which the river, not being able to cross, had opted to go around instead. And it created waves in the fields of grass, which rolled slowly over the top of the hill itself.
He turned slightly to the left as he slowly ascended the tiny hill, watching the river coil around it, knowing fully that on the other side, it would turn back, and resume it's original direction south to the lake.
And he listened...
What the hell?
He heard the screams again, a little louder, farther to the left. "Stop it, stop it, STOP IT! Leave me alone!"
And then he heard wing beats. Rather heavy ones.
*Wyverns? This far north?*
As he reached the top of the hill, he saw that, indeed, there were three wyverns following something small and red, that looked for all the world like a cat with wings.
*A dragon.*
His habitual reflexes kicked in, and he assessed the situation. Three opponents, large ones at that. He dropped the sack, took the sword out of its scabbard, and threw the scabbard alongside the sack as well. Then, sword in hand, he started running down the hill, at the same time charging the magical energy needed for the only attack spell he knew.
And the little dragon still flew for it's life, wyverns hot on its tail. (So to speak.)
Quinn aimed for the nearest wyvern, jumping high into the air utilizing the 'poe sword' skill that he had learned from his many lessons under Yu-Shan's tutelage. And as he descended, taking the first wyvern's head clean off, he turned to one of the others, letting the spell he knew so well loose.
"YAAAAAHHH."
Quinn roared, as the magic force tore out from his outstretched hand, and shot forward in the form of lightning rays, that took the second wyvern completely by surprise, blasting it several feet back by the sheer power of it, killing it instantly.
Two down, one to go.
The last one had, obviously, ignored him altogether by not ending his hunt for the young dragon. And it was closing fast on the dragon, who, by now was getting very tired and, judging by its voice, very desperate.
"NOOO!" It was on the verge of crying, Quinn could tell. He would never reach the wyvern in time, nor did he have the time to charge up another one of those lightning spells he didn't have a name for. The little dragon's chances were pretty much slim.
And then it did something unexpected. It turned completely around, trying for a flame breath to confuse its large, scaly assailant. It worked -- in a sense -- that the wyvern did not expect it, but in reflex the talons on its feet went towards the dragon, one of it's claws tearing a large gash in the side of the little creature. And, as the little dragon slumped to the ground, the wyvern landed, and turned around.
The dragon's time was almost up.
Quinn watched in horror at the angry, and obviously hungry wyvern set its sight on the bite-sized morsel. He sent a silent prayer to the stars above, as he lifted his sword, its blade pointing at the salivating beasts head.
*Althena... Lucia... guide my hand. Please help me save one of your dearest children.*
And he threw the sword with all the strength he could muster.
Nina, the red dragon, floated in a red haze of agony. She remembered everything that had happened, as she had come upon the pack of wyverns that had just finished feasting upon the carcass of a dead albino baboon they had apparently hunted down. And, as she had found out watching their hungry stares, they were still wanting more meat.
The chase had ended, and she had lost.
She hoped the end would come quickly, although the thought of being devoured didn't sit well with her. She wanted to scream, claw or run, but didn't possess the strength to do it.
She felt like crying, but she couldn't muster the strength to do that either. The pain in her side was just too much.
She hoped that... that... THING choked on her, and died from it.
And at that thought, she felt herself being lifted up.
Odd. Wyverns don't have hands.
She tried the best she could to open her eyes, not sure she would like what she was going to see. Although still blurry and hazy from the pain, she saw, barely, a face framed by long, white hair.
"D... dad?" she rasped out.
The blur looked a bit surprised at that, and she thought she heard him say something.
"Hmmm?"
No! This voice was different than her father's... Oh, but she was so tired.
"Hurts," she rasped out, her voice barely audible.
"Shhhh. Just rest, now." The voice, although not stirring any memories within her, made her calm down.
The relief Quinn felt, as the sword had hit true, was immeasurable. He sent a grateful thought of thanks towards the heavens, and then returned to the matters at hand. The sword, now deeply buried into... no, through the head of the large, bluish gray lizard was not his first concern.
The bleeding, little dragon, however, was.
He went over, gently picking the small creature up.
It was, it would seem, a female dragon by the look of it. At least if the slightly thicker fur around its neck were any indication. He set those thoughts aside. The dragon needed help, and she needed it right now. He watched the dragon stir a little, and then she opened her eyes, turning as much as she could, looking at him with her big, brown, although still hazy eyes.
"D... dad?" she was barely able to whisper, he voice rasping the words. Not particular strange, considering what she had just been through.
"Hmmm?" Quinn answered, a little puzzled. But he saw the little dragon frown ever so slightly, as she obviously didn't recognize his voice.
Quinn took that as a good sign, as she was, if nothing else, well enough to think somewhat clearly.
"Hurts." She almost wheezed.
"Shhhh. Just rest, now." Good. She calmed down a little. Quinn tried to apply the little he knew of healing magic, although he really wished his grandfather was here now. That wound of hers looked far to serious to anything Quinn could handle himself. He frowned, and took a deep breath.
Damn it, damn it, damn it, DAMN IT! He looked around. The sack. He needed the sack NOW. He jogged up the hill, careful not to jostle the young dragon too much, but it couldn't be helped. He needed those herbs to stop the bleeding, and the bandages to hold it all in place, and he needed them immediately. He crouched down by the sack, and, with the dragon in the crook of his left arm, he used the right one to search the sack for the medical supplies.
Upon finding them, he headed for the nearest rock, sat down, and put the dragon in his lap. He lifted her wing, and took a good look at the wound. It certainly did not look particularly good, and it was still bleeding. He applied some more of his healing magic, as he reached for the medical herbs and the bandages.
The wound looked clean enough, despite the nosedive she had taken when the wyvern had wounded her. He took out a handful of herbs, and, trying to 'close' the gash, he hesitantly pressed them against the wound. The dragon thrashed a bit, but calmed once Quinn applied more healing magic, which, while not being able to do much about the wound itself, seemed to relieve the dragon of some of her pain as well as slow the bleeding.
Quinn promised himself that if he ever got healed of his 'condition', he would learn how to properly use his healing abilities, weak as they might be. He just hoped she would make it to Nota, if nothing else. Holding the herbs in place, he rolled the bandage around her small frame, and fastened it rather tightly, to close the wound properly.
Still holding the dragon, he stuffed the bandages in the sack, lifted it up, picked up the swords scabbard, and then went to retrieve his sword.
And with his sword in its place, he resumed his trip, although he kept a close eye on his patient. If he couldn't heal her, he was at least going to keep her alive until he could find someone who could.
She didn't look very good.
He picked up his pace a little.
Kaira had just gone her rounds inside the temple of Althena that resided in Nota, closing all windows and shutters, and checked all backdoors, and locked them as well. As the assigned guardian for the night, it was her duty to do so, and stand vigil for the night, in case of emergencies. But then, the probability for that was pretty low. At least tonight.
The rain had started suddenly. One could almost say that the sudden change in weather could be described as "ridiculous". She giggled when the sudden change made each and every trader in Nota run for their stalls and tents, to get some refuge for the rain. Those who sold wares that could be damaged by the torrent of water were the ones that would leg it the quickest.
Kaira had stood by the window 'enjoying the show', as she described it when one of her fellow priests and priestesses would ask her what she found so amusing. But that was during the day, and, as it occurred to the traders that there would be small chances of getting anything sold during such conditions, they packed their stuff and called it quits for the rest of the day.
And then it had gotten dark, and the temple had decided to end its day of service as well. Which brought Kaira to the 'now', and her 'janitarian' rounds, as she chose to call it. She closed the window in the temple's guest bedroom, reserved for important visitors or, in rarer occasions, as emergency sleeping arrangements. It was from there she could hear the front doors slam open.
Strange. There were no wind to speak of today.
Upon returning to the front area of the temple, she saw what had made the doors slam open. Or rather; who. The boy had to be soaked to the bone, his white hair plastered to his face, and rainwater dripping from it to the floor. He looked exhausted and just about ready to drop on the spot.
But he didn't.
He looked right at her, plain relief easily readable in his facial expression, as he began approaching her.
"Please," he said. "You have got to help her."
What? "Who?"
He held out a bundle of blankets and skins, the latter having been treated to become waterproof.
"She's so weak, she might die soon. Please." He held out the bundle, his expression taking on a pleading tone.
She looked at it. And then she saw a little, red-furred cat's head sticking out of the bundle, with a little, white front paw close by. The cat looked quite clearly unconscious.
"Sir, this is not a vet's office," she answered, about to say more, when the boy interrupted her, agitation clearly coloring his words.
"You don't understand." he said, about to say more, but opted instead to put the bundle on the temple's altar, and gently started unwrapping it.
"Sir, what are you doing. I understand your distress, but this isn't the time or the place for such situations. Please don't make me call the..."
The rest of her speech was lost to Kaira, as the boy had finished the unwrapping, and turned to her, the "cat's" wings easily viewable for her to see.
"I barely managed to rescue her from some wyverns, but she will die soon, if she's not healed. We can't let that happen. Not to a dragon. Please... not a dragon."
He started shaking, and it was then Kaira noticed how pale the boy was, and how bloodshot his eyes were. He had, apparently, not been sleeping for quite some time. And he had used a lot of magic. She wondered what was keeping him on his feet at his present state.
She sighed. "Okay, put her on the altar. And you can go take the room in the back to the left. It is quite clear that you are long overdue for some sleep. You are almost completely drained."
"But."
"No discussion! Go! Rest! I'll take care of the dragon."
He complied, too tired to argue, or do more than give the priestess a grateful smile, before heading off to the back of the temple, to pass out on the first and best bed he found.
She could hear singing.
Nina, the little, red dragon strained to focus. It was more humming than singing, but between that and the prickling feeling she had in the right side of her body, she felt a lot better. She tried to move.
"Now, now. Lie still, little one. I'm not done yet."
This confused the dragon. That was, rather obviously, a female voice, but as far as she remembered, the voice of the one rescuing her from the pack of wyverns were clearly male. She was sure of it.
She opened her eyes, slowly. And, as the head of the priestess swam into focus, she noticed that the priestess had brown hair. Not white. Had she been out for long? She tried to speak.
"Hccchhhaaahhh." *choke*
No... It was no good. Her throat was so dry. Oh, what she would give for something to drink.
"Just give me a minute, then I'll be finished, and you can have some water."
That sounded good, so Nina opted to lay her head down and relax. Not much else she could do in her present state, anyway.
But how had she gotten here? She was at least several hours by wings from Nota, and that had been the nearest city. It was a bit quiet to be the carnival. Besides, they had no priestesses or temples, and this person looked like a priestess, who sat in what looked like a temple. "So," she thought, "definitely not the carnival."
"There we go." she said, "... Try standing up."
And she did. She felt terrible... and tired. She moved about a little, getting the feeling back in her paws.
"Here you go," the priestess said, putting a bowl of water in front of her. Nina almost dove straight into it, quickly devouring the contents. And she felt a little better. A little shaky on her feet, perhaps, and her right side itched something awful. But, all in all, she was feeling better.
And then, the seriousness of the situation she had been in, the last of what she remembered, caught up with her. She remembered, not long ago she had just been about to be rendered asunder and consumed by wyverns. She shuddered, as her vision blurred. The following sniffle did not escape the priestess attention.
"Are you alright?"
She sniffled again. "N... no, I'm not. I was ab... about t... to be eaten b... by st... stupid *sniff* lizards."
She couldn't contain the sob, and she turned away from the priestess.
"Well, it was a good thing that young boy found you, then..." the priestess continued "...and brought you to Nota."
Nina's head snapped back to the priestess. Although tears still streamed down her face, she held a look of blank surprise.
"The boy? What boy?" Her attention diverted, the tears subsided.
"Oh, the one sleeping in the room at the back. He came by late this evening, soaked to the bone, and almost completely drained of energy, as well as magic power. He was carrying you in a bundle, and he asked me to heal you, so I did. Although I almost called the town guards on him, when I still thought you were a cat."
It didn't occur to Nina that she should feel insulted. "Nota? But I had flown for almost all day, away from it. He must have walked for..."
"...many days?" Kaira finished the sentence. "I should think so. He was barely able to remain on his feet, so I sent him to get some sleep. He was in great need of it."
Nina was silent for several seconds. Then she turned to Kaira. "Could... could you take me there?"
"What for? He's surely not awake. And he needs his sleep." A warning tone crept into the last statement.
"Please?"
Having been let into the room by Kaira, Nina got the first good look at her rescuer, as he slept rather peacefully in the guest bed, one of his arms laying alongside his head, almost. He didn't snore, Nina noticed. In fact, she could barely hear him breathing.
His sack stood beside a chair, placed in the opposite corner, along the wall. There was a sword hanging on the chair itself, on its back. His clothes had been discarded into a damp heap on the floor.
Kaira, upon noticing, went straight over, and picked them up. Nina didn't notice, or if she did, didn't say anything. She was watching Quinn's sleeping form.
He still looked a bit pale, hard as it was to tell as his hair, now mostly dry, were as white as snow... almost. His face were a bit long, his jaw slightly angular. But mostly, he had a rather gentle, easygoing look. It was the face Nina remembered from the time when she was almost killed and consumed by wyverns, and she would never forget that. She went slowly up to the bed, jumped up, and sat for a while, just looking at the sleeping boy, a sad, tired, but still grateful look on her face.
And then, almost earning a silent protest from Kaira, she settled herself in the crook of his arm, laying her head on her front paws and closing her eyes. Occasionally she would shudder, but mostly she looked a lot calmer than Kaira had seen her since she had regained consciousness, so the priestess didn't say anything.
Quinn shifted a little, but didn't wake up, nor did he remove his arm.
Kaira sighed, but decided to leave it be. She left to get Quinn's clothes dry for when he would wake up.