by Toni Cox
It made him a little envious that she had found such happiness; he still missed Lisa, even though he now knew for certain that Maia had been Lisa while she was on Earth. Once he realised that, he had promised himself that he would win her back. This had proven to be more difficult than anything else he had attempted before.
Not only was she the princess of these people, but she was also this magical being with powers he still not fully understood. The burdens she had to bear, he now knew, weighed heavily on her, and saving her people during the war had taken its toll. He had been by her side through the tough winter Moons, often just sitting with her in silence. She seemed so lonely and it had broken his heart to see her that way. Still, the more time he spent with her, the more responsive she became to him. He knew it would take a long while before she could see him as someone she could spend her life with, but he was working on it. It was the driving force behind his eagerness to learn everything he could and to become that someone she would eventually choose to be her mate.
Relaxing into his stance, he narrowed his eyes and zeroed in on the target; as Jasmin said, he could do this. He took a breath and then, as he let it out, released the bolt from his crossbow. The whoop of joy from Jasmin told him his aim had been true, but he had known already; nothing and no one would stand in the way of achieving his goal. Maia would be his.
“Kanarel, to your left.” Jaik pointed to a bag lying next to a maple tree. “Thank you,” he said when Kanarel finally brought it.
The swarm of syphons had caused absolute chaos; half the people were down with injuries, the horses had all fled, their possessions were strewn about and, worst of all, Maia was unconscious. Those who had not been stung or were still able to move about began to assist the injured, moving them to the edge of the stream, so they would have easy access to water.
Everyone did what they could, but Kanarel acted as if it did not matter much to him. Jaik was not only worried about his people, but also in a panic about Maia and he could ill afford someone so indifferent and incompetent when they really needed every able hand to help.
“No, I don’t need you here.” He dismissed Kanarel, trying to control the agitation in his voice. “See if you can bring the horses back. Take Medlin the Horse Master with you; he is well enough to walk.”
Kneeling beside Maia, he opened her medicine bag. He had spent many Moons in Silas’ cavern while the old man taught his sister. Also, the basics of healing were taught to all warriors so that they might help each other if one should get injured. He knew nothing about syphon venom or how to treat it, but he scratched through her bag, looking for anything that would revive her, relieve her pain or work against the venom. He hoped to revive her first. If he could lend her his strength, she would be able to heal herself.
“Let me help,” Riker croaked; barely able to sit up, but refusing to leave Maia’s side. “There is a small, green bag with grey crystals. Open it and hold it under her nose.”
Jaik did not stop to think why Riker had this information. Quickly he found the bag and then fumbled to undo the fine string that bound the top. The moment it was undone, an unpleasantly sharp odour filled the air and he quickly held it under Maia’s nose. For a couple of heartbeats nothing happened, and then she coughed. Gently he put his hand behind her head and lifted her to assist her breathing. Her breath rasped out of her lungs and he could feel her heart race, fighting the venom within her body. Her face was terribly distorted; the right side swollen from two stings, effectively closing her right eye. She had lumps with puncture marks all down her neck and arms and they were turning an angry red.
“Maia, can you hear me,” he said gently, but firmly.
She groaned.
“Maia, I don’t know how to help you. Can you tell me what to do?”
She made some more incomprehensible noises.
“I am here,” he said soothingly, positioning himself so that she was now lying on his lap. “Shh, it will be all right.”
Desperately he looked at Riker, but he was in a state barely better than Maia and Jaik was sure only his love for her kept him conscious. The Guard had almost as many stings as she did; Riker had followed Maia as she fled to the river and tried to shield her with his own body. It was his Guard uniform that had saved him from worse injuries. If it had not been for Riker, Maia might be dead. He shuddered at the thought.
Suddenly he felt himself grow heavy and terribly tired. A moan escaped his lips, but he was smiling.
“That’s it,” Jaik whispered to her as she sapped his strength to renew her own.
He was strong and fit and he had not been stung, but even so, by the time she was strong enough to let go of him, he felt a thousand years older. He was breathing hard, but still cradled his sister in his arms.
“Jaik.” She spoke quietly, still weak.
“I’m here.”
“How many are injured?”
“No, you need to see to yourself first. Take more energy from me if you need it.”
She struggled into a sitting position. “I will be fine now. Midnight is on his way; I will need his strength. How many are injured?” she asked again, her voice already stronger.
“More than twenty, but …”
She did not let him finish, as at that moment she noticed Riker, who had collapsed beside them.
“Where is my bag?” she asked and Jaik quickly handed it to her.
With practiced familiarity, she reached in and immediately retrieved a small jar containing white ointment. She unscrewed the lid and then proceeded to dab the ointment on Riker’s stings. His eyes fluttered at her touch, but he did not wake up.
Once she had applied the ointment to Riker, she did the same for herself.
“It helps with the pain,” she explained to Jaik, “but it does not stop the decay of the flesh.” She handed him the jar. “Apply it to everyone who needs it. It will keep their agony at bay until I can neutralise the venom. Let everyone know that Midnight will be here shortly. I don’t want them to be frightened.”
Jaik rose to do her bidding. He knew his sister; the Healer in her had taken over and she expected her orders to be followed. Her peoples’ lives depended on it.
“Riker, can you hear me?” She laid her hand on his cheek.
He nodded, and then moaned at the pain it caused him.
“I am not strong enough yet,” she said, wiping the hair from his brow, “but I will make you better soon.” She kissed him on his swollen forehead.
Moments later she felt the downdraft of Midnight’s wings as he landed. Awkwardly he picked his way towards her, trying not to step on any of the debris strewn about. He settled onto the ground as close to her as he could and she crawled to him, still too weak to stand.
“Midnight,” she sighed, and leant her weary head against his chest.
Immediately Midnight’s great strength flooded through her and, closing her eyes, she concentrated on her injuries. One by one she neutralised the venom in each sting, before repairing the damaged tissue around the puncture wound. She was shocked to find how quickly her flesh had been decaying and she now worried about the state of the others. She would have to work quickly.
Once she had seen to herself, she went over to Riker and dragged him the few paces over to Midnight. In order for her to use Midnight’s strength, she would have to be in physical contact with him. She laid Riker against Midnight’s massive foreleg and then began the same process as she had used on herself. She worked as quickly as she could, trying not to overlook anything in her haste. Midnight remained calm, sensing her need of him and for once not minding being in contact with others.
“Maia,” Riker said as his eyes finally fluttered open.
She briefly hugged him. “Are you strong enough to stand?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Go to Jaik. Tell him to bring the people one by one. We must work quickly as the venom is destroying tissue extremely fast. If we delay, the injuries might become permanent.”
Riker n
odded and immediately moved off. His body was still weak and she saw him struggle. She knew how terribly tired he felt. If it were not for Midnight, she would barely have the energy to stay conscious.
Rowlean, Caeben and Fela, all from the Regiment, carried the people to her. Her brother and others that were not injured set up camp around them. Maia noticed Rothea, although stung at least twice, making a fire, and putting a pot of water to the boil.
One by one, she healed the stings, never breaking contact with Midnight, and as she finished with one and he or she was taken to a tent, another was brought to her. Soon, even with Midnight’s energy flowing through her, she felt weary beyond anything she had ever felt before. Midnight rumbled deep in his chest and a small plume of smoke escaped his nostrils. Some of the people moved away in fright, but Jaik and Riker brought them back in line, helping the injured.
Maia knew that Midnight’s frustration was not with having to help the others, but with having to watch Maia suffer.
Just a few more, she told him, and leant over Neth, the Server, who she had frightened so at the beginning of their journey.
Gently she peeled back the girl’s clothes. She was wearing a skirt and the syphons had stung her multiple times on her legs. The stings were terribly swollen and her skin turning a purple-black. Her arms did not look much better, but what worried Maia the most was Neth’s face; it was completely unrecognizable. Both eyes were swollen shut, her nose was almost invisible amid the swollen flesh of her cheeks, and her lips had ballooned to three times their size. If she did not manage to get the swelling down, Neth would suffocate.
Maia adjusted her position; moving closer to Midnight so more of her body touched his; and pulled Neth along with her. She took a few steadying breaths and set to work. They should have brought Neth to her earlier; she was by far the worst she had seen so far; but she was with her now and Maia worked relentlessly for over an hour before Neth was finally breathing easier and her skin, which had turned almost completely black, faded to a dull red. The venom was neutralised; the main danger gone; but Neth was weak and Maia knew she would still be in terrible pain when she woke up.
Caeben and Fela took Neth from her when she indicated she was finished, and brought the next one to her. Bronwe, one of the Horse Masters, also had extensive injuries, but she was able to breathe unassisted. Next were Ingesin and Nemiron, who had come along on this trip to visit family. Ingesin was healed quickly; although she had a large number of stings, her skin did not seem to be affected as badly as the others. Nemiron on the other hand, was almost completely black; his skin and flesh beneath at a level of decay Maia worried she could not reverse.
He was unconscious; for which Maia was grateful; and she set to work, fighting to prevent the flesh from dying. Sometime during the process, she felt Midnight sigh; the amount of energy required to heal such injuries was even testing his great strength. She silently thanked him for his help and understanding, but never let up the stream of energy she channelled to Nemiron. Eventually she could do no more. Had she been able to see to him earlier, he might have stood a better chance. He seemed to be extremely susceptible to the venom and his injuries had progressed quicker than in the others. Now his skin was not black anymore, having faded to a light purple, but a lot of the flesh beneath had died before she could heal it. He would forever have a pock-marked appearance to him, his skin dimpled and uneven.
Tiredly she waved for Caeben and Fela to take him away.
“Maia, you need to rest. Everyone has been given some of the tea you asked Rothea to make. Most of them are sleeping now.”
She nodded. She had briefly explained to Rothea how to make the linden bark tea, hoping she would get the strength right, but Rothea told her that she used to make if for her ill grandmother and was aware of its properties and how to prepare it. For now, those people who had been given the tea would be able to sleep fairly pain free. She would see what she could do about their pain tomorrow when they woke up.
Jaik took a seat by her side, sparing Midnight a quick glance to see if it was all right. Midnight rumbled his consent.
“Just a few more,” Maia whispered. “Rothea has a couple of stings, as does Elder Owen. And I believe Talath, Medlin and Karagan were also stung. Let me see to them and then I will lie down.”
Jaik looked at his sister for a long time, saw the tiredness behind her eyes and knew she would not rest until everyone was seen to.
“As you wish, Princess,” he said, and rose to fetch those that only had minor injuries and were helping the uninjured set up camp and look after the patients.
Jaik brought Baltor Owen first. He just had a sting on his arm and was healed quickly. By the time Rothea came to her, the two stings on her forearm had turned black. Although Rothea said not a word, Maia knew she was in agony. Most of the others had one to three stings at the most and, although the flesh was starting to rot, she managed to heal them quickly enough.
Kanarel came to her last; she didn’t even know he had been stung and, to be honest, had totally forgotten about him. He had one sting behind his right ear, which was swollen, but not discoloured.
“I don’t know Maia,” he said to her when she asked him why this was so, “I felt the pain and sent some energy to the spot to numb it. Maybe that is what stopped the decay.”
It was not the answer Maia expected. She thought maybe he had some kind of resistance, like Ingesin seemed to have, but his answer suggested he had healing power, even if it was elementary. She quickly healed his sting and, while in contact with his skin, tried to read his Eläm. To her surprise, it was so well hidden it was impossible for her to pick up with such brief contact. Few Elves were able to hide themselves this completely; it was an incredible talent.
She was utterly exhausted and dismissed him as soon as she was done. She had no energy to ponder the mystery of Kanarel’s powers. There had been twenty-eight with severe injuries and six with minor injuries. Only the ones that had accompanied Jaik on his perimeter search had escaped the attack.
Wearily she rose, struggling to her feet, but as soon as she broke contact with Midnight, she collapsed. Midnight immediately stretched down and touched her back with his great muzzle. Maia was faintly aware of Midnight speaking to her brother, then running feet and people milling about her, and then all went still.
“Yes, Father, only the Guard and the Regiment that were uninjured or sustained only minor injuries are still here. The others have been sent home. They left yesterday; I am surprised you did not encounter them on the road.”
“We came in haste and cut through Eldenar Forest. We left as soon as the pigeon arrived with the message you sent us.”
Maia heard them talk, but it made little sense. Why was her father here? Her eyes fluttered open; she was so incredibly tired and wished she could keep them closed for a while longer, but the conversation between her brother and father worried her. A hoarse moan escaped her as she tried to sit up.
“Easy there, my child,” Silas said, and put his arm around her shoulders to help her into a sitting position.
Almost immediately Jagaer, Jaik and Riker surrounded her cot and she could see Rothea’s worried face by the opening of the tent.
“What …” she croaked and then cleared her throat. “What is going on?”
“You have been asleep for a while. Everything is all right; there is no need to worry,” Silas replied. “The people are on their way home, thanks to you.”
Groggily she wiped her eyes. She realised she smelled of soap and wondered who had washed her. “For how long did I sleep?”
“Three days,” Jaik said. “Once you had seen to everyone, you collapsed. We immediately sent a message to Father to bring Silas. We did not know what else to do. They arrived here last night.”
“How are you feeling?” her father asked gruffly. She could see him struggle with his emotion; he always had trouble when it concerned her.
“Tired, Father, but I will be fine. And famished. Is there any food?”
“Yes, of course, My Lady.” Rothea immediately left the tent and returned moments later with a steaming mug of hot broth and a spoon.
Riker took the mug and spoon from her and sat on the small stool next to her cot Silas had now vacated. “Here, let me help you with this,” he said, his deep voice gentle, and proceeded to spoon the nutritious soup into her mouth.
She felt a little embarrassed being fed by Riker, but when she tried to hold the spoon herself, her shaking hands messed the soup on her blanket. Her father and Jaik both turned and went to sit by the small table that was part of the luxuries of her tent. Silas took a seat at her feet, but did not watch her as she ate. Rothea busied herself with Maia’s wardrobe and diligently looked through her garments on the pretext of finding her something to wear.
Realizing that she was now alone with Riker helped her relax and she let him feed her the broth without interfering. Soon she felt some strength return and looked at him with thankful eyes. His Eläm, and his feelings for her, were dimmed; she assumed because of the company present in the tent; but the love she saw in his eyes was unmistakable. She was still unsure how she felt about him; Blaid crossed her mind too often and no matter how hard she tried, she could not forget him. But Riker was a good man and she would be blessed to have someone like him in her life. It was obvious that everyone present in the tent agreed with that assessment. Maia wondered how much Jaik had told her father or what else had been discussed.
“Thank you, Riker,” she said quietly as he set the cup down on the floor. “Father, would you all mind if I have a moment alone with Rothea?” She spoke a little louder, voicing her request.
