'What... what are you doing to me?' he croaked, completely at the mercy of Aliana. For a panicked moment he thought that Mina had returned and caught him unawares. No, she would have killed him given another chance, this was Aliana.
'You're an idiot.' was the reply.
His mind woke from its sluggishness and he began to piece it together. He had tapped into his power in order to probe the burrow without remembering that he had exhausted his reserves in the preceding battle.
Aliana watched the dawning comprehension on his face, she wasn't smiling as she continued her task. 'You slew the entirety of that burrow only to nearly kill yourself with your own power.'
He nodded, inwardly cursing himself for a fool. Had Aliana not awoken he would have been reduced to a mewling vegetable, trapped between this plane and the dark he had encased himself in.
'Here I was thinking we would finally part ways, El-Vador of the mountains. It looks like you need my help more than I suspected.' she said, an infuriatingly playful smirk on her lips.
El-Vador tried to form a derisive snort in response to this but couldn't find the strength.
'You saved me from the horrors of Salvarius and undoubtedly slew him in the process. For that I thank you, I am in your debt and plan to repay it by caring for you. Again. A task I seem to have been cursed with being good at.'
He said nothing, she need not know that he had been merciful, that he had let the man depart with a half-charged artefact into the unknown. It mattered not, he doubted Salvarius would ever return to the burrows that El-Vador sought, and therefore the human was beyond his consideration for now.
She let a final surge of darkness seep through into his chest and disengaged her arms from him. 'There.' she stated, 'You should have enough energy to wrap your arms about me if nothing else.'
El-Vador blinked as she stood, beckoning him to rise and join her.
'We have a long flight ahead of us, and I'm not going to save you a second time if you don't hold on.'
He nodded dumbly, not wasting any of his strength on words.
'I have to say, I like you much better when you're silent.' she quipped, offering him another mischievous grin at his plight.
El-Vador said nothing, instead forcing himself to his feet and clamping his arms about her rather too firmly to express his distaste.
They stood there for a time, simply breathing in the night air and being thankful to remain alive and in each other’s company. He wondered for a time why she hadn't unfurled her wings, if he was somehow impeding her and if so, why she hadn't said anything.
The logical part of his mind shut down then, simply enjoying the company and warmth of another soul.
A brief sigh split the silence, the faintest of exhalations but one that was picked up easily by his keen hearing.
'We had best depart, I can take you as far as the nearest human town.'
'And then?' El-Vador whispered near her ear.
'And then we shall see.' she replied, unfurling her wings and forcing him to disengage momentarily.
They sped through the cool air under a dark curtain, silhouetted by the stars and onward into a future unforeseen.
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Table of Contents
Prologue
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
XI
Interlude
XII
XIII
XIV
XV
XVI
XVII
XVIII
XIX
XX
XXI
XXII
XXIII
XXIV
XXV
XXVI
XXVII
XXVIII
XXIX
XXX
XXXI
XXXII
Interlude
XXXIII
XXXIV
XXXV
XXXVI
XXXVII
XXXVIII
XXXIX
XL
XLI
XLII
XLIII
XLIV
XLV
XLVI
XLVII
XLVIII
XLIX
L
LI
LII
LIII
Interlude
LIV
LV
LVI
LVII
LVIII
LIX
LX
LXI
LXII
LXIII
LXIV
LXV
LXVI
LVII
LXVIII
LXIX
LXX
LXXI
LXXII
LXXIII
LXXIV
LXXV
El-Vador's Travels Page 49
