Zion: Light of the New Moon, Ch 3.1 Myrh
Zion - Light of the New Moon Chapter 3.1
Myrh The Herp Derp
Still horrifically injured after the epic run-in with undead warriors from the past, the Myrhenese Caravan successfully cleansed Ashlai... but now they look forward to their next challenge.
Everything hurt when I finally awoke. I know I groaned because Brother Farstrider was by my side in a moment, "Easy there." he said in a calming, soothing voice. He took a cool cloth off of my head and replaced it with a fresh one, "You've been out for awhile."
"Where?" I asked.
"We're almost a day and a half from Ashlai." he responded, moving out of view before returning with a small ceramic cup. Steam was flowing up from it and I could smell the scent of steeped herbs, "Can you sit up?"
With his help I managed to rise up at enough of an angle to accept the cup. It was hot, but not too hot to drink, and the taste was almost like tea, if a bit grassy. "Thank you." I offered.
"You're very welcome." he smiled, gently patting my arm, "Artemisia told us about what you did... for all we know, none of us would have been alive if not for you."
"She's... alright?" I asked, taking a break from the tea; it was bitter.
"Not perfect, but she's recovering." the priest nodded, "Did you really give her your life?"
"It was the only way to save everyone." I admitted. It made my ears flush red when I thought back to it... I'd heard bards tell stories about selfless acts of heroism, but, at the time, it felt more like an act of desperation. I quickly changed the subject, "Is everyone else alright?"
"I'm being kept busy, let's put it that way." he smiled pleasantly, and opened up the front of his robe to reveal a bandage wrapped around his chest, "We each took a few hits in the tower... some of us got worse when it collapsed underneath us."
"It collapsed?" I sat up in surprise as I asked the question, and immediately regretted it. Groaning, I returned my head to the pillow.
Priest Farstrider took the cup from me, "You and Artemisia fell from the roof... she managed to grab hold of you and cushion your fall... she broke both her legs doing it."
"Good. Then we're even." I noted, looking up at the top of the tent.
"Even?" the wolf asked me.
"I hate people owing me favors." I answered, and he laughed loudly in response... apparently he thought I was joking.
"Well, her legs were easy enough to heal and now she's patrolling around good as new like she didn't have bones poking through her hide yesterday." he explained.
"You must be a good healer." I offered.
"Oh... it wasn't me." he admitted, "Priestess Fanewatcher got the majority of the caravan moving after our run in with the undead."
"I thought she's a Priestess of the Sickle Moon, not the Full Moon. Isn't the Full Moon Tah'Aveen's aspect of healing?" I hoped he would pick up on my request for clarification; he did.
"All Priests and Priestesses venerate Tah'Aveen... most have connection to all of her aspects... but, in Priestess Fanewatcher's case she did as much transferring life as she did healing... probably more."
"Transferring?" I asked, feeling a chill run up my spine.
"Not everyone survived, and Priestess Fanewatcher restored the health to some of the caravan by releasing the souls of the newly dead.... and the newly put-to-rest undead." he explained.
"They can do that?" I whispered, astounded.
Priest Farstrider flicked an ear; though he hid it well I could still see his concern, "Apparently so."
"So how many did we lose?" I asked.
"Seven." he responded, "Yoseph, Vilus, Winnie, Rena, Bilke, Olander, and Pauline." and he let out a sigh, "I gave prayers for the departed this morning."
"Seven?" I asked, astounded that it wasn't more, then looked to the priest again, "Nobody in the tower died?" it seemed almost impossible.
"Not a one." the priest nodded, "Captain Rakken moved everyone against the wall at the last minute and even though we all got our fair share of bruises nobody was significantly harmed when things collapsed."
"He really is a tactical genius." I smiled, then rubbed the side of my muzzle in pain.
The wolf echoed my expression, "I'm sure that's why they brought him, madam." he motioned to another cot, "Beo was in here until this morning... he ended up with a long piece of timber sticking out of his abdomen."
"He must have looked pretty bad." I noted.
The priest chuckled, "You could say that... he was in relatively good spirits despite it though. Jerard kept him company and the two spent their time talking and comparing notes about their respective destruction count."
"Really?" I asked, hardly surprised at the black husky doing something of the sort, but it seemed a little out of character for Jerard; perhaps I didn't know him as well as I thought I did.
Brother Farstrider nodded in confirmation, "I believe they both agreed that Jerard won with a count of twenty two to twenty." and a grin spread across the priest's muzzle, "I couldn't help but inform them that I laid twenty six to rest."
"Oh did you now?" I smirked myself, somehow enjoying seeing the less stoic side of the normally reserved priest. He was handsome when he wasn't acting brow-beaten by the obviously more controlling Priestess Fanewatcher, "You should smile more." I added.
I saw his ears flush immediately, "I--"
I reached out a paw, "I'm not hitting on you, Brother." I reassured him.
"Oh... I... I mean... I didn't--" he commented, and I was just about to calm him, but a loud ruckus began outside.
Despite some obvious objections of the guards, Artemisia burst into Priest Farstrider's tent and looked around until she caught sight of me, ending the conversation that was apparently uncomfortable for the poor priest.
"Please," Father Farstrider interposed himself, "Whatever this is about, it can wait."
"No," the dragoness noted, casually palming his head and unceremoniously guiding him out of her way, "it can't." and I felt my heart rate increase as she stormed over to me.
"You're alive..." I offered a faint smile, "Good." it came out in a small voice; I had a fairly certain feeling she wasn't there to thank me.
"What did you do to me?" Artemisia asked, her voice on the edge of a hiss.
My only response was a shrug, "I thought you'd know better than I would... you're more familiar with this life-transfer-thing than I am." I admitted.
"Something happen when you infused me..." the dragoness stated, "What was it?" I couldn't recall having ever seen her as flustered as she was at that moment.
"I... I saved you." I responded, holding both of my ears at the intensity in her voice; it was making my headache worse.
"You did something else." the dragoness accused.
"I cut my finger and then pressed it against you." I answered, "That's all."
"Where?" she demanded, reaching down to pick me up by my bedclothes, "Where did you touch me?"
"On your chest." I guessed, "There was another image of you over you and I couldn't tell for sure."
"Goddess..." she ranted, dropping me back to the bed, "NEVER the chest... the leg... a talon... even the head... but NEVER the chest!"
"Sorry...." I apologized, "I didn't know." I slowly sat back up, feeling a little dizzy, "What's wrong with the chest?"
"Some part of you is in me..." the dragoness stated, and, whether it was to answer my question or she just didn't want to bother explaining I wasn't sure. She unceremoniously flopped down onto a wooden bench near the tent wall, "It's confusing me."
"This isn't normal, is it?" I asked, slowly sitting up.
"Taking life from someone not impaled through by my blade isn't 'normal'... THIS..." she paused, looking even more out-of-sorts... "this is... this is..." she huffed out a breath with exasperation, apparently unable to find the right word to describe the situation.
"Have you ever taken someone's life energy without killing them?" I asked, trying to search for an answer that would help calm the dragoness; the idea of having her ranting in the healer's tent while I was barely able to move didn't sit well with me.
"Something about you changed me... it made me..." Artemisia covered her face with her talons, "Why did I kiss him?!?" her demand for an answer came out suddenly.
"Kiss who?" I asked. The tent flap was pulled aside by a large golden paw and I got my answer.
Yearl looked to Artemisia first, "Misia..." he noted casually, then glanced around the tent and stopped in his tracks when he gazed down at me. I had been unconscious for almost a day; I realized that that my illusions had faded. The lion stood there dumbfounded, seeing who I really was... a poorly presented, past-her-prime mouse... a whore trying to play the hero. He gaped, "Thera?!?"
* * * * * *
The Myrhenese Caravan was successful in Ashlai, and now nurses its wounds as it continues onward on its trip to Zion.
The first part of Chapter 3 presents a rather interesting plot twist. The unknown narrator isn't so unknown anymore.
Contributing Readers may now vote how the story focuses on the next post:
1) Artemisia and Kell talking about her 'outburst'.
2) Beo and Jerard bantering back and forth about the battle and one another.
3) Yearl Rakken and Thera Vann having a LONG discussion.
4) Ryan Farstrider confronting Anya Fanewatcher about the results of her recent plans.
Readers may also spend Willpower to get an extra vote for whichever storyline includes their character. As many willpower may be spent this way as a reader desires, but if either Artemisia or Kell spend 1 Willpower the other must likewise spend 1, and that together adds up to 1 bonus vote.
Contributing Readers, make sure you make your vote before midnight (pst) on Friday, June 24th.
PS: any of the above options that gain a combined total of 5 or more votes/willpower will contribute a bonus story seed to the Myrh. 1) Serpent 2) Sun 3) Earth 4) Mist