Eye of The Storm (Garrett)

[Deleted]

Aria didn’t know how long she could continue to hold the barrier; her only acknowledgement to Rivers apology was a sideways glance. She would need to talk to him later; after her temper had cooled and when she could think clearly. The fire pulsed more; as the tunnel opened up and she fell through the fire surged once more becoming an uncontrolled flame.



They were plunged into darkness; the smell of damp cool air was a contrast to the smell of scorching heat and ash from the gallows. The sudden silence from chaos was almost shocking; only think that could be hears was her labored breathing. Each breath came out shuddering as she leaned against the cool wall with her uninjured shoulder. Her hand coming up to the spiraled spike jutting out of her shoulder and wing. There was no light in the tunnel; just complete darkness. At least Rivers had dumped them in the right tunnel.

Aria removed her hand from her shoulder; the sound of something wet plinking on the floor in a slow steady drip could be heard. She reached out behind her searching for Garretts hand. Her head was swimming but they needed to get to the end of the tunnel. Once she found it she led them further into darkness. Soon a faint light could be seen at the end of the long tunnel. Arias paler face was illuminated by the soft glow of lunar flowers that spilled out of a large opening. Soon Garrett and Aria would find themselves in a large cavern.


The Cavern ceiling was bathed in a soft glow of lunar flowers. The lunar flowers stretched across expanse of the ceiling, bathing the entire cavern in glow that made it seem like it was cast in a never ending bath of moon light. The first thing noticeable was the large room, where the sign of the crown and dagger was carved out into the stone floor; right before a large fire pit. Along the walls a sloping path spiraled up the sides of the cavern. Almost as if something large had carved the path way leading four levels up. The paths were open to the air below; one could see the main room from any point on the path. A large railing made out of roots twisted up in the form of a railing trailed up the outside of the grand path. All along this path there were wooden doors that lead to different rooms and other tunnels. Towards the upper levels there were bedrooms, furnished and ready for use but otherwise plain. In other rooms one might find a large kitchen, several storage rooms; and other necessities. The whole place seemed ready and set up for a living space for many people. Curiously if one would look closely at the walls they seemed to be dug out but numerous things, claw marks of many types of animals could be identified. Yes everything seemed to be set up, there was even a tunnel that led to yet another cavern that seemed to have been fed by the hot springs, for the water was warm; and also bathed in the glow of lunar flowers.



Aria let her hand fall from Garretts as she stumbled into the large cavern; in the light you could see a trail of blood trailing her as she made her way to the middle of the room. She finally collapsed by the large fire pit; her back propped up against it and her head tilted back looking at the ceiling. Her good wing stretched out across the floor; the other still wrapped and pinned around her. Her eyes stared up at the ceiling blankly; her body was going into shock. The front part of her clothes were soaked through in her blood; her shirt was in tatters from when her wings broke through. However her breast band was still in place. Her head tilted to the side, her gaze slowly found Garrett.



”Are you alright?”

[Garrett Blade]

Garrett stumbled as he entered the close, dark space from the open air and tumult of the Gallows. Today had been the day of strange surprises it seemed, much to his dismay. Aria's question roused him, and he shook the din of the fight off, regrouping himself.

"You never change, do you?" He gently pressed his fingers into Aria's shoulder, examining the direction and depth of the protruding bolt. His stomach lurched as though he were at sea, and his blood boiled. He knew Aria could handle herself, but his protector instinct took the forefront. The bolt had transversed her shoulder, and likely broken the joint as it penetrated; it would need immediate care. "Wait here, I'll fix you up." Garrett rose and followed the faint sound of water to a sufficient-looking rivulet, where he began to fill his waterskin. While engaged in the effort, a disconcerting thought made its way into his mind: a furnished cavern with these natural resources was either the lair of something that had driven out its former occupants, or was being reserved for whomever planned to return to it, and likely booby trapped. Both scenarios were unfortunate, but Garrett preferred traps to predators any day.

Having filled his waterskin, Garrett surveyed the walls, floor, and ceiling for any irregularity or sign of manipulation that would betray the presence of traps, before grabbing a handful of Lunar flowers and returning to Aria. "You really stood your ground out there; I guess I should thank you." He knelt beside her, removed his cloak, and lifted the waterskin to her lips, giving a few strong gulps. Then, he placed several Lunar petals in her mouth, both to revitalize her and distract from the pain she would experience momentarily. "You know, you really have a beautiful voice." He cupped his hand against her cheek, and smiled, speaking in a calm, steady voice, as his other hand found the bolt without drawing Aria's attention. Locking her gaze, he pulled straight back, dislodging the bolt in a single motion. Immediately, he began packing the wound with crushed Lunar petals, and wrapped it with a strip from his cloak.

"That should stop the bleeding. We'll rest here for a few minutes, then I'll scout around to see if I can find an exit." Garrett fell against the wall beside Aria, and draped the remainder of his cloak around her, pulling her to him to ensure she wasn't overcome by shock. He let his head rest against the cold stone, and took a long draught from the waterskin. He stared blankly at the wall as his pulse burned hot in his ears, mingling with the images of the event at the Gallows. So much had happened, and it was all wrong. On the one hand, the outcome he had preferred had come to pass, and on the other, he had failed to fulfill his duty to his king. If he returned to Nova, what would await him there? Death, most likely. If he remained abroad, how long could he escape the grasp of Noku? A traitor to the crown would be found out by the diligence of the Royal Guard, at any cost. This he new perfectly well.

"Damned on all sides. Isn't that a fitting twist in this new story? Perhaps Fate has purposed me for this role, and won't be satisfied until I play it out in every corner of every rock in this whole damned universe." His voice echoed gently off the cavern walls, quickly fading down the corridors.

[Deleted]

Aria grimaced as he made contact with her wing and shoulder; but knew well enough to let him examine it. Her eyes fallowed him a bit before closing; the room seemed like it was spinning to her. All the meanwhile she could hear voices; Rivers tunnel had to be still active. Her eyes slowly blinked open when he returned; forcing herself to drink the water he gave to her even though her stomach threatened to rebel. Her eyes drifted to the lunar flowers….well…she’ was likely to be tripping balls soon…but she wouldn’t die… Before he made her eat them she sent out a message to Gabby ’Gabby…can you please make sure no one come down here besides me and the man I’m with right now…permission to attack anything else that comes down here’ She would have the basilisk go on guard duty.

Aria gave him a weak smile; “No thanks necessary” Garrett would have done the same for her. Plus she had failed to keep the crystals stabilized and the fires at bay. Lucky someone had come and took over before she had been ported here with Garrett. She looked at the lunar flowers as he made her eat them…she had never actually had to eat this stuff…always grandpa lee lees paste. Her last set of forced hallucinations had been nightmares caused my Raan she really hoped this wasn’t going to be the same. At least Garrett was here with her if it was. Her eyebrows knitted up in confusion; beautiful voice? She sang when they were younger…but. Maybe it was the lunar flowers making her hear things….she certainly was starting to see pretty colors. ”I’m sorry my voice is gone… I can’t sing anymore; it hurts too much. Not since the orphanage locked me in that shed…if I try it cracks after a little while and I end up losing my voice completely for a few days…just never healed right.” She leaned into his hand as it was placed on her face; it was so warm and his eye was such a pretty blue. She liked blue…and she liked it when he smiled. She smiled sleeply back up at him; her eyes drooping. She was starting to feel really sleepy and cold. ”You know I love you right?” She was getting sleepier and the lunar flowers were making her head spin worse than it already was. Her voice was not much above a whisper.

A scream tore through her throat as pain ripped through her shoulder and wing as the spiraled spike was ripped straight out. Taking a good sized chunk of skin and muscle with it. What was a steady drip was now bleeding profusely. Her wing was free from her shoulder; the large hole obvious within the wings membrane. With an injury like that she wouldn’t be able to detransform until it healed….Her body shivered with pain; tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes. However she did not make another sound as her wounds were packed with petals and wrapped up...When her wing and shoulder where wrapped up she wrapped her wing around herself once more. Her good wing wrapped around Garrett as he pulled her close and wrapped her in his cloak. She rested her head against his chest as she concentrated on keeping her breathing steady through the throbbing pain. She could feel the lunar flowers going to work…however packing the wound with them… would make for an interesting healing process. But it would sustain her long enough for her to get to a proper healer.

”There’s six; you don’t need to scout, I know them all and can sense what’s in them. You’re in my den…”

Her body was still shivering; and her head felt funny. She reached for Garrett’s hand and gave it a weak squeeze.

”I’m with you to whatever ends… We’ll figure this out together. Either way…I have to go back to the castle. Not all the fate can run away…I need to keep an eye on the castle. Plus Noku suspects I’m a Noru…is your shoulder ok?...and am I the only one seeing pink dragons bounce around the room....”

She could feel herself slipping off to sleep; and knew enough she needed to fight it. She needed to keep talking…The lunar flowers would work soon enough...judging by the pink dragons they had already started to.

[Garrett Blade]

Garrett froze at Aria's words.The sound of her voice cut through the dim light like a saber, splitting Garrett's focus. She loved him? It…well, it made sense, but given the events of the past few days, it brought more confusion than anything else. The sight of Aria like this, blood pouring onto the cavern floor, her flesh mangled, had filled him with something like rage, and something like tenderness, making his chest swell and his head spin. He knew he should remain loyal to the king, but he --felt-- his loyalty firmly planted with this woman. How could a single statement fly in the face of everything Garrett valued, just like that? It made him nauseous.

It relieved Garrett to know Aria was familiar with their location. That, at least, was comforting and meant a longer reprieve for the both of them after the strain of the fight. Mostly, for her. He checked the makeshift bandage to gauge how quickly she was losing blood. The wound was very deep, and though the petals would keep it stable, she needed proper attention, preferably within a few hours. If the wrap provided enough pressure, the packing would halt the bleeding after the initial gushing. The other matter, though, was keeping Aria alert to ward off hypothermia, the nasty successor to severe blood loss and shock. He needed to get air into her lungs.

"I know you're weak, and your voice isn't what it used to be, but let's sing a song, huh? I know it would cheer you up, and it really would make me feel better too. I feel a little left out, you having all the fun and all." Garrett jested, indicating her shoulder. "Here, I'll start. This is an old one from a long time ago."



"On the fieeeeelds of Fallah-Arrendooooor,
Beyooooond the Greymare Seaaa,
A loooong and distant time ago,
Now looooost to memoryyyy,
I laaaiiid my eyes u-PON a laaaass,
Who tuuuurrned her gaze to meeee.

And ooooon the plains of Ravenhiiiilll,
We saaaang, this ancient soooong.
But noooow, though the writ remains,
The me-mo-ry is gooooonnee…"

He sang, his voice soft as the tune carried through the cavern. His one good eye glancing down at his shoulder, ignoring the dull pain of his shoulder an the slow growing stain of the blood coming through the fabrics of his shirt. His hand gently caressing her forehead as he continued to hum the rest of the song to her. Fighting off his hallucinations by keeping his adrenaline up an his focus souly on Aria.

[Deleted]

Aria sighed looking at her shoulder, completely oblivious to her own confession. What bothered her most was her wing…..her wing until it was healed would have to remain out. She would be stuck in this form for a while. She looked at the bandaged and giggled a bit, it needed work but it would do the job for now. Aria looked up at Garrett when he asked her to sing; she blinked…

”Your avoiding my question…”

She blinked again… and her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

”What was my question?”

Why was Garrett feeling left out? She pointed up over to another clump of lunar flowers they were everywhere in the cavern.

”There’s more; we can watch the pink dragons together…The basilisk will keep an eye out for us…I think. He keeps wanting to eat Rivers…and turning his shoes into stones…He lives in the tunnels and eats the novites….this use to be a novite nest… He ate them the night that they attacked….I never made it to the dinner…I’m sorry. Rivers sister showed up…tried getting her to go see him…then the basilisk in the third district…and poof home and attacked by novites.”

She did feel bad…she never showed up. These lunar flowers were making her thoughts jumbled. But she recognized if it got worse she would have to give Garrett the knowledge to get out safely.

”If I get to out of it then know this; the darkest tunnels are the safest…at least for the most part. The paths with the lunar flowers lead to traps.”

He really seemed to be on the singing thing though…she hadn’t sang in what was it now 16? 17 years? Though it had been just as long since she hears him sing to. She closed her eyes and let out a soft content sigh. Even though it would hurt, she couldn’t deny him a request like that…So she sang. Joining in on his second verse. Her voice fell and rose with the tune of the song; a rich voice that echoed within the large chamber. It was how she used to sound; but as she hit one of the last high notes her voice cracked and quickly became hoarse. Her vocal chords which had been damaged so long ago not able to keep up with the strain. She ended the song early…just not able to finish it. But smiled softly as Garret finished humming the tune.

She buried her face into this shirt; she always did like the smell of him...and her nose currently was being stung by the metallic smell of blood. She blinked and lifted her head; her nose had come back stained red. Garrett was hurt...Aria lifted her hand and a sharp claw grew in place of a nail as she took the cloth near his shoulder and gently sliced the fabric open. She blinked and her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Rolly polly took my weapons...my sword and your dagger....the curse....I was hoping it wouldn't still be active with out the sword..."

She placed her hand on the wound; her eyebrows knitting in concentration, or at least an attempt. A orange gold glow flickered around her hand. Seeping into the wound; the pain would be numbing and any major veins or such nicked would stitch themselves together. Her breathing would become more labored; and the light would flicker more before going out completely. The wound was only healed enough that the bleeding had stopped and the wound had slightly scabbed over...any strain or movement and it would start bleeding again. Aria had put the last bit of her strength into that; while on the lunar flowers she couldn't do much more. Her body shivered though she smiled lopsidedly. 

"I knew I'd tap into life magic eventually..."


Course tapping into life magic when you didn't have much yourself; was one thing she probably should have remembered as her eyes drooped as she battled to hang on to the last threads of consciousness. 

[Garrett Blade]

Garrett stared down at Aria with a wide eye, forcing himself to stay calm. The last thing he needed was to send Aria into shock. That or loose his own focus on the most important task at hand, keeping her alive. The color in his skin leaving as he held her in his arms. Her words cutting through him like a knife. His heart sinking within his chest the moment she called him out on not answering her question. How foolish he was to think that silence would give her a proper answer, but thats not so, silence never gives the answers in the way you want.

So he forced his smile as he stared down at her with heavy concern. His mind racing to come up with a solution. Anything that might help speed up the healing process.

" It's fine, little bird. One of us has to be sober after all." He chuckled, lifting his hand from her forehead to gently bring back her pointing arm to her side. His blue eyes catching glimpse of the glowing soft white flowers within the cavern. A second small chuckle escaping under his breath. He had to admit, Garrett was quiet impressed that she had tamed a Basilisk to keep guard of this place.

" Well now, remind me not to get on your bad side then." He laughed, trying to bring her some bit of relief as he checked over her bandages once more. Only to stop when suddenly he felt something poke into his wound. Aria's head pulling back from his chest to look up at him with a nose covered in blood.

Shit.

Garrett gritted his teeth at the sight, ashamed that Aria was caught up in all this. This stupid Noru curse that flowed through his veins… Then it sunk in. The sword of Light, Aria's Sword, no… Core's sword, was with Roland?! Garrett froze at the thought, his body going numb. However, if Core was with Roland, then how did her wounds transfer to him?

Snapping back to reality, Garrett soon realized Aria had used some sort of healing magic on him. His eye widened an mouth gaped as he checked the wound on his shoulder. Only to return his shocked gaze onto Aria, which quickly turned to anger.

" Aria! For the love of all that is good in this world, would you please stop and rest! If you die I will never forgive myself, do you understand! Did you ever stop to think that maybe I had feelings for you too?!. Now lay there, god damnit and don't move. "
He snapped, his tone serious as tear's began to fill up in the corner of his eye.

" You always do this to me, little bird. You can be so cruel at times… So please for once, listen to me and don't strain yourself anymore. " He whispered, once again warning Aria not to move as he carefully maneuvered himself to his knees, bracing Aria's back with his arm while scooping his other arm under her legs. He then proceeded to lift her up very, very gently, cradling her in his arms.

" Aria, if going back to the castle is truly what you desire, then I will not stop you… After all, I have a sinking feeling you would go back to the castle even if I groveled at your feet. Unlike out here, I can not protect you that well within those walls…. However, I will not allow you to be alone there… I will carry you there, an follow the shadows, like I always have in order to protect you. After all, that is the true Noru curse after all." He sighed, carefully taking a few steps forward towards the darkest tunnel leading up.

[Deleted]

Aria giggled again at his nick name for her.

”I like being your little bird; brings a whole new meaning to a birdie told me. As for bad side; I’m going to have fun when I get my hands on the trigger happy primate. I should have destroyed that weapon the moment he showed it to me….designed to punch through armor or even the hide of a dragon…I was afraid he’d try to use it on you.”

Which had been the exact reason why Aria had gone and stood in front of Garrett the moment she had gotten free. Why she had been able to at least slow the spike down and have a sense of mind to bring up her dragon scales and wings as a way to lessen the damage.
Aria even in her drifting off state became slightly alarmed when Garrett yelled at her. She blinked and looked up into his eye, even more alarmed with the fact it was watering….thing was she never did stop to think if he had feelings for her…she looked down slightly ashamed.

”I didn’t think; not in that way at least…I’m sorry”

Her good wing was still draped around him as he stood and gently picked her up. She was still wrapped up in the remains of his cloak and her bad wing.

”Noru’s don’t grovel, nor should they entertain the idea of doing so. The thought of you groveling at my feet or anyones makes my skin crawl…promise you won’t ever do that…I would say I don’t need protection but clearly I don’t have a case for that argument at this moment.”

She rested her head on his chest; not struggling or moving like he asked. A frown was set on her face…not quite understanding what the true Noru curse meant. But she did understand the amount of loyalty that Garrett had just promised her, and the weight of the meaning that was carried with those words.

”So the true Noru curse is to be stuck protecting an idiotic mijit of a red head; You watch, Core trains…. someone really must inform Noky locking one up in the dungeons is not the best way to go about it and Bel…well Bel did something I’m sure. Or is the Noru curse having a mijit of a red head shove her nose into all your business? Either one sounds like a horrible fate….”

She was trying to cheer him up… her voice wasn’t much above a whisper. But at least it was forcing herself to keep awake.

”When I get my strength back; I will make you something to make it easier for you to keep track of me. The dagger I gave you years ago does the trick sort of, but it was when I was still developing the skill. The spell drains me probably more than it should; but when placed on an object it allows the person to contact me and me them as I would with any of the animals I’m in contact with, if not more so. I’ve only placed it on objects, but I suppose it could be placed on a person if I wanted to do so…It would make things easier for you if you want it.”

Aria tilted her head to the side when he said he’d carry her….that was going to be a long walk….

”Mine…we’re a day’s hike uninjured from the boarder of the third district. I get back and forth by flight daily; what do you plan on doing when we get back to the castle. What are we going to tell the guard and Noku…also on a side note I’m impressed…twice now you have held me and have not frozen up; next time let’s try without the blood.”

[Garrett Blade]

Garrett stiffened as she called him "mine" a second time, his heart beginning to flutter. Something in her voice made it sound close, and deeply familiar. He said nothing for many paces, treading heavily down one of the corridors -without- the lunar flowers. While at a disadvantage in the dark, Garrett could gauge his footing if he walked carefully and listened to the echo against the cavern walls. Aria's indication that these tunnels did lead to the surface was good enough for him; he knew it would be an exhausting trek, but the warmth of Aria's body gave him a sense of determination, filling his muscles with steady strength.

At length, Garrett broke the silence. "If you're going back to the castle, I'm going with you. I won't let you do something stupid without me, Aria. But first, we are going to get you patched up the right way, and don't even try to argue." His voice was stern, and echoed a long way down the hall, leaving a ringing in the air as it subsided. It was tinged with frustration, and matched the expression on his face-still perturbed by healing stunt, but hidden in the darkness. The air in the hall was cool, and moist, and made the rock floor slick. Garrett stumbled occasionally, finding his footing treacherously wrenched from him in the darkness by sudden dips, stray rocks, and the occasional ledge-all concealed in inky blackness. His hold upon Aria, however, never faltered, even when an especially large boulder caught him in the shin, bringing him to his knees with a short grunt-betraying the
pain of the disciplined soldier.

Proceeding in such a fashion for a half hour or so, Garrett arrived in a space of air that was distinctly different from the hallway prior. He halted, sensing the change, aware of the altered echo of his footsteps that indicated he had entered a wide area with a noticeably higher ceiling. "This could be bad." He thought, half aloud, knowing it meant there were either alternate passages leading outward from this hub, or could be at risk from unseen creatures resting against the open ceiling-EXACTLY the kind he liked the least.

"Do you have any suggestions, little bird?" He asked. We seem to be in an open area with a high ceiling. Sound familiar?"

[Deleted]

Aria winced every time Garrett tripped or stumble, but did not make a sound as they climbed steadily upwards. However she knew he wouldn’t drop her. She closed her eyes and just listened to his breathing and steps as he meandered up the pathway. Aria only stirred when he spoke again;

”I know, and thank you…though stupid adventures always lead to interesting memories…you should hear some of Cores…”

Aria frowned as he continued to struggle to make his way up; she wanted to help…but her head was still foggy from the lunar flowers….she wondered how long this high was supposed to last. She clutched onto his shirt as he fell at one point. Her eyes gazing up worryingly at his face, even if she couldn’t see it. She reached up and placed a gentle small hand on his cheek. Stroking his soft skin with her thumb.

She restrained herself from telling him to put her down; he had made it very clear she wasn’t to strain herself more….but it pained her to see or well feel him suffering for her sake. As they continued Aria could hear the echo change as well. Her eyebrows scrunched in thought.

”We’re in one of the central hubs in the tunnels, use to be a main section for a Novite nest….there is a stray one every now and then but they are Gabbys favorite treat….each tunnel will lead to different locations. If you start to see lunar flowers, or smell something sweet you ….”

Her mind had gotten hit by a wave of panicked animals….and was getting pieced and images of what was going on.

”Rivers….can you port us closer to the city; but keep in the woods…please.”

[Rivers]

Garrett and Aria would suddenly hear a voice ring throughout the tunnel. "You're wish is my command!" It booms and then suddenly the pair would find themselves in the middle of the forest, fairly close to the city, but in a clearing that made it easy to see one of the city's tall spires.