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Talia’s Story Michelle Bailey Dedicated to my truest friends, who have stood by me through the best and worst of my life thus far, "A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you today just the way you are." Anon. This story is copyright © 1997 Michelle Bailey Front Illustration © Richard Boye Published October 1997 by ME! Michelle Bailey PO Box 82 Stratford Qld 4870 This is only my first attempt to bring to you the lives of Talia and Malik, Sara and Calin. I can only ask that you accept them as they are and together we can watch them grow. Some of the above characters are based on good friends of mine, as I admire them above all others. Any other similarities in other characters or places, are completely coincidental. The flames danced, lending an enchanting glow to the otherwise stark military surrounds, light flickering over maps and battle orders scattered around the command tent and lighting brief reflections from the weapons all wore, even in the safety bought by the troops camped around them. Talia watched in silence, nothing betraying her thoughts but her eyes, which were dark pools of pain, fear and despair. A strange mixture, but one not apparent in her voice. "All is set for tomorrow’s strike?" "Why of course, child. My men are quite capable." Lord Devan spoke civilly enough but he could not keep the condescension out of his voice. He and so many of the others could not really accept the fact that she was as capable a commander as they and tried to ignore the fact that she was in actuality the leader of our troops. "My men, commander. I’ll thank you to remember that fact in future." Talia stalked away from the fire, her despair suddenly gone in the place of a fury that was more dangerous than Devan knew. "Watch yourself my Lord. The Prince put her in charge and she has earned it. She has twice your experience in combat despite her age and is a better leader anyway. I’d be careful not to step too far wrong with her." Following closely in her footsteps, Malik hurried away from the fires. She was too good a friend for him to leave when she was in this much pain. In readiness for the coming battles, Talia’s responses were on a hair trigger and on hearing a dry branch snap beneath Malik’s foot as he approached through the sparse but shadowy woods, she whirled to face him, sword already drawn. "Talia, wait. Its only me. Hey what’s up? You wouldn’t strike a friend now would you?" Her laugh was low and bitter. "A friend? No. But that Devan... Oh light what a bastard he is... now if you’re asking would I fight him? hmm... I wonder? What do you think?" "A bloody stupid choice if you ask me. The troops would still follow you - they know who the better leader is - but its really not good for morale for them to see their leader brawling with her underlings." Talia grinned "You know me too well, my Lord General Malik" Malik’s expression was one of great pain "Please... you know I can’t stand that title, it sounds too much like someone targeted for an assassin’s knife - or worse. If you start..." "You know as well as I that you are the real second in command here, and half these strategies wouldn’t have been worked out without you. I’m not sure you shouldn’t be leading." "Well maybe you are right about the second in command bit - but you are easily my equal in the rest - you should be, I taught you all I know. Besides, you know he has his reasons for you to be the visible leader of these forces." Talia’s face darkened, and tears sprang quickly to her eyes. "Yes..." "Hey what’s wrong - what have I said this time?" The concern in Malik’s voice was unmistakable, but so was the mood that surrounded them both. Malik lightened his tone and his face wore a self mocking pout. "Damn. I know I’m not as much of a charmer as Calin, but still... I didn’t think I was that bad." A brief grin lit up Talia’s face but was replaced again with tears almost immediately. "Nothing you’ve done Malik. Just the real reasons behind my choice as commander. I mean, you tell me why you think I got this position." "Don’t put yourself down so much. You or I were the only real choices to lead this attack, and after you fought and killed Meldrin, you know Tarien not only fears you but hates you almost as much as he does Calin. Putting you in charge will give him cause enough to ensure all his attention is on our attack rather than on Calin’s raid into the city, and will do a lot for his chances of success." Malik shook his head almost in disbelief, Talia had had almost as much part as he in formulating this battle plan and he couldn’t see why it should bother her so much now. "True enough my friend, true enough. They are the reasons behind me commanding this battle. Its not that, its... You got close to it yourself, the way you said I fought and killed Meldrin - you make it almost sound like a fair fight, an honourable duel. I killed him in revenge, revenge against what he did to me, and it took you, Calin and your men to distract him enough for me to escape his attentions enough to do that." Malik just sat in silence, shock painting his face. Looking at him Talia realised that he hadn’t known. "He never told you, did he?" Malik shook his head. "He never told you what happened. He just let you all think that all that happened was that I killed Meldrin. What reason did he ever give you for rushing halfway across the country to get me. And what reason did he give for why I, a healer, was the one to kill him?" "None, he just raced out to the yard where I was drilling the troops, yelled something about danger from Meldrin and opened a Gateway as close as he dared without being sensed, then we rode the horses almost into the ground getting to where you were, when he promptly charged off looking for Meldrin and left my men battling Meldrin’s creatures. I followed in time to see him watching you fight Meldrin, and then kill him. I have to say, you certainly seemed like you were paying him back for something before you finally killed him." "Maybe, but whatever I did to him he deserved, for what he did - to me, to everyone. That bastard deserved everything he got." Talia became more and more vehement as she spoke and a note of fury coloured her voice. "Light’s sake! I’m not arguing with you Talia, no one would." "Sorry, its just..." Malik moved closer to Talia and laid his hand upon her shoulder. "What happened to you?" he spoke softly, as if to a frightened child, "What did he do?" Talia struggled to find the words, her anguish visible in her face as Malik moved to cradle her gently in his arms, comforting her as he would that same frightened child. "You remember the battle at Alden Plain? You and your men weren’t there, but you should remember it. We took heavy casualties, but we did win out in the end. It was the sort of battle that brought to mind that old soldier’s saying - you know the one - about how there’s nothing sadder than a battle lost, but a battle won. Anyway, there were about seven or eight of us there, using everything in our power to help the wounded, but there were so many we could only help those who would have died without it, and we had to leave so many others who were in intense pain and often badly injured but not in danger of death, to try and help as many of the dying to live as we could. A big task for seven women when hundreds were fighting." Smoke drifted across the carnage of Alden Plain, and bodies still littered the field, burial teams separating our dead from enemy dead and hunting out any wounded who might have been missed and still clung to life. The sky was as red as if it was stained with the blood that had been shed and the sun was still hidden by the tree tops. The battle had finished that night previous and we had done all we could through the night to help the wounded. Talia left the tent, rubbing her eyes and yawning to join Tory, Liah, Sara and the others who already waited in the clearing beyond the tents that held the wounded. A grin cracked Liah’s tired face as she spotted Talia making her way slowly towards them. "Asleep already Tali?" "And you are not, I take it?" All of them smiled, too tired for a laugh but not able to let the banter between the two go without response. A woman came towards us, not old seeming, but older than we. Her hair tied back in a no-nonsense braid, and her weariness and look of work seeming almost out place with her fine, though now rumpled silks, she was a familiar and expected sight. "Well its good to see you are all in such fine moods this morning, I have simply no time for those silly girls who spend all morning moaning about having to work all the night. It just isn’t right - now when I was a girl, you wouldn’t hear even a hint of complaint after a fair nights work but you young ones now, why..." Reanna approached the girls, her features that of a still young woman, but her experience that of over fifty turns as a healer and many more before that. It was a trait of those with our gift, not to grow old, but even among us not many lived past two hundred turns, not long when the histories say that we could once have expected to live as long as three hundred and then still be considered only in our middle age. Well times do change. Liah voiced her last thoughts aloud as she good-naturedly responded to Reanna’s words. "Times do change, Reanna and you surely wouldn’t want us to get left behind now, would you - what would people think of us then?" The group laughed, the exchange commonplace, one of the many that characterised their conversations. Even Reanna laughed, shaking her head as she did so. "For that child, you can open the Gateway to take us back to Cammlyna. Now snap to it - these old bones want to rest in a nice soft bed tonight." "Yes my Lady, of course my Lady, anything my Lady wants." Liah continued her laughing response as she pulled in the power necessary to open the Gateway that would take them home. A bright light radiated from Liah’s hands as she traced the outline of the Gateway, the bright square hanging motionless in the air, as she concentrated on setting the image of their destination in her mind to open the Gate there. The two halves of the square suddenly swung outwards - exactly like the two sides of a door or a gate opening, and the small courtyard where they always set their Gateways was visible through it. Talia ran through laughing, the dark reddish braid which confined her long curls glinting in the sun, and a twinkle in her dark eyes, all traces of weariness gone as she continued her habit of always being the first through the Gate. She was turning back to face her friends through the Gate, when the first hint of something wrong was apparent. "Wait" she called "something isn’t right... I’m..." At this two Eelins, twisted, half-human, half-reptile creatures, emerged from the trees of the courtyard. "Liah! shut the gate - all of you stay!" Talia called out in fear for her friends lives, as two of them started to come through the Gate. "Get back" she screamed as she snapped Liah’s connection to the Gate, causing it to close instantly, but also accidentally drawing the huge backlash of raw power through herself. Stumbling to face the Eelins, called Shadowmen by most, she mentally cursed herself - to snap a connection like that without grounding it... that was always a risk - yet to snap someone else’s link, that was almost certain to bring a backlash of power. Fool! Ah but it was done, and now, to defeat the Shadowmen... Dodging the blow of an Eelin’s axe, she fell to the ground, rolling on the stones that paved the courtyard. Little sound filled the air as she fought back as she could, mainly dodging blows and trying to reach the entrance to the Palace proper and the guards who should be there. The guards - where were they? Talia screamed, hoping to draw the guards to the scene of the ambush, but as she rounded one of the gardens that lay through out the courtyard, she realised her error as she almost stumbled over the bodies of the murdered guards. Little time was left for thought though, as a tall black clad figure came into view, and began to hunt her with the same intensity as its underlings, the Eelins. As the Wyrvall came ever closer her, Talia thought she saw her death approaching, for while the prince had taught her weaponcraft, she was primarily a healer and had no weapons but her hands and feet to fight with, and Wyrvall feared only the bite of steel, and even then were hard to kill. As her repeated cries for help drew no response, Talia compressed the events since leaving the Gateway into a tiny instant, and with the last resources of her mind and her grip on the power, she threw it out to her Sisters still on Alden Plain, to the prince, to all who could know, and help. Yet in that instant of lowering her shields, she became vulnerable, and the Wyrvall struck. A whipcrack of energy to disrupt her link to the power, and a physical blow to the head, knocking her into the oblivion of unconsciousness. The landscape swayed, trees seeming to be trying to occupy more than one place at once, the grass only seeming steady because ot its sameness. She stared ahead, over the neck of a horse, the bonds chafing her wrists bringing home to her where she was. Talia sighed. No, that was not the only reminder of what had happened. A faint foul taste in the back of her throat, and a strange... absence... of the Power. She did not recognise the drug, but knew that whatever it was, it must stop the abilities of those who healed and used the Power. A rough, dry voice intruded on her thoughts. "Ah, so you are awake now. Well, no matter, you will not be escaping from this - not alive at any rate." Talia spat on the ground in front of the speaker. There was no way she intended to speak to a Wyrvall. "So, you don’t want to talk?? I’m sure that Meldrin won’t have any problems getting you to speak", the creature laughed. "Yes, he may be disappointed that we only caught you, but then I’m sure that filthy prince will respond to a threat to his sister as quickly as he would have to one against his lover. Yes, I’m sure Meldrin will have... fun... playing with you." The Wyrvall wheeled his horse and galloped to the front of the troops of Eelin that surrounded her. Talia shivered. The Shadow had spies everywhere - she and Calin had sworn the oath of sister and brother only weeks ago, yet Meldrin had already found a way to use it against them. Tentatively, she sent her thoughts questing outwards, hoping that whatever the drug was, that it wouldn’t stop this... Success! Her mind brushed against familiar thoughts, and she was mindspeaking with Calin. <My brother, do not follow, this is a trap - Meldrin means to use me as bait to draw your attention... whether to kill you or distract you long enough for something else, I don’t know, but...> <Talia, don’t be ridiculous. Are you hurt, are you ok... what is going on?> <I can only warn you brother, do not follow. And guard Sara’s life well - this attack was not meant to capture only me. Be wary my heart, Meldrin wants you dead - you know that> <But Tali. No, sister! how can you ask me to leave you? How can you expect me to sit by and let Meldrin harm you...> <NO Calin - that is what he wants. I live and while I live there is always hope. You must not try to rescue me yourself.... wait - do you see where I am?> <Yes... what are you thinking?> <Send troops to this point - they should be able to track me, and yes, I could use their help, but swear to me you won’t come with them> <I will send you help, sister of my heart, I will not let Meldrin harm you> <Farewell Calin and please, be careful> Talia snapped back into awareness of what was going on around her. Nothing much had changed, the landscape continuing on in its sameness. She had no idea where she was, but was no longer as scared. The drug had to wear off sometime, and Calin would surely send some troops to help her. Calin, her friend, and now her brother. Strange to think that they had not always been brother and sister, strange to think they might not be tomorrow if her luck ran out. There had always been something between her and Calin. A bond, a link, something... they had saved each others lives countless times, and lived through so much... ah, she wished him happiness with Sara - she could see them married. The tall dark haired prince, warrior and leader of their people, and all people in the fight against the Shadow, and the fair lady, a noble in her own right, with red gold curls and silver eyes, who did as much for the war as he did, if in a different way. Yes, they would be happy, she would only regret not being there for their wedding, not being there for her brother and her future sister. Talia sighed. "Scared are you? Or is it sad?" the Wyrvall smirked from where it rode beside her once more. "Well, if not now, you will be - oh you will curse the day your mother ever met your father when Meldrin has a hold of you. Oh you will rue ever being born!" Talia turned to face the creature - she had been so lost in her thoughts that she had not heard it approach. "You think so scum? You really think I would stand for that? I will die before I let Meldrin touch me!" "Oh no, child, no, you will not die - and you will not escape either. Nervain root makes your kind helpless... you will not escape us" Still chuckling, the sound like a file drawn over stone, the Wyrvall forced another foul tasting brew down her throat as she rode, helpless to stop him. Blackness came for her, and Talia again lost consciousness. Servants darted from his path as Calin ran through the palace. He did not see them, any more than he saw any of his surrounds. His mind was on one thing, and one only - Talia. Damn! It was his fault, for her to have been ambushed like that meant spies, or traitors or both... maybe not - everyone knew that they used that courtyard for Gateways. Light! why hadn’t he increased the guard there - he should have done so months ago. Oh light, why this? Out of all of his friends, it was Talia and Sara that he cared most about, and for one of them to be treated this way... Calin increased his pace, he had to find... he had to find - what? Why was he running through the palace like a witless boy? - fool! think!. Muttering to himself, Calin stopped in a courtyard. Clearing his mind, he bespoke Sara. <Sara, where are you?> <Calin?? what is going on? where is Talia?> <oh Sara, she has been captured... the Shadowmen are taking her to Meldrin - he means for her to be bait to trap me with. You must be careful, I want you to have some troops assigned as guards - Talia wasn’t the only one Meldrin wanted> <Why aren’t we doing something - you know I could find her... why aren’t we doing something to rescue her?> <NO Sara! you will not go near her - swear to me that you won’t. I can not let Meldrin take you both!> <I can’t do that Calin! you know I can’t... She is as near to me as a sister...> <Swear it Sara, swear it on your life - that is my wish and hers. You must stay safe.> <I... yes, I will swear, but I am coming to the palace now - you will need us to guide you to her, even if we don’t go with you> Sara tore her thoughts from his, motioning for Tory and Liah to follow, she readied a Gate to the palace... Guttural voices drew Talia fully awake, immediately alert, her thoughts on escape, but the sight of the mansion in front of her filled her mind with fear. There was no reason to stop here - unless this was where Meldrin had made his lair. Her fear was not without reason. Meldrin hated Calin - he had for a long time. Once friends, or at the least allies, Meldrin had always stood in Calin’s shadow. Or so he had thought - he had always seen Calin as being one step ahead of him - Calin was just that little bit taller, a little bit better at weapons and a little stronger using the Power. It was envy of Calin that had prompted Meldrin to betray us and join the shadow. Yes, Meldrin hated Calin and he hated those that Calin cared for almost as much. She shivered to think of what would happen if Calin’s troops did not find her. Little chance of that now. She was hauled unceremoniously out of the saddle and pushed towards the door. It opened, framing a tall man, blond haired, blue eyed, who could have been handsome if not for the sneer that permanently twisted his features. "One! you brought me one! You were to bring them both - the sister and the lover... that would have been a fine trap! yet you have failed!" Meldrin seemed to swell and grow larger with every word, looming over the Wyrvall before him. With no warning, the Wyrvall screamed, continuing to scream as it fell to the ground, clawing at skin that was being consumed by an unnatural fire. Meldrin laughed. "Fool. You knew the price of failure" Turning from the ashes now piled at his feet, Meldrin leant closer to her. "So Talia, now you are my guest... so much for your vaunted defences over the palace. Pity I don’t have Sara as well... but you shall do as well for my plans - I’m sure your brother won’t want to leave you in my hands" Talia spat at his feet, not trusting herself to speak. A hand lashed out instantly, the blow to her face knocking her to the ground. She tried to stand, but a boot on her back stopped her. "You will learn manners girl, respect for your master! oh, but I will have fun breaking you... yes...." motioning to the Eelin still surrounding them he spoke again, his tone peremptory. "You! Bring her to my chambers immediately." Meldrin turned and strode inside, the Eelin following with Talia. Riches abounded in the dwelling, but Talia saw none of it, her mind turned inward to think of a plan... The Eelin dragged her through a twisting mess of corridors, to a room where they threw her savagely inside after first slicing the bonds that held her. Twisting, she landed on her feet, searching for a way out. A laugh sounded from behind her. "You think I would make it that easy for you? You think I am that stupid??" Meldrin sneered at her. "Oh no my dear, you can not escape that easily... there is enough Nervain in your body to stop you using the Power for days yet, and there is no way you would get out of here without it." "You may think you are safe here Meldrin, but you are a fool. I know you mean to draw Calin here, but he will not come. Our cause is too important to risk for one person’s life..." As she spoke Talia slowly moved towards Meldrin, as she saw him about to answer, she attacked. A kick to the stomach and a fist to the face, and as he crumpled in surprise, she leaped and kicked him again in the face, spinning to face the door, she ran, hoping to reach it before Meldrin reached her. Lifting his head, Meldrin gestured, and an invisible force tripped her and threw her across the room. She slumped to the floor, pain shooting through her chest where she had slammed her ribs into the edge of a cabinet. Drawing herself painfully up into a crouch, Talia prepared to attack Meldrin once more, but he had had time to recover now, and was already standing over her. He backhanded her across the face, sneering. "So you think to escape do you? You think to beat me? Fool girl, you will beg me to kill you for this when I am done, yes you will beg me... but I think not... it will be so much more ..entertaining.. to keep you alive I think..." Meldrin set his thoughts and focused on the Power, concentrating on pain, the pain he wished Talia to feel... She began screaming immediately, pain invading her body from nowhere, from everywhere. Meldrin only laughed as Talia tried to stand, tried to run from him, from the agony, but only collapsed to the floor, screaming as if she would never stop. He laughed, his insane chuckles almost drowning out her screams. Sara searched with her mind, starting from the image that Talia had sent to Calin and sending her thoughts spiralling outward, ever outward, searching for a sign of Talia. As he ran from the room to gather Malik and their troops, she distantly heard Calin yell for her to hurry, but she was too far into the trance to answer him. Outward, always outward... there! A trail of anguish and despair, nothing to say that it had been Talia, but Sara latched onto it, following quickly, hoping, hoping. A wave of pain washed through her mind, blurring the bounds between herself and the one whose trail she followed. Slumping to the ground, Sara moaned, trying to break away from the pain, but still needing to know if it was Talia. Tory’s hand on her shoulder helped to bring her back to herself, but she caught one fleeting thought... Sara? leave me... go... "It is her, I found her! Quickly, find Calin. She is hurt.... What are you doing? Run woman, run or I’ll have your head!" The spearmaiden who had been waiting at the door ran then, quickly leaving Sara and Tory behind. Following her, they met Calin on his way to find them. "You found her? Where? Is she all right??", frantic over his sister’s whereabouts, Calin was almost incoherent in his haste to question Sara, his words tumbling over one another. "I found her..." Sara placed her hands in Calin’s, sending the image of where Talia was directly to him. "But she is hurting badly. you must hurry." "I will, my love - Meldrin shall pay for this. That I swear" "Go quickly - I think she hasn’t much time." Calin gathered Malik and the troops, opening a Gateway there in the stable doorway. They poured through the Gate in a stream - not knowing what had happened but ever loyal to Calin’s command, and ever willing to strike against the Shadow. Following no less quickly, Calin raced his stallion towards the buildings where Talia was being held. They were no more than a klick and a half away, but he begrudged every step, even as he knew that to have created the Gateway any closer, he risked forewarning Meldrin. Through the haze of pain that fogged her mind, Talia heard a voice, hoarse from screaming, yet screaming still. A voice. Her voice. Pain wracked her body and fogged her mind. Then, something different, a familiar thought, brushing her mind. Who? ... Sara.... <Sara... leave me... go!> Writhing in agony, she barely noticed Meldrin’s voice, taunting her. "Just ask my dear, just ask and I shall stop, only surrender to me... and I will free you." Just ask. Just ask and be free of the pain that filled every nerve of her body. Gritting her teeth, she forced words from her throat. "I ... will ... not ... beg. I ... will not... surrender ... to you... you bastard." Relief. No pain. Why? Focusing her vision, she saw Meldrin staring at her. Gazing at her in rage. "You dare? You dare to defy me? Have you learnt nothing?? Fool - I care nothing whether you come to me willingly or not, for you will be mine, and your pain only makes things... more pleasant, shall I say!" laughing, Meldrin picked her limp body up like a sack of grain and threw her to the bed. With the pain gone, Talia began to revive slightly and readied herself for another fight. Meldrin hit her, beating her physically this time. She grunted, flinching from the blows, then hit back. A knee to the groin, just as Calin had taught her. Successful. She rolled to the floor, crawling for the door. Meldrin leaped after her, yelling in outrage and pain. Then a scream. Her scream. Oh the agony. Unseen blows struck her, pain flowing into her body from a hundred, a million sources. She curled into a foetal position on the floor, screaming, crying with the pain that was back tenfold. Meldrin merely laughed, gaining pleasure from watching her agony. Tears flowing down her face, and pain wracking her body, Talia broke, begging Meldrin to stop, to take away the pain. But he merely laughed. "I thought you said you would die first? Isn’t that what you claimed? Ha! So much for your resistance bitch! I swore you would want to die, and you will want to.... oh yes, you will. You will beg me to take you to my bed just to stop the pain. Yes child. you are mine now!" Talia cried, still screaming but hating herself for begging, hating herself because he was right. Anything to stop the pain. Anything. Still writhing in agony, her mind became suddenly calm - not immune to the pain, but calm nonetheless. The Power, she could sense it! How?... the drug? Fool! she thought to herself... why question providence. She reached for the Power, waiting for it to fill her, to do her bidding, but nothing came... New tears made their way down her cheeks, but these had nothing to do with the pain. The drug might have been wearing off, but she still could not use the Power. Despair gripped her once more as the pain took over. A thought brushed hers... seeking. Calin? How could it be... but it was! <Tali, hold on... I’m coming...> his mindspeech was faint and distant, and she could feel the sensation of great speed. It was him... and he was near, very near and coming nearer. Meldrin gazed at the girl in front of him. Strange, she had become calm, even her screams had lessened. What was going on? There was no one here to rescue her, no one she could have mindspoken with - the drug would have taken care of that. So what...? Ah! it didn’t matter... if the child was calmer... well she was still hurting and her pain was all he really cared about. oh yes... Trees flashed by, the ground swiftly covered by the thundering horses. Faster, faster. The men might not know what drove Calin, but they would follow him to the death. He had not told even Malik, just trusting that they would follow where he led. Malik let out a shout. One of the men had spotted buildings ahead... Calin squinted... yes that was where she was. Shouting, he led the men in a charge towards the house... pushing the horses for that one last burst of speed. Calin swung from his mount, trusting the war trained horse to look after itself as he carved a way for himself into the building, leaving Malik and their men to deal with the hordes of Meldrin’s creatures that swarmed towards them. Where was she, where... a woman’s screams. He ran towards the sound, his face hard. Meldrin turned, whirling towards the door. Something was happening, something was not right. Talia noticed his distraction only by the lessening of the pain. Crawling painstakingly across the room, she crouched in the corner, hoping for a chance to use the defensive position she found herself in. The door to the room slammed open, Calin’s form silhouetted by the light from the hall. Meldrin snarled. "So boy, you come to rescue your sister do you? How ... sweet. Fool! Do you think you can stand against me?" His last words uttered in a voice that made ice seem warm, Meldrin threw himself across the room to face Calin, landing with the instinct of long practice, sword drawn and feet ready for the attack. Calin lunged forward to meet Meldrin’s attack, dancing into the forms as the fight flowed between them. Unnoticed, Talia gained her feet, reaching for the Power as she did so. Filling herself with the life of the Power, she lashed out at Meldrin, flows of fire and air whipping through the room to attack him. Turning from Calin, Meldrin advanced towards her, a snarl distorting his face as he started towards her, death in his eyes. Calin motioned to Talia over Meldrin’s shoulder. "Tali... here..." , his sword flashed over Meldrin’s shoulder, landing hilt first in her hand as she set herself in position to attack Meldrin. Talia danced through the forms, the blade an extension of herself as she struck at Meldrin, the usual grace of one trained by a blademaster only slightly marred by the events of the previous day. Calin watched in silence, knowing that she would not thank him for interfering in her fight. No thought given to her own safety, Talia attacked Meldrin with the last of her strength, determined that he would pay for what he had done to her. While Meldrin was a blademaster, and Talia had never earned that title, he was yet hard pressed to meet her attack, as anger and revenge drove Talia to fight like one possessed - taking incredibly brave, or rather, foolish, chances to strike at her opponent. While Meldrin and Talia fought on oblivious, Malik entered the chamber, sword drawn and ready for a fight. At Calin’s urging, he put up his sword and merely watched - ready to assist Talia if need arose, but otherwise willing to let her finish Meldrin on her own. Time seemed to slow, the seconds dragging, as Talia fought with the last of her strength. Then, an opportunity. Meldrin overreached in an attempt to finish her, and stumbled on statuette that had been tumbled to the floor during their struggles. Staggering, he twisted to avoid Talia’s blade, but ready for this she reversed the angle of her strike and ran him through even as her own strength gave out and the room began to slide into darkness. Malik dashed forwards, catching her just as she folded and slipped to the floor. Cradling her in his arms, he followed Calin from the room, both of them in a hurry to be gone before enough of Meldrin’s creatures regrouped to attack them. Talia awoke before they reached the horses, and as they came in sight of Malik’s troops she was walking triumphantly beside Calin and Malik, her head held high, and the pain and weariness in her eyes undetectable for one not looking for it. While the troops may have wondered at her presence there, none voiced their thoughts aloud - to them she was almost as highly regarded as their prince Calin and their commander, Malik. Having campaigned often with the two men, she had saved the lives of many of the men before her with her healer’s abilities. The ride away from that evil place was nothing compared to the race to get there. Calin opened a Gateway almost immediately and the men flooded through it, relieved to be home with so few casualties. Following more slowly, Calin managed to get Talia alone, out of hearing of any of the men, or even of Malik. "You all right Tali? I know, well I can guess at what you went through - even second hand through a mindtouch, the pain I felt was appalling." "I’ll be all right. It may take a while for the last of this to dissipate, but it will go. Knowing I was ready to surrender to him... that may take longer to get over, but I will. You know me. If there is even a spark of life left in a person I can usually heal them. I am not that badly injured so surely I can manage to do as much for myself as I do for others..." "I believe you, but please, get Sara to check you out all right? You look as if you are still in a bit of pain, and from the way you are hunched over in the saddle, I’m suspecting a broken rib or two." Managing to laugh, Talia replied. "And you are the healer now are you?? I’d like to see you try my job!" Talia paused, her throat dry from speaking. "You know the rest Malik - you were there for most of it. All the feasts and celebrations over Meldrin’s death. My injuries explained away by my so-called ‘duel’ with him..." bitterness in her voice, Talia trailed off. Malik pulled her closer to him, cradling her in his arms as they sat in the forest. "I’m sorry... I never knew... Light it must have been so bad for you - everyone happy and you hurting so bad..." "Yes... I mean sure, Calin knew but even so... well we might be close but he was so worked up about holding all the alliances together... it was almost easy to hide from him. And Sara... well" "I can guess - you didn’t want to worry her? And that’s why you never told me I guess?" "Oh Malik! you know me too well!" His wry words struck a chord within her, and she laughed. Why had she never seen how close she really was to Malik, why had she never acknowledged the bond she felt with him... different to what she had with Calin or Sara but there nonetheless... He was the only one she really trusted, the only one she could ever really open up to... His voice soft, Malik spoke. "What are you thinking Tali?" "I..." she hesitated, unsure how to go on, gazing into his eyes and trying to let him know how she felt Looking back into her hazel eyes that shone softly with reflected moonlight, Malik tried something he had never done before. Calin had the theory that mindspeaking didn’t use the Power and so should be able to be learnt even by those who couldn’t touch it, so he had been trying to teach Malik, with little success. Hoping, he could actually do it and wouldn’t merely be thinking to himself, Malik bespoke Talia. <I know...> <Malik?!> surprise mixed with love filled her thoughts <What? hey - what do you mean ‘I know’> <Silly. I love you - isn’t that what you were thinking...> He laughed breathlessly, as she melted into his arms, her lips meeting his in a long awaited kiss. . . BACK