3. Firebrand

Firebrand


  • Link II: Weakness

    Tap. Tap. Tap.

    Was that her boots again? No… this was something different. She wasn’t back in Thay. She was still here, here in Peltarch.

    Tap. Drip. Tap.

    Glancing up through the slits of her eyes, her teeth chattered, with cold and nervousness as she looked across the room. It was just the water pitcher, cracked in the bottom; it had begun to drip water on the floor. There was no one there. No door. No father here to help her again. She had no one.
    “Go to the center and wait for your opponent.” Said Nosyert, pointing to indicate a square outline in the center of the room.

    Images of her first trip into the lands of Thay wafted through her mind. Hoping there was something there that would help her, she studied every detail of that journey. Of her first fight within the mage’s circle. How was this time she had taken on a form of fire so different from the others? She asked herself. No headaches preceded it… she was more in control of herself now, of her abilities… there were no voices, urging her to destroy.

    Rolling onto her stomach, she wrapped her arms around her body. Why did she feel so terrible now? Like someone had… but that was impossible.

    Skyla looked to the place that Nosyert pointed to, staring in wonder at the shape, then turned her gaze back to the old weathered wizard. “No.. I cannot.. I’ve not been challenged.” She sputtered, when thought suddenly came into her mind. “You challenge me? But.. I don’t know who you even are…”

    So much like before… but… something was wrong…
    Something was very wrong about this time…

    Nosyert shook his head, looking upon Skyla with a dose of amusement. “Not I…”, gesturing to a far shadowy corner of the room. “That is your opponent.”

    Skyla’s temples pounded with ferocity, and things in the room began to spin. Images, from two different times crossed over each other. In one moment she saw Aspera, sitting on the bench across from her, sending over her crystalline snowflake, and the next, she saw Alyks, looking down at her with sad eyes. And her neck… Was it bleeding?

    The lines of objects vibrated and blurred, and then she was back in Thay. Truly, completely there.

    –--------------------------------------------------------------------

    It was the same as before, and the duel was about to begin.

    “_That…_” came a whisper, warm and wet on her ear, “_Is your opponent._”

    From the shadows stepped a woman. Fairly short, and unimposing in looks, with strange sapphire eyes and a pretty mouth. Chin length hair, mussed and wild. The color of crimson fire…

    And her neck, her legs, her arms. All of them, were in shackles. It was Alyks, and she was crying. Skyla saw that blood was trickling from under the skin bound by the irons, and that something was anchoring her mirror image to another person.

    "No, not her," said the voice, laughing around her.

    Suddenly, Skyla saw the chain tether pull back hard on its charge, pulling Alyks to the ground in a snap, and the resulting thud as she hit the ground.

    "I’ve been kept waiting. Good little girls shouldn’t keep a person waiting. Such bad manners," Mocked a voice from behind her, with words from so long ago.

    Sucking in her breath sharply, she felt a hand graze her neck, and then a sharp fingernail. Sounds of a person smelling her, and the touch of someone stroking her hair gently like a lover filled her mind became overwhelming.

    "Are you ready little girl?" The voice mocked her again, filled with amusement.

    So much the same, so different, Skyla’s mind struggled to differentiate the past and the present.

    The voice’s laughter pulsated against her cheek. “_No… you are not ready, not yet. But you will be._”

    Suddenly, she was turned around, the hands that were touching her gently before forced her mouth open. A mouth hard and jagged covered her own, followed by a scaly tongue, both threatening to take her breath away and choke her.

    Skyla’s eyes rolled back into her head as her struggle versus her attacker failed. Just before the world went back, she saw a vision of herself, next to Alyks in shackles, the two of them bound together in bloodsoaked rags.

    –------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Skyla’s eyelids shot open, and she arched her back against the bed, drawing in many forceful breaths into her chest. Minutes afterwards, she continued to breathe deeply, savoring each little taste of air, too afraid to look at anything but the ceiling of her inn room in Peltarch.


  • Link I: Circle of Trust

    To keep what one knows, is comfortable with, and secure. Or to pursue that which is uncertain, but could be…perfect.

    Though Skyla had already committed herself to her words, and had promised resolution in one month’s time, she herself was not entirely sure of her abilities to bring things about. All she knew was that she had to try. She had to trust in herself, and her determination. The failure to trust in that would mean the loss of more than she could bear to lose.

    The halls of the Inn were quiet and calm as she entered her room. There was no reason that they should be otherwise. After all, everyone with a wit of sense had long since taken to their beds. Dragging feet across the room, she fell into her bed, bouncing once before she settled and rested her head on her pillow.

    As Skyla drifted off to sleep, a series of questions kept invading her mind.

    So familiar…but why?

    Rolling over onto her back, she mulled over the possibilities, filing each one away into something plausible, and dismissing those that were not. Sighing deeply, she turned back to lie on her stomach, thinking of ways to solve the riddle as she drifted off to sleep.

    –-----------------------------------------------------------

    In a blinding flash, the man, babe in tow, was thrown out of the other end of the portal. Rolling onto his side, he protected his charge with his arms until he settled onto his back.

    “What he hell had just happened?” he thought to himself.

    Turning his head to glance at the location which he had been ported to, he quickly shut his eyes, wincing. Wishing he had not turned his head to look at all, the other parts of him wishing that what he saw wasn’t real, he looked once more. It was real, and no wish would change or take it away. The bodies of the other children who had been ported with him lay on the ground, their skin burned away, now peeling off of them like over dried parchment.

    How could anyone, even the wizards of Thay, do this to innocent children? Lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed when the one surviving child, which currently lay in his arms let loose a cry of pain. A new fear struck the man’s heart.

    Dear gods…Please don’t let it be that her diaper needs to be changed.

    He would almost rather go back to the Rashemi lands than to have to do that. Perhaps he should have negotiated his contract to include a caretaker for the child. Too late now, he though as he released a deep sigh, fortifying himself to take a look and see what the trouble was.

    As he looked, again bile rose in his throat. It wasn’t a diaper that was bothering the young child… she had been burned horribly on her leg. Worse yet, the burn actually seemed to be spreading up her tiny body. Cursing the wizard who had cast the spell that had harmed so many, he stared down at the child, wondering what to do.

    Cooing to the child, as he had seen so many parents do to their own, he examined the wound, uncertain yet of how to heal it. Having never taken care of a child so small before, the man was lost. What if whatever he did to help, only did more harm than good? Perhaps it was best to take it to someone who would know, he mused to himself.

    Seeing that there was no other choice, he wrapped up the babe, muttering what few soothing things he could think of to her, and set out down the road in search of help.

    _It’s getting closer to the time to choose.

    The time to settle your debt.

    What will you sacrifice?_


  • Linking Lives

    Blinking her eyes open, she breathed deeply, immediately choking from the hot air. The smell of burning flesh, death and pain all around her. Squinting, she tried to see what was happening, but all she could see was the flames lashing out at her. Smells of bodies burning, death, and pain wrapped itself around her. Squinting, she tried to see what was happening, but all that was visible were the fires burning through the fields.

    Run.

    There was no time to wait here anymore. He wasn't coming for her. He had forgotten about her. He didn't care for her any longer. She had to hurry, the circle was closing.

    Gathering her tattered clothing tighter around her, she bundled the looser parts of the fabric in front of her bosom. Glancing around her, she spotted a clear path, not yet overtaken by the flames. As she hurried through the fields, the stalks whipped at her legs, some still moist though everything else around was turning to ashes. It was becoming so hard to breathe in the smoke filled air. Just a little farther. The circle was closing, and she could not be late.

    Finally, she arrived at a small hut. Pushing the door open, she saw all the others were already there, saying their goodbyes to their children with tears streaming down their faces. No one had noticed she was late. Their minds set on their own families, and saying their farewells.

    “Are you ready?” Asked one of the older men in the room.

    Cutting him off, she nodded her head. “Yes, I'm ready.”

    “Then this man will take your babe. Say your goodbyes to her.”

    A fair skinned man stepped forward, examining the mother briefly, seeming completely unfazed by what was happening outside of the little hut. Meeting with his eyes briefly, she looked down into her arms, brushing away the rags to take one last look at her baby.

    “Good bye little one. You'll have a good life, I promise. Never think about me again.”

    Her face contorted, trying to hold back the tears that fought to escape her. Glancing back at the strange man, her face took on a new shape of protective motherhood.

    “You'll protect my baby? Yes? You will or you will be forever cursed,” she spat out

    Amused, he dared to grin back at her. “I'll do what I agreed to do. Your babe will be fine, and I'll be sure to get her to where she needs to be.”

    Opening her mouth to reply, she was quickly interrupted by the sound of the door bursting open.

    They had come. No more time.

    She forced her daughter into the arms of the man, pushing them both towards the portal the elders had opened.

    “Go! Take her to her father… “

    Her words were cut off once again by an attacker from behind, pushing her down to the ground then stepping on her to take aim at the children, waiting to leave by the portal. His hands glowed bright red, tendrils of fire snaking out, until they threatened to engulf them all. Her child's wail broke out as the magical fire wrapped around her leg, her protector staring down in shock, unsure of what to do.

    “in Suzail!” shouted the young mother. Using the last of her strength, she muttered an incantation directed at the portal.

    The little hut lighted up with a bright and blinding flash, then fell back into darkness and silence.

    Opening her eyes, she struggled to take another breath.

    Thank Mystra. The children, and her babe, were gone.

    –-------------------------------------------------------------

    Skyla awoke slowly, laying in the grass weeping for the mother she would never meet.

    Every debt must eventually be paid.

    ((I had alot of goofs in the original posting of this story. Thanks to Kami for helping me clean it up a bit))


  • The Burden of Memory

    Skyla’s short hair was tied behind her neck, barely staying in the ribbon that bound it as she practiced her sword techniques on the practicing dummy. So much aggression, so much confusion. She didn’t feel at all like herself anymore. She wasn’t even sure who she was. Gritting her teeth, she put more force into her practice, trying not to think about the past few days and all of her embarrassments, and her few good moments. Did those even belong to her, or did they belong to someone else, in a different time altogether? Could one ever reclaim the past? She already had made a commitment to one to see if it was possible to do just that, but now, in the light of a new day, her doubts were surfacing.

    The other Skyla loved him. But what about this one? Memories of how that time felt made her think that she could, and did again, but maybe it was just reminiscing? The memory of the times with her love warmed Skyla to her bones, but as soon as the initial feeling faded, an unsettling feeling took root in her stomach. Blinking as she saw another memory, one of her childhood years passing by made her doubt even more. A kind and friendly face on the streets of her Suzail. Then again, so recently that face saying to her, “Why do you need to play so many parts Skyla? Why can’t you just be who you are?”

    The words still wounded her, and shocked her terribly. How could someone be who they were, when even they didn’t know who that was supposed to be?

    Thinking of the person’s face again, it brought forth a feeling of terrible confusion.
    She couldn’t remember how this person was important to her, only that they were, and that there was something else…something vital she should be remembering. Until she did remember, there was no way she would be able to reclaim her past, or move to her future.

    And what frightened her most, is that if she never could solve this puzzle, she would never figure out who she was.

    Skyla stopped for a moment to catch her breath from her exercises. While she took air into her lungs, she glanced down at her sword and saw her reflection, then a glint of blinding light. Perhaps it was just the sun… but the light would not go away, and continued to get brighter. So bright, its light made her eyes, and her head scream with pain.

    She felt her own blood trickle down her chin, and she tasted it on her lips. Falling to the ground, she blinked twice, feeling a warm breath next to her ear.
    You cannot run forever. The circle is closing, and the time is running out.
    Skyla breathed in deeply once, closing her eyes to dream of a time long ago.

    Every debt must eventually be paid.