Private Tales Read between the lines

[Talus]

Talus rushed back towards the cabin as fast as he could, fingers holding the hilt of his bloody sword.

His gaze searched through the night, fingers gripping as he didn't spot Zana or either of the assailants. Lips thinned, and then his eyes suddenly flashed blue. To him the world changed, the Ether of all reality snapping into place all around him.

He saw Zana on the ground, his heart skipping a beat as he started to break out into a sprint...then he saw her move. A quick flick of her blade, and then the other soul was suddenly snapped out of existence.

Relief flooded him, but then a realization came.

Where was the third one? They had seen Zana there, if they were hired by the Houses then undoubtedly they would tell the story of the two Dreadlords. Panic seized him, and quickly his gaze shifted around. He saw nothing, and that was when she struck.

Like an avenging Angel the third assailant seemed to fall from the sky, wings sprouted from her back, two talon like swords in either hand.

One of the blades cut across Talus' chest, blood spurting from the gash.

 

[Zana]

Zana edged her way around the house keeping her back pressed up against the wood of the walls so that nobody could grab her from behind. She managed to make her way all the way back to the entrance to the cabin without further assault and she poked her head back inside. Grey was whining and scraping against the livingroom door but she dare not let him out after the vision she had had. She was about to continue on round the house and then further into the forest if need be when the flash of pain across her chest made her gasp. It felt as though the blow had been done to her but when she reached down no blood came away.

"Talus," her chest tightened. Instinct guided her feet as she turned and began to sprint his direction.

She caught sight of the winged offender first, the blood on Talus' chest second and something snapped inside of her.

"Get away from him!" An invisible force gripped the winged Forsaken and her next attack was halted as she dropped her blades and scrambled at the tight force that wound its way about her neck crushing the air from her lungs. Her body went rigid, straining against the tight hold of the magic before it slammed her down hard into the ground.

Zana had been trained to hurt people from the first day she had entered the academy. It didn't bother her but neither did she take pleasure in it. She had never revealed in it like other Dreadlords. She had never craved it.

But in that moment she did.

As the woman hit the floor the grip on her throat loosened just enough that she wouldn't pass out. So that she could feel it as her wings were slowly torn from her back by invisible hands. She writhed and screamed on the floor but Zana didn't relent for a moment. Anger was a red mist across her sense.

"Who. Sent. You,"

 

[Talus]

The woman cried out with Horror, her eyes as large as saucers as she struggled against the invisible grip cast around her. She tried to push against it, moving and writhing upon the ground. Her hand reached up, but it was crushed by the force of will.

Her mouth opened, and she slowly began to speak.

"I-i-It was Hous-"​

As soon as she said the words there was a flash of light from her back. Magic erupted, and her eyes grew even wider as a scream tore from her lips. Fire burst from her flesh, consuming her in a blazing inferno that seemed to burn from the inside out.

Talus stepped up behind Zana, putting a hand gently on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

The question was a silly one given that he was the one bleeding, but he had feared for her life and not his own. The woman, the attack, all of it would be forgotten until he made sure that he was okay.

 

[Zana]

Anger rode her hard. Energy turned the whole air static and the hairs all along the back of her neck and arms stood on end with the crackle of power that hung about them. But finally his words and the touch on her shoulder brought her down from the cliff edge and murderous ideas to go tearing up Vel'Anir to discover for herself who it was who was behind the attacks.

She whirled around to face him, her eyes brushed over his for but a second before down to his chest and the nasty gash there.

"I am but you are not," there were a few scrapes and bruises on her, a burn up her arm from where her magic had reacted with the lightning gifts of one of the other Forsaken, but nothing serious. Nothing she could even feel right now. She tore a strip out of the hem of her dress without a further thought and pressed it to the wound across his chest. Her body trembled as the adrenaline left her and shock set in.

"What were they?"

 

[Talus]

His hands gently came to a rest on her shoulders, thumbs slowly stroking over her shoulders as he tried to calm her down. His own heart was still thumping in his chest, slowly thundering as she pressed the cloth against his chest.

The wound would have to be cleaned and properly dressed, but it wasn't fatal. He had no idea what species the woman had been, but her blade had not cut deep enough to be lethal. A frown was shot at the corpse, it was a shame. There had been an elegance to her wings.

Head shook, but confusion quickly rolled over his features as Zana asked her question. "You don't know?"

His lips thinned.

No. Why would she? The only reason that Talus knew was because of the guard. Aldwaith had told him, shown him the documents when the two of them had talked about the Houses and their despicable practices.

He hated having to be the one to tell her.

"They're called Forsaken." Talus said quietly. "They're like us. Taken at birth, trained, but..."

His stomach dropped. "They're half-breeds, all of them. Children of nobles who didn't care to practice what they preached. And unlike us, they have no choice at all."

 

[Zana]

Zana took two quick deep breaths and then a third that was slower as she tried to rein the energy under control. But she had nowhere to direct it or place it. It burned in her like an over spilling cup. She could sense a sudden... sadness from him though and it distracted her enough to make her eyes raise to his. Concern and confusion made her brows pull down into a frown and she went to say something before he seemed to gather his thoughts and speak.

And as the explanation came she understood why.

Guilt hit her like a sledgehammer and then grief. She had just killed two people who were something worse than slaves. Zana put a hand on her stomach as it churned and for a moment she thought she truly would be sick. How had they kept something like that from the population; from other Dreadlords even? She couldn't even speak as she stumbled to a nearby tree and threw up, tears pricking at the backs of her eyes.

What kind of world was she supporting?

What other monstrosities was she unaware of happening in her own city?

 

[Talus]

Talus didn't say a word.

He knew that there was nothing he could have said to make it better, knew that anything he might have offered would just be platitudes.

Instead his arms simply wrapped around her in a tight embrace. The wound on his chest burned, ached, but Talus didn't care. He could feel the sadness through the bond, good feel the despair that welled in her very soul.

It was the same betrayal he had felt.

His arms wrapped tightly around Zana, hand coming up to softly pet her hair as he rested his head on top of hers.

We'll free them too. Talus thought to himself sternly. One at a time if we have to.

 

[Zana]

He held her as another part of her world crumbled into the sea. It must be all of them, she summarised, there was no way that only one House would hold monopoly on such a power. At least Dreadlords were treated with respect in an odd way, they were feared, they had power. She could walk in the sun. They were her brothers and sisters too and yet they were forced to walk the shadows because of what they were.

Slowly the pain she was feeling through their bond from the wound in his chest brought her out of her daze enough to move. She turned in his arms and took his hand gently, leading him back towards the cabin without another word. Her mind was reeling but the need she had to care for him overrode everything else.

As they passed by the livingroom where Grey was now howling she opened the door. The grey wolf jumped up at them, sniffing, growling, as he roamed outside to go check the perimeter. She set him down on the sofa and then disappeared for a moment to get the first aid supplies she had seen in the kitchen and then returned with that and some warm water and clothes. She crouched down in front of him and quietly dabbed at the wound on his chest.

 

[Talus]

Talus watched her, a part of him regretting telling her the truth.

He could not have lied to her of course, he could not ever have done anything else, but the pang of regret was still there. He couldn't help it. Seeing her in such pain, feeling the hurt within her soul was grating to him.

"I'm going to bury them." He said softly as she dabbed at the wound.

The Forsaken had never been given a choice, they had never been granted an ounce of freedom or respect. Talus had heard how they were trained, how far it went beyond even the treatment the Proctors had given him.

It pained him. The hurt built up in his chest.

"I need to." Talus blinked, his eyes welling with tears for a moment as he took a deep breath. "I need to do at least that."

He wasn't sure if what he was feeling was his own pain, Zana's, or both.

 

[Zana]

How could they?

It was all she could keep coming back to. She understood the desire for purity even if she didn't technically agree with it; she had nothing against the other races and never had. She had just hurt whatever and whoever had attacked her city. But to do this to them... After she had cleaned the wound with water she dabbed pure spirit over it which might have stung him, before finally bandaging it up. Her fingers were soft with every brush over his skin taking extreme care. It was just as she was finishing that he spoke.

Her fingers stilled mid bow as she tied off his bandage and her eyes raised to look at him. Her face crumpled as she saw the pain there, the tears welling up in his eyes.

"I think," she stood up slowly and gently cupped his cheeks. "That that is a lovely idea," she kissed him gently then when they broke she kissed him on the top of his head too.

"I'm going to go make sure I don't burn your Cabin down and check on the food whilst you do that," another gentle caress of his cheek and then she moved off.

 

[Talus]

A hiss escaped his teeth as she poured the spirit on his wound, clenching his fist for a few seconds before she slowly began to apply the bandages.

"Alright." He said with a nod of his head as she went off to the kitchens. For a few seconds Talus only sat there, wondering, considering if there could have been a better way. Eventually he decided there had not been.

The Forsaken were rune marked, forced to obey. They would have kept coming until they couldn't anymore. Thus was their curse.

With a loud sigh Talus stood, stepping out onto the front porch and retrieving a shovel from a small chest there and letting out a whistle for Grey. The wolf came running almost instinctually. "Watch my back."

He told the Hound as he wandered over to the edge of the wood and began to dig.

Three graves. One for each of them.

 

[Zana]

With the boys outside Zana for a moment just rested her hands on the kitchen side and took a breath.

She had not shared Talus' views on there being no hope for the Houses. She had hoped that there would be reformation or a chance for Luana and Pirian to stride out of this on the other side stronger and working for the people. But now... Now she didn't know how she felt about a cornerstone of her whole life. She had never felt so lost.

On autopilot she blew out the heat on the stove and took the vegetables off, drained them. The bird was fully roasted if a little crispier than she would have liked it and she poked the embers in the oven to stoke the heat a little more for the cake. With the food plated up she ran a hand down her face again and stared at the hole in the cupboard one of the arrows had thudded into.

"I'm sorry," she traced the hole with her finger, brows pulling down into a small frown. What would she have done any differently though? There was a lump in her stomach for she knew she would have done the same to anyone who had tried to hurt Talus. Grabbing the plates she made her way outside with them and then stood, leaning her hip on the frame as she watched him finish with his task.

Yes she would have ripped anyone apart in the same manner if they had tried to hurt him.

 

[Talus]

By the time he was finished Talus was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, his bloody shirt had been thrown to the side and everything else had been Forgotten.

As he'd dug the pain settled in his heart. Through the bond he could feel Zana, the agony of her confusion and the betrayal that she felt of the houses. it was all there, all so powerful. He couldn't have stopped it of he tried. It was overwhelming.

Talus wept.

He stood before the three Graves and turned, rubbing his face with dirt covered hands and only then noticing Zana watching. For a second he stopped, staring at her with as though he was a man watching the sunrise.

The three Forsaken had had no choice , but neither had he. Talus would do anything to keep Zana out of danger. He would have burnt the whole world to the ground if it mean she was safe.

He would do anything for her.

Slowly he walked back towards the porch, coming up the steps. He let a hand gently settle on her hip, careful not to tip her too much so the food would spill from the plates. "I love you."

He said the words in a soft whisper, unable to utter anything else.

 

[Zana]

How three such words could have so much power Zana would spend the rest of her life wondering. It was a secret she would never uncover. But his whispered words, the emotions sailing between the bond, she leaned up and gently placed a kiss to his lips.

"I know," she whispered back because she did know.

Because she would always now know.

Her own swell of love was like the sunlight through their bond and it helped to chase some of the darker clouds away in her mind. She might not have had the Houses but she had him. Zana believed she had come out of the exchange better off.

"You need to eat," her eyes drifted to his bandaged chest with concern before passing him the plate and wandering over to sit on the little swing outside. Grey, covered in dirt from where he had been 'helping' with the digging, was snuffling around the whole perimeter. He had clearly taken Talus' words to heart. "I think we might be able to talk to each other through this bond one day," she had thought she had heard whispered words before but her focus had been on the attackers and not on much else.

 

[Talus]

"Okay." He said in soft agreement as he gently let his hand fall to the small of her back and guided her to the swing.

This time he was not a ravenous animal when digging food of his plate, but was instead far more measured and controlled. The sadness of what had happened still clung to him, but she was right, he needed to eat.

His lips thinned slightly when she spoke of the bond. "It's possible. I tried...to warn you in the middle of things."

It must have worked, otherwise she would not have been here no.

"I was also...I...I somehow saw one of your visions." Talus admitted quietly. It had nearly gotten him killed, but the fact that he'd seen it was more remarkable than anything he'd ever heard of. "This is entirely new territory Zana. I never thought I was capable of doing something like this."

Which begged the question; what else could he do?

 

[Zana]

Zana gave a wry smile as he mentioned her vision and after finishing a mouthful of food she glanced to him.

"Talus you did more than see my vision, you set it off," she had never experienced a vision to precise and so linked to what he had been trying to tell her. This was what the Proctors had been wanting since the moment they discovered her gifts; a way to control it.

Talus was that missing link.

Which meant that if anyone found out about it he wouldn't just be hunted to be eliminated. He would be hunted to be tortured in the same way she was. Seeing and feeling the mixture of confusion and wonder on his face she tried to explain. It was the only bit she could actually explain.

"I felt your warning - it was very loud and clear, like a knowing in my heart and then suddenly it just..." she tried to think of the word. "It was like an ember catching a bit of kindling and then the vision started. I've never been able to get them to relate so perfectly to what a person has been trying to tell me before."

 

[Talus]

For some strange reason that brought a little bit of pride to his heart.

Zana loved him, wanted him, sought him out, but he'd never actually been needed by someone before. He'd never thought that he was some sort of missing puzzle piece. Yet here he was the last little thing Zana needed to make her visions whole, understandable.

It filled him with a strange happiness. One that he couldn't, but wouldn't have to explain. His free hand reached outz gently grasping her knee as he simply sought to touch her in that moment. "I'm glad to be that spark."

Talus said as he leaned over and gently kisses her cheek.

"I don't know what else this will do." Would he be able to use her magic? Would she be able to use his? One could argue the vision had already proven it one way, but Talus didn't know. Worse, he didn't know about himself.

Despite that though he felt no fear, not even an ounce. "But I'm looking forward to finding out."

This bond had brought them closer, and that's all he cared about.

 

[Zana]

The pride and happiness she felt coming from him made her laugh and she scooted herself closer to him so that their sides pressed together. She felt the needed to touch him too, to be closer. Impossibly so. It was nice that for once her magic was giving someone else a sense of joy instead of pain for once.

"We can have a play tomorrow," tonight was going to be one of actual rest. She had already lined up her next book and the blanket in preparation for an evening of quiet relaxation. Zana felt like she needed it even more after the attack. She managed another few mouthfuls but her appetite wasn't quite there. There was still blood on her dress and her skin from the man she had butchered on the porch. When she set what was left down Grey appeared as if from nowhere to lap it all up.

"Their masters... can't see through their eyes can they?" her voice sounded wary now. Her thoughts going to the possibilities of someone knowing she had been here.

 

[Talus]

Talus shook his head. "Doesn't work like that."

He was sure of it.

"They have a Rune mark on them. A powerful one." Talus had always liked Rune Magic, but it was incredibly difficult tonunderstand, much less practice. Still, it worked out well enough for whomever controlled the Forsaken. "It compels them to carry out their orders no matter what, stops them from telling anyone if they fail, and I'm sure a whole host of other things."

But nothing Like Zana had mentioned.

That was why they'd needed to kill them all. If even one of them had made it away this whole thing would have unraveled before it even had a chance to run its course. That was why he'd felt such panic, why he let himself be caught off guard.

He loved Zana, he wanted nothing bad to happen to her. Not ever. "They won't try again for a little while, I think. Three Forsaken is a big loss."

Had he been alone they might have finished the job.

"Thank you." He told her, both for the food and for saving his life.

 

[Zana]

The Dreadlord visibly relaxed and slumped back against the swing with her eyes closing. Relief washed through the bond. As much as she held now a whole host of complicated feelings about what she had done she wouldn't have let them go if there was a chance they could have ruined this for them. It was selfish, but it was the first time she had a reason to be selfish.

Still, there was concern there under it all and she sensed his thoughts about what might have happened should she not have been there.

"I would tear the whole city apart if they had killed you," probably more. She would have been inconsolable to anyone and in her grief she would have made the world burn with her. Zana was more convinced of that now than she had been before having felt how little she cared to deliver absolute agony to that Forsaken before she had died as punishment for hurting him.

"I think you're right but," she raised her hands and slowly a purple web domed over the cabin and spread for a half a mile in each direction. For a moment the lines of energy were visible and it looked as though they were sat in a giant honeycomb, then the lines vanished. "I will sleep better if this is in place," she rested her head against his shoulder.

 

[Talus]

Talus gently ran his knuckles over Zana's cheek. "Thank you."

He was not sure for what. The dome perhaps, saving his life? Maybe even just the fact that she loved him at all.

Before Zana Talus had a mission. He'd had a goal, something that he could turn his life towards and be happy with. Now though? Now he had a reason to truly live. She was his world, his reason to keep going. At his core, protecting her was all that he wanted and more.

Talus knew that.

Slowly the Dreadlord leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Let's go to bed."

He said softly, letting out a small breath before glancing over at the three Graves.

He would have to make markers.

One for each of them.

 

[Zana]

Zana would never argue with going to bed.

Not that she slept particularly well. For the first time it wasn't visions that plague her it was thoughts. A thousand of them like angry bees buzzed around her mind and even with the comforting warmth of Talus next to her and the weight of Grey's head on her hip she couldn't find peace. So instead she played with the bond that she was beginning to sense more in her mind.

She would have described it as a bridge of sorts - she could feel him at the other end and occasionally thoughts or emotions seemed to cross from one side to the other though she hadn't worked out quite why some did and others did not. She watched the light she was beginning to believe was love disappear from her end to his with no conscious effort and pondered over it some more.

After watching both of the things that mattered most to her in the world sleep a little longer she eased herself out of the bed carefully, putting Grey's head on Talus' chest instead of her own, and slid out of the room.

She still had no idea where her clothes were being kept so she tugged on his shirt and a pair of his breeches and stepped outside into the misty morning then began running through a series of stretches. There was too much restless energy inside of her still from the night before and she needed to channel it somewhere so it seemed as good a time as any to run through some basic manouvers.

 

[Talus]

Talus slept.

Burying three bodies by yourself was hard work, especially after a fight.

By the time the young Dreadlord woke the sun had already risen, shining through the window and onto his face. A grumble escaped him, lips thinning for a brief moment as his arm began to pat down the bed in search of Zana. After a moment more he realized she was gone.

A loud sigh escaped him, and slowly Talus pushed himself out of bed.

Grey shuffled along with him, the wolf clearly just as tired as he was. Talus patted the hound on the head before standing up, pulling on a different set of trousers and walking outside to Find Zana running through some solo exercises.

He slowly walked over to the post on the porch, crossing his arms and watching her silently until she noticed him.

 

[Zana]

It was the first time in hours she had been able to get her mind to zone out entirely. The familiarity of every movement, the adrenaline running through her body as she pushed it further... There was many negatives to be said about the way Dreadlords trained but this was one of the positives. She had found a stick that looked like it had once belonged to a broom and she was using it as a makeshift sword as she moved. A parry here, a blow there that would have broken bones. She ducked and weaved about the opponents only she could see like a dancer across the ballroom floor.

She reached the peak as she threw herself backwards. The kick would have landed a horrific blow to an opponents chest, throat and nose before she flipped over and landed in a crouch, her hands not once touching the ground. Her breathing was hitched but not out of control.

Grey barked and barrelled over the moment she was knelt to smother her. It was only then that she seemed to snap out of her peaceful head space, returning the affection by rubbing behind the wolfs ears and glancing up over his head to Talus on the porch. A faint smile painted her lips then she stood, twirling the stick casually in her hands.

"Morning love."

 

[Talus]

Talus returned the smile. "Good morning."

Despite what had happened the night before, despite the truth that had been presented, Talus couldn't help but feel joy as he'd watched her.

The clarity in her mind had reflected on him. The way she'd danced and moved, deadly as a viper ready to strike, had nearly made him swoon. Lips quirked in a smirk, and then he slowly descended the steps to walk over towards her.

"I had an idea while watching you." Talus said softly with a smile. "But it's a bit...out there."

They had four days left. Four day to themselves.

He wanted to use them to the fullest.