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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7503025" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 212</p><p></p><p>They were victorious, but the cost had been high.</p><p></p><p>Loriellan, Darethan, and Tenaille had been unconscious but alive, if barely in Loriellan’s case. Their magic depleted, the bards had been forced to resort to bandages and herbs to stabilize the crippled Rangers until they could be treated with magical healing.</p><p></p><p>Shreskra, however, was beyond help. They found her locked in a deadly embrace with the thing that had been Razelle, the Ranger leader’s sword buried in its torso.</p><p></p><p>Brightbriar, too, had been too far gone to save. When Glori had finally gotten to him he’d been alive, but barely. His hands were blackened wrecks where he had plunged them into the corruption covering the Eldan Tree, but there had been no regret on his face, and he’d even had a gentle smile on his face when he’d died.</p><p></p><p>They likewise found that Celestron was dead. His body was shrunken and abused. There was no evidence that he’d still been alive when they’d entered the grove, but Glori remembered the interventions in the last minutes of the battle against Jakan and the presence she’d felt. She only hoped that the man had found some kind of peace in the end.</p><p></p><p>They had no choice but to remain in the grove. The malevolent presence wrought by Jakan’s dark magic was gone, but the place still reeked of violence and death. But the thicket blocked exit, and they were all too battered to do anything but collapse in exhaustion. They finally carried the fallen Rangers to the shelter of one of the covered niches around the base of the tree. There were blankets there, and even some packets of preserved food that they shared around. The monks dug graves for their fallen. The altered Tenders and Jakan they burned in a shallow pit.</p><p></p><p>None of them had escaped injury, but they remained too wary of this place and its ghosts to let them all rest without keeping watch. Glori volunteered to take the first stint, and even Kosk was too battered to put up much of a protest.</p><p></p><p>They didn’t bother with a fire. The black tree hadn’t caught with all of the flames they’d been flinging about during the fight and its aftermath, but now that the battle was over they didn’t want to take any chances. The night was cool but not cold. It felt somehow like the tree itself had trapped the warmth of the day, keeping the worst of the chill at bay.</p><p></p><p>Glori took up a position just outside of their shelter, with the reassuring solidity of one of the root-banks at her back. She had brought the pieces of her lyre with her to attempt to fix with her <em>mending</em> spell. It was difficult to work the magic without the lyre to use as a focus, especially as exhausted as she was, but she bent her will to the task, humming softly to gather the power for the spell.</p><p></p><p>Her first few attempts were less than successful, but before she could try again Majerion came out of the shelter to join her. The elf looked awful, with one entire side of his face covered with a deep purple bruise. He walked with a noticeable limp and grimaced as he settled in beside her.</p><p></p><p>“You should get some rest,” she said.</p><p></p><p>“I intend to. Having some trouble doing that without a focus?”</p><p></p><p>She didn’t bother to deny it; he had always known whenever she’d been having difficulty related to something he was trying to teach her. Magic had been the hardest for her, which is why Majerion had eventually convinced her that the power lay in her instrument, and not herself.</p><p></p><p>He took out his lyre and handed it to her. “Try this,” he said.</p><p></p><p>She took the golden instrument with care. “This has potent magic,” she said. “Unlike mine,” she couldn’t help but add.</p><p></p><p>“I told you what I thought you needed to hear, to get through your block,” he said. “And it worked.”</p><p></p><p><em>It almost got Bredan killed, that false belief,</em> she almost said, but she ultimately let it go. It wouldn’t accomplish anything to refight old battles, not on a night like this, she thought.</p><p></p><p>She strummed his lyre. As always, it was in perfect tune. The magic seemed almost eager to meet her call, and the broken pieces of her lyre knit together as she focused the energies of the spell upon it.</p><p></p><p>A soft melody accompanied her as she finished the working, and she looked over in surprise to see Majerion blowing softly on a set of wooden pipes. As he finished he said, “Remember these?”</p><p></p><p>“I remember,” Glori said. “I didn’t know you’d kept them. I’m surprised you can keep them on key.”</p><p></p><p>“Every musician should keep a backup instrument,” the elf said. He nodded toward Glori’s restored lyre. “You never know when you’re going to break a string.”</p><p></p><p>She handed the golden lyre back to him. He took it and propped it up against the root next to them.</p><p></p><p>“You did well today,” he finally said. “We would not have survived if you hadn’t challenged the druid like that.”</p><p></p><p>She couldn’t speak, but nodded and looked away. He didn’t press her, but put the hand-carved wooden pipes away. “So, it turns out Shreskra was the traitor,” he said. “I honestly thought it would be Brightbriar.”</p><p></p><p>“He sacrificed himself to save Celestron,” she said. “He couldn’t save him in the end, but in breaking the spell over the grove he saved us.”</p><p></p><p>It hadn’t been obvious at first what had happened, but in the aftermath of the fight they were able to put the pieces together. The blood on Shreskra’s hands and sword had been the final clue, as the tainted Tenders did not bleed. With both her and Brightbriar dead they would never know for sure what exactly had happened between them, or why she had done what she had done. But there was no doubt that she’d saved the lives of her Rangers. It could not balance her murder of the Tender, or the aid she’d given Jakan, but maybe it would affect the final tally for wherever her soul ended up.</p><p></p><p>“Did you think it was me?” he asked. “Maybe for a moment?”</p><p></p><p>“No,” she said. “My feelings toward you are… complicated, but I never thought you were evil.”</p><p></p><p>“Most people who are evil do not see themselves in those terms,” he said. “I am sure that Jakan thought that what he was doing was right. Protecting the Reserve against those who would use it for their own ends, or something like that.”</p><p></p><p>“He was mad,” Glori said. She thought back to his final cry for help. It was unfortunate that no one who knew the truth of what had happened here at survived. Nor had they found anything that could help Javerin.</p><p></p><p>She resisted the urge to reach up and touch her chest. The key was there, dangling on a silver chain under her tunic. It was the only thing they’d found on Jakan’s body. It was made out of a pale gray metal that tended to absorb rather than reflect light. She’d told Kosk that she had it, but hadn’t shared its existence with the others.</p><p></p><p>Majerion gave her a long look. “So, what happens now?” he asked.</p><p></p><p>“We go back. If Javerin’s still alive, we do what we can for her. Maybe take her back to Severon, if the elves can’t help her.”</p><p></p><p>“And you and I? Are we alright?”</p><p></p><p>She forced herself to look at him. “I am grateful for all that you have done for me,” she said.</p><p></p><p>He held her eyes for a long moment then nodded. Taking up his lyre, he headed back inside. “Good night, Glorianna.”</p><p></p><p>“Good night.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7503025, member: 143"] Chapter 212 They were victorious, but the cost had been high. Loriellan, Darethan, and Tenaille had been unconscious but alive, if barely in Loriellan’s case. Their magic depleted, the bards had been forced to resort to bandages and herbs to stabilize the crippled Rangers until they could be treated with magical healing. Shreskra, however, was beyond help. They found her locked in a deadly embrace with the thing that had been Razelle, the Ranger leader’s sword buried in its torso. Brightbriar, too, had been too far gone to save. When Glori had finally gotten to him he’d been alive, but barely. His hands were blackened wrecks where he had plunged them into the corruption covering the Eldan Tree, but there had been no regret on his face, and he’d even had a gentle smile on his face when he’d died. They likewise found that Celestron was dead. His body was shrunken and abused. There was no evidence that he’d still been alive when they’d entered the grove, but Glori remembered the interventions in the last minutes of the battle against Jakan and the presence she’d felt. She only hoped that the man had found some kind of peace in the end. They had no choice but to remain in the grove. The malevolent presence wrought by Jakan’s dark magic was gone, but the place still reeked of violence and death. But the thicket blocked exit, and they were all too battered to do anything but collapse in exhaustion. They finally carried the fallen Rangers to the shelter of one of the covered niches around the base of the tree. There were blankets there, and even some packets of preserved food that they shared around. The monks dug graves for their fallen. The altered Tenders and Jakan they burned in a shallow pit. None of them had escaped injury, but they remained too wary of this place and its ghosts to let them all rest without keeping watch. Glori volunteered to take the first stint, and even Kosk was too battered to put up much of a protest. They didn’t bother with a fire. The black tree hadn’t caught with all of the flames they’d been flinging about during the fight and its aftermath, but now that the battle was over they didn’t want to take any chances. The night was cool but not cold. It felt somehow like the tree itself had trapped the warmth of the day, keeping the worst of the chill at bay. Glori took up a position just outside of their shelter, with the reassuring solidity of one of the root-banks at her back. She had brought the pieces of her lyre with her to attempt to fix with her [i]mending[/i] spell. It was difficult to work the magic without the lyre to use as a focus, especially as exhausted as she was, but she bent her will to the task, humming softly to gather the power for the spell. Her first few attempts were less than successful, but before she could try again Majerion came out of the shelter to join her. The elf looked awful, with one entire side of his face covered with a deep purple bruise. He walked with a noticeable limp and grimaced as he settled in beside her. “You should get some rest,” she said. “I intend to. Having some trouble doing that without a focus?” She didn’t bother to deny it; he had always known whenever she’d been having difficulty related to something he was trying to teach her. Magic had been the hardest for her, which is why Majerion had eventually convinced her that the power lay in her instrument, and not herself. He took out his lyre and handed it to her. “Try this,” he said. She took the golden instrument with care. “This has potent magic,” she said. “Unlike mine,” she couldn’t help but add. “I told you what I thought you needed to hear, to get through your block,” he said. “And it worked.” [i]It almost got Bredan killed, that false belief,[/i] she almost said, but she ultimately let it go. It wouldn’t accomplish anything to refight old battles, not on a night like this, she thought. She strummed his lyre. As always, it was in perfect tune. The magic seemed almost eager to meet her call, and the broken pieces of her lyre knit together as she focused the energies of the spell upon it. A soft melody accompanied her as she finished the working, and she looked over in surprise to see Majerion blowing softly on a set of wooden pipes. As he finished he said, “Remember these?” “I remember,” Glori said. “I didn’t know you’d kept them. I’m surprised you can keep them on key.” “Every musician should keep a backup instrument,” the elf said. He nodded toward Glori’s restored lyre. “You never know when you’re going to break a string.” She handed the golden lyre back to him. He took it and propped it up against the root next to them. “You did well today,” he finally said. “We would not have survived if you hadn’t challenged the druid like that.” She couldn’t speak, but nodded and looked away. He didn’t press her, but put the hand-carved wooden pipes away. “So, it turns out Shreskra was the traitor,” he said. “I honestly thought it would be Brightbriar.” “He sacrificed himself to save Celestron,” she said. “He couldn’t save him in the end, but in breaking the spell over the grove he saved us.” It hadn’t been obvious at first what had happened, but in the aftermath of the fight they were able to put the pieces together. The blood on Shreskra’s hands and sword had been the final clue, as the tainted Tenders did not bleed. With both her and Brightbriar dead they would never know for sure what exactly had happened between them, or why she had done what she had done. But there was no doubt that she’d saved the lives of her Rangers. It could not balance her murder of the Tender, or the aid she’d given Jakan, but maybe it would affect the final tally for wherever her soul ended up. “Did you think it was me?” he asked. “Maybe for a moment?” “No,” she said. “My feelings toward you are… complicated, but I never thought you were evil.” “Most people who are evil do not see themselves in those terms,” he said. “I am sure that Jakan thought that what he was doing was right. Protecting the Reserve against those who would use it for their own ends, or something like that.” “He was mad,” Glori said. She thought back to his final cry for help. It was unfortunate that no one who knew the truth of what had happened here at survived. Nor had they found anything that could help Javerin. She resisted the urge to reach up and touch her chest. The key was there, dangling on a silver chain under her tunic. It was the only thing they’d found on Jakan’s body. It was made out of a pale gray metal that tended to absorb rather than reflect light. She’d told Kosk that she had it, but hadn’t shared its existence with the others. Majerion gave her a long look. “So, what happens now?” he asked. “We go back. If Javerin’s still alive, we do what we can for her. Maybe take her back to Severon, if the elves can’t help her.” “And you and I? Are we alright?” She forced herself to look at him. “I am grateful for all that you have done for me,” she said. He held her eyes for a long moment then nodded. Taking up his lyre, he headed back inside. “Good night, Glorianna.” “Good night.” [/QUOTE]
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