the_lioness | (no subject)

(no subject)

Whatever calm had descended upon the castle with the darkness starts to evaporate at the first signs of pink and yellow on the horizon. The outcome of the battle for Pirate's Swoop will be decided today. Few doubt that. The thought wakes warriors and villagers from their scarce stolen moments of sleep, and keeps the trainees watchful and tense. The healers rest when they can, sort herbs and mix medicines when they can't. The injured who expect to return to battle sleep fitfully; the very badly injured sleep like they are already dead.

Dawn is not far off, now. There is still no sign of Daine.

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Raph damn near jumps at the sound of the familiar voice.

"Nothin' yet, Kid. There's still time, though." It's running out, but it's still there. "Wouldn't be an adventure if we didn't go down to the last second. What's that you got there?"

"Food," Jamie answers.

Uncle Raph must be tired. That was a silly question.

"For you," he adds, just in case. "Thought you might be hungry."

And he wanted to check about Daine.

It's fully light now, has been for awhile, and Abigail frowns up at the sky. Jamie shouldn't be here. She takes the tray from the boy and gently nudges him back toward the keep.

"Our thanks, Jamie. You know I can't concentrate with his big stomach growlin'"

If Raph had his way Abigail wouldn't be here either. She'd be escorting Jamie back to the keep, but...he knows better than to voice this opinion.

"Love you too, dear," he grumbles instead. "Soon as there's word you'll know, Jamie. Now run on back."

Jamie shakes his head and stubbornly refuses to go inside. He'll be just fine where he is, thank you Uncle Raph and Abigail.

He does, however, stay close to the wall.

Abigail gives Jamie a wink and sets the tray down on the stone floor.

"You're a right stubborn lot, I'll give you that. Here, have some bre-"

In the middle of ripping apart half a loaf of bread, Abigail's mouth goes slack and her eyes widen.

Behind Raph, over the edge of the rail, a tremendous red dragon soars into sight. A scream is left in her wake, but it's not from terror; the sound is pure joy and exhilaration.

Abigail gapes at the girl tucked into the dragon's silver claws.

"Great Mother..."

By the time the scream fills the air Raph has already turned and taken a defensive stance. Not that this stance would do a whole hell of a lot against a dragon...but it's a reflex he can't really control at this point.

"Sister Mary Francis...."

"Daine!"

Rushing to the edge of the rock terrace, Jamie squints up at the girl and dragon.

This is either a horrible turn of events or absolutely fantastic.

Hot on Jamie's heels, Abigail wraps her arm around his shoulders, ready to pull him down. Thankfully, all the attention is on the dragon as she banks high in the air and makes for the ships. Their enemies go into a frenzy, readying weapons and gesturing wildly.

"I think it's all right," she murmurs uncertainly. "Raph?"

Raph begins untying the rope from around his waist and moving towards the edge of the terrace.

"Good to know the girl's okay, but...damn, gotta admit she makes an entrance."

The red robed mages below are busy hurling spells at the dragon. One produces a yellow, fetid-looking cloud that billows into the creature's path, then promptly disappears. The dragon flaps her wings calmly and continues on, unharmed.

Another turn and she begins to fly for the observation deck above.

"Goddess, such things we've seen."

Abigail is spellbound.

"That was neat," Jamie puts in. "I'm going up!"

Now that Daine isn't coming back here, he's ready to go. Except that as soon as he turns to leave, he sees a small gray speck flying low in the sky, heading their way...

A moment later: "Raph! LOOK!"

Sometime during the flight of the dragon, and the feeble attempts at bring down said dragon, Raph's arm had found its way around Abigail's waist.

Maybe this isn't such a bad vacation after all.

Not a second after he let himself think that very thought, Jamie's words hit him. Raph turns and looks in the direction the boy is pointing too.

"What the hell is that?"

He shields his eyes in hopes of getting a better view, only to find he preferred the view before it cleared.

"that's a stormwing, isn't it?"

Not only is it a stormwing, but it's a stormwing carrying warriors in a sling.

"Two," Abigail gasps, feet frozen in place.

Another has joined the first, a sling holding at least three warriors likewise suspended from its claws.

"Inside, lad! Now!"

Her tone doesn't allow for argument.

A third Stormwing screeches overhead, turning in the air to join ranks with the others.

Jamie obeys Abigail to the letter, but he hovers in the entrance to the keep, green eyes huge with worry. Raph and Abigail can't possibly hope to fight so many.

Maybe the creatures won't see them. Maybe they are flying low in order to surprise the Tortallans above, on the deck and wall.

Across the terrace, a clicking, scratching noise precedes the appearance of a long, black and hairy leg, curling up and over the wall.

"SPIDREN!" he screams.

Oh, now there's something she could have lived two lifetimes without seeing.

Pale, Abigail kicks the food off the tray, picks it up and holds it like a shield.

Spidren.
The moment that word finds purchase in Raph's mind a cold chill runs down his back.

"i hate bugs," he grumbles. Because there's always time for banter, even when you happen to be located in the center of a drop zone for enemy combatants.

Raph dives for his katana, tearing it out of its scabbard, as he goes to attack the legs of the first spidren that dares breach the cliff.

"Run!" he yells towards Abigail.

She would.

She really would. Abigail does not have a death wish, and a tray, while effective against rats and unruly drunks, is a stupid weapon for fighting monsters.

It's just that another Spidren is crawling along the wall to her right. She stares at it, horrified, and begins to back up, when a loud thump and a screech signals the arrival of the first Stormwing. She looks: four warriors with sharp looking swords are encroaching on their already limited space. Furious, she hurls the tray at them and clips the closest man in the shin.

"Don't be a hero, Raph!" she demands, turning to Jamie, motioning for him to run.

'Hero' comes out sounding a lot like 'fool.'

"Ain't exactly my plan, Abs," he grunts turning his attention from the handicapped spidren to the newly arrived warriors. "Go. I'm right behind ya'." Oh how he wants nothing more than to rush right into the fray, to give himself over to the fight and let the chips fall where they may, but....he can't.

While the rest of his heart and soul cry out for blood, one single voice in the back of his mind reminds him of a promise he made to Thayet. To protect her children. To keep them safe. Can't hardly do that if you're dead, now can you Raph?

I'm right behind you.

That's all Jamie needs to hear. He bolts for the keep's interior, skidding around a corner into a larger corridor near the great hall.

He would find Thom or George if he could, but there's no time. Instead he searches for something that might help.

There.

He drags a chair over and jumps up, pulling hard on the first of several swords, knives and other blades displayed in a fan shape on the wall.

Abigail isn't quite so trusting of Raph's statement. Once Jamie leaves, she retreats to his former spot and looks back yet again.

Four warriors have become eight, and there are at least two more Stormwings in the skies above them. Two more Spidren are slinking closer to Raph and-

A hairy leg flops over the doorway, searching for purchase. It ghosts over Abigail's hair, turning the woman to stone as she tries not to cry out. A moment later the creature's appallingly human head drops down, sharp teeth bared and eyes a bright, unnatural red.

It's the eyes that make her scream.

The spidren's face moves into a mockery of a smile, as it joins Abigail in screaming. First in blood lust and rapture at the meal to come, and then in agony as the sword pierces its head from behind.

Throwing the sword was a risky move for Raph, but a very necessary one, as there was no way he could have crossed the distance fast enough. He follows close behind, retreating around the fallen spidren and into the doorway. Raph grabs hold of the tsuka and severs the head clean off the spidren.

"Are you okay?" he asks her as he pulls the spidren carcass more fully into the door way, making a barrier against the encroaching attack.

Black, oily Spidren blood sprays and burns the hand she'd raised to protect her face, but she's otherwise unharmed.

Okay? Not entirely.

"I'd feel better once we leave that," a nod at the head, "behind."

Abigail grabs his arm and pulls. She'll say thanks later.

Raph looks puzzled until he follows Abigail's gaze down to the head.

"What, that? Never know when you're gonna need somethin' like that. Kids might want a puppet show later or somethin'," he says with a smirk.

It's a wonder how he can make jokes at a time like this; Mid-battle with an army of mythic proportions, and while he himself is coated with a layer of acidic blood. He doesn't appear to be experiencing any pain, but that might change once the adrenaline wears off.

Edited 2009-07-10 19:45 (UTC)

He can make all the jokes he likes, so long as he's running while he does it. Abigail digs her fingers in, not ignoring the pain nearly as well as Raph, and runs.

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