Holier Than Thou

[Emora Deen]

The soldier tried to beat Stalker off, slinging his axe over his head to try and cleave into the hell hound. Tenele limped forward, her limp lessening with each step she took. She scooped up the sword and ran for Erom. She slid to a stop next to him, kneeling and taking her eyes off the battle. "Erom, you're hurt, I know. But, you can't stay here. You have to go and hide, okay?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Erom looked up at her, shaking. He nodded slowly, then reached out for her hand. The moment their fingers clasped, he whispered few words, and suddenly, they both dropped completely out of sight. They couldn't even see each other, but they could see everyone else, trying to figure out where they'd gone. Erom scrambled to his feet without letting go of Tenele's hand, hanging on her more than actually walking. "This way," he whispered, trying to pull her toward a quieter place next to a nearby tree where they wouldn't be noticed.

Near them, Vlad was slicing through enemies with the large sword he'd swept up. He'd dealt so much damage that the blade was quite bent at this point, but that didn't seem to stop him from jabbing it through people with brute force. Blows landed on him too, of course, but that was a bit like stabbing pudding.

[Emora Deen]

When they were some distance away Tenele led Erom to a tree and pushed him to sit behind it. "I can't stay here with you, but you'll be alright here. I have to go back and help Vlad. We can't let them chop down your trees." Tenele rested her hand gently on the top of his head. "Thank you for your help, Erom. I'll be back to check on you, I promise."

Tenele let Erom's hand go and stepped back away from him. Her leg buckled, but she straightened again. She hadn't any time to pay much attention to it to see what damage had been done. She sprinted lightly through the woods back towards the fight.

[Soran Nightblade]

"Wait!" Erom gasped, trying to grab back onto her as she ran back toward the fight. "It's not safe!"

A heavy rustling began in the trees above them. The boy looked up to see an elf, dressed in gold cloaks, float down to hover about 20 feet above the ground. A few hundred feet away, another mage descended. "Oh no," Erom breathed. "Tenele!!!"

15 mages lowered and spread in a circle that encompassed the entire city, chanting to themselves firmly. A powerful swirl of magic began to grow at the center, near where Vlad was battling. It spread from there, and wind began to rise and swirl, colder and colder. Within moments, they were trapped in a literal ice storm with winds rough enough to knock soldiers off their feet, and it only seemed to be getting worse.

[Emora Deen]

The wind knocked Tenele off her feet, and she toppled into a tree. The side of her leg smacked into the bark, and the wind pushed her up against the wood. "Ahh!" She reached down for her leg.

She'd given her cloak to Vlad, wrapped it around his waist to make him decent for the boy. The wind was ice cold. Her hands went numb soon. She curled in on herself, as small and as tight as possible. She shivered violently, closing her eyes to the wind.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad didn't mind the cold, although it did stiffen his movements. What worried him was the sudden realization that he'd lost track of Tenele. He listed for her heartbeat, which he could pick out anywhere normally, but there was too much noise and snow to track her down. He plunged his enormous longsword into the ground like it was a lightweight walking stick and used it for leverage to stay upright as he began walking through the icy blasts.

*Stalker*, he called his wolf to his side. Apparently whatever senses the hound had were different from his, because the creature found him without difficulty. Vlad grasped onto the scruff of the animal's neck, which was about parallel to his chest. *Tenele,* he commanded the beast.

Stalker just stood, staring out into the snow. "Not you too," the vampire muttered. "Tenele!"

[Emora Deen]

All Tenele heard was wind, long howling wind. The snow began to collect around her. She blinked her eyes open every now and then to see it grow higher. She knew deep down that if she stayed still she'd be buried alive.

Tenele tried to stand, but the wind forced her into the tree even more. She wiggled until she managed to worm her way up, and then around. The wind blew her down, she skidded across the ground until her back thudded hard with another large trunk. The air left her lungs in a startled yelp.

She was so cold her lips were turning blue, and the color drained from her face. She couldn't feel her hands or her feet. Not sure what to do, and not strong enough to fight the wind, Tenele burrowed into another ball, and screamed for her husband.

"Vlad!"

A soldier tumbled through the wind, crashing into her. He grabbed on for dear life, his hand fisting around her sore thigh. It was like he'd stabbed a knife through her flesh. It tore a piercing scream from her throat, that confused both her and the soldier holding on. She punched him as he grappled for a better hold. In the hesitation the hit gave, the wind caught him and blew him away.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad stiffened as he finally caught a sound, just the slightest sound, that sounded like Tenele's voice. But not her normal voice. More like a scream.

Tenele did not scream easily.

He launched toward the sound, digging the sword into the snow for support.

"Tenele!" he shouted, while Stalker followed at his side.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele thought she heard her name, and still she wasn't sure if it was a trick from the howl of the wind, or if it was someone calling her. Erom? Vlad?

"Vlad!" Tenele called, yelled it as loud as she could. She lifted her face out from the shield she'd created with her arms. The snow and ice cut through her, feeling like needles pricking her face. "Vlad!!" She screamed it into the wind, until her throat went hoarse. Then, she took another breath and tried again.

Eventually the cold was too much and she burrowed down again, too cold to focus on yelling for him.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad pushed his way through the blasting wind, certain he heard her now. She blended in quite well with her silver hair, but he caught sight of the green of her eyes and made his way to her. She looked frozen solid. He pulled her in against his chest tightly. "Okay," he murmured, glancing around them for his bearings. "Okay, I'm getting you out."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele closed her eyes and pressed into him. He wasn't warm, and her body temperature had dropped too low to use him as a sort of blanket or coat for absorbing and insulating her body. She just nodded against his chest. She wasn't sure how he planned on getting her out of there when the wind was so strong he could barely stand. She had no desire to move either, feeling the cold would only get worst.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad couldn't see a thing through the ice. It was growing rougher, beginning to cut at their skin. He cursed to himself and pulled Tenele gently up over his shoulder. "I need a hand for balance. Sorry, my love," he said, pushing forward into the snow. He dragged himself through the wind until he finally came up to one of the trees. Not just a normal tree, but one of the huge timbers that supported the city above. He was about to start climbing when a tiny voice cried out next to them in the snow.

"Tenele?"

Vlad glanced crossly down at the snow, not wanting any distractions right now. He squinted to make out the shape of Erom huddled in the snow, cradling his hurt arm.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele barely registered Vlad lifting her over his shoulder. She blinked her eyes open, fighting the urge to sleep. She felt so tired, the cold slowly shutting her down. She registered them stopping, opening her eyes to see. She closed them just as quickly.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad was not in the mood to help the boy, at all. He wanted Tenele out of this magical disaster. Then again the kid had helped them earlier. He leaned down and pulled him out of the snow like a rag doll. "Listen, if you want out, you need to hold on yourself," he said, noticing the way he was grasping his arm.

"Okay," Erom nodded, sniffling back tears.

"Good man. Go," he directed, sticking the boy to the back of his neck, where he stuck like velcro. Tiny arms latched around Krad's neck. "Up we go."

He forced his senses to come together and summon his claws. They didn't extend to their normal length, but it was enough magic for now. The darts must be wearing off. He braced an arm firmly around the back of Tenele's legs as he used the spikes to start climbing.

[Emora Deen]

They were moving again, the jolt of it knocking her awake again. She blinked her eyes open to the ground, which seemed so much further away than it had been. They were moving, going higher. Her brain felt as frozen as her body, not able to process exactly what was happening.

She saw a pair of legs dangling next to her head, and then Vlad's legs moving below her.

Vlad's arm around her legs kept her from falling off backwards. Each time her body swayed on his shoulder, the pressure on her injured leg brought a groan.