Heirot

Ylia straightened and smiled at Kami warmly. "I'm fine," she said. " I was okay a little sooner, but I didn't want to slow everyone down by telling you that I could run," she apologized with a slow, slight bow of sorts.

Turning to Kaze, she asked, "How's your arm?" She already knew the answer.

OOC: Sorry, Mizuki! I feel so bad about that, but I've been sick w/ strep throat. Thanks for rescuing Ylia!

Nickole's breath was shallow as she realized that she was on the wrong side of the rock fall... She was with the dragon.

If I just flutter near the top of the cave without glowing, I'll be fine. So, she started. The dragon was in a rage. I'll come out behind the group from the entrance that I found... she thought. As if reading her thoughts, the dragon slowed it's swirling and headed for the entrance, too. No... this can NOT be happening... She flew in front of the dragon and turned her ring. After it followed her down a couple of wrong turns, Nickooe turned her ring again and clung to a stalagtite as the gragon swished uner her and down into the cave.

Nickole grasped her opportunity and headed out the back entrance. Flying over some of the mountain's side, she was soon reunited with the group... and very out of breath.

OOC:Again, very sorry about the dragon. I had a cool idea for it, but then I didn't get on. Sorry, everybody.

Talon called for them still, urging them to hurry before another dragon decided to make his appearance to eat them. He could see outside the cave, see too figures atop a horse. Though he was to far away to see there faces he could already tell who they were.

"Nickole? Are you still here with me?" he asked quietly.

Vlad looked on as the others finally came running out of the cave. Something released in his chest - could that be relief? Of course not, he thought sharply as they approached. He looked over the group with a calmly analytical expression, until he noticed something missing. "Where's Nightlight?" he called to them. Again, something changed in his chest.

OOC: I have permission to control Nickole's characters *mauhahahaha!*

IC:"Good," Talon said and smiled, glancing at his sleeping sister. He moved Nickole onto his shoulder as he mounted the horse. Ylia moved away from Kaze and Kami and got onto her own horse, pulling the reins into her hands.

"I don't know about you all, but I'm ready to be gone from here," he said to them, turning his horse in the direction of the path and began to head in that direction at a fast pace.

Nickole sat tight on Talon's shoulder. She turned slightly to check on the rest of the party. The undead one in particular.

Ylia's horse was as graceful as she. They moved as on alongside Talon. Ylia was glad to be moving again...into the sunlight. Darkness usually held no appeal for her.

Shaking slightly, Kaze got to her feet and turned Kami back into a horse. She swiftly mounted him and brought up the group's rear. She flexed her pre-injured arm to test it. It was completely healed. It amazed her for only a minute before she brought her eyes back on the path.

Her cold sweat was drying on her face and neck.

The Shogun thought on Shinobu's proposal for a bit, then nodded his head. "what you speak is true, I will take him with me," he said. He would be working with other barbarians anyway, it wouldn't be much more to ask for him to bring another along. Besides, there would always be the chance that the man would die in the battle, resolving this conflict rather simply.

Kyosuke nodded his head as well. "Yes Shinobu-dono," he said. He let out an internal sigh. This would mean he would have to kill more people, something he didn't like doing. He had actually been doing that quite a bit since he had gone into the service of Shinobu, though he didn't regret doing so.

Shinobu bowed her head at the Shogun. "Should I return home?" she asked them, wishing to have oppinion from both of them. "Or would it be best if I went to the border as well."

She smiled softly. "Though I don't know how much use I will be, I'm rusty on my fighting."


* * *


Talon glanced at Vlad as he rode up a long side him. "How is she?" he asked, unable to tell if she was a sleep or not because of the angle her head was turned.

Talon found it not hard to curse the vampire out for doing so stupid and almost being the cause of his sister's death. Talon's mind wasn't registering the fact that it wasn't Vlad's fault. He could only think about the fact Tenele was helplessly weak now and just a couple of drops of blood away from dying.

"She's off dreaming. About me, no doubt," Vlad smirked at Talon as the horses picked their way carefully down the steep, rocky path they had taken to the lair. His tired voice still did a rather good job of provoking Talon to the greatest extent possible.

Talon narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Its just like you to make jokes," he growled. Did this fool really not know what Tenele had given up for him! Did he even care? Maybe he just seduced his poor sister and she was to blind to notice that the vampire was just using her.

"She's probably dreaming of you alright," he muttered. His silver gaze rested on Tenele again.

"If you wouldn't have been so damn rude and arrogant, and if you would have treated those preists with respect then you might not have had that curse! Then we wouldn't have had to try and save you... and Tenele wouldn't have gotten hurt," Talon said.

"You owe her your life..."

Vlad looked at Talon with a challenge in his eyes, a taunt coming to his lips. It didn't make it out. "I'm aware," was what he said instead, and looked away down the trail, strangely not in the mood to torment the elf. He told himself it was because he was too tired.

Talon looked at the vampire, arching an eyebrow at him as the horse slipped slightly on a rock, but caught himself. "Good," was all the elf said, since had nothing more to say. As long as the vampire was aware of that it was fine... Maybe.

Talon counted to ten, but everytime he glanced at Tenele he saw her slitting open her wrist and spilling her blood into Vlad's mouth. He saw her offering her life to him so he could live... And it made him angry. He didn't understand it, it just made him angry.

But, Tenele loved him. Loved him enough, it seemed, to give her life to him so he could live. He couldn't stand in the way of them if she loved him that much. Talon couldn't bring himself to cause her pain by trying to break them apart, no matter how much wrong he saw in it.

Vlad ignored Talon's comment, not bothering to bring up that he'd never asked the elf to hand off his sister to bandits headed for a dragon's lair for him, or the fact that he'd rather indisputably saved the elf's ass back in the cave, or that he'd been unconscious when Tenele slit her wrist. Hunger, the warm pressure of Tenele's weight against his chest, and what he would never acknowledge as guilt were cooling his temper. The sense that everyone there held him in contempt affected him, for once. Why had they done all of this, anyway? Why should he care? Not that he cared...of course ^_~

Hepian was alive with its usual late night party goers. One would have to watch where they were going or they might accidently run over a drunk stumbling into the street every now and then. They tended to get more offened at you than you do at them, but the ale always helps get tempers on the edge.

The inn was just as they had left it and nothing seemed to have changed. Talon felt the weight of his wounds on him. The rush of running from dragons and healing his sister had made him forget about the slashes on his arms... You could see the wounds slightly from his ripped sleeve. He would rap it, there wasn't any need for it to be healed by magic for it wasn't that bad at all...

He dropped his horse off at the stables and grabbed his pack. He needed to get away from the others and have some time to clear his mind and just think about things he needed to deal with. So he didn't say to much, he just left them and walked to the inn and to his room.

Tenele was still sleeping in a dead sleep, so tired and worn out that she couldn't be roused by any jolt or loud sound, everything was blocked off to her.