Eternally Bound: Part 4
----- Manifestation -----
"Is… Is that frost?" Ari blurted, without thinking.
Demitra looked at the sparkling beast of ice crystals, completely dumbfounded. "It… It would appear as such," she said with trepidation. From the time she had first received her gauntlets from her Djinn mentor, Demtira had come to discover the manifestation of magical mounts was a possibility. At first, she had believed the bracers themselves to have allowed for the construct creation. Now, after discovering her newfound heritage, she had come to realize it was her own Djinn magical abilities which were being used. Never, however, had said magic allowed her to conjure ice.
The creature stood, almost mimicking in unison the actions of the raptors around it. Demitra poked at the ice sculpture. "It seems to be a solid construct." With a few more tests to ensure stability, she placed a harness on it, climbed aboard.
Ember was busy speaking with a member of her troop, Jinhai, who was a bit nervous about the mission. "We trained for this; just trust in your raptor and you'll do fine. We all have each other's backs out there. You're not the odd man out in this unit; we're all together."
Jinhai glanced around at the group, realized he was actually the only male present. He cleared his throat. "As you say, Captain."
Looking around at her assembled team, Ember grinned proudly. She made the point to look over each and every person as if to relay her confidence. Upon reaching Demitra, however, her expression changed to shock. Demitra wore a timid, sheepish smile as if to apologize before Ember ever asked.
"I… uh…" Ember faltered, immediately taken back to the ice raptors from what seemed like a lifetime ago. "We… We will talk about that later," she forced the words out.
"As you wish, dear heart," Demitra said, still more embarrassed about causing Ember stress than worried about her magical mishap.
Ember stared for a moment longer, then shook her head, spurred Cinder forward. "Come on then! Riders, with me!"
It was a relatively short trip to encroach upon the pirate camp, and their defenses were scattered on the beachfront, with the majority of their forces holed up inside a cave. Ember signaled to the team, halted their advance as she surveyed the area using a cliff for cover.
Ari came to her captain. "How many?" she whispered.
"A few dozen, but an unknown amount inside. We should be ready for anything. I don't see any ships in harbor or on the horizon, so I think there won't be reinforcements," Ember said, calculating their assault.
Demitra contently watched her partner like a proud parent. Here, with House Dejarin, Ember had found her place and Demitra was overjoyed. She reassuringly smiled at Ember when the woman looked back.
"Drakes will take care of any that escape to the water. If you find yourself in trouble, try to push your opponent toward it." She offered the last bit of advice before clicking her tongue, leading the charge ahead.
The rest of the riders joined her, each picking a target, finding their place on the beach - a strategy Ember had devised en route. Jinhai unsheathed his scimitar, slashing while atop his raptor, forcing those he interacted with back toward the drake-infested waters. Ari traded blows with another pirate, using the back end of her weapon as a bludgeoning device - almost more than using the actual weapon itself. She seemed excited at the battle, roaring as she worked her way toward the cave. Ember stabbed a pirate with her sword of fire as she dismounted Cinder, who, bit into the flesh of another. Six twirled off her mount in a whirlwind of fire, setting several pirates ablaze and superheating the radius around her, before landing in the sand.
Demitra watched the carnage unfold for a moment. While she longed to assist, she was actually worried she may injure her comrades. Her hesitation, however, was washed away when she saw a large norn pirate equipped with a large axe approaching Ember's backside from the cave. He was dressed is hardened leather, clad in more decorativeness than the other's: he was the leader of their group. At once, the woman commanded the ice mount to engage and advance on the large man. She leaped from her raptor, which immediately shattered behind her, and conjured a magical blade in her hand in mid-air. The blade landed upon the man, slicing his leather armor, exposing a hairy chest.
A smirk came from the Elonian. "Perhaps you should find a different leather worker then?"
The man roared in frustration, leaped toward the woman with his large axe held high, ready to gut the impudent woman.
Demitra held up a hand to use her magic, which would create a cone of compressed sand and shards to halt the man's efforts and force-push him back. What came forth, instead, was a cone of condensed frost and snow. It hit the man in the air, instantly freezing him. He landed at Demitra's feet shattering into chunks of ice and gory frozen flesh. She looked shocked, stunned, and appalled.
Six saw the incident, raised a suspicious eyebrow at the woman's expression. Demitra was staring wide-eyed at her hands, frost vapor rising from both. The rest of the cavalry finished off the remaining pirates, Ember herding them with a fire-wall to feed her drakes.
Ember wiped her brow, came to stand beside Demitra, looked at the ice chunks, the frost encased gauntlets, and her lover's expression, before it clicked what had transpired. "That's… Um… That's different," she mumbled.
Demitra was still staring at her hands and gloves. "That was not what was supposed to happen. I do not possess such powers…"
Six cautiously approached, surveying the scene, along with Ari and Jinhai. "So what element is it that you had intended?" Six asked scrutinizing the woman.
"Not this… This element is unbeknownst to me, yet…"
Ember bent down to inspect the iced over chunks which were previously the man. She gasped. "Val… Valandra?"
"Who?" Jinhai and Ari asked in unison.
Demitra shook her head. "Such a thing is impossible; she… she is gone."
"I know her ice better than anyone; the ice raptor… this frozen pirate popsicle… I swear it's just like Valandra's ice abilities." Ember said with finality.
"Someone want to fill the rest of us in?" Ari asked.
"Or, is this one of those 'had to be there' kinda things," Jinhai added.
Demitra was rubbing her temples, prompting Ember to step in. "It's… an old friend. Someone who we used to know. She… Well, she died."
"Her death was my salvation. Valandra had entangled herself with Ember, but was ultimately how I was able to communicate from the Djinn realm beyond. Valandra had performed a ritual which made her similar to me… Similar to a Djinn. But, I am uncertain as to how-"
Six inturrupted. "Yet, you show traits of her now," the young woman's words were methodical, as if it speaking from wisdom beyond her years.
"Woah!" Ariadne exclaimed. "What… what's happening to… Are you haunted, ghost-touched, or something?"
Jinhai pointed at Demitra. "Your hair!"
The woman's normally brunette hair had lost its color, quickly fading to a glacial white. She pulled at the ends to bring it into her view. For the first time they had known her, Demitra looked scared.
Ember cleared her throat. "Uh… Sp-spread out… Make… uh, make sure no pirates are straggling." Her troops did as they were ordered, with Six lingering a bit longer, before finally taking off. Ember stood with Demitra at the cave entrance.
"I… I may not be well," Demitra said, fear in her voice. She looked nervously at Ember to get reassurance.
"Well, you still look great to me," Ember said, compassionately. She'd never once seen Demitra look so worried, and she, herself, was trying to sound as confident as possible -even though internally, she was just as scared.
A weary smile came from Demitra. She looked like a lost child.
"Let's… Um, let's just get you back to the estate, okay? Paige can maybe take a look. She's a lot more… knowledgeable about some of this stuff." Ember whistled to Cinder, then mounted her raptor. She reached toward Demitra, offering her hand. "Come on. I've got you," she said lovingly.
Demitra reached out a smoking cold hand, but withdrew it. "I do not want to freeze you, too my love." The woman's eyes were almost in tears from the thought.
Ember grinned. "Come on, I'm practically made of fire. Trust me, okay?"
The Elonian took Ember's hand, climbing aboard the flamelander. Where the magical fires of the beast touched her, a sizzle formed a bit of evaporate mist. Demitra flushed, wrapped her arms around Ember.
"It's okay. We'll figure this out. Who knows, maybe you're hair's white cause you age fast?" Ember did her best to alleviate the woman's tension.
Demitra tried to smile. "I… I did not think I aged any longer," she said, only half joking.
Ember smiled, steering Cinder toward the estate. A cursory glance around showed Jinhai, Ari, and Six dealing with a few pirates who'd retreated to the lands behind the cave. She motioned for them to follow, after they had completed their sweep.
Sebastian opened the door to the manor and scoffed as Ember barged in. "She needs to lay down," she blurted, arm wrapped around Demitra for support.
"Yes, yes, of course, the floor below the main entrance is not being used," the attendant barely finished his sentence when Ember descended. He sighed, murmuring something under his breath.
"The ice raptor? Freezing the pirate? This?" She fingered her hair. "It is as you said, and the astute young woman said: This is a power not of my own; these powers belonged to Valandra."
"Well, I once had white hair, too, you know." Ember tried to lighten Demitra's mood.
"Uh Captain?" Jinhai cleared his throat. Ari and Six were behind him, securing their respective armor. Ari wiped a bit of blood from her uniform, while Six unstrapped her helmet, revealing blue wavy hair with a shaved side. Ari whispered something at the young woman and winked at an inside joke only the women (and perhaps Jinhai) shared.
"Go; your command staff requires you. I shall do as you said: rest."
Ember nodded, but was reluctant to leave her partner. She took only a few steps from her. "Yes? What have you to report?"
"The beach and the surrounding area looks clear. Most of the pirates fled and, with your permission, I can organize a removal of the arms that were left behind," Jinhai said.
Ari added, "The cannons were destroyed, but I did pick up some of the weapons."
"That sounds like a solid plan Jinhai. Have the others help you document what you find. I expect a full report," Ember said with authority. She nodded to Ari. "Just make sure nothing's leftover."
Jinhai was already leaving. Ari waited until he was out of earshot to speak in low tones to her captain. "Fame will get the boy killed."
Ember's brow furrowed. "He's a good soldier and he's doing a good job. You stop that," she said. Ari had been a trusted advisor, but something between her officers may have fueled the statement, and Ember felt like extinguishing it quickly was the best approach. Besides, her attention was still on Demitra's predicament. The Elonian had sat staring at her hands - as she had been doing since the incident happened - still attempting to ascertain what had happened. Her gloves were slightly iced over, smoking due to the humidity in the air.
"Is she… stable?" Six asked, looking past Ember.
Lady Paige poked her head out of her study. "Is everything alright, Sebastian? I thought I heard a bit of a ruckus."
He gestured to the stairs leading down, only saying, "Ember," distastefully.
Paige held her hand over her mouth. "Oh no. Has she found out?" Her question was rhetorical, and Sebastian thought it best not to say anything further. The woman was already headed toward downstairs, regardless.
"Lady Paige," announced Ari and Six, in unison.
Paige nodded to them both, then looked at Ember and what appeared to be a white-haired Demitra. "Captain? What… What has hap- You know what? No. I've put this off long enough," Paige said, clearly conflicted in telling Ember the news and learning what was going on with Demitra. "Ember, I'm so sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but… We have a problem."
Ember frowned. She'd known Paige long enough to understand that tone.
"Earlier, before your mission, Six came to me with a report that one of the drakes was killed by shards of mirror glass," she paused, took a deep breath, slightly bit her bottom lip, then made herself say the words. "I'm afraid it… it was Scarra's hatchling."
"It… We… We watched over that hatchling together! It… It was our first!" Ember stood stiffly.
Paige stepped closer. "Listen, I don't know when it happened; someone must have distracted the guards, or… maybe it was in the middle of their shift? I didn't have enough time to investigate, but I just had to tell you regardless."
Ember dropped to her knees with the overwhelming news. Demitra put her arms around her love as she began to sob. Paige hung her head. Ari and Six both exchanged uncomfortable glances, unsure of what action to take. They had almost shuffled to the stairs, when Paige halted them.
"Six, Ari, I've called for a Lionguard to meet us tonight to look into this matter further. You two are to travel with him while they search. Whomever did this will regret their poor choice. I'm so tired of losing drakes," Paige spat with surprising venom. "But… Just remember, if you or the Lionguard catch up with them. Take them alive if possible. They will stand trial and we'll have our answers. We owe that much to Scarra."
"I have tracked much harder before; I will make sure the officers stay on the path, Lady Paige," Ari saluted.
"Sowing seeds of doubt or lessening the confidence and morale of the troops will not stand," Six whispered to her friend as she hugged her.
"Please. Be discrete, Six," Paige said, almost knowing her orders most likely fell flat - Six was anything but subtle.
Ari joined in the hug, and Paige dismissed the women, wiping her tears as they left.
Ember looked up with tear-filled eyes. "It was our baby! You could just tell Scarra was so excited to be a mother! And now…" she fell back into Demitra's bosom, sobbing. They stayed cuddled for a while, until Ember's tears seem to run dry. Demitra placed her onto the couch, where she lay whimpering as Demitra stroked her hair.
"Kormir's veil, I am so heartbroken," Paige whispered to Demitra as she stepped away from Ember, who had cried herself to sleep. "And Ember… I delayed telling her the news. I told myself it was because I wanted more evidence, but… I knew it would break her… So, I procrastinated."
"Your actions were sound, Lady Paige Dejarin. We were all here to assist you in shouldering the burden; it was the appropriate time," Demitra said, brushing her hair aside. She paused, stared at the frosty gauntlets, still vexed.
Paige noticed -perhaps for the first time- the state Demitra was in. The woman's white hair sparkled like snow and her gloves were smoking and iced. Her inquisitive nature took over. "What… What happened to you?" What's with the gauntlets? I thought you used a… different kind of magic?"
Demitra continued inspecting the phenomenon. "Same vessel; different housing, apparently." She shook her head, turned her attention to the woman. "No, Lady Paige Dejarin; I do not use such type of magic. Or, at least I have not in the past. While I know my… (as Ember calls it) 'Djinniness" comes with a host of newfound abilities, I do not believe this to be one of them. Djinn, at their… at our core, are elemental beings. I am not of the cold."
"What element are you part of?" Paige couldn't help her curiosity. Demitra only seemed to give "need to know" information when it was needed to know; Paige had wondered about her origins for the few months she'd known the woman, but tried her best to respect her boundaries.
Demitra either heard the question and dismissed it, or ignored it completely. She shook her head. "I wish to know what your experience was with my kind. I believe the Djinn I spoke with at the entrance to their temple denied me access for this reason. I was said to be 'impure'. Perhaps," she held up her frigid arms, "this is what they meant by 'impure'."
"You think because you have powers of a different element you were denied entrance?" Paige thought aloud.
"It is my theory, yes. My thought is that if the Djinn of the sanctuary in the Desolation are silent to me, perhaps the Djinn within the vault shall provide answers."
"Oh! There is that last door!" Paige said, recounting her excavation.
"Indeed? And, a Djinn is no doubt contained within, if what has passed holds true. Perhaps an answer to my… condition… can be extracted," Demitra reasoned, exhaling a frosty breath. "I must ascertain why I am, 'not pure,' and what connection it has with my vessel; how it connects to Valandra, and what these power surges are resulting from."
"You know, you've said that before. When I summoned you, you mentioned I did so without your vessel. What do you…"
Demitra held up her finger-less gauntlets. "This vessel I am bound to."
Paige's eyes grew wide as thirty more questions flooded her mind. Sorting through them caused a delay in which Demitra changed the subject.
"First, we must let Ember grieve, however. What are the customs here?" the Elonian said, looking at a sleeping Ember.
"Sebastian is arranging the… the funeral," Paige paused, sniffling. "You know, sometimes being strong just stinks. May I… May I lean on you? I'm only really just learning to be a Lady of the house, and… I…"
A warm reassuring smile came from the Elonian. "You have shown me compassion beyond understanding and I am grateful. All of your people are. Being strong is not the easy path, but I believe you will find is the most rewarding when those you bolster wind up bolstering you. We are all learning: You as a noble, Ember as a captain, me as a… well, I am something other. You may completely lean on me Lady Dejarin; just be mindful of the ice," Demitra said jokingly.
"You're not an 'other,' Demitra of the Djinn. You are my friend, and I take your words to heart," Paige said, lightly bowing. "Now, you take care of your love, just as you helped me take care of mine. I shall go eat something then retire to the study. I have a lot of research to do. We'll find your vault, and we'll get you some answers. I promise."
Demitra watched as Paige ascended the stairs. The woman had become more than acquaintance, and she was happy to think of her as a friend.
She looked at Ember, then back to her bracers. For a moment within the ice, she could see glass shards, and a horrible thought occurred to her: Was she responsible for the death of Ember's drake?
[To Be Continued...]
