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hat Takashi's mage-sense perceives is a tangle of folds and creases, a weave of a sort he's never encountered before. As icy winds batter him and tendrils of frost creep along the side of his face, the joints of his hands, Takashi tries to find a common reference and pull the spell apart. Distantly, he hears a woman's blurred voice: "Not quite that way--" And then he feels a guiding presence. Being well aware of his and his companions' desperate situation Takashi follows the guiding as close as possible and hopes for the best. Moments later, he, Frenil and Aris are knocked back by a yet-greater blast of wind and scattered feathers of snow. They hear glass shattering--Frenil managed to throw the flask as the unravelling took place. For a moment Takashi stands motionless and a puzzled look crosses his face. Then--as he realizes what has just happened--a small smile begins to form on his face as he says "It worked." Slowly he shakes his head and in low voice as if speaking to himself he repeats, "It really worked." Commander Aris returns, still looking dazed, with three puzzled-looking Qenaren soldiers, each of them nervous about bearing jenachen daggers and shortswords in the infirmary. "Whatever you did, it worked," Aris agrees. At this Frenil grins wryly. After that, they hear the thin sound of a woman coughing. As fast as his numb limbs allow Takashi moves to the side of the woman and begins to check her condition. While examining the woman, Takashi asks with concern in his voice, "How do you feel?" "I've felt better," she says dryly; the islander accent is faint, but evident in her fluid vowels and softened fricatives. "A touch dehydrated, as if I've slept too long in the sun." Takashi nods in understanding. "I was told, that you were delirious, almost comatose, for several days now." Next he begins to explain to the woman: "You were delirious for several days and it will take some time until you will have fully recovered. Until then you should try to relax and avoid physical exertions of any kind." Kitseya grimaces but doesn't protest. "Water?" she asks hopefully, but the word is lost in a spasm of coughing. Frenil chuckles quietly to himself over how ridiculously lucky they were. Then, quietly, he sits down crosslegged on the ground, carefully to avoid hurting himself. As he leans back against the wall he listens to Takashi and Kit, half-listening, half-thinking up possible explanation for what happened. At one point fairly early on he bursts out laughing, clutching his sides, as he realizes that the myth he remembered actually fits the facts. Aris shakes his head and mutters something about mad Ashenlanders, which he probably didn't realize Frenil could hear. Takashi throws a curious and somewhat concerned look at Frenil. The laughter catches Kitseya's attention. "I had hoped to find some among your people," she says to Frenil, "but my companion and I were unfortunate." Her eyes darken of a sudden. and she shivers. Frenil nods understanding. Aris says, gently, "He left shortly after he brought you here, saying he had other matters to attend to." Kitseya nods, though her eyes are still on Frenil. "Perhaps you know tales of that which attacked us, and held me prisoner. I would be grateful if we could talk sometime." Frenil replies with a slight bow of his head, signaling assent without speaking.
Back: Frenil & Takashi's Prologue 3
Crane image provided by Nekochan's Graphics.
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