Changed Lives

Transplanted Rigelian and her adventures in the Nexus world of RhyDin and
beyond.

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Post by Topaz »

Lucien’s Wish

Rena stepped through the portal onto Twilight Isle, hands in the pockets of her jeans. She wore two contrasting tank tops, one tucked into the waistband, the other hanging out. She gave a nod to Topaz as she took a seat. “Just like last night.”

“Good evening, Rena.” Topaz greeted her friend with a smile. “What's just like last night?”

“It started out slow.”

“That it did. But it got busy later. Vinny actually had to work and call five duels.” And it was early yet.

“Geez... just what I'm looking forward to.”

“You don't like it when it gets busy?” Topaz was surprised, because usually the complaint was that it wasn’t busy enough.

“It's alright.” Rena shrugged. “I'm thinking of taking a break though.”

“A break?” Why would Rena want to take a break before her shift even started, Topaz wondered. Officials didn’t take breaks during their shifts anyway.

“Yeah...” Rena nodded, “A couple of weeks of not calling...here or the Arena, it's not usually busy on my shift anyway.”

“Are you planning to take a vacation?” Rena was being exceptionally cryptic this evening. Soerl, arrived just then and they exchanged greetings before Topaz turned to Rena again. “I'll trust you let me know so I can at least look for someone to cover your shift.”

”Don't I always let you know when I'm not here?” Rena replied with a chuckle.

“Yes, you do. A vacation does sound nice, though.” Topaz sipped from her cup, once again dreaming of visiting Auriga with Lucien.

“That depends on where you go. A vacation to the planes of death probably wouldn't be pleasant.” Soerl reached up to adjust his hat.

“Good evening, Asegard. Tormay.” The two young men arrived almost simultaneously, Tormay with his baby sister riding on his shoulders. The little girl waved her hands and giggled from her perch. “Sylviana!”

“Yup, Sylvy got upset that she couldn't go to the island.” Tormay answered Asegard’s question about his unexpected presence and then waved to Topaz and Rena. “Hello mum.”

“I can see that.” Topaz waved merrily to Sylviana. “Hello there, Cutie. Have you been giving your brother a hard time?”

“Nooo.” Sylviana shook her head.

“So he was just looking for an excuse to come to the isle?” Topaz grinned and gave Tormay a little wink. She was familiar with Sylviana’s tricks and could guess how her daughter behaved to get her way.

“Well, the parade was over. She had me magic all the bears she has.” Tormay grinned while Asegard looked around.
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Post by Topaz »

“Oh my, that must have been quite a long parade.” Topaz chuckled at the image. Tormay had given Sylviana a new teddy bear almost every time he saw her and he had seen her quite often since his return to Rhydin. Azjah arrived then and Topaz turned to greet her.

“You have no idea. I didn't realize I had given her so many.” Tormay shook his head.

“Way too many.” Lucien and she were immune for the most part against Sylviana practicing her compelling voice, but Tormay didn’t even know that she had that talent. But with this many people around this was not the time to warn him of it. Topaz turned to Asegard to change the subject. “Have you met Azjah yet, Asegard?”

“I am not sure if I have or not, my memory is not so great anymore.” Asegard replied even as Azjah turned her pale blue eyes toward Topaz. Sylviana, still perched on Tormay’s shoulders, seemed shy around Asegard and tried to hide behind Tormay’s head.

“Azjah? This young man here is Asegard, Tormay's friend.” Topaz turned from Azjah to Asegard again. “Meet Azjah, Marchioness von Drachen Walde and one of our officials here.”

“A pleasure.” Asegard looked to Azjah but Topaz’s attention already was elsewhere.

Lucien faded into the visible spectrum behind Topaz and a shower of white stephanotis drifted down around her. All the discomforts Topaz always experienced while apart from Lucien were gone in an instant, replaced with the elation that came with her simply being near him. With a wide smile she caught the little white flowers and tucked them into her hair.

“Good evening my dear.” Lucien was always pleased to see Topaz, but still did not like the crowds of people who always seemed to be about.

Topaz stood up and walked around the couch she had been sitting on to greet Lucien with a fierce hug and kiss. “Good evening, Love.”

Tormay nodded to Lucien, making sure to keep a respectful distance. Sylviana, of course, grinned and waved from Tormay's shoulders. Rena waved over a greeting as well.

Lucien drew Topaz to him for another kiss before he waved briefly to Rena. “Good evening.” Then his black, soulless eyes moved toward Tormay and he gave a brief nod before he dropped to his knees to beckon his daughter.

“Oh gods... I didn't even think of that...” Tormay looked up to Sylvy as she continued to whisper in his ear. “You don't say?” With that he reached up and lifted her off his shoulders and placed her on the ground. “Ok, go to Lucien now. Evening, Lucien.”

Lucien waited patiently for Sylviana to arrive as Topaz sat back down. “Your mother is pleased to see you Tormay.” Lucien would not prevaricate, while the young man was Topaz's son, Lucien still had trouble with allowing another male anywhere near his mate.

The little girl ran as fast as her little legs would allow, ready to be scooped up. “Not Lucien, Daddy!”

Lucien curled one arm around her before standing up, waiting for his kiss before kissing each cheek of his daughter. Only Topaz and Sylviana could bring even a hint of a smile to his features.

“And she is pleased to see you as well.” Tormay returned Lucien’s greeting.
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Post by Topaz »

“You will be staying?” Lucien slid his attention to Tormay as he sat down on the caller's couch with is daughter on his lap. Part of him was hoping the male would be off somewhere else jumping through time.

“I am more than just pleased - about seeing both of you.” Topaz smiled to each in turn and then scooted close to Lucien.

“I will be staying.” Tormay tried to smile. He always had a hard time smiling around Lucien.

“Tormay is staying at House DeGorol and he invited Asegard to stay with him. They were watching Sylviana together this afternoon.” Topaz explained to Lucien a moment later between rounds she was officiating.

Lucien turned with a smile toward Sylviana as she was busily trying to tell him something of great importance. At Topaz’s words he slightly lifted a brow. “They had our daughter?” Then he turned to look into Sylviana’s eyes. “You were a good girl?” Lucien resisted his first instinct to snarl about Tormay having his precious daughter.

“Yes,” Topaz answered for her, “until she decided to give them a hard time and made them come find me.”

“What was that all about?” Lucien rested his forehead lightly against Sylviana’s. He simply mind merged with her rather than trying to understand her speech, it was much easier to understand her that way.

“To'may dragon ride.” Sylviana impatiently tried again to divert her daddy’s questioning of her behavior.

Lucien leaned back and looked at his daughter. “Tormay what?” The images of sailing high over the houses and trees of RhyDin assailed him as instant fury spiked.

“To'may dragon ride. Fly with birds. Wheee!” Sylviana grinned as she spread her arms wide, still aglow with the experience.

“Dragon ride? Flying with birds?” Lucien slowly turned shark’s eyes on Tormay and thunder rumbled close overhead. He would incinerate the boy, without question!

“Did you have fun, Cutie?” Topaz asked of Sylviana. She wasn’t entirely sure that she wanted to temper Lucien’s anger. But she was sure that the dragon ride had been at least as much Sylviana’s fault as Tormay’s.

“Lottsa fun. Wheee!” Sylviana giggled with glee.

“Dragon riding??” Lucien repeated, his voice lowering in the bass range as his eyes bored holes into Tormay.

Tormay felt eyes boring into the back of his head and dreaded turning around. “Oh man...”

“DRAGONS?” Lucien repeated more clearly and a bit more loudly.

“And the houses were itty.” Sylviana still grinned from ear to ear.

Tormay turned slowly to face Lucien, trying to think quickly. “Well, yea.”
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Post by Topaz »

A bolt of lightening ripped from the clouds and speared into the sand at Tormay's feet, fusing the sand instantly to glass. Tormay jumped back from the blast, but still was rained on by sand and chunks of glass. Topaz winced at the strike.

“You took our daughter flying? On a dragon? High enough to make the houses look 'itty bitty'??”
Lucien glowered at Tormay, promising the lad a slow and painful death.

Tormay looked quickly to Topaz, trying to think of how to explain. But no help was forthcoming.

“To'may dragon.” Sylviana pouted after the loud noise and Lucien gently sat her down next to Topaz.

“Yes, Sylviana.” Topaz picked up the girl and put her onto her lap.

“What possessed you to do something so foolish with my daughter?” Lucien took a couple of steps toward Tormay as thunder reverberated off the rocks. He wanted to spear the lad with another strike of lightening, but Topaz being right there would not permit such a response.

“I did take her to ride a dragon.” Tormay stood his ground, but not to be defiant.

Asegard stepped in with Tormay. “As long as it does not happen again, and she is well, then it should okay.”

Tormay held up an arm to signal Asegard to stay back. While he appreciated his offer of friendship, this was something he had to deal with by himself.

Lucien’s black eyes narrowed at Asegard. “We are speaking about MY daughter, you can be ash as well as he can.” Asegard did step back then and Lucien once more focused on Tormay.

“Actually, I wanted to do something special with my little sister. So I let her in the little secret.” Tormay didn’t break eye contact with Lucien, a first.

“A secret does not require a dragon ride!” Lucien's eyes began to burn with a dark red inner flame as he strove to maintain his growing temper.

“Daddy dragon too?” Sylviana looked up at her mother. She did not understand why her Daddy should be angry at Tormay.

“I'm sure he could be if you asked him really nice.” Topaz gave her daughter a re-assuring smile.

“It does if you are the dragon” Tormay kept his voice low, not wanting for others to hear.

“Never,” Lucien narrowed black eyes on Tormay, “and I will repeat this one time only... NEVER do such a fool hardy thing with my daughter again.” Lucien nearly shook with rage at the dangerous and foolhardy action that could have killed Sylviana.

“Daddy, you gonna dragon now, please?” Sylviana was at her absolute cutest and she was polite at the same time. That combination usually worked for her to get her way.

“Yes sir.” Tormay nodded.

Lucien turned then and simultaneously shifted into a great maned lion, padding toward his daughter. “No dragons.” Growled the reply to his daughter. A lion ride was one thing, dragons were something else entirely.
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Post by Topaz »

“Pleeeease?” Sylviana smiled real big to be extra cute. The great lion paused in front of his daughter; yellow eyes steadily regarded her cute routine.

“Are you okay, Tormay?” Asegard asked with concern.

“Sorry about that.” Tormay turned toward his friend, pale now after the encounter with Lucien.” I had to have a talk with Sylvy's father. Lucien is not someone you help others with.” Tormay shook his head slowly. “He just kinda has that presence, you know.”

“A pretty kitty is fun, too, Cutie.” Topaz smiled to the great lion that was Lucien.

“Ok. Pretty kitty.” Sylviana meowed to Lucien and reached out to pat the mane.

Lucien shifted back into human form and scooped up his daughter. “You are going to be trouble young lady.” It never failed to impress him how much he loved this small child, and the idea that she could have fallen from Tormay's back was simply more than he was willing to contemplate.

“Whee!” Sylviana giggled happily and utterly unrepentant.

“I'm willing to bet the dragon ride was as much her fault as Tormay's.” Topaz knew her daughter well and she suspected that the dragon ride may have been more than just half Sylviana’s doing.

Lucien picked up one of the stephanotis that had lain in the sand beside the couch and slid it into Sylviana's hair with a quick kiss to the end of her nose. “Trouble.”

“Nu-uuuh. I am a good girl.” Sylviana giggled some more.

“You can be good and still be trouble.” Lucien insisted and then glanced to Topaz. “We'll lock her at home until she's 100, at least.”

“No way.” Topaz grinned between Lucien and Sylviana and was reminded of Lucien’s teasing her only a couple years ago. Lucien had threatened to lock her into a tower, too, seeing that as the only solution to protect her from harm.

“Maybe, but I have dealt with worse.” Asegard commented – little did he know.

Tormay looked over to Lucien before responding to Asegard. “Yea, but he is married to my mum. Kinda balances out.”

“Balance, I should keep that in mind.” Asegard sort of agreed.

“Alright, 200” Lucien wrapped both arms around his daughter and Sylviana attempted to return the embrace.

“Lucien, no.” Topaz chuckled; the idea was just too outrageous for her to take serious. “We're not locking anyone away. Remind me to tell you the story about the child and the stone when we return home, or after my shift.”

“Alright, we lock him away for half a millennium.” Lucien slid a meaningful glance at Tormay. The young man felt the burning sensation again in the back of his head, but decided not to turn around this time.

“No, we will not lock him away either.” Topaz laughed.
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Post by Topaz »

“Alright, then I WISH for you to lock someone away.” Lucien's wish was heartfelt. Either lock away temptation in the form of Tormay, or lock away blind innocence in his daughter. He could be perfectly happy locked away with just Topaz and Sylviana.

“Oh!” Topaz immediately felt the tug of the wish, and this particular wish was uncomfortable right away despite its vagueness. The merriment of a moment ago was gone. She thought fast. “How about I lock Gabriel away?”

“Gabriel is already locked away.” Lucien's tone was somber and pained.

“Then whom?” Topaz gave Lucien a pained look. She had to ask even though she knew she’d hate his answer. But a wish was a wish. “Finally you make a wish and then it is such a ...well, not a very nice one.”

“I leave the choice of Sylviana or Tormay up to you.” Lucien gave her a slow smile. “Just think, we can lock Sylviana away on an island retreat and escape all these crowds of people for two centuries.” He was truly warming to that notion.

“How about we go to Auriga for a couple of weeks instead?” Topaz sounded hopeful. She’d have to comply with his wish, but doing so would break her. “I can't lock up either of them, they would both be utterly miserable.”

“Couple of decades?” Topaz shook her head to Lucien’s question in utter misery. Lucien sat down beside her, sliding an arm around her. Sylviana curled up in Lucien's lap, still trying to tell a story but slowly falling asleep. “You are unhappy.” He felt her misery as though it were his own.

Topaz leaned against Lucien, her heart breaking. Unhappy was far too mild a word for what she was feeling at that moment. This time not even closeness helped. “What else could I be if you wish for me to lock up my babies? Not just ask, but WISH.

“I seek only to protect her from the dangers posed by her brother.” Lucien frowned and gently stroked Sylviana's head as she drifted off to sleep.

“Did you detect any injury on her?” Right now Topaz thought him and his wish the bigger threat to their daughter.

“It would only take one mistake.” Lucien's mind replayed a hundred scenes with Sylviana falling to her death.

“Did you forbid her to go out riding or flying?” Yes, darling Lucien, it would take just one mistake, like the wrong wish.

“I should not have to; dangerous antics should be avoided by responsible adults.” He turned meaningful black gaze on Tormay, still wanting to incinerate him for such actions.

“Perhaps he saw no danger.” Topaz knew that Tormay would have caught Sylviana had she slipped off his back. “Tormay loves his baby sister. He'd not put her in danger on purpose.”

“All the more reason to keep them apart.” Lucien was certain that Tormay's 'innocent' play was likely to end in some kind of disaster, which he would stop any way he could.

“Darling, that's all the reason to let them spend as much time together as they want.” But Topaz sounded defeated. Lucien appeared to be insisting on his wish.

Lucien’s words still burning Tormay’s ears, he quietly slipped away to the portal.
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Post by Topaz »

“I think you hurt Tormay's feelings.” Topaz had not missed Tormay’s paleness, how quiet he had become, or the way he slunk to the portal. She slid an arm be hind Lucien’s waist and squeezed lightly.

“You want me to sit back and let him risk breaking her neck?” Lucien sighed. He simply could not understand Topaz's seemingly cavalier attitude about such dangerous antics.

“Well, no.” Lucien did need to protect their daughter, and Tormay did need cautioning.
“But they need to have fun, too. Else they'd just waste away.” Topaz shook her head slightly; Lucien’s wish would kill them.

“Play with dolls, feed the wild life, take her for a walk in the woods, a bicycle ride...” Lucien could think of any number of things that Tormay could do that did not involve killing his daughter.

“Bicycles are far more dangerous than dragons.” Lucien’s wish tore at Topaz with ever increasing persistence.

“Who held onto her? How was she affixed to the back of that dragon? Why take her so high into the sky?” The more he thought about it, the more questions rifled through his mind.

“I don't really know. Perhaps she wanted to.” Topaz shrugged.

“The adult of the group needs to make the decisions... “ Lucien sighed with a shake of his head.

“Tormay did that.” Tormay finally had done something about Sylviana demanding teddy bears every time she saw him.

“Let me amend that, the adult should make the wiser decisions.” Lucien would wrap his daughter in a bubble, that seemed the only choice left to him now.

“If she asked you to go soaring high with her, would you be able to tell her no?” Granted, when they had taken Sylviana along, they had helped her with keeping the shape of mist in her mind and they kept firm control of her as well. Tormay did not have those gifts. Tormay also had no defenses against Sylviana’s Carpathian budding powers of suggestion and compulsion.

“Yes. I tell her no all the time.” Lucien had no problem with 'no' when he felt it was important for either Topaz or Sylviana's safety.

“Right. That would explain why she's so spoiled.” Topaz managed a smile and played with Lucien’s pony tail, resisting the urge to give it a good tuck.

Lucien gave her a fanged smile. “Tell your son my intention was not to hurt his feelings. But to have him consider implications. She is our daughter Topaz. I will not lose her.”

“I will tell him that. I actually already told him not to take her out riding anymore, at least not until she is older, and he promised.” Tormay was part fairy, too, though, and likely to find a loophole in there somewhere. “About that wish...” Topaz gave Lucien a beseeching look.

“If it causes you distress, I can do no other than recant it.” Lucien nestled the sleeping child next to Topaz.

The relief at his words was instant. Topaz reached up and over the sleeping Sylviana to wrap her arms around Lucien’s neck and kissed him. “Thank you.”

Lucien returned the kiss before he faded from the visible spectrum. Topaz was not far behind. When the last duel in her rings had come to a close she rose to her feet and carefully picked up their sleeping daughter, fading from the visible spectrum on her way to the portal.
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Sergei Orlovich

Post by Tormay Eludes »

SERGEI ORLOVICH

Sergei entered the Inn, knowing that he had to be close to his prize. He could feel it in his bones. Sergei’s gaze covered the room, trying to find where He was, but indifferent to the faces. Sergei would feel him out tonight, He had the scent of the girl. The vampire chose a spot at the bar that commanded a view of the entire room, making sure that he could find that scent.

Sergei watched as the creatures here lived. Thinking to himself how easy it would be for him to take anyone of them away into the alley. Draining them and leaving their dried husks to terrorize the ones that were left. Especially that one, he is already bleeding.

Sergei watched as the bleeding approached two other patrons. He let his gaze cover the two. If he was going to be here, he wanted to at least get a meal for his troubles.

The one with wings glanced over to the cloaked one as he pulled a bottle of scotch from behind the bar, handing it to the bleeding one. The bleeding one drank deeply, trying to kill the pain. Another bottle of scotch was brought out by the cloaked one, pouring a glass and handing it to one with wings.

“Thank you Asegard. Never thought I would like the heavy stuff, then I found this,” the winged one grinned as he spoke.

“Good, scotch is wonderful.” Asegard responded.

“I agree,” with a sip.

“So, anything new?”

“Not really. Same ol’”

Sergei sniffed the air, and excitement moved him, the one with wings had her scent! He was getting near. Gliding from his seat, he moved to take a seat next to the winged one. Sergei spoke, an old world accent marked his speech, “I have never tried this drink, is it good?”

“Wonderful stuff. Wanna try?” The winged one smiled, offering a glass, the smell of the girl strong on him.

Asegard reached behind the bar and grabbed a glass, poured it half full, and then slid it to Sergei. Asegard continued a conversation of games and foolery, nothing of interest to Sergei as he focused on the winged one. Sergei brought the glass to his lips, but didn’t let any of the drink pass his lips before he sat it down again, “It is not he same as we have at home.”

“And where might you be from?” Asegard asked with a look to Sergei.

“I am from many places. None as interesting as here.”

“Many places?”

“Da, many places. Home was in the mountains, but that was so long ago” he waved his hand, as if it was unimportant, vague memories of the mountains were all that were left.

“Well, how long you been in RhyDin?” The winged one asked, the smell of the girl is VERY strong on him. This one would surely lead Sergei to her.

“Not long. Only a few weeks. I am in search of someone,” Sergei responded.

The bleeding one stood up, and move towards Asegard, “Thank you for the drink, but it changes nothing.”

Asegard responded cooly, “Then get a different one or leave, Andreis.”

“Pah,” As Andreis turns away, he falls on the floor, blood pooling around him. As the blood seeped from his wounds, Sergei looked down on him hungrily.

Asegard looked down at Andreis, “I suppose you will be fine.”

The winged one looked at Asegard with a worried look, but didn't say anything.

“He is injured still from the duel we had last night,” Asegard told the winged one. A nod was all that was returned.

Sergei continued to eye the growing pool of blood, his hunger growing, “I maybe to help you.”

“He has blue blood, not sure if drinking from the ground may be well for you,” Asegard said to Sergei, noticing the looks, then squinted, “Wait...Vampire?

Sergei kneeled next to Andreis, examining the wound, enjoying the smell of fresh blood, ‘this Asegard is too sharp, I must throw him off.’

“It seems to be pretty bad, a gut wound. I am surprised you stayed on your feet this long,” He said out loud, “Vampire? Where?” as he looked around in fear.

“It is bad, I put a hole straight through him last night. He was a fool for not accepting any healing. And as for the Vampire, I was asking you. You looked as if you saw a meal when you spotted his blood.”

The winged one was still quiet, sipping his scotch. As if he knew better than to get involved in this feud. But that smell! It almost overpowered the blood!

Sergei glared at Asegard, “Perhaps you are a vampire then, having such thoughts.”

“You ok, Tormay? You seemed troubled,” Andreis managed to say up to the winged one.

“I should be asking you, Lord King, you are the one bleeding.”

Andreis looked around, trying to stay focused, “Who is this?” Looking up at Sergei.

‘“I am Sergei, and if you stay still, I can bandage your wound.”

“I have had worse injuries, this happens, though I would have preferred to have been killed instead of mocked.”

“ As I told you, it was not your time,” Asegard responded, no warmth in his voice.

Sergei shrugged he reached into his belt pouch, pulling out a bandage, “From my home, vampires are not well liked. A curse.”

“I see, well, Vampires are the only ones I know of that feast on human blood.”

“Carpathians do as well, but they can not kill to gain their meals,” Tormay explained to Asegard.

“Carpathians indeed…” Sergei said to himself. He then bandaged the rapidly fading Andreis, “He should be fine now. I must clean my hands,” He held up his hands, covered with the blood from Andreis.

Tormay nodded to Sergei as he walked away. Sergei went to the wash room, closing the door behind him. The hunger overcame him and licked the blood from his hands, it wasn’t enough to sate his hunger, but it would do for now. He would find prey later tonight.

When Sergei returned, he looks refreshed, and even had a smile. It wasn’t his luck for opportunities to come to him, “Much better.”

Asegard nodded in return, “I shall retire for the night, you should to Tormay. You need the rest I imagine.”

“You are right. See you around Sergei.”

“That you shall,” Sergei responded, smilingly hungrily to their backs, “That you shall,” he left the inn, the only reason for his being here having left.



The next night:

Sergei returned to inn, the smell of the girl drawing him back. He knew Tormay would be here, he needed to get ready for his move. Sliding in from the back alley, he spied Tormay sitting at a table alone. The winged one kept looking towards the kitchen door, as if waiting for something. Sergei knew it was his moment as he made his way to the table.

He stooped over to whisper in Tormay’s ear, “Good evening friend, I must speak with you. It is a pressing matter.”

Tormay nodded, slightly confused, but Sergei didn’t speak further. He stooped slightly lower, hiding his face from the other patrons. In a matter of seconds, he bit Tormay just below his hairline on the back of his neck and took a small amout of blood.

“You now are mine, and will do as I say, understand?” Sergei pulled away.

Tormay looks up, still confused, trying to remember who this man was, “Ok, that sounds great,” the confusion grew as he said the words, Tormay certainly hadn’t meant to say anything.

Sergei nodded and walked to the bar, Tormay not even noticing his presence anymore.
Sergei thought to himself with a smile, ‘This will work out perfectly, but why did he taste so horrible?
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Post by Topaz »

Wings

Topaz headed for twilight isle right after she had delivered Sylviana to Ariel, glad that Ariel had offered to watch the little one for a few hours. Gabriel was still locked away and needed attention and that left capable baby sitters in short supply. So Topaz was particularly ready to enjoy the time off, first with a duel and the company of friends and then, once Lucien was free, with her mate.

“Good evening Azjah.” Topaz greeted the Marchioness as soon as she was settled with a cup of coffee. Her glance fell to Azjah’s glass filled with amber liquid. “For once that looks tempting.”

“You? Scotch?” Azjah quirked a pale brow at Topaz. “Are you?”

“No, I'm not. And I like brandy better anyway.” Topaz grinned at Azjah’s suggestion. Topaz rarely took alcoholic beverages these days, but this evening the discomfort that always came with being any distance away from Lucien appeared even more bothersome than usual and a few swallows brandy may have calmed that sensation.

“Good evening Xeric.” Azjah greeted the approaching Russian who had a warm smile for her and Topaz. “How are you this evening?”

“Good evening, Xeric. Congratulations on being one of the four.” Topaz returned the smile.

“Good evening Azjah. Thank you, Topaz.” Xeric’s cold blue eyes swept back to Azjah. “I'm taking a red-head's advice.”

“Should I inquire what the advice was?” Azjah asked politely.

“She suggested that the Isle might be relaxing.” Xeric replied with a slight grin.

“Well, it would appear that it is quiet tonight.” Azjah laughed softly.

“Quiet, something one doesn't know to appreciate until one has children.” Sylviana needed less and less sleep and while the little girl was awake she kept Topaz busy trying to keep her out of trouble and away from danger. Earlier today the little imp had discovered how to maneuver Lucien’s antique books from the shelves and that the large ones made perfect little caves for her army of teddy bears. That discovery had been far from quiet. Nothing their daughter did for entertainment was quiet.

“Something I have not experienced.” Azjah zipped from her scotch.

“We do try to keep Sylviana from getting upstairs and underfoot.” Topaz grinned, glad that their rooms under the Palazzo were far away from Azjah’s. Few things Sylviana occupied herself with would endear her to Azjah, Topaz knew.

“I must admit, the scenery in vastly better here.” Xeric took an empty chair and looked between the two women.

“Thank you, Xeric.” Topaz ignored the thunder rolling in the distance, happy that Lucien was paying attention.

“You are entirely too sweet Xeric.” Azjah observed.

“I believe your opinion is unique.” Xeric returned with a grin.
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“Perhaps you only have to show that charming side more often for others to notice?” Azjah suggested.

“Perhaps you're right.” Xeric said with a deep chuckle.

“Hey mum! Good evening Azjah.” Tormay, with a big grin on his face, slowly headed over to them from the portal.

The coffee cup fell from Topaz’s hand at the sight of him, but a goblin caught it before it could the sand. Even with her shielding in place she could sense burning pain from Tormay and while his cheeks were red the rest of him was unnaturally pale.

“Hello Tormay. What's wrong with you?” Topaz rose and came over to him with surprising speed and crinkled her nose at the smell on him. ‘Vampyre,’ she thought and then noticed the man following behind Tormay.

“Nothing mum, just wanted to introduce Sergei here to the family.” Tormay appeared confused and the man behind him smiled to Topaz.

Only the man was not a man. Topaz looked through the illusion he had enveloped himself with and her heart fell. No Vampyre was to be this close to her son. Skin stretched like old and yellowed parchment over a skull in a caricature of the handsome face he must have once had, brownish teeth visible when he pulled back his lips, stringy black wisps where hair should have been, and the dark eyes supposedly a window to the soul were utterly empty.
“She isn't here, I can't smell her.” Sergei hissed in Tormay's ear.

“Did he touch you?” Topaz doubled up her defenses even as worry settled deep inside her. The only sensation she perceived from the Vampyre was the pain of burning.

“Sorry, what?” Tormay stared blankly at Topaz.

“Did he touch you?” But Topaz already knew the answer. ~Lucien!~ Topaz’s telepathic call was urgent, waves of fear accompanied her thoughts directed at him. ~He took Tormay and wants Sylviana.~

“I don't remember. No?” Tormay was still confused.

“You!” Topaz turned to the Vampyre, sending the image of Sergei glaring at Tormay to Lucien. “Step away from my son!”

“Very well, I shall.” Sergei smiled as he stepped back, his empty eyes still on Tormay. Topaz eyed the Vampyre, hardly believing the warning her fairy senses screamed at her. Tormay's eyes glazed over and he steps towards Topaz, hand grasping his rapier.

Lucien faded into the visible spectrum right behind Topaz, just as she moved backward. Tormay had drawn his rapier and the tip was pointing straight at her.

“Where is the little one?” Tormay and Sergei demanded simultaneously and Tormay lunged forward at the same time Topaz sent off a mage bolt.

Lucien's own rapier appeared in his hand as he stepped in front of Topaz, seeking to deflect the steel.

“Bring me the little one!” The vampyre screamed, the cloak of illusion gone.
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“Fight it, Tormay.” Topaz winced when she saw her son’s hand smoking and his rapier falling to the sand. But already a dagger was in his uninjured hand.

Lucien snarled low at Tormay as he advanced on the boy. Topaz wished that she had brought her rapier, but this was to have been an evening for relaxing magic, not for one for deadly sword fights.

Tormay jumped straight at Lucien, agony marring his features. “Help.” He croaked out, looking up at Lucien.

“You will not fight me! Bring her to me now!” The Vampyre re-doubled his efforts of control over Tormay’s actions. Lucien’s rapier leveled at Tormay’s chest.

“Don't hurt him, Lucien. It's the other one doing this.” Topaz turned her gaze to Sergei, preparing to tear into his mind. She would not watch Lucien killing her son. That he would if he thought he had to she had no doubt of. Azjah’s cussing rang in her ears along with the sound of breaking furniture.

Sergei advanced, shifting into the form of a large condor and with one swift motion plucked up Tormay by his wings and tossed him aside, screeching. “You will bring her now!”

Tormay’s pain of his wings tearing shot through Topaz just as she broke through the vampyre’s defenses. She had a brief glimpse of the insanity in the creature’s mind. The chaos there made it impossible for her to find the connection to Tormay in order to sever it. She changed her tactics to creating the image of blinding light in Sergei’s mind.

Lucien tossed his rapier to the Russian near Azjah as he shifted into a clawed daemon and leapt at Sergei with rending swipes at his chest, recurved talons slicing at Sergei. Clouds congealed above the beach.

Xeric took one of the broken chair legs and caught up Lucien’s rapier. Still unsure of how to proceed, he took a few steps closer to Tormay.

The mental onslaught had Sergei backing away blindly and left him unable to defend himself as Lucien’s claw’s dug in.

“BOY! Protect me!” Sergei screamed wildly.

Tormay’s excruciating pain demanded Topaz’s attention. Topaz connected with the sentient fairy magic and urged them to seek out his wounds and to remember what she had taught them about being tiny shields that much like playing with paddles and small balls kept blood flowing through broken vessels without spilling and foreign parts out.

“Get Tormay out of there if you can Xeric.” Topaz heard Azjah as Tormay stood up from where he was flung, blood dripping down his back. Tormay made his way into the melee slowly, fighting the compulsion but pushing past Topaz just the same, even as she instructed the sentient magic bits further.

Fangs bared as Lucien barreled into Sergei.

Xeric saw his opening when Tormay turned back toward the fight and wrapped his arms around the boy. Tormay tried to fight the big Russian’s grasp, but without any energy.

“You will not defeat me!” The light still searing his mind, Sergei pecked at Lucien but missed. He shifted form yet again and a large boar snarled at Lucien, intending to gore him.
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“How long ago did you meet this "new friend" Tormay?” Topaz demanded the information Lucien would need to try and save her boy. Tormay seemed to waste away and shrink as she watched him struggle with Xeric, and her heart constricted. Worry marred her features.

The demon-like form Lucien had assumed faded to mist to avoid the boar, coalescing as it passed to rake talons into the creatures back.

Xeric dug his boots into the sand in an attempt to pull Tormay to a safe distance. “Hang onto him Xeric!” Azjah encouraged.

“He helped Andreis...” Tormay shook his head in an attempt to free it of the cob webs.

“No, he didn't. When?” Topaz risked a glance over to Lucien to see if he needed help, but he seemed to have the monster well in hand for now. The board snarled in pain and became mist.

“I don't remember... he bandaged him.” Tormay looked around helplessly. The mist tried to envelop Lucien.

“Topaz, what in the hell is going on?” Xeric loosened his grip slightly, not wanting to hurt the boy.

“The vampyre Lucien is fighting bit Tormay and is controlling him, and Tormay is being eat up from the inside by its poison.” Topaz explained, fervently searching her mind and Lucien’s for anything she could do to stop either.

“He wants me to find Sylvy.” Tormay said with surprise.

The acidic blood of the Vampyre burned as it went ephemeral. A snarl of pain echoed across the beach as Lucien returned to mist. Topaz winced, feeling Lucien’s pain as her own. But scorpions erupting en mass from the sand below, their stingers seeking to sink into Tormay and Xeric, and demanded to be dealt with before she could hope to help Lucien.

The Russian did little more than ignore the scorpions, except for an attempt to lift Tormay's feet off the ground.

“Watch out!” Topaz warned even as she aimed an immolation to seek out and destroy the poisonous arthropods. Now Xeric leapt away from the blast with a curse, taking Tormay with him. Goblins that had run and tumbled into hiding behind the caller's couch and anywhere else they could find safety, now peered out to watch.

Flashes of lightening fired through the swirling mist of Lucien and Sergei. Even in this form the crazed Vampire managed for his acidic blood droplets to seep into Lucien. Topaz instructed whatever sentient magic bits where still floating around unoccupied to become light and attach themselves to the vampyric, oily mist, destroying it.

“He isn't focusing on me anymore, I feel like I am burning.” Tormay fell limp in Xeric's arms and vomited.

Lucien walled off Topaz to prevent her suffering from his pain before he focused his life force at the vampyre, a crack of blue-white light snapped through the mist. It missed the molecules that made up the withered heart of the vampyre, but Lucien hadn't expected to be that lucky with the shot.

Sergei fell out of his mist form, screaming, with a resounding thud, and began to thrash on the ground. Energy crackled in the mist as the vampyre lost the form. Lucien followed suit and landed atop the thrashing figure before he drove his taloned hand into the creatures’ chest.
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“Bloody hell.” Azjah’s voice reached Topaz’s ears. An apt description, the fairy thought.

The vampire thrust his hand into Lucien’s chest. Agony tore through muscle as Lucien’s talons clenched around the heart of the vampyre. And his own chest was now clawed open. It was a race to see who could rip out whose heart first.

“No!” Topaz cried out, but there now was no way she could get close enough to help, and there was still no rapier to use. Crafting one from magic would take too long. ‘Wait, Xeric wasn't using Lucien's.’ Topaz had barely conceived the thought when she flew over to snatch the weapon from Xeric. Only, the man wasn’t holding it anymore. Topaz searched the sand.

“Sorry, I need this.” She didn’t ask for permission as she dove to pick up the blade from where Xeric had dropped it.

“I will have the little one!” Sergei insisted past his thrashing and, ignoring his pain, grasped Lucien’s heart in his cold, boney fist.

Lucien's rapier in hand Topaz flew back to where Sergei and Lucien fought for their lives, aiming the rapier tip with several quick thrusts at Sergei's head and neck, while concentrating on keeping the blade away from Lucien.

“Do not get in the way!” The Vampyre snarled as he swiped a clawed hand at Topaz’s legs, his thrashing increased but keeping his grasp of Lucien’s heart. A flutter of her wings allowed her to keep balance and she didn’t even register the claws breaking skin.

“You get your dirty claws out of my Lucien!” Furiously the rapier tip kept poking into ugly skull.

“If you want someone, take me!” The Russian's eyes turned red and his eye teeth extended rapidly. He threw Tormay behind him and turned to face the other vampire, and made a preternatural lunge at him, striking out.

Finally Sergei let go of Lucien as he tried to fend off the new attackers. Immediately Topaz turned her focus to the sentient magic again, asking them to do for Lucien what others were doing for Tormay, keeping blood flowing and in while keeping stuff that didn’t belong out.

Agony burned in Lucien’s chest as the vampyre's blood seared like acid, but his taloned hand ripped at the heart of the vampyre as he snarled. “I condemn you to death by order of our Prince!”

“No! I must have her!” Sergei flailed wildly, trying to grasp at his heart now in Lucien’s hand.

Lucien threw the withered and blackened heart away from the vampire before he dissolved again in an effort to free himself from the vampyre's grasp.

Topaz sent a telepathic message to Ariel to organize help for healing when she saw the vampyre crawling and clawing his way over the sand in an effort to reach his heart. She aimed Lucien’s rapier and threw it at the creature that had come to kill them all. The next moment the creature lay impaled and pinned to the sand, flailing and screaming.

Lightening crackled a moment overhead. Xeric leaped at the heart with his body just as a blue white knife of power streaked from the sky to incinerate the heart in the sand, burning Xeric as well. Xeric rolled back with gasp as the heart dissolved into ashes.

“Your life ends now,” Lucien gasped through the acid pain. Topaz was at his side an instant later, wrapping an arm around his middle. Her body may be small, but the flutter of her wings could be powerful enough to keep Lucien upright.
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A second bolt of blue white lightening flashed from the sky toward Sergei, his screams choked out as his body was incinerated.

Azjah hopped off the couch and moved toward Xeric.

“I always knew I'd catch something/” Xeric doubled over with a groan as he chuckled.

“Yes, a bolt of lightening from the looks of it.” Azjah knelt down beside him. “And where the devil did those fangs come from??”

Topaz ignored the rest of the conversation from across the beach. Black blood was mixed with Lucien's own as he struggled to remain upright.

“Lucien? What can do?” The sentient magic was not working fast enough and Topaz urged them on. “Tormay's going to die, you need healing, and Gabriel’s aground.”

“I'm sorry.” Somehow Tormay, who should have been unconscious, managed to drag himself over to support Lucien.

“It was not your fault, Tormay.” Topaz said with utter conviction as Lucien staggered toward the edge of trees. Topaz helped him to sit down, propped up against a tree trunk, and sat down next to him. “Can you teach me now? I already can hear Ariel chanting.”

Lucien was bleeding not as badly as he should be, but badly enough. He doesn't waste effort on speech. ~First mix rich soil with saliva, pack the wound.~

“Arky!” Tormay swayed on his feet, seeing the Crystals pulsing just ahead, calling to him with sweet chimes. Blood still dripped from his back, but considerably less now.

Luckily there was plenty of earth right where they sat, perhaps with a bit of sand, but it should be rich enough with magic, seeing as it was Twilight Isle she was using to pack the wound with, after spitting at it, of course. She had watched often enough to know how to mix the soil and how to pack the wound.

~See to your son~ Lucien closed his eyes. Tormay hummed to the singing Crystals and then collapsed where he stood and passed out.

“I don't know how.” Topaz said with utter despair.

~Bind his wounds, we will drive out the poison later, stop his bleeding~

“The fae magic is doing that.” There was a spark of hope. Perhaps he was not yet condemned to death. The blood visible on Tormay was congealing and no fresh red blood seeped out now that he lay motionless. Topaz had the impression Lucien nodding. “They also will separate and expel the vampire blood, but they can't do anything against what is already bound to his cells or the damage already done.”

Lucien kept up the barrier that kept Topaz from feeling the full extend of his pain as the vampyre's blood continues to poison him.

“You have to teach me now.” Topaz demanded with urgency. She would brook no argument on this from him now and would attempt the Carpathian way of healing with or without his help. She would not lose him without a fight. Already she picked Lucien's mind to learn how to become his kind of light and energy.
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~If I let you in, you will feel the burn my love.~

“Thanks for the warning. Rather that than losing you and having Sylvy have to fend for herself.” Even now he was concerned for her level of comfort, and while she loved him even more for it, she also was annoyed with him that he would waste precious energy on such shielding. “There's no Topaz without Lucien.”

~You have to focus Topaz, if you lose your focus from pain or distraction, you can be trapped, or partially reformed, you cannot allow anything to interrupt your focus.~

“I can do that.” Or so she hoped. While she could not shield from pain the way Lucien did, she could let it flow through her without allowing it to distract. “It may help if you stopped shielding me ahead of time.”

The shield lowered slightly and intense burning ensued. Topaz allowed his pain to flow through her, being part of her.

“So far so good.” Lucien should shut down his heart and breathing, but she needed his guidance.

~Focus on becoming light, energy, let the body drift away, keep it in your mind as you do shape shifting~

That part was easy enough. Topaz shifted and became light and energy. It was different from being fairy light, but not completely so. Then she flowed into Lucien. Time ceased to exist while she moved as light and energy through Lucien and sought out what was broken.

From her previous experience, she knew that Lucien could not see what she would, but she felt him in her mind and she heard Ariel's voice chanting, and some other voices that she didn't know.

Twinkles of minute bits sparked almost everywhere that she turned her focus to, but there was one area of concentration. Topaz recognized the fae magic and it practically lit the way to the center of the damage. ‘From the inside out’ she either remembered or made one of Lucien’s thoughts her own and decided to go after a little sparkles later, focusing the part of her that now was energy on the center of the damage.

The damage was less than she had feared, more than she had hoped for, and absolutely daunting. The vampyre had driven talons deeply into Lucien's thoracic cavity. He had managed to tear the pulmonary artery and the aortic arch. There were bits of poison already multiplying and spreading from where the talons had torn the blood vessels and shredded the cardiac sac.

Something else was inside Lucien besides her, a healing energy. The presence surprised Topaz but she refused to let it distract her focus. The sentient magic floated away from the earthy energy (soil?) even as it augmented Topaz’s focused energy. With wonder she witnessed cells grow and knit together.

When one vessel or muscle tear appeared as whole as if it had never been damaged she focused the energy on the next broken bit. The task seemed as endless as the harmonious sound of chanting voices.

~Child of the forest~ It was a sense, definitely not a voice. ~Child of the earth~ Or perhaps it was a gentle touch. Something akin to confidence came with it and she felt less like she was merely stumbling about. At some point while Topaz moved slowly through Lucien, spiraling further and further away from his heart and leaving healthy tissue behind she knew the other energy to be Mother Earth.
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