“So let me get this straight,” Iliana grumbled, kneading at his forehead. “A strange sort of Tundra-“
“A Gaoler,” Tamika corrected him.
“Fine, a Gaoler. They come smashing through the barrier fighting a Skydancer and a river flight that he claims to be
infested by the
Shade.”
“It’s not unheard of; there are several cases in the archives of dragons and beasts who got taken over by the Shade,” Tamika said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“That was
centuries ago. The Shade was destroyed,” he argued.
“Not according to the Gaoler,” Tamika snipped back.
“And why should we take his word for it?” Iliana countered.
“Because he was
just fighting Shade-infested creatures?!” Tamika spat in exasperation.
“He attacked a Skydancer that’s still basically a hatchling!” he snapped back, motioning pointedly to the other side of the menagerie. Vayne was there, crouched over the small form of the young Skydancer which had been laid on a large cushion Iliana had scavenged from a nearby storage closet. The Imperial had been withdrawn since they had come in, concentrating solely on the Skydancer, her claws glowing with healing magic.
“She was being controlled by the Shade!” Tamika quipped at Iliana. “Before it left her, anyway.”
“How do you know that? Did you
see the Shade?” he challenged.
“It was the Shade,” a quiet voice interrupted them. They both looked to see Vayne straighten and sigh, though she didn’t turn to address them. “The group I was with previously – the Shadowbound – they lost one of theirs to it.”
“Seriously?” Tamika gasped. She nodded.
“I wasn’t there when it happened, so I don’t know any details, but I heard the story.”
“… So if it was the Shade, why weren’t you fighting?” Iliana asked rather brusquely. Vayne visibly winced and Tamika shot him a reproachful look.
“I imagine it was scary – things like this happen really fast. Right, Vayne?”
“She was trained to be the Library’s protector; I would assume that included combat training,” Iliana muttered.
Tamika opened her mouth to retaliate, but Vayne cut in, saying, “No, Tami. He’s right. I was given combat training, but…” She let out another breath, drawing a claw over her face. “I don’t know… I guess I never thought I’d use it.” She shook her head as if trying to dislodge something. “No – I didn’t want to use it. Instead, I focused on my healing… I thought that would be all I needed. I mean – this is just a library, not a military outpost.”
An uncomfortable silence followed her words. Tamika was at a loss for what to say for once, only able to gaze at her friend with a mix of pity and guilt. She knew exactly how she felt, too. Growing up, the Library had been safe, full, wonderous. One could almost forget about the dark mist outside the spell shield; it had just been a feature, nothing more. Now the halls were empty, and a cold dread seemed to have seeped into the very walls, the threat of the Shade lingering just outside the door. It was hardly the Library Tamika remembered from her hatchlinghood, no matter how much she wished it was. She couldn’t help but recall all the things she had described in her letters to Vayne; all the best parts that used to make the Library so incredible, so alive. Now it all seemed wrong, almost like a lie.
“… Why didn’t you take her to the medical wing? There’s going to be more supplies to treat her with there than here,” Iliana’s voice cut into her thoughts. Coming back to reality, Tamika gazed from him to Vayne, who finally took her eyes away from the Skydancer to look at them.
“… I didn’t know where it was at, and I didn’t want to move her too far,” she mumbled.
“OH! I’m sorry – I could take you there now? Can she be moved?” Tamika jumped in, her anxious voice echoing in the large room. The Skydancer twitched, but didn’t wake.
“Ah – yes, she can be moved. Thankfully, she wasn’t terribly injured by the ice, being a Fire dragon, so her other wounds are healing well… mostly, she’s just malnourished. We’ll need to get her some food for when she wakes. Is the, ah, medical wing close to the Radi- my quarters?”
“Pretty close, yeah. Why?” Tamika asked. Then she smacked a claw to her forehead and said, “So you can keep an eye on her, right! Yeah, it’s a level down and off to the right when coming from your room. Not far at all.”
Vayne nodded thoughtfully, then reached down to gently pick up the young dragon. “Lead the way.”
Tamika jumped up and left, making sure she was following. Vayne didn’t complain when she took the short way up the stairs by flying, going toward the left into the second largest tower. The medical wing wasn’t massive, but it was certainly expansive enough with just the three of them there. Tamika ran to get some basic supplies – bandages and antibiotics, mostly – and rushed back to give them to Vayne who was settling the Skydancer into a bed.
“Thank you, Tamika,” the Imperial said, seeming much more relaxed than before as she spread out the medicines and things on a nearby table to assess what was there. “Now, can you run and bring something up from the kitchens? I’d go myself, but-“
“I haven’t shown you where they are yet, I know,” the Pearlcatcher said hurriedly. “It’s alright, I’ll go get her something!”
She scurried out quick as she may, taking flight to make good time. She went straight to the pantry, taking only a few moments to pick over the food that remained. A twist of worry wound itself in her gut; they weren’t out of food, by any means, but there wasn’t as much left as she thought. Seems she would have to put her gardening skills to a greater test than she had expected. Pushing this out of her mind for the moment, she grabbed up some dried insects and a jar of honey (who didn’t like crickets in honey?) and hurried back up the tower.
She was moving so quickly she almost rammed right into Vayne. The Imperial seemed to have come out of the medical ward and was standing on the landing, staring at her with wide eyes.
“Tamika!” she gasped, obviously startled. There was a fearful edge to her voice that gave the Pearlcatcher pause.
“Vayne? Are you ok? Did something happen?” she asked, landing beside her friend and gazing around wildly. Nothing seemed to be amiss, however, except for the way Vayne fidgeted uncomfortably.
“It’s just- I thought I heard-“ she began, then paused, shaking her head. “It’s… nevermind. You, ah, you brought food. Good. Come in and set it on the table.”
“Ok…” Tamika mumbled, trailing after her. Inside the ward, she noticed that Vayne had dragged a larger bed over nearer to the Skydancer. The Imperial wandered off as she set down the food, returning with a blanket.
“Are you staying here?” she asked her quizzically.
“Yes,” Vayne answered, crawling into the bed. “Just until she’s better; I don’t want to leave her until then…”
Tamika nodded. “I understand. I’ll see you later, then, ok?”
Vayne murmured an agreement and Tamika trotted back to the door. Before she could get far, Vayne called out to stop her.
“Tami… you’re sure that we’re the only ones here, right? In the Library? That everyone else really is gone?”
“… Yes?” the Pearlcatcher replied, perplexed. “Just us- well, there’s five dragons now, and the Light Wardens. The longnecks mainly stay downstairs though, you won’t see them much. Anyway, why do you ask?”
Vayne shook her head. “It’s nothing, sorry. You can go, I won’t hold you up any longer.”
Tamika blinked, watching as the Imperial turned away, nestling down into the bed with her eyes trained on the Skydancer. She wavered a moment, but then left since it seemed to be what Vayne wanted. All the way to the garden, though, a curiosity ate at her.
What had Vayne heard?
_______________
