Chapter Ten - Discovery
Neal was awakened the next morning by an odd tickling feeling in his left ear. He frowned – the sun was rising into his face – rolled over.
The tickling feeling persisted.
Without opening his eyes, he cast his hand out and came in contact someone's face. Covering Skye's mouth with his hand, he muttered, "Stop blowing in my ear."
"I will if you wake up," she retorted, albeit somewhat muffled as his hand was still obstructing her face.
He rolled over again to face her. "There, I'm awake. Now may I go back to sleep?"
She grinned, and kissed his nose. "No. You're very boring when you're asleep."
He glared at her in mock anger, and gently brushed her chin with his fist. "Forgive me. I shall try to be better company in my sleep from here onwards. How do you suggest I entertain you?"
She kissed him again, this time hard on the lips. "Like that," she informed him pertly.
"Hmm. I'm not sure I can do that while sleeping."
"Well, we'll just have to practise then."
Skye stretched, feeling as relaxed and limber as a kitten, and slid out of the bed. "I'm getting dressed – you should too."
"Of course."
Only, when she returned after finding fresh clothes and washing her face, he was asleep again. She sighed, and let him sleep. He'd been working too hard recently, trying to find a cure for the plague that continued to afflict the population of New Hope, trying to isolate the cause of the disease, trying to assure himself that nothing would happen to Commander who also happened to be his best friend.
She would see what she could do on her own, and wake him only when he was needed.
It was when he told her what he had sensed in his patients that she realised the true malevolence of whoever had done this.
It was one thing for people to kill each other in frenzy on the battlefield – though as a healer she had always had trouble justifying even that. She knew too well the devastation and suffering that followed the fighting - the suffering that was never mentioned in the ballads of the heroic deeds and adventure and bravery of war.
But this was entirely different. For someone to hate a people so much that he, or she, would send a plague like this, a plague that struck man and woman, young and old alike - this was true evil. Another evil those ballads never mentioned.
"It's not so bad, really," Neal said, seeing the look on Skye's face. "Now that we know where the sickness is coming from, we know how to battle it. It's no wonder our quarantines did no good. Whatever mage sent this plague wasn't bothered by the fact that we trying to keep all the sick people in one building – he just kept hitting anyone he could with it. And – "
"How do we stop it?"
Neal sighed deeply, and she could see the strain he'd been living with for the past week surface in his eyes. "If we can trace the plague with magic, then we should be able to discern the location of the mage who's sending it."
"And then?"
"And then, I'm not sure. Stop him, somehow, I suppose."
"How?"
"I don't know!" Neal ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. "I'm a healer, not a war mage. I can't conjure. I can't See. I can't blow this mage up when, if we find him. I'm not even sure I can trace the location when all I have to go on is the traces of the spell he used to send the plague!"
Skye bit her lip. She hadn't meant to set him off again. And her magic was even more restricted than his. She may have had proper University training, but he'd trained with the Lioness. His experience was much broader than hers. If only –
"What if we got help?" she questioned, her mind searching desperately for a solution.
"From who? There's no one nearby with a Gift stronger than mine. If my father were here, or Master Salmalín, or even the Lioness, they could help. But no one's close enough, and I don't know how much longer those who are sick will last." By the end of the last sentence, his voice had dropped to a whisper, his head bowed. He couldn't stand the thought, especially of Kel…
Skye rubbed her temples, deep in thought. "There are others – other mages here."
"Hedgewitches. Midwives."
"The Rider groups all have a mage."
"But none of them have strong magic – not strong enough for what we need."
Skye forced herself to hold in her own frustration and think harder. Neal may have had more field experience, but she had done more research in her time at the University. While he had been out with the Lioness, she had been writing papers on healing theory, had had access to vast libraries. She must have read something, somewhere, that would help them now. And then it came to her, "A coven."
Neal looked up at her. "What?"
"A group of mages –seven, usually- who combine their magic. You could have the Sight of one mage, and the larger Gift of another, and when they're combined in the coven magic it's as if they're the same magic."
Neal looked up hopefully. "We need seven?"
Skye nodded.
"You ask the Riders who they've got; I'll ask the refugees. Meet me back here with whoever you find in an hour."
Author's Note –
Er, I suppose I should start by apologising – I'm sorry I've been so long in updating this! The muses abandoned me, and I lacked inspiration. To be frank, I considered abandoning this for awhile, but I despise people who abandon their fics for no good reason, and I didn't want to have to despise myself, so there you go.
The Stump, Thank you so much for your review on this! It was the first one I'd had in some time, and it really encouraged me to update.
lupusregina, Don't worry about it, I'm very easily distracted too. Ooh look, something shiny… ::wanders away mumbling::
PsychoLioness13, Oh dear god, was the last time I updated this at my birthday? I hadn't realised it had been since October…thanks for the birthday wishes, though. I'm sixteen now, so I'm all grown up 'n stuff. ::grins::
Starlit Niphredil, I speeled it write!! ::snort::
Atlanta Enchanted, I haven't stopped, despite all appearances. :P
Wake-Robin, Well, this chapter is longer, so I hope that makes up for it. I had lotsa time over the holidays, so went update-crazy.
Helkardowen, ::squees:: Thank you!
dreamerdoll, I'm actually, er, not quite sure what he was going to say myself – that's why I left it out. Heh.
KeeperofthePineNeedles, Thanks so much for the encouragement.
Parcheezie, No, no swim-team, why do you ask? I do run cross-country though, it's great fun.
And of course,
fantasyfan, I still don't know what I'd do without you. Even if you're the only one still reading this, at least I have you. :D Cheers!