The Price of Failure, Neelkan's Arches

Summary: Using the trap that Neelkan carried to Jaramide in hopes of
stopping Graendal against him, the young Gaidin finds himself facing
something similar to the Arches the Accepted must go through.

Players:
Neelkan - Young Gaidin to the Amyrlin Seat, supposed woman hater, but that
facade is slowly dying with his character history.
Graendal

Emitters:
Kaomi
Zaidah

07/26/2001

Graendal's Chambers, The Citadel, Jaramide

        Through the graceful latticed doorways you enter into what can only
be a kind of paradise. Like most rooms in the Citadel, this room is
circular, and domed. In the center of the room is an enormous, round bed,
surrounded by a gauzy red curtain that doesn't really do much to obscure
the view either in or out, and is purely for aesthetic pleasure. The bed
itself is on a raised dais with two steps up to it, as if the owner
intended to be in display while laying in it. Other interesting things
about the room: there is a waterfall instead of a bath, with water that
runs perpetually hot. The pool is not only large enough to actually swim
in, it is surrounded by plant life like some tropical vista. Even the side
of the wall it is against looks like a cliff face with rocks jutting out in
a very visually pleasing manner.

        Of course she has a collection of beauties here as well, gorgeous
men and women wearing next to nothing are strewn about the room like
ragdolls, but these are more than just decoration. These can also serve as
attendants and they are very quick to rush forward with a towel or a drink,
or... well... anything Graendal could possibly want. While most of the room
is very well lit, the back of it is strangely dark, so dark in fact that
it's impossible to see into from without. Servants can be seen going in and
bringing things out of it such as food or drink, leading one to believe
that the Chosen chooses to keep that part hidden simply because she does
not want to look at it. Couches and pillows lie about, artfully strewn
around the ivory floor.


It's just one nice surprise after another isn't it for the poor abused
little red-head. He's taken from the cell down in the Hall of Blood, but...
as they say... out of the frying pan and into the fire. Graendal waits,
reclining lazily as she watches a little show being put on for her
amusement. I'm sure we can all guess what kind of show it is. She looks up
as the door opens and Neelkan is brought in, smiling. "I have no more use
for this... so I thought I might as well return it to you." Without further
adieu... she channels the bracelet over to him, and onto his wrist, barely
giving him time to be surprised.

Time to kill him? Might be merciful after all the things he's been going
through the last few weeks. Sure, none of his life has been a picnic, but
the last few weeks have been worse than usual. And that's the sugar-coated
version. Neelkan raises his eyebrows at the show being given and barely
resists the urge to comment on it. Barely. And since almost immediately the
bracelets move to him, his only response to the greeting at the fact that
something was placed on his wrist is for his eyebrows to lower, and him to
start to say, "What the bloody...?"

The bracelet tightens like a vise, and begins to glow. And then...Neelkan
is falling. The room is falling away in a curtain of mist, and your head
starts to spin. You hear a voice. Kaomi's voice, in your head. It says,
simply, "The first time is for what was." That is all the warning you get,
before...

Before the memory of Jaramide falls away. Instead, you are crouched in a
sewer, Denn'ryiel behind you. You're both covered in muck, and both
exhausted. Neither of you has eaten in days. You escaped the prisons of
Cubiyari'Shain, but now it is time to escape the Fort itself. There was
another Aes Sedai with you, Verbena, but she covered your escape. The last
thing you saw before leaving the prisons was the guards cutting her down,
buying your freedom in blood, and sealing the first of your failures. You
still have the blood of the woman you promised to protect smeared and
spattered across the bridge of your nose, dripping down your cheeks like
bright scarlet tears. Blood and shit. You're beginning to suspect that
those two things are all the world truely consists of.

Keeping his breathing steady, Neelkan glances back to check on Denn'ryiel
and offer a small nod to her. It's the most he can offer of reassurance.
It's as much as he can give. His hands raise slowly from the muck; slow to
avoid causing too much sound. He waves his hand in the direction they need
to go, pointing two fingers. It's an old thing he had during his days as a
bandit, but it isn't too complicated for her to understand. And they
shouldn't risk talking too much. It might give them away. Once he's sure
she knows what direction they'll be heading, he offers the same hand back
to her, then starts to move. He can't keep his eyes on her and the tunnels
at the same time, but he can at least hold on to her until they're out.

Denn'ryiel is not one to argue, she follows every one of Neelkan's
instructions, features tense. But then you hear a rushing sound from behind
you, somewhere. Water, flooding in where it should not be. It was proceeded
by a sharp sound, like something bursting. "That...sounds bad," Denn says
softly. She can't channel yet, the tied off shield upon her so complicated
that it will take her days, if not weeks, to work through the bloody thing.
"We'd better find a way out of here, fast." A few more of the bursting
sounds. Luckily...about two minutes back you spotted a way up. The question
is, can you get there in time, will it actually be open, and where will you
pop out?

Oh... bloody... not water. Neelkan closes his eyes for a few moments.
Anything but water. Give him a room full of fucking /fire/ over water any
day. His breathing is no longer quite as steady as it was, but he opens his
eyes and starts moving. His fingers tighten on her hand, and his knuckles
would be turning white if they could be seen under the muck. "We'll get
outta 'ere. Blood 'n ashes." He swears softly. Anything but water. Flaming
goat livers. Skewered pigs. Give him a male Foresaken in a seethrough dress
over water!

It splashes upwards as you run. You can see the ladder, now, that will lead
up. And you can hear the water even better, roaring in your ears. No male
Forsaken in see through dresses arrive to save you.

There is a valve that might allow you to open the hatch, but hatch and
valve alike are rather rusty. They're constantly wet. Go figure. Beneath
the ladder, right under you, you can see a white doorway, shaped like an
arch, appear. It stares out at you like a baleful eye.

Denn'ryiel's hand tightens on yours. "Just don't leave me," she whispers.
"Just stay with me."

Archway? Where'd that come...

Neelkan shakes his head. Bloody Light, he's seeing things now. "I'm not
gonna leave ya, but... shit." He tries to get the valve to move, but this
is not a one-hand job, especially considering how little he's hand a chance
to get food in his belly and his muscles worked. "I need both m' hands.
Hold on t' m' shirt, a'right?" As soon as he's finished talking, he
reluctently let goes of her hand and reaches up to try and push on the
valve. "Bloody... fucking... Light..."

Squeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaak. It budges, but only a little bit. "Neelkan..." Water
starts pouring into the tunnel: cold, slimy. It sprays up on you and swirls
around Denn clear up to her neck. She clutches at your shirt, nearly
dragging you back in with her, then thinks better of it and hangs on to
what she can of the ladder instead. The arch flickers a little, and begins
to fade. Kaomi being the oh so compassionate person she is, she designed
these things to offer their chances in much less time than they offer
Accepted candidates.

Bloody fucking... Neelkan looks up at the valve, then at the rising water.
The Archway comes into his sight again. What is...? Why is it flickering?
And the valve isn't budging. If he had something to pry it with.. like a
metal pipe or something... bloody ashes. "Light... Denn... I..." What is he
supposed to do? What... how can he..? Bloody ashes. There's nothing he can
do. Does she see the archway? Is it even /there?/ Where does it lead? For a
moment that seems much longer to him then it actually is, he looks at Denn.
Then he lets go of the valve and drops down into the water and sewage. His
head comes back up with a loud gasp and he pushes his way towards the arch
and through it.

"Neelkan!" Denn'ryiel screams. "No! Please!" And that's the last you hear.
Its fading, and your world is spinning...Graendal's chambers come back into
view for just a moment in a haze of flesh and perfume, and then once again
you are falling. You hear, "The second is for what is..." and then...

Your wig itches terribly, as does the fake mustache you're using. Having
successfully infiltrated Jaramide, you stand in a ballroom full of swirling
colors and drunken people hoping to find some word or sign of Raeth.
Kaomi's a worried, stressed out knot in the back of your mind, though it
is, as always, glazed over by the iron coldness she uses to keep it all off
her face and body. Suddenly two people are cut in half by a swath of golden
light, falling where they danced. Everyone ignores them, except one
debauched soul who only complains about the fact that his outfit has been
ruined by the blood.

People. Here. Are. Sick.

Neelkan muses that silently in his mind. And for some reason, in the back
of his mind he has some thought that he was supposed to be doing something.
What was it? And why does he suddenly think of Denn, who should, hopefully,
be safe at the Tower. Neelkan shakes it off as the damn wig he's having to
wear infecting his brain with it's presense on his head. Since no one else
is reacting to what happened, he tries not to either, but it's more
difficult for him than most. One of the couple was a woman... An evil
woman, but still... It's not just something he can shrug off. In a attempt
to cover up his disgust and regret, he mutters softly, in a faked accent,
"Now that area is going to be slippery."

Well, the ploy seems to work, because certainly nobody looks at you. A
woman comes striding through the gateway, a cloak just barely covering her
features. But someone seems to know who she is. "Star!" comes the jovial
call from the back of the room, and the High Judge Marcalles comes sweeping
forward, a large grin on his face. "I'm back, my love," she says softly,
and her voice is...maddeningly familiar. He picks her up, swings her around
in a swirl of brown hair, and then promptly -- and graphically -- kisses
her, once again momentarily concealing her face.

A voice he knows? Neelkan's eyes look towards the woman who dashed out,
watching her and the High Judge kiss. He frowns, unable to make out a face,
but... the voice. He knows that voice. Or at least, he thinks he does. He
starts to move around the dance hall, trying his best not to bump into
anyone, lest he lose his delicate disguise. Or even just piss off the wrong
person. Which would be worse than losing his wig. But his curiousity, and
the tug of that voice, draw him closer, to wear he can get a better look at
the High Judge's love.

It is then that your sister Aidou breaks the kiss, and holds out a package
to Marcalles. Or, at least...she starts to. She meets your eye, and a spark
of recognition flares there. She freezes as if worried, and then...shakes
it off. She decides it is not you because you are plain and simple not
supposed to be there, and you don't look like yourself after all. "I've
brought you a gift, my love," she says, turning her attention back to
Marcalles. Marc lifts his eyebrows at her and looks over to you as well,
tilting his head. He puts an arm around her shoulders and squeezes,
possessively, not wishing for anything to interfere with his possession. Is
she a willing pawn or did he do something to her?

She freezes, he freezes. Only Neelkan can't shake it off. What is she...?
How did she...? Is she some kind of a spy? Would Kaomi use a new Aes Sedai
for something like that? She wouldn't just... Is she being manipulated?
Kaomi was worried about compulsion... did someone get to her? Why is she
kissing him!? Then, the most startling thing hits him. She just killed two
people. His sister has never been the most gentle person in the world
but... and they were bad people! but... they were people... And she didn't
even look down to notice there was blood on the floor. She didn't even...
Neelkan feels like he's going to be sick, and it isn't just from watching
his sister and a guy. (Though that certainly doesn't help.) He turns
quickly and starts to move towards the exit, not even bothering to mutter
apologies to people be bumps into. In fact, he bumps into them rather
forcefully. So forcefully that his wig comes a little undone, and a few
locks of his real hair peek out on a side.

As it happens Aidou happened to glance back at him at that moment, and she
gasps, sharply. But she doesn't give you away now that she knows who you
are. Well, at least not on purpose. Marcalles just laughs softly. "Oh, the
little Master Gaidin," he murmurs. Her face falls. He spins her around and
says, "Well /played/, Aidou." The whole room freezes. He starts to clap.
Slowly, sarcastically. Clap, clap, clap, ringing out into the dance hall.
"/Well/ played. You used your influence with me to ferry spies in here. I
know who works for the Dark in your pathetic city and who doesn't, and
/that/ is one of that hussy Amyrlin's Gaidin. But of course, you couldn't
leave your family ties behind for love of me, could you? Tsk." And then,
Aidou turns white. He has done...something.

Neelkan stops in his trek towards the exit, his shoulder touching someone's
arm. What is that stupid little man talking about? Could he try to make it
to the door? Or was his sister really a spy and he broke her cover?
Bloody... He could try to make it to the door. Probably die trying, but he
could try. But instead he turns around, looking back towards the man and
his sister. His hand reaches up and pulls off the wig. He hated the bloody
thing anyway. He manages a mild grin, then throws the wig like a disk
towards the High Judge, before he says, "Leave 'er outta 'is. I don't e'en
know why she's 'ere, but it has nothin' t' d' with m'." If she's
undercover, he might be able to save her trouble. If she's not... well...
she's his sister. He'll do whatever he can to protect her.

A white arch opens up right in the middle of the dance hall, though this
one does not kill. People ignore it like its not there, but you can see it.
You can see it all too clearly. "And why are you here, little Gaidin?"
Marcalles asks, with a jovial smile and a tone that can only be described
as 'tolerant.' "Do talk fast." A flick of his wrist and Aidou is lifted
about three feet into the air, grabbing her throat as if she's suddenly
choking.

The archway catches the corner of his eyes, but his attention is
immediately pulled back to his sister, "Wait! Don't!" He starts to move
forward, pushing past a few people. People he shoves so hard they might
have broken something if they landed wrong, "I'm just 'ere on recon, 'at's
it! Blood 'n ashes, let 'er go!" For someone who was calling her 'my
love'... Bloody Light, Aidou seems to have the /worst/ taste in men. Must
be her charm.

"What will you do, then, little Gaidin, to see her let go?" Marcalles says
with a laugh. He reaches out and kisses her lips even as she begins to
thrash and turn blue. He lets up on her, a little, giving her a split
second to grab for air before he starts this torture, this slow death, up
again. The archway flickers, threatens to go out. "What will you give? All
life is a bargain, a game, little Neelkan. I don't do anything for free."

Bloody... bloody Light. He can't just... what can he give? Himself? He'd
give himself in an instant! But... no, he can't do that. Zaidah... Kaomi...
they need him alive. They need him... And there's so much he still has to
do. So much he still /needs/ to do. He can't... This isn't a fair choice.
But there's nothing he can do. He can't protect her. He couldn't protect
Verbena. He couldn't protect Espi. He couldn't protect Denn. Neelkan
watches his sister, then mutters softly, "I'm sorry." Closing his eyes, he
breaks into a blind run towards the Arch, as it appears to be the only way
he can get out. But at what price... No matter the price. The failure and
betrayal (his own in this case) is almost more than he can bare.

Again, for an instant, Graendal's bedchamber is visible, before a flash of
light blinds you and you are once again back in the arches.

The sound of a familiar voice singing softly guides you down, down the cold
stone steps into the darkness below. The gentle light of candles beackons
you around the coner at the bottom of the stairs, and intermingled with the
singing is the familiar sound of a whet stone scraping against steel.
Someone is sharpening a dagger down there. "There are two of me. One does
the right thing, one cannot see." As you turn the corner, Zaidah is
standing there with her back to you. She is facing a stone altar, the
source of the candlight as a figure is completely surrounded by the glowing
sticks of wax. "Standing back to back. Who is the strong one in the last
act? Every path I take, Road I go down. Choices I make. Take me right
between, Patches of light and darkness in me." The figure on the altar is
difficult to see. But yes, it does appear to be female. Her face is hidden
in the flickering shadows, but if she sees you... she doesn't give you
away. "We have to keep a watch on our shadows. Every move, they secretly
make. We try to be so close to heaven. But then our shadows, they run away.
They pull us away." Zaidah sings cheerfully, as if she wasn't about to
carve up a turkey for dinner and not... a human being. She glances from the
dagger, and then reaches down to touch the woman on the head, smiling
softly. "Don't worry lover. I'm not going to hurt them. I just... want
another chance at a happy life. You want to give me that, right?" There is
no answer... probably because whoever it is, is gagged.

Normally, upon hearing the voice of Zaidah singing, Neelkan would offer up
a smile. Not so this time. There's no smile touching his lips. He's
determined. The sound of the knife sharpening only makes his determination
more steeled. He moves as silently as possible, approaching her slowly.
Closer... closer... All he has to do is get close enough before she
notices.

The eyes, of the woman chained to the altar catch yours and they're so
afraid. Big, brown eyes... one just barely missed by a scar that runs down
her left cheek. Zaidah pauses as she leans over the woman on the altar and
slowly glances back over her shoulder. She smiles. "Neelkan." Yes, she
finally learned his name in this world. "Well this is a little... awkward
isn't it? Don't worry, pumpkin. I have a little present in case of just
such an occurance." She touches a necklace around her throat and there is a
flash of white light which forms into a barrier around herself an the
altar. Zaidah on the altar screams through her gag and throws herself at
the chains and her double sighs softly, shaking her head. She walks around
the altar and dips her finger in a small cup, making a dot of red liquid
upon the chained one's forhead. Blood, and the bandage on her arm says that
it's her own blood. Kind of strange... but then this whole thing is
strange. "You have no idea how much you have... how much you throw away."
She glances up at Neelkan... and smiles. "He's not my Vic... but I've
seen... how much he loves you. So I might as well take my chances... don't
you think? I'll take good care of him, I promise..." She slowly lifts the
dagger and the real Zaidah, your Zaidah goes very still, eyes flicking from
the dagger to the red-head. So afraid... "Your life... for mine. Your
soul... for mine. Shayol Ghul isn't that bad my dear... or so I hear. Every
new beginning demands a sacrifice."

The archway opens once again, gently calling to you with it's brilliant
light, and a crack forms in the shield... but neither Zaidah seems to
notice either. Time... with just a little time... maybe you can get
through... maybe you can stop her...

This time, Neelkan completely ignores the archway. He sees it, but it isn't
important. He can't fail again. "Don't do this! You don't have to do this!
Please, burn it!" He jumps forward and pounds on the barrier. "You're not
that different from her! Please, I know you're not." His fist pounds, and
the crack is noticed. He doesn't stop yelling, and he certainly doesn't
stop pounding. If she doesn't think anything is wrong with the barrier,
than she won't have a reason to look back and see the crack. He can do
this. He can get through. He can save her. Light, he won't leave her again.
Especially not this her.

Zaidah pauses, dagger still raised. She tilts her head to the side slightly
and laughs. "What, you're saying you'd accept me with her still around? I
think not, pumpkin. When I'm through though... you'll never know the
difference." She must have more tricks up her sleeve. The crack widens and
still she doesn't notice it. Just a few more well placed poundings and you
might be able to squeeze through... and still the gate calls to you. "This
is for the best..." She looks down and then slams the dagger into the
Other's stomach, drawing a strangled scream from her. It certainly doesn't
kill her instantly though. No, this was to be a slow... painful death.

"ZAI!!!!!" Neelkan yells loudly, a scream torn out of him. His eyes close.
His heart races. "I." His fist pounds against the barrier. Hard. "Won't."
Again. "Let." Blood begins to trinkle down his fist, smeering on the
barrier as he continues to pound his bleeding hand over the crack. "You."
He doesn't finish. The barrier cracks under the last blow. His fist slips
through. So far that his elbow is all the way in before he can stop
himself. With his arm inside, he reaches in as far as he can and grabs at
Zaidah. The Other Zaidah. Anything he can grab. Then he jerks her towards
him, and towards what's remaining of the barrier. The archway? It isn't
important. The only thing that matters to him now is saving her.

Zaidah gasps as she is jerked towards the barrier, but as her necklaces
touches it, she screams and crackles of energy flow into her. Her screams
echo in your ears, as the flashes of light blind your eyes.. but when the
spots clear... she hangs limp from your grasp. The barrier is gone, and the
real Zaidah still lies bleeding, chained and gagged to the altar. The
archway... is gone. All that remains is the darkness and the flicker of
candles, and a dying woman.

The archway is forgotten. It wasn't important in saving Zai, so it wasn't
important at all. Neelkan blinks his eyes as his vision clears, and his
hand releases the Other Zaidah, unceremonily. He doesn't even check if
she's alive or dead. But he does make sure that the knife is removed from
her hand, if it isn't still in Zaidah. He moves over to the alter, blood
from his fist mingling with the blood coming from her. "Zai? Zai... Just
lay still a moment. I need t' slow the bleeding, 'en I can get ya free 'n
I'll take ya t' a healer. Yer gonna b' just fine. I'll never leave ya." As
he says that. He reaches over and pulls the gag out of her mouth and uses
that to cover the wound, pushing it in as much as he can to secure her
insides and stop the bleeding. He's going to have to move her, so he can't
be completely gentle about this. He needs the wound filled if he's going to
have any chance to get her to a healer without the internal bleeding
killing her.

Graendal arches an eyebrow as he doesn't come too. "Interesting..." So he
didn't make it... and this is the result... fascinating. "I think
perhaps... we can return our dear Lady Amyrlin her Gaidin now..." She's
going to laugh when Kaomi realizes that her own trick was used against
her... rather successfully Graendal might add. Two Night Bringers step
forward... and slowly drag Neelkan from the room.

Zaidah gasps for breath as the gag is removed from her mouth and winces as
he uses it to fill her wound. She doesn't know what to say. She could still
die, and... there are so many things she wants to say to him but... but...
he just killed someone... a -woman- even... for her, and her mind is trying
desperately to wrap itself around that fact. Granted... it was an
accident... sort of. "Neelkan... oh Light." She winces. "I'm sorry. I'm
so..." but talking hurts... breathing hurts... existing hurts. But she's
-got- to hang on. It wouldn't be fair... leave him like this... at least
they're still inside the Tower. "Don't leave..." she whispers. But is she
talking to him, or to herself? "Don't ever... leave..."

"Never." Neelkan pauses long enough to press a kiss against her lips. Then
he gets to work unchaining her. He killed someone... He killed a woman. He
killed Zaidah. But he didn't have a choice. He knows that. It was that
Zaidah, or his. Would he do it again? If his Zaidah survives this, yes. He
would do it again. Once he has the chains undone, he says, "Don't talk.
Moving you is risky enough as it is..." But he doesn't have much a choice.
No one else knows where to look. He can't just wait here and watch her die
when he can take her to someone who can help. And he isn't going to leave
her alone there to fetch someone either.

Zaidah closes her eyes as he kisses her, and nods, a grimace on her face as
she tries not to focus on the pain. Why didn't she ever learn the Void? But
she doesn't really want it. Right now her love for him... is the only thing
keeping her alive. When her hands are freed she brings one up to hold the
cloth inside her stomach. It hurts but... if it will keep her from bleeding
to death... keep her from leaving him... then she'll suffer. Outside the
basement... the halls are empty. Where have all the Sedai gone? Perhaps the
upper levels will yield more results...

Blood and ashes. Right now he'd settle for a /Novice/. But he looks around
and sees no one. Much less no one to help. Neelkan whispers softly. "I love
you." And kisses her head as he keeps walking. He doesn't move very fast.
Running would only jar her around and increase the bleeding. He moves as
fast as he can /without/ running. Helps to have fairly long legs. "Where
the bloody Light /IS/ e'eryone!?" He yells after a moment. Fuck. Right now
he'd settle for a bloody herbalist.

"I love... you... too." Zaidah smiles weakly simply because... she's
running out of strength. She wants to hold on. Light knows she does. She
doesn't want to go! But.. her body isn't cooperating with her desires.
"Neelkan... I'm cold..." The halls are still empty, and there is
something... unreal about them, as if only the room downstairs was meant to
be walked around in. The infirmary is empty if you go there. Not a patient
or Yellow or... any sign of any kind of life anywhere... and you're losing
her. Slowly but surely... the life is slipping out of her body.

Tears sting his eyes. Neelkan look around one last time, desperately. No
one... His knees fold. He sits down right there. Neelkan smooths her hair,
turning her face towards him so he can look down at her. And more
importantly, so she can look up at him. "Zaidah... I'm so sorry. I tried...
I... You'll never be alone again." He holds her gently, a salty tear
slipping from his eyes and falling on her face.

"Sssshhh..." Zaidah smiles softly, her own eyes watering up a little. She
reaches up to catch the tear on her fingertip. "I'm the one who should
be... sorry. I don't want to die. I don't want to.. leave... you... It's so
unfair..." And the irony is... she did this to herself... She takes a
breath and winces. "I... love you... There's so much... I wanted to do..."
she laughs softly, a few tears spilling out of her eyes. "I guess... that
wasn't the... plan though... Promise me... promise me you'll find someone
else... I just... want you to... be... happy."

"Zai..." Neelkan chokes around the name. He shakes his head, more tears
dropping down. "I failed you... I didn't come in time... I..." He trails
off. No. She shouldn't die like this. He takes a slow breath, then leans
down and kisses her lips, his salty tears mingling with his kiss. Then he
kisses under each of her eyes, letting her tears catch on his lips before
returning to kiss her lips one last time. "You'll always own a piece of me,
my little firefly. Always." And yeah, speaking without his accent. You
/know/ he's gotta be in pain.

Zaidah smiles oh so softly, but she's too tired to kiss him back... she's
too tired to move. Her lips barely breathe out the words, "thank.. you..."
as her eyes softly flutter closed... and her head turns to the side, her
body suddenly... much heavier than it should be. One... last... breath...
escapes her, and then she is still.

You're welcome. ... But that isn't what he says. Neelkan looks down at her.
Her body relaxes. Muscles losing hold. She becomes so heavy... breath gone.
Life gone. Blue-green eyes close. Zaidah... Denn'ryiel... Espiria... he
couldn't protect any of them. Verbena... Aidou... Kaomi... He failed them
all. But this was worse... He leans down, pressing his face against her
chest. It takes a while. It has some build up. But after a few minutes of
silence, a yell tears out of him that could have been heard throughout the
Tower. If anyone is there to hear it.