"You stupid fool. What did you really expect to happen? You knew she didn't love you. How long did you think it would be before she couldn't stand the charade anymore?" Colin's thoughts berated him mercilessly as he sat staring at the engagement ring laying on his smooth palm. It was a beautiful work, the platinum band etched to show small vines of ivy, twisting along the circumference. It mirrored the twisting of his own thoughts, yet his thoughts were not nearly so beautiful.
But how could she have been so cruel? The darkness in her eyes and the things she had said. After all the times he had been there for her.. "No! Been there for you!", his mind countered, "You weren't there for her, you were there because YOU wanted to be. You wanted to get some of that hot little body of hers so just like some kind of addict you did whatever you had to do to get it."
Wait, no! That's not why he had spent all this time with Emalia. Of course he did think she was beautiful, and the moments of closeness they had shared were amazing, but he loved her, he truly did, and only wanted the best for her. "Ha ha ha, the best that YOU can give her. Face it, it's been all about you all along. She told you so herself."
Colin squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists trying to shut out the voice in his head. "NO! STOP IT!", Colin shouted, his voice echoing loudly off of the walls of the cave. For now his thoughts seemed to comply and the nagging voice fell silent. Colin looked about him. Why was he in this cave anyway? Sure he had wanted to be alone, and he knew he was sure to be alone here, but this was not a good place to be. He didn't know where he was going to go but it needed to be away from here.
Colin stood up from the riveted steel box upon which he had been sitting and shoved the ring into his pocket. He quickly made his way out into the daylight.
Emalia sat on the edge of the cliff at the overlook, her eyes riveted on the dead air before her. Only briefly did she think of Hellstrom as she sat down. Her thoughts were mainly on the course of events that had now taken place, and whether or not she had given fate and destiny a chuckle.
She had gone home and told Colin everything and as always, he was there for her, comforting her. She fell asleep in his arms, feeling a bit better and woke the next morning - this morning - dragging Colin to the Jihad compound for a visit with Nephesh. Grobnak be damned, she was going to see the boy now that he was again awake.
The guards should have been her first indication of things to come. The questioning, wary eyes that locked on her as if wondering what she was doing there. After a bit of wandering, they had located Nephesh and all was joy... for a moment. The halfling had been under the impression that the journey had proceeded without him, which triggered Emalia's painful thoughts, which led to her finding out that even Nephesh knew what the Temple was for.
Emalia's mind - snapped. She wanted nothing to do with anyone. In her mind, they were all frauds. The innocents were not at all innocent. She had been duped. She squatted on the ground and let come from her the most soul rending sobs she could muster. Then... then... it happened. The calm.
Like the inside congealing outside, her very lifeforce seeped from her to form a cocoon. It hardened about her - keeping everyone out. From within, she could hear nothing but constant static. There was nothing to see, for the part of her sending for the shield was pure emotion. Only when she realized she was doing it, did she look up and break her focus slightly, right as the boy used his magic to enter her shield.
No sooner had she dropped her force and Nephesh's spell of rejuvenation landed, than the rage within her finally gripped her. She loathed her weaknesses - how could she protect herself if the boy could intrude upon what took her mortal soul to create? If he could get through, anyone with some sort of ability could. Curses upon the journey - for if she couldn't seal herself trying her hardest - she and her child would never be safe. How could she trust anyone to be what they claimed? Her mind snapped shut like a vice - people deserved to die by the RoK, they were vermin.
Her words poured out and seemed to solidify into daggers. She cut into Nephesh with her dark stare, then straight into the heart of Colin when she sent him off with the engagement ring she had thrown at him.
She cast a spell to leave, only to return moments later for her pack. There she saw the effects of her wrath in the form of a sobbing child. Her heart softened a bit, enough to offer an apology. Regardless, if anything else, Nephesh was still a boy.
And so she ended up here - leaving Nephesh to his rest. She wouldn't go home... should Colin be there (which she doubted, but she didn't want to face him). She wouldn't go to the Guardians (no matter that they had no idea of her dilemma and, indeed, may have been the help she truly needed), she wouldn't stay at the compound (she had definitely had enough of finding out just how many others knew about the Temple). Lastly, she wouldn't be going to the Temple, for without being able to protect herself, fate and destiny could shove it. No, she would sleep in the woods tonight, away from people... and everything else.
Still not yet night, she laid upon the grass and put a hand on what would be Brin within her flat belly. She thought of the childs' father and her soul sunk... she had been so cruel. Then she thought of the power she had commanded for the first time. Of all the times she had tried - only once was she sufficiently enraged did it work... what could that mean? She drifted off - the effects of the rejuvenation spell wearing down, her spirit completely drained beyond the spell. Her last thought before her deep, dreamless slumber was hoping that Nephesh would forgive her missing the morning prayers.
She had gone home and told Colin everything and as always, he was there for her, comforting her. She fell asleep in his arms, feeling a bit better and woke the next morning - this morning - dragging Colin to the Jihad compound for a visit with Nephesh. Grobnak be damned, she was going to see the boy now that he was again awake.
The guards should have been her first indication of things to come. The questioning, wary eyes that locked on her as if wondering what she was doing there. After a bit of wandering, they had located Nephesh and all was joy... for a moment. The halfling had been under the impression that the journey had proceeded without him, which triggered Emalia's painful thoughts, which led to her finding out that even Nephesh knew what the Temple was for.
Emalia's mind - snapped. She wanted nothing to do with anyone. In her mind, they were all frauds. The innocents were not at all innocent. She had been duped. She squatted on the ground and let come from her the most soul rending sobs she could muster. Then... then... it happened. The calm.
Like the inside congealing outside, her very lifeforce seeped from her to form a cocoon. It hardened about her - keeping everyone out. From within, she could hear nothing but constant static. There was nothing to see, for the part of her sending for the shield was pure emotion. Only when she realized she was doing it, did she look up and break her focus slightly, right as the boy used his magic to enter her shield.
No sooner had she dropped her force and Nephesh's spell of rejuvenation landed, than the rage within her finally gripped her. She loathed her weaknesses - how could she protect herself if the boy could intrude upon what took her mortal soul to create? If he could get through, anyone with some sort of ability could. Curses upon the journey - for if she couldn't seal herself trying her hardest - she and her child would never be safe. How could she trust anyone to be what they claimed? Her mind snapped shut like a vice - people deserved to die by the RoK, they were vermin.
Her words poured out and seemed to solidify into daggers. She cut into Nephesh with her dark stare, then straight into the heart of Colin when she sent him off with the engagement ring she had thrown at him.
She cast a spell to leave, only to return moments later for her pack. There she saw the effects of her wrath in the form of a sobbing child. Her heart softened a bit, enough to offer an apology. Regardless, if anything else, Nephesh was still a boy.
And so she ended up here - leaving Nephesh to his rest. She wouldn't go home... should Colin be there (which she doubted, but she didn't want to face him). She wouldn't go to the Guardians (no matter that they had no idea of her dilemma and, indeed, may have been the help she truly needed), she wouldn't stay at the compound (she had definitely had enough of finding out just how many others knew about the Temple). Lastly, she wouldn't be going to the Temple, for without being able to protect herself, fate and destiny could shove it. No, she would sleep in the woods tonight, away from people... and everything else.
Still not yet night, she laid upon the grass and put a hand on what would be Brin within her flat belly. She thought of the childs' father and her soul sunk... she had been so cruel. Then she thought of the power she had commanded for the first time. Of all the times she had tried - only once was she sufficiently enraged did it work... what could that mean? She drifted off - the effects of the rejuvenation spell wearing down, her spirit completely drained beyond the spell. Her last thought before her deep, dreamless slumber was hoping that Nephesh would forgive her missing the morning prayers.
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