The Last Pear
Pear #5. High & Dry
Story : knights & necromancers
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1260 (shortly after the battle)
Word Count : 1334
The last prompt is always the worst. I swear I started 3 different pieces for this one before one stuck. But hey, I actually ended up with something with plottiness going on!
“Lyssa!” Ski called. “Lyssa, you must come and take a look at this.”
“Huh?” Hand firmly curled around her bloody shoulder, Lyssa pulled herself forward a step.
Ski, unscathed, was all but jogging back down the trail to meet her. “There is a temple up ahead,” she said. “Perhaps we can take shelter there.”
Lyssa grit her teeth and pshed past her sister as she came to a stop beside her and offered a well meaning hand. “Still daylight,” she said. “I’d like to keep going, see if we can get back to the fort, look for Rune.”
“Lyssa, you are a bloody mess. If you do not rest, we’ll not make it to the fort at all.”
“Hmph.” She dragged herself a few more paces. Ski’s naturally brisk walk forced her into a series of starts and stops beside her. “Told you I’m fine,” Lyssa went on, still clutching her wounded arm, not bothering with so much as a glance Ski’s way. “Don’t know what you’re making such a big fuss for…” She rounded the corner and stopped dead as she caught sight of the temple. “Wait. We’re nowhere near…How did this get here?”
“You know this place?” Lyssa frowned at her. How could she be so blind? Ski wasn’t even looking at the temple. As she did anytime they stopped moving for more than a moment, she was busy trying to peek around Lyssa’s fingers to assess the damage to her arm. “I thought it seemed familiar, though I suppose one temple looks much like a...nother. Lyssa…?”
“This is Rune’s temple.”
“You know that is not possible.”
“No, I suppose not. But it is.”
Ski sighed. “I think perhaps your wounds are interfering with your judgement. We really should get you inside and see what we can do about that arm.” Lyssa shied away as she reached for her again.
“It is the same temple, I swear.” She pressed on towards the doors. Every step made her wince. Perhaps she wasn’t in her right mind after all.
Lyssa gave one door a shove with her good shoulder, her hand still to her wound. She stopped there to stare. There was no mistaking the rough sixth statue at the rear. “It is Rune’s temple.”
Ski came up beside her and froze, a hand over her mouth. “Dear gods,” she said. “But how….?”
Ski held the door and Lyssa continued on into the temple. “There’s something funny about this place,” she said. Two steps in she stopped again, a warm throbbing like magic welling up along her wound. “Ow."
“What is it?”
“My shoulder. It’s…tingling.”
“What do you mean, it’s tingling?”
The pulsing heat spread from her shoulder and into her trunk. It swept up into her head, crowding out her thoughts with a sound like distant thunder. “I think I need to sit down.”
“Lyssa…”
She was only vaguely aware of her legs folding under her, of the floor rising up to meet her, but somehow she came to rest on it gently rather than falling in the heap she found herself expecting. Something warm and furry brushed her arm and she blinked, wondering when it was the cat had rejoined them.
Rune found you here didn’t he?” she said, reaching out a shaky hand to rub Millie’s ears. “All those years ago, and here you are still. What do you know about this place?” The cat just gave an absent meow.
“Lyssa, what are you doing?”
The rumbling in her head was starting to fade, the pain in her arm diminishing with it. She twisted about to look it over and offered it up to Ski. “Look, it’s healed.” As clean as any of Rune’s work, the wound in her arm had closed, leaving little more than an angry, puckered line.
“So it is,” said Ski. “Perhaps we can continue on after all.”
“Nah. Think I need to lie down a bit. You suppose the bed is still here?”
“I do not see why not.”
“I’ll just go see then, shall I?” She pushed herself up off the floor. She winced as she applied her weight to her still tender arm, but it bore it well enough. The cat pranced along behind her as she headed for the living qurters off the back of the temple.
“Lyssa!” Ski’s voice was urgent but distant. Still, Lyssa glanced around the room to make sure she was alone before she rolled over and gave the covers a tug up over her ear.
“Few more minutes.”
“No, Lyssa, I really think you should-”
Lyssa propped herself up, careful to use the arm that hadn’t been injured the day before, and fixed the empty doorway with a fierce glare. “Weren’t you the one telling me yesterday how I needed to rest?”
“Yes, but this… I am not even quite sure how to put words to…I think you’d best come look.”
With a sigh, Lyssa threw her legs over the side of the bed. She tossed off the blankets, snatched up her sword, and made her way to the door. The cat hopped down and scampered beside her into the temple proper.
Ski was waiting by the altar, fully dressed, weapon at her hip, and as pale as if she’d just seen a ghost.
“Wha’ is it?” said Lyssa, making a groggy effort to belt on her own sword.
“I think you need to see this.” She turned for the doors.
“Huh?”
“It would seem we are no longer in the woods.”
“This is a dream, right?”
“No…”
“So you know you’re speaking nonsense, then?”
“Just come take a look.” Ski curled a hand around the handle of one of the doors but left it shut. Lyssa followed, adjusting her belt. The cat darted between them, meowing up at the door.
Lyssa frowned at her sister as she drew up alongside her. “What has gotten into you?”
“Just look.” She gave the door a slight pull and motioned Lyssa towards the crack.
The winding forest path was gone. The temple doors now opened on a broad, stone-lined avenue. The faces of other buildings were visible along the other side of the road, and people and horses passed them by on their early morning commute. Millie poked her head out, but Ski was quick to hold her back with the toe of her boot.
“Where the hell are we?” said Lyssa, as Ski quietly shut the door.
“I…am not certain. I dared not set foot outside, for fear the temple might leave with you in it. That is what I gather it does.”
“Interesting.”
“What are you doing?”
“Pinching myself. What’s it look like? Nah, I’m awake. How ‘bout you?”
“Lyssa!” Ski flicked her hand away.
“Fine. Fine. So, you closed the door. What happens if you open it again?”
“Ahead of you on that. It remains the same.”
“So where do you think we are?”
“I have not a clue. Though I suspect we are a great deal further from Kalas than we were yesterday.”
“Hmph. So what do we do now?”
Ski shrugged. “We step outside. Together,” she added hastily. “And then we see what happens.”
“Good a plan as any.” Lyssa stooped and gathered up the cat, who was still sniffing at the door.
Ski took Lyssa’s hand in one of hers and the door in the other. She pulled it open and they stepped through together.
“Well,” said Lyssa, tapping her boot on the cobblestones. “It’s real enough, it seems.” Millie gave a plaintive meow, and Lyssa set her down at her feet. The cat stretched and sniffed at the stones.
“But where did the temple-”
Lyssa whipped her head around to follow Ski’s gaze. “Huh,” she said, regarding the square brick façade that now stood behind them, with its narrow stoop and single door and the cheerily panted sign that proclaimed it to be a bakery. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t go outside by yourself then.”
Story : knights & necromancers
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1260 (shortly after the battle)
Word Count : 1334
The last prompt is always the worst. I swear I started 3 different pieces for this one before one stuck. But hey, I actually ended up with something with plottiness going on!
“Lyssa!” Ski called. “Lyssa, you must come and take a look at this.”
“Huh?” Hand firmly curled around her bloody shoulder, Lyssa pulled herself forward a step.
Ski, unscathed, was all but jogging back down the trail to meet her. “There is a temple up ahead,” she said. “Perhaps we can take shelter there.”
Lyssa grit her teeth and pshed past her sister as she came to a stop beside her and offered a well meaning hand. “Still daylight,” she said. “I’d like to keep going, see if we can get back to the fort, look for Rune.”
“Lyssa, you are a bloody mess. If you do not rest, we’ll not make it to the fort at all.”
“Hmph.” She dragged herself a few more paces. Ski’s naturally brisk walk forced her into a series of starts and stops beside her. “Told you I’m fine,” Lyssa went on, still clutching her wounded arm, not bothering with so much as a glance Ski’s way. “Don’t know what you’re making such a big fuss for…” She rounded the corner and stopped dead as she caught sight of the temple. “Wait. We’re nowhere near…How did this get here?”
“You know this place?” Lyssa frowned at her. How could she be so blind? Ski wasn’t even looking at the temple. As she did anytime they stopped moving for more than a moment, she was busy trying to peek around Lyssa’s fingers to assess the damage to her arm. “I thought it seemed familiar, though I suppose one temple looks much like a...nother. Lyssa…?”
“This is Rune’s temple.”
“You know that is not possible.”
“No, I suppose not. But it is.”
Ski sighed. “I think perhaps your wounds are interfering with your judgement. We really should get you inside and see what we can do about that arm.” Lyssa shied away as she reached for her again.
“It is the same temple, I swear.” She pressed on towards the doors. Every step made her wince. Perhaps she wasn’t in her right mind after all.
Lyssa gave one door a shove with her good shoulder, her hand still to her wound. She stopped there to stare. There was no mistaking the rough sixth statue at the rear. “It is Rune’s temple.”
Ski came up beside her and froze, a hand over her mouth. “Dear gods,” she said. “But how….?”
Ski held the door and Lyssa continued on into the temple. “There’s something funny about this place,” she said. Two steps in she stopped again, a warm throbbing like magic welling up along her wound. “Ow."
“What is it?”
“My shoulder. It’s…tingling.”
“What do you mean, it’s tingling?”
The pulsing heat spread from her shoulder and into her trunk. It swept up into her head, crowding out her thoughts with a sound like distant thunder. “I think I need to sit down.”
“Lyssa…”
She was only vaguely aware of her legs folding under her, of the floor rising up to meet her, but somehow she came to rest on it gently rather than falling in the heap she found herself expecting. Something warm and furry brushed her arm and she blinked, wondering when it was the cat had rejoined them.
Rune found you here didn’t he?” she said, reaching out a shaky hand to rub Millie’s ears. “All those years ago, and here you are still. What do you know about this place?” The cat just gave an absent meow.
“Lyssa, what are you doing?”
The rumbling in her head was starting to fade, the pain in her arm diminishing with it. She twisted about to look it over and offered it up to Ski. “Look, it’s healed.” As clean as any of Rune’s work, the wound in her arm had closed, leaving little more than an angry, puckered line.
“So it is,” said Ski. “Perhaps we can continue on after all.”
“Nah. Think I need to lie down a bit. You suppose the bed is still here?”
“I do not see why not.”
“I’ll just go see then, shall I?” She pushed herself up off the floor. She winced as she applied her weight to her still tender arm, but it bore it well enough. The cat pranced along behind her as she headed for the living qurters off the back of the temple.
“Lyssa!” Ski’s voice was urgent but distant. Still, Lyssa glanced around the room to make sure she was alone before she rolled over and gave the covers a tug up over her ear.
“Few more minutes.”
“No, Lyssa, I really think you should-”
Lyssa propped herself up, careful to use the arm that hadn’t been injured the day before, and fixed the empty doorway with a fierce glare. “Weren’t you the one telling me yesterday how I needed to rest?”
“Yes, but this… I am not even quite sure how to put words to…I think you’d best come look.”
With a sigh, Lyssa threw her legs over the side of the bed. She tossed off the blankets, snatched up her sword, and made her way to the door. The cat hopped down and scampered beside her into the temple proper.
Ski was waiting by the altar, fully dressed, weapon at her hip, and as pale as if she’d just seen a ghost.
“Wha’ is it?” said Lyssa, making a groggy effort to belt on her own sword.
“I think you need to see this.” She turned for the doors.
“Huh?”
“It would seem we are no longer in the woods.”
“This is a dream, right?”
“No…”
“So you know you’re speaking nonsense, then?”
“Just come take a look.” Ski curled a hand around the handle of one of the doors but left it shut. Lyssa followed, adjusting her belt. The cat darted between them, meowing up at the door.
Lyssa frowned at her sister as she drew up alongside her. “What has gotten into you?”
“Just look.” She gave the door a slight pull and motioned Lyssa towards the crack.
The winding forest path was gone. The temple doors now opened on a broad, stone-lined avenue. The faces of other buildings were visible along the other side of the road, and people and horses passed them by on their early morning commute. Millie poked her head out, but Ski was quick to hold her back with the toe of her boot.
“Where the hell are we?” said Lyssa, as Ski quietly shut the door.
“I…am not certain. I dared not set foot outside, for fear the temple might leave with you in it. That is what I gather it does.”
“Interesting.”
“What are you doing?”
“Pinching myself. What’s it look like? Nah, I’m awake. How ‘bout you?”
“Lyssa!” Ski flicked her hand away.
“Fine. Fine. So, you closed the door. What happens if you open it again?”
“Ahead of you on that. It remains the same.”
“So where do you think we are?”
“I have not a clue. Though I suspect we are a great deal further from Kalas than we were yesterday.”
“Hmph. So what do we do now?”
Ski shrugged. “We step outside. Together,” she added hastily. “And then we see what happens.”
“Good a plan as any.” Lyssa stooped and gathered up the cat, who was still sniffing at the door.
Ski took Lyssa’s hand in one of hers and the door in the other. She pulled it open and they stepped through together.
“Well,” said Lyssa, tapping her boot on the cobblestones. “It’s real enough, it seems.” Millie gave a plaintive meow, and Lyssa set her down at her feet. The cat stretched and sniffed at the stones.
“But where did the temple-”
Lyssa whipped her head around to follow Ski’s gaze. “Huh,” she said, regarding the square brick façade that now stood behind them, with its narrow stoop and single door and the cheerily panted sign that proclaimed it to be a bakery. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t go outside by yourself then.”