Dryad Eyes #40 Supplemental: Scars That Will Not Heal
Everything flashed bright, hot white. Blinding. The deafening thunder of cascading rubble. He fell to his back, the weight of the woman on top of him, the sharp stabbing pain as the point of the knife struck home, just inches from his heart.
And then there was silence.
Ganatal opened his eyes to stare upward into the infinite blackness of a familiar sky, tinged with an emerald green haze all around the horizon. The woman, Vy Miegga, was gone, as was Charis, Gateway, and that... that thing. Ganatal lay there for several minutes, gazing into the sky of an untouched Dreamscape. At least he pushed himself into a sitting position. He undid the ties of his shirt. The wound was slight but long, the dagger leaving a shallow slice down his chest. He focused and changed, his control over his Dream-self working to heal the injury. Finished, he looked down at a puzzling sight. A risen scar remained where the wound had been. He cursed and changed shape entirely, suddenly towering over the emptiness of the landscape, skin rippling with green-hued scales, massive leathered wings batting the air. Through dragon eyes he peered down at his chest where still the scar stood out. He shrank back to his natural form, cursing and shaking his head. No time to worry about it. Another scar, permanently fixed to his Dream form. There were bigger things going on.
If Vy Miegga's sudden attack had launched him here, where, then, was she? He focused on her, brought her up in his thoughts and watched as the landscape changed. It wavered and shifted but refused to solidify. There was a flash of forest outside a window, the comforting heat of a kept fire. He heard Geran's voice, and hers, and then it was gone. So, he thought, her Dream essence was there but... not firmly in place. As if she were somehow Lost. Again he shook his head. She wasn't his immediate concern.
It was that thing, that demonic man-thing. What had it done to him? He felt violated, memories he didn't even know he had rifled through like files in a scholar's study. Such anger, such hatred and jealousy. The demon had drawn out the harshest of emotions and in one solid swoop had driven him to almost, almost, repeat the greatest mistake he had ever made. Nothing should ever have such power over another man...
Despite the demon's attempts, Ganatal had broken free and turned the tables, however briefly. It wasn't over, he felt. The demon still lived, if it was even alive to begin with. And Charis... It had her, too.
The Dream swirled around him in a flash and reformed into the devestated remains of Geran's chambers. As he popped back into reality, the last pile of debris gave way and the first of the rescue crew cleared their way in.
And then there was silence.
Ganatal opened his eyes to stare upward into the infinite blackness of a familiar sky, tinged with an emerald green haze all around the horizon. The woman, Vy Miegga, was gone, as was Charis, Gateway, and that... that thing. Ganatal lay there for several minutes, gazing into the sky of an untouched Dreamscape. At least he pushed himself into a sitting position. He undid the ties of his shirt. The wound was slight but long, the dagger leaving a shallow slice down his chest. He focused and changed, his control over his Dream-self working to heal the injury. Finished, he looked down at a puzzling sight. A risen scar remained where the wound had been. He cursed and changed shape entirely, suddenly towering over the emptiness of the landscape, skin rippling with green-hued scales, massive leathered wings batting the air. Through dragon eyes he peered down at his chest where still the scar stood out. He shrank back to his natural form, cursing and shaking his head. No time to worry about it. Another scar, permanently fixed to his Dream form. There were bigger things going on.
If Vy Miegga's sudden attack had launched him here, where, then, was she? He focused on her, brought her up in his thoughts and watched as the landscape changed. It wavered and shifted but refused to solidify. There was a flash of forest outside a window, the comforting heat of a kept fire. He heard Geran's voice, and hers, and then it was gone. So, he thought, her Dream essence was there but... not firmly in place. As if she were somehow Lost. Again he shook his head. She wasn't his immediate concern.
It was that thing, that demonic man-thing. What had it done to him? He felt violated, memories he didn't even know he had rifled through like files in a scholar's study. Such anger, such hatred and jealousy. The demon had drawn out the harshest of emotions and in one solid swoop had driven him to almost, almost, repeat the greatest mistake he had ever made. Nothing should ever have such power over another man...
Despite the demon's attempts, Ganatal had broken free and turned the tables, however briefly. It wasn't over, he felt. The demon still lived, if it was even alive to begin with. And Charis... It had her, too.
The Dream swirled around him in a flash and reformed into the devestated remains of Geran's chambers. As he popped back into reality, the last pile of debris gave way and the first of the rescue crew cleared their way in.