Appletree
Resident Fruit Tree
Sasha didn't mind the silence as they walked on. Perhaps her tirade had actually gotten through his obviously thick skull this time. She sure hoped so. He needed to learn that he couldn't just do as he liked. Being mostly alone or around others with skewed morals - people eating dragons for instance- would probably do that to a person.
When he pulled forwards and wheeled around to face her, she first thought he was going to explain what they were going to do to help Aiden. Perhaps he had only been waiting till they got past his protections. What he did say and do had her more than confused. They wanted to help Aiden, not cause anyone more damage
The moment Arthur bent his head over the candle and power rose around him in an almost palpable wave, Sasha took a stumbling step backwards. This was wrong. “I’m not-” She began, but was cut off as Arthur's voice rose with ugly incantation. Everything in her screamed that this needed to stop. The little glowy magic bud inside her felt like it was fighting to get away from Arthur. It seemed to crackle and hiss in angry protest like a wet log thrown in a fire. It was enough to make her take another step backwards.
Sasha flinched as the red lightning struck, not quick enough to shield her eyes from the flash. Blinking rapidly, the sight that awaited her when her vision cleared was enough to make her stomach drop to subterranean levels and the bile rise in her throat alarmingly. She could only watch, frozen in horror and fear far greater than anything she had felt so far that night as the knife dug its way through Arthurs skin. She wanted to jump forwards and wrench the knife from his hands, throw it far far away and whack some sense back into him, but was simultaneously unable to move. By the time the second cut was done, her knees had given way and she collapsed into a shivering heap.
The jolt of her body hitting the ground at least freed her voice.
"Arthur! Stop! Please!"
She got no reaction. In desperation, she shouted the only other thing she could think of. "Lock!"
At the sound of the word, the magic light bubble inside her pulsed and flared, warming her from the inside out. But just as quickly as it had appeared, the spark vanished again, leaving no visible effect behind. Arthur was still undeterred.
She tried several more times, calling out, trying to get his attention. With each attempt her voice grew feebler and her words nonsensical, till all that escaped her were whimpers as she backed away from the pool of blood forming at Arthurs feet. When her back hit the wall, she curled into the smallest ball she could and sobbed silently into her arms.
If Aiden could do more than project the sound of his voice into Sashas head, he would immediately notice the irrational feelings whirling around inside her like a typhoon, far worse than the immediate situation, bad as it was, called for. Panic, fear, a feeling of worthlessness and crippling sadness, resentment, loathing and so many others all mixed into a cocktail that reduced the usually confidant and snarky woman to little more than a helpless 5 year old child.
Aiden's voice roaring through the chaos in her mind was only just enough to shock her out of her almost catatonic state. Raising her head just enough to blurrily make out her surroundings, she half expected to see the dragon man standing over her. A moment later she realised this must be the magic telepathic communication Arthur had mentioned. In any other situation she would have been pissed. What was it with men and boundaries in this place?
It was only now that she realised that Bubbles had miraculously woken up and was pressing her shaking body against her side. She wasn’t sure if it was more for the dogs comfort or her own. Either way, she was immensely glad she wasn’t completely alone in this fiasco anymore.
I didn't ask him to do that! I would never ask anyone to do anything of the sort! Sasha wanted to snap at Aiden, but didn't know how. The dragon however was still talking, once again blaming her for everything. Between the blame there was some information though, so Sasha listened. Aiden hadn't even finished when she was already launching herself to her feet. With a cry of "Bubbles heel." she dodged around Arthur and his floating burdens and dashed down the corridor as fast as she could, not bothering to check if the dog was actually following her.
Skidding around a corner, she spotted a door and praying it was the right one, slammed against it. It took a moment of unfruitful hammering against it until she realised that it wasn’t locked, she was just trying to push open a door that was meant to be pulled. Wrenching it open, she flew over the threshold and tugged the door shut behind her. Even such a feeble barrier was better than nothing. She leaned against the wood, panting, internaly bemoaning her lack of fitness.
A sneeze nearby had her leaping to the side and almost crashing into a table in shock, but it was only Bubbles, who had heeded her call, apparently managing to slip into the room with her despite the speed at which Sasha had slammed the door.
“Oh Bubbles.” She choked out, kneeling next to the shaggy dog and burying her face in the warm fur as she hugged her fiercely. She knew she didn’t have time for this, but sorely needed it right now.
“I’m sorry to drag you from your master.” She whispered into the large pointed black ear. Even if Bubbles didn’t understand her, Sasha took comfort from the doggy smile and warmly gentle brown eyes and managed to get back to her feet.
Looking around, she was relieved to find that this room seemed to be the right one. At least it looked sort of like a wizardly office, not that she had much of an idea how such a place was supposed to look like. All the walls were covered in shelves, overflowing with books, scrolls and various other items. There was not just one desk, but several tables, each of them just as full as the shelves. Everything was illuminated by the glow of a fire in the hearth and even more candles. Candles she now eyed suspiciously.
A second sweep of the room found what she was looking for. Approaching the little round table and the pillar of orange light that emanated from it, or rather the seal carved into the wood, she supposed, Sasha had to question Arthur's jewelry choices. Much like the ring he had forced first on her finger, then on Aidens, this one was similarly gaudy, though the stone in the ornate setting was clear this time.
She simply stood looking at it through the haze of the magic surrounding it, until a whuffle from Bubbles, who was posted by the door, made her take a deep breath and attempt to snatch the ring from its floating position.
As Aiden had predicted, she met no resistance whatsoever. Having put too much force behind her motion in preparation for some form of opposition, she managed to not grab the ring, but knock it clear out of the air. It sailed in a glittering arc through the air and towards the table nearest the fireplace.
“Nonononono” Sasha hissed, pelting after it, nearly tripping as she rounded the table. After a quick cursory glance at the floor around her, she began shifting things around on the desk frantically. She paid little heed to what she was pushing out of the way in her search, sending a stack of papers cascading to the ground and knocking over several jars and bottles, most of which were thankfully tight shut.
So caught up in her search, she didn’t notice that Bubbles had padded away from the door and back to her side, or rather under the table she was just short of upending in her panicky state. The dog gave a rather polite sounding wuff, obviously a plea for attention. Sasha paid it no mind. Again Bubbles wuffed and was ignored. After a short pause she shuffled out from under the table and nosed at Sasha's side. This having just as much effect as her attempts before, she pawed carefully at the fabric of Sashas overalls.
“Not now Bubbles!”
But the dog continued to paw at her leg. When Sasha finally did look down at the whining dog, ready to snap at her again, it was to see Bubbles give her a rather hurt look before ducking her head and opening her jaws. From between the long canines, the elusive ring rolled out, coming to a neat landing between Bubbles’ large front paws.
“Oh you amazing creature!” Sasha could have kissed the dog, who was looking up at her in a rather proud manner. Unfortunately that would have to wait until later. Completely ignoring that the ring was now covered in doggy saliva, she scooped it up and with it held tightly in her fist, headed back to the door. Bubbles immediately trotted after her.
At the door, Sasha paused, listening intently. Hearing nothing from the corridor, she cracked the door open and peered out. Nothing on that side of the hall. Half expecting to meet Arthurs glowing red eyes on the other side, she pushed the door open enough to peer around it to the rest of the hallway. There was nothing there. Where had Arthur gone? He had been headed in this direction when she had passed him.
Slipping fully into the hall, she closed the door to the office and bit her lip in worry, glancing down each side.
“Bubbles, we need to find Arthur.” She implored to the dog, desperately. Who knew what he was doing to her friends even now. Then she realised that Bubbles had only seen Arthur for a moment and wouldn’t know the name belonged to him anyway. Her eyes darted around the hall as she thought hard. When her eyes caught on one of the candles, the little sputtering flame reminded her of someone with a similar hair colour. Of course!
“Find Alroy!”
When he pulled forwards and wheeled around to face her, she first thought he was going to explain what they were going to do to help Aiden. Perhaps he had only been waiting till they got past his protections. What he did say and do had her more than confused. They wanted to help Aiden, not cause anyone more damage
The moment Arthur bent his head over the candle and power rose around him in an almost palpable wave, Sasha took a stumbling step backwards. This was wrong. “I’m not-” She began, but was cut off as Arthur's voice rose with ugly incantation. Everything in her screamed that this needed to stop. The little glowy magic bud inside her felt like it was fighting to get away from Arthur. It seemed to crackle and hiss in angry protest like a wet log thrown in a fire. It was enough to make her take another step backwards.
Sasha flinched as the red lightning struck, not quick enough to shield her eyes from the flash. Blinking rapidly, the sight that awaited her when her vision cleared was enough to make her stomach drop to subterranean levels and the bile rise in her throat alarmingly. She could only watch, frozen in horror and fear far greater than anything she had felt so far that night as the knife dug its way through Arthurs skin. She wanted to jump forwards and wrench the knife from his hands, throw it far far away and whack some sense back into him, but was simultaneously unable to move. By the time the second cut was done, her knees had given way and she collapsed into a shivering heap.
The jolt of her body hitting the ground at least freed her voice.
"Arthur! Stop! Please!"
She got no reaction. In desperation, she shouted the only other thing she could think of. "Lock!"
At the sound of the word, the magic light bubble inside her pulsed and flared, warming her from the inside out. But just as quickly as it had appeared, the spark vanished again, leaving no visible effect behind. Arthur was still undeterred.
She tried several more times, calling out, trying to get his attention. With each attempt her voice grew feebler and her words nonsensical, till all that escaped her were whimpers as she backed away from the pool of blood forming at Arthurs feet. When her back hit the wall, she curled into the smallest ball she could and sobbed silently into her arms.
If Aiden could do more than project the sound of his voice into Sashas head, he would immediately notice the irrational feelings whirling around inside her like a typhoon, far worse than the immediate situation, bad as it was, called for. Panic, fear, a feeling of worthlessness and crippling sadness, resentment, loathing and so many others all mixed into a cocktail that reduced the usually confidant and snarky woman to little more than a helpless 5 year old child.
Aiden's voice roaring through the chaos in her mind was only just enough to shock her out of her almost catatonic state. Raising her head just enough to blurrily make out her surroundings, she half expected to see the dragon man standing over her. A moment later she realised this must be the magic telepathic communication Arthur had mentioned. In any other situation she would have been pissed. What was it with men and boundaries in this place?
It was only now that she realised that Bubbles had miraculously woken up and was pressing her shaking body against her side. She wasn’t sure if it was more for the dogs comfort or her own. Either way, she was immensely glad she wasn’t completely alone in this fiasco anymore.
I didn't ask him to do that! I would never ask anyone to do anything of the sort! Sasha wanted to snap at Aiden, but didn't know how. The dragon however was still talking, once again blaming her for everything. Between the blame there was some information though, so Sasha listened. Aiden hadn't even finished when she was already launching herself to her feet. With a cry of "Bubbles heel." she dodged around Arthur and his floating burdens and dashed down the corridor as fast as she could, not bothering to check if the dog was actually following her.
Skidding around a corner, she spotted a door and praying it was the right one, slammed against it. It took a moment of unfruitful hammering against it until she realised that it wasn’t locked, she was just trying to push open a door that was meant to be pulled. Wrenching it open, she flew over the threshold and tugged the door shut behind her. Even such a feeble barrier was better than nothing. She leaned against the wood, panting, internaly bemoaning her lack of fitness.
A sneeze nearby had her leaping to the side and almost crashing into a table in shock, but it was only Bubbles, who had heeded her call, apparently managing to slip into the room with her despite the speed at which Sasha had slammed the door.
“Oh Bubbles.” She choked out, kneeling next to the shaggy dog and burying her face in the warm fur as she hugged her fiercely. She knew she didn’t have time for this, but sorely needed it right now.
“I’m sorry to drag you from your master.” She whispered into the large pointed black ear. Even if Bubbles didn’t understand her, Sasha took comfort from the doggy smile and warmly gentle brown eyes and managed to get back to her feet.
Looking around, she was relieved to find that this room seemed to be the right one. At least it looked sort of like a wizardly office, not that she had much of an idea how such a place was supposed to look like. All the walls were covered in shelves, overflowing with books, scrolls and various other items. There was not just one desk, but several tables, each of them just as full as the shelves. Everything was illuminated by the glow of a fire in the hearth and even more candles. Candles she now eyed suspiciously.
A second sweep of the room found what she was looking for. Approaching the little round table and the pillar of orange light that emanated from it, or rather the seal carved into the wood, she supposed, Sasha had to question Arthur's jewelry choices. Much like the ring he had forced first on her finger, then on Aidens, this one was similarly gaudy, though the stone in the ornate setting was clear this time.
She simply stood looking at it through the haze of the magic surrounding it, until a whuffle from Bubbles, who was posted by the door, made her take a deep breath and attempt to snatch the ring from its floating position.
As Aiden had predicted, she met no resistance whatsoever. Having put too much force behind her motion in preparation for some form of opposition, she managed to not grab the ring, but knock it clear out of the air. It sailed in a glittering arc through the air and towards the table nearest the fireplace.
“Nonononono” Sasha hissed, pelting after it, nearly tripping as she rounded the table. After a quick cursory glance at the floor around her, she began shifting things around on the desk frantically. She paid little heed to what she was pushing out of the way in her search, sending a stack of papers cascading to the ground and knocking over several jars and bottles, most of which were thankfully tight shut.
So caught up in her search, she didn’t notice that Bubbles had padded away from the door and back to her side, or rather under the table she was just short of upending in her panicky state. The dog gave a rather polite sounding wuff, obviously a plea for attention. Sasha paid it no mind. Again Bubbles wuffed and was ignored. After a short pause she shuffled out from under the table and nosed at Sasha's side. This having just as much effect as her attempts before, she pawed carefully at the fabric of Sashas overalls.
“Not now Bubbles!”
But the dog continued to paw at her leg. When Sasha finally did look down at the whining dog, ready to snap at her again, it was to see Bubbles give her a rather hurt look before ducking her head and opening her jaws. From between the long canines, the elusive ring rolled out, coming to a neat landing between Bubbles’ large front paws.
“Oh you amazing creature!” Sasha could have kissed the dog, who was looking up at her in a rather proud manner. Unfortunately that would have to wait until later. Completely ignoring that the ring was now covered in doggy saliva, she scooped it up and with it held tightly in her fist, headed back to the door. Bubbles immediately trotted after her.
At the door, Sasha paused, listening intently. Hearing nothing from the corridor, she cracked the door open and peered out. Nothing on that side of the hall. Half expecting to meet Arthurs glowing red eyes on the other side, she pushed the door open enough to peer around it to the rest of the hallway. There was nothing there. Where had Arthur gone? He had been headed in this direction when she had passed him.
Slipping fully into the hall, she closed the door to the office and bit her lip in worry, glancing down each side.
“Bubbles, we need to find Arthur.” She implored to the dog, desperately. Who knew what he was doing to her friends even now. Then she realised that Bubbles had only seen Arthur for a moment and wouldn’t know the name belonged to him anyway. Her eyes darted around the hall as she thought hard. When her eyes caught on one of the candles, the little sputtering flame reminded her of someone with a similar hair colour. Of course!
“Find Alroy!”
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