A Journey of Reiki
Chapter Three

-Sybis-

You really did need to get so many, I greatly appreciate it, Sir Sybis.

“Really, I don’t mind. It was fairly easy to get them.” I left out the part about the hound and the goblins, it wasn’t really necessary. Eliseia was in the same position she was in when I left upon my return, and again I was amazed to see that no snow had accumulated on the bench she sat on. Her magic was really quite interesting, though I couldn’t place what her lotus could’ve been. She touched the tips of her ears and thanked me again with a smile.

“You’re welcome, Lady Eliseia. Is there anything else I can help you with?” Her face fell into an awkward smile before she closed her eyes and nodded. She pulled out her wand and began writing.

If you wouldn’t mind, I would like to visit Enlori.

“Who’s Enlori? I haven’t met her yet.” The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place where I had heard it.

She’s the Rider of the T’uuk region.

“Rider? What are you talking about?” I took a seat beside her, and she curled her legs under herself and let me. She looked frail next to me, her beauty radiating outward with a brilliance that I’d never seen before.

She wasn’t simply beautiful, many women were, but she held innocence and an aura of kindness behind her eyes and her smile. It was unique to her alone, and though I’d seen and met hundreds of people, none of them gave me the same feeling as she did. Like I couldn’t mess up. She began to write again, adjusting where she was writing to suit my new position.

In this kingdom, everything is protected by the Ivory Bane, a group of dragon riders that help the king and his army keep invading nations and tribes out. They also patrol the kingdom and each has a town they protect. Enlori is the rider for this kingdom, and a close friend of mine as well. She has something to give to me today and I needed to pick it up.

“I never knew that. They ride real dragons?” She nodded her head slowly, looking tired. “Are you feeling alright, Lady Eliseia? You look very tired.”

I will be fine, I haven’t been sleeping well lately, though I appreciate your concern Sir Sybis.

I heard light footsteps in the snow, and turned to see a child running with his hands filled with a blanket.

“Eliseia, Eliseia! I made you something!” The Elven boy ran up to her, bouncing in excitement as he handed his blanket to Eliseia. It was handmade by the look of it, and in the center was a spiraling snowflake. “It’s to help keep the cold away Princess!” His face was fueled with happiness, his young features lit up in expectation of her response. She smiled, taking the blanket in almost equal excitement. She looked up at the boy and gave him a smile that would melt hearts if she wanted it to, and offered him a hug. He wasn’t much bigger than she was. She touched the tips of her ears as she wrapped herself in the blanket, and the kid bowed his head in return. His eyes fell on me.

“Good evening sir!” He bowed his head to me as well, and I laughed.

“Good evening to you as well.” He waved goodbye and went running off, back to a group of kids who sat watching. They ran away in frantic giggles, looking back periodically.

“Does that happen often, M’lady?” I asked Eliseia, who was beginning to look far more tired than before, her false face slipping now that the kid was gone. “M’lady?”

I am ok

“I don’t believe you for a second.”

I couldn’t bring myself to move her in her condition. Though I had no problem transporting her, she was clearly tired. Whatever she needed from Enlori, I could get it myself for her. But being tired led to being sick, and her already weak body was already in bad shape. I didn’t know her well, but I knew I didn’t want to see her suffer. “My lady, I can retrieve what you need for you, so that you can stay out of the cold.” I wasn’t sure how cold it was anymore, the ring now around my finger kept the chill away. Her eyes seemed thankful, and she nodded.

If you wouldn’t mind, could you bring me back inside? It’s especially cold today.

“I don’t mind at all.” I stood, making sure all of my equipment was out of the way as I picked Eliseia up. She was cold to the touch, but the warmth of my ring spread to her as I made contact. She leaned against me, soaking in the warmth.

She closed her eyes, breathing in lightly as I carried her towards the front of her mansion. She was the lord’s daughter, and it only made sense that she lived in a luxurious home. Her hand came up, and brushed my temples. Suddenly a voice, low and sweet appeared in my thoughts, and I almost jumped. “Thank you, Sybis, for your kindness. It is rare to replace someone so noble to help me like you have, or worry as such.” I was unsure what to say, but when I looked down at her, I realized she was already asleep. I ignored the feeling that coursed through me at her praise.

The house itself was elegant. Two large stories, the house itself was made from well-crafted marble and natural fir wood, the second story was slightly larger than the first, causing a decorative overhang in the front. The front was supported with pillars, the shadowed overhang had Elven decor written and elegantly drawn all over. Art from the history I didn’t know adorned the door as well, showing the past of the Snow Elves. It was beautiful work, though I didn’t understand it. I opened the door awkwardly, having to press Eliseia against the door for a moment before I managed to open it. The inside was a pleasant change.

I entered the first room, and it was an entrance hallway. Boots and shoes aligned the walls, a sword hung in its scabbard with the belt attached, hanging from a holder in the wall. A shield was leaning against the opposite side of the sword, also hanging from a peg. The hall led to an archway, two short steps leading into another room. The wooden floor went well with vanilla walls, which I found ironic. I walked into the next room and found myself in a small library of sorts, adjoined with a large kitchen to my left. The right side of the room held large towering bookshelves, a fireplace, three reading chairs, lush rugs of various animals, and windows that led to the snow outside. Another door led through the reading room right into a stairway that led up. Another door was in the kitchen as well, and I didn’t want to wander around her house without direction.

“Where am I going?” I asked the weary woman in my arms. She awoke with a start, and looked around in confusion before she pointed to the stairs, and I followed her directions. Twenty steps in total led to another hallway, three rooms on one side and two on the other. “Which room is yours, my lady?” She steered me to the closest room on the left, and I noticed it was already open, just cracked. I pushed it open slowly, and her room was very nice.

The walls were soft forest green, the floor was a high carpet of a material I couldn’t tell. It was a very comfortable room, bookshelves on the walls as well as shelves with decorative items or things of meaning I wasn’t quite sure about. A bed with silken sheets as well as a bell rested on a nightstand beside it. A chair, plush and comfy, sat by a window. I noticed it had started snowing again, giving me another reason to be thankful for my new ring.

I looked at Eliseia and realized she was sleeping soundly once again, her head laid against my shoulder without support. I shook my head and sighed. She was an interesting character. I walked to her bed and sat her down in it, adjusting her small form so that she would be comfortable. When I stood up and looked down on her, I felt strange. She accepted me so willingly in her life, for what and who I said I was. She, in a short time, allowed me into her circle, though she knew nothing about me. For someone with a heart like hers, I felt obligated to help her. Obligated to give her the help I could, not even for the chance of learning magic from Belrae, simply so that I could.

“I’ll get your stuff, I promise,” I murmured to her, turning and leaving her room in silence, the only sound was the sound of her peaceful breathing.

I walked directly into the figure of a rather muscular man. I stumbled back, and looked up at him. It took me about three seconds to figure out this was the Lord of T’uuk.

I fell to one knee as fast as I could, my hands coming to my ears. He gazed down at me in silence, before closing his daughter’s door quietly.

“Come.” Was all he said, but he barely needed to say that. I followed him back down the path I had taken, out the door once more where he grabbed his sword and frankly drove me into a panic attack where I thought he was sure to kill me. All he did was strap it to his hip.

“Sir, I’m not sure--”

“Silence,” He commanded, and I fell silent. “I know who you are, Belrae spoke of you. Be still, so that I may explain a few things to you.” I didn’t say a word, and bowed my head slightly. He resembled his daughter, or rather she resembled him, his white hair and gold eyes gleaming with a calm anger, hopefully not at me. “You had better take care of my daughter, and take care of her well. Am I clear?” I nodded quickly. He nodded swiftly. “Are those flowers for her?” I frowned, and remembered the flowers I had been sent to give her.

“Yeah, she sent me to--”

“You may hand them to me, Sybis Glacia. I will take care of them.”

“Yes, my lord.” I handed them to him, the bundle still together well. He took them and nodded curtly.

“Has my daughter sent you on another quest?” I nodded. “Hurry back then, best not to leave any of my family waiting.”

“Sir yes, sir.”

***

The walk to Enlori’s tower was a terrifying one. The thought of meeting a dragon rider, much less for the first time, was a horrid thought. The size of the tower at first made me confused, but now it made sense. A dragon lived within there, and that too was another terrifying thought. Meeting a dragon? I’ve fought creatures like hounds and goblins and skeletons, and even a minotaur once. But a dragon was something far out of my league.

The snow crunched under my feet as I approached the tower at its fullest, and the cold, unwelcoming stone gleaned down, and I looked up from the ground, incredibly intimidated.

“Alright Sy,” I muttered to myself, shaking out the nerves forming in my legs, “no time like the present.” I took a single step forward and heard a soft growling from above me. I very slowly looked upward and found a green crested head, fought with a silver stripe down the under neck and belly. Flaming orange eyes peered down at me, and smoke coiled from its nostrils as the head of a dragon loomed at my smaller form, hunger gleaming along with its eyes. Its ears were laid back, and the mesh of green, gold, and silver mottled its scales, forcing my eyes to take in every bit, never being able to focus on one section of its body.

The head reared back up for a moment, and a hand grasped the side. Sharp talons threatened me. It seemed to be trying to rise over the tower’s wall and the very thought of a dragon attacking me made me happy to have not eaten anything. The sun had begun to drop behind the horizon, my day had been taken up mainly by the dungeon running. The gleam from the sun shining off the scales gave the whole scene a surrealness that reminded me of the art that covered Eliseia’s home.

And then a loud crack bounced me out of the trance, and the dragon leaned back over the wall. A split second later, a face appeared over the side, and it was the most dangerous I have seen yet, but all I saw was the flash of white, feline eyes, and the blur of spiked white hair before the face disappeared again. I brought the courage back up to the maximum and found myself taking the stairs two at a time, hoping that I could get this meeting over with as quickly as possible. Something made me grip my sword, but I forced my hand to leave it alone. I didn’t want to come off as hostile with the rider of a dragon. Or a dragon.

The stairs curled up the wall with nothing else of importance filling the space of the tower. The door was heavy oak, iron strips lined it, reinforcing the wood. I took another look at the tower and realized it was built with a singular purpose: It was the last stand if something were to ever happen to T’uuk, if something were to overrun the town. It was an inverted bunker of sorts. I hesitated, opening the door for only a moment before I pushed it open and stepped into the wind. Though I could feel it, but not the cold of it. I silently blessed my ring once more as I came face to face with a fist.

The strike caught me off-guard, and she hit me with the force of an anchor as I stumbled to the side, hitting the wall. I was an inch away from falling through the door, and off two-hundred feet of stairs. Straight down.

I rolled to my feet, my head throbbing with blood pouring down my face. I rose as quickly as I could, drawing my sword. I rose to the sight of a terrifying woman. Her bangs were spiked backward, edged upward while the rest of her snow-white hair hung down around her face, lining it. Her eyes were feline, black, and scary. Elves don’t have eyes like that. Black shadow smoked around her eyes, giving it a dangerous effect with her feline pupils. Tattoos, black and hazy, etched vertically through her eyes as if her pupils--

I recognized this woman. She was the one who spoke to Glaxton, the old Dwarf outside the Cold Knight Catacombs. Her eyes were memorable, and so was her punch. She looked at me without fear, her pose confident. I pressed my hand to my nose, staunching the bleeding the best I could. I could see my blood on her knuckles. I stared at her, confused and in shock. Her dragon, massive in size, lay curled up around itself, one golden eye watching us intently.

“What the hell was that for?” I gripped my sword tighter, wondering if this would truly come to a fight. Judging by the force she punched me with, she had strength I didn’t want to contest with. She turned her head slightly, observing me. “Well?” The scarlet drops struck the snow beautifully between our standoff, my battered sword in hand, her hands empty but for the color of my life’s blood. The fog from her slow breathing was the only movement between us.

“Who are you?” Is all she said a moment later, our positions never changing.

“I come from--” Her form shifted quickly, and two steps later I was under attack. I barely raised my sword in time to block her fist, but to my discouragement, her fist went through my sword, the metal shrapnel cutting my face with venom, followed through by her fist to the face for the second time. She hit me hard enough to crack my neck, and as I hit the ground my vision blacked momentarily before coming back to life, though dulled.

My ears rang and my head swam with pain as I fought to my feet again. I felt sick to my stomach as I tasted my own blood, the iron staining my tongue. A voice, cold and uncaring, spoke from behind me. Her voice was relentless against the pain in my head.

“I don’t like people entering my home.” I slowly rose to my feet, gripping my knees for support. I looked at the shards of my sword beneath me, blood had dripped onto them. It had broken into dozens of pieces, far beyond repair. Anger swelled within me, surrounded by the pain and confusion that her unnecessary attack had led me to.

“Just because I entered, doesn’t mean I meant you harm,” I said angrily, seething as my words hissed.

“That may be true, but it doesn’t mean you didn’t, either.”

“And you weren’t even willing to give me the chance?”

“I’m still not. That’s how people end up dead around here, especially riders.” I turned to her and saw that she wasn’t mocking me. Something in her face told me she was only taking the necessary precautions of a survivor. If she wanted me dead she could have easily done it, instead, she engaged me and saw how I responded.

“Well, I don’t. Mean you any harm, that is.” She leaned over, picking up a handful of snow and rubbing it around her bloody hand.

“I know that now. What do you want?” I wiped the spilling blood from my face and stood up, my head dizzy.

“I’ve come on behalf of Lady Eliseia, she’s getting sick and could not pick up whatever it is you had for her. I’ve gone to get it.” She nodded, pushing back her hair.

“I see. One moment.” She walked to her dragon and opened a pouch on the side of its saddle, removing a scroll. She walked it back over to me only after giving her dragon a rub on the snout.

“This is another spell. She will understand.” She still held onto the scroll as she handed it to me, and looked me in the eye with her unnatural feline pupils. “If this does not make it to her, I will know who to hunt,” she paused for a second, letting her point sink in, “Dungeon Crawler.” So she did remember me. I gulped, without even thinking about it. I nodded and she let go of the scroll. “Have a lovely day.” She said brightly, smiling to a complete contrast of her demeanor not five seconds before. A chill crept up my spine as I walked away, checking over my shoulder every few seconds to make sure she wasn’t about to attack me again. I was down crested, but I didn’t say anything, valuing my blood more than my sword. I took one last look at the shards in the snow before I crossed the threshold of the door, thanking it for the protection it had offered me.

As I left the doors of the tower, the anger struck me. I hated the feeling of being helpless, and in this case, it was all I felt. Whatever reason she had, whether it was the one she told me or not, it didn’t justify attacking me. I cursed her name under my breath and made the walk back to Eliseia’s house, defeated inside and out.

***

“Lady Eliseia, I’ve returned with your item,” I called while walking up the stairs. It was strange to walk through her house without someone with me, in a place I didn’t know. It was too rich for me to feel welcome and far too grand for me to feel comfortable. The door was still open, and when I pushed it fully open, I stopped in my tracks.

Eliseia was in bed, crying softly. No noise was made, but the tracks of tears trailing down her face told the story for me. In her hand, she held a picture, though I didn’t know what the picture was of. When she saw me, she set the picture down quickly, face-down on the bed and wiped her eyes away.

“Eliseia, I can come back--” She waved me away, grabbing her wand.

It’s fine, Come in.

I listened, shutting her door behind me. I set the rolled-up scroll on her nightstand and stood beside her. I didn’t know if it was ok to console her with a shoulder-pat, but I did so anyway. For a moment she tried to hide the pain she held so deep, but after my hand touched her shoulder, she allowed the tears to come back. She cried silently in her hands, and I sat beside her in her comfortable bed, soothing her the only way I knew how. I let her cry without disruption for a moment, and ended up picking up the photo she laid down between us. It showed a female elf that looked very similar to Eliseia.

“My lady, who is this?” She looked up, her beautiful golden eyes were now red and scratchy. She grabbed her wand and wrote in sloppy lettering

Mom

The realization of everything struck me at once, and my empathy set in fast. Her mother was the one person I hadn’t heard of before, and I assumed she must have died, which made the connection between her reason for crying. “Talk to me about her, Eliseia.” She smiled, sobbing quietly, rubbing away the sadness of her memories. She took a long moment to begin writing, wiping away the last of her tears. It was a long paragraph, and the words came out unsteady and loopy.

She was a great woman and a lovely mother. She always took care of me and I loved her with the best of my heart, but she was sick too, like me. She died a few years ago, leaving me and my father behind. One day, I’ll follow through with her as well, but sometimes I get so lonely because nobody truly understood what I’m going through bu--

She stopped writing to cry again, her face hidden behind her hands again. I finished it for her, understanding. “But her. Only she knew what you were going through. Only she knew your pain.” Eliseia nodded, before recovering again. She wiped her eyes for the last time and rose to her fullest height that she could manage in her state. She was standing tall once again. I let go of her shoulder, illuminated by her strength. She took a deep breath and seemed to take complete control of herself once again, setting the picture frame back on her nightstand. She took a moment to let go of some deep breaths, her chest filling and compacting as she refocused herself. I didn’t speak or bother her as she did this, I let her run her route until she spoke to me again.

I’m sorry you had to see that, Sir Sybis. Thank you for bringing me the scroll.

“Don’t mention it, Eliseia. It was more than my pleasure, though Enlori isn’t a very kindred spirit.”

She has her moments, but it simply depends on who it is she’s dealing with.

I laughed at the thought of Enlori being nice. I rubbed my nose, which I had cleaned up before coming in. I knew it would look like a mess by tomorrow though. Eliseia noticed me rubbing my bruise and frowned. She pointed at her own nose and I understood what she was asking. “Oh, she gave me something to remember her by, don’t worry about it.” The last thing I wanted was her to stress about something more than she already was. I would handle it one way or another with Enlori. She still frowned but didn’t press. We sat there, willowing in silence for a few moments in bliss. Eliseia took another look at my face, and saw the various cuts from my shattered sword, and noticed my sword sheath was empty as well. She frowned, deeper, and cupped my face in her hands.

“Really, M’lady, it’s ok, I’m fine--” She shushed me with her fingertips, and the memory of her father zoned through me. She seemed to take after her father well. She ran her thumb across a few of the cuts, and her fingertip came back crimson. I guess I didn’t do a very good job cleaning up after all. That voice, low and gentle flooded through my head again.

“What did she do to you, Sybis?”

“Nothing m’lady just a misunderstanding.” I don’t know why I was defending her, she didn’t deserve it, but I had a small part of me that didn’t want the wrath that the Lord of T’uuk had to offer on any other living being.

“You look like hell.” Her hands gripped my face tighter. “This is no way for an Elf as handsome as you to look.” Her praise warmed me, and I felt my heart flutter slightly. I looked away from her eyes, and she smiled, knowingly. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.” I shook my head

“Am not,” She rolled her eyes and let one hand free off my face, pointing to her closet.

“Inside there is a small jar, with a mint-colored cream, give it to me please.” I did as I was told, moving through the knick-knacks and clothes of Lady Eliseia until I found the jar she was referring to. I gave it to her a moment later and took my seat at the edge of her bed once again. She took the collar of my armor and looked at it for a moment.

“Take it off.” I looked at her in shock.

“Uh, what m’lady?”

“Take it off.”

“What for, I’m not sure--”

“Don’t test my patience, Sybis.” Though her words conveyed annoyance, her face was still sweet, a smile on her lips, her eyes half-closed. I swallowed and stood up, unclasping my armor for the first time, and pulled it over my head, revealing my dirty shirt underneath. I took it off as well, revealing my scarred and beaten body. Being thrown around gave me bruises galore, and it was painful to twist and turn to quickly. She eyes my body, and a part of me suddenly felt self-conscious as she observed me shamelessly. She gestured for me to come closer so I did, and she opened the jar of cream.

She grabbed me by the wrist to talk. “Kneel, Sybis.”

“What are you about to do?”

“This cream is a healing ointment I made. It heals you very quickly.”

“Do I have to be you know… naked for this?”

“You are far from naked. Stay still.”

“Yes ma’am.” I held still as she scooped a little of the ointment in her hands and rubbed them vigorously before setting them on my bruises, a nasty one over my ribs and another over my hip. The feeling was sudden and chilling to the bone, a cold that surpassed even my ring flowed through me and it took everything I had to keep from chattering my teeth with the explosion of cold.

And then warmth seeped through me again and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Her hands went back to the ointment and she repeated the process with my nose and face. When she was done, I felt a tingling sensation in my body, and I watched my bruises fade, and felt my cuts heal over. I was shocked.

“That’s amazing.”

“It is a family recipe. It helps me through the bad days.”

I took my armor and set it back to the side, but I threw my shirt back on quickly, still pondering her eyes and how they observed me. Silence ensued again, but this one was far more pleasant, and we both just sat, calm and tired. I felt her hand lay gently on my arm.

“Do you ever think about someone you lost?”

I did. But I didn’t want to talk about it. I nodded but didn’t give up any information with my answer. “I do. Very often.”

“Then you understand. Thank you for your kindness Sir Sybis.”

“Don’t thank me, like I said,” I rose, brushing myself off. “I didn’t mind it at all.” We exchanged smiles as I disconnected her hand from my arm gently. “This is where I depart, for now. Lady Eliseia, I’m sure we will meet again soon, maybe sooner than either of us think.” She wrote in the air with her wand once again.

As I believe the same, Sir Sybis.

I wished her farewell, stepping back into the freezing night air, this time her father nowhere in sight.

I sighed. Another night in the stables.