Returning home...

[Pendar]

Hitting the cross with a thump he lay there for a few moments, well he was alive. A fact he nearly regretted as he felt the flames crawl from his shoulder through his arm. Sucking in a ragged breath he spat out a mouthfull of blood.
Looking over he noted that Stephen was also still amongst the liveing,

"Can you stand?"

Well not like it can hurt any more,

Pendar replied hauling himself up useing his good arm.
Some moments later Maeve arrived, strangely enough to return the fire axe the gollem had knocked flying from his hands.
Noticeing his twisted shoulder she wasted no time popping it back into its socket.
Some moments later he took his leave on unsteady feet with every intention of having a look around town to assure himself all was quiet again. Some 10 paces later the world began to swim and he nearly fell into a hedge.
He was going to need a healer and there was only one he could think of who could soothe his aches.
Stumbeling out of town he picked his way between bush and tree and into the forrest, nearly 2 hours later half by luck, half by memory he stood on unsteady leggs before the house of the druids.
knocking weakly he hoped that caitlin was inside and close enough to hear him.

[Gwihen Thorvid]

Gwihen, sitting in the library reading some books about the anatomy of birds hears the slight knocking. Half asleep he stands and ambles to the door. When he opends it, his eyes widen.

"Oh...M..Mister Fayed...w..what happened?"

With his weak arms he trys to stilt him as best as possible, calling for Caitlin.

[Pendar]

Fixing one eye on the young man and hopeing his vision clears enough to make out his features. Pendar smiles weakly,
What can i say lad, never ask a golem...
His voice trails of as he lurchs forward leaning on the young man and the door way and doing his level best not to lose his stomach right on the spot as the world spins....

[Caitlin Fergus]

Caitlin opens her eyes slowly as she hears Gwihen calling her name. Just a few hours ago she has been in the westforest, speaking to her green friends...
Yet she is tired, tired so often. Tired of all the happenings on the island and she wonders if she grows old... or just grows up.

She wrinkles her forehead as Gwihen again calls her name. The sound of his voice gives away that something has happened. She jumps out of her bed and her first thought was Pendar, like always. And this time she was right. As she stumbles down the stairs, she sees Pendar leaning at Gwihen.
Not wasting any time she helps Gwihen to get him into her bed..., sitting at the edge, examing his wounds...

"Gwihen, I need following things..."

[Caitlin Fergus]

A lot of time later, Caitlin sinks from the edge of the bed down to her knees, holding Pendars hand gently.
She carefully wipes his face with a clean, wet cloth. Wiping the blood from his lips, and gently strokes over his bruised jaw.
It hurts so deeply to see him like this, yet it isn't the first time.

Meanwhile Pendar is asleep and Caitlin takes the blanket to cover him carefully, kneeling again to the bed afterwards. She would stay there the whole night, holding his hand, just to show him that she is there.

A heavy tiredness comes over Caitin as she closes her eyes as well, leaning her head close to his hand she was holding, staying in the kneeling position. Shortly before falling asleep, she whispers some gentle and lovingly words to Pendar... though he isn't hearing them.

[Pendar]

Awakening at some point during the night to a small inferno in his shoulder, Pendar stifled a groan and looked down at the lady asleep were she had sat at his bed side.
He cast a glance at his hands, delicate musicians hands that he had always been told were too dainty for weapons both swollen and angry with bruising. Each breath sent a wave of slow aches through his battered body.
This body will be old before its thirtieth summer, time is always so pressing and where shall I steal enough to gaze an eternity in your eyes, beloved?
He whispered to the sleeping lady as he thought back on his troubled dreams, the moment that Golem struck him has replayed many times in his head.
He had the better of it all the way through, its huge bulk no match for his nimble feet but then his chest had cramped up as if dipped in ice and old scars caught fire as his shoulder locked tight mid feint. Common sense and hopeful nature said that it was just old wounds playing up yet the dream was haunting.
At that moment as a shadow he saw the demon Groar standing behind the golem claws that had gifted him the more than impressive scars dripping torn flesh and blood.
You should have died that day as my prey and I care not for the mercy that saved you; I hold a piece of you now in my hand.

At the moment the fiend closed his clawed fist, his chest had taken to ice...

The dream so clear in his memory, a vision or simple dream spawned of fear he couldn’t say yet it shook him to think of it.

Moving gently as he could he reached his better arm for cait's head wishing to rouse her and save her the worst of the back ache come morning..
Cait
His teeth clenched as his chest felt as if it twisted fee of his bones and his heart sat between a vice, so cold the length the scars ran like ice. A voice at his ear as hideous and foul as burning flesh and cries of agony turned to words.
Bend for me or I will break you, perhaps next time you raise those feeble arms to protect that wench you bed. I will pull your strings again and watch steel fall from your arms as you kneel in agony. Power enough to achieve your every desire or weakness and failure to make all you care for weep in agony around your broken dreams and shattered body....choose me or go to death like a lamb.
Do you still dream child...?

His head swam his minds eye flooding with visions of fire and death as if two mirrors. One he stood an ethereal golden gleam around his body as masses knelt and sang praise behind them a legion of undead and soulless retreat in submission and all seems peaceful, his perfect success..

The other he lay crippled and aware as the same hoard of horrors ravaged everything and one he cared for over and over again with out mercy or reprieve. Every horror revisited in what seemed an endless circle of suffering that seemed fit to rip his sanity away.

The voice began again thrumming in his head and echoing through his mind consuming and hideous.
Some crimes are never forgotten, your heart finds you guilty it was long ago but you know you left her for dead, told no one of it, no one ever but we know. We watched it all and now you will answer for it..
The vision seemed to pull on his awareness coaxing him to give into it and let it swallow his grip on self.
Come to me now!!!

No, your promises are lies and your threat only so large as my weakness
His denial in his head sounded weak as if beating against the wind with a feather as the visions grew and his skull pounded. If he could just find something to cling to something to remember by....just something...

Caitlin.....
The words breaking from his throat hoarse and empty emerging from the depths of this waking nightmare.