"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
She made the trip quicker than she had expected. She assumed the trip from the middle of Taiga's woods to the border of Nerine would have used all of her energy before she had made any headway. But adrenaline filled her body and pushed it farther than she had gone in months. Aten's kind, but confident face stood foremost in her mind. Turul had come to her in a tizzy without Aten, something was not right.
She stepped from the border of trees and into Nerine territory. Something told her she was safer on this side of the line at present time. The sound of crashing waves along granite walls caught her ear, and it was a beautiful sound to hold on to in the midst of the panic she felt bubbling in her chest now that she had stopped. She could finally feel the exhaustion settling in, and she did her best to force it away.
She did not have time to wait here for the Kahleesi, Heartfire to find her or for any other diplomats of Nerine. She needed to move farther inland. She needed to find them or make her presence as obvious as she could so that they could find her. It was in fact already dusk and the faltering light didn't help her case as she stood planked by the vastly large trees of Taiga.
Her large, amethyst eyes scanned the green land before her as she walked cautiously through the land. Her sides heaved in worry, and exhaustion as she went. She spotted groups of others huddled together for the night but none seemed to interested in her, she could only hope that Heartfire would find her soon.
SO GIVE ME HOPE IN THE DARKNESS THAT I WILL SEE THE LIGHT 'CAUSE OH THAT GAVE ME SUCH A FRIGHT
It’s dark, though it’s rarely truly dark in Nerine. Somehow the stars and moon keep the rocks and sand and cliffs lit in all but the most extremely cloudy weather. Even Brennen is dozing, knee-deep in the crashing surf, numb to the cold of the ocean here even as he’s half-dreaming of Ischia’s warm waters. And when did that happen? When did he stop dreaming about the Tundra and the water there so cold it steals breath from your lungs, and start dreaming about a tropical Island he’d abandoned for a woman who couldn’t really promise him her heart?
He’s not in the habit of intentionally reading minds, but he keeps his own mind open and scanning for things that could cause himself, his family, or his home problems, and he’s made even more sensitive by the way he’s wide open channeling magic standing in his prime element, and so her distress is like a homing beacon. It draws him away from dream-Ischia and the phosphorescent algae and back into the dark night, and he only pauses to throw a mental rope for their queen, which if she chooses to catch it will draw her into the maelstrom of this mare’s distress as well, and act like a homing beacon to bring Heartfire to them.
And then – in a blink – he’s out of the water and standing in front of the stranger instead. His amber eyes are sharp, not at all like she’s pulled him out of a half-trance half-sleep state. There’s a readiness in his posture, not a tense look but as if he could be once more a warrior at any moment. He’s still soaked, wet to the knee and hock and half of his wings dripping from where they were submerged. “Hello,” he keeps his voice quiet out of respect for other sleepers, and it’s raspy from disuse. “You’re upset. I’m Brennen, the champion, and I’ve called for Heartfire. What is the matter?”
BUT I WILL HOLD AS LONG AS YOU LIKE JUST PROMISE ME WE'LL BE ALRIGHT
Dusk had fallen, giving way to the shadowy blanket of night. Only the half moon and blanket of stars illuminate Nerine in the late evening hours, glimmering off the disquieted waters of her shores. For the blue and white woman who stands idly atop the cliff, the brightness of the night sky is more than sufficient for her to survey her kingdom.
A quiet had settled over the land with the setting of the sun, but she had long ago grown accustomed to the quiet. She often uses the stillness of the hour to catch what things she might have missed during the day. Though she appears absent, lost in thought as she stares out to sea, she is anything but.
And so the Taigan woman’s abrupt departure and flight into Nerine does not go unnoticed by the Nerinian queen. She is unsurprised when Brennen reaches out to her, the thread of thought imparting the woman’s urgency. She hasn’t the magician’s ability to appear in the blink of an eye, so she is admittedly slower in her response. But she is easily able to keep an eye on things as she moves from her clifftop perch towards the winged stallion and anxious neighbor. It is also a simple enough matter to follow the threads that brought her here. To understand what had sent her fleeing across the border.
The realization brings a sigh to her lips, a flicker of exasperation.It seems she needs to have a very urgent discussion with a certain descendent of hers.
“I suspect,” she begins by way of greeting as she approaches the pair, “it may have a great deal to do with my grandson.” Her voice is clipped as she says it, but when her gaze turns to golden mare, her features ease, smoothing into something faintly more gentle. “You did the right thing, coming here.”
The sudden appearance of the bay pegasus startled Lethy, but only for a moment as he introduced himself. She nodded in greeting and respect. He told her that he had sent for Heartfire, for which they did not wait long on. Lethy had composed herself as much as she could by the time the sabino joined them and greeted them.
She talked about her grandson, which confused Lethy for a brief moment crinkling her brow, but she did not have time to ponder on such a statement. She dipped her head low towards Heartfire as well. I am sorry for the sudden intrusion, but I believe Aten is in conflicts of sorts. He has told me in times of trouble to turn towards Nerine and to find you, Heartfire. her large amethyst eyes flicked back and forth between Nerines champion and it's leader. I do not know what trouble he is in only that he is. We have talked of coming here so I can get formal training but have not been able to do so yet. I am not sure how to approach this. My name is Izora Lethia, and I come on behalf of Taiga seeking your help.
Her mind was running a mile a minute. She did not know that Wolfbane and Lepis had challenged Aten or that he had already complied to their terms, but she had to do something.
