In Lost Dreams the Four Were Bound

02 - Elis - Treating the Fever

"He's still shaking!" Elis cried.

All around her, a half-dozen hazel-haired Hyunisti talvuo buzzed nervously within the close confines of the old healer's quarters. Many drooped their brown hound-like ears, while others covered their otherwise human faces. Pairs of wide green eyes surveyed with shock and fear, with most onlookers going from pale to pallor. The small tree-embedded chamber, lined with clayed walls and extensive ancient cabinetry, could barely contain the uproar. Upon the table before her, a withered, unconscious human male seized.

"Try to give him this, ne vindal," a slender, agile Delvori woman spoke, rushing to Elis's side and handing her a small phial. "Force it down if you must. The rest of you, make sure he doesn't slip off the table."

While several Hyunisti tried to hold down the shaking man, Elis drew close to the human. She caressed his fingers and brought her mouth to his ear. He jerked. She placed her other hand, bottle and all, against his forehead. A thick layer of sweat coated his brow, gluing strands of his messy brown hair to his rough olive skin.

"Ge rolm ne vahr," she whispered familiar words that she had not spoken in ages. She tightened her grip on his hand, begging him to come to her. His tremors began to ease. Seizing the opportunity, she popped the bottle open with her thumb and brought it to his lips. She prayed, watching him tremble beneath her.

At first, he rejected it, his weathered face puckering in an expression of fear and pain. Yet like a knowing child, his dry lips parted. He took the potion from her, drinking its greenish contents with slow, steady gulps. She waited, watching his body tremble, his chest rising and falling between every sip. She handed the empty bottle to one of the struggling bystanders and then returned her shaking hand to his forehead. For several moments the room was filled with bated breaths and anticipation.

She brought her hand down to his face and held him there, keeping a firm grip on him. She calmed her breathing as she brought his shivering hand to her chest. Thinking soothing thoughts, she caressed his hand. Finally, the man's breath settled, and his shakes subsided.

All around her, the others let out deep sighs of relief. Without any need for further alarm, they pulled away from the man. The darker woman motioned the others out of the room, hushing them while they filed out. As the last of the aides left, Elis took a deep breath. Leaning back, she exhaled, exhausted by the short encounter.

"I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here, Neris," Elis said, raising her eyes to the other woman. "Your expertise and concoctions always seem to ease him."

Closing the door, Neris strutted across the room. Her crimson corsetry and plume-like garters exaggerated every detail of her robust frame. A matching shawl dangled around her shoulders, fluttering as she moved, while her skirt, with a slit up the front and back, whipped around her legs. Her ensemble left little to the imagination.

Coming to a stop beside her, Neris stretched. The few rays of light that penetrated the room glistened across her obsidian black skin. Her straight black hair hung just above her shoulders, her red-brown eyes flickering. If not for her inhuman ears, onlookers might think she hailed from the deepest jungles of the Alurs or far eastern Ansuman wastes. Protruding like the long, floppy ears of a large canine, her distinct talvuo ears hung lazily. Thin folds of extra skin dangled, covering the interior of the auditory organs. A lighter shade than her mane, short, ashen hair, more like the fur of a feline, covered the exterior. Thirty black metal rings and one iron ring adorned her right ear while a single gold ring hung on her left, emphasizing the long list of paramours Neris had conquered.

Placing her slender hands upon Elis's shoulders, Neris leaned over her. She nuzzled Elis's ears, her many metal rings jingling.

"Think nothing of it," Neris said in a cold, deep, feminine voice. "Anything for you, vindal Elis."

"Yes, vindal Neris," Elis replied, the words rolling off her tongue. It had been strange to call an outsider her sister, but ever since they began coupling, it had become more natural and intimate to do so. But the words still felt strange, given the ongoing circumstances. "I'm glad you were here."

"My heart, ne vindal. Anything for you, and doubly, anything for the Virage," Neris whispered.

Thoughts of the mysterious and infamous Virage sent shivers down Elis's spine. Even in the best of times, she did not want to hear the darker stories of the outside world. Stories of mad sorceresses and ghostly armies. Intrigues of bloodthirsty warlords and tyrannical despots. Tales of demons that frolicked on moonless nights, children being spirited away in the darkness, or monstrous orgies of the profane. Many rumors had reached her ears one way or another, but none were as terrible as those that spoke of the demon-clawed man called the Virage.

Rapes and beheadings were kind mentions when referring to the dreaded figure. The slaughter and purging of whole towns and villages was yet another common topic. Unlike the political and mythical terrors whispered about the world, none compared to the scourge whose very presence was considered a desecration upon earth, body, and mind. Wherever he went, the land and its people would die. No magic or weapon could stay the encroaching end of all things that followed in his wake. No prayers could stay death's hand, and for those who felt the reaper's icy embrace, the final moments were horrific and torturous. The few who survived their encounters were driven mad beyond all reasoning, so the stories went, spared death only to be sacrificed to chaos.

But there he was in front of her, evidence of the grotesque mystery and villainous stories. Lying on the table with a twisted and monstrous black left hand was none other than that self-same terror, clinging to life by a single thread, sprawled in a dreadful sleep. But the cruel mistresses of fate had an even stranger irony to deal out. Somewhere long ago and far away, Elis had known and cherished a man whose face the dozing monster wore. Coupled with the complications of the present, the present left her feeling confused, conflicted, and terrified.

"You seem distressed, ne vindal," Neris said, drawing away from her. "You look as if you could use some personal attention. Perhaps we should retire early tonight?"

"Perhaps," Elis said, grinning bitterly. "Though I don't know if my heart is in it."

"Oh, but I don't need your heart, my dear, just your presence," Neris said, lowering her voice and wearing a sultry grin on her dark lips. With a hint of the erotic, the woman drew her slender hands forward, caressing Elis's cheek. Elis's eyes wandered, staring longingly at the dark-skinned talvuo.

Elis's heart raced for a moment, a flutter of interest stirring within. But before she even had time to think or react, swelling guilt and resentment bubbled up. All at once, the thought made her feel disgusting and dirty. It wasn't the other woman who brought on such feelings. After all, only two fortnights earlier, the pair had begun spending nights together, one round of debauchery following the next. But right now, so soon after another fit and with her oscillating moods, she was completely put off. Her whole being felt wrong. Confusion and all-too-familiar emotions overwhelmed her normal rhythms. Even though she would usually have leapt at such an offer, she was unable to pursue it.

"With all my heart, yes," Elis said, standing up, "but with all my being, no. I'm sorry, ne vindal, but I think I'll be retiring to my quarters for now. That is if you don't mind watching over him."

"Not at all, my dear," Neris replied. "Sometimes, even I need to be alone. Though if you change your mind, my offer still stands."

Ashamed, Elis buried the feeling. She shot Neris a dispassionate glance, getting only Neris's composed complexion in response. She hurried over to the door.

"And Elis?" Neris said.

"Yes?" Elis replied, opening the door.

"If you need comfort without the other formalities, know that my offer extends there as well."

"I know, Neris. Thank you," Elis said, closing the door behind her.