Long Lost Betrothed

The Darkness Within Part 1

Word Count: 2384

"Keyleth, wake up." Vax said gently as he knelt before me also leaning over Keyleth's body as dark lines started to grow up her face. "Keyleth, no!" Vax looked up at me, as both of us had tears in our eyes.

"An elixir." Vex said kneeling down next to us reaching into her bag before handing Vax a purple vial, "Try this."

"Quickly." I say as Vax opens the bottle pouring the liquid down the druid's throat.

"It's not working. We're losing her!" Vax yelled out in agony.

"There's nothing to be done. Keyleth is gone. But at least we have what we came for." Percy said from where he was standing across the room holding the gun at Delilah. I looked up at him quickly in shock anger quickly taking over.

"The fuck are you talking about!? Keyleth is still breathing!" I yelled at him a hard glare in my eyes, it's one thing to want the Briarwoods dead, but it's another to be okay with our friends being dead to get them, this is not the Percy I know.

"Somethings not right. Uh let me try, uh..." Scanlan said mumbling to himself before he tried singing, "Scanlan's hand" Without any success, "The elixir, my spell, that thing must be blocking all the magic."

"Damn it, he's right." Vex said as Vax put his arms under Keyleth's body gently picking her up from me. "Away from the orb!"

We walked away from the orb as quickly but as carefully as possible with Keyleth being carried by Vax, at one point he knelt to the ground breathing hard from the strain of trying to carry Keyleth as Grog gently took her from him saying that he had her and not to worry.

"Ok, ok, ok, hold up." Scanlan said as we got back to the room where the acid trap had been, "Scanlan's hand." He sang softly a little purple hand appearing, "Yes! We got magic."

Vax laidd down his over jacket as Grog, gently laid Keyleth on top as Vax spoke, "Vex, another elixir. I need it hurry!" I put a hand over my mouth tears in the corners of my eyes as I watched the dark lines come up further on Keyleth's face.

There's just, there's no more." Vex said with a sigh frustrated.

"Keyleth..." Vax said softly pulling her hand up to his lips as he kissed it gently tears falling down his face as he started to cry, "I'm sorry."

"Vax..." I said gently resting my hand on his shoulder as my own tears fell down my cheeks.

"Wait. Herbs..." Vax said suddenly as he yanked Keyleth's pack off her side pouring out the contents picking up different herbs. "What else did she use? Shorthalt! Need that magic!" I watched as Vax mixed mud and spit together as Scanlan ranover looking around thinking of what to sing.

"Uh, disgusting mud and spit turn into some healing shit." Scanlan sang and a little flurry of purple magic went into the mud as Vax rested his hands on top of Keyleth's wound.

"Come on work. Work." Vax said with desperation in his voice as the rest of us waited with breaths held to see what would happen.

"You controlled me for years. Now it's your time to suffer." I heard Cass say as I looked up to see her and Percy toss Deliliah on the ground in front of them, before Cass knelt before Delilah grabbing her by the collar, "What was the ritual meant to do. Answer me!"

"I only answer to the Whispered One." Delilah said after spitting some blood in Cass's face making her step back and wipe it away, as Delilah laid back on the ground sounding depressed as she continued to speak, "But he denied me. Abandoned me."

"I'll gladly send you to him." Percy said lifting up his gun towards Delilah.

"Go ahead." Delilah said pushing herself to sit up, "You've taken my husband and any hope of getting him back. What more could I lose?" Her voice broke at the end of her sentence and if it wasn't for what she had done I might have felt bad for her. "End me."