Things Lost and Found (a Waglington and Mianite fanfiction)

Chapter 87

The song for this chapter is Christina Perri's "Distance". It has a place to start listening. It is too perfect for Wag and Martha as I envision them at the end of this tale. And yes, this is the last chapter. :) There will be epilogues, of course. Again, some dialogue, especially the message from Ianite, are from the finale stream.

*Waglington's POV*

"Sparklez! You wouldn't believe the things I've seen! Or maybe you would. What do I know?"

Jordan was reading a message from Ianite while I tried to process everything that had just happened. I couldn't remember much of the fight with Botan; Martha told me he'd hit my head pretty hard. When my memories became clear again, the first thing I recalled was seeing Donella in the midst of her spell. She was in bad shape. Her skin was pale and sweaty, and her coat was drenched in blood. (Really my clothes didn't look any better, and the drying fabric was beginning to chaff badly, I might add.) She was so absorbed by the spell that she didn't even flinch when one of Tom's arrows went astray and grazed her cheek. Remind me to steal Tom's bow later, I said absentmindedly to Memento. Memento yawned in acknowledgement but left me to my thoughts.

One minute, everything was fine; then Donella was just...gone. The magic overwhelmed her. The burst of energy was so bright that no one had been able to see for a minute. When we had been able to look, there was no trace of Donella and only a small darkening of the platform's brick where Akatena had stood. Memento had been the first to respond, loping over to the place and sniffing. He confirmed my guess by lowering his tail to touch the ground and drooping his ears. Then he made a sorrowful, throaty meow that accurately reflected my mood.

Botan hadn't allowed us any time to grieve, attacking with his now freed up magic as he rose back into the air. Before Donella's death all of us but Jordan had wound up on one side of the platform—or in the air above it—with him on the other. Botan clearly had the upper hand as he went on the offensive. The thought of eminent victory must have blinded him to Jordan drawing his bow. To be honest, I didn't pay him much mind either, until an arrow struck Botan solidly in the back—an arrow that glowed a bright purple. Ianite hadn't been as far gone as we'd thought. Botan floated motionless for a moment before falling, his face frozen in a rictus of pain and surprise. The others had rushed to the side of the platform to watch him fall. Martha stayed next me where I sat, and we awaited their report. Everyone agreed afterward that Botan's "body" had dissolved into wisps of shadow before he ever reached lava.

(Start song here)

All of this flashed through my mind in an instant. I was brought back to the present by Martha sitting next to me on the edge of the dais. She and Dianite insisted on tending those with worse injuries before we tried to move anywhere. Healing magic always did have better results the sooner it was used. Dianite's concern for Mot and his shoulder had been painfully obvious. I grinned wryly at the thought of them talking softly and making up from their argument earlier. One couple had been torn apart to put that one back together. I wished them the best and hoped they would fully appreciate what they had.

I knew Martha wished she had more time with Steve. The fight had served to distract her, but she would remember her loss soon enough. I just hoped I could help her through her grief while holding my own feelings for her in check. Maybe I should find someone less complicated to fall in love with, I told myself halfheartedly.

Martha bumped my shoulder slightly, and I moved my right arm to make room for her to scoot closer. She sidled up to me, and I lower my arm to rest around her shoulders. She sighed, and I looked sideways at her. She didn't seem as tired as she had earlier, and now that I thought about it, I didn't feel as tired as I probably should. That was odd. "How are you feeling?" I found myself asking.