Emerali: A War Song Tapestry

Chapter 20

"No!" Devaen shouted, scrambling to his feet. The next instant he dove from the edge of the landmass after Emerali whose form was already almost out of sight.

The air whistled in Devaen's ears as he continued to plummet into the Abyss, striving desperately to catch up to Emerali. As he neared her, he reached out, finally catching her up in his arms and quickly unfurled his wings. His waning strength, however, warned him that his flight was limited.

Devaen glanced down at his beloved charge, seized with the daunting fear that they might not survive this. His eyes darted about, frantically searching for a place to land. Hope revived when he caught sight of a thin sliver of land just large enough for him to set down upon. Devaen headed for it, flying with what speed he might, but before he could begin his descent, exhaustion overtook him and his wings gave out. He plunged toward the landmass.

Devaen gripped Emerali as tightly as he could in that critical moment, determined to protect her to the very end. He rolled his body over in midair, turning himself so that he would land on his back, thus receiving the full impact of the fall and cushioning Emerali.

Devaen crashed onto the landmass with a sickening thud and a single cry of agony that broke from his lips. Pain tore through him like a jolt of lightning; his wings were shattered, and he was certain he was hemorrhaging internally. A thin stream of blood issued from his mouth. Devaen craned his neck to look at Emerali who lay motionless upon him. It was unclear whether she was still alive, but at least she had not been lost in the depths of the Abyss. He laid his head back upon the ground, relieved.

Drawing labored gasps of air, Devaen turned bleared eyes up to the dusky sky. In the distance he could see the indistinct figures of approaching Daevas. As they neared, darkness closed the scene.

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A soft, golden light welcomed Emerali as she came to. She was lying on a low ruko fiber bed in a small but comfortable room. Standing on either side of her were Thori and Cullis.

"Where am I?" asked Emerali, sitting up.

"The Soul Healer's Recovery Quarters," Thori replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Surprisingly strong," Emerali answered. "I've never been here before."

"Probably 'cause you've never suffered a violent death before," Cullis said with a small smile.

Emerali turned wide, wild eyes on her friends. "Did we win?" she asked.

Thori and Cullis beamed. "We won."

Emerali leaped off the bed and let out a joyous shout. "Praise Aion!" she cried. "Blessed be the Empyrean Lords!" She checked her exultation suddenly. "Tell me we didn't lose anyone," she said, anxiously.

"Lady Yustiel's grace was upon us," Cullis assured her. "We suffered no permanent losses."

Emerali clapped her hands and pressed them to her lips, nearly suffocating with relief and delight. "Wait. Where's Devaen?" she inquired presently.

"Devaen suffered a tremendously violent death," Thori informed her. "When we got him, he was in really bad shape--broken wings and serious internal damage. We found him holding you. Apparently, he took a dive trying to save you from falling into the abyss. He died just as we got back to Elysea. Because of that, it took the Soul Healer longer to bring him around again. We really kept her busy today."

"Where is he?" demanded Emerali. "I want to see him."

Thori and Cullis conducted Emerali to the Devaen's room. Emerali was overjoyed to see him up and pacing to and fro, stretching his limbs.