Log Date: 3/23/97, 3/24/97, 3/26/97 Log Cast: Ktai, Rayek, Winnowill, Azeure Log Intro: Hearing that Ember had been taken prisoner in Blue Mountain - and that, in the process of escaping, she killed her Recognized, the Chosen Sar - Rayek, Suntop, Ktai, and the Preserver Petalwing had set off from the Palace of the High Ones towards Ember's home of Lostholt, hoping to provide what support they could. But their trip went badly, as the three elves were ambushed en route by others of the Chosen, bringing with them a Preserver of their own. After a fierce but too brief combat, Rayek and Suntop were placed in wrapstuff, Petalwing imprisoned as well, and Ktai taken captive and ordered to remain on good behavior lest the health of her daughter Eveshka be placed at risk. The prisoners have been taken into Blue Mountain... and for a year, Rayek has remained within his wrapstuff cocoon, hidden in Winnowill's private chambers. Winnowill herself has been exercising her magic upon him, keeping his mind hazy and his body weak. Rayek does not know that his capture has not been the only mischief Winnowill has wrought as of late; she has, once more, also taken the astral spirit of Savah prisoner. Now, intending to implement the next portion of her plan, Winnowill goes to release her prize from his wrapstuff cocoon... ---------- Ktai locksends ** ** You locksend ** ** to Ktai. Winnowill locksends ** ** You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek sleeps, indeed, wrapped in the cocoon you've kept him in... both body and mind. Silver wrapstuff... and deep black velvet. Eren soulsends ** ** Winnowill locksends ** Good, my soul's brother. Sleep... and when you wake... ** Winnowill arrives from the Winnowill's Room. Winnowill has arrived. You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek drifts within the velvet, struggling faintly every so often to press against it, to seek a way clear, but his strength is low. Winnowill steps in, then pauses breathlessly delighted. She smiles thinly, then takes up the silver blade to cut open the wrapstuff. Eren soulsends ** ** Rayek's mind flickers, faintly, as on some level he senses the silver threads binding him loosening. Winnowill locksends ** My soul's brother... sleep yet... ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. The blade flickers lightly, then pauses. Winnowill locksends ** /Hypnotically/ Rayek... there is no danger... you are safe... ** You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek's mind stirs in unfocused protest. He can remember... treachery, attack. He can see a tall black-haired maiden grabbed, a golden-haired elf fighting; he can remember many pairs of hands, and weapons, just a few too many for him to handle all at once _and_ help protect the others... Winnowill locksends ** A dream, Rayek... you are safe... ** You locksend ** Dream....? ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** Dream. You are safe... as you have been for so very long... lost to the dreams of others... but now you finally awake. ** You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek reels, disturbed, pushing harder against the velvet. He cannot summon the strength to make words again, but he relays his disbelief, and a flicker of unformed anger at his imprisonment -- for imprisonment he senses this is. Winnowill locksends ** So wake to the reality, Rayek. ** The dagger finishes slicing the wrapstuff gently. Rayek lies there before you, still sleeping to all appearances, his black hair and his silken garb still rumpled and dirtied from the conflict in which he'd been captured. Winnowill gently brushes your hair, absently picking out the bits of grass and leaves. You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Rayek's head shifts slightly, as his brows tighten over his closed eyes in a vague approximation of a scowl. Winnowill leans over and gently kisses your lips. ** Well, Rayek... let us see if they harmed you... ** Rayek's breath rattles faintly in his throat, at that contact. He tries to stir, as if sensing your proximity and striving to raise defenses against it. Winnowill sends openly ** Ease, Rayek... be careful... we need to see if you were hurt. You spent so long before the Egg... and the WolfBloods are not known for being gentle... ** Rayek sends openly ** You.... what... what have you done? ** Winnowill brushes your hair from your face. ** Don't you remember? The wolfbloods took you and hid you from us for a long time. My Chosen found you.. and brought you back to your home. ** With an effort that dizzies him, Rayek opens his eyes, and scowls muzzily at the blurred ceiling he can see above him. ** What... are you... talking about? Do you think me... so foolish... as to believe... ** Winnowill sends openly ** Do you not remember, Rayek? Leetah and her preserver? Do you not remember Cutter holding his blade to my throat? Perhaps it is for the best. ** You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek, you can feel clearly, is rousing further, wrestling with the folds of black you've wrapped around his mind... the more he wrestles, the angrier he becomes, as if he senses you're making it hard to think, hard to return to full alertness... Trembling, the brownskinned airwalker starts to push himself into sitting up, his glazed eyes glinting dully with growing fury. ** You... send nonsense, Winnowill... _you_ took me... I... ** You sense in a locksend, Winnowill can be felt, but now as a healing presence, easing the pains of the body. Your mind, she is unoccupied with, instead softening bruises. Rayek sucks in a a startled breath as your healing washes over him; too late, he tries to lift a shield against you, but he lacks the strength. Winnowill's amber-violet eyes look to you. ** Careful, my soul's brother. I did not take you... and if you move too quickly you will become light-headed. We have kept the glider who betrayed you so that you might speak with her if you wish... but it is Leetah that you should have the final words with. ** Rayek snaps his gaze up, glowering. ** Leetah? I have made my peace with Leetah...! ** He starts to surge to his feet, to rise... and just as abruptly, he sways. ** .... ** Winnowill gently reaches up to steady you. ** Now will you lie back and rest? ** Rayek muttersends, ** Don't... wish to rest, here... ** Winnowill sends openly ** Do you feel physically able to move? ** Odd... a sense of lethargy begins to waft over you... as if you are healed and comfortable... Rayek wobbles slightly where he sits, and dismay flickers across his worn features. ** I feel f... fine.... ** Winnowill sends openly ** Don't lie, Rayek... it doesn't suit. ** Rayek's right arm abruptly gives way beside him, and he falls back slowly against the cushions. ** Cease this... leave me be.... ** Winnowill sends openly ** And allow your body to continue on injured? ** Rayek frowns, vaguely aware that he is unhurt, and he starts to try to push himself up again with his left arm even as his right drops heavily down to rest along his waist. His left arm quivers a moment before lying still, and he scowls. ** Tired... you... stop! ** Ktai locksends ** Rayek... ** Winnowill arches an eyebrow. ** But you have slept for so long... are you certain that you are tired? ** Rayek lifts his head, then, slightly, distractedly, suddenly ignoring you. Winnowill's eyes narrow, and she sends. You locksend ** Ktai! ** to Ktai. Ktai locksends ** Where are you?! ** Rayek, as if gaining a fresh surge of energy, falters into sitting up, and then, shakily to standing. ** You have Ktai...! ** Winnowill raises both eyebrows, looking to you. ** Of course I do. She's the one who fed you the berries. ** Rayek staggers, but still scowls. ** What lies do you try to feed me? ** His fogged eyes begin to scan the chamber for a way out even as his legs tremble beneath him. You locksend ** I do not know... _she_ is here.... the Mountain? ** to Ktai. Winnowill stands, moving to your side. ** No lies, Rayek. Your own body should tell you that. You are not even clear of senses. Rest. ** ** Keep clear of me...! ** Rayek whirls on you, but this makes him only list all the harder where he stands. Winnowill simply extends a hand to keep you from falling. Rayek reels into your touch, and just as promptly, tries to pull away from you. ** Don't... know what game... this is...** His sending blurs, lightheadedly. Winnowill sends openly ** You are not well, Rayek. Rest. ** ** What have you... done to.... ** He trails off, and begins to crumple to the floor even as he tries to push against you with a strengthless hand. Winnowill pulls you to her, moving your smaller form back to the cushioned slab. ** Now, rest Rayek. It has been a long and confusing time for you. ** Eren soulsends ** Rayek... she has kept you away from me... are you hurt...?! ** You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek reels, dizzily, blurrily. Within the velvet you can feel a flash of fear along with his anger, as he struggles to fathom what you've done to him... and to try to send to that distant mind that's brushed his.... Winnowill locksends ** /The velvet only caresses closer./ ** Rayek slumps back along the cushions, lethargy heavy in his limbs, weighting his eyelids. ** .... ** You locksend to Ktai, Rayek, you might distantly sense, reels... and falls back into the veil of velvet that seems to keep him removed from you. Winnowill watches you with dark eyes. ** Soon, you shall see, Rayek. ** Eren soulsends ** No...! ** Winnowill's second send is open, yet directed to someone else. ** And soon you shall see, Savah... ** Winnowill locksends ** /Dark magic tingles through you, seeking to plant the memories she wants you to have./ ** Winnowill brushes at your hair. ** Sleep, Rayek. All will be well when you remember. ** Winnowill locksends ** /Magic infiltrates, filling your mind with memories... different from the real, memories of a treacherous Glider that poisoned you, memories of you having to go to Winnowill for aid... Leetah approaching in the guise of aid, then having the preserver attack... all while Cutter held his shining blade to Winnowill's throat. The fight was fierce, but all too short as Skywise easily overcame you. Indignant, you were wrapstuffed... all memories made for you.../ ** Rayek's features tighten as he lies there before you on the cushions, unmoving, his chest barely rising and falling. Winnowill watches, amber-violet eyes watching your form quietly for signs of injury. You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek stirs, startled, as though finding himself encircled by a pack of desert jackals. What lies are _these_? Angry anew -- and afraid as he begins to sense something of your purpose even through the exhaustion that weights his thoughts -- Rayek mentally plants himself, drawing on every ounce of will he possesses to shield himself. ** No! ** Winnowill locksends ** They clouded your mind well, did they not? Do you truly think the wolfbloods to be that gentle? Don't you remember who made that silver pin you treasure? Do you? ** You locksend ** No wolfblood has clouded my mind, Winnowill. The pendant was made by Sar -- given to Ember, who gave it to me. Your point? ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** No. The pin was made by Sar, and given to you by Sar... To celebrate your freedom from those who would seek to oppress you. ** You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek's anger flares, and with its flaring, something of the velvet around his mind is seared away. ** You are lying, Winnowill, and I know it. You know it! What do you think you can win, with this game? ** Winnowill locksends ** Game? I play no game, Rayek. I simply seek to remind you of what you have lost. ** You locksend ** All I have lost is my freedom -- and _that_ I will have back! ** to Winnowill. Rayek's face tightens, a small and subtle sign of his efforts within, and a beading of sweat appears on his brow. Winnowill locksends ** ** You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek is -- unsurprisingly -- stubbornly determined. He calls his magic together, as if to force the velvet aside by sheer force of shielding and gliding focused into a single mighty push.... Rayek's hands begin to lift, with painful slowness, as he moves to grip the sides of the cushioned slab, to push himself up once more. Winnowill locksends ** /Still the memories enfold you./ ** You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek knows them to be false, though, and with a draining effort, he hunkers down to block himself against their imposition, his will glowing golden with his magic and power. Rayek rolls onto his side, determinedly, and swings a leg off the slab. Winnowill sends openly ** And where will you go with such a small amount of strength, Rayek? ** ** I'll think... of something.... ** His other leg follows the first, with an attempt that nearly sends him tumbling unceremoniously to the floor. He catches himself just before he falls, and snarls a ragged oath at himself; you can see him start to glow as he draws on his magic to float himself steady. ** Won't... keep me... ** Ktai locksends ** Oh, Rayek... I don't know if you can hear me... but I think there's to be trouble. Alorn's here. ** Winnowill tsks softly. ** Where are you going with such little strength? ** Rayek lifts his head, not looking at you, but rather, off out into the distance. You locksend ** Ktai? Keep... sending... guide me... I... ** to Ktai. Winnowill's eyes narrow, and she sends outwardly herself. Ktai locksends ** To the West... where the Egg is kept... ** Rayek's amber gaze shifts westward, but the movement makes him shake his head, as if to clear it. Disoriented, he scans the room... there must be a way out? A way out? Certainly. Past Winnowill, there is a doorway. Rayek turns, and squints blearily past you. Doggedly, he places one foot before the next, intending to circle around you, to get to that door. Winnowill rises to step before you. ** I do not think that wise. ** ** Didn't... ask... for your opinion... ** Winnowill sends openly ** I am entitled to offer it, as your Healer. ** Rayek scowls glassily at you. ** Not... my Healer... ** Winnowill sends openly ** But I am... ** Ktai locksends ** Rayek! They have a Preserver...! ** Winnowill moves to rest her hands on your shoulders. You locksend to Ktai, Rayek's mind blurs again... Rayek is easily intercepted, and he frowns at you as he tries to stagger away. Ktai locksends ** Rayek! Break from Her...! ** Winnowill scowls, almost putting you aside, but she thinks better of it. ** Rayek... would you like to see what it is that has had you so blind? ** Winnowill's face is suddenly sheeted with rage. Rayek manages to lift his gaze to yours, and his eyes are narrowed in rage of his own. ** I want to see none of your lies. ** Winnowill scowls off, then looks to you with a dark smile. ** It seems that your assailant tried to start a fight. ** Rayek snaps, ** I heard Ktai sending. What have you done to her? ** Winnowill sends openly ** I have done nothing to her. Yet. I fear Alorn would see her dead. ** Rayek pants where he stands, and glares at you suspiciously. ** Suntop.... where? ** Winnowill sends openly ** He sleeps. ** Rayek sends openly ** Did you wrap him, like me? ** Winnowill sends openly ** For now, yes. He would have been harmed, otherwise. /Odd that the story shifted, but she knows when to step back./ ** Winnowill gently attempts to move you back to the cushioned slab. --------- Interlude: For Rayek, time blurs, for all that he is now free of the wrapstuff. Still under the influence of Winnowill's magic, he might as well still be cocooned, for he is still weak and dazed and cannot rally together enough strength to leave the chamber in which he's been placed. But this does not stop him from constantly trying to marshal his energies, both physical and magical, for Winnowill's attempt to paint false memories across his mind has frightened him deeply. Worried that if she keeps this up he will not be able to resist her, Rayek focuses on keeping a portion of his Self hidden away, hoping to prevent his erstwhile lovemate from bending him to her will. But it's not long till she returns... ---------- So then... An unseen archway shimmers with Shaping Magics, and Winnowill steps into the chamber, violet-amber eyes looking to the figure in center of the room. He lies where you've put him back, head turning slightly in an uneasy slumber. ** Rayek... ** She moves to lay her hand upon you gently. Rayek stirs, slowly, but his eyes do not open. Magic seeps in, slowly beginning to Shape bones and muscles... stretching tendons and skin. You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek senses... something, and alarm flickers within his dazed mind. Winnowill locksends ** Ease, Rayek. ** The magic continues... And as it continues, Rayek stirs harder, beginning to frown. Something is wrong -- he has to wake up. He lifts a hand, fumblingly, trying to push himself up. The magic brings lethargy, twisting and Shaping, stretching and growing... .... and pain. Rayek gasps, his own power dimly flickering into life around his body as he struggles to shield himself. ** .... ** She begins to shield the pain, easing it into lethargy... Rayek's lifted hand drops, as though it had been wrapped in rock. Within, though, his mind struggles all the more violently, and his will makes the dimmest of shields about him, a hairsbreadth of magic, with which he strives to push away your hands. He cannot focus his sending into words, but he sends his awareness that the substance of his flesh is being invaded -- and his fury and refusal. Her words seep into you as does her magic. ** The ultimate gift, Rayek... Immortality. ** Your captive's spirit rebels, and he hurls at you, at last, sent words. ** I _am_ immortal! ** ** Then have the Shape as well. ** Rayek sends openly ** I want... nothing... from you.... ** ** You already have it. ** Her magic continues, relentless, and still soothing. His spirit continues to wrestle against you, but his body has been weakened -- by your own magic, while he's been cocooned -- and his body cannot obey his spirit, not now. The faint shield about him flickers... and dies. You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek's mind, you can feel, hurls itself in futile desperation against the barriers that keep his will from moving his limbs... or from floating them. He burns within, with a febrile light. And just as abruptly, all pain ceases. Magic tingles through you, seeming to carry you on a buoyant and gentle stream. Winnowill locksends ** Ease, Rayek.. soon you shall see. ** Rayek's breath catches softly in his throat, startledly. You can feel his resistance waver under that stream of magic about him -- a momentary wavering, but a wavering nonetheless. A moment after, he struggles to haul himself back to awareness, to glide himself, at least in spirit, up out of the magic's tide. The spirit must follow the body, or the both shall die.... and well she knows it. ** Rayek... why resist? ** Rayek sends, raggedly, ** What... are you doing... to me....? ** Winnowill sends openly, ** Giving you a gift. ** Her send mingles with the magic flowing through you. ** Stop... no... ** His mental touch wobbles, as he strives to fill his sending with fierceness. (But he is tired, so very tired...) Winnowill sends openly ** But it is done, Rayek... ** And indeed, the magic begins to fade, leaving limbs and muscles tingling with strange tired energy. Rayek scowls fuzzily, distrusting this lethargy within him, and he once more struggles to lift himself up on one arm. Winnowill sends off for a moment, then looks to you. ** Shall we move to the bath? ** Rayek makes it up onto one arm.... and spies his hand. He gapes at it, registering immediately that it has somehow changed. He lifts his head, and demands, blurrily, ** Wh... what have you done? ** Winnowill sends openly ** I told you. I gave you a gift. ** Winnowill rises. ** Come, let us go to the baths, where you can discover your gift at leisure. ** Rayek turns his gaze down along the cushions on which you've placed him -- and stares in dull shock at a body that's longer than it should be, in his remembrance. ** ?! ** Winnowill smiles an almost gentle smile. ** Come... soon you shall see. ** ** No... n-no... I will not... ** He sits up fully, and reels, wide-eyed, trying to prop himself up on arms that are suddenly longer. Winnowill sends openly ** Not even if Ktai were waiting for you? ** Rayek turns his dazed and angry gaze to you, and with an effort, half-clambers, half-falls off the cushions, growl-sending, ** Will find..... Ktai... myself... ** But he collapses, promptly, on legs he's finding are as weak as a newborn's. Winnowill sends openly ** That's fine, Rayek. I'll just direct you to the right room. ** Winnowill extends her hand to you, glowing with promising life and energy. ** Come, Rayek. ** Sensations ripple through your body, a lethargic yet somehow energetic tingle, as if having just woken from an intense sleep. Motion is full and free, yet different... the inherent .shape. of your body altered. Winnowill sends openly ** She's waiting for you, Rayek. ** Ktai locksends ** Rayek...? Beloved...? ** Rayek lifts his head, his hair falling about his face in oddly buoyant waves, at which he scowls vaguely -- even his hair seems different. His attention flickers away from you, then, and you can sense someone sending to him.... Winnowill looks to you. ** See? Shall we go then? ** Rayek growls, ** _Now_ you want me to go to her? ** You locksend ** Ktai... ** to Ktai. Winnowill laughs softly. ** Or I shall bring her to you. Wouldn't you rather be clean? ** Ktai locksends ** Rayek! Where are you...? ** You locksend to Ktai, Rayek reaches for your contact with as much strength as he can manage, but he is tired, very tired... Ktai locksends ** My love... come... find me... we'll make it through this... I swear it. ** Rayek tries to haul himself upright without your help, and, teeth gritted, calls on his magic to float himself upright when his senses tell him his perception of the room is... wrong. Winnowill chuckles softly, touching you, bringing energy to sapped limbs, allowing strength to seep into you. Rayek jerks at your contact, only belatedly rallying his scattered senses enough to steady himself on his feet -- and he whirls to eye you, thunderstruck, when he realizes that the room is not the only thing that appears to have... shrunk somehow, in his field of vision. Winnowill smiles serenely, withdrawing her hand, lest you be too energetic. ** Now, shall we go? ** Rayek snaps, ** Why have you done this? ** Winnowill sends openly ** Call it a gift. ** The room doesn't swirl as much as it did... in fact, motion doesn't lend nausea any longer, but it still requires focus. Managing the few steps to the archway shouldn't be hard... but there is an entire Mountain beyond that arch. And somewhere within it, Ktai and Suntop. ** No gift of yours comes entirely free, Winnowill, ** Rayek tells you tautly, eyes narrowed. He turns, then, glowering at the doorway, and determinedly totters to it, glowing as much with annoyance as with his magic. Winnowill chuckles, and follows you, mere steps behind. Winnowill clears her throat. ** However... you may wish for a cloak... your clothes await you in the bathing area. ** Rayek looks down at himself, his face crinkled as once more you force him to acknowledge that he is... changed. Without answering you, he stumbles out through the door. Winnowill simply follows, cloak in hand You head towards the Winnowill's Room. Winnowill's Room(#4542RJ) A pale golden light, just more than a flicker from a shadow, trickles down from overhead. The room opens up to an ornate bathing tub, leading to a series of hooks with Lord Winnowill's wardrobe. In the far corner, a large bed appears to be formed out of the rock itself, canopied with a transparent veil of dark gray silk. The floor has been smoothed over kept clean, almost a softness of stone underfoot. The ceiling breaks off into stalactites that crane down to form arches against the wall and pillars in the center of the floor. A light musk smell hangs within the air, perfumed with a honeysuckle sweetness radiating from several vines and plants that grow near the entrance and the bed. Several piles of folded leather, dyed black and streaked about the edges with a dark sky blue, lay near the tub and at the foot of the bed. Contents: rattle cradle goblet(#8640C) Obvious exits: Grotto Winnowill arrives from the Hall of Memories. Winnowill has arrived. Winnowill slips the cloak about your shoulders as she nears you. Winnowill sends openly ** Out to the Grotto, Rayek. ** The black velvet cloak falls about your shoulders as softly as Winnowill's velvet sends. Free of fancy trim or design, it seems to grace elegantly without effort. Rayek, teeth still clenched, takes that exit. Grotto(#564RL) Water cascades from the very heart of this cavern, from its spiralling roof down over forms of stone to the uneven floor. In the center of the room, dry, a number of circular basins nest, each within a larger one, sinking in order into the floor and edged with shells shaped from the very stone. Illuminated with the same far-off luminescence as the water and most of the Mountain, two paths sinew off into the stone: one low-ceilinged hallway, and a set of stairs descending into the floor. Obvious exits: Stairs South Hall You may +view the fountain. Winnowill has arrived. Winnowill gently touches your shoulder. ** The stairs. ** Winnowill sends openly ** She's right down those stairs, Rayek... ** You manage your way through thick layers of mist down the stairway towards the underground pool. Underground Spring(#5949RL) A wide stream of water falls from somewhere up above, and collects in a large pool sunk deeply into the floor. There it meets a fountain-like spring that bubbles up several feet, and pours back over into the basin. This place is shaped more by water than by magic, and reflects the water shaped blues and violets and greens that twist and meld together the way they were meant to. Several stone ledges lead like stairs down into the water, which sends up faint trails of pale steam. Other ledges around the outer edge of the cavern are covered in thick furs. Contents: Azeure Ktai Obvious exits: Underground Waterway Stairs Winnowill has arrived from the stairway leading to the grotto. Winnowill has arrived. Azeure steps to the side, arching a brow ** My sends carry no lies Ktai.. ** Azeure's thin lips curl as he nods to Winnowill, moving to her side. Ktai turns from her place by the water, obviously angry as she looks to send to Azeure, then stops cold. Rayek does not stride... his steps are too unsteady for that. But he does the best he can, his face taut with the concentration of placing one bare foot before the other. He is disheveled, clad in nothing but his own black hair and an equally black cloak... and he is noticeably taller. Winnowill simply accepts Azeure's motion as is her due. Ktai gasps, running to Rayek's side, tracing his cheek with her fingers. ** Rayek... ** Ktai looks at you for a moment. Ktai locksends ** Are you... well, my love? ** Rayek closes his eyes -- eyes that seem rather larger in a rather more delicate version of his face -- and his mouth shakes ever so slightly at Ktai's touch to his cheek. You locksend ** She.... has changed me. Changed my body. I do not know why. How... how long? ** to Ktai. Ktai brings her other arm around Rayek, her lips lightly brushing his free cheek. Ktai locksends ** I am told it has been a year since we were to LostHolt... ** Azeure watches, pensively, his arms folded across his chest as he looks on. Winnowill looks to Azeure. Azeure nods once to something, glancing to Winnowill. Ktai suddenly realizes that she is at an almost height with Rayek. Her eyes widen, and the faintest wisp of a smile flits across her lips, then vanishes. Winnowill sends openly ** Ktai. ** Ktai looks over to Winnowill, still holding Rayek close. Winnowill sends openly ** Keep in mind what it is you have been told. As long as you behave... ** Ktai takes one glance at Rayek, then nods. ** I accept, Winnowill. ** Azeure's gaze returns to Ktai and Rayek quietly. Rayek's face is still taut, with dizziness and anger, and he sends tightly, ** By what chains have you bound her here, Winnowill? And by what right do you keep _me_ here for a full year? ** He turns, with an effort, still scowling. ** Where is Suntop? ** Winnowill sends openly ** We shall discuss that at a later time, Rayek. After... you have had the chance to... clean yourself. Your clothing is awaiting you on that ledge. ** Azeure's brow knits thoughtfully. Winnowill points to a small nearby ledge, then looks to Azeure. ** Chosen? ** Azeure turns to Winnowill and nods ** Yes, my Lord? ** Ktai locksends ** I will tell you what I can... but it is not much. ** Azeure nods once to something ** Of course, my Lord.. ** he offers his hand. You sense in a locksend, Ktai adds, as an afterthought, ** You are still my Rayek... no matter what she tries to do... ** Winnowill accepts Azeure's offer, sending once more. ** Take care of him, Ktai. ** Ktai looks to Winnowill's back. ** I always will. ** Azeure's thin lips curl once more as he nods once, taking lead of his Lord to the stairs when she is ready. Winnowill follows Azeure's lead. Azeure moves slowly up the stairs, and into the grotto above. Azeure has left. Winnowill moves slowly up the stairs, and into the grotto above. Winnowill has left. Rayek's mouth curls as Winnowill and her Chosen make their exit; once they are gone, he can be seen to slump, ever so slightly, his eyes dulling with weariness. Ktai looks to you with gentle eyes. ** Rayek...? ** Rayek starts to straighten, then, with troubled and angry eyes, lifts a hand and looks down at it, staring at its altered lines. He finally whispers hoarsely, "Ktai... do you know... why she has done this to me?" Ktai shakes her head slowly. ** I do not... has she given you any idea at all? ** Rayek smirks, lifting that hand to his head as though he is dizzied, and scowling again as his hair gets in his way. His hair, too, has altered, still black as night, still long and flowing, yet now strangely airier, prone to clinging to anything it touches. Ktai sends faintly. ** ...though I will not say that you are not beautiful... ** Rayek tells you roughly, "She said... it was a gift." He totters a step or two, testing the new length of his legs -- frowning down at them, too, before he lifts his gaze back to you. His regard is still familiar, though, molten amber, sardonic, if slightly gentled as it goes to you. "You thought me beautiful before." Ktai smiles abashedly. ** And you are still. I could learn to see this as a gift... it would take time... ** She pauses. ** All the time it takes to look you in the eyes... ** Then she blushes deeply. He does not smile; perhaps he is too angry. Rayek's eyes, certainly, are glittering behind that glaze of weariness, as he scowls at his surroundings. "You said it has been a year I've slept in the wrapstuff. What has happened? Where did they take Suntop?" Ktai shakes her head. ** I only wish I knew. He may have managed to go out before they wrapstuffed him... in which case, I can only hope he has sent to others for help. ** Rayek frowns, staggering a little where he stands, and gritting his teeth in self-directed annoyance. "I... cannot send to him. Either... he cannot hear, or _she_ has... muddled me too much..." Again, he lifts a hand to his head. Ktai shakes her head. ** You still -feel- like the Rayek I know. You're just... taller. ** Rayek looks up at you again, tiredly, tautly. "She _has_ tried to change me within; I have felt her attempts." Ktai instinctively draws you closer. ** We have to hold out... Keep her from getting to us... ** Rayek corrects, shortly, ** We have to _leave_. ** He is shaking slightly as you draw him close, and you can hear him exhale in faint startlement at the contact of your arms. Ktai sends openly ** We can't go without Suntop. ** Her touch is soft and light, the same as ever, but somehow more easily sensed/ Wearily, heavily -- if any motion from this strangely slenderer Rayek can be called 'heavy' -- he nods to you. ** No. I must... ** His eyes shiver closed. ** I must regain my strength. Away from her. ** Ktai sends openly ** Then stay with me. ** Rayek leans against you, perhaps grateful for the support, though in unsurprising pride he neither speaks nor sends any such thing. He _does_ send, his mind-voice firm despite its blurred edges, ** You were not wrapped? You are unharmed? ** Ktai sends softly. ** I... have been in Her services for some time... kept like a flightless bird Below. Only recently have I been given freedom of movement. ** Ktai sighs. ** I don't miss gliding all that much... I've been without it before... ** Rayek stiffens in your embrace, and raises his disheveled head. ** She has taken your gliding? ** he sends, sharply. Ktai nods slowly. ** Part of my... punishment. ** Ktai reaches out to gently brush at your cheek. ** It's not so bad... really. ** ** Not so _bad_? ** Rayek echoes, in disbelief. ** You have accepted the chain she has placed upon you? ** Ktai looks to you softly. ** What is gliding when compared to being near you? ** Ktai gently hugs you. ** I do not love my gliding. I do, however, love you. ** Rayek leans against you again; you can, perhaps, feel the longer legs Winnowill has give him trembling to bear him up. He answers your sentiment with a wordless one of his own -- never has he been one to allow himself to express such things too deeply; that, too, is still Rayek. But perhaps this time it is more because his own sending dizzies him, and he grimaces at the effort it costs him. Ktai gently pulls you to her, imploring you to ease. ** Rest yourself. There is water here... you would float in that... ** Ktai gently pulls you towards the warm and inviting water. So relaxing... so enticing... Rayek starts to scowl, but his exhaustion is unmistakable. He murmurs, "Keep watch," even as he allows you to guide him towards the pool. Ktai sends openly ** I will always keep watch over you, Rayek. ** She kisses you lightly on the lips as she eases you to the water. Her touch is gentle, almost shy and yet somehow unwilling to let go or be far from you. Rayek's mouth quivers a little; again, he draws in a startled inhalation, at the kiss, and at the feel of the black cloak being eased off him. He sinks bonelessly into the water, as though Winnowill had left him half-water himself. Ktai slips in after, clothes and all, taking up a soft cloth and half-massaging, half-washing you as she settles you in the water. Your hair recieves utmost attention, washed gently and thoroughly before being caught by the same gold clasp once seen in Ktai's long hair. As she tends to you, she send-sings as she did long ago in the cave. Whatever Winnowill has done, it has left him apparently more sensitive of skin, for more than once Rayek jerks a little in weary surprise at your ministrations. But as the heat of the water soaks into his altered flesh, he begins to settle, drifting on the edge of a dazed half-slumber. Ktai lightly send-sings, eventually cradling you in her lap as she sits in the water, holding you so that you float, yet you cannot sink. Ktai gently sends. ** Rayek? ** Rayek's eyes tremble closed, and his head rests against you as he sends muzzied annoyance at his own unsteadiness. ** .... done this to me... weak as a newborn... ** As you send, though, he opens his eyes again, halfway, in query. Ktai sends openly ** She has told me where we may sleep tonight... ** A faint grimace twists the new delicacy of his features. ** Has she. ** Ktai sends openly ** Yes... and I remember the room. It is quiet, and secluded. Safe. It was once a place where I spent long days of meditation. ** Ktai sends an open image of a cool room with lots of floor cushions filled quietly by the soft sounds of trickling water. ** I used to spend hours there... ** Rayek scowls, even as he groggily eyes you, perhaps gauging your reaction to Winnowill handing out such blithe pronouncements. Ktai seems slightly resigned, yet oddly at peace with the thought of this room. Her eyes look to yours, and she almost loses herself in yours for a moment. Eren soulsends ** I will not let her harm you as long as you are close to me. ** She leans down and kisses the tip of your nose. ** Shall we, beloved? ** ---------- Postlude: It is with horror, shame, and deep anxiety that Rayek allows Ktai to escort him through the shadowed halls of Blue Mountain - horror that Winnowill has succeeded in taking him and the others prisoner, shame at his own inability to resist Winnowill's magics... and anxiety over why Winnowill has chosen to change him as she has. Beautiful as Ktai has named his changed form, the exhausted airwalker, as his lovemate settles him down for rest, can only wonder... why has Winnowill done this? [End log.]