Legon Restoration

by Taylor, Nicholas

  "The honor is mine. Popee, correct?" Sasha said sounding formal.

  "Yes Un Prose, how may I be of assistance?" Popee asked.

  "That question should be the other way around; I am here to assist you. I understand that you are short handed on Ascended help," Sasha said.

  Popee looked taken back for a moment and then looked around the crowded healing center, running her fingers through her dark brown curly hair. "Yes Un Prose we are short handed, perhaps you could assist with minor injuries?"

  Sasha nodded, "It would be my pleasure, where shall I start?"

  "Sara, will take you around," Popee said.

  After Popee left Sara asked, "Are you sure you are OK with just doing minor injuries?"

  Sasha spoke warmly, "Of course, she is short handed and I have the power to heal many minor wounds in this center, I dare say it will clear up a lot of beds and resources."

  "Allowing her to focus more on people that are worse off," Sara noted.

  "Perhaps, or maybe just to give her staff a break, who is our first patient?"

  Sasha spent a few hours with in the center. Sara took her from bed to bed where she would fix lacerations and broken bones. As soon as a bed was free, it was taken up again, but Sara could see a difference, the load of work really had been lightened.

  Popee came up to them. "Thank you Un Prose, you have done much to help us today."

  Sasha was at the entrance and looked back at the people still in bed with a sad expression. "I wish I had more time Popee..." she kissed Sara on the cheek "I have to go now, keep safe," and with that Sasha left.

  "Sara, would you mind walking with me?" Popee asked.

  "Of course, may I ask why?"

  "I need help getting some odds and ends at one of the storage buildings and I thought you could give me a report of your afternoon."

  Sara walked with Popee talking, telling her about who Sasha had healed and how many. Popee seemed happy and relieved about everything that Sasha had done. The rain was coming down hard now, forcing Popee and Sara to hide under eves. They came to a tent near the north edge of the base. Lightning flashed in the sky and thunder rolled.

  She and Popee rummaged through supplies and chatted. They were looking outside at the rain when a crystal rose in the air. It flashed red and the air filled with a droning blare.

  Sara clapped her hands to her ears, "Wh-"

  Popee looked terrified. "It's the air raid siren; it's the signal for dragons to scramble!"

  Popee grabbed Sara's arm and pulled, Sara tried to speak, "Air raid? But the weather..."

  Sara heard a boom. She looked towards the edge of camp to see a plume of fire. The warning crystal blared on. Popee pulled Sara to the ground and she felt a wave of heat cross over her body.

  "WE NEED TO RUN!" Popee said pulling Sara up.

  The tent that they were in was on fire. Sara was pulled out into the street. There were explosions all around her and she looked to the sky to see a group of Iumenta dragons coming in, preceding them were torrents of magical flames and spells of every kind. From further inside the base anti dragon flack filled the air. Streaks of magic and ballista bolts sailed over her and Popee. Packages burst in the air. A ball of pink came from an Iumenta and struck the building next to her. The explosion sent Sara and Popee flying ten feet to land on the muddy lane. Sara landed hard and turned to Popee.

  She's out cold Sara thought. She wasn't without injury either, her leg hurt as did the side that she landed on. Rivers of fire were raining down everywhere. Sara knelt down trying to wake Popee. Her eye caught an Iumenta coming in close to the ground, braving the barrage of ballista fire. As it came in Sara could see figures fall from its back. Oh no! They are caring ground units! She spoke a spell, reviving Popee.

  "We need to go, there are ground units here!" Sara said.

  Popee stood up but too late, the Iumenta were on them. A memory from long ago came to Sara. It was when she'd been fleeing this land and the one and only time she'd used magic to fight. Silver light shot from her, hitting an oncoming Iumenta. Its body glowed with green. It has protection! When the first one was on her, Popee pushed Sara out of the way drawing her faloon. The Iumenta blocked the thin blade with ease and Sara sent another spell at it, just a flash of light that distracted it. Popee took the Iumenta's distraction to her advantage, stabbing it in the chest with her faloon.

  More Iumenta were there, none of them paying any attention to Sara, but going after Popee instead. Sara grabbed some wood she found on the ground and swung it at a female Iumenta. It side stepped her attack and lashed out with one of its own. The Iumenta hit Sara with the back of her hand, sending her careening in the air. Sara landed hard on her side and bent forward to wretch and spit blood.

  "Popee!" Sara said reaching out.

  Popee was on the ground, an Iumenta readying to stab her. Sara's vision turned red for a moment as a ruby familiar in the form of a puma crossed her vision. The Puma attacked the Iumenta that was about to kill Popee, as an Elf came into view.

  Sara tried to raise herself, falling back down as pain exploded in her leg and side. She clutched her side, forcing out a spell that mended her broken ribs. Popee was lifting her and Sara looked to see the other Elf woman with her back turned to them fighting the Iumenta. She had a fenna that blazed scarlet with blood. She and her puma fought viciously, Sara watched as she killed several Iumenta. Then she used magic to take down others that were further away. She cut an oncoming foe in two, splattering the area with gore.

  The woman growled a spell, making the rain in the immediate area coalesce into orbs that froze into ice. She sent chunks the size of heads at Iumenta driving them back. The woman turned, her face smeared with blood and Sara's own blood ran cold. The face was a mask of rage and anger so frightening that Sara knew it would haunt her for the rest of her life, but the eyes...

  "Sasha..." she whispered.

  "Popee, get Sara out of here now!" Sasha said without a hint of her usual warmth.

  Popee lifted Sara and they ran away from the edge of base, the whole time avoiding arrows and magic. The air above her was roiling with both Elf and Iumenta Ascended. Human and Elf soldiers ran past them, heading towards the edge of base.

  * * * * *

  As soon as Keither heard the air raid sirens he tried to fully connect with Sara. He caught flashes of her being attacked but then her mind closed off to him. Never in his life had he ran so fast. He sprinted toward the edge of base, passing soldiers on their way to defend the wall. Kovos' sword bounced against the side of his leg and Keither was thankful to have it. He came to the top of a small hill that overlooked most of the north side of the base.

  His eyes took in the scene before him. Buildings were burning and exploding with magic from Iumenta dragons, the air was filled with anti dragon flack and arrows. The flashing red siren crystals blared. Elf dragons passed over his head joining the battle. Keither looked to the healing center where Sara worked to see it shattered and smoking. She wasn't there he said to himself.

  He started to run again, he had to find Sara, but the Iumenta were on the ground! He felt waves of heat from buildings and the sky. Dragon blood fell like rain as the fight in the sky escalated. Keither lost his footing when a group of scared people ran by. He fell to his knee. In the moment it took to pick himself up, he saw Sara with Popee. The Elf was carrying her. Sara is hurt! Popee saw him and ran up to meet him.

  "Is she hurt?! Is she going to be OK?!" Keither asked looking at his wife, her face pale.

  "She'll be fine, she's had a shock and her leg is hurt, take her away from here," Popee ordered.

  "Where are you going?"

  Popee didn't respond but turned and dashed back towards the fight. Keither didn't hesitate before leaving the area. Some of the Elves siege weapons had been turned and were firing on the Iumenta. He could see toward Salez, that the rest of the Elf artillery was firing, the air filled with both Elf and Iumenta Ascended.

  Sara groaned, "What's going on?" />
  "The Iumenta are making their counter attack!"

  He got Sara back inside the small barracks they lived in. Even when he shut the door, his ears rung with the sound of spells on wards and the windows flashed like a freak storm raged outside. He found a few other support staff in the building, hiding out in a small cellar. He and Sara joined them. There was a glow of silver and Sara relaxed in his arms.

  "You can put me down, I'm almost healed now," she said.

  He did as she asked and he saw her wince, her eyes met his and she answered his unasked question. "When the attack started I fought back, it took most the power I had, it will take me a bit longer to completely heal my injuries," she said.

  The building shook and everyone in the cellar screamed. Everyone hit the ground, the Keither tried to cover Sara. The building shook more.

  * * * * *

  Legon gazed out of the opening of his hanger at the rain coming down in sheets. He was grateful for the break from fighting. The rain washed the base of its ever present stink of smoke and death. Iselin lay next to him, also craning her neck out of the opening.

  "Thinking about a nap?" Legon asked her.

  She shrugged making her armor clink. "I'm considering it, but not seriously." A tendril of water formed and flowed to her mouth, "I'm not that tired."

  "Yep, it feels nice just to watch the rain."

  In the distance Legon saw a red crystal rise in the air and start to blare.

  A voice came into his and Iselin's minds from ground control, "Scramble, scramble, scramble, Iumenta attack imminent at the north gate..."

  Both Legon and Iselin shot up. Dragons in hangers across from them were taking flight and Legon waited for an opening before propelling himself in the sky. Opes and Sydin's minds joined his.

  Sydin spoke, "Legon, head over to the north gate and take charge, I am going to take command near the city. It’s safe to assume that the north of the base isn't the only thing that is going to be attacked."

  Legon's mind opened to all the dragons in the area. "All squads heading north, this is Legon of Evindass taking command." He waited to hear which squads were going north and connected only with their leaders to relay orders. He could see the north side of the base in a blaze as Iumenta Ascended attacked. Ground command connected with him and he relayed information to the dragons. "Ground is setting up a defensive line and growing artillery, anti dragon flack is one hundred feet."

  "Orders?" a commander named Lamma asked.

  "Contain the Iumenta near the gate, target Ascended carrying troops, we need to give the ground units time to evacuate the area and provide support as needed," Legon said.

  Below him, streaks of smoke trailed anti-dragon flack. Legon rose in the sky, Iselin and Opes taking his wing. They plunged themselves into the battle, Legon using powerful spells in an attempt to push the Iumenta back. To an extent it worked, but he had been fighting all day and what little energy he had left was dwindling.

  Legon, Iselin and Opes soon were covered in wounds and their healing wards were failing them.

  "Legon we need to pull back," Opes said.

  Reluctantly he agreed. This was fighting as a dragon; you fought until you were badly injured or tired, then you would pull back and recover. It was that reason that made dragon fatalities more of an exception then the norm.

  Ground command connected with him, "Sir, we have a defensive line and have turned artillery on the gate, there are several new batteries that are nearly grown, once complete they will level anything past the defensive line."

  Legon acknowledged and asked for a time frame before speaking with his commanders. "We have less than a half hour before ground levels the area. Ground units are pulling out of the area but a few can't get out, I need four squads to assist in e-vac," he said.

  Sasha's mind connected with his, "Legon, we need pulled out; my guard and a few others are pinned down."

  Legon could see her position in his mind and said, "Make red smoke and we'll get you."

  He was too tired and too focused to pay much attention to Sasha's situation or the seething anger he felt from her mind. He found her smoke and came in with Opes and Iselin. Two other dragons circled the area, so Legon and the others could come in close to the warehouse that Sasha and her people were in.

  Sasha was on the roof fighting with magic, along with the rest of her guard. She was sending spikes of ice at Iumenta ground units. Behind her lay several figures that looked hurt.

  As Legon came in he breathed fire around the building and Bill detached from him to join Iselin, Opes and all of the other Venefica's familiars on the ground. Legon hovered over the building feeling Elves climb his tail, Sasha making it up to his shoulder.

  "We're all on," she said.

  Legon turned and drove his wings down, feeling the strain of having too much weight on his back. Large burning projectiles from the main artillery whizzed past him, giving him motivation to try harder as he forced himself higher in the sky. Once he was moving forward and up things got easier. Below, he passed the defensive line.

  * * * * *

  Sasha felt the anger from the White Dragon fade. In its place was pain in her body and fatigue. She started to tremble just a bit as fear and sadness gripped her. The ground units had grown new artillery that now fired on the north gate. Below them dozens of burning wooden balls rushed by, their hollow insides filled with a flammable liquid. She turned to look as they hit the north part of the base, bursting on the ground, covering the area with fire and death. She turned her head away and looked at Popee, she was covered in injuries. An Elf had secured her to one of Legon's spikes. The healer stirred a bit, opening one of her swollen eyes to look at Sasha.

  Sasha brushed Popee's hair from her face and spoke to her as warmly as she could, "Shhhh it's OK now, I am going to take care of you."

  Popee smiled weakly and muttered, "Sara was right...perfect," and then she passed out.

  Legon landed and Sasha and the others got off his back. Sasha could hear chatter in his head as he coordinated the air and ground attacks up north.

  "Sash, can you take care of the wounded?" he asked.

  "I'll take charge don't worry," she said and added, "Be safe."

  Legon laughed. "Yeah, I'll go be safe in combat, thanks for taking care of the wounded," he said and started to fly off.

  Before she could retort about his comment about being safe in combat the wind was knocked out of her as a pair of arms wrapped around her.

  "You stupid, brave reckless woman!" Edling's voice sounded behind her. "What if you'd died? Are you hurt?" he asked spinning her around.

  "N-no I..." she started to say something but was cut off when Edling kissed her. He picked her up, spinning around. Sasha wanted to be mad with him for manhandling her but if she was being honest, and the tables were turned, she'd likely do the same thing. He put her down.

  "You can't get mad at me dear, you know that," he said reading her mind.

  A smile forced its way on her face, "But I can try, can't I?"

  He kissed her again, "How's that going for you?"

  She gave in to being happy for a moment. "Not well," then she paused, "only you could make me happy in the middle of an attack," she accused then got back to the matters at hand. "I need your help; we have wounded to take care of."

  Edling held her tight. "I know, I will behave now, but a husband is allowed a moment of joy when his wife comes back unharmed," he smirked.

  "Well...has it really been a whole moment?" she asked matching his smirk. They allowed themselves several more happy seconds before duty called them back to reality.

  Chapter Twenty

  Aftermath

  "Despite my insistence that I am the only one in the world, life seems to go on without my presence."

  -Walking Through Time (Author Unknown)

  Keither listened to the distant rumble of magic. His arms were loosely wrapped around Sara's sleeping form. The night had been a long one; the air was thick with dust an
d smoke. He knew that some of the fighting took place over their barracks but he wasn't sure how much, or how much was left of the area.

  Sara stirred, bleary eyed she held her side and muttered something. Her palm glowed silver and she sighed, "Finally."

  "Are all of your injuries healed?" Keither asked.

  She sat up. "All the ones that count, are you hurt?" she asked.

  He said that he wasn't. Others in their hiding spot were starting to leave the cellar and Keither decided to join them. He helped Sara up and stumbled a bit.

  She steadied him, "I thought you said you weren't hurt."

  "My leg is asleep," he said stamping it on the ground trying to get blood flow again.

  When they came out of the cellar and left the building they were met with relative calm. Only a few buildings around them had any damage, but when Keither turned to the north he could see pillars of smoke rising.

  "I'm sure we are needed," he said.

  Sara frowned, "I can't seem to get in contact with Popee...you don't think she..."

  * * * * *

  Sara's mind reached for Popee but found nothing...she could be asleep still. Protocol said that Sara needed to make contact with command for instructions, so that is what she did. The mind she was led to was Sasha.

  "You're OK," Sara said.

  "Yes I'm fine, were you injured?" Sasha asked.

  "Yes, broken ribs and leg but they are healed now; I should be ready to work. Do you know where Popee is? Did she make it?" Sara asked.

  "She is unconscious, she got hurt in the attack, but my guard pulled her out. We healed most of her wounds, but she escaped from bed and started working. I dare say she worked too hard and passed out; I gave her a sleeping draft so she can heal. Can you please report to center six?" Sasha asked.

  "Yes, I will go there right away," Sara said and broke off her connection.

  She hurried to the center feeling guilty. Popee had started working as soon as she could, but Sara...she'd hid during the night instead of doing her job. She clenched her fists, feeling her nails dig into her palms pathetic she thought.