Defenders of Destiny Book One: Conflux

Chapter 21: Encounters

"My legs are so cramped," Casandra said as she tried to adjust her position.

Elmar cocked his head at her. She wasn't one to complain about anything and it was odd to hear her do so but he could understand her discomfort. He felt it as well and with a glance at Ivory he could tell she was feeling it too. They had been in their tiny cave for what felt like hours and the storm was still raging outside. A part of him wanted to try and chance it but he didn't want to endanger the lives of his friends out of impatience. He had lived far longer than any of them and should be able to demonstrate absolute patience.

He should...but he wasn't...

Ivory shifted her position and ended up pushing against Elmar. She quickly moved aside and apologized but in her haste hit her head on a rock protruding from the cave's ceiling. Wincing and cursing, she put a hand to it. She pulled it away moments later and her eyes widened at the great amount of blood covering it. She put her hand on the wound and pressed down on it.

Elmar glanced at Casandra, who was already leaning forward to help Ivy. "Let me close that up for you. It looks like it might be serious."

"I'm fine," Ivory stated. "I don't want you using up any of your energy over me. I will be—" She cut herself off as she winced and whimpered lightly. Blood was now dripping down her hand and arm and was beginning to drip down from her elbow, pooling on the ground.

Casandra reached over and placed a hand on Ivory's blonde head. She gently pushed Ivory's hand away and placed her own over the wound. Closing her eyes, as Ivory winced and looked away, she focused on strengthening her wari. The wound was surprisingly deep and blood was leaking out in great volumes and in turn was weakening Ivory's wari, loosening its grip on her life force and her soul. She offered strength from her own and empowered Ivory's. The wound closed and the bleeding stopped. Ivory thanked her as Casandra ripped off a piece of her skirt and used it to dab at the blood and clean the other woman's head as much as possible.

"Your head and hair could use a wash," Casandra said when she finished dabbing with her rag, "but it'll do for now."

Ivory nodded. "I'm sorry for being so impatient. I'm a woman of action." She then furrowed her brow, confused as to why she was even speaking so openly to them. She had just admitted a weakness and yet felt no shame in it. She glanced at Casandra and Elmar, who were not ridiculing her or mocking her, and felt at ease. Had she acted with such weakness in the armed forces there would have been whispers of her growing soft and confidence in her ability to command would be threatened. She reminded herself that she was not in her world and the people around her were not her superiors expecting absolute discipline and strength or subordinates looking for a chance to replace her. These were, in all truth and honesty, friends.

"Thank you," she said to the both of them.

"You don't need to thank Casandra so much," Elmar said with a gentle smile. "She would do it for anyone and we'd do anything help her too." He gave Casandra a knowing wink and she smiled back at him.

"I was thanking the both of you."

"I really didn't do anything," Elmar said, curious to know what she was thanking him for.

"I just..." Ivory said, struggling to find the words and feeling lost, completely unaccustomed to speaking from her heart. "I was always supposed to be cold and quiet and strong and I'm glad neither of you think less of me for being impatient."

"We'd never think less of you for something like that," Casandra said to her. "You are not a mindless beast, Ivory. We all have strengths and weaknesses and no one is an exemption to that rule. You can be yourself around us."