The Stone

The Holy Summoning

We took our flight immediately after Brianna had left me in the room alone. I grabbed Gogo and a few things, and we left without any goodbyes. But it was until we reached the next town over, that I began to feel sick. We all started to feel "sick", even Andai, and the further away from Emeriss we got the better we began to feel. As the memories of painful things I did...we did, all rushed back, I realized that this was all the work of an unseen force.

"Vance! We need to go back. Something isn't right!" Gogo says from behind me. She sits on Andais back holding my sides as we glide through the air.

"You're right Gogo! I feel it too, my father may have to wait."

Suddenly Andai jerks and yelps, nearly throwing us off his back. He lets out a thundering roar and begins to fall. Cuts form on his back, shoulder and legs from out of nowhere and blood pours from them. He roars again, trying his best to stabilize his flight, so as not to knock us off.

"What's happening!" Gogo yells.

All I can think of is Brianna.
"It's Brianna! She's... i don't know...".
Andai continues to descend without slowing his pace. "Shit!, brace yourself for a rough landing!" I shout and hang on to whatever scale spikes I can grip.

As Andai falls he writhes in pain, we crash into a plane of sand just outside of the town Babbitt. Gogo and I are thrown off his back skidding across the dust and rolling to a stop. We lie there for a minute gathering our strength and vision, it wasn't a bad hit, not as bad as it could have been. I thank Andai mentally for going easy on us through his pain.

I stand, with a mouth full of sand, spitting and cursing searching for Gogo, but she is already up on her feet running towards Andai who is crying out, blood dripping from stab wounds to his hind leg and shoulder. He limps as he paces in circles letting out small yelps and fire from his jowls.

"Andai! We need to go back!" I shout.

His head turns towards me, eyes desperate. He opens his wings and tries to flap them but fails, I can feel his strength is fading.

Gogo comes beside Andai examining his wounds.
"Vance, get over here!"

I run to their side and look at the gashes. Whatever Andai is feeling, Brianna is feeling too. My heart sinks, how could I have been to stupid. I knew there was something wrong, she had been so cold lately, so emotionless. Everyone had been acting out of the ordinary. It could only be the work of Thanatos or someone within the palace plotting against us.

"Andai, we need to go back!" I plead.

He bobs his head and whines in annoyance.

"He seems weak all of a sudden. Look at his wings he can barely keep them open." Gogo says.

"That means Brianna is feeling the same way."

Gogo gives me a worried look. "What do you need Andai? How can we help?" She asks, placing a hand on his side.

He groans and lays down. I come to the front of his head and place my hands on his scaly snout. Closing my eyes I focus, finding the source of the problem through my magic circuits. It took some time, the arcane crystals covering him protects him from any imposing or foreign magic but I managed to get through into his mind. Although he still can't speak to me I can read his senses. His power is drained and he is suffering a large amount of blood loss...or Brianna is. Either way he needs replenishing.

"Gogo you need to stand back, I don't want you to get caught up in what I'm about to do."

She steps back a few feet. "Further." I say. And she backs up until I say stop.