Dawn of the Nephilim

39. Change of weather part III

Confused, Ronan hung suspended in the air above Eloï'inda. Then he quickly scrambled off of her and got back to his place, almost wishing to get battered by a million flies with an asteroid hitting the island for good measure. Let nature erase that unbearable and unbidden tribulation of all the feelings of humanity. To his right Windar was snickering behind his hand as he apparently attempted not to laugh.

"Ronan, you scoundrel. Copping a feel at a time like this. I thought we raised you better than that." His eyes were filled with mirth. This was less the case for the expressionless face of Tiar'Mara, that seemed to radiate a measure of disapproval. "Hum" said Eloï'Inda as she righted herself. "I made it in time at least. Ronan, though I understand your desire, I very much advise against trying to breach that dome. It would be most...unpleasant." Ronan wisely stared into the distance, or attempted to, though it was prevented by a heap of stunned creatures that had started to build at the base of the invisible dome. Some of the flies were continuing to mate even there. Disgusting. He rubbed behind his ear and made a point out of studying his feet. But he felt like he had to say at least something to explain himself. "Heu, I'm sorry teacher. I thought that...I thought." He couldn't really find the words to describe what he thought.

"Ronan, please look at me." Ashamed he lifted his eyes, expecting to find scorn. He even felt tears burning behind his eyes, but he would not stoop that low at least. Eloï'Inda put a comforting hand on his knee and smiled kindly. "Ronan, I know what you tried to do." He averted his eyes again, quite unable to handle the situation in a satisfactory manner. "Ronan, do you remember what I said about a single thing being able to show more about a person than thousands of hours of talking? This was such a thing. Thank you for what you tried to do." Her voice pulled his eyes back again. Ronan felt his own voice cracking as he replied. "I just thought you were too late. That we were going to die. And the mission..." From next to him Windar suddenly grabbed his head and pulled him close. "I know boy. What you tried to do is worthy of a hundred minstrel songs. Your heart's in the right place, but I already knew that. If only you weren't so bloody stupid and a bit less young."

As Windar let him go Ronan finally calmed down again. "Thank you Windar", he said as he wiped his cheeks to check if no unnoticed leakage had occurred. How many times am I going to make a fool out of myself? He now took a good look at the dome that surrounded them. The insects were still colliding with, and bouncing off of the invisible dome in heaps. But then he saw through the occasional gaps in the swarm that they were bouncing off everything else as well. They mated so infrequently that they had to make sure their blooms had enough brute force in them to be undeniable. As if their poison doesn't suffice. "We are not out of the woods yet Ronan, Wion'Dair." Both Ronan and Windar fixed their eyes upon Eloï'inda. She seemed distressed. "If only I were at my full power at the moment. Maybe I would have been able to sway the simple minds of even this many insects to stay clear of us. Though they are so focused on mating that I am not certain of it even then. Now I am certain that I wouldn't succeed. The truth is that I too am not untouched by the long journey and the grave attack that was carried out on us. Even keeping up this dome for as long as I will have to will prove to be a serious challenge I'm afraid." This soured the mood underneath the dome somewhat.

"Can't your dragon swords do something Windar?" Ronan tried. The old man grimaced. "They won't even notice these flies Ronan, much less will they bother with them. Their worlds are not the same." Resigning, Ronan heaved a deep sigh, wishing he had even a modicum of control over his own supposedly considerable capacities. Eloï'inda seemed undisturbed enough at the moment. But if she said it was going to be tough, then Ronan didn't doubt that it would indeed be tough. After about half an hour Ronan noticed that the water level of the swamp had risen up till a few meters away from the swampskimmer. The lapping waves were already sweeping away the heaps of insects forming on the ground. And soon, the gurgling sound of water torrents was almost as loud as that of the wings of the insects. Eloï'inda sunk into silent concentration, seemingly unperturbed by the rising river. The water around the dome was almost a foot deep when she said: "I am fast reaching the end of my potential. From now on I will have to use other means to support this dome. I will start by taking from the vegetation of this island. I do not dare take energy from the flies, for I fear to activate their hivemind in an untoward manner."

Ronan shifted uneasily in the swamp skimmer. The ongoing buzzing – as soft and gentle as a hurricane – made him want to scratch his ears out. I got something untowards to direct at them. Bah.

The water slowly rose up until about two feet of the dome, so that Ronan could now see the bodies of dead insects streaming past almost at eye level. A most disturbing experience. At one point he saw through the murky water a fish being chased by a bigger one at full speed. Both of them thudded into the dome. Neither had any thought left for the chase after that, and they slowly drifted downstream, disoriented and very confused. Well I guess this dome saved at least one life today.

"If I continue to take any more energy from this island, it will be nothing more than a withered heap of death soon. Ronan and Windar, you will have to lend me from your energy to keep up the dome. This water is very heavy, and I had not thought it would reach this high. Maybe it was a mistake to not try our luck on the stream." Eloï'inda's face had paled even further than its normal colour at the moment if such a thing was possible. "Yes messenger, take from our strength." Windar was the one that replied. "Alright, Ronan, you will feel my presence inside of you. Take care that you do not fight me, and please, do not try to take of my energy. If I waver in my concentration now it will prove fatal for us. Ronan gulped and gave a shakily nod in confirmation.

Ronan felt the almost familiar touch of Eloï'inda in his mind. He felt that she warily sought access to his brain. She was careful, ready to retract at any time. -Good Ronan, now don't fight me. Allow me to tap into your energy.- Her talking in his brain was still unnerving. Slowly, he felt her intertwine with him. He tried as hard as he could not to fight her. Through their connection he could feel some of her incredible wariness seep into him. How could she have continued for as long as she did? -Out of necessity Ronan.- So she could read his thoughts! One of his worst fears just came through. He tried not to try to remember all the embarrassing thoughts he had had in her vicinity. -Calm yourself Ronan. Or you might break the connection. I do not want to use force to save your life. You have felt how unpleasant that is.- Sorry teacher. Ronan tried to focus on his breathing. In and out, in and out. He felt that Eloï'inda was beginning to use his strength. It felt like a weight was put on his shoulders. Quite bearable at first. But the longer you bore it, the heavier it seemed to become. Soon, he began to sweat as if he were running. Evident relief flowed over Eloï'inda's face.

"I feel as though we might have gotten through the worst of it" she said.