Lost Excerpts (Mianite)

Donanite 1

First off, I'll figure out an actual cover later. For now, have a generic staircase cover. \o/*

The song for this sorta one-shot is "If The House Burns Down Tonight" by Switchfoot. This takes place after the events of Things Lost and the epilogue. This will probably be adapted into an early chapter in the sequel if there ever is one. *crosses fingers in hopes of S3 some day being a thing*

*Donella's POV*

Bright sunlight shining on my eyelids brought me to wakefulness. I groaned and rolled over in my bed, still tired. When that failed to bring me relief, I tried using my magic to close the curtains. My powers didn't feel quite right, and it was no surprise that the light level remained the same. I must have caught one of those cursed viruses the students were always passing around. I mentally reached for Akatena to ask her to draw the curtains.

I recoiled as if burned when I touched the raw corner of my mind where my familiar bond used to be. I curled in on myself, reeling from the loss and the remembering of how it happened. Tena was gone. I let silent tears fall. Oh, Tena...

I stilled my shaking when I felt sympathy tentatively brush against the edge of my consciousness and a hand rest on my shoulder. I tensed. My immediate reaction was to demand who dared enter my house—let alone lay hand or mind on me—and banish them to the middle of the Blood Desert; then I recognized Dianite. No one else could smell like netherack and cedar smoke. I relaxed and let down the mental wall I had started to raise, accepting the comfort. After a few minutes of venting my grief, it subsided enough for me to think of something outside myself. How in Mianite did he get past the city's defenses?

"We're not in Laenadur, Donella," He said softly.

"What?" I croaked, finding my throat raw and dry. I tried to swallow and found it difficult. Memory of the ceremony that had saved my life came back to me, and I didn't wonder that my voice was hoarse. I blinked my eyes open while rubbing my throat as if that might help. Feeling more awake now, I rolled onto my back careful not to pin my wings.

Dianite was sitting next to me. He offered me a glass of water, lifting my head and shoulders to help me drink. When he lowered me back into the covers, I became aware that the "bed" I had been sleeping in was actually a sleeping bag. Also of note, we were outside. We appeared to be camped on the edge of a meadow in a birch forest. The sun had just crested the treetops in the east. I didn't recognize any of the wildflowers growing in the meadow, and the birdsong sounded strange. Even the magic in the air felt different, though my senses may have been confused by whatever I'd caught.

"Where are we?" I asked.

Dianite frowned, looking off into the distance. "I don't know." Before I could ask how that was possible, he asked a question of his own, "How are you feeling? You were out for a while."

"I feel like I've come down with aura flu. My skin feels too hot, my magic feels strange, and I have a bit of a headache. It's a definite improvement over earlier though."

Dianite had a thoughtful look on his face. "I can help with the headache, but I suspect the rest is permanent—a side effect of you becoming an acolyte. I did have to replace a lot of your quintessence." Dianite sounded a bit disappointed; he had not wanted to change me.

I glanced down at my arm. "Well, my skin's not on fire or dripping lava. So, if I have to live with a higher than normal core temperature, so be it. Your magic will take some getting used to," I added, noting the places where red and maroon auras intertwined around just that one arm. I wondered what the rest of me must look like. I touched Dianite lightly on one arm to get him to face me. "I never got to say thank you," I said with a smile of gratitude.