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Another scream tore through her mind, the shriek tapering off to a whimper. No, there was no magic. No song or savior. There was only a hand on her arm.
Temken.
"Where is it?" he asked, voice frantic and insistent.
The shadow's shroud blanketed her mind, distorting the words to barely recognizable sounds. Gwe
His bright, hazel eyes searched the gloom. "I know it's here." His grip on her arm grew tighter and more painful. "I can't hold it in place, can't beat it, without you. Gwe
It was there at the edge of her vision, teasing her with a shape she could never quite define. It reeked of the bayou, its stagnant waters and diseased animals, and decay. She shook her head and swallowed. Her throat was raw and tasted of blood. To name it invited punishment. Better to stay quiet and hope the chill would pass her by.
"Well, I know one way of getting its attention." Temken bent forward, splaying his hands out and driving fingers down into the moist earth. Immediately an aura of deep green wrapped itself about his body.
Gwe
Savior, song… and magic.
Gwe
No, the song whispered; better to live.
She turned, reaching out to Temken in support. She froze as the shadow once again revealed to her the darkest of her memories: the loss of Argoth-trees burned, the land razed, her people dying. But she did not see it with the detachment that time offers against all wounds. She remembered it as if it were happening now. She saw it, feeling the guilt of her decisions, her actions, which had cost the Argothians everything they held dear. The guilt locked up every joint in her body. Anguish froze her muscles, and despair blanketed her thoughts. The orchid began to wilt, its beauty fading once again. She didn't want this. She would do anything to be rid of it.
This time, Temken stood ready. He reached out, slowly, the tip of his finger touching hers in the simplest of gestures. Warmth flooded her, the magic coursing through her with energy. It was enough to break the hold once again, to give her the choice of action or withdrawal, courage or despair. She looked to the wilting orchid. Its fading sight reminded her too much of the broken promises of before and almost pulled her down with it as the darkness swept in closer to claim her. She fought against it. She did not want this.
She would do anything she could to kill the shadow.
In the snatch of song that haunted her, echoing within her mind from long ago, Gwe
Whispering Gaea's song, Gwe
Temken brought his fingers from the earth. The heavy residue had stained them black. Not the foul black of the bayou, this time it was the rich, loamy color of fertile farmland. That, too, would fade as his magic lost its hold and the orchid died, but it was enough for now to remind him of the cycle and the cost that life sometimes demanded. He stared at his hands, at the slowly fading orchid, at anything but the figure standing just over his shoulder.
He rose and turned in one fluid motion, meeting Gwe
"You should hurry," she said, the words softly slipping between lips that barely moved. "I can hold it only so long."
The mage frowned, biting his lower lip as he considered. "We could try to kill it," he offered, sensing even as he put the idea into words that it would not work.
Gwe
The magic still wrapped about him, Temken felt Gwe
He still wondered at the shadow's origins and what exactly governed its existence now, but those were questions to which he doubted he would ever have answers. Whatever the shadow had been or was, Gwe
As if awakening from a long nightmare, elves stumbled from their huts or rose from their lethargic positions. Some did not rise and never would again. They were part of Gaea's price, exacted so that others might live and bring life into the world again. Most were crying, the pain on their faces was the first real sign of animation Temken had seen.
"Assemble quickly," he said, voice thick with emotion. "We must leave the bayou."
A few thought to move toward Gwe
"Go," he commanded. "Gaea will watch over her." They grabbed what few traveling articles they could find in moments.
Temken turned back and saw that Gwe
"This day," he said softly, willing her to hear, "you have absolved yourself of any blame an elf might still have held for you, Gwe