The Conjured and the exiles

a/n; its not a huge re-edit, i have just added the lyrices for the song, and hopefuly corrected a few mistakes.





Vas carefully rolled up some more bandages for Leoff. The Nhemian was sleeping deeply, his body exhausted from blood loss. Vas was honestly astonished that they had survived an encounter with one of five infamous western captains relatively unscathed.



Leoff had in his bulldogged tenacious way refused to give up the fight and stupidly decided to attack the blond swords man again. Vas enjoyed watching Leoff fight, the young man moved his frame with more grace than one would expect from a man that size, but this time his heart was in his mouth. The Captain with a move that was lightning swift burred his sword deep in to the young mans shoulder. Blood burbled forward and Leoff’s arm suddenly hung limp by his side. And white with shock Leoff fell like a log, proving the truth of the saying that the larger they are the harder they fall.



The flamboyant captain looked down at the felled opponent with some sympathy. ‘That wound isn’t life threatening, but it will hurt, and bleed. Sorry lad but I want going to let you kill yourself. In fact what can be so important at your age that yore willing to be killed by a stranger over?'



‘My sister that bastard has my sister!’ Leoff exclaimed trying to sit up.



The blond man looked taken back for a moment; he licked his lips and looked down at the young man more closely. ‘Ah I see, I wonder what that little minx wrote in that letter.’



‘Is she here can I see her?’



The sword master scratched the back of his head, ‘Well this is annoying, she’s not actually here she’s off with my master running him raged apparently last I herd. If she was I would bring her up to see you and put your mind to rest.’



‘What are you going to do to us?’ Vas had asked then crouching down by Leoff.



‘Me?’ the blue eyed man had blinked. ‘Well now I should lock you up somewhere for my master to decided what he wants done with you. But I don’t like to make extra work for myself. So if you and your friend get yourselves off this roof I’m willing to forget about the whole incident.’



Vas helped Leoff back to his feet. ‘Really?’



The captain’s lips lifted in a small smile. Tanned skin and eyes of sky blue twinkled merrily almost female in there appearance, age had given the swords mans face character but there was still something boyish and feminine about his features. Vas was warming more and more to the man but Leoff despite the generous spirit the man had shown remained belligerent.



The aforementioned man now moved and clasped his hand on injured man’s non wounded shoulder. ‘Here’s a peice of advice for you. Feel free to see your sister. But don’t try to take her back not when he has claimed her as his own. Lord Darcia is not a man to be crossed, but he was also never a man to harm a woman.’



Blue eyes flicked up to Vas’s brown ones. ‘He doesn’t look like he’s quite with us any more; get some pressure on his wound. And try to remind him of what I just said.’



‘I will try, but I don’t think it will do any good.’



‘No I expect if he is half as pig headed as his sister he won’t listen.’ The blond laughed. ‘The girl already tried to escape after i warned her not to, but Darcia headed her off, he can find her anywhere if he has the mind to. Still have to rate her for trying.’



‘Good bye captain Faorin.’



It had been a long and tricky process getting Leoff off the roof without raising any further alarm. And it was a long way back with the heavy man leaning on him all the way back to the barracks. They made it back in fits and starts, Vas managed to make a serviceable make shift pad and bandage to put pressure on the wound with both his and Leoff’s shirts leaving them to walk bare chested as beggars through the streets. At last Leoff was warm he thought as cold winds whistled through the alleys foretelling winter’s arrival.



The surgeon had been called and stitched up Leoff’s wound, deciding to say that Leoff had cornered a cut purse that unfortunately had a knife and a raging hunger, a euphemism for those desperate to feed their opiate habit. The surgeon who reguly atended gladiators wounds was not realy conserned.


Vas was left watching over Leoff once the surgeon had gone. The young man’s chest was bare, he watched it rise and fall, and watched how dawn changed the shadows over the young mans sculpted form turning his natraly plae skin golden, pink, and orange. When he was sleeping he looked as young as he truly was, sometimes in his sleep tears would flow down his cheeks. Vas opened the young mans eyes watching them respond sluggishly to the light. ‘What ever the doctor gave you knocked you out pretty good.’ He ruffled Leoff’s brown satiny mop. ‘Fool, you had me worried you could have got yourself killed.’





Leoff was left week from blood loss, in and out of consciousness he slipped for two days never quite managing to claw on to it for any length of time. He vaguely remembered Vas’s surprisingly gentle hands changing bandages and checking for infection, bathing him with a rag and herb water, feeding him salty meat broth, and even helping take care of natures necessities. Leoff was to week to feel humiliated by it, honestly he just felt grateful, and Vas’s artless chatter was soothing.



Music, Leoff lay listening to the soft soothing sound of a lute been played, accompanied by a pleasant soft voice. It was some sort of lullaby it was full of sorrow.



'You dream about it,You feel that there's no place left to go.



You fight for it

But still there is no place left to go

You gotta reach inside yourself and let it go




Close your eyes and drift away to some place new

Where the skies are blue brings back the child in you

Cross a lonely field as birds begin to speak



Its alright

Its ok



Cry about it shout about it

You feel that there's no sense in going on

It’s late you remember, change in weather

The cold has got a hold of you again

That river's gonna drag you down again



Nothing was stopping you

Nothing was stopping you'



For a while he allowed himself to drift with the song as the lute spun out notes like ripples through water, Leoff remained unmindful of the tear that trickled from his eye before he opened his eyes when the music drew to a close.



‘Please don’t stop.’ He crocked his voice horse from disuse.



‘Oh your awake, how are you feeling?’ It was Vas he stood up his lute in his hand.



‘Tired, sore but alive.’ Leoff said. ‘I have you to thank for that I’m sorry I… I get a bit carried away sometimes when I fight.’



‘It’s alright. I didn’t get a scratch.’ Vas shrugged placing his instrument reverently down on the chair he had vacated. ‘Since your up I can change your bandages.’



Leoff sat up, and Vas set to work unwinding the old bandaged and replacing them with the fresh. Leoff flinched as the dark haired man’s fingers brushed up his sides trying to cover a laugh with a cough.



‘Ticklish?’



‘No.’



Vas wriggled his finger tips and Leoff squirmed a little. Leoff was not used to been so close to anyone, he had hugged his sister and father but that was it. He flushed bright red. Vas flashed him a smile. ‘Ok I won’t do it again.’



‘You play well.’ Leoff replied wincing a little as Vas put pressure on the wound.



‘Thank you. I haven’t had much chance to practice recently.’



Vas finished the bandaging then retrieved his lute and sat on the end of the bed. ‘Any requests?’



Leoff shook his head, ‘Anything not to loud.’ Vas smiled and began to play. Leoff once again lost himself in the music and watching how Vas’s fingers ran over the strings, their agility and skill, hard to believe that such hands had wielded a sword or axe it was oddly hypnotic.



‘Are you still going to go after your sister?’ Vas asked at the closing of his song, seeing that Leoff was lost deep in thought.



‘Of course i swore an oath.’ Leoff replied simply, as if it were a stupid question.



‘But what the man said.’ Vas replied somewhat astonished.



‘So what? It doesn’t change that she has been taken against her will by that lord. The nobility think that they can just do anything.’



Vas looked at Leoff with his mouth open. ‘It’s because they can do anything they want pretty well unless the emperor says they can’t! Leoff even if you get her back that lord will find her again!’



Leoff fell silent for a moment thinking. ‘Then I will find a way to get the emperor to help me.’



Vas gave him a long hard look, the burst out laughing. ‘You’r mad, but I like you!’







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Darcia was more that a little frustrated, and that made him angry. Things up to now had been going so well with the girl if you omitted how she constantly got herself in to life treating danger. But now they were back to square one with the desirable little creature practically spiting venom at him whenever he got near.



He didn’t need any third eye to know that whenever he entered the room she seethed with indignant fury, partly with herself but predominantly with him. Whilst packing to leave she had been a scold as ice answering only, ‘Yes lord Darcia’, or ‘No lord Darcia’ to any question asked. He was exasperated at how a female so pliant one moment could be so bristled the next.



But what was worse was the emotion hidden behind all that turbulent anger, it had stopped him from shaking her or simply taking her again to show the girl her rightful place in his mind; writhing under him. Darcia had glimpsed in her eyes when she thought he wasn’t looking a deep hurt. A look he had seen in his own reflection once very long ago; the eyes of one who had been betrayed by one they trusted.



‘Why should I care if she is hurt? I got what I wanted and I know that she would submit again, they way her sent changes and body trembles when I come near enough betray that much to me. I have what I want.’ He thought, but why was having her body not enough as it had been with all the other women.



Lord Darcia was if anything a man of action, and right now he could only think of one thing that might prevent such a situation from happening again, prevention was after all better than the cure. And with swift strides he found his way to his godmother.



‘Lord Darcia, are you leaving us so soon?’ Umra was using the fake voice she used at court, her acting voice full of slippery solicitations. Darcia knew that she was up to something right away.



‘Yes.’



‘Oh so you have remembered to say good bye to your godmother.’



‘I came to get something.’



‘Oh, and what is that?’ She asked knowingly. ‘A spell to make someone forget perhaps?’



Darcia scowled behind his mask, the old woman knew what had transpired between Dae and himself during the night. The face that she knew annoyed him more than it should have but he kept his composure and replied levelly. ‘No, I want the ring my mother put in your care.’



Umra narrowed her eyes and rubbed the small pale silver band upon the fingers of the other hand and said with abrupt sharpness. ‘Your mother gave this to me as a gift; it is not yours to clame son of Darcia.’



‘It’s for the girl who you opened up. You have other charms to keep you safe?’



‘Oh so not letting her use your Bherith any more, how selfish of you Darcia? I don’t suppose you thought to warn the girl of your bond with that sword did you boy?’



Darcia strode forwards so that the old woman was forced to look up at him. ‘You knew this would happen?’



‘You are aware that I see things yet to be boy. And it’s hardly my fault that you cannot control yourself.’



His hand sot out and had the old woman by the throat, his grip only just hard enough to immobilise her but not acutely quite strangle her. Se gasped at him with wide frightened eyes.



‘Don’t tests me Umra.’ He hissed. ‘I am not a man to be provoked. If you foresaw it you could have stopped it then. You knew I would use Bherith to protect her you knew that I would not tell her the significance of baring such a weapon, you knew didn’t you?’



‘So what if I did?’ She croaked.



‘That ring was my mothers. She lent it to you in good faith yet you betrayed her didn’t you, your own cousin.’



‘That is an old grievance.’



His eyes glared at her, and he strengthened his choke hold on her. ‘Not to me it isn’t’



Her bony hands were grasping at his, trying to pry off his iron grip on her wind pipe. For a moment he thought that he might just kill her as red bleed in to his eyes. But with is free hand, Darcia took the ring he sought from her hand the abruptly dropped her, his object achieved.



‘No….It’s mine, its mine!’ Umra screeched. She tried to snatch it back from him, but the man simply held it out of her reach. ‘Samigina help me!’



Darcia watched as the old woman’s watery eyes looked blindly about her. ‘Just as I thought, you have forced Samigina to serve you since she discovered the truth of my mother’s madness. Even with the horned ones power your sight could never be restored fully to you because of the corruption in your heart.’



‘That’s not true…Samigina!’ She cried out desperately.



‘She serves you no more Umra.’ He carried on mater of factly. ‘You have harmed what is mine twice now. Do it again and I really will kill you. And what’s more I will enjoy doing it.’



Umra let out a bitter ‘Ha’ of laughter. ‘No wonder the girl cannot love you; you who’s soul belongs to a demon!’ Darcia did not dignify that with a response instead he left with a swirl of his cloak.



‘Ah so it is you.’ A soft whinny like voice said as he fingered the ring in his pocket. ‘You have grown up.’



‘It has been a long time.’ He replied softly calmed slightly by the gentle and benevolent presence in his mind.



‘It has. I have been in the gloom for to long. And you are still making such a mess of things.’ The other worldly voice chided with a good natured laugh.



Daen was already waiting in the carriage. She did not look his way as he mounted his horse. His annoyance rearing he spurred on his horse letting the animal bound forward with a loud ‘Ha!’ And so the party set forward at a brisk canter. Once they were out of sight of Echostone hall Darcia pulled to a halt holing hp a hand brining the carriage to a lurching stop.



Daen had been thrown forward at the sudden halt and was in the process of righting herself when Darcia jumped lightly up in to the coach. In such tight quarters she couldn’t avoid him, and worse he was blocking the only exit. She put her hands on her lap primly clutching them and hoped that he didn’t notice their trembling. She looked pointedly out of the window. ‘What is it?’ she huffed when he stayed quietly staring at her.



Darcia took a deep breath to steady himself and cool his ire disliking how just the sight of this woman made him feel so unbalanced. He never explained himself, he never lost control, but here he was. ‘I want to explain.’



‘Explain what, what could you possibly have to explain?’ She said bitterly.



‘I wanted to apologise.’



‘If you think you could possibly apologise for…’



His grip tightened on the door frame with a slow creek of leather and the faint creek of wood splintering. Her fierce green eyes went wide for a moment and her tongue stilled.



‘No.’ he said firmly his cold gray eyes meting hers heatedly. ‘I cannot apologise for that, because I do not feel sorry about it. Taking you last night was glorious and I do not regret it in the least.



The young woman flushed her heart rate soaring. ‘Well I do.’



‘Then I am sorry for that.’ He said quickly. ‘I should have warned you.’



‘Of what, your lack of principles?’ she spat sarcastically. ‘I was a fool to trust a noble to be honourable, you all just think you can take whatever you want.’



'Your right i could take what ever i want, even you!' Darcia shook his head, as Daen's green eyes opend wide once again, and he laughed briefly. ‘Oh you little temptress, you came to my bed remember.’




At her dark look he continued. ‘I suppose that is unfair of me. But that was not what I wanted to explain, my sword.’



Lord Darcia deftly pulled his weapon free from its belt and passed it to the girl. ‘Bherith come.’ He bid it waving his hand over the blade. Daen gasped as the ruby on the guard suddenly turned in to a blinking human like eye that was as red as blood. She almost dropped the sword in shock. The eye regarded the woman; it seemed to be smiling at last as much as an eye alone can. A faint voice drifted through her mind like listening to a conversation through a wall ‘I am Bherith.’



Daen looked up at the noble in astonishment. ‘I suspected that he might be a demon sword. I have only ever seen one and it had not been awakened.’ She looked down at the weapon again and moved her grip so that she held it as one might hold a baby.



‘Bherith seems to have taken a liking to you.’ Darcia answered somewhat fondly. ‘And not just as a soul to devour. But that is not what I wanted to explain, with a demon sword once awakened the sword and its wielder are..’



‘As one.’ She interrupted. ‘Yes, I know.’



‘Apparently you don’t or you would not have played with Bherith after I told you not to.’



Daen flushed bight red once again. ‘If you had told me he was a demons sword I probably never have…..I didn’t know, that is I never thought that…’



‘Enough neither of us are blameless.’



‘I’m sorry.’ Daen said softly, but then started again with more determination. ‘But it still dose not change the fact that you practically forced me to have sex with you.’



‘Forced you!’ He exclaimed roundly. ‘You seemed to enjoy it at the time.’



‘And that is tribute to your considerable skill, not my actual wanting to lay with you.’ That dubious complement was perhaps the most hurtful thing she could have said, simply because it resonated with to much truth. If she could have seen his face she would have regretted the words the moment she had said them for the look of shame and deep sorrow twisted the noble’s futures.



‘This is for you.’ He said thickly, and taking her hand he slipped a small silver ring on to hr finger.



‘What is it? You don’t have to marry me to try to make things right!’ she said hurriedly.



‘It’s a spirit guide. Her name is Samigina. She is very old, very wise and very kind.’



‘Oh I see.’ He was still holding her hand. There eyes met, both faces level with each other. Daen couldn’t explain what was in her heart at that moment so she stayed quiet.



‘I will promise you something, and I rarely promise anything.’ Darcia said carefully, Daen nodded for him to continue. ‘You are still mine to do what I will with but… I...Lord Andras Darcia promise that I will not touch you in desire again unless you want me to. But you must not tempt me, tempt me and I will take no mercy upon you,and dont disobay me, anger me and i will not be held acountable for what i could do to you, do you understand Dae?’



‘I understand.’



Darcia nodded, then with his masked lips he kissed the back of her hand, before he released it and took back his sword. ‘I will leave you to get to know Samigina to summon her just call her name.’



‘Thank you Lord Darcia.’ Daen replied but the dark lord did not reply as he remounted his horse. Daen sat back in the cushioned seats trying to work out the conflicting emotions she held for her master and thought ‘so his demons were as literal as the mask he wore.’ But how hard could not disobaying him be? They made the thirty mile journey back to the imperial capital by nightfall.





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