One Final Lesson -- Part 5/6

Previous installments:
One Final Lesson -- Part 1
One Final Lesson -- Part 2
One Final Lesson -- Part 3
One Final Lesson -- Part 4

Everything happened at once.

I cast the Frostbolt --well, not so much as cast but it escaped-- straight at the Defias Mage. No longer a puffball, it was densely packed iceball that shot straight ahead, leaving a long vapor trail behind it. 

The Mage jerked her arms upward as it smacked right into her chest.

A pair of shadows appeared right behind the two Defias holding Carys and Karyn, each plunging daggers into an arm and then the neck. I could see Carys and Karyn drop just as I heard the clang of daggers on cobblestone.

The Defias Mage hadn't moved. Bluish white ice spread from where my Frostbolt had hit her, encasing her in place.

As much as I wanted to jump up and down and cheer, I knew I only had moments. "Come on, Kit," I grunted as I burst out from the bushes. The throbbing in my head intensified as bile in my stomach lurched up toward my throat.

Evelyn raised her arms and the arcane burst forth in a blast of icy hell, freezing the Defias surrounding her. She then blinked out of view and I felt another burst of the arcane.

"Kill them all!" the lead Defias shouted just before he was bowled over by Dad. Balthan slammed into the Defias on the right and they collapsed on the ground.

"Get your weapons!" I heard Evelyn shout from somewhere to the left.

I reached the spot where Carys lay, still screaming. I flipped her over and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw there wasn't a nick on her at all. The Kaldorei was as good as her word. "Come on, Sprout," I said as I picked her up.

"CAR-WYN!!!" Carys shouted. "MAMA!! IT'S CAR-WYN!!"

I turned back to Karyn just as a Defias closed on her, dagger out. I tried to lunge for Karyn, but I was too slow; my head felt like it had split open, and while I managed to keep holding Carys I vomited all over the cobblestones.

A huge dark blur flew through the air and swatted the Defias away. The gigantic cat that nearly knocked me over in Stormwind let out a fierce roar and her jaws clamped down on Defias' neck. I heard a sickening crunch, and then another deafening roar from Kit.

My body was shaking uncontrollably as I wiped my mouth with my free hand. Something dark and red was dripping onto the ground next to me.

"Car-wyn, you're hurt!" Carys cried.

I nodded, unable to speak.

Karyn reached me and grabbed Carys, then offered an arm to me. I grabbed on and tugged in the general direction of the porch, and the three of us lurched over there like drunks leaning on each other for support. I collapsed on the top step and cradled my head in my hands.

"You're really hurt," Karyn whispered. "You're bleeding pretty badly." I heard cloth ripping, and then felt something pressed to my head.

"I'm supposed to be rescuing you, not the other way around," I croaked. I could hear sounds of fighting, punctuated with burst of arcane energy, but all I could do was moan a little.

"Oh Light," I heard Karyn whisper, terrified.

I felt hot breath on my face, laced with the metallic scent of blood. "Kit?" I asked as I opened my eyes.

The cat huffed at me, looking at me with strangely compassionate eyes.

And then she changed.

I could barely see through the pain, but one moment Kit was there, and the next there stood another Kaldorei, clad in green and brown, tilting my head up and inspecting my wound. "K-Kit?" I whispered in shock.

"Yes," she replied with a thick accent I now associated with the Kaldorei. "Stay still."

Kit took a step back and raised her arms.

Bright, shimmering green leaves whirled around me with the speed of a brisk breeze, and I smelled Springtime flowers so strongly that I thought I'd sneeze. My head stopped aching and my sight cleared.

"Wow...." Karyn said, awed.

Kit grinned and winked, and a moment later the giant cat was there once more, leaping back into the fight.

"Kitty!!!" Carys cried, clapping her hands. "Yay, Kitty!"

"Light help me, but I didn't expect that," I said as I felt around the top of my head. It no longer hurt to the touch. "How do I look?"

"Like you've been run over by a wagon," Karyn replied. One of her arms was completely bare, and she was holding a blood-soaked cloth in her free hand.

"That's pretty much how I feel." I stood up and looked around. "But at least my head isn't throbbing."

During this entire time, it felt like the three of us were in our own little bubble, with the actual fight far away. But now that bubble had burst, and I could finally focus on everything else.

The Defias that had ringed Dad, Balthan, and Evelyn were all dead, as were two of the three leaders. The Mage was still partially frozen, but the other Kaldorei was standing behind her, twirling a dagger in the air, patiently waiting for her to melt. A couple of the ones ringing the rest were still alive, but Kit leaped on one and James cut down another who was pressing Robyn hard. The Defias from the barn had poured out into the yard and were steadily being cut to pieces by Dad and Balthan, with an occasional blast from Evelyn.

Mom was nowhere to be seen.

"Are we winning?" Karyn asked, holding onto a now squirming Carys.

"I think so," I replied. "But I'll feel better when I know where Mom is. She was acting strange before the fighting, like if you offered a drunk a beer after they've been sober for a while."

The Defias Mage suddenly blinked out, leaving an outline of ice behind.

Cursing, the Kaldorei vanished.

"Uh oh," I said. "I think she's getting away."

"Keep alert until we have an all clear!" Dad shouted as he ran toward where we stood. "Is everybody alright?" he asked in a lower tone.

"Granpapa!" Carys cried and tried to escape Karyn again.

"We're okay now," Karys replied. "But if it wasn't for that cat, Cardwyn would have bled out.... Daryn, is that a Druid?"

"I've never seen that cat before in my life," Dad replied. "Card?"

His voice trailed off when he got a good look at my face. "Oh Light, Honey, we need to get you washed, some water, and lie down. You're white as a sheet."

I nodded, suddenly feeling tired all the way through to my bones. "I think I'll need to clean up my mess in the hallway, Dad," I mumbled in a halfhearted attempt at a joke.

Ignoring the blood all over my head, Dad embraced me in a bear hug. "I'm just so glad you're alive. When Jas told me what happened, I was so scared for you."

"Where's Mom?" I gasped as Dad whooshed the air right out of my lungs. "Dad, I'm worried. She was not acting like herself and I don't see her here."

"I was afraid of that," Dad replied. "We'll address it when she makes a reappearance. But you... Did you really cast that? I saw this blue bolt and then that Mage froze in place. I knew it couldn't be Evelyn, since she was right next to me."

I nodded into Dad's armor, bonking my nose on his breastplate. "Evelyn taught me how last night, but I was so lousy at it that I didn't think it would work. But I could hear Carys screaming, and I got so mad, and.... I think I overdid it, Dad."

"You did it perfectly, Card." Dad squeezed me again, and my ribs creaked.

"Aye, Lass," Balthan said from somewhere nearby. "That was as fine a shot as I've seen. If' I'd not been there to see yer so-called attempts last night, I'dve said ye were doing it all yer life."

"You've never taught Mages before, if you think those were 'so-called' attempts," Evelyn added with a huff. "You never saw my first attempts."

Dad released me only to be embraced by Evelyn. "I'm so proud of you, Cardwyn. There was only one chance to get it right, and you did it."

"But Mom said to just distract her," I replied, hearing my ribs creak again. Either I was weaker than I thought, or Evelyn was stronger than she looked. Probably both.

"Your mother was trying to not put too much pressure on you, Dear. I've been in that situation before and being a 'distraction' typically isn't enough."

I felt hands on the back of my head, searching for my now-closed wound, and Evelyn let go of me. "Cardwyn, I thought you were dead," Linna cried as she hugged me. "There was so much blood...." her voice caught. "I was going to make them pay for this."

"Balthan," the Kaldorei called from the far side of the barn. "The Mage is dead, but you and the Young Mage should come quickly. It's the other one."

The other one? Does she mean Mom? Linna released me as a cold knot of fear took hold in my stomach. I half-ran half-stumbled across the yard around the barn.

The Mage lay crumpled on the ground, a dagger buried in her chest and another in her throat. Beside her, kneeling and bent over, was Mom. She was shaking. "Mom!" I screamed. "Mom, are you hurt?"

Balthan reached Mom before I could. "Mona?" he asked gently, placing a gloved hand on her shoulder.

"I couldn't help it, Balthan," Mom whimpered. "The hunger was too much. Oh, the ecstasy of it all."

"Oh no," Dad said as he came around to the other side of Mom. "Mona, it'll be alright."

"No, it won't, Daryn," Mom cried, raising her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I..." She gulped, "I wanted to subdue her, but I tasted her fear, and..." She buried her head in her hands again. "I thought this was behind me, but it's not. Please, take them away from me."

Dad nodded, grabbed the dead Mage by the legs and pulled her away from Mom. He reached for the daggers, but the Kaldorei stopped him, shaking her head. With a deft touch, she removed each dagger by the pommel and gently set them aside, out of Mom's reach.

"I hate them for this," Mom continued, talking to nobody in particular. "After all these years I was happy, and these Defias dragged me back into hell."

"Mom?" I asked, worried. "Are you sick?"

Mom sobbed some more.

"Yes, Cardwyn," Evelyn said quietly. "She is."

"But she can be cured, right? Balthan or Kit can cure her..." My voice trailed off as I saw Dad's face.

"No, Card," Dad replied. "They can't. This is something that no calling on the Light can cure."

I placed a hand on Mom's shoulder and looked at Balthan.

"Yer father is right, Lass," the Dwarf said. "She's been to a dark place, and those scars will never heal. But what she does need is all around her right now."

I looked around at the others who watched with varying amounts of concern and pity. And at the back, Karyn holding Carys. I motioned to Karyn, and she came forward. "Carys?" I asked quietly. "Granmama needs you right now. Can you give her a hug?"

Carys picked the wrong time to get shy. Karyn set her down, but my niece held back, watching Mom the same way she'd watch a big, nasty looking insect.

"It's okay, Carys," I added. "When you're sad you need a hug, and Granmama is really sad right now. Can you give her a hug?"

"Otay." Carys toddled over and crawled into Mom's lap. "Don't cry, Granmama. I'm here."

Mom's arms enveloped Carys. "Thank you, Sweetie," she whispered through her tears.

I felt a light touch on my shoulder. "Well done, Young Mage," Kit said. She'd changed back into a Kaldorei once more.

Balthan turned back toward me and his jaw dropped. "So that's how you do it!" he cried. "There are two of you!"

"Two of what?" the first Kaldorei asked.

"You! Night Elves! I always wondered how you were able to travel so quickly, but if there's two of you that explains everything!"

The two Kaldorei looked at each other, puzzled. "No, it's just me," the first Kaldorei replied. "You do realize I ride, correct?"

"Then where's your mount?"

"He's on the far side of the woods to the west. Sleeping, most likely." She took off her cowl to reveal a shock of purple hair tied up in a ponytail in the back. Compared to Kit's lighter skin color and white hair, the two couldn't be more different. "I did not wish him to scare the... living stock..." Kit interjected with a burst of a foreign tongue and the Kaldorei nodded and said a few words in reply. "...livestock," she corrected. "Did not want to scare the livestock. Not all farm animals enjoy seeing him for the first time."

"Oh," Balthan said, deflated.

"I did tell you I would be visiting friends in Stormwind, and Kit insisted on coming with me when I received your note."

"Shan'do Stormrage would be most disappointed in me if I knew and did nothing," Kit added. "As would the rest of the Circle."

"Well I for one am glad you're here, Kit," Dad said.

"Daryn," Mom called. She was still crying, but she sounded more normal if you could call it that.

"Yes, Mona?"

"That Defias, before she died, was taunting me. She said they were going to make Stormwind burn. They were going to purge Azeroth of the city as punishment for their crimes."

I felt sick. "The entire city?" I asked.

"Yes. You know how we feel about the nobility, but city is filled with people who are completely innocent of all of this. I need to warn Mathias."

"That isn't your job anymore, Mona," Dad said.

"It is my job. Like Kit said, if I knew and did nothing..." she held Carys tighter and kissed her on the top of her head.

"You're in no condition do to anything, Mona," Evelyn said. "I'll deliver the message."

"No, I'll do it," I said.

There was dead silence in the yard as everyone looked over at me.

"I'll do it," I repeated. "I've been meaning to bring this up, but Mom kept delaying it. I want to help the Guard protect this part of Elwynn, and Deputy Willem already had that call for volunteers. Our farm may be safe for now, but for how long? We need to not only protect Elwynn, but also get to the root of the problem: why the Defias are here, who their leaders are, and to fix both. And I want to do this. They attacked my home and hurt my family and friends, and I'm not going to let that stand."

"Cardwyn...."

"Dad, my mind is made up. As Balthan put it, the wolves are at the door, and I for one am not going to let them kill us or any of the other farmers here in Elwynn. Yes, I am aware of the danger, but if I can remember who I am and listen to others who care about me, I can do this. And maybe, just maybe, I can take the fight to the Defias in Westfall. The people there deserve to be free from their tyranny as well."

Dad walked over to me and looked me up and down. "Three things," he began. "One, you need rest; you're as white as a sack of flour. Two, we need to make sure that there is no immediate threat beyond the farm before anybody leaves. And three...."

He placed his hands on my shoulders. "After today, I believe you're ready to spread your wings and fly. Your mother and I will still need to confer about it, however. Understood?"

"Understood."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a small smile on Evelyn's face.

***

At Balthan's insistence, we burned the bodies of the Defias. "Ye don't want a Necromancer to come along and raise them later," he said, as he called on the power of the Light to infuse the bonfire.

While Balthan oversaw the bonfire, Dad and Evelyn helped Mom back into the house and put her to bed, each taking shifts to sit by her bedside. When I asked Mistress Evelyn what had happened to Mom that caused her to break down like that, she shook her head and said that Mom would tell me when she was ready.

I sat on the porch steps and watched the bonfire while leaning against the railing. Although I was exhausted, I didn't want to go to sleep just yet. Carys had found a new friend in Kit, who was happy to give her a "kitty ride" while she was in cat form, with Karyn and then Jas keeping Carys from falling off. "You should make sure that she understands I am not just any big cat," Kit added.

After a while, Linna came over and sat next to me. "You should get some sleep," she said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I know, I guess I'm just being stupid that way."

The glow of the bonfire flickered in my sister's eyes. She looked thoughtful and more than a little sad. "If you'd have told me two days ago that all this would have happened, I'd never have believed you."

"Me either."

"I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too. But I'm not going away forever. This is still home, and I will come back to visit. I can't imagine myself living in a stuffy, sterile Mage tower when the crickets are chirping and the wind is whistling through the leaves in the woods."

Linna nodded.

"This farm is worth fighting for," I added. "I never truly realized how beautiful this place is until I'm about to leave it."

"Stop that," Linna said, sniffing. "You're going to make me cry again."

"I couldn't help it the first time," I replied, giving a halfhearted smile.

Linna sniffed again. "Maybe you'll take over that Mage Tower over that way." She waved her hand in the general direction of the setting sun.

"That'd be nice," I replied. "Mistress Evelyn always said the tower's owner is a bit of an ass."

There was a long pause while we watched Carys ride by us, yelling "Kitty! Kitty!" with Jas keeping her in one place. Kit seemed very happy to be the center of attention.

"I don't know if you saw it," Linna said with a grin, "but watching Balthan wield the Light was amazing."

I laughed until it hurt my ribs. "You're going to get me into even more trouble, Linna," I replied. "If you start talking about taking the Oaths, Mom's going to ride out and drag me back home for being a bad influence."

"I'll give it some time. Besides, I'm not sure if I really want to trade farming for that. I don't know if I can handle being sent up north to the Plague infested areas, knowing that Uncle Aeron is likely out there somewhere."

We sat for a while in silence, watching as the stars came out, until I could barely keep my eyes open. I was vaguely aware of being picked up, carried into the house, and tucked into bed.

Next Installment: One Final Lesson -- 6/6