Page 4 of 5 "I did fail her at the end Nimine," she did say softly, her
despair the taste of ashes upon her tongue as she did sit slack limbed
upon Nadimar.
Now her foster mother did lift her eyes from the many deep
sword cuts scaring the war standard's shaft; dumb proof that the
standard had not been such a useless burden in her hand as she had
thought it would be. "And how then Ae'thenal do you measure success?"
Of a sudden Nimine did fling a hand wide encompassing the battlefield
and its thick covering of Beastmen corpses, her foster mother's
familiar severe gaze upon her. "I would have given much for Tyrion
himself to have seen you at work hewing a path through the Gor foster
daughter; and with our Lord's own war standard bourne aloft in your
hand. By Isha you did make our hearts sing with pride Ae'thenal."
In answer she could only give voice to a sigh. Seeking out
Si'anelle Ae'thenal did turn in her saddle in time to see Cedwyn lift
her friend down from Finaith, Si'anelle a limp burden in Cedwyn's arms.
The entire company of Nimine's female guard surrounding the archer
champion in their eagerness to attend their Lady.
"I did fail her Nimine," she did say again, "for I did not kill Denchala as I did promise her I would."
Her foster mother's response was a frank cry of amazement. Now
Nimine did look upon her as if she was truly lost to madness.
"Ae'thenal," she did say as she did grip her left arm and shake her.
"You do still live where many before you have died beneath the fury of
her six blades, or else have been enslaved to her will. With my own
eyes I did see you fight her and cause that spawn of Chaos to flee
before you; - and you do speak of failure."
"It was the Banepearl and not I Nimine," she did tell her
foster mother before lifting her leg over Nadimar's back and near
falling at Nimine's feet in her untidy dismount. As Nadimar did nuzzle
her face with his velvet nose while she did struggle to rise Nimine
caught up her right arm with a cry of horror.
"Dechala did cut you!"
Ae'thenal did barely trouble herself to glance at the long flesh
cut on her forearm above her silver bracer that still did ooze beads of
blood. "What of it Nimine."
"Dechala's blades are poisoned Ae'theanal," Nimine did tell her
urgently. "The poison will cause you to be enslaved to Dechala's will."
"I am already enslaved foster mother," was her reply. "And the
Banepearl is a jealous master who will not permit another to claim me.
If Dechala did indeed find reason to fear me as you say, perhaps it was
this cut that did cause her to invoke her own master to snatch her away
from the field of battle."
She would have followed after Cedwyn then as he did bear
Si'anelle away in his arms, only instead her legs did fold beneath her
and Nimine did have to help her to her feet. "I shall not mutely stand
by and watch you fall into despair Ae'theanal," her foster mother did
say to her as she gave of her support. "Remember that the Banepearl was
made to entrap those of good heart; no mere spineless puppet could have
do as you have done this day. And also hear and know this truth foster
daughter, Si'anelle did wield the Banepearl to protect us all; even
though I do think she would have delighted to close with Dechala in
your place."
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