Chosen and Bound

[DragonSong]

She nodded slowly. "Alright. I will, Mizaak." She took a breath. "Now please, just- I want to see my father."

[Marakai Trin]

Mizaak nodded after a moment. "Yes...yes, of course you do. I'm sorry, Amaya." He released her shoulder, his hand dropping back to his side.

"It's just this way."

As they walked, he scolded himself internally. He must always remember, her needs before his. While he only wanted her absolute safety, her father was injured, and she could only worry, not knowing how badly he was hurt.

Remembering suddenly his own problem, he opened his free hand and inspected his palm. He now had two long, jagged lines cut into the flesh there, and they stung badly. He would need to get that taken care of, and soon.

Soon enough, they arrived at the door where she could find her parents and the healer. Mizaak looked to her. "They're just inside. I'll remain out here until you're ready."

[DragonSong]

She sighed and her shoulders slumped slightly. "Thank you, Mizaak, I-"

She paused, catching sight of his hand, and her brow furrowed. She grabbed for his hand, then frowned up at his face. "Why haven't you had someone look at this?"

She was anxious, itching to see her father, but she was also worried about her friend.

[Marakai Trin]

Mizaak smiled slightly. "Well, I haven't had time. And besides, what would the healer say when he saw a wound that spilled water, rather than blood?"

Gently, he pulled his hand from hers, and gestured to the door. "You go ahead. When you're ready, we can return to the garden long enough for my hand to heal in the koi pond." He smiled down at her.

"Go, and be with your father."

[DragonSong]

"No." Amaya glanced around, then folded his hand between hers and closed her eyes. She took a breath, drawing power up from her core. She let out the breath she'd been holding and magic skittered down her fingers, knitting flesh back together.

When her eyes opened they were brighter than usual, but she blinked and they quickly returned to normal. "Alright. I'm going inside." She turned to slip out of the hallway.

[Marakai Trin]

Mizaak looked after her for a moment, eyes slightly widened, and then looked at his palm. The cuts he'd opened in healing Amaya's hand and Akira's grievous wound were both gone, healed as if they hadn't been there.

After a moment, he dropped his hand, and smiled. It felt good, knowing they had each other, even when both of them had to hide their respective truths from everyone else.

He stepped to the wall opposite the door Amaya had entered, and turned to face the door, standing at attention.

[DragonSong]

"Father."

Amaya hurried to the injured man's side, kneeling next to her mother and looking between the two of them. "What happened?"

"He says there were foreigners on the island," Emiko replied quietly, watching the healer as she worked over her husband. "They were encroaching on the village territory, and he told them to stand down." She sighed. "They didn't understand Thanati. All the saw was a man with an arrow aimed for their chests."

"They attacked." Amaya frowned, looking to Akira. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was ragged. "How many?"

Emiko shook her head. "We don't know. He lost consciousness before-" She choked off and put a hand over her mouth.

Amaya laid her hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Mother. It will be okay..."

[Marakai Trin]

Mizaak remained outside in the hallway, trying to stay far away enough to give them a respectable amount of privacy. He could hear muffled voices from beyond the door, and he made no move to listen in.

While he was indeed saddened that Akira bad been injured, he took heart in the fact that he would live. He made a mental note to ask Akira to not patrol alone again. The jungle could be an unforgiving place, even for a seasoned man like him.

[DragonSong]

"My lady Ichiko..."

"Yes?" Both Amaya and Emily looked to the priestess bent over Akira. She blinked, then lowered her eyes.

"My ladies, he's not...he's not responding. I have stopped the bleeding, and given him a tonic to help with the blood loss, but he's not..."

"Move." Not bthering to be polite, Amaya leaned forward, pushing the girl out of the way as she laid a hand over her father's chest and breathed slowly. She reached into herself, then let the magic flow through her, rushing through her body and pounding in her eyes like a second heartbeat.

Beneath he hands, Akira's body arched slightly, then shuddered as flesh was sewn together, blood cleared from his lungs.

Amaya frowned. There was something else, a darkness that seemed to evade her power. She pushed- and suddenly reeled back, gasping as the backlash of the magic snapped.

[Marakai Trin]

Mizaak heard the sharp inhalation of breath from within the other room, and before that the semi-sharp way in which Amaya had addressed the priestess.

"Damn it all..." he muttered, and strode forward, into the room. His golden eyes flicked first to the priestess, as if suspecting some treachery - the look in her eyes told him otherwise.

His reptilian gaze moved on to the two women and Akira, and he knelt on the older mans other side. He noticed the color returning to his Lords cheeks, but arched a brow.

He still smelled....off.

"...what is wrong? Why does he not awaken?"

[DragonSong]

Amaya shook her head, her breathing rough. "Poison," she murmured. "I don't recognize it- it's acting slowly, but I can't purify it..."

Emiko's spine stiffened and her fists clenched in the folds of her kimono.

[Marakai Trin]

Mizaak stood, still looking down at Akira strangely.

He could still feel the faint traces of Amaya's healing magic. He could see the results she'd wrought, but if she couldn't do it alone, and his blood hadn't done it...

"Priestess... Can you leave us for a moment, please?"

[DragonSong]

The woman nodded, getting to her feet. "Of course. Forgive me, my lady, I couldn't-"

Emiko stopped her with a raised hand. "Don't. You've done what you could, and you have our thanks."

She nodded and left the room. Amaya looked back to Mizaak. "I couldn't fix it," she whispered.

[Marakai Trin]

Mizaak kneeled once again, directly opposite Amaya. "Alone, neither one if us were successful." He laid his trident on the floor behind him, and held his hand out to Amaya.

"But together, we may have better luck. Bless my blood, Amaya."

[DragonSong]

"Mizaak-"

"No." Emiko leaned forward to gently push his hand away. "No, we won't do that. Akira wouldn't want this."

Amaya swallowed thickly. "Mother, if it saves him-"

"I said no, Amaya. If your power was not enough to purify his blood, then what makes you think Mizaak's added magic will?" She narrowed her eyes, obviously refusing to look at her husband. "He was attacked by foreigners. We will not stoop to their level to save him."

"Mother-"

"No."

"Mother."

"I said no!" Emiko's hand were shaking and she took a sharp breath. "Please, Amaya. Just- you have to tell the village what has happened. I'll stay with him."

[Marakai Trin]

Mizaak looked away, shamed, eyes on the floor. His mind raced for a solution that would appease Emiko, but short of magic he could think of nothing.

Except....

"My apologies, Madam. Mayhap we can find another way " He grabbed his trident, and used it to push himself into a standing position.

"Amaya. I will accompany you outside." He looked at her a little oddly, a glint in his eyes.

[DragonSong]

Amaya stared at her mother for several long moments in silence, then nodded and got to her feet.

"Very well." She turned on her heel to leave the room, hands clenched into fists so tight that her knuckles were white.

[Marakai Trin]

Mizaak followed her out the door and, seeing that they were alone for the moment, fell into step beside her. When he felt they were sufficiently away from Emiko, he placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

".....there is another way. Or, at least a solid path to another way. We....I....need to consult my mother."

[DragonSong]

"Your mother?" She blinked, then took a breath.

"We can't," she whispered. "Spirits, I wish we could, but- we can't leave. It'd be too obvious, the village would know something was wrong, Mother would send guards after us-"

[Marakai Trin]

"Not we. I. Me, Amaya." He sighed, and took her hand in his.

"I know I couldn't take you with me. But I don't see any other way. She told me...that you would need me. That's the reason why I even exist. She may even already know what's going on, for all we know." He looked her dead in the eye.

"Let me do this for you, Amaya. It's either that, or both of us risk your mother's wrath when we try to save him anyway. Better me than you."