Chapter Seventeen - What do you mean it's not finished?
Current Word Count: 31382
Words Left To Count: 18618
Days Left: 14?
Chapter Seventeen
They wouldn’t let her leave, and at the same time, neither did she want to leave. The winter soon same. A thin layer of snow soon covered the Elven city and a serene quietness fell over all the Elves. It was a gentle winter, not the sort of weather you’d find on the other side of the mountains, or even in Camsirtch. She missed these winters.
As time crawled along, Atanax did ache to return to Camsirtch, to help get Zix back. She wondered where he was. Maybe they had brought him back to this world, though it was unlikely. He was probably still in the outsider’s world still. A few times she tried to use the mirror, but as she called forth the Orin and had no address other than ‘the outsider’, the mirror wouldn’t work. Some nights she thought she’d never see him again, other than in her dreams.
There was little comfort for her in the cold, though she did find some comfort in the people around her. Galma had stopped arguing with her and they would speak often enough. She said she’d stay with her mother until she returned to Camsirtch. There was also Tiers, whose ability to pick any lock allowed them to see each other almost every night.
She spent a lot of time telling him stories of the war and, more importantly, about what had happened to her in the other dimension. He had to understand that the outsider was his enemy, not the Elves and Camsirtch, and she was sure that the message was getting across in some manner. At the very least, he seemed to enjoy her company.
Toshowex wouldn’t speak to her. Part of the reason why Atanax didn’t leave all the sudden was because she didn’t want to leave like this, with her daughter hating her like this. The other Elves seemed to adore her, even Rotal didn’t seem angry with her, though he barely ever spoke to her as well.
It was through her talks that Atanax decided in the middle of winter that it was time to finally leave the Elven city, but she wasn’t going to go back to Camsirtch just yet. There was one more stop she needed to make before she could go home. She had to go see her son.
The decision to see him was more than personal though, she also needed to go because it was her duty. There was a frightening chance that the outsider might send his entire force against them to get the Crystal. If that were to happen, then they would lose. There was no question to that. However, if they had the help of the Elves then there was a chance of success.
That’s why after the worst of the winter had passed, Atanax went to see her eldest daughter. Toshowex knew why her mother had come, she too could smell the Spring approaching. She too understood the need to go out, though perhaps she didn’t understand the urgency or importance of doing so. Atanax didn’t even have to say a word before Toshowex replied.
"If you go away, you won’t be welcome back. I’ll turn every single Elf here against you, tell them that you betrayed them, gave their position away. You can’t leave."
"No, I can’t stay." She answered in Elven
"Did you hear what I said!?! You won’t be able to come back!" She stood up in anger, slamming her fists into a table. "Aren’t we important enough that you would want to stay!?!"
Atanax smiled, but there was sadness in her eyes. She wanted to reach out to her daughter, hold her in a tight embrace and tell her over and over again how much she loved her, but she had lost the right to do that the second she had decided to leave her daughter when she was still just a child.
"You’re too important for me to stay."
"You are not the only person who can save Camsirtch! They have an army!"
"It’s not just Camsirtch I have to save-"
"Don’t start back on how you’re doing this to save the Elves!"
"I’m doing it to save the Serrians."
Toshowex stopped herself short from what she was about to say. Atanax didn’t know whether or not the look in her daughter’s eyes was shock or hurt.
"We have to get rid of the outsider, and we’re going to need the Serrians help for that."
"I let you keep that Serrian pet of yours, but if you think that I’m going to stand by and let you help our greatest enemy-!!!"
"Our greatest enemy is the outsider, you ignorant little girl!"
"How dare you!"
"I don’t have time for these games Toshowex! I don’t know what you want from me, but I know what I have to do! I have to leave!"
"I hope you die," Toshowex whispered in spite.
"So do I, then maybe you’ll understand how I’m willing to risk everything to save the people I love."
Atanax turned and stormed out of the room. She expected Toshowex to come running after her, yelling more insults, but she didn’t. Not this time. She was sick and tired of fighting with her daughter anyway. They had spoken only a handful of times since she had come here, but it had always ended up in a fight. Would things ever change between them? She girl was barely fourteen, maybe there was time for them to fix things... or maybe it was much too late to heal those wounds.
"That sounded as though it went as usual," Tiers greeted her, a smile on his face.
"We’re leaving, right now," Atanax replied, not breaking her stride.
Tiers took off after her, barely keeping up with her. "She’s not going to chase us away with swords, is?"
"No."
"Insults then?"
"If she does, then hopefully we’ll be far away enough not to hear them."
"We can only be so lucky," he rolled his eyes. He hadn’t considered himself lucky ever since he had managed to get captured by Elves and was kept locked up every night.
"Galma!" Atanax called out to her youngest daughter who was waiting for them by Atanax’s house. "We’re leaving."
"I thought we were leaving tomorrow morning."
"No, right now."
Galma sighed. "I’ll go tell Augan. He was going to head out with us, but I guess that plan changed."
"You don’t have to go with us, if you don’t want to. I know you’ve been wanting to get back to your own village."
Galma waved the suggestion off. "Visits from Augan have been enough. I have no clue when I’ll see you next, so I might as well stay with you as long as possible."
Atanax smiled at her. "You’ve been too good to me."
"That’s true..."
"I hate to interrupt, but weren’t we supposed to be leaving right now."
Galma shot a quick glare at Tiers, Atanax had still been the only person to warm up to him.
(It's not finished now, but it will be tonight. My computer's just being a fucking asswipe, so I'm trying to post this before it fucks up again. I just really wanted to put the number count up and let any of you people who might be checking this that I have been writing and here's where I am as of right now. K, bye.)
Words Left To Count: 18618
Days Left: 14?
Chapter Seventeen
They wouldn’t let her leave, and at the same time, neither did she want to leave. The winter soon same. A thin layer of snow soon covered the Elven city and a serene quietness fell over all the Elves. It was a gentle winter, not the sort of weather you’d find on the other side of the mountains, or even in Camsirtch. She missed these winters.
As time crawled along, Atanax did ache to return to Camsirtch, to help get Zix back. She wondered where he was. Maybe they had brought him back to this world, though it was unlikely. He was probably still in the outsider’s world still. A few times she tried to use the mirror, but as she called forth the Orin and had no address other than ‘the outsider’, the mirror wouldn’t work. Some nights she thought she’d never see him again, other than in her dreams.
There was little comfort for her in the cold, though she did find some comfort in the people around her. Galma had stopped arguing with her and they would speak often enough. She said she’d stay with her mother until she returned to Camsirtch. There was also Tiers, whose ability to pick any lock allowed them to see each other almost every night.
She spent a lot of time telling him stories of the war and, more importantly, about what had happened to her in the other dimension. He had to understand that the outsider was his enemy, not the Elves and Camsirtch, and she was sure that the message was getting across in some manner. At the very least, he seemed to enjoy her company.
Toshowex wouldn’t speak to her. Part of the reason why Atanax didn’t leave all the sudden was because she didn’t want to leave like this, with her daughter hating her like this. The other Elves seemed to adore her, even Rotal didn’t seem angry with her, though he barely ever spoke to her as well.
It was through her talks that Atanax decided in the middle of winter that it was time to finally leave the Elven city, but she wasn’t going to go back to Camsirtch just yet. There was one more stop she needed to make before she could go home. She had to go see her son.
The decision to see him was more than personal though, she also needed to go because it was her duty. There was a frightening chance that the outsider might send his entire force against them to get the Crystal. If that were to happen, then they would lose. There was no question to that. However, if they had the help of the Elves then there was a chance of success.
That’s why after the worst of the winter had passed, Atanax went to see her eldest daughter. Toshowex knew why her mother had come, she too could smell the Spring approaching. She too understood the need to go out, though perhaps she didn’t understand the urgency or importance of doing so. Atanax didn’t even have to say a word before Toshowex replied.
"If you go away, you won’t be welcome back. I’ll turn every single Elf here against you, tell them that you betrayed them, gave their position away. You can’t leave."
"No, I can’t stay." She answered in Elven
"Did you hear what I said!?! You won’t be able to come back!" She stood up in anger, slamming her fists into a table. "Aren’t we important enough that you would want to stay!?!"
Atanax smiled, but there was sadness in her eyes. She wanted to reach out to her daughter, hold her in a tight embrace and tell her over and over again how much she loved her, but she had lost the right to do that the second she had decided to leave her daughter when she was still just a child.
"You’re too important for me to stay."
"You are not the only person who can save Camsirtch! They have an army!"
"It’s not just Camsirtch I have to save-"
"Don’t start back on how you’re doing this to save the Elves!"
"I’m doing it to save the Serrians."
Toshowex stopped herself short from what she was about to say. Atanax didn’t know whether or not the look in her daughter’s eyes was shock or hurt.
"We have to get rid of the outsider, and we’re going to need the Serrians help for that."
"I let you keep that Serrian pet of yours, but if you think that I’m going to stand by and let you help our greatest enemy-!!!"
"Our greatest enemy is the outsider, you ignorant little girl!"
"How dare you!"
"I don’t have time for these games Toshowex! I don’t know what you want from me, but I know what I have to do! I have to leave!"
"I hope you die," Toshowex whispered in spite.
"So do I, then maybe you’ll understand how I’m willing to risk everything to save the people I love."
Atanax turned and stormed out of the room. She expected Toshowex to come running after her, yelling more insults, but she didn’t. Not this time. She was sick and tired of fighting with her daughter anyway. They had spoken only a handful of times since she had come here, but it had always ended up in a fight. Would things ever change between them? She girl was barely fourteen, maybe there was time for them to fix things... or maybe it was much too late to heal those wounds.
"That sounded as though it went as usual," Tiers greeted her, a smile on his face.
"We’re leaving, right now," Atanax replied, not breaking her stride.
Tiers took off after her, barely keeping up with her. "She’s not going to chase us away with swords, is?"
"No."
"Insults then?"
"If she does, then hopefully we’ll be far away enough not to hear them."
"We can only be so lucky," he rolled his eyes. He hadn’t considered himself lucky ever since he had managed to get captured by Elves and was kept locked up every night.
"Galma!" Atanax called out to her youngest daughter who was waiting for them by Atanax’s house. "We’re leaving."
"I thought we were leaving tomorrow morning."
"No, right now."
Galma sighed. "I’ll go tell Augan. He was going to head out with us, but I guess that plan changed."
"You don’t have to go with us, if you don’t want to. I know you’ve been wanting to get back to your own village."
Galma waved the suggestion off. "Visits from Augan have been enough. I have no clue when I’ll see you next, so I might as well stay with you as long as possible."
Atanax smiled at her. "You’ve been too good to me."
"That’s true..."
"I hate to interrupt, but weren’t we supposed to be leaving right now."
Galma shot a quick glare at Tiers, Atanax had still been the only person to warm up to him.
(It's not finished now, but it will be tonight. My computer's just being a fucking asswipe, so I'm trying to post this before it fucks up again. I just really wanted to put the number count up and let any of you people who might be checking this that I have been writing and here's where I am as of right now. K, bye.)
posted by Elise at 7:14 PM
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