After a few days, Caeli's condition was stable, but unchanging. She writhed in pain when the medication wore off and the bandages needed changed. She cried out in pain unconsciously, drenched in sweat by the time the grove society had finished their treatments. She heaved for some time before becoming restful once more.
Occasionally she would mumble nonsense to the members when she sensed their presence. Something about a mother and father, once mentioning someone named Rivera. Her rantings were written off as symptoms of her fever. The grove fought viciously with it for six consecutive days. The fever returning each time she was due for more medicine.
Syll kept Brego, Aurum, and Coruscare updated as things went.
She stood in the kings study and informed him that her condition had not improved. Coruscare nodded sagely.
"Have you yet to find anything in the archives that could be of use?", he asked hopeful for he had been visiting the girl on occasion and had surprisingly grown quite fond of her. She was not only beautiful but she was so strong. A time or two, Coruscare had been present when she had come due for her treatments. He had watched as she fought the pain and gritted her teeth. Brave even when unconscious.
"There is so much to sift through, my lord, it's taking longer than we had hoped. Anything about humans has either disintegrated or been shoved in some far corner due to its lack of use. Even with five of us taking shifts, searching through the night, we are finding very little. What we've found thus far we have implemented to the best of our ability but it has been very little.", Syll said sadly. She walked to the large opening in the rotunda and studied the sight below. "If only we had more information. Why was she attacked? With what spell in particular? Where is she from? WHAT is she?", she said the last part quietly.
"What is she?", Coruscare said hesitantly. He had yet to disclose to anyone that he had sensed that the girl was not just human.
Syll gave him a precarious glance.
"It is only a theory. But her condition remaining stable, the hibernation of her body and soul, a fever that will not break, hair having gone white within just a few days. Her symptoms conflict with any diagnoses I've considered. I can only surmise that there are variables we are unaware of, some symptoms a result of one thing, others the result of something else, perhaps even unrelated.", she said, her brow furrowing in concentration and confusion.
Coruscare stood silent for a few moments.
"She possesses a Seeing Stone Syll.", he said quietly, watching her reaction closely.
Syll spun to face him, shocked.
"How? How do you know?", she whispered.
"I sensed it when she was brought here. I sense it now. It is hidden within the cloak, one of the pockets. I knew it assuredly the moment it was separated from her, when you began treating her for the wound.", he said moving to stand next to Syll, looking down below. The initial reason he had gone to be with her, to collect information. "At first it was difficult. There is something deep and ancient hidden in that girl. When the Seeing Stone had first been brought close enough for me to sense, it's power was mingling with whatever I sense inside of her. Once the cloak was off I could see that the energies were separate, not one in the same.", he said, concerned.
"A witches stone? But why? The hatchling told of her past, of the human village. A village that cast her out due to SUSPICION of consorting with Folk. They would never of allowed it. She surely would be dead by now.", she said shaking her head, trying to connect the dots of information she had.
"I agree. But it remains a fact, she has one in her possession. What's more is that it has not rejected her. Something that powerful, especially this particular Seeing Stone, would have a mind of its own. Should she be unworthy she would have found herself parted from it under the pretense that it was her idea.", Coruscare replied, now staring at the gilded floor. Where he stood in particular was etched his own image, One of the Five. He never got used to seeing himself portrayed in great works of art, but when you're as old as time itself and the child of a goddess, it tended to happen quite often.
"If only we could speak to her, ask a few more questions.", she said distractedly as she continued to try and make sense of things.
Coruscare nodded just as a new idea dawned upon him.
"There is a way.", he said, making eye contact with Syll.
She understood instantly what he implied. When you spend a lifetime with someone, your minds tend to meld that way.
"My lord, your dream diving abilities are not developed enough. You may get lost within the girl. We have not tried it since the Lord of Midnight and you-", she said.
He interrupted her quickly.
If the girl was doomed then time was running out. He needed to know if his kingdom was in danger, needed to know if there was important information floating around in her conscious and subconscious mind.
He needed to know more about her.
"I am aware. But we have little choice in the matter. The girl knows more than her companions, I believe that strongly. And even if I am wrong, I will be able to access her subconscious. Should something be hidden, even from herself, I will be able to find it. Meet me in the infirmary with the Dream Catcher.", he said definitively.
Syll recognized the determination on his face. She's always known that her master cared for the children of the goddesses, but to risk trapping his mind within the girl?
She gave him a slight bow, "My Lord.", she said before turning to go to the archives.
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Night had fallen and the preparations made. The Catcher worked best when the moon was present and so Syll and Coruscare were ready to begin when it had reached its peak.
"You go in, you find what you can. Exit the minute you feel that your connection to your body is waning. I am serious Coruscare. Heed me for once in your life. This is not a physical wound that I can re-patch like all the other times you ignored my instruction.", Syll said seriously. Honorifics forgotten.
He gave her a wolffish grin, cradling the Catcher in one of his large clawed hands.
"Yes lady Syll, loud and clear.", he responded feigning nonchalance.
In truth he was quite nervous. He knew not to underestimate the use of the mind and soul. He was sure he was more nervous about using the Catcher than he ever had been on the battle field. It was difficult to mortally wound an immortal child of a goddess, he had never left a battle with more than a few deep wounds, ones that could be tied off and tended and assuredly healed as long as infection was kept at bay.
This was not that. Should he lose himself, or even parts of himself, which was possible, the correction of these changes were difficult if not impossible.
"Also, do not forget, you are to make yourself as much a part of the dream as possible. Should her subconscious sense an intruder her mind will attempt to expel you like the body would infection in a wound. Should you be expelled and choose to attempt entering again it will be more difficult each time and you will have to start from the beginning.", Syll warmed as she sat the woman up and propped her against herself.
He nodded once before realizing what she was doing.
"Cradle her against yourself and lie in the bed, I have a feeling you will be gone for quite some time and I, nor anyone else other than the Five, would be able to catch you should you fall standing.", she said impatiently waving her hand for him to do as she bid.
"Yes mother dear.", he said under his breath, attempting to lift her mood, and distract himself from his own nervousness.
"Hmph I've certainly been around long enough, and watched over you like one.", she said, not unkindly.
Coruscare gently lifted the girl and took her place on the bed. He leaned back against the wall and brought the girl with him resting her head against his chest and seating her across his lap.
Once situated he went to raise the Dream Catcher.
Syll reached out and touched his arm.
Tears in her eyes she said, "Please be careful."
He gave her another nod.
He lifted the Catcher above the girls head, looking down at her serene face, listening as her gentle breathe came from her partially open lips. Her hair having became more and more white, reflecting moonlight like spiders silk, her cheeks hollow but faintly glowing, the slant of her nose smooth besides a small bump where it may have broken and healed at some point in her life.
*Beautiful indeed.", he thought to himself.
It was the last thought he had before he lost consciousness.
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Syll watched as Coruscare drifted into sleep. His claws still balancing the Catcher by a string in the air above the child's head. Once he had gone, she made a silent prayer and took a seat by the bed side.
Looking at him this way reminded her of the day she had found him.
Syll was not only a Druid, but also the spirit of all of the plants on the surface of the planet. She had been brought into existence before four of the Five, only The First having come before her.
The day she had come upon him she was doing what she had always done, tending the plants across the world.
She had found him lying beneath her favorite willow tree, only a whelpling at the time.
Sound asleep she was unsure of what he was. The word "dragon" would not come into existence for many more years.
She had gently woken him, just a child then. He had told her the circumstances of his birth, and with no sign of his mother, she had cared for him since. Eons had passed, the world constantly changing but they always remained together.
It wasn't long before he was deemed King of the Folk on the Ausia continent, and Syll had supported him the whole way. The honorifics were necessary when others were around, Coruscare was the only one who knew what Syll really was. But on their own they were much like mother and son. Syll had realized not long after Coruscare had grown to adulthood that she could not have children of her own. As ironic as it was, a spirit of life, could not create life of any other form than the plants she tended.
It was years before the heart ache transformed from a sharp stabbing to a dull ache. Her sorrow so deep that it had not left her, only changed.
Coruscare was the closest thing she had to the plants for a child.
She had cherished, reprimanded, tutored, and much more. She was a thousand things because of him. No longer just a spirit to spread life. She had more than just the one mundane purpose.
She cared deeply for Coruscare, she could not imagine what life would be like without him.