Strelitzia sighed quietly wanting more than anything to be able to comfort him. "What if you disguised yourself as a bird? Can you do that? Then you could live free again."
"The red mage can turn me into a ferret and a bird. Though his magick has a balance. Equal, or give and take." He shoved a big clawed foot near her face. Four large thorns protruded from them. "We had a deal." He wiggled his clawed toes.
Clumps of dirt rained down on her when he began wiggling around. "Alright. Alright. Stay still already you big preening lizard." It took both hands and a foot to be able to pull the thorn from his paw, plucking them out one by one. "So," She began in between prying the third one out; it was a little deeper and stubborn to get out. Probably from having been in so long. "Why do you think there are people out to get me? You've lived a long time. What would be your guess?"
"Hmmm," He kept wiggling his toes every time she plucked a thorn out. "Probably because you aren't who you think you are. You see a regular book and others see an old valuable piece of work." Naldak yawned, thousand sharp teeth on display.
"Yeah right." Strelitzia said in disbelief. Her life had been nothing but ordinary up until a week ago. It wasn't something she complained about although she always longed to see the world. She just found it hard to believe. Finally she plucked the last one out, humming in thought. "The only thing remarkable is that I can actually hear you. Which honestly seems pretty weird considering your voice is pretty distinguished. It almost feels like a joke when Baeron can't."
"Baeron is a scalesack. Nice to everyone else, but not much of an animal person. Or it could just be the fact this lonely beast wanted to be heard." He lowered his foot and stilled for a moment. "He's awake. That blonde guy."
"James." The man who she shared pleasant memories with despite the rest of that time being muddled and nearly forgotten already. Her demeanor brightened a bit but she tried to play it off with a shrug. "Should we go see him or do you have more thorns that need attention?"
She didn't need to say the word before they phased there with the use of his magick. Baeron was still out grinding his herbs. James was trying to sit up while yelling "No." repeatedly. Sweat dripped down his face, taking dried blood down their streams.
Strelitzia approached him slowly in case he startled. "James. James, it's okay." She tried to reassure him. Grabbing one of the cloths from their water bowl, she gently dabbed it across his face to try and clean some of the blood and grime. Something terrible must have been happening for him to end up delusional and falling from off the mountain. There was so much pain behind each utterance that her heart ached for him. "You're okay now. You're safe."
"She's burning," James breathed out, trapped in the past that flickered between the inside of the mountain and the manor of misfortune owned by Colton. It was where slaves were bred, sold, or either slaughtered. He started coughing from the smoke that filled his lungs. His sister's screams filled his ears but it burned more than his throat. Hands had held him down. "Save her!" He cried out. "Please I'll do anything."
Naldak made an odd grumble noise beneath his breath and he tapped James' forehead, dispersing the terrible awoke dream he had. "That'll do."
She took his face between her hands, thumbs running circles gently. It was something her mother had done when she had nightmares as a little girl. "I wish I could offer you some tea but we don't have any. Are you okay?" Almond shaped green eyes looked over him worriedly. Thank the Gods for Nadlak and his strange magick.
Seeing the veil of his nightmares fall away from his gaze, James clutched onto Strelitzia's wrist and leaned up. "She made him push me. Why would she do that? I have to tell Razmyr Ja'ule betrayed us." He grunted every time he moved. Then the realization that it was Strel who was near him caused James' blonde brows to lift. "Thank goodness you're safe. I felt terrible that I didn't get to save you." And sadly enough he was already injured from Sam during the first fight weeks ago.
"Save me from what? Everything went fine." Maybe he'd hit his head on the way down as well. Her hands fell away from his face once he seemed to snap back to reality, trying to urge him to stay down. Even though Baeron had caught him he'd still been hurt pretty badly meaning it was better not to take any chances. At least not until the mage came back with the herbs all crushed and ready.
Her own brows rose at the mention of her father. "You should take a minute to process everything. It seems you've been through something rather serious. Would you like to talk about it? Unfortunately that's all I can offer you other than water or roasted fish."
"I'm not hungry, I have to go find Razmyr." He didn't acknowledge much she'd said, clearly still out of it from the head injuries he had. James managed to stand up on his wobbly legs, bracing a hand against the wall. "Are we still in the mountains? And how'd you get here?"
She stood with him, arms out just in case he fell. There was a sense of urgency about him that hadn't been there before. "Yes. You fell from above somewhere." Clearly he wasn't paying her much attention though she motioned over to her sleeping mother. "We were attacked and my house burned down..We're hiding here until it's safe I guess."
"That shouldn't have happened. If you had of stayed with us and Sam hadn't fought me, you'd be safe by now." He pressed a hand to his forehead where a gash was horizontally across it. "Your mother's here?" Confusion rung clear in his voice.
"I don't know who Sam is but I don't think this is anyone's fault. Besides maybe the king who wants us dead for some reason." She sighed, grabbing hold of his shoulders. "Let Baeron come back first so he can heal you before you try to run off into the middle of a battle again."
James glimpsed over at the woman she'd motioned to earlier and shook his head. "I didn't hit my head that hard. That isn't your mother. Your mother-"
A ghostly voice whispered in her ear, leaving her eyes glazed over and distant. "Knock him unconscious."
Strelitzia's limbs moved like a puppet on strings. Her own will have way to whatever force urged her into the act. Her arms went slack as she stepped towards their pile of kindling. She picked up a stick, swinging with a force she hadn't known herself capable of, right against the back of James' skull.
James fell face forward onto the ground and Naldak wrapped his tail around Strelitzia, yanking her away before she could strike him with the stick again. "Whoa, uncalled for. What in the dragon sack is wrong with you? First you're concerned, and now you're waving around a stick like a mad man."
The voice vanished from her head.
The stick fell from her hand, clattering on the ground. She blinked slowly. There was a moment of confusion before she understood what Nadlak was saying. "Oh Gods! I didn't mean to. I spaced out.." Strelitzia shook her head trying to clear any lingering fog. "You can let go. I won't do it again."
"Spaced out?" Nordak said in disbelief. "If spacing out is cracking someone head open with a stick, then I'd hate to see what sleeping looks like. Probably murder." He didn't release her for a long minute until he was sure she wasn't out of it.
"I don't know what happened." Her face fell into a look of utter disbelief and disappointment. She didn't want to hurt James. He was already injured and barely could move as it was. Why had she done that? She didn't quite trust herself to get closer, unsure if she might try to strike him again or worse. That was the first time anything like that had happened. "I'm sorry. I'll stay away until Baeron gets back." The girl was so ashamed of herself she couldn't bring herself to even look at him.
"What was going on in your mind? Was everything just blank, didn't you feel hatred, animosity? Or nothing at all?" Naldak's gaze narrowed horizontally. "He said you were taken from a ship?"
Her mind had been completely blank when she'd attacked the man. She'd been moving without thinking, not a thought of her own had gone through. "I have no reason to be upset with him though. If anything I really enjoyed his company the last time." A single finger tapped at her chin while she tried to imagine what could have possibly come over her. "I went to visit my aunt. But the entire trip was unremarkable and I don't recall anything dramatic happening like being kidnapped. I would definitely remember that."
Baeron came back with the ground up herbs in his hand, nearly dropping them once laying eyes upon James moved from the spot he'd been in when he left. He had fresh blood oozing out his head while laying face down on the ground. "Did he try to attack you or something?"
His gaze flicked between Strelitzia and Nordak. Though surely if it was the dragon he'd have more than a small head wound added on to his inflictions.
"No. I just..I don't know what happened but that's why I'm over here, okay? I didn't mean to smack him with a branch but I also don't know why it happened." To say she was a little concerned would have been an understatement. "Please hurry and heal him. Despite hurting him I do want him to be okay." Shame made her face heat, sitting beside Nadlak in case she got any more sudden murderous impulses.
"I'll get right on that lass. In the meantime, less not go breakin' faces in." He gave a whole hearted smile nestled in a red beard. Taking the paste he'd made, he spread it on James' forehead. Afterwards he turned to Strelitzia. "We should rest for tonight. We have to march elsewhere tomorrow. That way we'll beat the extreme cold. First we'll be havin' some fish."