Catching the Wind

Newcomer

  "It'd be just a moments time, and it be ready." The witch turned back to the magic after getting a nod from Nikolas. 

She had used most of her energy to focus, but the alcohol was really starting to hit her now. Closing her eyes she took the focus off of standing straight and focused on the words. The swirl of the smoke made her dizzy, and she knew one wrong word and all hell could break loose. She didn't need a demon suddenly popping in to say hello.

After closing her eyes though she suddenly started to sway, she had one hand gripping for dear life on the cane while the other was splayed out at the clearing trying to contain the magic that arrived. 

Feeling her shift beside him, the wizard was also trying to contain the magic with his hand stretched out at the clearing. 

The rain beat around them as lightning started flashing in the clouds above them. He knew it was almost time. Soon they would direct the dragon to stand in the magic swirling before them.

He reached out with his free hand to steady Hagthoria and continued chanting, focusing on the smoke and colorful stones. Realizing suddenly that her weight was more then he could bare, he let go and tried shifting his arm through hers. It was too late. 

That movement caused Hagthoria to stumble forward on her words as she tried to stop herself from falling. A sudden flash of lightning struck before them hitting the smoke, causing the stones to stop midair, burn a bright molten color, and drop. The diamond pool suddenly cracked like a mirror and small explosion filled the air with smoke as the rain suddenly ceased.

The explosion threw the witch and the wizard back into several soldiers while purple and grey smoke filled the air. Everyone started coughing except Caspian. He ran to the other side of a large pine, unsure of what just happened. He was hoping the spell failed and he wouldn't have to leave. Nikolas felt otherwise. 

  

"COUGH, in God's name, COUGH, happened?" As Nikolas yelled, he could barely see anyone around him through the smoke, but he could hear his men coughing. 

  

"Caspian, boy, where are ye, are ye safe? Caspian, answer me dammnit!" It took a moment and Caspian finally answered. 

  

"I'm here Cap’n though I cannot make out what lays before me face." as he said that, Caspian tripped and landed on the body of a soldier. 

"I found Barreth, he is unconscious sir!" Caspian sounded unhurt, so that eased the worry a moment for Nikolas. 

"Hold on a moment lad. Don't move." He responded.

"COUGH, ah ye damned nitwit, why ye let go, pray ye no summon the devil himself!" Hagthoria could be heard hacking and swearing at the wizard, Caspian laughed. His laugh was from tension and relief. 

"Ye drank far too much, and ye blame me ye old hag?" The wizard was furious. 

"Hold off on the arguments a moment. We's be needin to gather ourselves. Once the smoke clears, we will address the situation. Caspian, ye and Marksman get Barreth into a tent and tended to. The rest of ye, only light a sparse number of fires until this wretched smoke clears." 

Nikolas was busy trying to give out orders on setting the camp back up while the Wizard stood by Hagthoria whom was sitting on the ground facing Camp.

Hearing a delicate sneeze behind him, the wizard naturally turned to look over his shoulder and say bless ye to whomever it was. He froze. The hag's words about summoning the Devil crossed his mind and he yelled stumbling back on his butt. Hagthoria turned in her seat on the ground to look at a pine needle covered monster with long scraggly hair wearing a red robe of fur. Hagthoria screamed as weel as she peddled backwards causing the men to look in their direction. 

The smokey fog was still thick but they could make out something standing there. Drawing the swords, several of them stood in front of the witch and wizard. 

"Tis the Devil, I told ye, I be headed for Hell this time! Leave, I will neigh sip another drink, I swear it! Take him, he be the one ye want for disturbing ye!" Stumbling over her drunken words, she crawled behind the wizard and tried pushing him forward with her feet. 

"Ye wretched old women, it's yer fault he's here! Ye be the one he wants, not I! The hag lives for debauchery, sir, she will fit in well there!" Scrambling to the side of the witch, they started arguing and then pulling at each other's cloths in attempt to make each other be taken by the Devil that had appeared. 

The smoke was starting to clear as a breeze made its way between the trees.

The fire reflected on the monster that appeared. It raised its hand to scratch its head. It was now noticeable this was not the Devil, but a woman! 

"Hold back men." Nikolas requested as the image came clearer of what they were dealing with. He could make out a red robe of sorts, and hair that may have been wet from the rain. Skin color that was not red like most demons or the Devil, but the color of fresh cream. 

"Am...Am I dreaming? Cough..Hello?" mumbling with a feminine sound, the so-called Devil tried peering through the smoke. 

"What the hell did I eat last night? Where am I?" the female voice mumbled to herself. 

The soldiers sheathed their swords. It very well was a woman, and they did not see a single woman as being a threat for the moment. 

He stood gazing at the figure as the smoke cleared further. Her delicate features came into focus, he traced his eyes along her face noticing her pert little nose, big squinting dark eyes. Her lips pouty and fierce. He could see her wet hear plastered to her neck and fall with dripping water. Her robe was of some soft fur, he could see her undergarments hug a curvy figure. He didn't know how or what, or even who, but he found her interesting from the start. 

 The woman standing there half clad in her favorite fuzzy robe was sure she was dreaming. She remembers tripping in her drunken haze and thought she must have landed on her bed. Being laid off from work earlier in the day had her stooping to smashing 5 beers and a bottle of drugstore wine. She barely had a decent shower.  

Last thing she remembered was pulling on her fluffy robe to snuggle in bed with plans on bad mouthing the company who let her go for complaints of sexual harassment. Now she must be dreaming of burning the business office down, there was so much smoke everywhere. Barely seeing through the smoke, she could make out what looked like a medieval scene from a fairy tale. 

  "Who are ye?" The voice brought her attention to a man standing in the smoke.  

  "You're in MY dream, I should be asking you who YOU are?" No respect, even in her dreams, she mused to herself. 

  "This is no dream, and as for yer request, I am Captain Bartholemue Nikolas Wingsward, formally First Captain, of the Kingdom of Daunting. Again, I ask who are ye lass, and where do ye hail from?" Nikolas doubted she was a demon, or a witch. Was she just human? 

  "Where do I hail from? Huh? Are we role playing now? Look, this is my dream, and I'm not into the whole fantasy thing." She said this as she walked closer to the figure in the smoke, it was starting to become much clearer and she could finally see the man who was questioning her.