Jason slept for a long time, utterly exhausted by his mental battle with Charaustra. At some point, Char came over and lay down next to him, putting her head on his chest in a silent apology. Jason woke up briefly when she did this, then tumbled back into unconsciousness.
An indeterminate amount of time later, Jason awoke to Genhyl lightly shaking his shoulder. "Jason... Jason..."
Jason blinked a few times, then turned to look at Genhyl without getting up. "Yes?" he asked, his brain still fogged and tired. There was a headache still hovering behind his eyes, and he could feel it, but if he didn't move, it wouldn't be so bad.
"The Council has summoned us," he told Jason. He looked concerned.
"Oh." Jason replied, still not moving.
*Come on, it will be all right. I'll help you,* Char said, nudging his ribs. Jason sighed and slowly pushed himself us. The room tilted for a moment, then slowly righted itself.
Okay... I can do this.. just one step and then the next... Jason narrated, gingerly getting to his feet although he felt as dizzy as hell at the moment. The Azalai led the way out of the room and back up the corridors. Jason lagged behind, with Charaustra on one side and Genhyl on the other, just in case. It seemed a lot longer than the way they had come, but Jason was sure that his pounding head was probably magnifying the distance. Arg, blast these headaches. I haven't had one this bad since the night I left home.
Finally, they arrived back at the main chamber. Jason was surprised to see all the M'l'kai gathered there... including Alexei. He stopped so quickly that he would have stumbled had Genhyl not grabbed his arm.
*Alexei! You're alive!* Charaustra projected in a mixture of incredulity and joyful relief.
"Yes, the M'l'kai are not powerless, and, with the help of the faithful Azru of the Temple of B'rigl, we have repelled the offworlders for now. Because of the foresight of the Children of the Future, you and Charaustra are safe." Alexei gave the two M'l'kai of the Temple a grateful nod, then, she turned to the M'l'kai behind her, the Daughter of the Sun, who stepped forward.
"Because of our actions, the Temple of B'rigl was nearly overrun, and all the Amulets could have fallen into offworlder hands," she began.
A quick survey of the room showed Charaustra something interesting. *Jason, the Son of the Sun isn't here,* she observed. Jason looked around blearily and saw it was true.
Could he be the 'traitor' the Children of the Future spoke of?
*I wouldn't doubt it,* Char growled. The man had rubbed her the wrong way from the beginning.
"Here is the Amulet of K'dan," the M'l'kai said, moving toward them with a wrapped bundle. "I place my trust in you, Sacred Guardians."
Jason took the bundle from her and gently placed it into the bag that Char held. "Thank you," he said quietly, inclining his head in a bow. The blood seemed to throb into his temples, and he immediately wished he hadn't bowed quite so much. Cautiously, he righted himself as the M'l'kai stepped away. The room seemed to fade for a moment, and he swayed slightly on his feet. Genhyl's grip on his arm tightened.
The Son of the Future stepped forward. "Now, you must again retreat below the Temple, in case the offworlders return. The Azalai will lead you."
"And I will travel with you," Alexei added, moving from the group of M'l'kai to stand with the trio.
*Where are we to go next?* Charaustra asked the Son of the Future.
"That is not for us to say. When the time is right, the Gods will summon you. Until then, rest. Food will be sent for you. Now, go."
The blue Azalai once again led them from the room. Jason dragged himself into a walk again. His arm was starting to feel bruised where Genhyl was grabbing it, but he didn't dare ask the L'mdanan to let go, lest he collapse.
*I thought for certain you had been killed,* Char told Alexei.
"As I said, the M'l'kai are not powerless, and when banded together, we present a considerable force."
*I am glad you are alive.*
"And I am glad you are alive. Everything hinged on that."
Char dropped her head in guilt. And I almost ruined it... and I've hurt Jason. I don't know how to fix it.
You don't have to fix it. I forgive you. I'll be better when I get some sleep. Jason's thoughts pushed into hers suddenly. She glanced up, surprised. She had known that she could read Jason's mind, but she didn't know that it could work the other way.
*Thank you...* she whispered to him. And he gave her a thin smile.
They finally reached the underground room. The Azalai bowed, then left on some errand of their own. The Temple would be busy with repairs and refortification now that the first battle was over. Genhyl helped Jason over to his bedroll, where Jason wearily lowered himself down and lay on his back, trying to still his head. Alexei examined the supplies in the room, then excused herself to fetch some ingredients for her own purposes. Char lay down near Jason and watched him, her head propped on her wing.
Jason closed his eyes, trying to stop the flashes of red that were clouding his vision. He let out a shaky breath slowly, trying to breathe deeply and relax or possibly fall asleep again. Genhyl gently brushed his hand across Jason's shoulder.
"Is there anything to be done?" he asked Jason, obviously not liking seeing his friend in so much pain.
"It will pass," Jason said quietly, trying to keep his ears from ringing. Genhyl let his fingers trail down Jason's arm, where he started toying with Jason's wrist.
Jason blinked open his eyes and glanced at Genhyl uncertainly. He could be reading the signals wrong, but Genhyl had been more... possessive lately. Jason wondered if human signals could be compared to L'mdanan signals, or if perhaps Genhyl thought this was normal friend behavior, and Jason was just being silly about it. Genhyl continued rubbing his thumb across Jason's wrist, oblivious. Jason let his eyes fall shut again as a wave of nausea struck him.
Oh, not the nausea... Jason mentally pleaded. As though the pain weren't enough, his worst migraines often featured dizziness, nausea, and vomiting as their special guests. He felt Genhyl reach up to gently brush his hair.
Okay, I am not being silly. Something is off here. Jason thought, but this wasn't exactly the time to have a discussion with Genhyl about "platonic friendship". He tried to just let his mind relax. He could have a talk with Genhyl later... when his head wasn't falling in on him.
When he woke up, Genhyl's hand was still resting on his hair, and Char had nuzzled her nose under his chin. Jason blinked at her in confusion.
*Are you feeling any better?* she asked him, drawing her head back.
"A little," Jason said. His head wasn't throbbing anymore, but he still felt dizzy and weak.
*You need to eat something. They've brought us food. Come on.*
Charaustra nosed his arm up across her shoulders and gave him a light shove, so, with Genhyl taking his other arm, Jason was pulled up and moved over to where Alexei sat. There was a fire in a cauldron set on a flat floor table. Different sorts of L'mdanan dishes lined the table, filling the area with normally pleasant scents. Jason sat onto the floor next to the table and surveyed the food, still feeling a bit nauseated.
"Here, drink this," Alexei said, pushing a cup of steaming tea toward him. Jason looked at it uncertainly.
"It will make you feel better," Alexei assured him, mistaking his hesitation for suspicion rather than illness. Jason gingerly raised the cup and took a sip of the hot brew. It was fairly sweet, much like hot cider. After a few swallows, he put it down, waiting to see how his stomach decided to handle it.
Genhyl began eating a mixture of cooked grain, meat, and spices that Jason had heard called tamelka, while Char dug into a pile of cooked meat and what Jason was sure must be some type of mushrooms. Jason watched them eat a bit weakly. Right now, the forces of hunger and nausea were battling it out, and he wasn't exactly sure which was winning.
Finally, after a few minutes, he felt brave enough to finish the cup of hot tea. True to Alexei's word, it did make him feel better. He followed it with only a small bowl of soup, not wanting to push his luck. Then, he excused himself and headed back to his bedroll to lie down. He was feeling slightly warm and woozy, and he wondered if this was a side effect of the migraine or a result of Alexei's tea mixture. His eyes fluttered slowly as drowsiness overcame him. He stared at the ceiling, which blurred in and out of focus occasionally.
He wasn't sure how much time passed, but eventually, Genhyl came to sit next to him again. The L'mdanan was quiet for a few minutes, watching something across the room that Jason couldn't see. The firelight reflected off his face, making it appear gold. Jason stared at him for a bit, then timidly raised his head a bit to look around the room. Alexei wasn't there, and Char had curled up on the bedroll next to his and was dozing. He felt lightheaded from the effort. Jason put his head back down and let out a breath slowly.
Genhyl glanced at him. "What is it?"
Jason felt heavy and a bit sluggish, but, now that he wasn't in pain, he decided it was time to ask Genhyl about the messages he had been picking up the last few days. "Genhyl... are we... friends... or... what?" he questioned hesitantly, meeting the L'mdanans golden eyes. Doing so made him realise how little he did so. It made Jason feel odd somehow... guilty, almost.
Genhyl inclined his head to stare at Jason's face, trying to read the human's expression. "Jason, I... care about you very much," he said after a moment, glancing away to look blankly across the room again, deep in thought.
"I don't know what I would do if something happened to you," he continued finally, turning back to gaze into Jason's eyes and bringing up a hand to brush Jason's cheek with his fingertips. It took some effort for Jason not to recoil, but then, he wondered why he didn't. Because flinching would have been impolite? Or maybe because whatever Alexei had put in that tea made him too tired to react? Jason swallowed nervously and turned his eyes to stare at the ceiling again.
What am I supposed to say to something like that? Jason wondered.
*How about, 'Genhyl, I care about you too'?* Char asked, making Jason start. He glanced over to her, but she still appeared to be sleeping.
You're awake! he accused.
*I didn't say I wasn't,* she countered logically.
Char... Genhyl cares about me in a different way than I care about him, Jason explained to her, closing his eyes.
*He loves you, and you love him... I don't see a difference in that.*
I love Genhyl the way I love you, but he loves me in a different way than that.
*You do not love Genhyl the same way you love me, Jason. You might think you do, but I can read thoughts you don't even know you have, and you don't.*
Jason flushed a bit, feeing indignant. Is she right? he asked himself, trying to figure out what she might have picked up.
*For example,* Char continued. *Why don't you like looking at Genhyl when he's talking to you?*
What? Of course I look at him when he's talking to me!
*No, you don't. You look at me. You look at Alexei. You look at everyone else, but not at Genhyl. With him, you usually glance at him and then stare at some interesting spots on the wall. Why is that exactly?*
Char, I... Jason stopped talking to her, trying to remember looking at Genhyl when he was talking. He could remember only a few times, and most of them were at points during the last few days when he had been injured or ill. Those moments made him feel... uncomfortable. As though something in his chest was twisting around. I don't know, he finished to the Clarus lamely.
*Well, I have a few ideas... but I don't think you're quite ready to hear them yet,* Char said, a playful edge to her voice. Then, she fell silent, and Jason felt her mind pull away from his.
I can't love him that way, Jason reasoned. I mean... I've never done anything... like that. And he's just my friend...
But Char's words haunted him, as did the realisation that he treated Genhyl differently than others. Eventually, despite his mind fighting it, whatever had been in the tea took over, and Jason fell asleep. Genhyl watched him for a long time before finally laying down to get some rest himself.
Background from Absolute Background Textures Archive. Storyline and characters created by and copyright © Rachel "Indyana" Gratis, 2001-2004. Dragon from The Temple of Dea.