The Forgotten Zodiac

L'arc smiled at Sylas, then shook his head, laughing softly. "It's about time you got yourself a girl, Sylas," he said.

Sylas grinned. "Yeah, I guess. It sucks that she'll have to go back to the Darklands before long, but I'm willing to make the most of the time that we have." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey, Bermuda, you're looking a little pale. You sure you're okay?"

Bermuda's eyes had closed, but they reopened as Sylas called his name. "Yes, I... I'm just waiting for Bershee," he said.

At about that time, Kendra pushed back the tent flap, returning from going to tell Bershee that Bermuda was awake.

Bershee followed her inside, and knelt beside the tub. "My prince, you've awakened. Do you require my assitance?"

"He needs a check up," Sylas smiled.

"Ah. Well, you're obviously going to be feeling weak for awhile," She started rummaging around in her potions again before pulling out a deep purple bottle. "Here, this is for the stiffness in your limbs from sleeping so long."

Bermuda took the potion into his hands, struggling with the cap for a while before L'arc took it from him, removed the cap, and handed it back. Bermuda smiled at the new king and downed the potion inside the bottle, sighing heavily after he finished.

"What happened?" he asked, at length. "Where am I?"

"Tinyville," Sylas said at once, then had to explain. "The human refugees that live near Halberd Hall have decided to stay here. This is their town, Tinyville. They gave an entire tent to Bershee, and she's their resident medical master."

"Witch Doctor is easier to say," She chuckled, smiling.

"Well, you used the Spell of Black on the Phantom...which worked, by the way. He's great now, he helped the humans make a farm and everything...anyway, Adhare absorbed the effects of the Spell of Black...and Rush had to remove him to keep him from hurting you. Long story short...the Phantom is good now, Adhare is gone, and here you are."

"I... see," Bermuda said, taking this in slowly. He nodded, then shifted slowly back into the tub. "I'm tired," he announced. L'arc immediately nodded.

"Yeah, get your rest, Bermuda," he said, patting him on the shoulder. "Get better."

"Yeah, Bermuda. Don't push it." Sylas waved at him. He sat back down next to Kendra, letting out a small sigh. "You think he'll be okay, L'arc?"

Bermuda sank back under the water in the tub, closing his eyes. After this, L'arc turned to Sylas and nodded, a faint smile on his face. "Of course. He'll be all right. He always is."

"He better be," Sylas sighed.

"Hey!" Rush greeted Verolen, who had been heading to Bershee's tent. "I thought we were leaving today. What's the holdup?"

"We'll leave in the evening. Sylas collapsed last night." Verolen shrugged. "It's easier to move by night anyway. Less chance of being spotted."

"The war is over."

"For the demons, maybe. But there are still humans running about." Verolen shrugged. "You should get some rest, though. You're getting snappish again."

"I am not!" Rush retorted almost immediately, but frowned at himself. "Maybe I am. Alright, alright, I'll take a nap. Check on Bermuda for me, yeah?"

"I was planning on it," Verolen grinned, turning back to Bershee's tent. "Hey, Sylas, you're awake." He grinned.

"Yes, he has been for a while," Kendra said, smiling at Sylas brightly. "You just missed Bermuda," she added. "He was awake, but just went back to sleep."

"Really? Aw man, that's a shame," Verolen chuckled at his own misfortune. "So he's alright, then?"

"He will be, yes. He just needs more time to rest." Bershee raised a brow. "Sylas, what are you still doing in here? You ate the soup, you're free to go. Do me a favor and bring Bird in here."

"What's wrong with Bird?"

"That poor man has suffered a great deal of malnutrition over the years. It's a wonder he's survived this long, much less kept a shred of sanity. I need to treat him with some of my herbal medications to support renewed muscle growth and I need to get him on a rehabilitation diet."

"He won't go for that," Sylas chuckled. "He can't eat food that's been touched by humans."

"I'm not human, am I?" Bershee rolled her eyes. "And no human here is going to touch his food. I have cleansing agents, and Versha can bless the supply I'll give him. You're taking him with you this evening, so I decided to set aside some things. Oh," She located a small vial of white liquid. "Here, Kendra. If Sylas has a heart attack, it's of vital importance that he gets this into his system. Make him swallow it, shove it up his nose, inject it, I don't rightly care how you do it. Just get it into him as fast as you can. Here, L'arc, you take one too." She shoved a second vial into the king's hands. "There you go. Now you're free to go, Sylas."

"I'll keep this close," Kendra promised, twining her hand into Sylas'. "And you also, Sy. Stay close to me?" she requested quietly, to him only. A small smile turned up the corners of her mouth before she leaned over and pecked him gently on the cheek.

"But of course," Sylas grinned, standing up and stretching. "You coming, L'arc? I don't want to eavesdrop on Bird and Bershee's checkup." He chortled, then remembered something. "Oh, Bershee, if you check his back, it'll look like there are knots of wood along his spine. Don't touch them, okay? They're sensitive to touch."

"Oh. Good to know." Bershee blinked. "Been reading up on Wood Nymphs, have you? My knowledge of them is elementary at best, unfortunately..."

"Yeah. But I don't think there's anything else important to mention. Come on, Kendra," He offered her his hand, his grin wide.

Kendra took hold of Sylas' hand with a bright smile, following from the tent. L'arc and Verolen left right behind them, though L'arc seemed almost as enthused as the couple.

"Lookit them, Verolen. We finally added 'lovebirds' to the roster of our group," he said, chuckling softly.

"...eh?" Verolen tilted his head to the side a bit as he watched the two. "Isn't he supposed to be behind you? Head guard and all?" He grinned. "Oh well. I'll have to take over while he's distracted, I guess. Hey, Bird! Bershee's ready for you!" He called to the Wood Nymph, who perked up at once and wandered towards the tents.

L'arc snickered, then sighed. "He deserves a break every now and again," he said.

"Yeah...he's definitely a magnet for trouble. We all are, but him especially. It's like pain flocks to him just because it can." Verolen sighed a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a good thing we have two of those vials, I guess. What with all the stress he has on a daily basis, it's good to be prepared for the first time his heart starts giving trouble."

Verolen watched, then smiled a bit. "You should probably relax too, though. We don't want you collapsing, either. I did a bit more planning this morning, and I've got our route from here to the edge of human territory. Bird thinks it's okay, although he's not eager to get into the human areas. I've got the Wood Nymph's approval for our path, now I just need the King's," he grinned.