His eyes are filled with judgment
And his heart is filled with pain
***
And his heart is filled with pain
***
It was never a delusion of invincibility that made Raymond act with conviction. It was not for immortality that he did not shy away from the sword. He didn't hesitate because he knew with acute certainty that he could die at any moment, and all he could do to maximize his odds of survival was to meet the danger with the bit in his teeth and fire in his heart.
But he knew his limits, too.
A single reflected lightning bolt was enough to deter the thunderbirds overhead from a similar assault. The cost of finding the bottom of his well seemed too great compared to the relatively straightforward approach of strafing with beaks and talons, or simply assailing others in his stead.
He saw Shrike go up, up, beyond his reach, but before he could summon Ruth the sky erupted with light - and again, and again, and the spidery veins of electricity came not for the horses but biting at the heart of the bird that had taken Shrike. The storm vibrated with a new violence, bending its wild shadows to the will of a new master whose heart knew neither mercy nor restraint.
"No," he murmured under his breath, seeking Calliope amongst the fray. She burned with electric heat. "No no nononono, you idiot!"
A thunderbird sailed past him and he sent three of its talons flying with a frantically dismissive flick of his blade and a scream from their former owner as he bounded across the battlefield toward where Shrike leaned over the dark shape were Calliope had fallen. The tarrasque's roar rattled his bones as, sensing his panic, she withdrew from the melee and cast a towering, watchful shadow across them, her mismatched eyes predatory and daring.
Raymond's grey eyes flashed like cold steel as they fell upon the painted mare, cryptic in the grip of his battle fury. Did she remember the words they shared out on the prairie before the storm? Did she know how desperately parts of him ached to blame her for the worst?
None of that mattered next to the sight of Calliope's spent and bloodied body. Roughly he shouldered his way in, heedless of Shrike's urging the unicorn to live, breath spilling over Calliope's face as he hissed, "Calliope, can you hear me?" Clenching his jaw, the red stallion rapped her cheek with the flat of his blade. "Come on, stay awake. Stay with me."
This was not what they had promised each other.
But he knew his limits, too.
A single reflected lightning bolt was enough to deter the thunderbirds overhead from a similar assault. The cost of finding the bottom of his well seemed too great compared to the relatively straightforward approach of strafing with beaks and talons, or simply assailing others in his stead.
He saw Shrike go up, up, beyond his reach, but before he could summon Ruth the sky erupted with light - and again, and again, and the spidery veins of electricity came not for the horses but biting at the heart of the bird that had taken Shrike. The storm vibrated with a new violence, bending its wild shadows to the will of a new master whose heart knew neither mercy nor restraint.
"No," he murmured under his breath, seeking Calliope amongst the fray. She burned with electric heat. "No no nononono, you idiot!"
A thunderbird sailed past him and he sent three of its talons flying with a frantically dismissive flick of his blade and a scream from their former owner as he bounded across the battlefield toward where Shrike leaned over the dark shape were Calliope had fallen. The tarrasque's roar rattled his bones as, sensing his panic, she withdrew from the melee and cast a towering, watchful shadow across them, her mismatched eyes predatory and daring.
Raymond's grey eyes flashed like cold steel as they fell upon the painted mare, cryptic in the grip of his battle fury. Did she remember the words they shared out on the prairie before the storm? Did she know how desperately parts of him ached to blame her for the worst?
None of that mattered next to the sight of Calliope's spent and bloodied body. Roughly he shouldered his way in, heedless of Shrike's urging the unicorn to live, breath spilling over Calliope's face as he hissed, "Calliope, can you hear me?" Clenching his jaw, the red stallion rapped her cheek with the flat of his blade. "Come on, stay awake. Stay with me."
This was not what they had promised each other.
***
Raymond
Who is there to stand against the rider on the range?
Raymond
Who is there to stand against the rider on the range?
@Calliope @Pavetta @Shrike
aut viam inveniam aut faciam
