Revelations

{Ponderosa's POV}

Ponderosa started to slowly extract herself from Lady Iredys' arms. She was almost done when Lady Iredys whimpered. Ponderosa paused to see if she had woken. But when Lady Iredys didn't stir further, she finished tucking her arms close to her body and getting off the cot. So many things were running through her head. It was hard not to be distracted by them as she helped warm Lady Iredys' cold body and tended to her wounds when they started to bleed. She stared at the woman asleep on her cot.

She didn't understand how this was possible. That man never would have let her go unless she was dead. And dead she was. She had not been mistaken about that when she took Lady Iredys out of Guasha Forest. But somehow she was alive. Breathing, bleeding, reacting to pain, and now sleeping. Had that man used some kind of Necromantic type spell? Ponderosa shook her head at the thought. Such a spell was not his style. No. He had found another way to reanimate her.

Turning away from the bed, Ponderosa turned to clean the tub and wash the glasses she had used to try and provide Lady Iredys with some nourishment, hydration, and relief from the pain of her awakening. Awakening? Ponderosa paused and turned to where Lady Iredys slept. Her eyes focused on the area where she knew the seven gems were. There were runes that dealt with Rebirth. Had he used one of them? And if he did, and it worked, why did he let her go?

Ponderosa felt her heart rate increase as she wondered if this was all part of his plan. If he had let her go on purpose so he could get a hold of her again. She unconsciously brought her hand up to her chest where a pearl had been embedded and the Dagaz rune burned and hidden in her blackened and uneven flesh. She shook her head as fresh tears burned her tired eyes. Please, no! Please don't let that be true. She didn't want to go back. She didn't want Lady Iredys going back to suffer more than she already had.

Being burned once was horrible enough. She couldn't imagine being burned seven times. Her arms and breath shook more. Her legs weakened and threatened to collapse beneath her. She lowered herself to the floor and wept silently. The last seven years had been a living hell because of Dagaz and the Pearl. She didn't want that hell to get worse by being held captive by that man yet again. What did she do? What did she do? Someone, please, tell her what to do! Ponderosa continued to weep until a moan and the shifting of fabric came from the cot.

Looking up, Ponderosa wiped her tears off her cheeks. Her chest still felt tight. A mild nausea stirred her gut when she thought about what horrors might be in her future because she had brought Lady Iredys home. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to abandon her Lady. She refused to let that man have her! Ponderosa closed her eyes tightly and tried to breathe through her nausea. Lady Iredys shifted on the bed once more before Ponderosa found the strength to get to her feet to check on her. Her eyelids fluttered and she jerked a little as if trying to avoid whatever she was dreaming about.

Ponderosa sat beside her and rested a hand on her side. Lady Iredys movements stilled and she relaxed more deeply into the cot. Ponderosa rubbed her side then stood to mix some meal together. The night had been long and she hadn't eaten much. It would be good for Lady Iredys to eat as well, if she would. Her body had looked wasted while she was trying to warm her. As to the cause of her death—whether starvation on top of the beatings and burning or just the beatings and burning—Ponderosa still had no idea.

Still, to see her alive after all that troubled her. She needed to figure out how Lady Iredys was alive. She needed to figure out if the two of them were in danger of being taken again. And she definitely needed to figure out how she was going to communicate to and assist Lady Iredys through this time while the runes and gems acted upon her. It would be nice to know what runes had been burned into her skin. The only reason she knew what rune had been burned into her flesh was the memory of seeing the glowing rune before it was slammed into her chest to grind the pearl into her body as it burned.

Shuddering against the memory, Ponderosa shook her head to reorient her thoughts. Meal. Alfalfa. Water. She heard Lady Iredys stir again as she finished mixing the items together. She brought the glass closer to the bed. She set it on the floor for just a moment so she could help Lady Iredys sit up. No sooner had Ponderosa touched her then Lady Iredys' body tensed. Her head twitched as Ponderosa slid her arm under her shoulders and neck. She was just about to start lifting her, when Lady Iredys' whole body started to jerk and twist.

Ponderosa kept her head supported while her body writhed on the bed. She convulsed for several minutes before growing still. Her breathing sounded labored. She moaned then started to cry. Ponderosa kept her head supported while she checked on her wounds. No blood seemed to be coming through the bandaging yet. Ponderosa hoped that was a good sign. She'd have to get a better look in a moment. She needed to keep herself on task and not get, too, distracted. She shifted Lady Iredys so she could sit beside her once more. Then she picked up the glass of meal.

Setting the edge of the cup against her bottom lip, she waited for Lady Iredys to open her mouth. Lady Iredys whimpered, but finally opened her mouth to accept the meal. She crinkled her nose a little as she swallowed the first little bit. She drank it all with tears running down her face. Ponderosa set the empty glass aside. She lowered Lady Iredys so she lay on the cot fully once more. Lady Iredys reached out to her. Felt for her face. When she found Ponderosa's chin, she reached a little higher and tapped her lips.

Ponderosa shook her head.

Lady Iredys tapped her lips again. "Peace," she whispered. "Peace."

She lowered her head a little and took Lady Iredys hand in hers. She hadn't tried to speak since her tongue had been removed. "Ay…," she started. "Ay ampt. May…." Ponderosa pressed her lips together and covered her mouth with her other hand.

Lady Iredys gripped her hand as firmly as her weakened state would allow her to.

Ponderosa gently patted Lady Iredys' hand then set it on the bed. Lady Iredys pulled her hand closer to her chest. The edges of her mouth turned down. Ponderosa rubbed her shoulder then stood to take the used glass to the table and to make some meal for herself. She sat in a chair beside the table while she drank her meal.

She drank it slowly. Her thoughts wandered away from the present. Her eyes drooped with fatigue, but she couldn't sleep yet. There was still so much more to do to make sure Lady Iredys could weather the storm of her recovery. Ponderosa finished her meal. She rinsed out the glasses before grabbing her supplies to redress Lady Iredys' wounds.

She was glad to see the bleeding of her abdomen and back had stopped as she applied more healing oils to the wounds and dressed them with clean bandaging. She applied a soothing gel to the burns around the embedded stones. Lady Iredys brought her hand up toward her chest as Ponderosa finished applying the gel. Her fingers felt the uneven skin and each of the stones, wiping away some of the gel in the process. Her frown deepened. She closed her eyes and let her hand rest on the bed once more.

Ponderosa applied a little more gel then stood to set her supplies on the table. An audible tap made her turn as she set the containers down. Lady Iredys patted the bed twice. Ponderosa knelt beside her, set her hand against her face, and shook her head. Lady Iredys took her hand away then patted the cot in front of her once more. And again when Ponderosa didn't move. Reluctantly, Ponderosa shifted Lady Iredys closer to the wall so she could lie beside her. Once she lay down and had helped Lady Iredys into the position she wanted to be in, Ponderosa closed her eyes and slept.