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Sylph was trembling, watching as the creature’s tentacles slid back into the water, finally giving up in their quest to drag her under. Barber had pulled her behind him, his sword raised to strike should they come back. He glanced back at her, the dullness in her eyes causing a flare of concern.
“Sylph? Are you okay?” She snapped to attention, glancing up at him and nodding. “Does anything hurt?” She shook her head, though Barber had a suspicion she was lying. He sheathed his sword and scooped her up, holding her dripping, shivering form close to him. He didn’t want her going into torpor - that would open up a whole host of other problems. She clung to him, laying her head on his shoulder. “Try to stay awake, Sylph,” he said, shaking her gently.
“But I’m cold,” she whined softly.
“I know, but I need you to help me look for monsters.” It was a lie, but hopefully a useful one. She forced her eyes open, but she didn’t raise her head. “Thank you,” he murmured, starting to walk deeper into the cave.
“Where are we even going?”
“We’re trying to get back up to the surface. We got what we needed. Do you still have it?” She perked up slightly.
“Yeah, it’s in my bag, I think.”
“Good,” Barber murmured. “We don’t want all of this to be for nothing.”
“Yeah, that would be bad,” Sylph nodded.
“Let’s just hope we don’t run into any more monsters.” She pressed herself close to him, shivering.
“Yeah,” she mumbled. “I don’t want to fight anything…”
It was weirdly quiet as Barber pressed on. They’d found the wand, he didn’t need to be here anymore. He was still carrying Sylph, though she wasn’t asleep. She stared into space, her eyes dull and half-lidded. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but she looked a bit pale. The normally-talkative bird was strangely silent and still. He shifted her slightly, but she didn’t react.
This was concerning.
“Sylph?” She slowly looked up at him, shifting herself so she could see his face. “Do you feel okay? You look a little sick,” he asked, struggling to keep the worry out of his voice.
“I… don’t feel good,” she mumbled. “I can’t sleep, it hurts…”
“What hurts, Sylph?” Maybe she had gotten hit somewhere, maybe that’s why -
“Everything…” She whimpered, snuggling closer to him. Well, that wasn’t very helpful. “It feels kinda like a sunburn, but there’s no sun down here,” Sylph added.
“Can I try to heal it?” She nodded, and he gently put a hand on her chest. He played a few notes on his piano and his hand began to glow. He felt her tense up, and for a moment he thought she was going to push his hand away, but she just shut her eyes tight, bracing herself for… something. “It won't hurt,” he said cautiously. If he was worried before, he was panicking now. She knew it wouldn't hurt, why was she scared? What happened to her?
“It does, though,” she whimpered, trying to keep herself from crying out.
“It shouldn’t,” Barber murmured, pulling his hand away. He could feel his magic being reflected back at him, barely having an effect on her. He shifted her again, laying her head on his shoulder. “Okay, I- I’ll think of something else…” Sylph went back to staring at the wall, though she’d occasionally whimper if Barber jostled her too much. She’d started to shiver, and was pressing herself tighter against him. Barber kept walking. Whatever this was, it was something he couldn’t fix on his own. He fought back panic as he tried to come up with some sort of solution. Maybe there was a town nearby, or some sort of spell he could twist to fix it -
He stumbled forward, scrambling to catch his footing. Sylph bit back another weak cry as she clung to him.
“I’m sorry, Sylph,” he said hastily, glancing down at her. Her cheeks were damp with silent tears, and her whole body was shaking with shivers. By now, her skin was so pale it was almost see-through, and her lips were tinged with blue. She didn’t have a response for him, just shut her eyes tighter. Something in his stomach twisted. She was in way more pain than she’d said she was. He gently set her down, leaning her against the wall of the tunnel. “Sylph?” He called, tilting her head to look at him. Her eyes were dull and barely focused on his face. “I think… I think you should go to sleep, Sylph.” She blinked, the magic words sinking in, but…
“I… I can’t, I’m trying but when you try to sleep it makes it all worse, and-”
“Hey, it’s okay,” Barber shushed. “It’s okay.” Sylph’s breath hitched again as she tried to fight back more tears. He gently held one of her tiny hands in his own. He took a breath and called up the magic he had left. “Sleep.” She slumped over, her shallow breathing finally evening out. Barber gathered her up in his arms and started to walk again. He could still feel her shivering, but at least she wasn’t whimpering anymore. The tunnels were winding and featureless, and every time he thought they were sloping upwards, to the sky again, the next corner led back down again. After what seemed like eons of walking, he spotted light ahead. He quickened his pace, eager to get out of the tunnels. The exit led up to a small clearing in a thickly wooded forest. The occasional ray of moonlight shone through the trees, giving him just enough light to see. He held Sylph closer as he walked into the chill. The dark forest could hold thousands of monsters, most of them nocturnal. Part of him wanted to stop and make a fire, hopefully to keep Sylph warm and keep the monsters away. On the other hand… Sylph’s skin was translucent and cold to the touch, and even in sleep her tiny body trembled. He didn’t want to say it, but at this rate, she might not make it through the night. He needed to keep moving.
After about an hour, he thought he could see a fire. He paused, considering. That was definitely a light. He quickened his pace. Light meant people, and people could mean help.
“Hello?” He called, hoping that they wouldn’t be a threat. The lantern kept getting closer, and he broke into a run. He burst into a small clearing. There was a woman standing there, holding the lantern he’d seen earlier. She had pale pink skin and peach colored hair, and her long green dress fell down to her ankles. She glanced up at him, her vibrant green eyes tracing his face. For a moment, they flicked down to look at Sylph.
“Hello, Orpheus Barber,” she said with a faint smile. “You finally found me.” Her voice was silvery and almost sounded like music.
“What do you mean? Who are you?”
“My name is Araluen. You need my help, don’t you? She’s hurt,” the woman says softly. Barber nodded. Araluen handed the lantern to a mage hand, then walked over to him. Barber pulled Sylph closer, and she paused. “I see,” she murmured. “Well, I suppose that’s fair enough.” She studied Sylph for a moment. “What happened to her?”
“I- I’m not sure, we were attacked by some thing with tentacles, and it dragged her into the water, and when I pulled her out she was like this,” Barber stammered.
“Was the creature underground?” Barber nodded. Araluen frowned.
“I see,” she murmured. “Come, follow me. My wife will be able to help her.” She turned to walk away, but he hesitated. “I don’t think you have much choice, Orpheus,” she called back. “You were looking for help, and now you’ve found it.” The lantern hovered near him as Araluen walked into the darkness. He took a breath, then followed her. The lantern swayed near him, lighting the path ahead. Araluen seemed to melt from tree to tree, her bare feet making no sound as she stepped from shadow to shadow. The thin deer path led them to a small house nestled between a few massive trees. The house was almost swallowed by the hundreds of vines twisting across its walls, and he could see a small garden next to the house. Araluen pushed open the door and waved Barber inside.
“Cythe?” She called into the dim house. “I found them!” Barber heard another set of footsteps, and another woman came into view. A human woman with brown hair tied back in a simple ponytail. There were a few thin scars on her cheek, probably claw marks of some kind. Her warm brown eyes studied Barber for a moment, then she turned to Araluen.
“What happened?” Her sharp voice made the question sound more like a statement.
“I think she was aboleth-touched,” Araluen murmured. The human, Cythe, bit her lip, glancing at Sylph.
“How long ago?”
“A few hours ago, at least,” Barber responded. Cythe cursed softly, then stepped closer to look at her. “Well she's still breathing, at least,” she muttered. “That's unexpected. Normally this kills in an hour…” Barber felt his stomach twist. Cythe glanced up at him. “I think I can fix it,” she said, noticing the fear in his eyes. “It'll take a while, but I think I can do it.”
“Do you need me to do anything?” Araluen asked.
“Keep him busy. Don't let him in there,” Cythe answered, glancing at Barber. “The last thing I need is a panicked bard in there messing things up.” Araluen nodded. Cythe reached out and gently pulled Sylph out of his arms. She adjusted her for a moment, then glanced back at Barber. “What’s her name?”
“Sylph,” he responded. She nodded, then carried Sylph down the hall. They heard a door slam, and the small click of a lock.
“Well, we should leave her alone. Come with me.” Araluen led Barber down the hall, to what looked like a small library. She pulled two of the chairs scattered across the room over near the fire, and sat down on one, crossing her legs. Barber awkwardly sat in the other chair, staring into the fire. “I promised you could ask me questions.” Barber thought for a moment.
“So, you said the creature was called an aboleth?” Araluen nodded.
“They’re ancient creatures that were wronged long ago. They desire nothing but to bend others to their will.”
“Sylph was acting weird before it attacked, do you think that it was controlling her somehow?” Araluen nodded.
“It’s very likely. They like to go after the smaller ones. Weak targets. In any case, they’re very rare, and most don’t survive an encounter with one.” She leaned back, waiting for his next question. After a moment, he spoke up again.
“Who are you, and how did you know we were nearby?”
“Well, my wife and I… you could say we were in your position once. Lost, alone, nowhere to go. So we decided to help others in that position. We started wandering again, but this time it had purpose. And soon we had the house, and it would move to people who needed us…” Araluen trailed off, thinking. “That’s why I’ve attached the garden to the house,” she added with a laugh. “I was tired of replanting it.” She smiled, eager for the next question.
“So this is just… what you do?” Araluen smiled and opened her mouth to answer, but -
“Barber!!”
He froze. Sylph. He could hear her panicked shouts, slightly muffled by the locked door.
“No, no, no! Barber!!!”
He felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. The shouting rose to screaming, her voice twisting with barely-contained agony. Araluen winced, looking over at the locked door.
“Cythe must have started,” she murmured. Barber barely heard her, Sylph’s terrified howling echoing in his mind until it was all he could hear.
“Is- is this-” He stopped himself, almost like he’d forgotten what he was going to say. Araluen didn’t have a response, just leaned back in her chair and shut her eyes. Sylph’s voice was tearing, he could hear it cracking. “Is she-” He snapped his mouth shut again.
“Reversing the curse is painful for everyone involved,” Araluen murmured. “We can go, if you want…” She studied Barber for a moment, waiting for his response.
“I - no,” he stammered. Araluen watched him carefully as another scream rang out. Something inside him was calling him back to her, he couldn’t leave her here, could he? This was panic, this wasn’t something he could control, he had to get to her-!
He tugged on the locked doorknob, desperately trying to get in.
“Sylph!” He screamed her name, hoping somehow she’d hear, she’d know he was there. He crouched down, his eyes glowing bright, desperate blue as he forced the lock to open. He shoved the door open and burst into the room. Sylph was on her back, her wrists, stomach, and legs strapped to the table to keep her from flailing. She had runes drawn on her skin with reddish paint - healing runes, but they didn’t seem to be helping her at all. Sylph’s face was damp with desperate tears as she howled to the sky, pleading for the pain to end. Her wings were fanned out behind her, their tips poking off the sides of the bed. Cythe glared at him, looking up from a thick book.
“What are you doing here?” She hissed.
“I- I have to be here, I can’t leave her,” he stammered.
“Lu, I told you to keep him out of here!” Araluen shrugged.
“He picked the lock,” she murmured.
“Well get him out!” Cythe growled.
“No!” Barber reached for Sylph’s hand, wrapping his own around it, but a terrible burning sensation shot up his arm.
“What are you doing?! Don’t-” He tugged his hand away. “Don’t touch the runes, or she will die. Got it?” Barber nodded.
“I- I’m sorry, I won’t get in your way, just let me stay here, please,” he pleaded. Cythe glared at him, then Araluen, then down at Sylph.
“Fine,” she hissed. “But don’t touch her again.” Barber nodded, standing near the wall. Cythe skimmed the book again, finding her place and resuming her quiet chant. Araluen stood in the doorway for a moment, then wandered off again. Cythe reached out and gently traced the runes again, muttering an apology under her breath. Sylph tried to twist away from her, desperate to get away from the pain. She screamed his name again, her nails digging into her palms as she writhed on the bed. Barber desperately wanted to run to her and hold her, or at least try to get through to her that he was there and she would be okay, but Cythe’s glare kept him stuck where he was. Cythe murmured something in a language he didn’t understand, then the runes shone blindingly bright. Sylph’s voice cut off in a strangled wail, then the light faded. The runes looked brighter, more red than brown, now. Sylph’s screaming had faded to quiet sobs as her tiny body trembled.
“The curse should be gone now,” Cythe said cooly, studying Sylph. “I need to heal her the rest of the way, but I don’t think she needs to be tied down anymore.” Cythe glanced up at Barber again, then quietly added “you can touch her now.” Barber fiddled with the straps holding her down, releasing her and pulling her into his arms. She weakly tried to push him away, but she didn’t have the strength to do much more than lift her head to look at him.
“Sylph? It’s okay, it’s me, I’ve got you now,” he murmured softly. She whimpered softly, turning her head to lean against him.
“I’m going to have to heal her the rest of the way,” Cythe murmured, walking over to them.
“Can I do anything to help?” Barber asked softly, cradling Sylph against his chest.
“Absolutely not,” Cythe snapped. “You’re exhausted. Trying to heal when you’re this tired will just end up hurting her.” Barber didn’t respond, simply shifting Sylph so that Cythe could heal her. She gently put a hand on Sylph’s shoulder and a gentle golden light spilled into her. Sylph trilled softly and snuggled against Barber, her hitching sobs starting to fade into gentle, easy breathing.
“Barber?” She mumbled, looking up at him. “That's you, right?” Her voice was hoarse from screaming.
“Yeah, it's me,” he responded.
“Where are we? What happened?”
“You were cursed, Sylph. I tried to undo it, but I couldn't. So I found some people who could,” he answered. Sylph sniffled, ruffling her wings a bit.
“I was so scared, Barber,” she rasped. “I was all alone in here, and everything hurt so bad, and I couldn't move…” Barber didn't respond right away. Cythe was watching him, probably wondering how he’d respond.
“I'm here now,” he finally said. “It's okay. It won't hurt anymore.” She whimpered softly. “We’re safe.” A touch of color had started to return to her face. Cythe stepped back, then started to put away the book.
“She should be okay now. If anything happens, though, you can yell for Lu.” She smiled, then walked out of the room. Barber pulled Sylph closer. She snuggled closer to him.
“Don’t go away again,” she mumbled drowsily. “Please?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he responded, shifting her slightly. She hummed softly, her eyes falling shut. Within a few minutes, she’d fallen back asleep. He let himself be still for a moment, and just listened to the sound of her breathing. She was safe. They were safe.
“Barber?” Araluen had returned, leaning against the doorway. He glanced up at her, though he didn’t say anything in response. Part of him hoped she would notice Sylph was asleep and she would leave them alone. “She looks better to me,” she said with a gentle smile.
“Yeah, she does,” Barber murmured. Araluen watched him for a moment.
“I wanted to ask you something,” she said, stepping into the room. Barber had already mentally prepared the story of how they’d met. “What was it that made you come in here? We both told you not to, and you knew she would be okay.” Barber blinked.
“What do you mean?”
“Something told you to come in here, right?” The small smile she normally wore was gone, and suddenly Barber couldn’t read her face at all.
“...it doesn’t matter now, does it?”
“I think it does. And I think you should think about that little voice for a bit.” She turned to go. “It could help you out one day.” She started to leave, but paused at the doorway. “There are too many monsters outside for me to let you go in good conscience. You may stay here for the night if you wish.”
“Thank you,” Barber murmured, and she walked away, softly closing the door behind her.