Part Eight-Wyvern

Tom Paris woke to find someone hovering over him. His eyes focused, and he saw a blonde haired woman placing a cloth on his mid-section. He gasped, bringing the woman's attention to him. She smiled casually and covered him with the blankets. She then placed another cloth on his forehead to cool it.
"Who...who are you?" Paris whispered.
"I am Kelta. Lady Janeway asked me to look after you while they take back Wyvern."
"What?!" Paris tried to sit up, but a sharp pain caused him to lie back down.
Kelta put her hands on his shoulders, "You're injured. They were only thinking about your safety. You're in no condition to travel much less fight the castle's guards."
Paris narrowed his eyes, "I've been in much worse conditions than this and still could fight."
"You were lucky," Kelta mentioned.
"Luck had nothing to do with it," Paris snarled.
Kelta smiled. The rogue was clearly upset about his condition and being left behind. She could tell that he was going to take his anger out on her, but she was not going to put up with it.
"They'll be back," she assured him, "Right now, you need to rest."
"That's all I've been doing," Paris growled.
"You're just going to have to do it a bit longer then."
Paris grumbled and she smiled. She delt with his type before; the kind that made it a point to make her suffer as much as he did. She wasn't going to have it, though. She knew just how to deal with it. She was going to ignore it.
"I'll be back in an hour with your food," Kelta said calmly, "Get some rest."
She stood up and left the room, closing the door behind her. Paris stared at the ceiling, wishing he was fighting along side B'Elanna. After awhile, he fell asleep, dreaming just that.
~~
B'Elanna Torres stared at those that rode ahead of her. She felt guilty about not telling Tom that they were going without him. She kept picturing him arguing with Kelta. She could also see him fuming over being left behind. She just hoped that he wasn't going to try to follow them in his condition.
I just hope he doesn't try to sneak out of the inn, she thought. She then shook her head and smiled, No. He seems the type that would rather complain and argue about it.
She smiled as she again imagined him arguing with Kelta.
Drandon was waiting for them when they arrived at the treeline. Lady Janeway walked over to him.
"Nyle and his guards are ready, Lady," the hunter announced.
Janeway nodded, "Good. Let's go."
"First, I believe we should render the Randerians useless. The moment Danion knows he's under attack..."
"He'll have them rushing toward the castle..."
"And we'd have a real war on our hands," Drandon finished.
Janeway sighed, "If only they weren't immune to magic."
The hunter smiled, "Only to sleep and fear spells."
Janeway smiled as well, "Good. I'll tell Tuvok to prepare for the attack."
Lady Janeway turned and headed back toward the group.
An hour later, the Randerian campground was lit up by fireballs. The explosions they caused when they landed scattered the creatures and woke the guards on the castle wall. Soon, the grounds was alive with people and fire.
"That should do it," Chakotay said, getting to his feet.
The group quickly followed him toward the secret door.
Lady Janeway led the way through the passageway. She pushed the discolored brick, and the door slid open. She cautiously looked down the corridor then heard footsteps coming toward her. She ducked back into the passageway and slapped the brick. The door closed as Janeway explained her actions.
The group waited a few minutes before they opened the door again. This time, the corridor was quiet. Janeway entered the hallway followed by the others.
"Nyle should be waiting for us," Tuvok mentioned.
At that time, the group heard footfalls from behind them. Chakotay and Torres drew their weapons as they spun around to face the newcomer.
"It's Nyle," Janeway said, putting the two at ease.
Nyle walked up to them and nodded to Janeway, "I have guards posted on the castle wall. When I saw Tuvok's work, I gave them the order to attack the Randerians. It should keep them busy while we find Danion."
Janeway smiled, "Good work. Now, let's get my castle back."
Nyle nodded and led the way to the throne room.
As they wandered the halls of Wyvern, they ran into many guards. Most of them, Nyle pretended that the group were his prisoners, and he was taking them to see Danion. To the others, he just smiled, gave some quick orders, and continued on toward the throne room. They had walked through the hallways with barely an incident when they finally came to the huge double doors of the throne room. Nyle placed an ear to the doors and heard voices.
"Sounds like he's not alone," Nyle whispered to the group.
"Can you make out what they are saying?" Janeway asked.
Nyle listened for a few moments, then shook his head, "They're whispering. I can't hear much, but I did hear the word Randerians."
"Maybe they found out about the fireballs," Chakotay mentioned with a smile.
Nyle nodded, "Ah, who ever it was, they just left."
Nyle slowly opened the door and peered in. Just as he thought, Danion was sitting on the throne. He appeared to be in deep thought. Nyle drew his sword and stepped in, Lady Janeway following.
Danion looked up when he heard footsteps coming toward him. He looked at Nyle then at Janewway. His eyes darkened.
"What's this all about?" He asked, his voice harsh.
"Lady Janeway was caught trying to escape," Nyle said, "We also caught the ones that were trying to help her."
Danion looked behind Nyle, then glared at the guard, "So, where are they?"
"Being taken care of."
"No! Bring them to me! I want to see them!"
Nyle smiled, "As you wish!"
At the signal, a rush of ice cold wind blew into the throne room. Danion stared at Nyle then at Janeway, confused. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself.
"What is the meaning of this!?" He shouted.
The double doors flew open and Tuvok stood in the doorway. His eyes narrowed as he stared at Danion. He slowly walked into the room, his arms in the air as he commanded the cold winds.
"I will not have this in my castle!" Danion shouted, "Nyle, seize him!"
At that moment, Chakotay and Torres entered the room, their weapons drawn. They stood on one side of Tuvok as he ceased the winds.
"You're through here, Danion!" Chakotay said, "Right now, your guards are being detained."
Danion stared at Nyle, who nodded, "It's over, Danion."
Danion smiled wickedly, "It just begun, Nyle."
He whistled and five Randerians entered the room from behind a curtain. The group stared in surprise at the creatures. They wore red armor and carried huge swords in their hands. Danion smiled at his best warriors.
"They are smarter than those Randerians outside," he explained, "They know how to fight with weapons and they are not afraid of magic." He said this last part while looking at Tuvok, "I believe the games have just begun."
The Randerians growled as they stepped further into the room. The group huddled together, their own weapons drawn. Tuvok searched his mind as he tried to come up with a spell.
The five giant creatures charged toward the group, their weapons cutting the air. The group scattered as the huge weapons came down around them. Nyle tried to take Janeway to safety, but she grabbed a short sword that he had strapped to his side and went to join the others. Nyle followed her, knowing that they were going to need all the help they could get.
Janeway swung the sword and sliced into the knee of the nearest Randerian, who was fighting Torres. It screamed in pain and back-handed Janeway. She flew across the room and landed near Danion.
"Tell me, my dear," he said as she was trying to get up, "where did you learn to fight?"
Janeway glared at Danion, "Not by watching you, coward."
Danion sneered, "I'll show you who's a coward."
He drew his sword and attempted to run it through Janeway, but she rolled out of the way. She swung her sword, but he blocked it with ease. The two glared at each other.
Thanks to the wound Janeway had given the Randerain, Torres didn't have as much trouble as she did before. The creature favored the leg as it fought. She kicked at the knee, and smiled when the creature howled in pain. She took a swing, but the Randerian blocked it. She continued to kick the knee, and take a swing hoping that the creature would tire so she could make the kill.
Tuvok pointed at one Randerian as it was moving toward Nyle, who was already have trouble with two creatures. He spoke a few words and a ball of acid appeared over the Randerian. A second later, it fell on the creature, and an ear piercing scream came from the monster's mouth. Everyone stopped fighting as they watched the creature fall to the ground screaming and clawing at it's head. Steam came from the creature as the acid ate through flesh and bone. After a few long moments, the creature stopped screaming and writhing on the floor. The acid, though continued to eat through.
"Gods," Chakotay whispered, "Remind me never to get Tuvok angry."
The other Randerians stared at the body then they looked back at Danion.
"Kill them!" He shouted as he took another swing at Janeway. She blocked then delievered one of her own.
The Randerians, ignoring the body on the floor, obeyed Danion's order. They attacked their foes with vengence.
~~
"I should be with them," Paris said again, "They could use my help."
Kelta rolled her eyes, and mentioned again that he was not in any shape to fight. She was seriously getting annoyed with this same argument they had two hours earlier. She was getting the feeling that he was trying to wear her down until she finally gave in and let him go. She was not about to have it, though. She decided to try to get his mind of fighting by changing the subject.
"Tell me, Tom," she began, interrupting his tirade, "is there some sort of reason you want to go to Wyvern?"
Paris stared at her, but he didn't answer.
"A certain female perhaps?" She was smiling inwardly as his gaze darkened. She knew which female, for she noticed yesterday when Janeway was talking to her, that a dark haired woman was constantly staring at the door to his room. She also was threatened by this same woman if they should come back and he was in worse shape than when they left him. She smiled at this thought.
"What are you smiling about?" Paris grumbled.
Kelta stopped smiling, but her eyes sparkled, "That certain female threatened me yesterday with my life if you should take a turn for the worse. She's quite protective of you."
"I should be the one protecting her. I should be there with her!"
Kelta inwardly rolled her eyes, Here we go again. She placed her hands on his shoulders when she noticed that he was trying to get out of bed.
"Damn it, Tom, stay in bed!" She shoved him back down on the bed shocking him in the process.
Paris stared at her, but he remained in bed. He didn't say another word for the remainder of the day.
~~
Torres was back to fighting the wounded Randerian. She knew that her previous tatic probably wouldn't work, so she tried something else. She would try to slice its other leg. At first, she thought she wouldn't be able to do this at all. The Randerian was blocking every attack she made, including the ones to its legs. She finally had enough. She snarled at the creature which stared at her, stunned. This proved a mistake. She growled and swung her sword into the creature's side. It howled in pain, but only made Torres smile. She yanked the weapon out then sliced the Randerian's other leg. It howled again and fell to the floor. Her eyes glittering with bloodlust, Torres swung her sword again and took the creature's head off.
Janeway heard the creature's howls of pain. She saw the Randerian's head fly across the room as she blocked an attack from Danion. She smiled at her foe as she spoke, "Looks like your best warriors aren't as good as you thought, Danion."
Danion swung his sword, but it was blocked. He snarled at her in anger and frustration, "The little warrior woman got lucky, Janeway. The Randerian was already wounded. You won't get Wyvern back, my dear. It's mine."
He took another swing and again it was blocked. He sneered at her, but she only smiled.
That's it, Danion, get angry. You'll make a mistake which I will make you pay for.
Tuvok tried another spell to even the odds a little more. He pointed at a Randerian, who was fighting Nyle. He could see that Nyle was having a difficult time with the creature. The wizard spoke a few words, and shards of ice flew from his fingers and straight into the creature's eyes. It howled in pain as the shards made contact. Nyle took the advantage he was given and jabbed his sword into the creature's stomach. It howled again in agony as it tried to blindly slam its fists into Nyle. Nyle only danced around the Randerian as he jabbed his sword into the creature's body at random. The furry creature finally fell to its knees then fell forward.
"Thanks, Tuvok," Nyle said. He then ran to help Chakotay, who was wounded, yet still fighting off his foe.
"That's three down, Danion," Janeway taunted as she blocked another attack from him.
"Quiet, wench!" Danion hissed, "There's still two more!"
She smiled, "All I see is one more. The other must have run off."
"NO!" Danion swung his sword wildly, causing her to duck. She tripped him with her sword then pointed it at him, keeping him on the floor.
"I'll never give Wyvern back to you, Janeway."
"You will, Danion. Even if I have to kill you."
"You wouldn't..."
The two heard a scream and they turned to see Torres on her knees clutching her side. The missing Randerian loomed over her, its bloody sword in its hand.
"B'ELANNA!" Paris suddenly screamed as he sat up. Kelta, startled, placed her hands on his shoulders and tried to get him to lie back down. He shoved her hands away and got out of bed.
"B'Elanna's in trouble," he gasped as he was reminded of his own injuries, "I have to get to her."
Kelta grabbed his arm before he made it to the door, "You're not going anywhere, Tom. She'll be alright. You were dreaming."
Paris glared at her, "I was not dreaming. I felt her being hurt. I'm feeling her pain now."
"That is you own pain you're feeling, Tom. You shouldn't be up. Let me help you back to bed."
"No," Paris said firmly as he jerked out of Kelta's grasp, "I'm going to Wyvern. She needs me."
Kelta grabbed his arm again, and spun him around to face her. She must have been a little rough, for he winced and clutched his stomach.
"She would want you alive, Tom. If she is hurt, Tuvok can heal her. She'll be alright. Now, get back to bed. You're only making it worse for yourself."
Paris glared at her again as if deciding whether to obey her or not. He stood there for a moment then slowly walked back toward the bed. Kelta relaxed and sighed in relief. She then helped him lie down.
~~
Torres' attacker suddenly howled in pain, and stared down at the small woman on the floor. Her dark eyes glittered evilly as she yanked her sword out of its knee then jabbed the weapon into the other.
"That will teach you to sneak up on me," she growled as she jabbed at the wounded knees.
The creature backed away from her only to fall on its back. She crawled toward the Randerian as she closed in for the kill. She snarled at it as she brought her sword up above her head. Her eyes darkened as she brought the weapon down, slicing into the creature. It didn't even howl as it died instantlly.
The remaining Randerian dropped its sword and fled the room. It had had enough of the fighting.
"All gone, Danion," Janeway said, smiling.
Danion sneered then swung his sword toward her side. She blocked it, but Danion used his free hand to shove her. She landed on her back with Danion standing over her.
"No one moves!" He shouted when he saw them run toward him.
"It's over, Danion," Nyle said calmly, "The Randerians aren't coming to your rescue, neither are your guards. Give Wyvern back to Janeway."
Danion sneered, "Wyvern is mine."
"This is getting us nowhere," Chakotay whispered, "He's not going to give up anything without a fight."
"We'll see about that," Tuvok said.
Chakotay looked at him as the wizard closed his eyes and mumbled arcane words. Suddenly, a yellow light caught his eye, and he turned to see a glowing shape form behind Danion. He saw Janeway stare at it, and Danion followed her gaze to see the glow as well. Danion dropped his sword and stared in horror at the thing before him. He backed away from it, nearly tripping over Janeway as she tried to get up.
"What is this!?" Danion shouted, "What are you doing!?"
Chakotay didn't know if Danion was talking to them or the glowing shadow. He watched as the glow formed into the shape of a human female, and begin to walk toward Danion. Danion continued to back away shouting for the being to leave him alone.
"Who's that suppose to be?" The ranger asked Nyle.
"Danion's sister," Nyle answered, "She died mysteriously several years ago."
"Suppose he killed her," Chakotay mentioned. Nyle only nodded.
Danion began to shake his head and cover his ears. He shouted that he would not give the castle back to Janeway. The form walked closer to him, causing him to back further away. This continued until Danion backed himself into a wall. He stared at the form in front of him. It's green eyes bored into his soul as it spoke to him. He sank to his knees still denying everything the ghost told him. He finally began to sob violently and the ghost disappeared.
"Impressive, Tuvok," Chakotay said.
"It gave me a headache," the wizard mentioned, "but I believe Janeway has her castle back."
"Good," came a weak voice from behind them, "Maybe now you could give me a hand."
They turned around to see Torres sitting on her knees holding her side. Chakotay helped her to her feet and over to the throne. He sat her down on the chair then looked at the wound.
"That doesn't look good," he said, "but Tuvok probably could take care of it."
"Of course," the wizard said, going to the warrior.
Janeway walked over to the sobbing Danion and knelt in front of him. She could hear him mumbling about being sorry and something about an accident. She touched his shoulder and he looked up at her.
"I didn't mean to kill her," he whispered, "I didn't know she was in the forest. I didn't see her when I aimed at the bushes. I didn't..."
Danion buried his head in his hands as another wave a tears over came him. Janeway looked back toward the group as she thought about better times.
~~
Kelta was finally able to get Paris to sleep. She could still hear his pleading words echo in her head. He was truly worried about B'Elanna just as the warrior was worried about him the day before. She looked at him and hoped that B'Elanna was alright for his sake. She had never before delt with a person so determained to be with the one he loved.
"They'll be back soon," she whispered as she placed a cool cloth on his forehead, "You'll be with her soon."

Continue on to Epilogue
Paris, Voyager