"I must talk to ArchDruid Fitheach or Fiesty", she muses quietly, her voice echoing in the empty house, "...maybe Fit will be easier to get a hold of than Fiesty has been. The Shire is preparing for possible dangers and Fiesty is so busy that she is rarely at home, but Fit should still be with Mage Gabriel, trying to find a potion to heal the Cheshire Cat."
Amethyst McMahon leaves the cottage, barely noticing the glowing sunrise hinting above the horizon. She nods and smiles at the Elven Ranger in attendance near her home, approaching him shyly and informing him that she intends to visit her friends, Audrey and Gabriel at The Citadel.
The Ranger informs her that possible Drow sightings around the Citadel had been reported during the early hours and she should best stay near Calenhad in safety.
Amethyst McMahon frowns, but her tone is determined when she answers that if that is the case, then she must check on her friends and the Cat without delay. She asquiesces as she notices the Ranger follower her closely as she sets off through the forest.
Upon reaching the Citadel she regards the increased number of guards and Rangers thoughfully, nodding in greeting as she hurries on towards Audrey and Gabriel's home. The Citadel is eerily quiet and devoid of life that morn, the townsfolk remaining within their homes, apparently disquieted by possible Drow encounters so close to their dwellings.
She pauses and greets the guard stationed before the steps leading to the door of the Mage's residence, an obvious increase in security since her last visit. Knocking at the door, she calls out loudly, "Audrey, Gabriel... it is Amethyst. May I come in?"
Gabriel had quickly gathered her into his arms, words tumbling out of his mouth, her tired brain hardly catching their meaning... Prowling! Skulking Shadows! Alarm! Drow! Guards! Chase!
From what she had gathered, many citizens of the Citadel had described hearing the same scraping and hissing, sighting the same shadowy presence all over The Citadel during the night. Alarm had been raised at the break of dawn and the Guards had tracked a Drow group and given chase, but their prey were lost when they disappeared within the spectral stone barriers surrounding the Shadow Lands.
Gabriel was not sure that the Drow had gotten wind that the Cheshire Cat was here with them, but before he left for Taibreamh again, after just two troubled hours sleep, to continue his frantic search for a potion with ArchDruid Fitheach, he secured a guard to remain directly at their home while he was away.
The knock roused Audrey from her listlessness and she brightened upon hearing Amethyst's call.
Audrey Ashgrove rose and uttered a welcome as Amethyst entered the room.
Amethyst McMahon crossed to her friend, her gaze moving from the languishing cat to her visibly tired friend. "Audrey! Are you alright? I have heard of the Drow sneaking through the Citadel last night and wanted to make sure you are well!"
Audrey Ashgrove looks up dejectively and pushing a loose strand of hair from her face, she tries to smile at the other woman, but her face crumples and she whispers in dismay, "oh Amethyst, it was dreadful. I was paralysed with fear. I could think of nought other than keeping the Cheshire Cat from harm, but had no idea how I caould manage it!".
She takes some steps backwards and slumps on the lounge.
Amethyst McMahon sits near her friend and takes her hand, her tone reassuring, "Everything is fine, Audrey, you are very brave and your care is what is keeping the Cat alive right now. Do not fear, the guards and Rangers will patrol the Citadel in increased numbers now and you must be certain to try and catch up on some rest during today."
Audrey Ashgrove nods, a small smile lighting up her pale features, "Thank you, Ame. Yes, I will just remain here on the lounge and try to sleep. Gabriel promised to return earlier today."
Amethyst McMahon furrows her brow, her eyes watching the cat as it lays panting near the fireplace. "And have Gabe and Fitheach made a breakthough as yet, Audrey? I fear our wee friend here will not be able to hold onto life much longer."
Audrey Ashgrove slumps in her seat, shaking her head, concern in her voice as she answers, "He hasn't said as much and I suspect that they are still examining different possibilities, as he has only had a few hours sleep each night and returns to Taibreamh at the crack of dawn each day to pore over the old recipes."
Amethyst McMahon sighs and gets up, crouching by the Cat to brush a hand along it's ginger fur and murmurs softly, "Stay strong, dear Cat. We will find a cure for you soon."
She rises and moves towards the door, turning to give Audrey an encouraging smile. "You get some sleep too, Audrey. I will return on the morrow, but if you should need anything until then, please send a guard with a message and I will be here as soon as I can."
She quietly opens the door, both inhabitants of the house falling into a doze and steps out into the fresh air, the weak winter sun struggling to warm the cobblestones.
As she fastens her cloak again, she signals to the guard and instructs him to have her notified if either Audrey or Gabriel should need her. She smiles warmly as he nods and returns to his station and starts back down the path towards Cheshire, the Elven Ranger appearing suddenly from beneath an archway to escort her back to the cottage...
"As hard as it is, I will simply have to trust that Jaekob is safe and that he will return soon. Fitheach and Fiesty have more than enough to trouble them right now, without me plaguing them with my worries..."
She wanders swiftly along the track hugging the coastline... her anxiety growing as the rough seas and blustering wind mirror the disquiet which has become her daily companion and suddenly turns her steps towards the bridge to Taibreamh, "No, I must seek out Fitheach. I cannot go another day without hearing from her if she has knowledge of where Jaek is gone."
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