Korlon could see gleaming moonlight glinting off Salimantor scales of the three fighting foemen. He was hard pressed to see exactly which foeman was fighting which, as it seemed that two of them were fighting another one.

He had determined that Kara was on land and not inside the mountain, so he followed her frequency to this spot in the village of Granite Fears, only to find her in a fatal altercation in a back alley. He arrived just in time to see the smaller Foemen get a good lock on Kara and use his outer wrist claw to rip her throat.

A shout of rage tore from his breast as he watched his ward falling lifelessly, her beautiful eyes closed against the starlight that should have illuminated them for the first time outside Aquaria. His voice mingled as if another yell superseded his, and the largest foeman leaped forward knocking his brother aside, with a vicious lunge, causing him to fly back against a fence and crash through it with mighty force.

This same man transformed before his eyes and reached Kara, gathering her to him, a howl of despair torn from the depths of his soul in a way Korlon had never heard another cry. He hesitated a moment too long, should have killed the foeman, should have pointed his sword at the one who now stood awaiting his brother's command, his warrior stance on guard and ready to fight if Korlon should make a wrong move.

"I am Korlon of Valdemar." He yelled. "Give me the girl, I can heal her!"

He felt the younger Foeman step up after the powerful rage that had caused the fight between the two brothers. "I am Terryn Etrusia, Quarso. I don't recognize your authority here, Korlon Valdemar."

Korlon caught the slight hesitancy in his eyes and used it to his advantage. "We are not enemies Terryn Etrusia. Let me take the girl."

Terryn wasn't convinced that Korlon wasn't an enemy. In his experience, everyone that wasn't a Salimantor or an Etrusian was an enemy. It was urgently pathetic to see his most beloved brother Quarso, Rion, cradling the lifeless body of a searcher girl in his arms as if she were more important to him than his own brother who he had just attacked. Terryn sheathed his sword and turned to Jayce's prone form without a word.

Korlon moved in front of Rion slowly, to show his intentions. He did not want to harm this Quarso, recognizing the terrible pain and grief he saw in the eyes and voice of the man holding Kara. He sheathed his sword as he caught Rion's frantic eye, and raised both hands in surrender and warning. "I can heal her. Give her to me."

Rion was shaking, as he tried vainly to staunch the blood flowing freely from Kara's neck. There was too much blood. Surely she was dead already.

"She's dead!" He yelled in anguish. "You killed her Terryn! You killed her!"

Korlon moved in a little closer, his own heart beating in panic as he watched the blood cover Kara's face in horror. "I am not your enemy, Etrusia! Let me have her! I can save her! It's not too late!"

"Can't you see? Fool! She's dead!" Rion rocked Kara back and forth across his chest holding her tightly against him and then away pressing a hand against her throat to stop the flow.

"I can see that if you don't trust me, she will die!" Korlon evaded the truth just slightly. He reached to touch Kara and Rion drew his dagger, pointing it at Korlon's face.

"Leave us! I don't know who you are, but—." Suddenly, he did recognize this man, the face was hauntingly familiar as seen from the eye of dream memory. "You're her mentor." Not to mention the dream lover he'd seen her pining over. "I sensed you hunting us... how can you heal her?"

"She is Harpyiae..." Korlon was treading on thin ice and knew it. He hadn't healed a Harpyiae before, but he had healed minor wounds inflicted when he and Kara were training. He didn't know if his strength, as unusual as it was, was enough to heal her now, but he had to try before it was too late.

Rion's face contorted with confusion. "And that is supposed to mean something to me?" he yelled, his body hunching once again over Kara's. "You are her teacher, her... guardian. If you heal her you will take her!"

"It's either that or let her die in your arms. Which is it, Quarso?" Korlon was still blustering through against the odds, his heart beating in agony at each spurt of blood and each second that brought her closer to death. He placed a hand on Kara's neck, willing the wound to close.

Could Korlon use the planetary power to heal her? Rion laid his hand over Korlon's and closed his eyes, tears squeezing out the corners as he concentrated on the feel of healing flowing into him to her. The deep gash that had been pouring forth its life breathed a sigh of relief and the gush withered to a drip. It obeyed instantly as the two warriors willed the pain and damage into themselves simply reversing the will of the injury to continue its course.

Korlon closed his eyes, intensifying his focus and calling on that inner place where healing energy resided in him.

Rion pressed carefully where Korlon lead, recognizing the experienced healer, a gift he himself had only barely tapped into. He projected calm, gentle trust and all the love he felt for her into the meld through Korlon's hands, not caring if Korlon felt his desires.

Slowly Rion relinquished his hold on the limp form, gently rolling her closer to the healing hands in front of him, as Korlon took her weight tenderly.

The wound began to close under Korlon's administration. Rion kept staring in the darkness as the black of the blood and the white of her skin faded, the blood seeping back the way it had come. The last vestige of the terrible wound sealed and Korlon opened his eyes.

"Brother..." Rion whispered, his eyes full of hope. He searched Korlon's face for clues as to what he would do next. Could he prevent him from taking Kara back? He wanted to draw his sword, but realized how wrong that would be in light of the fact that Korlon had just healed the girl Rion loved.

He drew his fingers across her pale skin, studied the spot where the life draining injuries had been.

Just moments ago she had been alive and pliable in his arms.

Just seconds ago, further life had been hopeless.

He shook uncontrollably.

"Kara..." Rion's tears overflowed as his eyes rose to meet Korlon's. How could there be hostility? "Give her to me." He gathered her against his chest, brooking no disobedience, although feeling the tension in Korlon's arms. He rained kisses over her face, pressing her lips with his unabashedly.

His tears overcame him, and he poured out his relief that she was alive. He had healed her before, had taken her pain and given her strength, this he did again. Insinuating self in the deepest recesses of her core, he felt that warm melding of her trust and recognition even through her struggle for consciousness.

"Kara... it isn't over. You shouldn't have been hurt, but Korlon has saved you and I owe it to him to let you go back to your brother. Right now your life is his, as it once was mine. You must rest, heal. Do not forget me, do not leave me. Come back to me."

Korlon stood with Kara in his arms as he stared at Rion, sparing only a small glance at Terryn and Jayce who were now both sitting on the ground just over the ruined and broken fence amid splinters and shards of wood. "It's time for me to take her home."

"She doesn't belong to you, Valdemar." Rion ground out, knowing even as he said it he had to let her go. He couldn't move to stop Korlon, the sight of the once vibrant and spirited body in his arms halted his most rebellious thoughts.

"With every fiber of my being I will hunt you down and I will find you." Rion vowed, realizing it had to be this way, and hating that his honor forbade him killing this man on the spot. For saving her life, he couldn't finish the fight he'd begun.

"She was never yours." Korlon focused all his energy inward, all his powers on his arms holding Kara, and with a slight whirl, disappeared from Rion's sight.

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