Lost

The crew of the Emperor's Airship make a startling discovery as they come across the destroyed hull of the Necromancer vessel.

50.

   Lost

 

Unknown to the grieving half-Drow, one of his friends still miraculously lived.   Aurei had been swept off the deck by the blast and had fallen for hundreds of feet before the loss of the Fire Elemental made the Airship violently dip and bob in the air.   As her body fell, the movement of the airship whipped about the many mooring, and anchor chains that hung from the bottom of the Airship to facilitate the loading and unloading of cargo.  One large hook -- swinging wildly as the vessel's permanent hovering spell began slowly to bring stability to the remains of the ship-- snagged the unconscious Drow girl's chainmail, nearly snapping her neck as it slowed her descent, only ten feet from the ground.   There she hung, upside down, her black skin horribly burned by the blast and her eyes seared blind.   She knew none of this, for she floated in a place of warmth and light, where time seemed to have no meaning.  

 

***

 

"It's not enough, Thellus, there's no change.   Do you have any more?"

"That's all I've got.   We've got to cut him down, give me your axe."

"It won't go through chain that thick."

"Wait a minute… I think I can get it, the hook is in his chainmail; probably saved his life."

"Some save -- look at him!   He's all black, how can he be alive, burnt like that?"

"I'm not sure that it's all burns -- he… hold it… he's a Drow!!"

"A Drow!?"

"Sure, makes sense doesn't it -the Necromancer's Guild would appeal to dark elves."

"Well then, let him die!"

"No, if he's still alive, we should at least find out what happened to his ship."

"How are we going to do that, he's barely breathing."

"Well, we could try -oh my word!!"

"What?  What is it?"

"It's not a he -this fellow is a female!"

"Are you sure?"

"See?  Breasts -my stars, a Drow female!"

"Just what we need."

The two men laughed at the statement.

"Thellus, that might be an idea -- let's take her to the dark lady; she can help."

"She's a prisoner, Fallow, his Excellency will have our heads for putting her in there with her."

"We've got to put her somewhere, you know he'll want to question her, and we only have one hold."

"I don't know…"

"I'll take responsibility, come on, lets' get her down."

"Okay…you're not feeling sorry for this Drow are you?"

"I don't know… maybe.   Hanging upside down all burnt and nearly dead -don't you?"

"No, not really.   I'd just as soon knife her and be done with it."

"Well, you may get your chance after his Excellency questions her, but until then, hold your knife and try to have some compassion."

"Like they do when they raid villages and kill human women and children?   That's rather hard to do, you know."

"We don't know just who she is or what she has done, maybe she doesn't participate in all of that. "

"Which is why she's hanging from the bottom end of a burned out Airship?   Uh huh."

"Just don't argue with me, okay, lets' just get her down and let the dark lady look at her."

"Sounds like a bad idea to me, but okay."

The voices seemed to waver all around and then disappear as darkness took her again.