Chapter 15

**Merianna**

I nearly started gagging the closer I got to the source of all the chaos. Nope, not because if the smell, the bubble of fresh air I had wrapped around my head was doing a perfect job at keeping any unpleasant smells away from me, thank the heavens.

I was actually almost losing my breakfast, because of the many members around me who had already lost theirs, or who were still in the process of losing it wherever they stood. My stomach was clearly very sympathetic towards everyone else's.

To keep myself from hearing or seeing the gagging horde I doubled my efforts with constructing my little bubble of safety, and thought of all the colourful things that I could call Nana Ara once I had her in my sights.

A gust of wind suddenly picked up from behind, moving towards the main source of the smell where more members were horizontal instead of vertical. I recognized the spark of Noch's energy in the breeze that flowed past. Thank Hecate for his smart thinking.

As I walked closer I saw Noch staring into the distance, and Fog was looking disapprovingly at Nana Ara as she grumbled with a scarf tied around her face. She was busy examining some black pieces of cloth that lay on the floor among heaps of wood and stone debris, completely ignoring the havoc she had created. Oh yes, she definitely used the experiment that blew up in the Order the day of the maze trail. And refined it without a doubt.

"For the love of all things cursed Nana! Did you really have to refine that potion?!" I yelled as I got closer to them.

Noch, Fog and Ara all focused their gazes on me as I stopped in front of them. Fog's eyebrows were raised, Noch had a thoughtful expression and Nana scrambled to her feet and then rushed right into me.

"Merianna! Are you alright?! What happened?! Are you hurt? Did you get stabbed? Hit? Bludgeoned?!" She fired off at me as she patted me down, checked my head for cuts, and walked a circle around me to check for hidden injuries.

"I'm perfectly fine. A little tired but fine. You can stop picking through my hair Nana, I don't have a head injury." I said ducking out of her gentle grasp.

"You didn't get injured?" Asked Fog while lifting his eyebrow even higher. I had the fleeting fantasy that his eyebrows might just go flying off his face soon.

I shrugged. "I might have a few cuts and bruises but nothing serious."

"Demon child, you look like you just crawled out of a Wraith's nest after it had some fun with you and then ate something right over your body. In other words, terrible." Noch commented flatly while bringing in more fresh air and the remnants of the rain.

I calmly looked up at him without raising to his bait... much. "And you look like you're about to lose your breakfast, or did the moss sprites suddenly make an appearance and decide to make your face their new home?"

Ara laughed, Fog gave a tired grin and Noch snorted in indignation. "I would wager you to be flat on the ground if you dropped your little cocoon of air. You can blame it all on your crazy Nana here, as well as the fact that any wards that might still have been functioning in this area now being history."

Ara cringed slightly and gave a feeble chuckle while her hands fiddled with the back of her skirts. I turned my disapproving look to her.

"Nana, I thought you learned your lesson at the order when your experiment exploded and gave the center statue a new design."

She fiddled with her skirts some more. "Well, I also thought so, until I noticed that the potion exploded through the weak side of my cauldron where a previous experiment left a crack. The smell and side effects aside, it was a gloriously genius mistake." Her eyes lit up with a proud smile that was hidden behind the cloth.
Fog, Noch and I all sighed in defeat. Truth be told, Ara's powerful potions really did come in handy sometimes, especially if you handle them with extreme caution and didn't blow yourself up or poison yourself in the process.

"I'm ready to go home." I groaned with tiredness leaking into my bones.

"I couldn't agree more, you desperately need a bath." Noch commented, not in an unkind way.

"Oh wow, look who is suddenly interested in my well being." I drawled and started heading back towards the hill we had come down from. I heard Noch and Ara bickering behind me as Fog also joined the trek back. I had noticed that while we were talking, some of the members had somewhat gotten back onto their feet with the fresh wind blowing in and were already weaving or crawling their way back to the recovery teams.

Nelia would be waiting for us on the other side with the healers. I froze with that thought.

"What's wrong Merianna?" Fog asked as he stopped behind me.

I looked down at myself and cringed. "Nelia is going to have a fit when she sees me." I groaned out.

Fog just laughed and put his arm around my shoulders. "Come now, I'm sure that she would much rather have you back like this than motionless on the battlefield."

"Oh dear Hecate, save me now." I mumbled in resignation as Fog urged me forward again with a chuckle.

"I will try my best to calm her if she attacks you." He promised.

I smiled up at Fog. "Even though she'll most likely go after you as well?"

His face pulled into a comic expression of fear. "I can only try my best." He clarified, and I laughed at him. Just when we reached the top of the hill my prediction came true.

"MERI!" I heard Nelia's panicked shriek jump up from the throng of moving members. I was suddenly grabbed around the arms and squeezed into a hug so tight that I thought I felt my organs shifting. I gave a strangled cough as the air was forced out of me.

"Meri! You are all covered in blood! Are you alright?!" She exclaimed and then let go of me suddenly. The sudden shift caused me to fall flat onto my back in the grass. I gazed up at the sky that was turning lighter by the minute with the rising sun while regaining my breath.

"Meri? You're alright, right?" Nelia asked hesitatingly with tears gathering in her eyes. Only then did I notice that she was wearing dark coloured material over her dress with sleeves for her arms that seemed to have been tied together at her back.

"Yes Nelia, I'm fine. I'm perfectly alright." I said from my position on the grass that felt surprisingly comfortable at that moment.

"Why are you covered in so much blood? Are you sure you're not wounded?" Her voice wobbled as the tears doubled in her pretty eyes.

"It's not my blood! I swear I'm fine Nelia!" I said in a panic and sat up quickly to reassure her. Only to feel myself falling sideways with my vision throwing dark spots for a second. I felt strong hands on my shoulders as I was helped back upright. I blinked rapidly and shook my head a little to try and clear the fuzzy feeling in my head.

"No! You're not alright! Where are you hurt? Show me!" Nelia exploded, and just like that, the tears were gone and replaced by her determinedly protective face.

I groaned in frustration. "She's alright Nelia, Arasule had already checked her from head to toe. She might have a few bruises and cuts but that would be about it." Fog said from next to me, trying to calm Nelia down. Nelia looked up at him with an expression that wasn't quite sure if she should believe what he was saying, or just strip me and do an examination on the spot.

"The terror is fine Nelia." I heard Noch scoff from behind me and I craned my neck around to see him and Ara standing right at my back. "The only thing on her that is damaged is that repulsive dress she's wearing."

I frowned up at him in indignation. "It's not repulsive!" I fired back, until I looked down at myself and pouted. "It didn't used to be."

"Ha!" Noch barked and started walking past us towards the Gateway. I pouted and stuck my tongue out at his back. With him ignoring me, I jumped back onto my feet. Maybe a little too quickly...

"Meri!" Nelia panicked as she caught my weight. My body was full of tingles, and the spots had returned to my vision. The next thing I knew was the Reaper being taken from my grasp and me being swung up through the air. My breath went out of me in a whoosh as something was suddenly pressed into my diaphragm.
I blinked and looked at my surroundings that were all suddenly upside down. I had been slung over Noch's shoulder...

"Oi! Put me down!" I yelled at Noch.

"Nope." Noch declared as he carried me right through the gate with Nelia jogging behind us to keep up.

"Noch! I can walk on my own I'm not a child!" I snapped at his back and pulled my arms closer to my face so I wouldn't smack into his hard back with every step.
Noch chuckled. "You are a child, and will still be a child even when you grow as old as Arasule."

I snarled at his back. I knew what he meant. He meant that even though I could live as many lifetimes as Nana Ara had, he would still have lived more lifetimes than me and therefore I would still be a child to him. Even if, eventually I was a wrinkly old crone.