Adelphe's Convalescence

Addie of the Shadows

Addie of the Shadows

The threatening crack and crumble of stone was the only warning Addie received, sending her running without looking where she was going. It was more important that she get away than worry about where she ended up.

Running was difficult over the loose bricks and debris, but Addie kept herself upright, sprinting and leaping as she felt the wind of whatever was falling hitting her back. Tiny bits of rock bit into the soft flesh of her exposed arms, but she avoided the massive wall that had come crashing down after whatever rickety support had been holding it up finally failed.

Addie came to a skidding halt over the broken remnants of what appeared to have been a garden path at one point, looking back just in time to see the final pieces of what appeared to have been a floor attached to the wall breaking apart and tumbling down. A small dust cloud was created from the disturbance, but it was quickly blown away.

Addie clenched her jaw and determinedly resumed her search, climbing back over the pile she had just caused to fall and continuing onward.

She should probably be with the others, picking through the dust and debris, trying to find any survivors who might be holding on. It was what the other paladins were doing. All save for Elaine who was resting in Hue's clinic after taking on everyone's combined injuries. Every time someone was pulled out who was still fighting to live but was too close to death, they were brought to her. Though her body was being broken again and again, she didn't once complain.

Odilon would normally be quite vocal in his displeasure, however since finding out the role he had unintentionally played in the transportation of the dynamite, he had been rather busy going through every employee he had hired recently along both the Lloegyrian and Gasconian border. He didn't leave Elaine's side, but he was busy nonetheless.

While Elaine rested and healed, the rest of them picked their way through the debris. Sybille and Nina were coordinating the efforts while Felicie used her ability to scale walls in order to get over particularly dangerous obstacles. Colette commanded the garrison of knights, including her husband, that were assisting in carefully combing through every brick and stone.

Addie was going to assist them shortly. But, before she could begin at the far end of Gold, or what was left of it, and pick her way through the rubble, she had needed to come out here to the first area that had fallen.

She didn't know exactly what she was hoping for, but she had to try looking anyway.

Though the moment was burned into her mind, though she visualized it every time her eyes closed, somehow, she couldn't remember exactly where Master Eneas had been when he had fallen. The expression on his face, staring at her with a sad sort of smile, was impossible to forget, but the area surrounding him in that moment was a blur.

Addie was beginning where she could see the now useless lift hanging high above, and trying to follow the path backwards to where he might have landed. However, in the fall, in the crash, everything had broken apart and crumbled together. It was all a mess and didn't even closely resemble the beautiful, wealthy district it once had been.

Picking her way back over the new rubble pile she had made, she climbed back to the top and began scouring the area for any sign of Eneas or his body.

It was a long and lonely search.

Addie had already told his majesty that Eneas had been there when the plate fell. A strange look had crossed her king's face, but it was hurriedly buried. He knew better than to think that there was a possibility his friend had survived.

And fate was too cruel, not even allowing him a chance to mourn.

The blow to the city with the loss of Gold was a hard one. The tremors created by the cascading destruction had rippled throughout all of Gwenael. People in all the surrounding districts had suffered their own injuries and deaths as a result of the widespread damage. He had lost a friend, but Cyrille had to be a king, and a king had to be strong for his people, especially during times of crisis and disbelief such as this one.