9. Cora
"Is Maz did good?" the nimbat asked as he opened his eyes.
"You sound so cute, Maz, and yes, you did good," said Avni as she adjusted her clothing, as Mazella took off and hovered around the group.
Cora looked at the frilly shoulders on her new set of doll clothes. She sighed, happy to be covered now in decent garments but frustrated she hadn't returned to her normal self as Laurence had. Although, his essence wasn't exactly manipulated in the same way hers was. She looked up at him with pleading eyes, "You will find a way to fix me, right?"
"Yeah, I think what Avni said is the best idea. We return to Allencore and find Yadiel. He can help with this, unless there is something in the book. Enjoy it whilst you can, I guess."
Enjoy it?
Cora glared at Laurence. "I'd slap you right now if I could." The idea of pretending to be a doll was confronting at the least. She tried to distract herself from the thought and focused on her surroundings watching as an ant walked past. If it weren't for the pincers, she would have picked it up like a kitten. The flaps from Mazella overhead caught her attention, and she looked up to see the nimbat.
She felt a hand grasp around her waist as Laurence pulled her up onto his lap. "Where's the town you got these from?"
Mazella landed in front of them, looked up at Cora and smiled, then scratched his chin in thought. Then the excitement sparked in his eyes, and his small ears perked. With a flap of his wings, he ascended into the sky, Cora strained to follow him through the canopy, glimpsing his arm pointing towards the town. "He's so tiny."
Laurence rose, casting his shadow over Cora, blocking the sun, and sending a chill over her tiny frame. "It's all about perspective. He's not that high up. I could probably toss you up to him," He joked, as a dark bird loomed over the trees.
The scream of what seemed like a damsel in distress pierced the silent air. Cora, Avni, and Laurence looked up, spotting a large black raven diving towards Mazella. He tucked his wings in, dropping like a brick. It missed, then swooped past Laurence, narrowly avoiding his head.
"Help!" Mazella cried out as the bird circled a tree and lunged back towards him. It sped past Cora and Laurence, its wings snapping through the air. Laurence seized a stone and hurled it, distracting the bird long enough to divert its attention from Mazella.
Up among the canopies, the raven made a sharp turn as Cora extended her hand toward it. She shut her eyes, her essence reaching out to the bird. When she reopened them, she found herself face to face with a raven, engulfed in a dark void. The bird stood still; its gaze fixed on her. Cora returned the stare, peering beyond its eyes into the deep black void of its pupil. As she delved deeper, a vivid ornate hue flooded her vision, revealing purple flesh adorned with tattoos. Then she saw her - a dark elf, her hand resting on an orb with a black feather. The elf smirked at Cora before the trance was broken by Avni forcefully pulling Cora to the ground.
"What are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed!" Avni said, ducking as another snap of the bird's wings echoed in her ears. Laurence hurried over as the raven made another pass at Cora and Avni, its talons scraping against Avni's shoulder. Cora, now weakened by her size and the fading effects of her vision, pushed upon her essence once more. The raven continued to claw at Avni as Mazella screamed, hurtling toward the bird. He crashed into its neck with his small body.
The raven barely flinched as it rebounded off and skidded to a halt next to Laurence. He lunged forward, swatting at the bird as it struggled, flapped and continued to tear at Avni's flesh. "Hit it with your trunk!" Mazella called out, catching Cora off guard as she made another attempt to harness her essence.
Fighting a smirk, she Conjured the grass, and it shot up from the ground around her. The grass twisted around Avni and reached upwards, ensnaring the raven. As the tips turned sharp and pointy, like hundreds of tiny knives, they pressed against the bird, holding it in place, stabbing at its flesh. Desperate to escape, the raven seized hold of Avni's arm, eliciting a pained cry from her. Startled by her reaction, the bird squawked in alarm and struggled harder against the painful blades of grass. In a flurry of feathers, it managed to break free, releasing Avni and soaring into the sky, disappearing beyond the tree line, leaving droplets of blood as it fled.
Avni, her shoulder now covered in deep cuts and oozing blood, dropped to her knees, her gaze beating Cora's with a grateful smile. "Are you okay?" Cora nodded, emerging from beneath Avni's dress.
"I'm fine," Avni reassured, though she stumbled forwards as she spoke. Laurence swiftly moved to catch her, propping her up against a nearby log. Glancing at Mazella, he remarked, "Doesn't look too bad."
"Just a flesh wound," Avni replied, managing a weak grin. Mazella, flying up from the ground and struggling to catch his breath, chimed in, "Mazella okay too, you see."
Laurence turned his attention to the nimbat. "Which way to the town? And this time, stay below the canopy."
A warm, sticky sensation covered Cora's hand as she turned to face Avni, blood trickling down the log beside Avni, Cora called upon her essence, coaxing small fronds from the wood to weave around the cuts, attempt to stich them closed. She gazed up at Avni's face, her skin now pallid and clammy, her breaths hallow and rapid. "Laurence!" she called as the fronds failed to provide any real assistance.
Bending down, Laurence pushed the grass and fronds aside, then placed a hand over Avni's wound. "Maz, where's the town?" Cora watched as the nimbat pointed in the town's direction, then turned back to Laurence. "Can't you do anything? Freeze her or something?"
"Not with an injury like this," Laurence replied grimly. "If I do, she won't come back from it. Manipulating the essence of a living being can only be done if they're in good health. If I tried now, it'd be a death sentence, you know that." He grabbed the tattered remains of his dress and tied them around Avni's wounds.
Cora pulled her arm away from the log, releasing her essence from it. "No, you're forgetting where I'm from; that's not a thing. Is that why there are so many stone statues with missing arms?"
"Yes and no, I can explain later, but she isn't like you. For now, we need to get Avni to a Plaith. If we don't, she may as well be one of those stone statues. That, and Yadiel will literally kill me for that. We're in enough shit as it is with the book, and I am hoping we end up on the better side of things by bringing the book back. For now, that's not the problem." Laurence lifted Avni like a child, grabbing his satchel, and glanced up at the nimbat. "Maz, we need you."
