“In the Blink of an Eye”
by ‘pd Rydia’
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Author's preface: 
This story is an original creation of pd Rydia, a.k.a. C. Diane Kuhl.  She owns this piece and it is copyright (©) of C. Diane Kuhl, 2002-2003.  Do not copy this story in any part or whole, and especially do not claim it as your own.  If you find this story anywhere other than at RPGWW (http://greatdave.org/rpgww), please contact the author immediately, at pdrydia@hotmail.com.  You can use the same address to send feedback.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Whatcha doin', Daddy?"

Sizreina plopped herself on the ground by her father, sprawling on the dry, dying, prickly grass. Her long blue hair spread out in a cloud around her head, framing her face. A few stray bits of hair stuck to the sweat on her face and neck -- proof that she had, once again, been running around, very probably up to no good.

Somehow, a few loose strands had floated free of the young girl's head and floated over to land on the pages of her father's spellbook. The older ryuujin, Gain, simply brushed the distraction out of the way and continued reading.

"Huh, Daddy, so what're ya doin'?" she repeated, scrambling up to her hands and knees to try to sneak a peek at the book's pages. Her father gave her a stern glance, however, that convinced her it was in her best interest to behave.

Sighing loudly, she glanced behind her father. Then, she looked to her left, and to her right, and finally behind herself in her boredom. The lattermost direction yielded the most interest, because there she spotted two young boys walking her way -- her younger brothers, Will and Ryuu.

The oldest of the two boys, Will, led the younger one by the hand. Siz looked at him jealously. Will had red hair -- wild, flaming red hair. It was pretty and, most important of all, unique. Ryuu had the same old blue hair as the rest of the family...their mother, their father, their older brother Alex, and Sizreina herself. It was a deep, calm, royal blue...the Baseton Blue. A very boring color, Sizreina decided.

"Hey, Daddy, what's up, why'd you call us all here, huh?" Sizreina asked, turning back to her father. "What's up, what're you doing?"

Gain glanced up, nodding at the arrival of his younger two children. The seriousness etched on his face was really beginning to worry his daughter.

"Daddyyy! What's up?"

"Stand by your brothers, Siz," Gain commanded.

"Are you gonna cast a spell, huh, are you? What's up? What're you gonna do? How come Alex ain't here?"

"Isn't here," her father corrected in an undertone. He cleared his throat and eyed the three children assembled in front of him.

"Listen carefully: I'm going to cast a spell on you three. It'll protect you and keep you safe until after the war is over."

"Daddy, I can watch after Ryuu 'n Will! We don't need any spells!" Sizreina objected. "You know I'm good at magic, even Mom says so! And my teachers--"

It only took one look from her father to silence Sizreina. He's really worried, she realized, kicking at the ground anxiously. And I have no idea why. If there was one thing that bothered Sizreina, it was not knowing what was going on.

Well, she thought, I guess I'll find out when Daddy casts the spell!

Brightening, she looked up at her dad, only to see that he was already chanting. She listened in carefully, to see if she could discern what type of spell he was casting...

Falla...rahna...Piaer...? Stone?

Her eyes would have flown open, if it weren't for the fact that every muscle in Sizreina's body suddenly froze. She would have screamed, if it weren't for the fact she couldn't control her mouth. All she could do was stand there helplessly as she slowly felt the spell slowly creep up her body, turning her flesh into cold stone while she stood there powerlessly.

Her last thought, before her memory turned into cold blackness, was that her brothers were probably scared to death.

---

It seemed like it was the very next moment that the total blackness began creeping away. Sizreina's muscles spasmed as the life crept back into atrophied limbs, warmth seeping ever-so-slowly into her body. When the last vestige of the spell left her body, she collapsed into a shivering, shaking mess.

A woman was leaning over her. "This one has come to, as well. She doesn't seem any better off than the first one."

First one? Were they talking about one of her brothers?

A second voice, this one belonging to a man, spoke up from a short distance behind the woman. "I've tried and tried, but I just can't dispell the enchantment on the third one, and it doesn't look like he's going to come out of it naturally."

"Can we carry him, then?"

"He's too heavy like this, and besides, the spell may never come off."

"But it might...!"

"Listen, we'd do best to take the two that we can and evacuate now. Then maybe we all might live."

Siz blinked and opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a croak. She tried to telepath the woman who picked her up, but her mind was foggy and she couldn't seem to make the connection. You can't leave my brother! Don't do that! You can't do that! her mind yelled at herself, uselessly.

Why couldn't she communicate? They were going to leave her brother behind! She couldn't let that happen!

Yet, as the nameless woman leaned Siz against her shoulder, the young ryuujin realized that's exactly what was happening. Too weak to move, talk, or telepath, she could only watch as the statue of her brother grow more and more distant.

I'll come back! I'll be back for you! When I'm stronger, I will, I will! she tried to telepath the statue of her brother.

Her words echoed around in her mind, mocking her promise and resolve.

---

Years later, Sizreina stood at the spot where her father had cast that spell, so many, many years ago.

I've come back. I'm back for you, a much older Sizreina thought to herself, as she stood looking down at the spot where her brother's statue had been left behind.

The place was utterly barren, devoid of all life except for her. Her brother was nowhere to be seen. The wind whistled chilly around her, tossing her blue hair into tangles.

But where are you, now? she asked the wind, as if it would answer in her brother's stead.

This place wasn't very safe to be...not that danger have ever really been a deterrent to Siz. She tilted her head back, listening to the wind, listening to her senses...

No, her brother wasn't dead. She knew that. She could still feel his presence somewhere, just as strongly as she could feel Ryuu's. Except Will's presence seemed so...distant.

Where on Draco was he?

Shaking her head, Sizreina once again resumed moving, heading away from the ruins of what had once been her home. She was going to find her brother...he just wasn't here. Sighing, she repeated her resolve in her mind; her brother was alive, and she was going to keep looking until she found him.

She had made a promise, and she was going to keep it -- even if her search took her worlds away from Draco.