Fed, rested and feeling better than they had in days, Kharin and Leeteuk slept very well over the night.  The shadow elementalist woke first in their group, fairly refreshed, albeit sore.  While it appeared that Eun Mi and Yong-Soo had been awake for at least a little while, seeing that they had already started breakfast and a pot of tea, Siwon and Leeteuk were still sleeping and it was early morning as the pale light spilling in through the open window showed.  Slowly, Kharin allowed herself to sit up, stretching carefully on the floor before attempting to get to her feet.

                “Morning,” Eun Mi greeted softly as she carried the kettle and an empty mug over to the young woman who took a seat gingerly at the table.

                Kharin was careful not to wake either of her companions and she smiled fondly at their sleeping faces before she focused on the healer.  In some ways, she reminded her invariably of Eleanara, being a healer and whatnot, but she also had this way about her that showed she was perhaps not the best at speaking with people.  Her know-it-all attitude, especially when it came to medicine, was already getting tiresome, but…she did mean well as far as she could see.  She kept her thoughts to herself though, and her expression pleasant as she responded, “Good morning.”

                “Here.  I thought you might like some tea,” Eun Mi offered, pushing the steaming mug towards Kharin and taking a seat across from her.

                “Thank you,” Kharin nodded with a grateful smile.  She took a sip, enjoying the diverse play of tastes across her palette and glanced over at Siwon and Leeteuk again.  “How are they doing?” she queried, keeping her gazes on them while she waited for an answer.

                Eun Mi glanced at the two sleepers and pursed her lips in thought.  “Well.  Siwon is doing better than I anticipated,” she explained almost wistfully.  She noticed Kharin look at her out of the corner of her eye and she flushed slightly and focused on the newest injured person.  “Leeteuk is holding up surprisingly well, considering his injuries,” she remarked appreciatively.

                “Will they be able to travel soon?” Kharin asked softly, her attention focused out the window now.  It was too easy to be lulled into relaxing here, relatively safe and content for the first time in days.  She was not immune to the desire to catch her breath either, but neither could she ignore the pull that told her they were needed elsewhere.  She figured they felt it too, but with her, it had been especially hard since she was still mobile and capable of moving on.

                “I would like to have them rest for a few more days at least, but…” she added at Kharin’s incredulous stare, “I know you all have somewhere you need to be.”

                “Yes, we do,” Kharin affirmed softly, her gaze intent and serious.

                “And we’re not going to keep you here any longer than need be,” Yong-Soo assured her with a smile, pulling up a chair to join them as he brought the usual porridge over with three bowls in hand.

                His assurance helped Kharin to relax just that much more and she smiled gratefully as she accepted the first bowl.  It was very bland but there was a new taste underlying the boiled oats.  Small flecks of dried herbs showed that they had added something different than she was used to.

                The trio ate in relative silence as they waited for the other sleepers to awaken.  With the general sounds of morning activity, it didn’t take long for Leeteuk or Siwon to come around, roused additionally by the smell of food.  The healing body demanded a lot of food, to their chagrin.  Usual morning pleasantries were exchanged and the remainder of the food was consumed, with the leftover portions going to both the injured men.

                “Thank you,” Leeteuk offered as he handed the empty bowl back, still seated on the floor.  It was better than trying to get up and walk around at present; a sentiment that Siwon shared as he sat up on the cot.

                “Of course,” Eun Mi smiled, trading him the bowl for a cup of tea.

                Siwon was already finishing his, getting fairly practiced in drinking the hot liquid quickly.  When he was done, he handed the mug back to Eun Mi and reached for the scrying bowl, eager to see how the others were doing.  When he checked in on Summer and Eunhyuk, he couldn’t help but smile to see them dancing.  His grin widened when he noticed that it was Henry and Zhou Mi that were teaching the lessons.  At Leeteuk and Kharin’s prodding, he explained as much, watching the amusement spread over their faces and then dampen slowly.

                None of them wanted to say it, but the question of why they were dancing and having a good time when there was so much going on was definitely in their thoughts.  They each saw the question in the faces of the others and forced a smile instead.  “They look well,” Siwon insisted, focusing on that aspect instead.  “Eunhyuk’s arm looks like it’s doing better.”

                “What happened to his arm?” Kharin frowned, glaring at the bowl as if in doing so she would be able to see something too.

                “I’m not sure,” he shrugged apologetically.  “It’s not broken though.”

                “He’s almost as bad as you, Teuk,” Kharin grumbled with a laugh as she playfully pushed his shoulder.

                Leeteuk glanced down at his ankle guiltily and then shrugged.  “If I’m the worst one off, then I think we did pretty well,” he admitted with a forced smile.  While it annoyed him that he had managed to sustain the worst injury, he really was glad that none of the others had broken anything.  Quiet nods agreed with that statement.

                Siwon had to take a deep breath before he scryed the other two.  He never knew what to expect and it hurt every time to see them captive.  His lips thinned when the image came into view, clear and unmistakable.  As before, they were bound and blindfolded, but unlike the last time he had seen them, the patrol was riding hard.  There was an urgency there he had not seen before and as his face clouded over, the other two picked up on it immediately.

                “What’s wrong?” Leeteuk asked first, just a fraction ahead of Kharin.

                The water elementalist held up his hand as he panned the image back to see more and his brows furrowed.  “What happened to the patrol?” he questioned, as if to himself, when he noticed the majority of the men and horses were gone.

                “Kyuhyun,” Kharin explained as she stood up and looked out the window.  All eyes turned towards her and she looked around and back at Leeteuk a bit nervously.  She shrugged and tried to explain, “He did something yesterday.  Some sort of attack,” she gestured as she searched for the words.

                “He destroyed most of the patrol,” Leeteuk picked up for her, looking at Eun Mi and Yong-Soo as they stood up.

                “The smoke from yesterday?” Yong-Soo asked incredulously.

                Kharin and Leeteuk nodded at the same time.  “I saw them yesterday as they passed us.  I wasn’t sure who they’d captured until we found the remains of the patrol.  I should have tried something!” she berated herself quietly as she balled her hands into fists.  Her concern that she might have hurt them with any of her attacks still held, but that did not make her inaction any easier to swallow.

                “What else do you see?” Leeteuk asked with a concerned glance at Kharin.  He could tell that their inability to do anything had set her more on edge than usual.

                With new focus, Siwon turned his attention back to the scrying bowl and he squinted as he concentrated on what else he could determine.  With a disorienting mental twist, he was able to rotate the image around to get a better view of the surrounding area and he blinked in surprise.  “They’re not next to the river anymore!” he exclaimed, noticing the large ribbon of water was gone from the background.

                “What?!” Kharin stated, taking a step closer.

                “Hold on,” Siwon urged distractedly as he tried to identify the city structure in the distance.  Of course, the structure wasn’t familiar but he finally stated, “There’s a city behind them now.  I think it might be the port…”

                “They’ve already made it to the main road,” Eun Mi spoke quietly as she looked at Yong-Soo in concern.  They had all missed them entirely when they went by the cabin.  How had they missed them?  Not that they would have been able to do anything against them, even at the weakened condition they were in, but still…

                “So they’re almost to Lornhaldt, aren’t they?” Kharin asked directly, her posture tense.  At Eun Mi’s nod, Kharin clenched her jaw and exhaled sharply.  “We need to go,” she stated bluntly, meeting Leeteuk and Siwon’s gaze.

                “But they’re not ready,” Eun Mi interrupted immediately, stepping closer to the trio.  “They can barely walk,” she further stated.

                “But I can,” Kharin retorted immediately.  “And they need help now!”  Abruptly, she turned and strode for the door.

                “Wait!” Eun Mi cried as she grabbed hold of Kharin’s wrist, the first to move.

                “Let go of me, Eun Mi,” Kharin murmured quietly.

                “No,” Eun Mi responded, annoyed.  The rest of the room froze at the exchange, a nervous group of tension and uncertainty.  She had faced down worse glares than the one Kharin was currently giving her and she wasn’t going to back down now.

                “I’m warning you,” Kharin growled, visibly bristling at being restrained.

                “Easy, ladies,” Yong-Soo interjected, taking a small step in their direction, sensing trouble.

                Eun Mi raised a brow, nonplussed at having heard a variety of bluffs from various patients before.  “So I’m warned,” she nodded, still holding to Kharin’s wrist.

                Both Siwon and Leeteuk tried to call a warning and got the words half-way out before Kharin reacted.  A balled up right fist connected squarely with Eun Mi’s jaw, knocking her to the side and instantly releasing her grip on the elementalist’s wrist.  She tripped over Leeteuk who was still on the floor and tried desperately to turn her body so she didn’t land squarely on Siwon on the cot.  Both attempted to catch her, their positioning immensely awkward in softening the blow.

                As the door slammed shut behind the angry elementalist, Yong-Soo followed up behind his cousin, helping to haul her off the floor after she careened off the edge of the cot.  “Are you okay?” he asked, grabbing her chin in his hand when she stood up so he could assess the bruise just beginning to flower across her cheek.

                Eun Mi worked her jaw, fully aware that Kharin had pulled that punch, else she might be nursing worse than a bruised cheek and pride.  “I thought she was bluffing…” she muttered in mild embarrassment, dodging the question entirely.

                Both Siwon and Leeteuk craned their heads to try and look out the window.  Almost together, they murmured, “Kharin doesn’t bluff.”

                “I noticed,” the healer grumbled.

                “How’s it look?” Siwon asked, refocusing on Eun Mi again as she gingerly pressed on her cheek and jaw.

                She grimaced and sighed.  “Just bruised.  Nothing worse.”  She looked at the door the other woman had disappeared out of and asked with some concern, “Should I go after her?”

                “No!” Siwon stated immediately, laughing nervously when Leeteuk pat his knee comfortingly.

                “Just give her a minute,” Leeteuk insisted as he stared at the door, thoughtful.  Having spent the last couple days with her, he sort of understood her frustration.  “Can I get a hand up?” he asked, reaching out to Yong-Soo for assistance.

                As soon as the door closed behind her, Kharin felt a modicum of relief at just being outside.  Agitatedly, she strode for the main road and when she got to it, she looked down the path that the others had been taken.  She could even see the tracks of the horses that had come by here.  They weren’t hard to make out in the packed dirt.  Intently, she knelt down and trailed her fingers in the prints there, feeling that aggravating sense of helplessness wash over her again.  Hot, angry tears, burned her eyes and she scrubbed them away with an annoyed growl.

                She felt a need to do something and it made her want to lash out.  For days, she had been relegated to another’s pace and while she hadn’t minded helping Leeteuk, it still chafed.  Now, when they had a means of transport, well maybe…they were still stuck in place.  She could travel on foot but she had no supplies and the gods only knew how long it would take her to get to the capitol on foot…

                Finally, she took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.  She wasn’t going anywhere by herself and with an annoyed quirk to , she admitted Leeteuk and Siwon knew that.  Still full of useless energy, she turned her body back to the cabin and was surprised to see Yong-Soo standing outside, leaning against the wall.  He had Siwon’s maul resting next to him and he was loosely swinging a short sword in his hand.  She eyed the weapons and him warily.  “What’re those for?”

                He grinned and picked up the maul before stepping over to her and holding the hefty weapon out for her to take.  “Siwon remembered he still had it and Leeteuk suggested I give it to you for a bit.”  Yong-Soo shrugged as if he didn’t know the significance of their suggestion.

                Kharin smiled fondly as she carefully reached out and took the weapon in her hands.  The maul was heavier than her mace, but the heft was familiar and it felt good to feel that weight again.  As Yong-Soo stepped back, she shrugged her shoulders and took a couple practice swings, feeling muscles she hadn’t used in days complaining bitterly.  The support around her ribs and chest worked wonders on her side too, but after a few passes, she sighed and set the weapon down.  “I’m not ready for it yet,” she stated, understanding her limits, though she didn’t like it.

                Yong-Soo tipped his head in agreement and then grinned before laying the sword on the ground too.  “Alright, but I’d wager you’re getting rusty,” he winked and immediately saw the challenge in her eyes.  “If you promise to go easy on me, I’ll spar with you,” he grinned, gesturing for her to step up.

                Kharin snorted and then looked at the cabin where the others were.  She felt a gentle warmth settle inside her at their consideration.  There was no way that Yong-Soo could have known on his own that when she needed to clear her head, she asked Eunhyuk to spar with her.  Granted, the man across from her was definitely not Eunhyuk and she had no idea of his skill, but the gesture pleased her immensely.  “You’re on,” she grinned, a feral expression, before she darted at him.

                From the window, the trio inside peered out to watch the other two.  “Is he going to be alright?” Siwon asked curiously as he rested his head on his hands on the windowsill.

                “Of course,” Eun Mi started to say and then watched as he narrowly dodged a sweep none of them had been expecting.  “I think.”

                “He’ll be fine,” Leeteuk assured them both from his vantage next to Eun Mi, smiling as he watched the tension drain from Kharin; the worry smoothed from her face as she focused on the purely physical element of fighting.  He knew she’d much rather be kicking Enrhyll’s right now, but a good fight always helped her come to terms with things.  He glanced over at Eun Mi and noticed the grudging admiration there.

                Siwon looked back and winced at the bruising on her cheek.  “Sorry,” he apologized softly.

                She blinked in surprise.  “Why?  You didn’t do anything.”

                “She shouldn’t have hit you,” he remarked with a sigh.

                Eun Mi quirked to the side, wanting to agree with that but not positive she could.  Kharin wasn’t her typical patient and she shouldn’t have categorized her as such.  Especially given that most of her patients weren’t exactly out to ‘save the world’ as it were.  “I shouldn’t have provoked her either,” she did admit as she laid a hand on his shoulder gently.  “I guess that makes us even,” she then shrugged and let her eyes stray back to the dueling pair.

                Siwon glanced at the hand on his shoulder and smiled shyly, making no effort to remove it.  When the pair outside showed no signs of stopping any time too soon, the trio broke up and diverted their attention elsewhere.  Eun Mi disappeared downstairs and they could hear her rifling through boxes and drawers.  The sound of quiet talking reached them occasionally and they peered over at the door in the floor, straining to catch the sound, but she was discreet if nothing else.

                “How long do you think he’ll last?” Siwon asked to Leeteuk who was now sitting in one of the chairs and playing with a dried leaf he’d found on the table.

                Leeteuk paused to glance out the window and narrowed his eyes in thought.  “They’ll probably wind down soon.”  He stifled a grin as he saw them both picking themselves up off the ground, a bit slower than usual.

                Siwon reached over and picked up the scrying bowl.  Distractedly, he turned it in his lap and sighed.  “I was wondering.  The second time I tried to find you guys, with scrying, I mean,” he added at Leeteuk’s interested expression, “all I saw was darkness.  Do you know why that might be?” he asked, utterly perplexed.  It had been alarming when he could find absolutely no sign of them, especially when he had known they were injured.

                The earth elementalist hummed in thought and nodded.  “It was probably when we were shadow walking,” he explained with a shiver.  It was not something he wanted to do on any sort of regular basis but it was useful in its own way.

                “Shadow walking?” Siwon queried.

                “Yeah.  When Kharin disappears into shadows.  You know,” and he mimed a person falling through the floor with his hands.

                “Right!” Siwon exclaimed, remembering her conversation about it.  He had never experienced it himself, but they had mentioned it at least once or twice on the journey.

                “My power doesn’t work there either, so it makes sense you can’t see anything,” Leeteuk stated matter-of-factly.

                “Wait.  What?” the water elementalist started.

                “Nothing.  I can’t feel the earth at all and anything I take there of earth just turns to dust.  It happened to my crutches the first time we tried,” he laughed sheepishly.

                “I was wondering how she’d managed to carry you this far,” Eun Mi laughed as she perched on the stairs, her head just peeking above the door.  Leeteuk shrugged but couldn’t quite hide his amusement.

                They were distracted when they heard laughing at the door and it swung open with Kharin and Yong-Soo standing in the doorway, dusty, sweaty and red faced, but grinning.  “What do they teach you guys in the monastery?” the latter asked with a hearty laugh as he waited for Kharin to precede him.

                “A little bit of everything,” she answered with a grin, her response completely honest.  She met the gazes of Leeteuk and Siwon, nodding at the amusement on the faces.  As Yong-Soo followed her inside, her green eyes met Eun Mi’s as she was coming out of the underground room.  Her smile faded just a bit and then quirked up at one side in a not-quite smirk.  Kharin stepped forward and extended her right hand to the other woman, who had shifted back, just a bit nervous.

                Eun Mi met Kharin’s gaze evenly and then looked down at the extended hand.  With a pleased, slow smile, she bridged the distance and accepted the hand shake.  “So what do you intend to do now?” she asked simply, hands still clasped so that she felt the other woman’s grip twitch slightly.

                “What I said earlier still stands,” she stated firmly.  “We do need to go.  As soon as possible,” she added as she looked back at her companions.

                “She’s right,” Leeteuk backed her up, his face clouded.  There was no way they could stop Kyuhyun and Eleanara from making it to the capitol first, but they could follow in all haste.

                “The question is how,” Siwon chipped in, his gaze settled on Eun Mi and then shifting to Yong-Soo.  The healer looked at her cousin with a thoughtful expression as she released Kharin’s hand and took a step back, clasping her hands together in front of herself instead.  “Neither of us are in any shape to travel on foot, but we can’t wait,” he explained, an edge of desperation to his voice.

                Yong-Soo brushed past Kharin and came to stand next to Eun Mi.  She seemed altogether torn and it appeared she did not know which path to take.  “Your mother will understand,” he offered quietly, giving her a reassuring smile when she looked up at him.

                Eun Mi looked over at the three elementalists in her cabin and she took a deep breath.  This was certainly never anything she had ever expected.  What would her mother think in the end?  The thought was laughable.  Cho Hee would probably laugh at her right now…  She’d always said to do the right thing.  It was only later that she learned there was often more than one ‘right’ thing.  Technically, she was supposed to finish gathering supplies and take them back to her mother’s shop in Corley Port…  That was the ‘right’ thing to do…but so was this.  “We can take the cart,” she finally nodded, looking at the other four.

                “Really?”  “You don’t have to come too.”  “Thank you!” were all said at the same time, respectively.

                “It’s my cart and I’m coming with you,” she stated firmly, arms crossed loosely in front of her, to Yong-Soo’s amusement.

                Seeing they couldn’t argue that, they simply added, “It’s going to be dangerous, Eun Mi.”  That from Siwon who really didn’t want to see her put herself in harm’s way.

                “I know,” she agreed quickly, “but you are all still my patients and none of you are healed.”  She looked at Kharin specifically who seemed to think she was.  The other woman shrugged and laughed.

                “Atta girl,” Yong-Soo laughed as he clapped his cousin on the shoulder.  He side-stepped from Eun Mi swiftly and rolled his shoulders out before he reached for his hunting bow and quiver of arrows resting next to the door.  “If we’re heading out, I guess I better go and get us some more supplies,” he winked.  “Don’t leave without me now,” he laughed with a backwards wave as he exited out the door.

                “Wait,” Kharin objected, frowning at the door and at Eun Mi.  “Aren’t we leaving now?” she asked, confused.

                “At first light tomorrow,” Eun Mi stated firmly, looking pointedly at Leeteuk and Siwon.  She braced herself when she saw the fire return to Kharin’s eyes.  “I need to know he can walk on his own at least,” she glared at Kharin while she pointed at Siwon.  “If it comes to a fight, do you honestly want him stuck on the cart?  Or him?” and she pointed at Leeteuk then.

                The shadow elementalist looked over at Siwon who shrugged in apology, as aggravated as she was with his current condition.  Leeteuk grimaced but they knew he could walk with crutches if need be.  Her balled hands flailed briefly in front of her as she wanted to say something else but finally grumbled under her breath and muttered, “No.”

                “Alright then.  Why don’t you help him to take a walk,” she suggested softly instead, carefully placing her hands on Kharin’s shoulders and steering her towards Siwon.  “He could use the exercise,” she smiled wryly.

                Kharin gave her one final glare before she rolled her eyes and agreed.  “Come on, Siwon,” she stated as she stood in front of him and reached for his hands.  “Let’s get your up,” she forced a smile.

                “Gladly,” he laughed as he took her hands and let himself be pulled up.  He felt a bit wobbly and weaker than he was used to, but it did feel good to be on his feet.  “Just take it slow, okay?” he requested as she started to walk already.  A resigned sigh escaped her as she accepted her role grudgingly.  Yet another crutch…

                When they had made it outside, Leeteuk looked at Eun Mi, “Why didn’t you go with him?”

                Eun Mi regarded the earth elementalist for a moment.  She had wanted to.  That was true, but…  “I would have asked you but you’re not strong enough to support him with your ankle.  And she needs something to focus on right now.”  Eun Mi threw her hands up in frustration.  “I would have you all resting for a week if I could,” she finally admitted, the healer in her screaming against even what she had already conceded.

                “We are grateful for all that you have done for us, but we wouldn’t let you keep us here,” Leeteuk answered honestly, a certain chill in his tone.  She looked at him questionably, not used to hearing that tone in general.  When she met his eyes, she almost flinched.  The warm chestnut brown color she was used to seeing was gone, replaced by a harder sheen that made her believe his words without argument.  “Our family is in danger.  Tomorrow morning is as long as we will wait,” he agreed with her, acknowledging they all needed the rest, but they could only ignore their hearts so long.

                “Okay,” she nodded after a pause.  “I’m going to go make some tea,” she gestured nervously, making her way to the fireplace.

                Leeteuk watched her and then looked out to see Kharin standing immediately next to Siwon, a patient smile on her face.  They were going nice and slow and while it looked like it was a struggle for the water elementalist, he looked happy.  Good.

                For the rest of the day, the four who had remained at the cabin struggled to find things to occupy them.  Eun Mi busied herself downstairs with getting supplies together for their trip and made frequent trips in and out of the cabin to the cart and to check on Glory, the mule that was stabled outside.  When she was asked about it, Eun Mi admitted that she had named her after her favorite flower, the morning glory.  Kharin and Leeteuk fidgeted and the former paced when nothing else presented itself.  Siwon took to watching the scrying bowl almost obsessively.

                He set it aside long enough to eat the afternoon meal Eun Mi prepared for them, but continued watching immediately after.  In the mid-afternoon hours, Yong-Soo returned and had actually managed to down a small deer.  He was bloodied by having to carry it back, but he was quite elated with his success.  While he went to wash off in the river, Eun Mi stepped outside to start dressing the deer.  That would definitely feed them for a while.

                It was while both of them were outside that Siwon gasped and his hands clenched the bowl tighter.  Instantly, Kharin and Leeteuk were by his side, one hand on either shoulder.  “Tell us,” Leeteuk murmured softly, his head almost touching the other man’s as he leaned over the bowl.

                “They’re at the capitol,” he whispered, his expression growing surprised when he saw all the people and just how large it was.  He didn’t explain that part but he did bite out their treatment when they got to the palace and he visibly flushed at Kyuhyun’s abuse.

                As he relayed what he saw in the bowl, Kharin gripped the cot so hard her hands hurt and she felt her jaw ache from being clenched so tightly.  Leeteuk was experiencing similar effects, though where Siwon had flushed, the earth elementalist paled in fury.  When Siwon finally saw Enrhyll and the woman beside him, he had to fight himself in not throwing the bowl.  “They’re with him now.  He’s greeting them,” he explained in erse confusion.

                “No!” he denied as he watched the two attack, fear clutching at him that he was going to watch them die…  His tone became frantic, drawing Eun Mi from just outside and she stared in confusion until she understood what he was recounting.  The battle was detailed in a meddled explanation where he described what he saw and often broke off mid-explanation to start on another point.  His limbs jerked with each attack and the water rippled, distorting the image so that he had to calm himself before he could see again.  He found himself growling as they were both finally overcome and hauled away.

                He was not the only one.  All three were visibly trembling in various states of anger and Leeteuk choked out one word.  “Soon.”  They looked at each other and nodded once.  Tomorrow could not come soon enough.

(a/n:  Hello my wonderful readers!  I'm excited to have been on a good posting streak lately.  I get excited for the next updates too.  ;)  I do apologize as this one was a bit longer than intended but they had a lot to go over.  >.>  And I needed to catch them up to speed with at least the general time of day as the others.  As usual, I will do my best to get the next update posted as soon as possible.  Thank you to my readers, silent and otherwise, and especially my commentors who truly do make a difference in my day.  ^_^  You are very much appreciated and I hope you have a splendid day!  <3 )