InsaneJournal

"Dev! Dev, you bastard, don't you die on me!"

"I'm not dying, idiot," growled the man lying on the floor in front of me in a weak voice. He shifted then pondered, "Why does my chest hurt?"

I glared at him and spat in response, "It hurts because you nearly died. I had to resuscitate you - which is damn disgusting to do to another man - and I nearly didn't manage that!"

Devin blinked then said, "Well thanks. Remind me to never do that again."

"I'll do it constantly now," I growled before starting to help him to his feet. "Look what you've done to your arm now thanks to that stunt of yours."

His eyes darted downward at that and the slight glow of red amongst the pale blue of his iris' brightened as his gaze narrowed. Spitting out a harsh curse in what sounded vaguely like Russian, he moved his left hand to his right arm and gingerly touched his bicep, fingers convulsing. The dark reddish scales and spikes that covered his right arm from just above the elbow and down to his hand had spread; scales now trailed all the way up to his shoulder and disappeared into the skin across his chest and back whilst the three semi-retractable spikes had spawned a second smaller row on either side of them.

Groaning, Devin leaned heavily against me and clenched his clawed fist. "Dammit. Dammit, not again."

I looped my arm around his back, steadying his spare but strong frame as he tried to recover. Trying to lighten the mood, I nodded towards the charred corpse that had been a half-grown dragon across the room and stated, "Well...you killed it."

"Whoop-dee-fuckin'-doo."

"Don't bitch at me, Dev," I growled out. "I told you when I met you that practicing the Black Arts led to trouble."

Devin snorted at that and shook his head as the anger in his seeped away abruptly.

"I was a stupid, confused kid, Athan," he said softly, his eyes focused on the corpse. "And it was a lot easier than continuing to learn the White. Kinda like Lego's..." He lifted his deformed right arm then and held it up in front of us, clenching the clawed fingers. "I didn't know that this would be the price I'd pay. If I had..."

I could hear the words he wanted to speak but I knew he couldn't say them. Much as he'd tried to hide it, I knew the reason why he'd turned to the darker of the Arts of Magick and just what had started the process of his arm twisting into what it was. I wasn't about to reveal the reason to any soul either or that I knew to him - if he wanted me to know, he'd damn well tell me.

So I just stood there holding him up like the good friend I tried to be and shrugged. "Sorry I failed you then, Dev. I should've gone at you harder to keep away from 'em."

"That would've just pushed me towards it more and alienated you." He sighed, shaking his head, and added, "Then I'd be worse off than I am now and probably a soulless monster."

I shrugged again even though I knew it was true - I'd seen the shit the Black can do to people firsthand - then turned him towards the mouth of the cave. We'd been trapped in the tunnels underneath it, lured by a false piece of information, and it was sheer luck that had gotten us back out. And Dev's falling back briefly under the siren call of the Black that always whispered in his ears.

"You heavy bastard," I snarled as I staggered forward. "I should've let the dragon charr you."

Devin snorted at that and shot back, "You keep that up, Athan, and I won't risk my sanity to save your hide anymore."

That made me chuckle then we continued limping forward in silence, not speaking again until we reached the daylight. As we stood there soaking up the sun and realizing we really were still alive, Devin turned his head towards me.

"Hey, Athan."

I shifted my head in his direction and could only just see him past my nose out of my remaining eye. He smiled and continued, "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet," I said grimly at that, pointing at the sky. "Looks like we've got trouble coming towards us."

"Oh goody."

"Don't worry." I grinned as I finished, "I'm not going to leave you to die."

Devin shrugged my arm off as the three Roc's and their riders circled above us, twisting his wrists then smiling at me. "But you'll run if I die."

"Loyal to a fault, that's me," I said as we just waited for the three to come down at us.

Though I lied. If Devin went down, I'd damn well die defending his corpse.

I owed him that much for failing him before.