[IceSC]

Baad traveled through a remote area of the Eastern Transian; only to find the man everyone looked for the past two years. His disappearance could not be explained until Baad rode up and seen the bottles brewing of odd solutions and twisted bodies of Imps trying to claw their way out of them still alive. Most had died and floated in the large bottles green and slimy in death, and looked to be crossbred with some odd insects. Others were discarded in heaps as the Fonce; Calamar Delveta used a hundred of them for his bizarre experiments.

There was a struggle at the time of his death, bottles and implements were strewn all around the body. Where the body rested; there was a green glow and burns over his chest, it looked like an army of Imps led by Cakle finally got their revenge and force fed him his own mixtures, and then dug his heart out from his body throwing it upon the ground beside him.
~~~~~
Liza` walked down the Grotto's path, remembering the first night she was brought there. Rats scurried this way and that, just like that very night Cal brought her there. Dragon bushes lined the pathway, and even though she tried forgetting the Garg, it was hard to do. Everything reminded her of him, and sometime she just wished an explosion would demolish every place they had ever been. Quite a sick fantasy since they traveled far and wide over the world. A nasty scratch dug through the palm of her hand as she plucked a black Fonce rose from the bush. Dark blood dribbled down her arm and it wasn't warm but ice cold.

Baad found what he had confirmed to be the man said missing for a long time, way before he and his kind was born. He sent a messenger to VelvetLuve to report the findings. Walking up the path he called out to Liza as he always did since he rarely used her name.

"Archivist? Liza!"

Liza` turned with a soft swing of her skirt brushing against the long thorn bushes. Her hair as always was loose down to her mid-back, and shined like glass highlighted in blue as she walked under the two blue moons. She heard Baad approaching. How odd, he never came to see her at the Grotto, and she approached the rusty gates with due respect. She wore a silver gown with midnight-blue stars and carried the Fonce rose in her left hand that was still slowly bleeding over it.

Baad looked to Liza's hand, it was a small injury compared to what he had to tell her. He would not be able to predict how she would react.
"I have something to inform you, may I have a moment of your time."
Liza` gazed down to where he was looking at her hand and then apologized briefly. Immediately she thought they were at war or the druids had returned.

"What is it, you never come to visit? Does the sovereign have a message for me?"

The gates whined as they were pulled back to allow him inside.

Nevaul`Kincade slowly stepped along the East Transian Forest grounds, soon finding himself gazing into the Grotto from the shadows that encompassed the forest itself. His sky blue eyes gazed over the scene as he took a lean against a nearby tree, folding his arms.

Baad shook his head no to her question once the gates fully opened he stepped through speaking calmly thinking over each word carefully.

"No it is nothing she sent me to pass on, although I have someone informing her of this but wanted you to know first."

He moved closer to Liza with his hands behind his back clasped together.

"It is about your former husband Calamar."

Liza` lofted a brow which was hidden with soft black bangs. What did he mean former husband, she hadn't divorced him even though others encouraged her to. Looking down she realized her ring was gone, there was no retrieving that since she was close to death when she threw it away.

"You mean Cal, my husband?" It was hard not to become excited, maybe they found where he was, or if he was a secret mission. Hope began to surge through her, and Hayden squawked loudly hearing Calamar's name, the songbird hated him. Liza could never figure out why.

"Yes well he has been found, but not in way you and Sovereign may have hoped."

Baad was not sure if Luve wanted Calamar back to strengthen numbers, but it was an assumption of his and he told her as kindly as possible.

"He is no longer among the walking mortals or the undead."

He was trying to put it delicately and knew she would take the news hard.

Along the winding road but close to the gate Maya closed her eyes in a silent prayer over the body of the late Calamar. Maya was dressed in a black gown that fitted her form snug to the waist and flowed out slightly to tip the ground; bearing a small train with the skirt's gathered back. She'd await the sign from Baad to reveal the body to Liza. For now, Maya waited outside quietly.

Liza seemed awestruck still hearing that he was found. That was the only thing that registered into her hopeful mind. When Baad said he was no longer with them she even thought of planar travel. Something was amiss, her shoulders lost the graceful posture and they slumped hearing his words.

"You found him and he's left again right?"

Such sweet bitterness laced every expression on her face; sometimes she wondered why the others hounded her to divorce him.

Gideon stood silently next to her, though none may really recognize him as he was in a black tabby feline form....he licked the top of his paws from time to time, trying to look as nice as he could....he had considered Calamar a friend, and to hear he was dead, and not missing was a bit depressing.

Baad repeated the bad news to her trying the best he could to make her understand.

"No he is dead."

Liza may deny or say he lied so his hand rose to Maya to come forward and he moved aside so Liza could see herself. She would know if that was her husband's body.

Liza` walked outside to the winding road that led to the Grotto. When Baad said he was dead it was like a bad joke. Her heart seemed to be torn from her body, but no words came from the silver tongued bard. The gates slammed shut with a bang, rust bits flew in every direction. It was like the ghost Helena had finally won her battle and had Calamar all to herself. Visions of their life flashed through her mind, and the emptiness that almost led her to death in the past wrapped its cruel fingers about her.

Maya bit her lip and turned away from Liza as she stormed towards her and the few Baaton soldiers with her. The body remained under a dark cloth for now in the casket that it had been set into. She would explain his death to her if she wished but Maya knew as well as anyone what Liza was feeling at the moment. She'd stood down and hugged Gideon to her chest.

Gideon mewed slightly when pulled against her, but otherwise remained silent still....he even tried to keep from purring, but that was like trying to stop a train with a toothpick....being held in Maya's arms always made him purr...it couldn't be helped..

Liza`s eyes were startled but there wasn't a tear in them. Rushing to the carriage she demanded to see if it was really him. Immediately she thought if it was a decayed body it was just another Garg.

"Let me see, it can't be him."

She waited for one of them to uncover the casket, she just didn't have the heart to open it and look inside. Odd thing; for a woman who slept in a casket time to time. If anyone looked closely they would see her fingers curled into her palm and her hand bled more than before from the anguish.

Maya explained what happened.

"He was experimenting on some imps."

She held Gideon in her right arm her left hand gripped the silken blanket covering the casket. She turned to Liza slowly, looking into her eyes before a heavy sigh would pass over her lips. "I'm sorry Liza." Delicate fingers gripped the silk and she removed the blanket to fall onto the ground below them all.

"It would seem he was killed by his own subjects."

Baad walked after Liza, not saying anything he had nothing bad to say and at same time it was hard to say anything nice about a stranger no matter how cold it made him in eyes of others. He could find no words.

Liza`s scream was heard through the Eastern Transian as she looked inside. The body hadn't decayed yet, and it was her husband. Hayden sang a song as she screamed in anguish; it was like the songbird knew all along Cal would break his mistress very soul.

She walked close to the casket and peered inside to touch his cheek.

"We said Eternity, you shall not leave me. Maya, you and Baad take him to Luve, have his body preserved and return it to me."

He would remain in her bedchambers and stay there forever. In desperation she picked up the bloody Fonce rose and placed it on his chest.

"My Sweet Poet, you will live with me forever."

The rose was rested next to his cheek, and she backed away almost in madness. Liza was always a bit peculiar, but to think of housing his corpse in her private chamber was a bit off even for her. She would sit him at the desk and lay him beside her in the night, naming stars as they used to do not so long ago.

Nevaul`Kincade observed silently, this was more of an event for those within their order, and with recent wars it was Nevaul's better prerogative to stay out of involvement with such matters. Nevaul wasn't even sure what brought him into the East Transian Forest outside of whim alone.

Gideon mewed quietly in Maya's arms, a silent prayer was offered up by him to Newtrom to watch over Calamar's spirit...he had been a strong man, with little place for weakness...his tail moved slowly along Maya's arm as he continued to be there for her if needed.

Baad tilted his head to the idea of returning the corpse to be housed in the Grotto, however he did as requested. Unsure of Maya's plans he walked past the General getting ready to take the body to the Sovereign.

Liza` vanished, the black dove hovered over head as she quickly flew towards the Grotto. Having plans to place him in the bedchambers, and tear the bedchamber doors off as he once did. There would be a chair for his body to sit in front of his desk, and he would sleep in death beside her in the daytime. What she didn't ask was for VelvetLuve to resurrect him since her grief was so great she couldn't get pass the idea that he willingly left her rather than experimenting in their lab. Placing her poetic love on a pedestal she whispered through her tears.

"I know you didn't experiment at home near me because they might have turned on -me-."

Who knows the real reason of Calamar Delveta's demise?

Maya motioned for Baad to return the body to Velvet. Little emotion would show on her face and one might be reminded of Maya of a few years back. Her eyes were as cold as ice and long lashes shielded them as she held Gideon to her. She'd started towards the tavern while the rickety sound of the caravan's wheels and the trot of the massive skeleton horses pulling it echoed throughout the quiet dark night.