-Never!
-Oh, you will when you see this.
-I won't!
-Don't supress girl, you will lose.
-You underestimate me, Kariko.
-What happens if I-
There was a scream. Sonea's head reeled.
-Let him go!
-Sonea.
She froze at the sound.
-Akkarin, are you-?
He sounded weak.
-Leave me. You can still run.
-Do you think I will?
-Don't make me force you.
There was nothing she could do about his stubborness.
-Haha, well my little magician is not so persistent now is she?
Sonea felt her anger rising to its limit. Drawing up her energy she sent a mindstrike to the Ichani. She felt Kariko's shield falter a little.
-So, my little girl has decided to play? Now I'm amused.
Sonea panted a little to stay conscious. Trying to summon her strength to form a powerful strike, she felt her mind being probed again.
-Sonea please!
Momentarily still with confusion, she felt a strong blow to her stomach. She felt the air being knocked out of her as she fell to the ground. With little strength left, she had forgotten to shield.
-How pathetic! How about stunstrikes?
As Sonea propped herself up, she felt another powerful strike hit her side and she sprawled to the ground once again. Sonea forced her eyes to stay open. At that moment she saw Kariko and Akkarin appear. Binding Akkarin to an invisible barrier, Kariko strode forward. Unable to do anything after the blows, she felt herself pushed to the ground by Kariko. She struggled with all her might to be freed. The Ichani sneered.
"You can't do anything,pet. Your lover will see you being tortured until you die. Be grateful you die before he does," Sonea felt her hands being pinned to the ground by one of Kariko's hands while his other reached into his coat. Like a flash, a memory flew to Sonea's mind.
"Now, pull your legs towards your stomach and push. That's it!" she remembered her lesson with Cery. It felt eras ago yet she still rememvered. Grasping hold of the memory, she did so. Her legs contacted a strong shield on his skin and Kariko's eyes widened. Stealing the chance she prised her hands from his grip and sent a forcestrike towards him. Although protected by his fairly weak skin shield, he was blasted back by the momentum of the strike. Struggling up, she saw Kariko stumbling into Akkarin. Her eyes widened with horror. In Kariko's hand was the knife he was about to use to cut Sonea yet now it was driving itself towards Akkarin's heart. Acting on her reflexes, she sent of forcestrike to the barrier behind Akkarin. As the barrier shattered, Akkarin fell backwards and Kariko's knife drove itself into thin air.
Suddenly, a shower of powerful strikes rained down on Kariko. Surprised at the attack, his shield wavered then disappeared as Sonea added one of her own strikes to the attack. Kariko looked at Sonea with pure hatred and screamed.
"You wait, magician!" and his words was drowned with another shower of strikes and his scream. She turned around as Kariko's body disappeared in a blast of light. Feeling drowsy and sick for the first times, she fell towards the floor and braced for impact. Yet it never came. She forced her tired eyes open and found herself staring into the deep eyes of Akkarin.
"Sleep Sonea, Dorrien and the others are here," he smiled at her as she felt her consciousness leave her...
"Mother!" Sonea's eyes opened and found a young man looking at her. She sat up.
"Atarka," Sonea muttered sleepily.
"You were shouting in your sleep," Atarka said anxiously.
"You shouldn't have waken me," Sonea replied as she recalled her new dream about Akkarin.
"Was it that dream again?" Atarka whispered. Sonea nodded.
"It was different though," she said.
"Was it Akkarin again?" he continued to probe her. She smiled.
"Nevermind that. Am I late again?" Sonea asked. Atarka grinned.
"Nope, I did all the work instead."
"You shouldn't have-" Sonea started but Atarka interrupted her
"Mother! I think I'm old enough to do some healing for citizens now," she gave up arguing with him. Sonea struggled out of bed realising that Viola was not there to call her. She looked at Atarka and narrowed her eyes. He looked away with a innocent expression on his face. She sighed.
"Go and continue what you were doing," she said exaperatedly. He grinned a strangely familiar smile then walked out of her room, closing the door behind him quietly. Sonea suddenly remembered the grin. Akkarin's she thought bitterly. Changing into her black robes, she headed towards the Banquet room. Along the way, Novices bowed to her as she walked past.
The Guild has changed much she thought to herself. As she saw a navy blue robed Novice, she felt herself smothering a bitter smile. The Novice was talking to his friends about the previous warrior lesson he had.
"It was just amazing! I mean the drawing of power! I feel SO strong!" the Novice said.
"You shouldn't too addicted to it, Hewend. Black Magic is still regarded as a bad thing," a girl said who was wearing green robes. Hewend nodded impatiently.
"I know, Darna. I was chosen for my self-control remember," he said to the girl.
Sonea walked past the group, Hewend looked up to find himself staring into Sonea's eyes. He immediately bowed with the rest.
"Lady Sonea," they all muttered. Sonea walked forwards toward Hewend.
"I recall you were unwell in my previous lesson?" Sonea said. The Novice nodded as she continued.
"I expect you to read Lord Coren's diary before you attend the next lesson. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, my lady," the Novice bowed then hurried away. Sonea continued her way past the University and straight into the courtyard.
It's been 18 years since Akkarin died. Atarka has grown up not to know his father. Like me, he prefers working in the hospital where Kyralians usually come to heal. Dorrien usually teaches Atarka the arts of Healing during Atarka's spare time. Her lips curled upwards at the thought. To Atarka, Dorrien seems more like an uncle or father than Sonea's colleague at the Guild. Her thoughts sobered. Atarka gets more attention from Dorrien than Akkarin will ever be able to give him. She pushed the thought aside and continued her way to the Banquet room. Just as she ascended the steps, she was stopped immediately by a voice.
"Lady Sonea," she spun round. It was Dorrien.
"Ah, Lord Dorrien, would you care to join me?" Sonea smiled as Dorrien approached.
"I haven't the time I'm afraid. The Hospital is very busy at the moment even when we have Atarka to help us, which reminds me. Where is Atarka?" Dorrien asked.
"I told him to go continue his work at the hospital, is there a problem?" Sonea asked concerned for her son's welfare. Dorrien shrugged then closed his eyes.
-Atarka?
There was no reply. Sonea reached out with her mind to where Atarka's mind is. His mind seemed busy.
"He is in the Arena, practising his Warrior skills I suppose," Sonea said. "I will join you at the Hospital the moment I have finished dining."
Dorrien nodded and strode towards the Arena. Reaching the doors of the Banquet room, she thought about Atarka. He never usually goes in the Arena, he knows perfectly well that his father died to save Kyralia there and so he tries to approach there as least often as he can. Sonea frowned at her son's strange behaviour. Pushing her thoughts aside, she strode into the Banquet room.
Underneath Sonea's feet, the sand of the Arena began to swirl. She winced with pain as something slashed across her leg. As she stumbled, Akkarin reached forwards to grab her yet he fell too. In the moment of confusion, Sonea looked up and her eyes widened with horror. A knife was buried deep in Akkarin's chest-
"Atarka! Are you listening to me?" a girl with long brown said firmly at him. Atarka drew his attention back to the girl.
"What did you say?" he said. The girl sighed.
"Why do you always lose your concentration when we're in here?" she asked. Atarka shrugged, finding the memories in his head hard to get rid of.
"Just thinking about something," he replied. She raised her eyebrows.
"I thought you were going to teach me how to make my strikes near invisible," she moaned. Atarka looked at her.
"Etaria, I did say I would but not exactly now," he said. Etaria looked at him impatiently. Atarka went towards the portal of the Arena when he felt the sting of a barrier. He spun round. Etaria's expression turned into anger. Feeling annoyed with her attitude, he pushed the struck the barrier down with a heatstrike and continued his way. These girls are so annoying to deal with sometimes Atarka thought to himself.
Etaria stared at Atarka's back, her anger turning into a stab of hurt. Pushing her rising thoughts of depression away, she sent a forcestrike at him. A loud moan of pain escaped in the Arena. Etaria's eyes widened. She had struck Atarka when he wasn't shielding. She rushed forwards to where Atarka lay.
"Atarka, I-"
"I'm fine," he said emotionlessly as he healed himself. His eyes were cold and aloof as he got up and went out of the Arena. Etaria stared at where he was standing. I've made a good start she thought to herself bitterly.
Atarka hurried out of the arena through the portal. The strong sense of foreboding that he felt earlier was receeding now. His breath returned to its normal intakes and outtakes. It was painful reliving the moments of his father's death even though he never knew him. His long lean figure glided through the grounds towards the back of the University. Time to pay father a visit again.
Without much effort, Atarka reached the fountain. Behind the disused structure stood an obelisk. Atarka's intelligent dark eyes scanned the names even though he knew the names well enough after all these years of visiting his father. Slowly he made his way to the back of the obelisk. With a slight pause, Atarka pressed the underside of a ledge at the bottom of the stone.
A low grinding noise escaped from the stoneworks as a hole emerged from the obelisk's back just enough for a grown man to slip inside. Atarka slipped through silently and the hole closed on itself. A few yards away up in a tree, Etaria watched with amazement as she saw her fellow student disappear within the obelisk. Conflicting emotions welled up inside her. Should I follow, or would Atarka be further angered? Perhaps I should-
- Eeeeetarrrrriaaaaaa!!
The girl pitched forward at the voice and madly groped around for a hand hold. Her slender fingers closed around a branch then quickly, she summoned her energy. Slowly and surely, she levitated. Sighing, she closed her eyes slightly.
- Yes, Falwren?
- Where are you? We're all waiting?
Etaria blinked dumbly.
- We?
- Don't tell me you forgot! It's Freeday! You agreed to go hang out at the races with Darna and your potential boyfriend-
- Hewend is not even close to being my boyfriend.
Etaria interrupted Falwren's thoughts impatiently. When will they learn that nothing will happen between me and Hewend?! I only want- She stopped, feeling herself blush. Did Falwren hear?
- Etaria?
The Novice healer breathed out steadily. Thank Lord he didnt.
- Yes, I'm coming now.