Moggets Regret

"Whats this one for?" Enquired Yreal, ever inquisitive, as he sat next to Kibeth as she scrawled another complicated looking sign in mid air, he was answered quickly as a gush of water conjured out of nowhere landed on his white-blonde head drenching him from head to toe in icy wetness. "What in the w…" he began to rant but was cut off by kibeth's laughter, "didn't anyone ever tell you curiosity killed the cat!" she said in between fits of laughter. " have you thought of any new ones?" she asked. "yes," he said " I have created this:" and he moved a little away water running down his handsome, if a little feline, features.

He unscabbarded his sword and sat cross-legged in the grass. He closed his eyes and pointed his sword on the ground, West, South East, and finally North, each time the sword touched the ground a bright, warm, glowing mark slid down the blade where it rested, shimmering in the sunlight.

As the North-mark settled on the grass a golden line connected each mark and a faint shimmer separated the two friends. "its beautiful!" explained reaching out to run her hand over the haze. "I wouldn't try that if I were you" Yreal stated calmly then went on to explain. "I call it a diamond of protection, the explanation is in the title, if you were to touch it, it would not end well for you." he spoke pompously but kibeth was used to it by now.

Yreal deconstructed the diamond and stood up, holding out his sword to kibeth he said "now you try" kibeth didn't notice the slight tremor in his voice as he continued, but he did and fought to control it, " I'm sure it will come in handy one day," inwardly he added "hopefully not too soon."

Kibeth got the hang of it within minutes, she, like him, was an extremely powerful mage of both the free magic from which they were born, and the charter which they and their seven other companions were creating.

When the north-mark slid onto the grass, and the golden line connected the four marks, kibeth looked up proudly to where yreal had been standing just a moment ago, but he had moved closer and was kneeling just outside the faint haze that pronounced the border between them. He raised his arm, reaching to her. "get back, you'll get hurt!" She cried just as his hand came through the haze and brushed a strand of hair gently behind her ear from where it had escaped.

The diamond has no effect…on me. He replied and moved closer. I love you kibeth. He announced, " I have done since myself and Orranis arrived here. You make me furious, and you drive me half mad, but I love you!" it felt so good to have finally said aloud, he knew that the rest of them had guessed, especially Orranis, who was his best friend, and who knew him inside and out.

Kibeth was silent for a moment, mulling over what he had said, before she could say a word though, he was kissing her, and after a split seconds hesitation, she kissed him back, she didn't think she had ever been happier.

They made their way home, talking and arguing in turn, holding hands, blissfully happy, and blissfully unaware that it was all too good to be true…..

Orranis smirked to himself. He had known it would only be a matter of time before yreal plucked up the courage to tell kibeth how he felt about her. It had been all to easy for him to convince yreal that they should stay on this pitiful world once his friend had layed eyes on kibeth. His plans were slowly coming to fruition, there was just one hitch; astareal.

He hadn't meant to fall for her. Love, he had always thought, was a weekness, a flaw. But she was his now, and he would protect her as long as she stood by him. They would spend the rest of eternity alone, alone apart from yreal of course. Yreal was his too, in a different way, but just as much belonging to him. For orranis, to love was to own, and to control.

yreal and kibeth had rushed back to the little island where they were staying with their seven other companions, who had all been there to here the news. Ranna was snoozing under a large peach tree, mosreal shook her gently awake with one of his strong arms, dyrim was singing softly as she sat with belgear while he seemed lost in thought, playing with a few pebbles that he had gathered at his side.

Saraneth, the natural leader of their small group, came over to them at once, she was about to ask them if they had created any more charter marks, as she was keen to show off her days work, but when she reached them and saw theiy fingers intertwined she smiled, she too, had seen this coming, though her sister kibeth and yreal were as different as two could be, they seemed to be polar opposites, like chalk and cheese, or cats and dogs.

Astareal and orranis joined them next, they brought a strong herbal scent with them, and the cause was soon made clear, Astareal had some sort of fragrant herb plaited into her long flowing locks, in answer to the unspoken question, she said in her steady, peaceful voice " its called rosemary, orranis picked it for me. Isn't it beautiful? I think I shall plant it over there" and she pointed to her little rose garden.

As she walked back to her little garden yreal noticed orranis's eyes followed her every move, he surpressed a shudder of foreboding, orannis could be very possessive, but he was his friend, and he knew that astareal loved orannis back, he just hoped that it would be enough for him.

That night, the nine friends sat around a charter fire. ( which Saraneth had created that very day) they toasted yreal and kibeth and each took it in turns to show each another what they had accomplished.

Afterwards, orranis took yreal off to the side. "congratulations, old friend" he said " you look happy." "I am" yreal replied " more so than ever" he went to move past but orrannis blocked his path. " it's a pity it wont last though" orrannis sighed, almost sounding grieved. " what do you mean?" yreal exclaimed, alarmed. " well only that she will never choose you over her friends, over her sister…its such a pity really but there you go…" "per..perhaps she wont have to" said yreal, not looking his oldest friend in the eye, " perhaps you shouldn't go through with this..this plan of yours, don't you ever get sick of this moving from world to world, destroying everything! I mean, a little death and destruction is all well and good but wouldn't you rather settle down, with astareal? Im beginning to like this world, and if your right and she wont join us, well, I don't think id be able to help you anymore, I think I might even stay here, with kibeth." He fell silent seeing the dangerous look that flitted over orrannis' face for just a second, but then disappeared.

Orrannis was not expecting this change of heart, and he didn't like to be told what to do, still yreal was still usefull to him so he smoothed his features into what he thought was a more friendly expression, but yreal, who knew him better than anyone, saw that the smile did not reach his cold eyes and knew that the danger had not yet passed.