Faren blinked, trying to determine if she had heard Caly right.
"Who?" Duo, Inuyasha and Kagome asked in bewilderment for everyone.
Caly and Faren looked at each other but it was going to have to be Faren who gave a full explanation because Calypso jumped to her feet and began pacing anxiously.
"What is this? This world is not even supposed to exist! It's a book for crying out loud! How could we have been brought into a world of fantasy!" Caly ranted, wringing her hands together and waving them around at
Faren was instantly concerned for Caly was prone to panic attacks, but she had been getting better, or at least she thought. She started to move towards her friend, but stopped. There was now faint blue energy pulsing from Caly, sparks cracking at irregular intervals.
"Caly?" Faren said in a semi-cautious tone.
But the pacing Mage paid no heed as she continued her tirade. "It's supposed to be fictional! Hogwarts for pity's sake is supposed to be fictional…we're not…This is totally ludicrous! The world of Harry Potter can't exist! That defies just about everyone that we are taught! In school and otherwise!"
"Calypso Anne Garris!" Faren used a forceful voice with a tiny amount of magic behind it.
Calypso blinked, noticing that everyone was watching her with varying expressions. Hiei and Heero were giving off neutral looks. Inuyasha looked like he was afraid she was going to cry. Kagome and Kurama were concerned just as Duo was, though the latter also looked worried for Caly's sake and like he wanted to go help her. The elf was also worried, but out of the eight probably not as worried as Gandalf was.
He could already feel Calypso's powers pulsating through the room and that alone made the wizard worry. If this girl was powerful to just give off waves when she was upset, he was almost afraid of what would happen if she were ever seriously frightened/panicked/or even extremely angry. Those made him also wonder how she had survived with her sanity and mental health intact. As he continued to watch the girl he became slightly alarmed when the blue pulses began to grow in strength.
Without any other warning a pulse of energy rippled through the room, Caly at its center. Everyone felt it, some of them nearly swaying where they stood. As it was Legolas had to almost fight to keep on his feet, the pulse had hit him so hard. In the midst of this Faren grew even more worried and the instant after the wave went through the room she threw out her magic, creating a solid deep blood red shield around Calypso.
"Caly, you need to start calming down. If you don't your attack will get worse…and we don't have the Family to help us this time." Faren said soothingly, yet firmly as she moved to stand just outside her barrier.
Caly blinked again, turning to look at her long-time friend, her eyes still filled with conflicting emotions. Some of them began to fade the tiniest bit as she nodded just once. She collapsed to the floor, hiding her face in her hands while her whole body began to tremble and sobs filled the air.
Even as that happened they could all see the blue waves dissipate, though it looked as if they were very reluctant to be pulled back inside. The magical tension lessened within the shield, and not only in there. Everyone could feel a tension lessen throughout the cavern as the waves disappeared.
Each pair exchanged looks with one another before giving Faren and the one within the shield looks. Hiding it behind all her worry Faren was alarmed.
"It seems that Caly has gotten stronger than last time I had to put that strong of a shield on her." She said casually.
Looks were exchanged once again, but Kurama broke the silence with a question, "Faren, what did you mean by when you said you don't have the Family to help? Has this happened often?"
Faren took a deep breath before deciding to say, "Caly has had these kinds of panic attacks most of her life. They are usually brought on by stress, but I have seen it happen with a couple of other situations."
"Seen it happen? How long have you known her?" Inuyasha asked, despite he was nearly panicky himself; he absolutely loathed when women cried. It was taking a lot of effort to not say anything, but Kagome was helping with that by shooting glares at him.
Faren gave a wry smile, giving Caly a warm glance, "Our whole lives truthfully…We're actually cousins on her mother's side." She replied.
A couple of brief shocked expressions were seen.
"I would've never thought that." Duo said shock showing through the concern and worry. He glanced between the two and added, "You look absolutely nothing alike in any way." He looked skeptical.
Faren didn't laugh, not with Calypso crying right there, but a smirk found its way on her lips. "She takes after her father's side of the family in most ways." With that she turned back to the shield, banishing it by flicking her fingers. She was about to move to her partner's side but Duo beat her to it.
Sliding an arm around her shoulders, Duo gave Caly a sideways hug.
"Caly, may I call you that? It's okay. Everything's going to be fine." He said gently.
Faren knew that she didn't really need to go to her cousin if Duo was there. After all, Duo Maxwell was one of Caly's all time favorite characters.
"You have Faren here…and everyone is fine." Duo continued, "So calming down would be the best thing."
Caly's tears still flowed freely, barely slowing at the braided man's words, but her body began to lean towards his.
To everyone's complete surprise Legolas appeared on Caly's other side, the concern on his face evident to all. His blue eyes were gentle as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"We understand that it's hard on you, but if you do not calm down you will make yourself sick. Your cousin and friend will be even more worried." His voice was soft, but very soothing.
That was when the most astonishing thing since they had arrived in the cavern happened. Calypso immediately started to calm the moment Legolas touched her and spoke. Her sobs were already slowing and her tears began to cease their overflow. Faren was astonished greatly. Usually Caly was crying for hours before she reached any measure of calm; this reaction to the elf was almost unbelievable, and she noted it for future reference.
Tiny sighs of relief could be heard from a couple of the others, Duo actually being one of them; he also did not like seeing women, of any age, cry and would practically do anything to get them to stop.
"Thank goodness this was a small-scale attack…" Faren muttered to herself in relief.
But seeing as there were five people that weren't mortal, they all heard it.
"What makes you say that? How bad is a large-scale?" Kurama hesitantly asked.
Faren looked at him, "You would never want a large-scale attack to happen. We've only been through one and it was the last attack before today's." she shook her head, quickly hiding her thoughts and emotions behind a neutral look. She watched the two males whisper more words of comfort to Caly, knowing full well that she was in good hands.
"And why wouldn't we? How bad was it?" Inuyasha asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Faren looked sharply at him, not wishing to reveal personal matters to virtual strangers…but along that train of thought came that if they were all going to be stuck together for an indefinite amount of time, might as well get to know them and vice versa. Forewarned was forearmed after all, and if Caly has another attack, the others would be prepared.
"Fine. I'll put it bluntly. Caly is so powerful she mindblasted all who was within a hundred meters, nearly killing at least a dozen; the elements went into chaos in the immediate area—fires sporadically erupted into being, whirlwinds tore at anything near, earth collapsed and crumbled, streams flooded. Animals were scared and fled, and those were just the lucky ones. And all of that happened before we could manage to get her contained. It took no less than seven mages and nearly half a dozen of her own family members to put her to rights. As it was it took nearly two weeks for her to feel of any use in any way. Like I said, you would never want to witness a large-scale attack." Faren stated simply and quite bluntly.
Silence followed for minutes after her words, at least for those not helping to calm Calypso.
Caly was now crying silently, though her tears were still slowly spilling down her cheeks. Duo managed to get her to lower her hands, one of which he was holding comfortingly. Legolas now sat by her side, his hand still on her shoulder, giving small squeezes. Her body shuddered as she took deep calming breaths, wiping at her eyes with her free hand.
Faren waved a hand, emitting a pale red energy that flew around Calypso and herself. Then she watched as Caly turned her face up to look at her friend, her blue eyes red and puffy as her whole face looked wet and tear-stained. It was then that the telepathic Mage realized it was indeed the elf and the gundam pilot that was beside her and giving her comfort. She glanced down at her hand in Duo's and mentally smiled just a tiny bit, but she raised her eyes to her cousin again, wondering what magic she sent out.
"Comment ça va?" Faren asked, using French; it was one of the languages they had learned since childhood at the insistence of the Mage side of their family.
"Je suis d'accord." Caly said in a hoarse, slightly wavering voice.
At the sound of her voice Duo and Legolas knew they were doing a lot of good. But when they realized the two mages were speaking another language everyone figured Faren had done something to the language spell she had originally set.
"Caly, are you sure you're alright? I may not be part of your brethren, but you know I'll do whatever I can." Faren said, the concern she felt laced through her voice.
Caly nodded, "I know you are. And whenever we hopefully returned, we'll have to tell the entire Family of the interesting development. Don't try to hide it. I know that the light-haired one here greatly influenced the claming." her voice was a little steadier as she continued to speak, though all the crying she had done made her sinuses congested.
Faren gave a warm smile to the one on the ground and felt extremely relieved when it was returned, if only briefly. Slightly nodding she waved her hand once again, putting her language spell back to what it had been. But she didn't see the look Duo and Heero shared at that moment or she would have known they were suspicious again. For they had understood what they said, making them wonder what exactly did they mean by "brethren". It was then that they realized there was something more to the Mages, something they weren't telling. But for now they would keep it to themselves.
Her tears were finally drying on her cheeks when Caly turned her attention to the two on either side of her again. "Thank you." She said softly, a little shy now.
Duo gave her a gentle smile, "No problem babe, anything for someone as gorgeous as you." Mischief entered his voice and expression again, but his words evoked the desired reaction: Caly blushed, the skin beneath the tear tracks turning crimson.
Faren couldn't resist letting out a small chuckle. Oh yeah, with Duo around Calypso was going to be back to normal in no time. No one could resist such charms and tactics. It was at that moment she realized Gandalf had already turned back to the wall and was holding a hand just a few inches away, trying to sense what was hidden.
Faren herself turned her attention to the wall, too putting out a hand as if to test how hot it was. She could feel undercurrents of magic, even many different power signatures, but without being able to see how it was laid out, she knew they wouldn't be able to determine what it was exactly. With a tiny sigh, her shoulders sagged and she lowered her hand to her side. It was then that some certain thoughts ran across her mind. Half turning to where Caly still sat she said, "Caly, the spell needs to be revealed and seeing as that's one of your specialties, do you think you'll be able to do it?"
Caly looked up the moment she heard her name, but had to shake her head at the request. "My powers are still going to be a little too unsteady. It'll probably take a couple of hours before I can do anything." She said truthfully with a slight frown. She wanted to help, but she couldn't so soon after an attack.
"So you're good at revealing hidden things?" Duo asked mischievously.
Caly couldn't help but give a tiny giggle, nodding in reply.
"Is that solely for magical purposes?" he inquired.
There was a new light in Caly's eyes as she met Duo's violet gaze, making him do a doubletake. At once he was suspicious, discovering that Caly had mischievousness in her expression.
"If you're referring to all the little bits of metal hidden in your hair, no it's not restricted to only magical things."
Everyone could hear the smile (though a cautious one) in her voice. Duo's grin replaced itself with yet another expression of utter shock.
Faren narrowed her eyes, "Caly, don't tell me you're making use of that reveal concealed spell again," she said, a very slight disapproving tone in her voice.
Caly looked instantly sheepish as she tried to avoid meeting Faren's gaze.
"Which piece of jewelry is it? I know you're wearing the matching set of earrings and necklace spelled orbs." Faren didn't quite tap her foot.
Caly gave a small giggle, though still looked sheepish, which looked ridiculous with her tear-stained, still-puffy face. It took a few minutes before they all heard her speak again.
"The reveal concealed spell is in my left earring and the metal detecting spell is in my necklace." Caly said without ever missing a beat. She met Faren's gaze, her expression open and truthful.
"And your right earring? What spell do you hold in that one?" Faren inquired.
Caly blushed even more crimson as she muttered, "A demon tracking spell."
Surprise ran along the expressions of many of the others, but not nearly as much as Faren.
"Why would you have…?" Faren trailed off as a thoughtful expression stole over her face. "I see…but why after all this time? He disappeared three years ago." She said with a solemn tone.
Caly nodded, "I know…but even so, he has tried to send curses at my family since then." She said. Faren looked slightly alarmed, her back straightening up as her eyes flashed dangerously.
"Faren, not the mage side…the other side. You know how Rien was prejudiced about my family." Caly said quickly.
"What the heck are you talking about! Why would anyone have a demon tracking spell!" Inuyasha said rather loudly, not quite jumping up from his sitting position next to Kagome.
The two Mages exchanged one last look before looking at the one in red with silver dog ears.
"Because the one I speak of was a fire demon…just as Hiei is…" Caly said slowly, casting her gaze over to the black-clad red-eyed Hiei. "But don't worry, I won't hold that against you." She added.
Surprise and astonishment filled the room for only a moment before Hiei was instantly on his feet, his sword drawn and glaring at the woman.
"Explain yourself." He said through gritted teeth. His manner spoke of violence and lots of it, but Caly was not intimidated by him, not one little bit.
Taking her hand from Duo's and shrugging off Legolas's, she rose gracefully to her feet to face the enraged fire demon she had just revealed. She appeared calm and collected despite the mess of tearstains on her face.
"I just told you that one of the various spells I have set to my jewelry is a demon tracking one. It works continuously, never failing, and always lets me know when a demon is nearby and what kind. I'm not some mere mortal you will be able to push around Hiei, so even if you and Kurama decide to go against me, I will know what kind of demons you are and what can be used against you." She said calmly and sincerely.
As Faren watched, with readied spells only needing a spoken word or flick of the finger, her expression neutral while she hoped that Caly wouldn't do anything rash. But even as she hoped that she could tell that Caly's magical strength and energy were increasing and gathering quicker than if left alone. Caly would be recovered sooner than expected it seemed.
Kurama was just the tiniest bit surprised to be pulled into this fight, but knew it had been inevitable. With a tiny sigh he rose to his feet, but Hiei nearly growled at him, "This is my fight. Stay out of it fox."
"Very well Hiei. But I should remind you that they are not all that they seem. She may very well defeat you without ever lifting a finger." Kurama said sensibly.
"I would listen to him if I were you Hiei. When pushed and enraged Caly has been known to do unbelievable feats of magic. And I don't mean with her telepathy." Faren said evenly. She had relaxed a small amount when Kurama spoke up, knowing that if anyone, only Kurama would be able to get through to Hiei.
Seemingly Hiei thought about that, but still did not lower his sword. The minutes dragged on, until Caly grew bored with him, her anger disappearing. With one last look at the enraged demon she looked at the others, "But I don't use my spells for harm. Just harmless curiosity and caution." She said as she slowly made her way to the wall where Faren and Gandalf silently still stood.
As she moved to study the whole wall, already seeing things that the others did not. The others were torn with amusement from glancing between Hiei and Calypso, the former still holding his sword, but now clearly bewildered from being ignored. Finally after staring at the woman for several more minutes he huffed away, sheathing his sword as he went to the other side of the cave. Kurama smirked when he could hear his friend muttering to himself, but did not share with the others what he heard.
Caly on the other hand grinned to herself, having won that particular argument with the demon. Glancing over her shoulder she playfully said, "Don't worry, I don't think I could divine any other secrets from you guys that aren't so obvious."
"Calypso…" Faren gave a warning look. Her best friend just grinned cheekily at her and then turned her attention back to the wall.
"Let's see…" Caly said as she walked to one side, dodging all the rocks she passed by. "Oh my…" she blinked at the section before her and said to Faren, "Do you realize how much power went into planning this alone? They must have had dozens of witches and wizards working on this spell."
Faren sighed, but it was Duo and Inuyasha who yelled out in frustration and annoyance, "Will you just do something already?"
Caly was just a little startled at being shouted at, half turning to look at them. The violet-eyed young man had risen to his feet along with the elf and most of the others were watching her with interest. She blinked at them a few times before realizing that she still was the only one who could see what was hidden on the wall.
"Oops, sorry," she said sheepishly, lowering her head slightly. With a shake of the head and straightening of the shoulders she turned to the wall once more, her hands glowing blue.
"I thought you said you couldn't use your magic for a while." Kagome spoke up.
Without glancing at the young woman Caly said, "My argument with Hiei brought my powers recovering faster than usual. I've had it happen before since my powers are aligned with my emotions pretty much all the time."
"Then how do your powers get away from you so much if it's assumed that you are fully trained and in complete control of them?" Heero surprised everyone in speaking up.
This time the woman glanced at the stoic one and said simply, "I'm mortal." With a tiny exasperated sound she raised her hands to the wall and said, "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to reveal the spell so the rest of you people can see it as well…but I can't do that if you keep throwing words and questions at me."
Everyone was now silent, even those who were prone to start talking just because they were told to be silent.
With a satisfied nod she raised her glowing hand to the highest part of the spell and touched a certain area of the stone. Leaving some of her power behind she crouched to touch a spot near the floor and then walked to the other side of the spell-wall and did the same parallel to the other spots she left. Examining the power she left behind for a few moments she nodded, pleased with herself and then moved to stand in front of the wall in the center. Faren and Gandalf had to move, but they did so without question.
Taking a deep breath she held out her hands palms out towards the wall and said slowly and clearly,
"The ancient magic that forms you
has proved that time can hold true
but here are those that need your might
so with my power return to sight."
The spots of power she had left brightened and then creeped outwards till it was a solid blanket of power over the wall. As she lowered her hands her power faded, but what was revealed astonished even Heero.
Designs, runes and jumbles of lines ran messily all across the wall. Most were intertwined and crossed over with others, but some, actually five pairs of symbols were not crossed over in any way except for one. They were all connected to the main spell, but those are what had drawn Caly's eye now.
"Oh my," Faren said as she blinked to take in the sight.
"I told you so," Caly retorted as she knelt in front of the nearest pair of symbols. She traced over two stars surrounded by leaves, flames, little swirls that resembled air currents and water droplets. It was very curious to see symbols such as this in the midst of a complicated spell such as this. The pair that was a few inches above it were hands, but each one was clutching something tightly.
Momentarily her attention was pulled away when Hiei spoke up, "It would be nicely ironic if that was the reason we're all here."
Faren looked back at the demon and said calmly, "And it might be," she glanced at the symbol Caly was currently looking at and suddenly said, "I believe that the pair of hands would symbolize thieves. Why else would free hands be clutching something so tightly?" she asked.
Caly blinked at the symbols and then looked up at her friend. "Are you sure?"
Faren nodded, "I'm pretty sure." Her eyes wandered to the other side of the spell, taking in the all the other symbols—two swords, each with a spear crossed over, a paw print side by side with a human figure with lines pointing out of it like lights. There was also a scroll crossed with a feather quill next to a group of leaves, flowers and little flames, little droplets and little swirls. Those were all of them, Faren even had to move aside to actually peer at the rest on the other side of the spell.
Pointing at the swords and spears she looked at her partner and Gandalf, "These two here could mean swordsmen or warriors and here, the scroll could mean a person of knowledge, a scholar if it were." She said as she moved her hand over to point to the others. She looked at Gandalf meaningfully and then gazed at the scroll symbol again. He followed her gaze, trying to determine what she meant by it.
"You think that these symbolize us?" Duo asked, coming closer to the three in front of the spell.
"It makes a lot of sense if you think about it." Faren said and was interrupted by Caly, "It does, the person symbol could represent something with spiritual or holy powers, like a priestess," she glanced sidelong at Kagome before continuing, "though the paw print makes little sense."
"Paw print? As in a print that could have been made by a dog?" Kagome spoke up. She blinked at her partner and said, "That could possibly mean you Inuyasha."
"What makes you say that!" the half demon exclaimed, trying to peer at the spell over the shoulders of the others while remaining where he was with the girl.
"You're half "dog" demon you dimwit." Kagome said with exasperation. Her partner was silent after that, but a certain light in his eyes let everyone know that he was thinking about what she said and that he hadn't liked being called names.
Caly rose to her feet to examine the symbols that were just the four elements, the one without the stars and then gazed around until her eyes met the elf's. "I think Legolas is the elements. The earth outweighs the other three and it is always assumed that elves are more intuned with the earth."
Legolas held her gaze for a few more moments, trying to determine how she deducted that much, but would have to wait for another time; she looked away towards the symbol with the stars.
"So the priestess and dog print go together and they are Kagome and Inuyasha. Legolas is the elements and therefore the scroll must be Gandalf." Faren was saying when everyone's attention was brought away from the elf. "So that would mean that each pair of symbols come from a different world."
Gandalf nodded and then said, "So these are indeed symbolizing the ten of us. But why?" A frown marred his face as he tried to puzzle it out.
"What about the rest of us? Which ones are we?" Duo asked, peering over Caly's shoulder. The woman pushed him back a few inches, shooting him a tiny glare.
"Not so close. We don't want to touch the spell much, just in case our magic does something to it. We will all most likely need it to get back to our own worlds." She said. "Besides, we don't know if anyone else here has magic that could possibly interfere with what we have already." She added.
He took a step backwards silently, but his violet eyes were wide in his excitement, though other emotions warred with each other: disbelief of what was happening, but acceptance was soon trailing that one. Heero had remained where he originally stood, watching everything and especially keeping an eye on his wayward partner.
"Don't worry I'll get to you Duo. Just be patient." Caly said as she turned her eyes back to the spell. A moment later, and after whispering with Faren she said, "The elements with the stars represent Faren and I, for the stars usually look mystical in spell-wise…that and the fact that we can control the four elements to certain extents."
"That leaves the weapons and the hands." Faren said thoughtfully. She turned her gaze towards the two demons and then towards Heero. Caly also looked at Hiei and Kurama and then the gundam pilots. They knew that all four could represent both sets of symbols, but they weren't completely and totally sure which pair went with each symbol.
Caly caught Faren's gaze and then said telepathically, :Do you think we should just assume that the pilots are the thieves and the demons are the warriors? Hiei and Kurama are after all, more experienced with fighting and despite that the other two being soldiers, I think they have more stealth than fighting skills.:
Faren looked at the four again and back at the spell once more before nodding slightly and then announcing, "The thieves are Duo and Heero and that leaves the warrior symbols to the demons."
Everyone looked around at each other, but none of them protested or complained about what they had been labeled for the spell.
"But why were we specifically picked for the spell? For in truth I have also been a thief in the past." Kurama spoke up.
"And how did you know to label me as a priestess? I have done nothing to betray that fact." Kagome also spoke up with a thoughtful frown. Inuyasha now sat straight up, alert and ready to do anything. His hand itched to grasp the hilt of his sword, but Kagome placed a hand on his arm, knowing his intent and wishing to keep the violence to zero.
The two mages stilled, exchanging silent looks and then looking at the spell again. Faren was the one who answered, "Kagome, your aura is more spiritual than magical and more delicate whereas ours is magical in a very general and varying sense." She silently told Caly to take the other explanation.
Caly half turned to look at everyone watching her and Faren expectantly. Letting her thoughts run through her once more she calmly said, "As to why we were specifically chosen, we haven't come to that conclusion just yet. This spell is complicated in and of itself. It will take a while for us to unravel even a little portion to understand it fully."
Faren nodded, as did Gandalf, who agreed with that reasoning for that was what he deducted himself. Caly mentally sighed in relief. She was exceedingly glad that they all accepted that explanation despite that it was true and didn't raise any more incriminating questions. If that happened again she wasn't sure if she and Faren could come up with anything without too much hesitation. Information that the two of them could reveal that wasn't already shared could prove possibly deadly for them. It would also prove they both knew exceedingly amounts more than they were letting on, breaking any amount of trust they had already gained. And for now the two needed to gain their trust, and not just the two Mages alone. They all needed to gain each others' trust.
"You can read auras?" Kagome asked curiously. She set down her pen, nearly pushing aside her schoolwork.
"Yes. Being able to read auras is actually part of what we are able to see when we use our magical sight." Caly explained, Faren nodding her head in agreement.
Kagome now looked thoughtful and after a few moments tentatively asked, "Could you perhaps teach me to read auras better?"
Inuyasha jerked his gaze towards his partner, his expression bewildered. "Why would you want to do that!" he exclaimed.
Kagome turned her head to meet his gaze and calmly replied, "It will cut down on the time it takes us to find demons and it will certainly help us in our current situation." She glanced at the two mages again before turned pleading eyes back to the half demon, "Please Inuyasha, if I am able to learn more about reading auras than I ever could back home, it will help us all in the long run. Especially against Naraku."
He stared at her, a faint look in his eyes that told everyone he wasn't quite sure what to do, for just a few moments before sighing heavily. Looking away from her, his posture a little stiff and distant he grumbled, "Fine. Do what you want."
Kagome's eyes lit up and she nearly hugged him, but caught herself before she moved. She turned her radiant face to the mages.
Faren raised an eyebrow in question at Caly, who looked delighted at the thought of teaching someone.
:Caly, you must remember that you will not be able to teach her. Your powers have a rare undertone that others do not see, let alone have themselves. I think that I should be the one to the actual teaching, but you should also be there as well.:
A small frown crossed Caly's face, her gaze meeting her friend's. :Very well, but you inform her.: she replied.
As Faren turned to do so Caly directed her attention to the others, Kurama catching her eye. The redhead had moved closer to where the entrance was caved in, examining the wreckage. Hiei had also moved but to keep close to his partner along with his own reasons. Caly wandered over to them, a curious expression lighting her face. She knew that he was trying to figure out how to escape the cavern, but she was curious as to what he was thinking.
He raised emerald eyes to her as she approached. The expression on his face was welcoming, friendly and curious. But she could see pertinent questions running behind his eyes. She glanced at the caved-in entrance and asked,
"Have you come up with any ideas to get all us out?"
Kurama was about to say something when Inuyasha, who had turned away from Faren and Kagome to listen and watch Caly, speak up, "Why don't you…mages…just use your magic to get us out? You've already proved that you're powerful enough to do so."
Faren quickly finished her conversation with Kagome as they all looked at the half demon and Mage. Faren exchanged a look with Caly before saying, "We don't know what exactly we're dealing with yet. It could be more than simple cave-in."
Caly nodded and added, "The cave is too unstable. If we were to use our magic so carelessly and liberally we might just kill everyone here."
Silence followed for only a few minutes before Kurama softly suggested, "Why don't we accelerate the growth of plants to brace the walls at the same time moving them aside to clear a way out?"
Caly looked at the demon, the wall, and then met Faren's eyes. Caly looked excited, everyone could see that clearly as she said, "We can do that."
"That would work," Faren said at the same time. A few chuckles broke out among the two women and a couple of the others.
"You are able to do as I had suggested?" Kurama asked slightly surprised.
Caly and Faren nodded, "We are both capable of controlling the elements to certain extents." Faren started. "But I am more proficient with earth and water, Faren being the opposite." Caly finished with a smile. "I think we may have mentioned that earlier though." She added thoughtfully.
Kurama just nodded, belatedly remembering that fact. "My powers lie with plants, but I am sure you know of this." He pointedly looked at Caly's jewelry. She nodded as Faren walked up to them before Caly asked, "So how did you plan on doing this? I can call up roots form the immediate surrounding area and any seedlings that might be buried too deep, but that would most likely cause some problems."
Kurama studied her face before turning the same expression to the rocks. While he was quiet the rest of the group watched on, that is except for Gandalf. The old man's attention was held by the spell-wall. He occasionally muttered to himself as his gaze roved over the vast and complicated spell.
Kurama reached into a pocket after a few minutes and pulled out a small pouch. Caly watched curiously as he opened the pouch and spilled numerous kinds of seeds into his hand. He sorted through them before putting some back into the pouch, but keeping a fair amount out in his hand. The pouch went back into the pocket from which it had sprung.
"Oh!" Caly exclaimed as Kurama called on his magic to make one of the seeds sprout right in his palm. "A vine!"
Kurama smiled warmly, glancing up to look at the young woman. "I assumed these would work to our advantage the most." He said.
Caly nodded her head, slowly reaching out to touch the delicate seedling with a fingertip. The instant her skin (and magic) made contact with the tiny seedling her powers surged through it and jumped to the rest of the seeds in the demon's hand. Kurama drew in a sharp intake of breath as Caly jumped in startlement; all the seeds sprouted and were growing at an alarming rate.
:Shield against your natural powers Caly! Now: came Faren's mind voice breaking into the shock and startlement that clouded the mage's mind.
Caly physically jerked at the mental words, her skin losing contact with the seedlings. The instant she lost the connection, the seedlings ceased their accelerated growth, though still grew very slowly.
Kurama let out a tiny sigh of relief as Caly frowned at her hand. She rubbed her fingers together as if something was there before rubbing her hand against her hip.
"What happened!" Duo exclaimed, his eyes wide, glancing between the two.
Kurama's emerald gaze lifted to meet Caly's blue/green, both considering the question. They both didn't know what to make of it, but Caly slowly and softly said, "I think it was an inherited branch of my powers reacting to a demon's. Despite that it could have been a bad thing, we could use it to a good advantage in the future."
Kurama merely nodded, though everyone else was very wary and uncertain what to make of the situation. Without another word, he took the few steps closer to the actual caved-in entrance and scattered the seedlings on the ground, more to the sides so that when Caly did her part they wouldn't be in the way of the walkway. He watched them closely, noticing that even without his powers (or hers for that matter) the seedlings were still growing on their own, already being at two feet and stretching.
"Will you need help?" Faren asked as they all watched Caly take a sitting position in front of the plants.
Caly settled herself, making small adjustments and throwing little rocks away from her before looking up at her friend and cousin. "I don't know yet. You have known me long enough and united your powers with mine often enough to know if I will be needing assistance." She said truthfully. With only one more glance at Faren she turned to the project at hand.
Straightening her back she lifted her hands before her, palms down and fingers straight out together. Her mind began to wander, or rather just focus on the earth beneath her, in front of her and all around her. She slowly opened her magical senses to her magic and what lay before her. She could "see" the magic surrounding the seedlings, hers and Kurama's, could almost touch it with the tendrils of light blue extending from herself. Her attention was also drawn to the vast amount of energy and ancient spells long forgotten still lying dormant or already activated within the cave and without. There was so much out there she began to feel herself wander away and start to lose focus.
A pulse of energy not belonging to this world shot out and gently pushed at Caly's awareness. That brought the woman back into focus and mentally shook her head. She would have to remember to thank Faren for that; she almost completely forgot about what she was doing, almost becoming lost in trying to discover and learn more about the surrounding magical energies. Now being able to concentrate, she called forth her magic, sending it out down through her arms to her fingers and towards the plants.
The seedlings began to faintly glow blue as they started spreading out, reaching out towards the rocks and debris barring their way to freedom. Even as the vines and roots both were dispersing themselves, Caly's fingers were doing the same thing; spreading out just as her powers were having the plants do the same.
Everyone listened carefully as they watched a walkway slowly appear before them, but it was slow coming. There wasn't much cleared, and they weren't sure why it was taking so long. With as much Caly and Faren had been talking about their powers, it would have been obvious this would have been a simple enough task. But the ones closest to the girl could see that Faren was beginning to be worried. They could tell that she was about ready to go to her friend.
"If she needs the help, then what is holding you back? She said so herself that you know her well enough that you will know if and when she will need assistance. From the way you are watching her it seems that you think she needs it." Kurama said gently.
Faren looked up at him, considering his words for only a few moments before shaking her head to clear it of any thoughts and doubts she had been having. Resolved as she was now she moved until she stood directly behind Caly, her own form now glowing of her powers. Lifting her red glowing hands she placed them on Caly's shoulders lightly as she knelt down behind the young woman. Now that their powers were combining, the magic surrounding the seedlings was violet. The vines spread faster and with more strength than just when Caly had been alone. A walkway began to clear before them, moonlight beginning to shine through cracks into the cave.
She knew something was going on. Ever since Neville had been discovered coming out of the ancient cave she knew that something had happened within. She hadn't been able to get away from the family though to prove that she was right until it was very late in the afternoon. The family hadn't even noticed when she left; they were still so occupied with Neville.
She was very easily able to sneak out of the manor and make her way to the general area of the cave. She had always known about it for as long as she could remember. There was a certain branch of powers in her family line that she had inherited and that was how she had found the cave in the first place because even at the tender age of six her gift of sight was clear, memorable and powerful. She knew that the cave would prove useful in the future and that something would happen within when they needed it most. She had kept that information to herself, she hadn't even told her mother or father, not that she had been able to though.
So she had found a sufficient hiding place behind some bushes, just outside of the entrance…or where the entrance was supposed to be now that it was caved in. She started out crouching but after a while she realized she would be there for a long while and decided to actually sit in a comfortable position.
At certain points she thought she heard voices, but at one point she could have sworn she felt something on the supernatural level. And she had no idea what it was, nor did it feel like it was the wizard/witch type of magic. No, it had a different feel to it and she was going to remain here until she found out what was going on.
A few hours passed in which she had to leave for just a few minutes to grab something to eat and some water from the kitchen, but she still used the bushes to hide behind. Lucky thing too, since she was almost caught by her grandmother when she had just got past the garden outside of the kitchen door. She managed to claim her hiding place in time.
But long after darkness fell she heard different noises coming from the cave. It sounded like rocks were being moved from the entrance. She didn't know how that was happening, but as she watched more carefully, rising to her knees to a have better look she thought she saw vines. Shaking her head to clear those thoughts she actually rose to her feet; the entrance had been cleared and there was something moving around.
Her hand moved to where she had her wand hidden just as she came into clear sight of the cave entrance and just in time to see as two women walked out, both glowing faintly of magic. Immediately she drew her wand, aimed defensively at the two. "Who are you!" she exclaimed.
NOTE: If anyone has noticed what I have been hinting cookies for you!