A/N: Four months. God that's a long time to wait for an update. I truly apologize to any and all readers who have followed this story through it's entirety and have been loyal to it and who are still willing to read it even though there has been such a long break in the writing.

Now, I'm not going to ramble, it isn't fair to all of you. So, now, I happily present to you, Chapter 10 of Karian of ?. I hope you all enjoy.

Karian yawned as the pale dawn light cast into her room. Midwinter had been about three weeks before, and although the weather was warming up, Kari still shivered in her room. She stepped out of her bed, her bare feet rubbing against the carpeting in the room, ready to start another day in the glorious life of a page. She hesitated for a moment, wanting to linger a bit longer in the comfort of her chambers. Finally she strode to the far end of the bedroom and opened the shutters. Jumping as a crack of thunder caused the entire wing to vibrate, she slammed the shutters closed once again.

"What the heck was that?" she question. The ferocity of the storm around her made her worry. She shrugged her shoulders, and went to get dressed. They would probably only be having classes and training inside that day, but she really didn't mind. The idea suited her sore body very well.

Kari emerged from her room when the bell called all of the pages to the mess hall for breakfast. She noticed that much of the talk around her was about the storm outside. Still shrugging it off, Karian made her way through the line, gathering her food, and sitting down at her table beside Lillia.

"Some storm we're having?" Asten asked her as soon as she had sat down. Kari nodded, noticing how green Lillia had gone. With her father unable to function as a knight, there fief was relaying on the crops and the fear of flood made them all a bit sick.

"I'm sure it will end soon," Jon told them. Unlike the others, the prince didn't really have to worry about the crops, although it would be a very bad thing if he found himself the ruler of a economically wounded nation.

"Yeah," Kari told her friends, looking from Orion, to Asten, Lillia, Jon and Raoul. "So did you get that math problem, Orion?"

A week later, Kari found herself inside the indoor practice court, her arrows finally flying straight to targets. Lord Padriage looked very worn and haggard. As did many of the other adults around the young pages. Kari guessed it had something to do with the rain, but she didn't want to say as much.

The next day, the storm finally ended and the pages could once again return to their studies. Kari and the other first years were to be lead on a wilderness ride into the forest by one of their teachers. Karian arrived early at the stables and immediately began to saddle Magespirit. Shale, Leon and Orion entered a bit later than her, each moving toward their own mounts.

"Hey, Name less!" Shale called to Kari, using her own personal nickname for the girl. "Best be careful on the ride, wouldn't want you to get lost."

"Gee thanks," Karian said, rolling her eyes.

"It would be impossible for us to tell your parents, considering none of us speak swine!" the page finished.

Kari turned red but hid her anger, as Lord Tiltron, their riding instructor, entered the stables.

"My my. It's a bit early for insults Miss Shale. But I have no quarrels about giving you a punishment. Please write me a full two on why we should respect those around us. Now, mount up. All of you. We have a long ride ahead.

About three hours later, Kari and Orion found themselves with the task of catching fish for the small group's lunch. They both held fishing rods as they sat beside a swiftly moving creek.

"Kari?"

"Yeah?"

"Nothing." Orion told her. He had heard something but the noise had ceased only moments after it begun. The boy took a deep breath and settled back against the tree. They had already caught three fish, one more couldn't hurt.

Kari watched him, before turning her eyes back to the creek. Behind her, she heard a twig snap. Wondering what it was, she looked around. No one was there except her and Orion. She looked at him questioning but the boy shook his head.

They listened again.

"Orion?"

"What?"

"Do you hear that?" the girl asked. She was worried, something wasn't right.

"I don't hear anything." Orion said, confused at first. And then he realized it. Something was definitely off when all of the sounds of the forest vanished without a trace. Where were the animals, the birds? Why had it suddenly gone so quite? "Something's seriously wrong Kari," he remarked. She nodded, jumping up. Both pages grabbed their swords as the sound of a horn call came from the pages camp. Shale, Leon, and Lord Tiltron were there alone. Kari and Orion crept back quickly and peered through the bushes at the campsite. The horses had been released, and all had escaped. The two pages and their teacher rested in the higher limbs of the trees, each firing at the immortals below with their crossbows. Kari and

Orion stood eyes wide as they watched the Odocoil attack the tree trunks, trying to get at the human flesh that rested just beyond their reach. Six of them, each as ugly and large as the others that Kari had met, refused to give up. More lay beyond there reach of the arrows. Leon raised the horn all his lips once again, blowing with his strength. Orion and Kari knew that it was hopeless. There was no one close enough to hear the horn call. The threesomes, only hope was the two pages who were supposed to be off fishing.

"What do we do?" Orion pleaded with his friend. They needed a plan and they needed it before the Odocoil made a snack out of the two pages and their teacher up in the tree. Shale, Leon, and Lord Tiltron were running out of arrows.

"I don't know. But if we stay here, they'll catch our scent." Kari said, nervously. "We're down wind."

Orion nodded and the two crept away from the Odocoil back to the creek. Suddenly, movement caught the young girl's eye. Magespirit had not fled to the safety of the palace. She had gone in search of her master. Kari was thankful. She smiled, remembering the village they had passed. It was just out of reach of the horn call, but on horse back, Kari could reach it swiftly.

"Orion! Stay here and try to think of a way to lure the beasts away from them. I'll be right back! I'm going to get help." She said as Magespirit galloped Kari's side. She swung herself into the saddle and kicked the mare back into her gallop. Orion watched her speed off, bewildered. Then he remember what she had said and quickly got to work making it appear as if another group of humans was close by.

Kari rode full speed through the forest. She could see the village in the distance. She was almost there. She could get help. Suddenly a hissing sounded through the air around her. A young female Odocoil leaped through the air, knocking her from the saddle. The immortal wasn't much past it's adolescence; in fact it was probably around Kari's age. Magespirit reared and sped off towards the town.

Karian grabbed her sword as the Odocoil sprung toward her, lashing at her with her claws. The page felt the metal slice though her arm and then another through her leg. The immortal was fast, Kari couldn't seem to hold in her eyesight long enough to hit it with her weapon. She fell backwards as one of the immortals claws sliced her sc alp, she could feel it's weight knowing her scalp was probably only hanging one by a bit of skin. She landed with a thump on the ground, the immortal baring down on her, a triumphant smile on it's lips. It glared at Kari, as it brought it's silver claw down towards her heart.

This was it, Kari knew the end when it was staring her in the face. She watched and listened, waiting for the sound of metal cutting through flesh. A strange voice flooded through her ears.

All of Queenscove must Die!

And then a sudden burst of black light cut through the immortal. The creature vanished. Kari submitted, her body shaking. She could feel the black god coming towards her as the blood pooled around her body. She just barely saw a tall man move into her eyesight as her eyes closed.

"In the clearing… more of them… attacking friends…" she managed to say before she passed out, blood and life fleeing her body. She barely heard the man start to shout instructions.

Three days later Kari awoke in the infirmary at the palace. Alanna was there as well as her parents, Orion's parents, and Numair. Orion and her friends had classes, but during all their free time they had stopped by.

"What… what happened?" Kari whispered, her voice horse. She remembered her attack, and some how she realized she wasn't dead. Lady Reela grabbed hold of her daughter, clutching her tight, obviously thankful that the girl had finally awoken.

"You saved the day Karian," Numair told her. "The villagers and I were able to get to your friends in time."

"Kari, Dom and I are truly thankful. If you had been a little slower, they might have hurt Orion worse than they did." Kel said.

"What? How? He's hurt?" Kari sputtered.

"He's alright Kari. I healed his leg wound. He'll tell you all about his brave heroics later." Alanna told the page. "And you still need rest." Karian nodded., and began to close her eyes. Kel, Dom, and Numair left the room. Alanna, stayed inside with Neal and Yuki.

Placing a hand on Neal's shoulder, believing Kari to be asleep, Alanna spoke, "Neal? Are you alright?"

"No. I should have been the one to heal her."

"You can't. You aren't supposed to use big magic." That was her mother's voice. Kari wanted to hear more, but she couldn't stay awake. She drifted into a land of silent darkness. Dreaming about the Odocoil and what it had said right before it died: "All of Queenscove must die." and the confusion caused by the conversation she had heard.

A week later, Kari sat in Lord Thom's study. Her classes in mage craft had been progressive since she started training at the palace. She looked out the window. It was raining again. Her wounds were only partially healed, but she refused to let the healers keep her in bed. All of her friends had come to visit day after day, and while she couldn't participate in the regular training, she could attend her classes and put in extra time with Master Thom.

Kari watched the water as it poured down in front of her. It felt very odd. Something told her the rain was not caused my Mithros and the other gods in their pantheon. Instead, the young mage had a deep gut feeling that the storm was mage sent.

"Lord Thom?" she said, letting her eyes wander to where her teacher and Lady Alanna's son, sat working on a experiment of his own. The vile of water he held shook when he heard his name.

"Yes Karian?" the Mage asked her, his violet gift shining in the clear liquid.

"Does the rain seem odd to you? I mean it feels heavy. Like it's tainted or something. I don't know. I just don't think it's natural." She looked at him, her green eyes piercing him, searching for the answer's she required.

Thom sighed and raised his hand to his face. He took a deep breath and wiped his face with hand, brushing his red hair back with the other. "You're very perceptive Karian. I'll give you that. And to think you came from a family that isn't very well known, least not for having the gift. But you are right. The storm and the one we had just a few weeks ago are not natural; they were sent by mages."

Karian looked worried. "Do we know who sent them sir. And why?"

"We do, Karian," Thom said, his voice going distant. "But it is not information that the government wishes to share with the very young. Those mages much older than you are going to sort this out."

"I understand Master," Kari said in response. "Still, sir, is there anything I might do?"

"Actually, yes. You may help me to break the spells on the rain so that we may figure out it's purpose." Thom told her, offering the girl a vile of liquid. She immediately began to probe the water with her own blue-green gift, her mind wandering over everything she had learned in the past few weeks. Could it be that the Odocoil and the rain were possibly related? Was it possible that her parents and Numair, and even Alanna knew something about it? Why had her father been called 'Neal' ? And why were the Odocoil after the Queenscove family?

A/N: I apologize for not updating sooner. I really shouldn't have waited this long. Actually this is my favorite story out of all those that I right. I truly did have writers block for about a month. But the only other excuse I may offer is that school has kept me busy. But I've finally graduated. Congrats to me! Now I should be able to update this summer quite frequently, but next year is my freshman year at college, so I don't expect to be very frequent with updates then. However, I never leave a project incomplete, so this story will be finished eventually.

And, now, We've finally reached the climax. Things are falling together. Arguments and more bitchiness is yet to come! I love messing with characters! Love you all very much. See you all in a few when I bring you Chapter 11!