Hello! How is everybody doing tonight! I just got back from a vacation in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I hurt. Tried to Snowboard, fell a lot.
Ow. Enjoy!
Somewhere in the forests of Tristan
Tabitha's familiar flew until the sun rose. When it became clear that the group would be spotted if they stayed up any longer, Tabitha ordered her dragon to set down in the first clearing she saw. Tabitha's dragon glided down, hovered long enough to drop Guiche, before landing near the edge.
Louise immediately jumped off to help Guiche stand.
"I'm fine, Louise."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." In truth, Guiche barely know which way was up and which was down. It was very disorienting. Guiche raised his right hand, feeling for something to support himself on. His hand landed on something soft.
Fur.
Louise's panther huffed, and led Guiche to Tabitha's dragon. "Did you summon your panther, Louise?"
"No, he sometimes appears whenever he wants to." Louise's voice replied. "It's frustrating, when you think you're alone and then he is suddenly there."
"As implicative as that can be," Kirche said, jumping down from Tabitha's dragon, "mind telling us why your blind, Guiche?" Tabitha silently followed Kirche off her familiar.
"Do you remember that rumor about a love potion?" Guiche asked. Kirche nodded. Guiche didn't see her. "Yes." Kirche said.
"Well, last night, after cleaning up the void chamber, Montmorency and Beatrice ambushed me in the classroom." Guiche blushed a little. "Leaving out some minor details, I accidently drank the love potion. Since I would rather not have my mind, body, heart and soul focused on one person, and the potion works with eye contact, I'm, effectively, blind."
Guiche felt around for Tabitha's familiar. Finding it, he rested his back against the dragon and slid to the ground. Louise's panther sat next to Guiche.
"…cure?" Tabitha said.
"I doubt it," Louise spoke up, "The catalyst for the potion was a piece of an elemental, and well need the same elemental for the cure."
"How do you know that?" Kirche asked.
"Not entirely sure." Louise crossed her arms. "Last night, I returned to my room and fell asleep, but then I was in the classroom with Guiche. At first I thought it was a dream but with everything that happened…" Louise trailed off as what happened finally sunk in.
The escaped; they're on the run. If ever discovered, their punishment would be far worse if they had stayed. Being disgraced as a noble doesn't seem likely anymore.
Execution did.
"Well, do we know who made the potion?" Kirche's voice brought Louise back from her depressing realization.
"What?" Louise asked.
"Well, if we find out who made the potion we may be able to determine which elemental the mage got it from." Kirche said.
"Montmorency made it." Guiche said from the ground.
"And we know she's a water mage, so it is likely she used the piece of a water elemental in the potion." Kirche continued, getting excited. This might actually work. "What water elementals do we know of? Did we bring any books on them?"
Louise summoned up some chairs and a table, in the center of the clearing. "I think I did." She said. Pulling off her pack, she rummaged through it. Kirche and Tabitha joined her, pulling out their own books and the map.
Guiche stayed next to the dragon and panther. He wasn't entirely sure how he could help the group anymore. He couldn't fight attackers, couldn't read books, or solve any sort of physical problem without extreme help. He was more of a hindrance now, and they didn't need any hindrances right now.
Something shook his back and a growl sounded. "I'm hungry." A voice, a little high, said.
'Great, now I'm hearing voices.' Guiche thought. Indeed he was hungry, but to have a little voice in his head have to tell him that, was the first sign of insanity. 'Maybe I am going insane. Well, the constant company is appreciated.' At least he would always have something to talk to.
"Ya, so am I." Guiche said out loud. The dragon Guiche was leaning on shifted slightly.
"Can you get some food?"
"Sorry, couldn't even gather from a bush without help. Or even set a trap for an animal."
The same shaking Guiche felt earlier happened again, and another growl sounded. Was the dragon mad at something?
"Ah, I'm hungry!" Guiche frowned. He didn't feel that hungry. And why did the voice sound so childish? Was his conscience trying to tell him something?
"Guiche." Louise's voice called.
"Yes?"
"What are you still doing over there?"
"I'm blind, remember? Not much I can do in the way of books and maps."
"Well we found something." Louise's footfalls could be heard approaching him. How soft they sounded. If Guiche wasn't paying attention, he would have missed them entirely. Could being blind actually be helping his hearing? There was a book about impaired people having improved senses.
Louise's hands touched Guiche's and he flinched a little: where they always so small? Guiche never noticed. Louise led Guiche to the table she set up, helping him into a chair. "So what have you found?" Guiche asked.
Tabitha closed the book she was reading. "Cure."
Guiche's head snapped in the direction of her voice. "What?"
"We looked for known water elements and marked them on the map." Louise began.
"And since Montmorency made the potion, it would stand to reason that she got the piece of an elemental from the closest water element she could find. That is Lagdorian Lake, only a few miles away from where we are now." Kirche finished.
"But what if that element isn't the one she used?" Guiche questioned. A cure sounded great but they sounded so certain. How, why?
"…Contract." Tabitha said.
"The Montmorency family has a contract with this water element, meaning Montmorency could have rode there one day and asked for a piece, using her families contract to ensure she would get it." Louise explained.
"And not have to go on any weird quests for the spirit, either." Kirche said, "We won't be so lucky."
"Can I correctly assume we won't be traveling during the day?" Guiche asked. At this, he stifled a yawn.
"Ya, we'll rest up here and leave as soon as the sun sets." Louise said.
! #$%^&()_)(*&^%$# ! #$%^&*()(*&^%$# !
The group hunted in the forest for food, saving their provisions for a time when they couldn't gather or hunt. Tabatha's dragon, which she named Sylphid, ate several deer before falling asleep. The group set traps around their clearing, and alarms to warn them of anything that approached.
Louise cast her mist into beds and the group went to sleep.
Back at the academy, nobody was even thinking of going back to bed. Almost half the staff suddenly had amnesia of the past week, not understanding that something happened the previous night. Colbert was in the nursery, a nasty bump on the back of his head. The headmaster was in a coma, not responding to any form of stimuli.
Only the small rise and fall of his chest was the only true sign he was still alive. Across from the teachers beds were where Montmorency and Beatrice lay, also comatose. For all the potions and spells cast on them, they wouldn't wake up.
Both students had very high fevers, tossing and turning, moaning, and mumbled the occasional word. Beatrice's words seemed to indicate she was scared of something: A dark shape with glowing purple eyes, lunging and killing her.
Montmorency mumbled about losing Guiche. That is was her fault and, in a very depressed voice, almost wished for the dark shape with purple eyes to kill her.
The teachers that still remembered what happened last night returned to the storage room to look for clues on the condition of their headmaster. What they found was a door shaped whole in the side of a wall, hidden by several magical spells. Entering the concealed passage lead them to a flight of spiral stairs.
The bottom could only be described as a mess. The room was spacious, with several wall pillars supporting the ceiling. The remains of a table and several chairs were piled into a corner and seemed to be set on fire, then quickly doused afterward. Books and papers were all burnt and scattered around the chamber. It's as if someone wanted to destroy evidence as quickly as possible, and because of it, did an inadequate job in disposing of everything.
What the teachers could make out with the books and remaining paper, disturbed them to high heaven.
Heresy.
Someone was committing heresy.
The teachers wasted no time in completely sealing of the academy from the outside world. Nobody was going anywhere. The teachers then proceeded to gather every single servant in one area and the nobles in another.
The servants were interrogated for any information they may know. But the teachers could have done a better job with their questioning. For they believed that a commoner would never betray the Founder or be able to claim being a void mage, for they could not use magic themselves.
Because of this, Siesta and Dorin managed to avoid detection.
The students were then questioned. Sure, the students were questioned with more respect and care, but the teachers were also thorough. They noticed that four nobles were missing.
Guiche, Louise, Kirche and Tabitha.
Those nobles were now the prime suspects to everything that happened last night and a careful search of the grounds was conducted. When the sun began to set and the four students were not found, the teachers were all but convinced that it was them.
Several letters were sent out, all telling the same thing: Four nobles were suspected of heresy. The letters were addressed to the Queen of Tristan, the parents of the four nobles in question and the local cardinal of the founder religion.
By sunrise, Cardinal Inphygri and his entourage of holy priests were inside the academy, inspecting the void chamber, burning what remained of the notes and books, and blessing the room to remove any remaining essences of evil. Inphygri then addressed the entire school, stating the importance of finding, reporting and dealing with heresy where ever it may be.
Say whatever you want about Cardinal Inphygri, he is nothing if not efficient. Everything stated above happened before noon, which was when Louise's mother arrived. She immediately demanded to talk to the headmaster, but only managed to talk to Colbert. He was released from the infirmary that morning and was the only teacher brave enough to talk to Karin the Heavy Wind.
Karin and Colbert, while never really worked together, knew of each other well. Therefore, Karin believed what Colbert told her to be the truth: There were signs of nobles committing heresy, and her daughter was one of the prime suspects.
Karin's decision on the matter was quickly thought of and decided upon. She got back in her carriage, returned home, and began the process of disowning her youngest daughter. Even if she wasn't involved, her reputation in society was now ruined. Her magical abilities had improved but no position of real power would ever allow be within her daughters grasp. And she could not marry off her daughter either.
She was now completely useless.
! #$%^&()_)(*&^%$# ! #$%^&*()(*&^%$# !
When Louise went to sleep that morning, she again returned to that black void with her eight symbols. However the place had changed. There were lines of symbols floating around aimlessly. Lines for different spells Louise had absorbed: Ice spike, construction of a Valkyrie, a fireball, a wind wall and blast. The list went on and on.
There were non-magical lines as well: the making of a table, bed and chair, candle light and torch light, a door, a window, a wall of stone or ice.
Or both. Again the list went on and on.
But this time Louise wasn't alone. Three people were inside her dream world with her: Beatrice, Montmorency, and Headmaster Osmond. Beatrice, Montmorency and Osmond were on their knees, chains rapping around their arms and raising them high. The end of the chain seemed to disappear into the darkness.
Chains also wrapped around their legs and disappeared into the darkness.
The four just stared at each other. Beatrice was the first to speak.
"Louise? What going on here! Where are we!?"
Louise just watched them, thinking what she should do. She still felt some disgust toward Beatrice and Montmorency, but she felt like she should explain to them what happened. If only to help her understand exactly what happened.
This was a dream after all.
"We're in my mind." Louise answered Beatrice's questions.
"Your mind?" Osmond asked.
"Well, in a way. Every time I use my magic in excess and then fall asleep, I come here. Though this is the first time you three are here."
"What do you mean by your "magic"?" Beatrice asked. "Causing too many explosions in one day?" At Beatrice insult, a growl sounded from the blackness behind Louise. Beatrice and Montmorency watched in shock and horror as the same creature that attacked them in the storage room came from behind Louise.
Osmond silently watched the preceding.
"It's ok." Louise said. The panther didn't stop glaring, purple eyes flashing and glaring at Beatrice, but he did stop moving forward.
"His is my mind familiar." Louise said.
"Mind familiar? How do you have a mind familiar?" Osmond asked. Louise waved her hand and a series of symbols flew toward her. The symbols formed into a book. Louise opened the book and showed Beatrice, Montmorency and Osmond a paragraph, second on the right.
"In this book, it's said that the founder had two familiars, one of mind and body. Well, I have a mind familiar too."
Beatrice, Montmorency and Osmond just stared. "Are you telling us, that you're a void mage?" Montmorency asked.
"Yes."
"But that's heresy!" Beatrice exclaimed. Louise waved her hand again. Another series of symbols flew toward her, while the book formed back into symbols. A new book appeared in her hand. She opened it, and showed them another page.
"This is an old history book. It was found near the back of the library on the third floor. It tells of the creation of Gandalfr to be heresy, for only the Founder can create the Gandalfr. That is the only think that was branded as heresy."
Again, Beatrice, Montmorency and Osmond could only stare at each other. The world around them started to shake. Symbols began to dissolve into black mist.
"I'm waking up." Louise answered the unasked question.
! #$%^&()_)(*&^%$# ! #$%^&*()(*&^%$# !
(OneRepublic, Feel again)
The same night the letters were sent, the Void group set out for Lagdorian Lake. The journey only took several minutes for the girls, but it took a lifetime for Guiche.
A cure.
He might be cured of his blindness. Only afterward if he met Montmorency again, unlikely seeing as how he would be traveling a lot, probably under a new name, would he forgive her? She was the one who cursed him in the first place. Could he forgive her?
He eventually decided he could. It was his fault for two timing anyway, and that was the reason she made the potion.
Lagdorian Lake was near a fairly large town. The market place was a decent size, as were the amount of houses surrounding the area. The town even had several inns to choose from.
Sylphid set down on the Shore of Lagdorian Lake, again dropping Guiche a little way away before landing herself.
Louise, again, hurried to help Guiche to his feet. "It will be a sad day indeed if I get use to falling from a dragon's talon."
"Well if we can get that tear, you won't have to." Kirche and Tabitha dismounted.
"No offence, Guiche, but it would be better if you step back." Louise said, summoning her panther. It always amazed Tabitha, Guiche and Kirche, though she would never admit it, on how Louise summoned her panther. A purple aurora would surround Louise's body before seeming to just materialize from her shadow.
When Louise activated her power, a ripple, starting from the middle of the lake, spread toward the entire edge of the lake. It was so silent, only Guiche noticed.
"Behind you!" He shouted. The three girls twisted around toward the lake, too see something rise out of it.
A mass of water.
It began to take a humanoid shape, distinct arms forming and a place where a head would be. Then a voice rang out, through a watery filter. "Well, a void mage. I haven't had one of your kind on my shore for a few centuries."
Louise stared for a moment before realizing she was being addressed. "Well…I…" She stopped when the Elemental seemed to laugh at her. "Tell me, little mage, why are you here?"
"Well, Guiche is blind. Colbert attacked him. We had to escape…" Louise started spilling out everything, in no real order.
"Calm down." Kirche's voice stopped Louise's tirade. "Just start from the beginning." And Louise did.
She explained everything to the Elemental, from how she first found out she was a void mage and practicing her element, with Tabitha and Kirche helping to tell the tale, to escaping the castle and finding their way here.
"And we need a piece of you to heal Guiche, because a piece of you was used to make the potion." Louise finished. The elemental seemed to lean back and think.
"I remember the young mage, this Montmorency, coming to me a few months ago and asking for a piece of me. Very well, your reasoning is sound and just. I will give you a tear." Louise, Tabitha and Kirche were shocked for a second before whooping in excitement.
Guiche, being only several yards away, was so shocked, he lost his footing. Only Louise's panther stopped his face form hitting the ground. The panther seemed to be grinning, his masters happiness being transferred to him.
"However," the Elemental continued. The brief joy at not having to do some weird quest for the elemental was gone in an instant. "I would like you to do something for me in return."
"And what would that be?" Kirche asked.
"Recently, not even a week ago, an object was stolen from me: A ring. Find it, and return it to me."
"Is there anything else you can tell us? Something that may help us locate your ring?" Guiche called, walking with Louise's panther as a guide toward the elemental.
"You are the one affected by the love potion." It was a statement, not a question. "The person who stole my ring was named Cromwell and he was not from this country." The Elemental stretched out a limb all the way toward Tabitha.
A single drop fell from the appendage, and Tabitha caught it with a wind spell.
Without a word, the Elemental sank back into the water.
! #$%^&()_)(*&^%$# ! #$%^&*()(*&^%$# !
The void group retreated a ways into the forest before setting up camp and started brewing the potion. Guiche simply waited by the fire with Louise's panther and Tabitha's dragon. Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha actually made the potion.
Well, mainly Tabitha.
"…Finished." Tabitha said.
"Guiche! It's done!" Kirche called. Louise cheered.
Tabitha levitated the potion to Guiche, who made sure he had a firm grasp on the bottle before drinking it. The potion tasted completely different then the love potion. It was a little sour, and hot, but that could just be because it was fresh.
After finishing the entire potion, Guiche raised his wand and removed the bronze ring around his eyes, but he didn't open them. A trick formed in his mind. He peered through his eye lids, making it look like his eyes were still closed and found Kirche.
He opened his eyes and simply stared.
Kirche was a little startled. "Guiche?"
"Your skin looks as sweet as chocolate." Guiche flashed a smile, all teeth with drooping eyes.
Louise groaned. "Please don't tell me we messed up."
"Messed what up? I've just come to my senses." Guiche continued the act, enjoying every minute.
"Yup we messed up." Kirche said, slowly backing away from Guiche. She had no idea what he was going to do now. She was right.
"Or, is it Tabitha? I mean you did make the potion." Guiche then looked at Tabitha and made the same face, all teeth and eyes. Tabitha blushed a little.
"What?" Louise asked. Kirche was just as baffled. The potion should only work on one person, right?
"Wait, that's not it." Guiche continued. "It's Louise! You managed to convince the Elemental to give us a tear."
Kirche laughed. "He's messing with us. Had me going too." Louise joined in, more relieved than entertained. She really did believe they had messed up the potion.
"No, it's not you three. It's Sylphid! You carried me everywhere, so I love you!" Guiche exclaimed. Kirche and Louise only laughed harder.
"Ya, I did!" Sylphid said. The laughter died in Kirche's and Louise's throats. "What?"
"I did carry your all. And together, you're heavy!" Sylphid continued to talk. Guiche recognized the voice.
"Hey, that was you in the other clearing."
"Yup!"
"I thought I was going insane!"
"Nope!"
! #$%^&()_)(*&^%$# ! #$%^&*()(*&^%$# !
When Louise isn't in her mind, there is nothing but blackness, seeming to stretch forever. Beatrice, Montmorency and Osmond could only see each other, and that was all.
They had plenty of time to talk about what they had learned. Beatrice didn't want to believe any of it. But Montmorency and Osmond managed to convince her otherwise. How else would they be able to explain the imprisonment they were enduring?
When Louise summoned her panther, a light seemed to be cast. Then the world around them changed. They could now see everything from the eyes of Louise's panther.
They heard everything: from Louise explaining her performance of the Affinity spell, practicing, the love potion and escaping.
Beatrice now had no choice but to believe Louise's story of being a void mage. That doesn't mean she had to like it. However, after some thought, she came to the conclusion that if she help Louise, her own popularity would rise to unseen heights.
Montmorency was relieved and scared that Guiche was cured of her potion. But Osmond was listening as well. He now knew they had lied about the reason they were in the storage room. She listened to Louise's story with rapt attention, trying to memorize everything so as to see if she could help in some way and therefore be able to forgive herself.
Osmond also memorized everything he could. He was the headmaster of a school, and while old, that didn't stop him from having friends in high places. He may be able to help these four young, brave, and enlightened nobles in whatever they may do.