Please Review~ Enjoy~ TLD

Part Twelve: Dreams and Drawings

The silence in the van was unbearable. Worse than blame, a crushing wave of defeat hung in the air, rendering everyone speechless. They drove in circles, hoping to intercept whatever mode of transportation the wizards had used to steal away Madison, Ellen, and Carson. With no luck.

Suddenly, the sound of J.R. sobbing in his seat brought everyone back to their senses.

"Shh, Johnny," Grace whispered. "It'll be OK. Maddie and Carson are gonna be fine." At this she looked up and caught Seph's eye. Seph saw the fear and apprehension on her face, worried that she'd just lied to her brother. But when she saw Seph's face set into lines of determination, and his head bob a small nod, she relaxed.

"We'll get them back," said Seph to no one in particular. And the van returned to silence.

They stopped a local motel for the night, unsure where to go next. Where would they take Madison, Ellen, and Carson? What did they want with them? The questions swirled through everyone's minds, to no particular end.

Jack was inconsolable. He hadn't spoken a word since he returned to the van with the note he found in the tree. Even then he'd only said two words, "They're gone." His pain was so acute that the others found it difficult to even look at him. Linda's eyes welled with tears every time she saw him. Only Will could stand to be close to him, and he simply laid a hand on Jack's shoulder and sat with him in silence.

In stark contrast, Seph paced like a caged animal. Unable to sit still, or sleep, or eat, he simply paced about the room, until Linda nearly snapped at him to go out in the hall and pace because he was making her dizzy. Thankfully Grace and J.R. fell asleep as soon as they reached the motel and spent their waking hours huddled together, talking quietly.

After they were settled in the motel, Linda decided it was time to call Leander. He needed to know what had happened, and maybe he'd have some ideas as to where Paige might have taken his prisoners. As she left the room and headed to the lobby to use the payphone, she noticed that Seph had finally sat down and had passed out in one of the armchairs in the hallway.

I'll wake him on my way back, she thought to herself.


In her cell, Madison was feeling the effects of the Weirsbane, the anesthesia, and the various torcs, chains, and sefas that her captors had spread about her in order to keep her Dragon magic in check. She always felt slightly dizzy and completely exhausted and she frequently slipped off into sleep without even realizing it.

After one such impromptu nap, Madison woke and, looking over into Ellen and Carson's cell, she felt an overwhelming sense of defeat washing over her. How are we going to get out of here? She kicked herself for not understanding her powers better and for her current state of incapacitation. I don't even know half of the things I can probably do! If only I had practiced more, she whined internally.

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in her brain. I don't know half of what I can do… but Paige and Longbranch don't know ANY of the things I can do… What if… She let her mind wander over the various skills she'd learned since gaining her powers and wondered which ones might help her now. And so, between naps, she began experimenting with her restraints.

These were made for wizards, she thought, but I have more power than all the wizards combined… She felt herself smiled slightly.

But after a few hours, she felt her smile fading. While any one of the restraints could never have held her, it seemed that the combination of so many restraints was more than her power could overcome.

So it was, in a fit of depression, loneliness, and despair, that she reached out to feel Seph's spark, they way she always did when she thought of him. Rationally, she knew he was nowhere nearby and that in her weakened state she would never be able to feel him – especially since she could barely feel Ellen and Carson and they were less that 10 feet away from her – but, after a moment, she did feel something.

It wasn't the same as when he was nearby, but she could almost feel his warm, soothing strength, in the green/gold fire that she always associated with him. She could almost see him sparkling on the fringes of her senses. She didn't know what it meant, but she clung to it, pulled it closer to her, and in the dismal darkness of her stone prison, for a moment, she felt home.

She closed her eyes, letting the feeling of Seph's spark encompass her entire being. With her eyes closed, she could pretend that they were back at Dragon's Ghyll, practicing magic, or sleeping in the shade. She could almost hear the gurgling of the stream, or feel the soft meadow grass on her face. She could almost feel Seph's hand against her cheek, or hear him call her name.

Madison

Her eyes shot open.

She was still in her dark little prison, arms bound in chains, Weirsbane steadily dripping into her veins.

But she was sure she'd heard him. His voice had been so clear in her mind.

She heaved a huge sigh, trying to hold back tears. She burrowed her head into her knees to contain her sobs. Seph, she thought, come and get me, please come back to me.

Maddie, where are you

Her head shot up again. "Seph?" she whispered into the darkness.

Nothing.

She couldn't see around her, and eventually she put her head back on her knees. Writing off Seph's voice as either a dream or a side effect of too much Weirsbane, she decided to play along. I'm in a dungeon… she thought, and she drew a picture of her cell in her mind, lingering on the sefas and the IV, on her chains, and on Ellen and Carson. And as she drew, she imagined Seph's face contorting with rage at the sight of her restraints. She imagined his eyes, his strong features, and his beautiful flowing hair. And as she fell asleep, she thought, I love you, Seph… before she slipped into oblivion.


Back in the motel, someone was calling Seph's name.

"Seph?"

With a start, Seph's eyes popped open and he nearly jumped to his feet – effectively scaring the living daylights out of his mother.

"Woah, Seph!" Linda nearly shouted, "Calm down, it's just me."

Seph grabbed her arms, his eyes wide and unfocused, his breathing staggered.

"Where is she?" Seph almost shouted.

Linda's face contorted with confusion, "Who, dear?"

Seph tried to break free of Linda's grasp, but she held him fast. Finally, he answered, "Madison? Where is she? I know I heard her voice."

At this, Linda's face fell, and she answered softly, "She was taken, Seph, remember? She's not here."

Seph stood stock still, clarity finally breaking over him. After a long moment, Linda saw reason return to his eyes, and he blurted, "Mom, I know where Madison is."

Shock colored Linda's tone, "What?"

But Seph was on a roll, "Well, not exactly where she is, but I have a general idea of what it looks like, it's a dungeon somewhere, with chains, and sefas, and…" his voice trailed off as he tried to remember the gist of his dream.

Linda watched, dumbfounded.

"Paper!" Seph suddenly screamed. "I need paper… and a pen."

Linda watched as her son ran into their room, screaming like a madman. She felt numb. What on earth is going on? She thought.

By the time she got her numb legs to carry her back into the room, Seph had already drawn a rough sketch of the dungeon he believed to be holding Maddie. While Linda couldn't believe that Seph had developed some ability to see or prophesize, she couldn't help but be impressed by the detail in his drawing.

Will and Jack were hovering over the picture, equally confused as to what was going on. As Seph finished, Will said, "Wow dude, I didn't know you could draw."

Seph looked up from his work and answered simply, victory in his eyes, "I can't. But Madison can."

Jack and Will looked at each other, eyebrows high.

Finally, Linda looked at the picture and spoke. "Well, there's only one thing to do now."

The boys looked at her, confusion strong on their faces.

"It's time to go back to the Ghyll," she finished. Before they could protest, she continued. "First of all, there are NO dungeons like that one in North America, and secondly, the only wizard that knows more about dungeons than the sorcerers that built them currently resides in the mansion at Dragon's Ghyll." By the end, Linda was smiling.

At the confused looks on the boys' faces, she added, "What? Didn't you know that Lee spent time in nearly every wizard prison across Europe?"

She smiled, and the heirs packed up for yet another journey across the ocean.