The angry scream echoed around the castle walls, like a rabid bear going crazy as it attacked its prey. Everyone could hear it: the soldiers, the cooks, even the prisoners in the lower levels of the castle shivered in fear at the very sound. The doors of the infirmary burst open and Gwen stormed out with fire flaring out of her ears. Everyone that was working in that quarter of the palace made a run for it as the immortal marched down the hallways, her hands clenching and unclenching, as if her dangerous hands were ready to strike out and grabbed the closest object near her and break it into a million tiny pieces; it wasn't too far from the truth of what she was thinking. Gwen could feel her emotions flying all over the place, she needed something to direct her anger on; sadly, she had no class that she could force to do a hundred push up or put snakes in their pants; now that would be a funny site. But she was not able to indulge in her pleasurable thoughts as she stormed towards the library, where Numair had his head stuck inside a book. Only when her fist slammed against the table he was working at did he finally snap his head up to attention.
"Can elves do magic?" She questioned the man, barely able to hold back her temper as her who body shook with inner rage. Instead of answering straight away, the mage shuffled back in his chair, trying to get as much pace as he could between the angry woman and himself for his own safety. Quickly, he cleared his throat as he tried to summon up the courage to tell her the information.
"From what I've read in my research of mystical creatures, elves can do magic, mostly along the lines of the four elements. Why are you so interested all of a sudden?" The mage dared to ask and his answer only seemed to infuriate her more. He must have been crazy to even suggest the question and moved further away from it, so far out of the way that he made sure that he was out of the zone where it was possible for her to throw something dangerous at him and wouldn't be able to place a protective barrier up in time. Seconds later, George and Luke came stumbling through the door. Numair hoped their presence would help calm her down but instead she lost it.
"I thought I told you to get lost wolf boy!" She shouted, standing into a pose that looked like a cobra in a striking position; this was not going to end up well.
"Wolf boy?" The mage inquired but his investigation was cute off when he saw his old friend show him the death sign if he didn't cut it out. Right now it was just Luke and Gwen standing there ground against one another like they were about to get into a fight. The wizard began thinking of a million spells he could possibly use to ease the situation or use in a defensive manner if things got a bit out of hand.
"This is what you always do, as soon as you hear something you don't like you go off in a mood and refuse to confront it!" The werewolf barked back and his eyes darken to something menacing as he crouch down into attacking position of his own.
"Don't judge me you don't know the first thing about me!" Gwen snapped back with such venom that everyone felt like they just had poison pierced into their skin.
"Your favourite colours red, you hate any one that's cruel to animal and you think that people that put dressing on their salad." The six and a half foot man was quick to retort back and even dared to smile that he had hit a sensitive point because everyone could see the vein in her forehead throbbing harder and faster and that her face was slightly going red from the lack of oxygen getting into her system.
"Those are just lucky guesses!" The immortal was quick to retaliate to defend her intelligence to the previous question.
"Oh yeah." The werewolf sneered, his golden eyes shining with mischief. Clearly knowing something that everyone in the library didn't. The two older men shared a quick look with each other, both of their expressions read worry and confusion as they prepared themselves for what could be a blood bath. George pulled out the handle of his daggers slight out of his sleeves, while Numair began mumbling a chant. "Does everyone know that you have a birthmark the shape of a heart on your butt?" He grinned and that was when all chaos broke loose. Gwen sprang. For such a small person with a delicate frame, she was somehow able to knock over the sixty seven kilo grams of pure muscle and keep him pinned between her legs as she tried to strangle him with her bare hands. The old men leapt into action. With the hilt of his knives, George was able hit the nerve points on the archer, so loosen her grip just enough for her to pull her off, while Numair performed a spell to keep the wolf man down so he wouldn't get up and retaliate.
"That is enough!" George ordered with such firmness and authority that it stopped the two young people from struggling in there bonds. They all looked at the man like they were little kids afraid to be told off by their father. "Now both of you sit down and we are going to talk this through… without trying to kill the other person." He said firmly but the last part was one hundred per cent focused on Gwen who gave a big huff, like a five year old who finally understood that she wasn't allowed another slice of cake until after dinner. Slowly, the two old men realised their bonds and kept watchful eyes on the castles violent guests to see if they saw anything suspicious when the carefully released them. It was like two lions circling each other when the archer and the werewolf slowly made their way to seats, taking chairs from either side of a table and sitting down. Facing each other as if they were ambassadors about to fight for what they wanted. The spymaster stood on one side of the table with Numair on the other, watching the whole scene unfold with great interest. "Now! Why don't we start from the beginning, so Numair can understand what is going on." George breathed, as he settled himself into one of the other chairs, though the mage chose to stand, just in case things got a little heated again and he was out of harm's way. Both man and woman stared at each other from opposites ends of the table. Gwen's electric blue eyes sparked dangerously, daring the man to say something.
"As I was saying." Luke began his predator eyes locked with hers. A silent battle commenced between them that the two other men could only guess what was happening. "I and Gwen grew up under the wing of a witch called Morgana when we were young, she taught me how to shift shape into a wolf and Gwen how to use the magic in her eleven blood …"
"Over my dead body did I practice witch craft." Gwen mumbled under her breath but it was loud enough for everyone else to hear and cut Luke off from what he was saying. He gave her a deadly looking glare but it was gone as quick as it came.
"It wasn't until we were older did she explain to us her whole plan." He continued, watching the archer intently, who seemed to find a sudden interest in what the wolf man was saying. It was true, early Gwen had stormed off as soon as he had mentioned what she was and that she did magic, this part she had not heard yet. Though she tried to disguise it, what she was thinking was written clear on her face. "She wanted to use us as weapons against the Tortall during the Scarcan war but Gwen never wanted to go through with it so she took drastic actions." At that moment all eyes turned towards the archer who had a stunned look on her face.
"What kind of actions?" George asked, trying not to look uncomfortable in the situation that he had just been thrown into.
"She wiped out King Maggur and his entire army." Luke spoke with such calmness that it to a while for the information to sink in properly.
"WHAT!" Gwen leapt from her chair and only managed to hold herself back just in time before Numair and George could intervene and cast another spell or hit her in her weak points again. The castle shock like it was suffering an earthquake from the vibrations that came from the shock point of the archer's loud scream. Honestly, if this kept up then everyone that worked and lived in the castle would be leaving for their own safety with her anger causing health problems. The werewolf raised his hands in a defensive position of surrender.
"No need to get defensive, it was the only way to stop Morgana's crazy plan and save that whole company she planned to wipe out." He quickly added to his protective barrier. After a few more moments of a staring competition, Gwen settled back into her seat, though all the man were well aware of the dent marks her long nails had left in the surface of the solid oak table. Seeing this, she couldn't help but notice Luke stroking the skin around his neck, thankful that the other two men had pulled them apart before some serious damage was done. The archer couldn't help but smile at how uncomfortable he was all of a sudden and knowing she was the cause of it, so far it had been the best feeling she had all day. "Anyway, I wanted to help but you were afraid that the witch would use me against you and didn't want the rest of my life being hunted so you cast a memory spell so I won't remember anything… by the way did the spell have to involve me being struck by lightning?" He questioned and Gwen could feel her eyebrows hit the top of her hair line.
"Huh? Lightening?" She questioned, not sure what that powerful element had to do with any of this.
"It sounds possible, like I said before elves magic is based on the elements it has many similarities to wild magic." Numair was quick to add in his opinion to the confusing subject, with some thought, Gwen thought it made a bit more sense.
"If that's true, why do you remember?" George picked up the loose end rapidly just like any spy trained person would do. At this question, Luke's whole presence suddenly turned tense and gave is old companion an odd look before turning his attention back to the old man who had asked the question; almost like he was afraid of the reaction he would receive. Why do I have the sudden feeling that I'm going to kill someone any second? The archer wondered to herself as her eyes darken threaten. After what looked like some deep thinking, the werewolf search through the pockets of his trousers before pulling out a silver chain with a crescent shaped medallion hanging from it. As soon as the piece of jewellery shone in the light, Gwen knew that she had seen that piece before but her brain refused to give her the answer she was looking for. The wolf man tossed the object over to her and she gracefully caught it between her long slender figures so she could examine the object closer.
"You see… werewolf's have this special ability." Luke began, scratching the back of his neck showing he was very uncomfortable with the situation. "It's called _ and it allows us to know who our soul mate is no matter what we'll always be able to find them…"
"Hang on just a second!" Gwen interrupted before the mythical creature could finish. "Are you saying that you and me are…" She couldn't find the word to expression the situation, it was all just too weird and the very thought of the whole concept the stranger was getting to frighten the hell out of her.
"We're soul mates." He answered for her instead with nothing but pure and honest truth behind it that Gwen felt that she might puke.