Disclaimer: We are not Tamora Pierce. We will never be Tamora Pierce, we can only dream.

To Fight. To Love. To Live.

Chapter 17: Another Complication

"Alright, alright, I'll think about," Danny growled. "BlackWater or not, whoever we are and whatever we decide to call ourselves, I want us to be ready at a moment's notice. Now, let's break camp!"

--

Something was different as they pitched their tents that night, something slight, evasive. It was a small feeling, not enough to cause dramatic attention, but large enough to tap at the back of the mind when all else is silent.

It was this feeling that crept into each of the Riders in the Sixteenth. They felt completed, whole, but without having known anything was missing before.

This feeling kept their minds busy, and little was said as they prepared for bed, little needed to be said. By this time their tasks were routine, everyone knew what needed to be done and how to do it most efficiently. Each member went about their self-designated jobs without bothering another.

Every once in a while though, when one took the time to glance around and met another's eye, they couldn't help but smile.

Though none of them quite knew what this feeling they had was, they knew it was a good one. It was not a sign that things were changing for the better, but rather that things already had changed.

They had grown and matured, in many ways, from the rag tag group of strangers that had plodded along in the rain that first dreary day of their mission. It had only been weeks ago, then. But so much can happen in such a short time.

In those weeks they learned about the land around them, seeing animals and plants they had never imagined Tortall had within her boundaries. They discovered more about their own group members, learning their personalities, life stories, aspirations…everything. And they realized more about their own selves; who they were and what really mattered.

They grew from that nameless disjointed group into something great, something complete: BlackWater.

Who knew a name could mean so much?

It was the following morning when it became clear that their name would be tested.

BlackWater, along with the Wildmage, were taking the first few bites of their rationed breakfast when Numair stomped into camp. He seemed to be mumbling to himself and walked right past the food without seeming to have noticed.

"Numair?" Daine sat up questioningly, though he continued walking. "Numair?!"

With a sigh she went to stand in front of him, arms out, forcefully stopping him where he stood.

As if jolted from a dream, the lanky magician jumped, his eyes widening at the sight of his wife glaring in front of him.

His shoulders slumped forward in guilt. "I did it again, didn't I?"

Daine mock-grinned, "Yes, dear, you did. Now why don't you come over here and explain what's bothering you."

She patiently led him to where the rest of the Sixteenth was eating, some of them still half asleep, and said apologetically, "He is such a school boy. There are times when he gets so fixated on trying to think something through that I can't talk to him for days. It's insanity."

From the other side of the small circle they formed, Danny glanced up at the Mage. "Is something wrong?"

"Other than half the forest coming alive as evil man-eating creatures?" Fin grumbled into his bowl, earning him a smack on the head from Cassidy, who sat next to him. Alex, seeing Danny's glare at the younger man, had to refrain from giggling at the odd pair. As dire as the situation in these woods had gotten, there was always someone to lighten the mood and keep the group alive, it was what made them function.

After taking a bite of his own breakfast, the Mage sighed, running a hand through his long hair.

"I'm not certain… the BlackWater spell itself is something indefinite. It is rarely thought about, and even less likely to be researched. The records of it at the present time were all through notes taken and done by experienced Master Magicians. However, this spell was done by an overzealous amateur who knew nothing of the true workings of magic. His talents, or lack thereof, could cause the spell to go awry, more so than it already has at least. Perhaps it is this error on the amateur's part, or perhaps it is the natural cycle of distribution of water through a contained ecosystem…"

A short silence drifted over the group before Lillian spoke up in a soft voice, "Water moves, it can't be confined."

Danny's serious eyes darted from his group member to the skilled mage before him. "You're saying it is spreading? Further? What can we do about it now; we can't just sit here as more areas become infected"

"There is nothing you, or even I, can do at this moment Danny. There is nothing any of us can do until the other Mages arrive. Nevertheless, the longer it takes for them to arrive, the further the contamination will spread. As Lillian says, it cannot be confined. It never ceases its movement throughout the earth and the many things living within it."

"If it is spreading, we'll need to watch what we drink as well. What has touched the other animals could just as easily taint us. We don't know how quickly it is spreading," murmured Cassidy.

Danny nodded, "And the more it spreads, the more we will need to be on the lookout. We do not need a repeat of what happened earlier; anything strange or unnatural must be reported immediately. No one handles anything alone."

There air turned to an edgy silence as each person was trapped in their own solemn thoughts. The BlackWater was spreading, and there was not a thing any of them could do to stop it. If it was not stopped soon, and help did not arrive fast enough, it could spread into a main water supply for villages. If humans became infected…more than just a few Rider deaths could occur. Hundreds could be massacred, by their own townspeople nonetheless. It needed top be stopped, and soon.

"No offense," Fin's voice cutting through their thoughts, "but I feel compelled to report that this mush we are being forced to eat is both strange and unnatural. Ow! Cassidy!"

Another day was just beginning for BlackWater, and as the sun began to spread through the leaves of the trees, so too did the deadly spell.

--

Ooh, unexpected, huh? And to think we all thought it was over. well, be patient dear friends. It ios close to an end, there just happens to be another couple of complications to sort out.

darestodream

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-_-Ridergroup16-_-

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