Lucy looked up wide eyed, gripping Xallys arm, they were walking down the sidewalk less than a block from the guild when an explosion rocked the ground under their feet.
"That came from the guild…" Emzadi said, narrowing her orange eyes.
Lucys heart almost stopped as she reached across the bond desperatly to Kaleb and found….nothing, no response...never, not once in as long as she had known him, had he not responded when she had called for him.
Kaleb! Kaleb! Her mind screamed and Emzadi watched her face, felt her using the strange new magic she and Kaleb shared, Xally exchanged a look with her and Emzadi looked to the other mages of White Sea.
"Call all the branches, mobilize every healer to Pelerno, MOVE!" She yelled and people scattered, Kittar and a couple regular teleport mages vanishing and Emzadi gripped Xally and Lucys shoulders and called on the sun, heat swirled around them and in a brilliant flash the sunlight took them and a moment later they were in the grand courtyard behind the gates of the guild staring at the ruptured back wall behind the bathhouse of the guild where mages were already helping carry the wounded out of the rubble.
Lucys eyes flew over the chaos, narrowing as she spotted a familiar dark head of maroon hair.
"Xally" She gasped, gripping the healers hand and yanking her along running to where Erik knelt cradling Vander, when they approached he looked up at her, eyes reddened, tears wet on his face and Xally dropped immediately beside her brother, hands illuminating brilliant blue.
"Something...happened...we were looking for Zen and Cristoff...I opened the door before Van could stop me...damn ass threw himself over me and took the blast...I'm a fucking Dragon Slayer...I...I'm a fuck ton tougher than him…" He croaked out raggedly, kissing Vanders forehead. Xally tipped Vander forward, following where blood had soaked the shoulder of Cobras white coat.
She grimaced seeing the injury to the back of Vanders head but her hands glowed and she gently started mending it.
"I need Cris...he's so much stronger...faster…" She breathed.
"No idea where he is….fuck...Van...Van please…his heartbeat is so slow...he lost so much blood..." Cobra whispered against Vanders cheek, the shadowquip was bleeding from multiple places where the blast had torn skin and flesh away, Xally was biting her lip, eyes narrowed as she worked.
Lucy pressed her lips together, hating leaving Cobra but...she had to find Kaleb...and Laxus...where was Laxus? Freed? Farron?!
Emzadi took her hand "Xally is here, come, we must help get everyone out of the damaged section of the building, we can look for my brothers and our friends while we do that, summon every spirit you can manage." the Solar dragoness said firmly and Lucy nodded, Virgo, Taurus and the hounds appearing.
She didn't need to tell them what to do, her spirits left her side and rushed to help, the hounds instantly looking for their Mistress' mate.
Chara called her within minutes and Lucy was climbing through the rubble frantically, calling Virgo to help her even as Loke, on his own power, appeared, there was a shudder, and flex then of magic as Lucy kept calling for Kaleb frantically in her head and finally she felt a response.
My love...get back...I'm struggling with this...send Virgo to me… He said, his mental voice quiet...strained and wide eyed, Lucy nodded toward Virgo who immediately bored into the rock, Lucy, refusing to be left, called up her stardress, the maids power flooding her and bored into the rock a short ways away, now able to see the weaknesses, find the points she could pass through, where she could shift rubble and where she couldn't and suddenly realized why Kaleb was straining…
The glow off his wings bled through the creases between the rocks as she reached it...the small space where Kaleb was, holding up a section of the building with about a dozen people crouched beneath his wings, among them were Freed, Laxus,and Thane.
"Kaleb…" She breathed as she came into the space.
"Get them out...get everyone out, you and Virgo...I can break out of here but not while protecting them…" Kaleb hissed and Lucys eyes flew wide seeing blood trailing down from his nose, from a gash in his forehead, and the way his wings were flickering, losing then regaining light.
Lucy moved, shoving Laxus toward the hole she'd made. "Can you reach the sky? Teleport?" She demanded and Laxus was blinking, he'd taken a hell of a blow himself and was still woozy and struggling to see straight, Kalebs wings had snapped out and saved his life, his and everyone courching in the small space beneath the big blondes outstretched wings, tons of rock and rubble were being held back by Kaleb and his wings right then and they all knew it.
"Y...yeah...yeah, I can take anyone touching me too…" The lightning slayer said shakily, wiping blood off his face, none of them had escaped injury.
"Then get everyone you can to the surface, now." Lucy said firmly and wriggled past Freed as Virgo was coming in, allowing people escape through another hole "This tunnel will withstand the shift if Master Kaleb breaks free." Virgo said and Lucy nodded.
Did you hear her Kaleb? She asked through her head and glowing Lavender eyes met hers, a faint smirk lifting trembling lips, he was straining, hard, it showed in every inch of him.
No Magic for chatting...holding this all together is taking all I've got… He admitted. He had no idea how he was going to break free, but he was certain he could...or...mostly certain...right now he was holding back tons of rubble and the water of the bath that would have flooded this area and drowned them if he hadn't stopped it, he was using sheer magic pressure combined with a shield his new magic allowed him to form to hold it all together and keep it from killing everyone he'd managed to shield from the explosion.
Somehow they were in the locker area beneath the gym where the steam rooms were, the blast had fractured things in a bizarre pattern, and he was certain it had been magically produced.
A crack of thunder and all but a couple people were gone, the others shimmying as fast as they could up Virgos tunnel.
"Lucy...get...OUT." Kaleb grunted and she nodded, wanting to run to him, not wanting to leave him...but trusting him enough she hurried into Virgos tunnel.
Moments later everything started shaking and water suddenly rushed up the tunnel, propelling everyone in it through it, blasting them out to the surface in a geyser.
Lucy hit the ground and rolled, coming to a stop on her back in time to see Kaleb trying to get his wings to cooperate and bring him back down without a crash landing...something he hadn't managed without Zens direct intervention yet.
In his current state, it was a futile thing to hope for and Lucy scrambled to her feet to run toward where he went down. When she reached him he was already on his feet, wings curling in and vanishing as he strode swiftly toward her. He was bleeding from several fairly deep cuts and scratches and, since he'd been in the bath, naked like so many of the other people being brought out into the courtyard.
He grabbed her up, hugging her to him, kissing her long and hard and thanking every God she hadn't been with him when all of this had happened. He didn't hold the kiss beyond the few moments it took him to convey how grateful he was she was ok to her. Virgo appeared behind Lucy, extending a robe and Kaleb took it giving the maid a grateful nod, shrugging into it and belting it as his eyes scanned the scene.
"I have injured mages…" He said, pulling away and Lucy grabbed him, frowning up at him "WE have injured mages...White Sea is my guild too." Lucy said firmly and he smiled, leaning to kiss her quickly before pulling her with him.
They stopped at where Xally was just finishing with Vander, he looked tremendously better, though Xally looked almost pale, and Cobra was burying his face in Vanders hair, whispering to his mate, between soft growls.
He looked up at Kaleb, eyes widening "Tell me you can fucking reach him…" He said and Kaleb narrowed his eyes, prodding at Vanders hazy mind, finding it active...he was there…
He nodded at Cobra who nodded, turning to press his face back into Vanders hair "Weepy dragon...fuck...least you could do is wipe your snot off me…" came a raspy voice and Cobra jerked his head up, watching Vander blink his wine colored eyes to get them to focus.
"Not snot you shit, I was leaking awesome…" Cobra snapped and Vander chuckled "Yeah? I like that awesome better when it leaks from things other than your nose. Xally, you're a fucking water mage and you couldn't rinse blubberheads snot off my face? Shit what am I a kleenex?"
Cobra hugged him to his chest and Vander slid an arm around his mates back turning into him ready with another smart remark but his mate was kissing him silent and Vanders other hand came up into the poison slayers hair.
"Never again...why the fuck didn't you just pull me into the voids or something?" Cobra demanded against his mates lips.
"Don't try to tell me how to fucking save your ass! I didn't have time to open a gate you ungrateful...mmmm" The shadowquip hummed as Cobra kissed him again and Kaleb turned from the pair, taking Lucys hand and heading back toward the rubble, there were still people to rescue… and he had two missing brothers...if whoever had done this thought the explosion might buy them time or distract him? They were going to find out fast just how well the Master of White Sea could multi-task. He just prayed...deep and hard...that Hestor wasn't part of this….that he'd just been with Zen helping him like he always did...
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Cana stirred slowly, sluggish. Was she hungover? Where was she? She groaned softly, the sound of her own voice helping her stir a little more, her head was so fuzzy...she could remember sort of… Opening her eyes she looked around and knew where she was...Cristoffs bedroom, laying in his bed at the Pradesh house...and she really needed to fucking pee.
Mentally she checked herself over, she was in a tank top and panties and nothing else...which would have been fine...but her mouth felt like it was full of sand she was voraciously hungry and...there was a tall dark and sexy dragon slayer missing from the bed.
She slid out from under the covers, hissing when her feet hit the cool wood of the floor so she could wobble her way to the bathroom.
She remembered everything...it was just fuzzy, and worse, she remembered rejecting Cristoff...her...a healthy red blooded woman with working eyes and a libido of epic proportions, had rejected that blue eyed hunk of man, Gods, she'd had even felt how good his body felt, he was fucking HUNG, made her feel like a damn virgin he stretched her so nice and she could have been riding that for weeks, could have had that sexy face between her legs and she remembered how good he was with his mouth. Beyond that...he was a sweet, honest, caring, successful man, a mage, a Dragon Slayer, and she...could have been...his mate...he'd held her while she cried, cuddled with her night after night, stayed up with her, talked about utter shit with her so she could feel better and calm down and she had rejected him, seriously, what in the ever loving fuck was wrong with her?!
She had no idea, all she knew was as soon as she had handled her business, she took a shower, rifled through the clothes she had grimacing at how plain and modest most of it was, combing her fingers through her hair and grimacing again, the fuck? Lucys spirit could have her back to long sexy brown hair in seconds and she was running around looking like the victim of a rabid weed whacker why?
She remembered, but it was like all of those decisions had been made by someone else, like she'd been detached somehow from herself but now she was back...and her first goal was to get sex on legs back in the bed he damn well belonged in. She stilled a moment and bit her lip...she'd rejected him...rejected the mating…
She stood, letting that sink in and tears ran down her face "Fucking idiot…" she hissed at herself. She didn't know where she stood now, was betting nobody had told her to spare her feelings because she had been such an utter train wreck coming out of that shit hole of a country….but wherever she stood with Cristoff one thing was certain, she would get herself back, she would be herself again, and fuck Pergrand to hell and back it would not ruin her. She was the daughter of Gildarts Clive...she was Cana Alberona, and she would move the fuck ON.
Tying the dark purple t-shirt up under her bust was a compromise, Gods what the fuck had prompted her to buy such modest shitty clothes in the first place? She'd need to rifle through Lucys shit and find herself some decent bras and tight shorts, give the sexy dragon a nice show. Make it clear to him he was one lucky fucking man if they could maybe be...something...she didn't know what. If not...well...her heart twisted in her chest, but she'd get over it.
She shook her head, glaring at nothing, well...she was over whatever the fuck it had been that had probably denied her becoming the mate of Cristoff Pradesh now and damn it she wanted some food and some fucking, not necessarily in that order...maybe use Cristoffs ripped body as a plate to eat off of, have her sex and eat it too. That thought had her smirking.
She hurried down the stairs, looking into the empty rooms she passed frowning, why wasn't there anyone around?
As she came into the kitchen she was relieved to see Mr. Elan furiously working away in the kitchen but when he turned toward her his tear stained eyes made her breath catch.
"Mr...Elan? Are you ok?" She asked uncertainly and the chef nodded.
"Yes...yes...You're awake at last...Cristoff has been beside himself...I...how do you feel my dear? Cristoff said when you woke you should eat and I have several things prepared...here, let me get you a plate, Cristoff would want you to eat!" He said brightly, rushing back to his stove and rapidly piling a plate high with delicious smelling food.
Cana accepted it gratefully, she was voraciously hungry, and eagerly took the glass of chilled wine he offered her too, tucking in and watching the man bustle around the kitchen.
"So...where is everyone? Even Bacchus' room is empty." She observed and Mr. Elan turned, looking almost fearfully at her.
"I will call Mister Pradesh...I think he's on his way here...he needs to know you're awake…" He said, hurrying from the room and Cana frowned but returned to her food. There really wasn't any cooking she'd ever had better than what the family cook made.
He didn't return to the kitchen for a bit, and Cana finished her food, downed the remainder of the wine, rifled around and found some orange juice, filled a glass with that and went out on the back deck hoping maybe everyone was outside, she remembered Kaleb was trying to learn to use his new abilities and lately everyone had been sort of hovering around the practice ring built behind the huge deck on the back of the house.
When she got outside though there wasn't anyone out there, just the sea, the families expansive grounds and private beach. She stood frowning on the deck when she felt a magic shift and turned, eyes flying wide when she was presented with Thane, the elegant man was in his usual traditional Boscan suit but it was ripped, filthy and bloody in places though he seemed free of injuries.
The glass slipped from Canas hand at the sight of him, shattering on the dark wood of the deck.
"Cana, Master Kaleb sent me to get you, there's been an attack on the guild branch in Pelerno, I'm to bring you to him and Lucy immediately." He told her holding out his hand and Cana lunged forward grabbing it without hesitation.
A moment later the sweet sea air and soothing sound of the waves on the beach gave way to yelling and controlled chaos amid the dust and acrid smell of dark magic. She'd smelled this sort of shit before, that demon from Tartaros...Jackal...his shit smelled like this….when his explosions went off they'd had this sort of smell…
"Cana!" She snapped her head to the left and saw Lucy standing near Kaleb who was talking with his father and several big mages clad in the silver and gold of Boscos Knights of Immaculate Light. She headed to join Lucy, Thane beside her, noting she saw a lot of the priests of the Knighthood around, helping the injured.
She also saw Cobra, sitting against one of the marble columns that held up the pergola that shaded the outdoor section of the guilds massive hot baths, holding Vander, who was turned into Cobras embrace, the pair watching Kaleb. As she reached Lucy, a sudden realization hit her, she saw Xally, Romino was there Array open, multiple screens showing various officialls Freed was talking with, everyone...except for two...Zen was missing...and so was Cristoff.
"...it's nowhere near as bad as it could have been, we're purifying out the dark magic, the use of demonic fracture explosion bombs hasn't been recorded inside Bosco in nearly a hundred years, however, Fiore saw a demon called Jackal that utilized the magic at will and we've got the signature information from their Magic Council, this isn't a match but it's damn close. Someone enchanted the door of that room so it became a dark magic fracture bomb, opening it triggered the explosion...it's a miracle your son is even in tact sir, let alone alive...if the others were on the other side? An implosion into a room that small from a bomb of that strength? There wouldn't be anything left of them." a blue haired knight was talking as Cana walked up, his dark almost black brown eyes filled with sympathy.
"No...they weren't in the room, nobody was in it when the bomb went off, I don't know how they got out unseen and without tripping any of the wards but I think Hestor Kedanza, the celestial mage that was with Zen when he went into the room, did something so the guild wards and protections wouldn't trigger." Kaleb said tightly.
"I pulled the file on Hestor Kedanza...Kaleb, he was in the hands of a Dark Guild for a few weeks before you rescued him, Death's Head Caucusis large, and has more than one demon summoner in known ranks that could have done this, only Nightmare rivals them in size and strength. Outside of them? Only Joya holds the ability to create these bombs." Another knight said, eyes narrowed on the Guildmaster who didn't flinch.
"I'm well aware of Hestors captivity, as you pointed out I'm the one who was part of his rescue from that, they didn't turn him, they were using him for a fucking ceremony, bleeding out his blood and his magic, he would NOT do this, I don't believe it, he's been a friend of myself and my family since we were kids!, I've personally sifted through that head of his to a degree, he holds several of the black keys, including three of the four sisters of Amitt, the Death Queen, carrying her...sheilds him from some of what my magic could do before it was altered, and I admit, I was planning to sit down with him again now that I command more light and see if I couldn't get around that keys hold on him, I know though, without a doubt, Hestor is committed to the Celestial Magic he uses, he's almost obsessed with seeing it grow and regain the stature it held during the holy wars…He wants Celestial Summoners respected again, wants them to be free...you have no idea how badly Stellas leadership has pursued him through the years sir.." Kaleb trailed off, looking at his father then Thane.
"Thane, give the General all we have...our full file on Hestor including the mental screening results...everything." He said and Thane bowed, lifting the tablet in his hand, fingers flying over it as Kaleb looked back at the General.
"It doesn't make sense that Hestor would take Zen, he's been...well...sleeping with Farron, and helping Zen, Gods teaching him and comforting him through his transition, I think he's the only friend Zen HAS and absolutely the person Zen trusts the most…" Arman said in a ragged tone shaking his head "I...I refuse to believe he'd hurt Zen...or that he'd have any part in harming the guild, he loves the Guild Kaleb...you know that...I watched that boy grow up! I know his parents! I've fought with Hishoko to prevent Stella from taking him more than once!" Arman snapped.
Kaleb frowned, Lucy wrapping her arms around his waist seeing his eyes brim with unshed tears "I know Dad...I...lets just hope...well...we'll find out...we'll get to the bottom of all of this…I just don't see how anyone could overpower both Zen and Cristoff…"
Cana gasped "Cris and Zen?Lucy...what happened?!" She demanded and Lucy took her arm, pulling her away from the group with a quick nod to Kaleb.
"They were taken, we don't know how, but both Zen and Cristoff were taken maybe by a Celestial Mage named Hestor and a woman they haven't identified yet. They're trying to figure out more right now, whoever took them set a bomb off in the guild to try and cover their escape with them but Kaleb called the Knights instead of the regular military, knowing their healers and resources in tracking magic users were better, so the Knights got here right away...we're doing everything that can be done Cana but right now...we don't know where Cris and Zen are." She said, holding Canas arms as the woman swayed, almost wishing she hadn't woken up yet…
Cobra and Vander were close by and the Poison slayer felt Vander tense in his arms as they listened to Lucy explain what she knew to Cana.
"Wait...shit...there was something...I got you and took you into the bath area to find Kaleb for a reason…" Vander said suddenly, rubbing his head where the worst of his injuries had been.
Cobra narrowed his eyes, that was true, Vander had appeared in the locker room just as Cobra was starting to strip down to go join everyone in the bath while waiting for him...his contacts had finally come through, not as fast as he'd wanted them to and he'd been disappointed at not being able to deliver the information Cobra wanted as quickly as he'd said he could, but he'd just talked with Presca, who had gone off on an assignment near the border with Fiore.
"Presca...Presca can track magic signatures better than any mage I've ever known...and he….shit...everythings so fucking fuzzy and my head hurts…" Vander groaned and Cobra tightened his arms around the still shaky mage.
So close...he'd almost lost him...when he'd come to the first thing to reach him was the taste of havati venom, delicious poison flooding his body with strength and when he'd licked his lips the warm salty taste of what covered his mouth and soaked his shirt finally dawned on him...blood...Vanders blood. He was being restored because his mate was bleeding on him.
Feeling his mates torn and broken body laying limp and barely breathing on top of him, a sluggish heartbeat meeting his senses had sent terror flooding him worse than anything he'd ever felt in his life.
At first he'd been afraid to move, but the groan of support beams and heavy dust in the air reminded him what had happened, the screams of terrified pained souls all around him yet even that din was nothing compared to the deafening silence that rocked him to his very being that was all he found when he tried to hear Vander.
Vanders soul was music, light, vibrant, from the moment he'd heard it the sweet thrum of guitar and violin had been in sync with his own soul even as he'd chased Vander around that damn ship trying to get the teasing mage in his arms. Not hearing that strong beautiful music had left Cobra devoid of anything but pain, he'd slowly gotten to his feet, careful of his mates bleeding ravaged body, mourning every bit of blood he heard hit the shattered marble under his feet as he'd carried him outside, once clear he'd sank to his knees, trying frantically to find Cristoff, the only healer he knew for sure could restore Vander, who should have been there, but was gone.
He'd tried to find someone, but it wasn't until Xallys cool blue magic had appeared, the sweet crashing of the ocean waves mingling with the music that was unique to her and saw Lucy running to him with Vanders sister that any hope came to him, he'd been unable to move, knowing if he kept moving Vander he'd only bleed more, and he'd already bled so much…
He heard the broken bones in Vanders body grinding with every step he'd taken, heard internal bloodflow not sounding right, if he kept moving Vander he'd kill him, so he'd been forced to just sit there and hold him and pray help came before his mates heart stopped...knowing if it did, his own would shatter.
Xally had restored him, the gaping wounds on the shadowquips body closing, the broken bones mended, but the music of Vanders soul hadn't stirred until Kaleb had come to them, a gentle prodding from the Guildmaster and Vanders soul had returned to activity and Cobras whole being had curled around that first strum of a guitar. The mans sarcastic snarks had been the sweetest things Cobra had heard, reciting poetry, whispers of adoration, none of it would have been sweeter to him than Vanders sarcastic insults.
But Vander had been meeting with his contacts, had needed to call Presca and promised to meet Cobra in the bath house since they knew that was where Kaleb had gone with Cristoff and the others after a vigorous morning workout that was an attempt to help Cristoff, who wasn't sleeping and was painfully close to another full moon, everyone was rallying around him today in fact to prepare to lock him up in Vanders penthouse near the Guild tonight to ride out tonights full moon Zen, Cobra and Vander were supposed to be watching over him.
Zen had even been looking forward to experiencing it.
"What did Presca tell you babe?" Cobra asked softly and Vander groaned, head pounding still, Xallys magic was strong, but she was still trying to master the pain management that Cristoff handled without any effort anymore.
"Shit...SHIT! Your friend! She was with Hestor in fucking Autumn city! They hooked up there, then Hestor left and returned to Bosco while she waited for another woman, her sister...they're due into Pelerno on the last passenger airship. They might know what the fuck is going on, they're both Celestial mages...fu...fuck…" Vander sagged in Cobras arms, his excitement, anger, making the blood pound in his head more until his vision swam.
"Shh, easy babe...hang on...you sit quiet...I'll tell your brother ok?" Cobra soothed kissing Vanders temple to the left of a still healing bruise, the remnants of a nasty gash Xally had closed up but was still healing.
He shifted, resting Vander back against the column he was leaning on, smoothing the still blood caked black hair away from Vanders pale face and touching his forehead to Vanders before moving toward Kaleb.
Not surprisingly, Kaleb had broken off his conversation with the knights and turned when Cobra had almost shouted at him mentally.
Kalebs eyes widened as the man approached and he lifted his com, already pushing the contact he needed into it and dialing it with his magic.
"Master Kaleb?" Prescas smooth voice came in less than a moment, Gods bless the energy mage, he was organized, meticulous, and swift to respond...as long as he wasn't with Vander anyway.
"Presca...where are those women you found for Vander?" Kaleb demanded.
"Aboard the FairSwan, should dock in Pelerno about 11 tonight. I have nobody on that ship and neither does Vander but I had eyes on them when they boarded it in Autumn City." Presca replied.
"Could you track Zens magic?" Kaleb asked. He was hoping. Hestor was smart...painfully so, would know the only way to contain Cristoff would be to keep his magic suppressed so his dragon wasn't reachable to tap for dragonforce, so even though he knew Presca was plenty familiar with Cristoffs magic and could probably track the Lunar Slayer anywhere, he was sure Cristoff would be suppressed heavily, the effects of tonights full moon might not even make tracking him possible and Hestor knew about that, and...unfortunately, due to a couple of incidents over the years with Cristoffs full moons causing problems here and there, that "issue" of Cristoffs was almost legendary in White Sea so it was likely Hestor had figured in hiding the Lunar Slayer through his massive magic influx during the full moon.
His only hope was Zen, Zen had defied 5 magic suppression devices of steadily growing power, when they had removed those damn things the mage that had taken off the golden one around Zens neck had nearly died he'd been depleted so severely and swiftly just by touching it after it left contact with Zen. Yet, with all those devices on him, Zen had still been able to tap and use his magic when he needed it, his wings were still useable. So Zen, because Hestor hopefully didn't know all of that, might still put off a magic signature Presca could track.
"Of course, I was around him plenty and that signature is way different, easy to track." Presca replied and Kalebs dark smile made the energy mages eyes narrow.
"Master...has something happened?" Presca asked and Kaleb nodded.
"Tell me where you are Presca, I'm sending Kittar to bring you to me." Kaleb responded and Presca drew a breath nodding and opening himself up to Kalebs magic, knowing what would come "Just inside the Boscan border at the foot of Titan Mountain." He said and almost before the words left him he felt his guild masters magic hit him, Kalebs range had always astounded him, and the sheer power he could still feel, this far from where Kaleb was…
Once he had the details of his location Kaleb put them into Kits mind and the big Encan mage vanished, re-appearing a few moments later with Presca at his side.
The energy mage reeled, eyes flying wide as he took in the scene around them, injured mages being handled by priests and healers, the back side of the guild where the bathouse was blown out the baths waters almost gone, rubble everywhere. What caught him more was the sight of his best friend, resting against a column some thirty feet away looking like death warmed over, his mate covered in blood returning to his side.
His steel colored eyes narrowed, instantly seeking Zens unique magic signature and locking onto it, curling his lip when it was cut off, absorbed by another.
"He was teleported out of the guild….Zen...and Cristoff...that's teleportation magic, they were in there…" He pointed in the direction of where the room had been, while the place was devastated, the magic signatures still hung in the air undisturbed, tainted by the dark magic that had washed over them and any other tracker like Presca might have been unable to isolate signatures through what the dark magic had done, it was a hell of a good job...a demon summoner with explosion magic had done it, he could see the magic…
"Celestial mage, Cristoff, Zen, a Poison Alchemy mage, a teleporter, the demon summoner that used a demonic explosion spell, a magic void mage and a Seith….fucking nasty group…Farron...was there...maybe earlier..." Presca said naming off the signatures he saw that had left with Zen and Cristoffs.
"They put magic cancelling cuffs on Cris…" He noted, seeing where Cristoffs magic had been cut off before the teleportation had happened.
Kaleb nodded, following Prescas progression, seeing through his eyes and magic what he was seeing. It was his father though that gripped Prescas shoulder.
"Presca...you've been like one of my own for some time now...you saw what we saved Zen from...hunt...them...down, find my sons." The man said firmly and Presca bowed his head, looking over to Emzadi who was standing clenching and unclenching her fists, her red nails digging into her palms, her orange eyes glowing faintly, heat radiating off her making her long golden hair stir and shimmer in the sunlight.
"Emi, I'll need someone who can teleport with me since Van isn't fit to go with me." He said and Emzadi smiled, sharp fangs glinting against her ruby lips, she looked at her father who nodded to her and she and Presca left the courtyard at a run.
Kaleb watched them go, already approving selections for earth and metal make mages to start rebuilding, green mages to redo the courtyard and water mages to cleanse and oversee the rebuilding of the pipeline from the grass sea that fed the guilds hot baths. They would rebuild, better than before, and he would have Hestor on his knees at his feet to explain it all and then...pay for what he had done. Lives had been lost, more than 30 mages were dead, his brothers kidnapped, and at the center of it all there was Hestor….a mage who had knelt before him and Grenlow, who had sworn with tears running down his face and all the honesty in him he would protect White Sea, honor it.
He knew Hestors deep need to anchor his freedom from his homeland, to elevate Celestial Spirit magic to its former glory, he even respected the idea, but this...this could be a death sentence for the mage, Kaleb was duty bound to hunt him down, and when he found him, to extract all he knew, what his plans had been and kill him.. He was praying that there was more to this, that it wasn't simple, that Hestor had not simply….turned on him and White Sea...he could defend his friend if his keys had over run him...defend his life and even help him if that's what had happened and he suspected it was.
Hestor had just secured a new key during Zens rescue, and Kaleb had thought it would help stabilize the man, but now...he realized...he'd been so wrapped up in his own happiness, so consumed by Lucy and his own new magic...he hadn't kept an eye on Hestor, had pretty much...ignored the man since Lucy had walked into his life and guilt churned in him for that because if Hestor had lost his grip...Kaleb knew...all of this was at least partly his own fault for letting that happen, for not watching a mage he knew he needed to...a friend he'd loved for years could have fallen from the light and Kaleb had worked so hard to keep that from happening, his whole family had.
The possibility shook him and Lucy felt it, coming to his side and looking at him with worried eyes he gave her a shaky smile. He would rescue his brothers...and while these events were horrific...he also gripped the realization he might have to rescue Hestor...from himself...and that hurt as much as everything else because that part...might have been prevented had he just taken a little time to...really look in on the man.
He looked at Vander, again wrapped in Eriks arms, their father was already speaking with Thane about teleporting Erik and Vander back to the house, Vander would need rest, Xallys magic took longer to complete its tasks than Cristoffs did, it was the difference between a healer and a battle healer. A regular healers magic needed time to complete its work, a battle healers magic was so strong and efficient it did everything in a fraction of the time, there were precious few of the later type of healer, fewer still with the power to pull people back from deaths initial embrace, had Cristoff been here, some of the mages they had lost today might not have died, it added to the scope and depth of Hestors crimes...of his own if Hestor had fallen on Kalebs watch.
Lucy was suddenly pushing against him, her arms sliding around his waist and he looked down at her, his hard expression softening as he met concerned golden brown eyes.
"You need healing, and to get cleaned up and dressed." She observed and Kaleb smiled at her, leaning down to kiss her.
You're all the healing I need...he said in her head and she smiled into the kiss.
Nice try, I want that gash on your head looked at and the one in your back and I also want White Sea to see their guild leader looking strong, right now you look ragged in that bloody robe with dust, dirt dried blood cuts and bruises all over you. She returned and he sighed, kissing her forehead.
"Xally is right there, now move it before the guild sees their Masters mate smack his ass." Lucy said and Kaleb grinned at her "Boscans love, they'll think it's foreplay." He whispered in her ear and got the blush he was after but was wise enough to step quickly toward Xally before his mate could retaliate.
Lucy turned to Thane, grabbing the mans shoulder when he started after Kaleb.
"Let him get healing, I want you to go to the suite upstairs and fetch him suitable clothes, the guild can't see their master looking so beaten and battered, Kaleb is a symbol, his strength is White Seas spirit and they need him at his best, go." She said in a low firm voice and Thane smiled at her, bowing his head. "Yes Mistress Lucy."
She then turned to the knights picking up where Kaleb had left off with them, there was so much to do and they had little time, if they wanted to find Zen and Cristoff they had to do it fast before Hestor could get them too far...or do whatever it was he was planning… A glance at Cana showed her friend helping Xally, Lucy knew she was upset, miserable in fact, she'd woken up to an almost empty house and this chaos...and Cristoff gone, it wasn't fair, Cana looked more herself than she had since they had rescued her in Pergrand, she was getting better, and now this...Zen freshly saved from a lifetime of slavery only to be kidnapped….Cristoff struggling to recover from Cana rejecting their mating,...it was all so unfair, they had to get Zen and Cristoff back, they had to find them...