Enraged, Alder sharpened a bolt and sent it at the barrier. It was
deflected, and the reflected lightening bolt shattered a tree below her in
the orchard. Keren pushed her legs from under her, and caught her as she
fell backwards. Keren put Alder on the bed, and put her hand on Alder's
forehead. As Alder protested, Keren put the sleeping spell on her.
:Damon, wake up. Come to Avery's room. Now.: Keren Sent. When Damon arrived, his expression of bleary confusion turned into a shocked expression of horror.
"Where's Avery? What happened to Alder?" he demanded.
"Avery has been kidnapped. Alder has gone into a mad rage. I had to put her under a sleeping spell so that she wouldn't kill herself or every person here in Emelis. She is in a stake of shock."
"What induced the state of shock?"
"Lifebond," Keren said shortly.
"That explains a lot. What are we going to do? She will be very mad if we leave her unconscious for long."
"There is a shield around all of Emelis. Very physical. She sent a bolt but it was reflected. We are all going to have to go to the border, and do something about the shield. To do that, we'll need to wake her up," Keren said, and sighed. She put her hand back to Alder's forehead, and removed the spell. Alder blinked several times, and her eyes regained their focus.
"You put me to sleep. Damn you. Let's GO. We're losing time," Alder said impatiently, and jumped up and rushed to the door. It was all Keren and Damon could do to keep up with Alder. Alder quickly saddled Kai, and mounted up. "Let's go," she said stiffly, and the others quickly mounted up.
As soon as they were on their horses, Alder urged Kai into a canter. :Keep up or I'll leave you behind!: Alder threatened them.
:What love can make people do!: Keren Sent at Alder, who sent back a mental growl. As they reached the border, it became more and more apparent that the shield blocking their path was extremely powerful. "This could not have been constructed by one Adept alone," Keren stated.
"Unless they were a powerful blood-path Adept. They can hold amazing amounts of power," Damon said gravely.
"Knowing what we've heard of the Tonnar renegades, they're ruthless and bound to resort to blood-path magic. Be prepared for the worst!" Keren said, as they rounded a corner. What they saw made them stop in their tracks. In front of them was a visible shield, as high as Alder could see upwards. What disturbed her the most was the magic that bound it was blood red, with black sparks. The magic radiated terror, pain, and utmost filth.
"Blood magic," Damon whispered, reaching a hand towards the barrier.
"Don't touch it!" Keren yelped, but it was too late. Damon was flung backwards, unconscious.
"Will he be okay?"
"Yes, when he comes to," Keren said.
"There's nothing we can do about him?" Alder asked.
"No. Blood magic shock has to run its own course. We need to break this shield." Alder invoked Mage-Sight, and looked for any weakness in the shield. The shield was flawless. She melded her magic into a thin needle of power, and sent it at the shield. The shield rippled, but reflected the bolt. It singed the grass as it passed by. Alder studied the shield's reaction to her bolt. The place on the shield where Alder struck wasn't considerably weaker than any other point on the barrier. It seemed that when it struck, the barrier as a whole weakened, but there was a lot of power behind it.
"The only way to break this barrier will be with all of your power. All of it. I'm afraid the amount of power it will take will leave the person who broke the shield unconscious. The backlash will be horrible," Keren said.
"How many mages are there in Emelis?"
"Not many. Us, and some hedge-witches."
"Who will break this thing? I guess I have to. I don't have as much magical experience as you." Alder said, disturbed.
"To break into Tonnar's holding you'll have to become invisible. I can't hold the spell for more than five minutes."
"Then you'll let me go? Please. I need to see her as soon as possible. I have to know if she's all right. I can stay invisible. I'm fifteen now. And I can deal with the consequences."
Keren heaved a tremendous sigh. "You're the best for the job. Be careful. Don't let emotion render you senseless. And don't stay around once I've blown the shield. Damon and I will be fine. God-speed, Alder," and with that, Keren raised her arms and with all her power blasted the shield to shards, exploding in a mass cloud of blood- colored mist.
Damned Tonnar. They can't ever find me here. Avery blinked through the darkness, but couldn't see a thing. She had waken up here. The cell smelled of mold and stale urine, and it was all Avery could do to hold in the vomit that begged to come out. She had tried to make a Mage- Light to see where she was, but found that all of her Mage-Senses had been locked within her own mind.
All that Avery remembered of the kidnap was waking up to find a knife at her throat, and someone smothering a cloth over her mouth, and becoming dizzy. She had blacked out, and woken up here. She knew what would happen to her. When she had still lived at Emelis, she had heard many horror stories of what happened in Tonnar. She was in such a state of terror that a strange sense of calm washed over her. What would happen to her was inevitable. She was helpless: her magic locked and dormant, locked in a filthy cell that made her stomach heave. For all she knew she might not even be IN Tonnar's main holding.
Her chain of thought was interrupted by the creaking of the cell's sole door. Light flooded her cell, temporarily blinding Avery as her eyes adjusted.
"Welcome to Tonnar," came a masculine and icy voice, as the body that carried the voice came into the light, again obscuring her view. "I will be your host for your stay here. I understand that you are Avery? But names aren't important. A personality makes a person, not a name. And yet," he stopped to muse, I understand you are vile by nature," he said.
Avery sat mute, unable to say anything. As her pupils contracted and adjusted, she was entranced by the image of her captor. He was unearthly tall, and had midnight hair longer than her own. His cheeks were gaunt, the skin tight on his frame like canvas. It was extremely pale. But what really made his appearance unique, and chilling, were his scarlet eyes. They seemed to radiate pain and death, but certainly not his own. Blood-Path mage. Hellfires. he'll have a great amount of power at his disposal. He also had a scar traced over his eyelid and onto his cheek.
Only once in her short fifteen years alive had she encountered a blood- path mage. One thing was for certain, they were all reputed to be extremely power hungry, and would go to no end to attain power, thus resulting in blood-path magic. Blood path mages used pain and death to attain the life force of the victim, adding to their power resources.
Avery diverted her eyes as the mage's appearance sent a chill down her spine. There was no doubt about it, the man was irresistibly beautiful. If she weren't listern, she'd probably be paralyzed with his image, and sucked into endless servitude.
"Are you attracted to me, Avery?" the mage drawled. Avery didn't want him knowing any more information about her. The more he knew, the more he could use against her. So she played along with it.
"Oh, great mage! I worship the image of such beauty and power," Avery replied, trying not to grind her teeth. She had tried her best to be enthusiastic, but apparently she failed.
"Bullshit. You are lying through your teeth. I can read it in your thoughts. Your shields have been disabled. Now, here at TONNAR, we teach honesty. I'll be your teacher today. You can call me Master Aidan. Or just 'Master', whatever you prefer. Now, are you attracted to me?" he asked icily.
"I-" she started, but was numbed by fear.
"If we won't be cooperating, we'll just have to jump into the first lesson. Answer my questions. Obey me."
"I-" she started again. Then she felt the Mage-Energies seep into her unshielded mind. The red energies seized her nerves abruptly and forced her to speak. "Yes, Master," she heard herself say.
"Might as well answer me. I don't think you enjoy my coercion spells," he said idly.
"No. I am not attracted to you."
"And why not?" he asked.
"I-," Avery did not want him to know she was listern. Tonnar was reputed to be very prejudiced against them. At Court, there were stories about a young listern boy who was born in Tonnar, and the ending wasn't pretty. Once the town found out, he was taken into the center of the village where they humiliated him And then they stoned him to death. Happy thoughts.
"That is the third time you have not answered me, you insolent brat! Here at Tonnar, we teach lessons that STICK," Aidan said menacingly, as he raised his arm against her.
:Damon, wake up. Come to Avery's room. Now.: Keren Sent. When Damon arrived, his expression of bleary confusion turned into a shocked expression of horror.
"Where's Avery? What happened to Alder?" he demanded.
"Avery has been kidnapped. Alder has gone into a mad rage. I had to put her under a sleeping spell so that she wouldn't kill herself or every person here in Emelis. She is in a stake of shock."
"What induced the state of shock?"
"Lifebond," Keren said shortly.
"That explains a lot. What are we going to do? She will be very mad if we leave her unconscious for long."
"There is a shield around all of Emelis. Very physical. She sent a bolt but it was reflected. We are all going to have to go to the border, and do something about the shield. To do that, we'll need to wake her up," Keren said, and sighed. She put her hand back to Alder's forehead, and removed the spell. Alder blinked several times, and her eyes regained their focus.
"You put me to sleep. Damn you. Let's GO. We're losing time," Alder said impatiently, and jumped up and rushed to the door. It was all Keren and Damon could do to keep up with Alder. Alder quickly saddled Kai, and mounted up. "Let's go," she said stiffly, and the others quickly mounted up.
As soon as they were on their horses, Alder urged Kai into a canter. :Keep up or I'll leave you behind!: Alder threatened them.
:What love can make people do!: Keren Sent at Alder, who sent back a mental growl. As they reached the border, it became more and more apparent that the shield blocking their path was extremely powerful. "This could not have been constructed by one Adept alone," Keren stated.
"Unless they were a powerful blood-path Adept. They can hold amazing amounts of power," Damon said gravely.
"Knowing what we've heard of the Tonnar renegades, they're ruthless and bound to resort to blood-path magic. Be prepared for the worst!" Keren said, as they rounded a corner. What they saw made them stop in their tracks. In front of them was a visible shield, as high as Alder could see upwards. What disturbed her the most was the magic that bound it was blood red, with black sparks. The magic radiated terror, pain, and utmost filth.
"Blood magic," Damon whispered, reaching a hand towards the barrier.
"Don't touch it!" Keren yelped, but it was too late. Damon was flung backwards, unconscious.
"Will he be okay?"
"Yes, when he comes to," Keren said.
"There's nothing we can do about him?" Alder asked.
"No. Blood magic shock has to run its own course. We need to break this shield." Alder invoked Mage-Sight, and looked for any weakness in the shield. The shield was flawless. She melded her magic into a thin needle of power, and sent it at the shield. The shield rippled, but reflected the bolt. It singed the grass as it passed by. Alder studied the shield's reaction to her bolt. The place on the shield where Alder struck wasn't considerably weaker than any other point on the barrier. It seemed that when it struck, the barrier as a whole weakened, but there was a lot of power behind it.
"The only way to break this barrier will be with all of your power. All of it. I'm afraid the amount of power it will take will leave the person who broke the shield unconscious. The backlash will be horrible," Keren said.
"How many mages are there in Emelis?"
"Not many. Us, and some hedge-witches."
"Who will break this thing? I guess I have to. I don't have as much magical experience as you." Alder said, disturbed.
"To break into Tonnar's holding you'll have to become invisible. I can't hold the spell for more than five minutes."
"Then you'll let me go? Please. I need to see her as soon as possible. I have to know if she's all right. I can stay invisible. I'm fifteen now. And I can deal with the consequences."
Keren heaved a tremendous sigh. "You're the best for the job. Be careful. Don't let emotion render you senseless. And don't stay around once I've blown the shield. Damon and I will be fine. God-speed, Alder," and with that, Keren raised her arms and with all her power blasted the shield to shards, exploding in a mass cloud of blood- colored mist.
Damned Tonnar. They can't ever find me here. Avery blinked through the darkness, but couldn't see a thing. She had waken up here. The cell smelled of mold and stale urine, and it was all Avery could do to hold in the vomit that begged to come out. She had tried to make a Mage- Light to see where she was, but found that all of her Mage-Senses had been locked within her own mind.
All that Avery remembered of the kidnap was waking up to find a knife at her throat, and someone smothering a cloth over her mouth, and becoming dizzy. She had blacked out, and woken up here. She knew what would happen to her. When she had still lived at Emelis, she had heard many horror stories of what happened in Tonnar. She was in such a state of terror that a strange sense of calm washed over her. What would happen to her was inevitable. She was helpless: her magic locked and dormant, locked in a filthy cell that made her stomach heave. For all she knew she might not even be IN Tonnar's main holding.
Her chain of thought was interrupted by the creaking of the cell's sole door. Light flooded her cell, temporarily blinding Avery as her eyes adjusted.
"Welcome to Tonnar," came a masculine and icy voice, as the body that carried the voice came into the light, again obscuring her view. "I will be your host for your stay here. I understand that you are Avery? But names aren't important. A personality makes a person, not a name. And yet," he stopped to muse, I understand you are vile by nature," he said.
Avery sat mute, unable to say anything. As her pupils contracted and adjusted, she was entranced by the image of her captor. He was unearthly tall, and had midnight hair longer than her own. His cheeks were gaunt, the skin tight on his frame like canvas. It was extremely pale. But what really made his appearance unique, and chilling, were his scarlet eyes. They seemed to radiate pain and death, but certainly not his own. Blood-Path mage. Hellfires. he'll have a great amount of power at his disposal. He also had a scar traced over his eyelid and onto his cheek.
Only once in her short fifteen years alive had she encountered a blood- path mage. One thing was for certain, they were all reputed to be extremely power hungry, and would go to no end to attain power, thus resulting in blood-path magic. Blood path mages used pain and death to attain the life force of the victim, adding to their power resources.
Avery diverted her eyes as the mage's appearance sent a chill down her spine. There was no doubt about it, the man was irresistibly beautiful. If she weren't listern, she'd probably be paralyzed with his image, and sucked into endless servitude.
"Are you attracted to me, Avery?" the mage drawled. Avery didn't want him knowing any more information about her. The more he knew, the more he could use against her. So she played along with it.
"Oh, great mage! I worship the image of such beauty and power," Avery replied, trying not to grind her teeth. She had tried her best to be enthusiastic, but apparently she failed.
"Bullshit. You are lying through your teeth. I can read it in your thoughts. Your shields have been disabled. Now, here at TONNAR, we teach honesty. I'll be your teacher today. You can call me Master Aidan. Or just 'Master', whatever you prefer. Now, are you attracted to me?" he asked icily.
"I-" she started, but was numbed by fear.
"If we won't be cooperating, we'll just have to jump into the first lesson. Answer my questions. Obey me."
"I-" she started again. Then she felt the Mage-Energies seep into her unshielded mind. The red energies seized her nerves abruptly and forced her to speak. "Yes, Master," she heard herself say.
"Might as well answer me. I don't think you enjoy my coercion spells," he said idly.
"No. I am not attracted to you."
"And why not?" he asked.
"I-," Avery did not want him to know she was listern. Tonnar was reputed to be very prejudiced against them. At Court, there were stories about a young listern boy who was born in Tonnar, and the ending wasn't pretty. Once the town found out, he was taken into the center of the village where they humiliated him And then they stoned him to death. Happy thoughts.
"That is the third time you have not answered me, you insolent brat! Here at Tonnar, we teach lessons that STICK," Aidan said menacingly, as he raised his arm against her.