As soon as Alder had entered the building, she, as Commander Blake Cabot,
had been hailed by a page.
"Commander, sir, the Master Adept Aidan would like to see you," he squeaked. "Follow me, if you please."
Hellfires. a mage? He'll be able to see through my illusion if he is an Adept. Wait. Keren once taught me how to anchor the illusion in the Void, that empty space where Gates were formed. I'll have to re-make my illusion though. Alder started to panic at the lack of time and the trouble facing her.
Alder followed the page through many twisting hallways, and wondered how she would ever find her way back if she needed to. Alder followed the page upstairs, and finally they reached two large double doors plated in gold. The page nervously knocked on the doors, and stepped back. He turned and left Alder all alone in the hallway, to await whoever would open the door.
Thank whichever gods are watching over me. Alder thought as she tore down the illusion. She re-made it, and found an anchor in the Void quickly. She completed the spell, checked illusion for any mistakes. She found none.
A minute later, a body guard opened the door, and ushered her in. Inside, sitting behind a desk, was the most spine-chilling man she had ever seen. Tall, apparent even while he was sitting. Thin, his skin stretched over his bones tightly. Youthful, and yet old at the same time. He had long black hair tied back in a pony tail. His eyelid and cheek were scarred, and his eyes were blood red.
She knew she had found the Adept who had made the barrier. He Felt the same. Disgusting, filthy, and radiating the pain of others. And she could sense it deep within her, that one of those people was Avery. Anger welled inside her, so much that a thin red mist shrouded her eyes for a second before she regained her composure. She had outwardly made no sign of her anger, luckily. She held it in, stood with her arms behind her back, and waited for Aidan to speak.
"Commander, we have a new update on the plan. We have the girl Avery in our possession," the mage said coldly. Alder nodded, thinking it was the right thing to do.
Possession. She is a possession. Oh gods.
"And I would like to put you and your first squad down near her cell. We want to take extreme caution with her. I want all the guards on there that I can spare. And since today is a busy day. what with our getting the army troupes in from Daria, and our ransoming the girl. We can't spare many."
"Yes, sir."
"I'll have my personal servant bring you to the cell. Now be off," he said, motioning to his servant to take Alder out. She nodded, and left with the servant.
They went down many flights of stairs, and through many twisting hallways before they arrived in a dark hallway with red lanterns. There was a door at the end of the hallway with bars locking the entrance. "That's her cell, sir. Your instructions are to guard, make sure no one enters but Lord Master Aidan, you or your first squad," the servant said, and turned to leave.
Alder patrolled the hallways, looking for an escape. How could she smuggle Avery out of the holding without attracting attention. How would she ever pull it off? She could tell that she had to get out of here, soon. Avery's life force was fading slowly.
Commander Cabot's first squad arrived just as she was about to enter Avery's cell. There were only four men there. This must be an elite guard. "Sir!" a tall blonde saluted her. The badge on his shoulder signified that he was a Private.
"Hello, Private. Our assignment is to guard a hostage's cell. Make sure that no one enters but myself or Master Aidan," Alder said, not including that the squad was allowed to go in. She didn't want anyone to go in there but herself. She knew that guards in places like these had a tendency to take what they would of the hostage's body. She was terrified, and very worried for Avery's well being.
Alder kept pacing the hallway, and stationed the guard down the hall, and around the different stairwells. She tried to put them as far away from the cell as she could without being obvious about it.
As soon as she has most of them out of sight and earshot, she went to check the locks on the door. They were easily opened. They weren't worried that Avery would somehow open the door. that was a bad sign.
Alder opened the door, and slipped inside quietly. She closed the door behind her, and found that it was pitch black in the cell. The smell of the place was nauseating. Too many conflicting putrid scents pushed at her nose, and made her stomach try to rebel. She cast a mage light over her head, and choked back a sob at what she saw.
Avery, blank eyes glazed over, was staring off into space. She was naked, her clothes torn and bloody strewn across the floor. Her thighs were battered and bruised. Her whole body was covered in welts, and her hand was shattered and bloody. She sat propped up against the wall, her leg twisted underneath her. She didn't move at all.
Alder ran over to the motionless Avery, her mage-light flickering overhead. She fell to the floor next to Avery ungracefully, and tears splashed her cheeks. She ran a finger over Avery's bruised cheek, but Avery was still unmoving.
"Avery. it's Alder. I'm here with you. You are hurt. I'm going to get you back to Emelis, where they can Heal you. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. Please respond. please. everything is going to be all right," Alder whispered desperately, hoping for Avery to wake up out of her seeming slumber.
Tears rolled down Avery's cheeks, but she still didn't move. Her eyes never blinked, her body never twitched even through the pain she had to be feeling. Alder wiped the tears from Avery's cheeks. She closed Avery's eyes for her. She had the feeling that she was incapable of moving. that somehow Aidan had done this to her. The whole experience must have sent Avery into shock.
Alder sent out her presence into Avery's mind, hoping to find something there. :Avery?: she Mind-Sent, but received no answer. There was a barrier in Avery's mind that Alder could not pass, and it reeked of Aidan's magic.
Avery had inwardly cringed when the door had opened. She had feared the worst, that Aidan or his guards had come again to 'play' with her. The light had yet again blinded her, and when the spots had cleared from her eyes, she saw that her thoughts were justified. A tall man came in, and immediately formed an ice-blue mage light.
Ice-blue. that's the color of Alder's Mage-Gift. I wonder how she is dealing with all of this.
The man had seen her battered body, and had run over to her and slumped to the floor. Tears flooded the man's eyes, and he whimpered at the sight of such violence. The man had ran a finger down her cheek, and she was repulsed by the touch. The man seemed to mean her no harm, and seemed to have enough Empathy to be alarmed by her unshielded mind.
And then he had whispered to her, "Avery. it's Alder. I'm here with you. You are hurt. I'm going to get you back to Emelis, where they can Heal you. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. Please respond. please. everything is going to be all right."
And it had made sense. The ice-blue fire of Alder's Mage-Gift. the sound of her voice. Alder had to be using an illusion. That was the only way she would have been able to sneak into Tonnar. By using someone's image, and using that to get to her. She was here to rescue her.
Her conflicting emotions of relief and despair provoked the tears to come again. Relief, that Alder would take her out of here. That she would be safe from her tormentors. That she would be Healed and the pain in her body would leave her.
Despair, that as she felt Alder's presence in her mind, she knew that Alder couldn't break through the barrier that Aidan had created. That she might never be able to break it. That she would be living in the depths of her own mind for all of time.
Despair, that even as Alder brushed her tears away and closed her eyes, she cringed from her beloved's touch.
"Commander, sir, the Master Adept Aidan would like to see you," he squeaked. "Follow me, if you please."
Hellfires. a mage? He'll be able to see through my illusion if he is an Adept. Wait. Keren once taught me how to anchor the illusion in the Void, that empty space where Gates were formed. I'll have to re-make my illusion though. Alder started to panic at the lack of time and the trouble facing her.
Alder followed the page through many twisting hallways, and wondered how she would ever find her way back if she needed to. Alder followed the page upstairs, and finally they reached two large double doors plated in gold. The page nervously knocked on the doors, and stepped back. He turned and left Alder all alone in the hallway, to await whoever would open the door.
Thank whichever gods are watching over me. Alder thought as she tore down the illusion. She re-made it, and found an anchor in the Void quickly. She completed the spell, checked illusion for any mistakes. She found none.
A minute later, a body guard opened the door, and ushered her in. Inside, sitting behind a desk, was the most spine-chilling man she had ever seen. Tall, apparent even while he was sitting. Thin, his skin stretched over his bones tightly. Youthful, and yet old at the same time. He had long black hair tied back in a pony tail. His eyelid and cheek were scarred, and his eyes were blood red.
She knew she had found the Adept who had made the barrier. He Felt the same. Disgusting, filthy, and radiating the pain of others. And she could sense it deep within her, that one of those people was Avery. Anger welled inside her, so much that a thin red mist shrouded her eyes for a second before she regained her composure. She had outwardly made no sign of her anger, luckily. She held it in, stood with her arms behind her back, and waited for Aidan to speak.
"Commander, we have a new update on the plan. We have the girl Avery in our possession," the mage said coldly. Alder nodded, thinking it was the right thing to do.
Possession. She is a possession. Oh gods.
"And I would like to put you and your first squad down near her cell. We want to take extreme caution with her. I want all the guards on there that I can spare. And since today is a busy day. what with our getting the army troupes in from Daria, and our ransoming the girl. We can't spare many."
"Yes, sir."
"I'll have my personal servant bring you to the cell. Now be off," he said, motioning to his servant to take Alder out. She nodded, and left with the servant.
They went down many flights of stairs, and through many twisting hallways before they arrived in a dark hallway with red lanterns. There was a door at the end of the hallway with bars locking the entrance. "That's her cell, sir. Your instructions are to guard, make sure no one enters but Lord Master Aidan, you or your first squad," the servant said, and turned to leave.
Alder patrolled the hallways, looking for an escape. How could she smuggle Avery out of the holding without attracting attention. How would she ever pull it off? She could tell that she had to get out of here, soon. Avery's life force was fading slowly.
Commander Cabot's first squad arrived just as she was about to enter Avery's cell. There were only four men there. This must be an elite guard. "Sir!" a tall blonde saluted her. The badge on his shoulder signified that he was a Private.
"Hello, Private. Our assignment is to guard a hostage's cell. Make sure that no one enters but myself or Master Aidan," Alder said, not including that the squad was allowed to go in. She didn't want anyone to go in there but herself. She knew that guards in places like these had a tendency to take what they would of the hostage's body. She was terrified, and very worried for Avery's well being.
Alder kept pacing the hallway, and stationed the guard down the hall, and around the different stairwells. She tried to put them as far away from the cell as she could without being obvious about it.
As soon as she has most of them out of sight and earshot, she went to check the locks on the door. They were easily opened. They weren't worried that Avery would somehow open the door. that was a bad sign.
Alder opened the door, and slipped inside quietly. She closed the door behind her, and found that it was pitch black in the cell. The smell of the place was nauseating. Too many conflicting putrid scents pushed at her nose, and made her stomach try to rebel. She cast a mage light over her head, and choked back a sob at what she saw.
Avery, blank eyes glazed over, was staring off into space. She was naked, her clothes torn and bloody strewn across the floor. Her thighs were battered and bruised. Her whole body was covered in welts, and her hand was shattered and bloody. She sat propped up against the wall, her leg twisted underneath her. She didn't move at all.
Alder ran over to the motionless Avery, her mage-light flickering overhead. She fell to the floor next to Avery ungracefully, and tears splashed her cheeks. She ran a finger over Avery's bruised cheek, but Avery was still unmoving.
"Avery. it's Alder. I'm here with you. You are hurt. I'm going to get you back to Emelis, where they can Heal you. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. Please respond. please. everything is going to be all right," Alder whispered desperately, hoping for Avery to wake up out of her seeming slumber.
Tears rolled down Avery's cheeks, but she still didn't move. Her eyes never blinked, her body never twitched even through the pain she had to be feeling. Alder wiped the tears from Avery's cheeks. She closed Avery's eyes for her. She had the feeling that she was incapable of moving. that somehow Aidan had done this to her. The whole experience must have sent Avery into shock.
Alder sent out her presence into Avery's mind, hoping to find something there. :Avery?: she Mind-Sent, but received no answer. There was a barrier in Avery's mind that Alder could not pass, and it reeked of Aidan's magic.
Avery had inwardly cringed when the door had opened. She had feared the worst, that Aidan or his guards had come again to 'play' with her. The light had yet again blinded her, and when the spots had cleared from her eyes, she saw that her thoughts were justified. A tall man came in, and immediately formed an ice-blue mage light.
Ice-blue. that's the color of Alder's Mage-Gift. I wonder how she is dealing with all of this.
The man had seen her battered body, and had run over to her and slumped to the floor. Tears flooded the man's eyes, and he whimpered at the sight of such violence. The man had ran a finger down her cheek, and she was repulsed by the touch. The man seemed to mean her no harm, and seemed to have enough Empathy to be alarmed by her unshielded mind.
And then he had whispered to her, "Avery. it's Alder. I'm here with you. You are hurt. I'm going to get you back to Emelis, where they can Heal you. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. Please respond. please. everything is going to be all right."
And it had made sense. The ice-blue fire of Alder's Mage-Gift. the sound of her voice. Alder had to be using an illusion. That was the only way she would have been able to sneak into Tonnar. By using someone's image, and using that to get to her. She was here to rescue her.
Her conflicting emotions of relief and despair provoked the tears to come again. Relief, that Alder would take her out of here. That she would be safe from her tormentors. That she would be Healed and the pain in her body would leave her.
Despair, that as she felt Alder's presence in her mind, she knew that Alder couldn't break through the barrier that Aidan had created. That she might never be able to break it. That she would be living in the depths of her own mind for all of time.
Despair, that even as Alder brushed her tears away and closed her eyes, she cringed from her beloved's touch.