Disclaimer: Like I said before, Thom, Alanna, George, their family, and Pirate's Swoop do not belong to me.
A/N: My word, I haven't written in a long time. School is a killer, you guys! Worse than writer's block for a story. Sorry that this chapter has taken so long. I'm only able to write today because there is no school!!
Lady of the Shadows: Thanks! I'm glad that you like the idea! Hopefully, it all works out.
Alexandra the Great: Of course I can handle three at once. I love making my life as stressful as possible. Thanks so much for R&R!!
Blank Person: Thank you.
A/N: Oh, and the point of view changes, but I think that you'll be able to tell when.
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Weary and sore, Aliah kept a careful eye on the man across from her.
"Give it up, little one. You can never win." His grin was as mocking as ever. Two spheres of power danced with excitement above his outstretched hands. But they were weaker than before; his power was waning and growing dim.
Aliah smiled grimly and shook her head. "No, Tamo Delvin, it is you who will loose. For I have already defeated all of your men. Surely I can beat you as well." Her voice was confident, but her thoughts were not. Delvin was weakening, but so was she.
Delvin launched a sphere of power at her head. Aliah dodged sluggishly out of the way and countered with a white ball of her own. Delvin stepped aside and it flew past him to crash into the grass hill.
The tamo's next attack was faster than she expected it to be; three more spheres were thrown in quick succession. Two of them Aliah managed to dodge, but her tired body simply wouldn't move as fast as she wished, and the third sphere hit her in the leg, sending a sharp jolt through her body. Aliah bit her lip and barely kept herself from stumbling. Ignore the pain. The sphere had been weak, though; he was low on strength. Even now, the tamo's breath was coming in short gasps.
And yet, he continued to act as though his triumph was guaranteed.
"Admit defeat!" he cried. "I will win! Even now, your powers are dimming. Any longer, and you'll begin to draw from your life force. By my hand or my own, Aliah, you will be dead."
Aliah snarled, a white globe flashing into existence above her outstretched hands. "Never, Tamo Delvin," she growled. But she was afraid. Her powers were new, and she didn't know how to use them or what to expect. She was acting by instinct and reflex; how long could that last? And she was tired, so achingly tired…
Angry at her own fears, Aliah launched the bright sphere of light at her enemy, who barely managed to jump out of the way.
Again, a white sphere appeared above her hand, but it was smaller this time, and dimmer. She threw it forcefully in the tamo's direction, but again Delvin dodged. Desperate now, Aliah created globe after globe, each one a bit smaller than the last one, each one a little dimmer and less powerful. Delvin ducked from some, blocked others, but he made no attack on her. He seemed to be waiting for her to just drop dead on her own.
If that's it, he won't have very long to wait. She was working on pure will-power now.
Holding her hand out, she started to create another sphere. But the strange tingly feeling that usually accompanied the spheres didn't race through her body. Aliah stared at her empty hand in shock and tried again.
Nothing.
Nearly frantic now, Aliah shook her hand in a useless attempt to employ any power. Looking up, she met Delvin's glittering black eyes and gulped at the look of ultimate madness she found there.
He brought his hands up before him.
* * * * * * *
Whistling brightly in the early dawn light, Thom Cooper led his dappled steed on a meandering course over the dew-laden grass. On account of neglecting to tell his parents that he was coming for a visit, he was under no time constraints and was therefore determined to enjoy his journey.
But a strange white light about a mile up ahead made the whistle die on his lips. Thom pulled his horse to a stop and as he did so, flashes of dark-brown light rose up to clash with the white.
Curious, Thom spurred his horse into a gallop and ran towards the large hill. Within moments he was staring in shock at the scene that had spread before him.
Broken bodies of more than half a dozen men lay below, tangled in swords or horses or each other. Their clothing was unfamiliar, and their skin darkly tanned, and for a moment Thom wondered where they had come from.
But his attention was quickly drawn away from them to the far more arresting pair of living who circled each other warily amongst the dead.
The man was tall and dark, dressed in heavy robes of brown. The maniacal grin that flitted across his face was visible to Thom even from his distant perch upon the hilltop. His hands glowed brown as he directed his grin at the girl in front of him.
It was the girl that caught Thom's eye and kept it.
She was small and slim, deeply tan and dressed in what appeared to be a nightdress. Her face was tired and determined and scared. And she glowed. Her whole body seemed to be emitting a light that would have been blinding if it had been any brighter.
The man in front of her spoke in a language that was completely unfamiliar to Thom. A look of utter defeat flooded the girl's face, and Thom's heart lurched.
Light…
He'd always been a sucker for a pretty girl. Jumping off of his horse, he began to gather his magic.
* * * * * * *
Time slowed and the world was reduced to an unrealistic haze. A haze where nothing existed except madness and Tamo Delvin's glowing hands.
Numbly, she watched as his hands slowly spread apart, a ball of sparkling magic growing between them.
Something screamed inside her. Run!
But her exhausted body made no attempt to flee. Aliah stood there, frozen, feeling…nothing. She was too tired to care anymore… With a flick of his wrist, Delvin released the sphere of magic.
It rushed at her, larger than she expected it to be, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the moment when it would hit her, preparing herself for the pain that she would no doubt feel. Oh, Papa, I'm so sorry…
But nothing happened.
Nothing happened. Aliah didn't even feel relief; she just stood there with her eyes closed. Wondering what was taking so long…slowly, she opened one eye to take a peek.
Delvin stood in front of her, his hands raised, and his eyes flashing with crazed anger. It took Aliah a moment to realize that the tamo wasn't looking at her.
Opening her other eye, Aliah followed Delvin's gaze to the top of the nearby grassy hill, where a figure stood. It was a boy- a tall, powerful looking young man.
With hands that glowed green.
"Go away, boy!" Delvin shouted angrily. He waved his hands as if to banish the intruder. "This is none of your business!" His voice was hoarse and raspy.
The boy shrugged. "I know."
With a raw scream of anger, Delvin lifted his hands. A sphere formed quickly between them. With another shout, he launched it at the stranger. Confident that he had suitably taken care of the intruder, Delving turned back to Aliah. Not smart… "Now for you, my dear!" he cackled. Once again his hands glowed.
But Aliah wasn't watching the crazed tamo; instead, her eyes were on the boy with the green powers…He had thrown up a wall of green power. A shield.
Aliah watched as the sphere ricocheted off the boy's shield, and she smiled.
The sphere had ricocheted, all right. Straight back to Delvin. With a bright flash, the globe flew into him.
No, not very smart at all, Tamo Delvin.
"No!" His voice cracked with pain; his legs buckled under the force of the blow and he fell to his knees, breathing heavily. "I'm not finished with you, karaleva!" He laughed then, a feral, crazed laugh, and flicked his wrists in Aliah's direction.
Her amusement faded as the bolt of light shot through her.
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A/N: I changed the color of Thom's gift from purple to green, because Crazy told me to.
Hope that you liked it!