There are two rings. (that's an answer to the: how many rings are there question). If there are two rings, why could Roald die?
*tries to think of a way to make this answer simple* well, Roald used to be immortal because the ring made him so. But the ring wasn't always powerful enough to do that. (or else, the mage who had first had the ring would have never died and Roald would never had gotten the ring). Because Roald is now in the past, his ring has been reduced in power to the amount of power it would have had at that moment. (so his and the mage's ring are equal in strength). I hope that explanation wasn't as confusing as I think it is…
So all of that was a dream?
Yep, except for when Kaprice wakes up…
If the gods got in the way of her first true love why would they go so far to save this one?
Because they need Kaprice to do the job they want her to do. Ryker stood in the way of her running away and separating herself from the tribes. They had to separate the two of them, or Kaprice would never have been willing to do what the gods asked of her. I mean, she finally gets a guy who she cares about and who cares about her, and the gods want her to go back into the past to change the future? If she was with Ryker, she might have been too happy with the future to change it. And the gods had to save Roald, because without him, Kaprice didn't want to do her job anymore. She had gotten over one guy, but doing so with another so soon after the first would be a bit more difficult. So it wasn't that the gods preferred one guy over the other, or that they thought that one would be better for her than the other. It was because they needed Kaprice to do her job and couldn't allow for things/others to stand in the way.
Since its in the future and really the gods haven't been like distrusted do the still have all there powers
Even after giving Kaprice the majority of their powers, they gods still had a little left (they're not that generous). They didn't have enough to send Kaprice into the past again themselves, but to show her how to do it herself.
If one ring is destroyed, will that be enough to stop the Devastation? Or do both need to be destroyed?
Destroying one will do the job.
So the mousey haired man is a new character? And he's the mage responsible for the Devastation?
Yes. Yes.
And why did he run away from her in the forest? Was he afraid of her?
Afraid? More liked shocked and embarrassed. I sure wouldn't want to be caught in that sort of situation.
If everyone except Roald died, how did the tribes get there?
There are always those lucky people who somehow find a way to survive (an abnormally tall mountain, an underground cave, etc.) just think of how annoying it is to get rid of ants. No matter how many times you spray them with insecticide, they always come back. They always do and always will. Hmmm…don't ask me why I'm comparing us to ants…
How many chapters until the end?
I'm not quite sure yet, but I'm thinking…uhm…I'll end at about chapter 28 or 29. Yep, folks, this story is drawing to a close.
25. The Pain of Laughter
The night was approaching, and all too soon, too.
It was the first time that day that she had been able to get a little time for herself. After a quiet nap, she had awakened to tell the others about her dream. After she had finished, she had hung out with the others, getting to know them. And then they had sent her away with the orders of getting some more rest.
And at the moment, another nap sounded very appealing, for the simple telling of her nightmare had drained a lot of energy from her.
But she had work to do. She couldn't think of getting more rest now.
Not when she had so nearly ruined everything.
Roald had been right. After the initial disaster with Alanna, she had felt more welcomed here than she had ever felt at home. Alanna awed Kaprice with her sword fighting skills as much as with her temper. Numair mused on about magic, going lengths Kaprice would never have considered. Daine had introduced her to many of the wonderful creatures living in the forest. Evin made her laugh while Thorn grew another one of her precious seeds for her.
And although they weren't quite the best of friends yet, Kaprice had spent some time with Kel, Dom, and another young knight by the name of Neal.
And Roald…
Kaprice grimly clutched the sword that she had sheathed at her side and ducked out of the encampment. The breeches and simple shirt that she had changed into made slinking around the trees a lot easier than it would have been in her desert robe.
Keeping herself parallel to the encampment but out of sight, Kaprice headed toward Demon's Hill.
She knew where she was going. Or, at least, she hoped she did.
She wasn't as worried about where she was going as she was about not being sighted.
The others mustn't see me. Or they won't let me go. They won't let me try to fix my mistake.
And she had to.
Once she got to the edge of the forest that bordered the bottom of Demon's Hill, she carefully glanced around.
No, this isn't it. This isn't the right place.
She turned to her right and quietly started walking again, keeping herself in the edge of the forest and glancing about warily.
And then she found the section of forest that was familiar.
This is it. The part of the forest that I had seen the mage hide in during my dream.
Being even more careful of her movements now, she quietly continued to walk into the forest. Since she had not seen the mage at the outer edge of the forest by Demon's Hill, she would need to go deeper.
After several minutes of walking, she finally came across something interesting.
A small tent and a still smoldering campfire. There was also a horse with several saddle bags beside it.
And all of what she saw was inside a glittering yellow dome. A protective circle, Roald had called it.
So this is where the mage has been residing.
Kaprice kept herself to the shadows and waited, hands clenched at her sides nervously.
As the last rays of the sun flashed across the dark sky, the mage appeared from inside his tent. Her waiting had paid off. She wasn't quite sure which she felt more: relief or fear.
When Kaprice saw him, a cold shiver ran down her spine.
He must die. This mage must die.
His death would bring her one step closer to stopping the Devastation.
Of course, he had also died in the past even without her interference. That had not been the problem. Where the others had gone wrong was when they had continued to funnel their power into Demon's Hill.
She had stopped them from continuing that. So there was one hurtle down.
But the mage still needed to die. For he was the one calling the specters from inside the fiery pit every night.
In the past, the mage had died from Alanna's hand.
And that was Kaprice's mistake.
When she had first arrived, she had tackled Alanna down in her efforts to stop Alanna from using her magic. But Alanna had gotten too close to the pit. And so, she had injured her ankle.
And because of that injured ankle, Alanna was in no shape to fight.
Even though her sword skill was superior to the mage's, her ankle made a battle between them lean to the mage's advantage.
Kaprice should have stopped to think about her actions before she had tackled Alanna. She had made a mistake, a stupid, stupid mistake.
And she could only hope that it wouldn't be fatal. For herself.
Because, since Alanna couldn't kill the mage, Kaprice was going to.
Or, at least, try to anyway.
Come on…come on…
As if hearing Kaprice's thoughts, the mage stepped out of his protective circle.
And made himself accessible.
Kaprice leapt forward, her sword drawn and poised in front of her.
The mage saw her a moment too soon, and he was able to duck away from her slash.
He drew his sword, and they circled one another, eyes wary.
"How can you see me?" he suddenly asked her.
It was then that Kaprice noticed the yellow streaks of power that hovered over his body. He must have been using his power to make himself invisible.
"No magic is hidden from me," she said through clenched teeth.
His brown eyes narrowed as he suddenly swung his sword at her. "You are the maiden I saw in the forest the other day. Who are you?"
Kaprice ducked and swung her own sword. "My name is Kaprice. I am not from around here."
He blocked her attack and brought his own sword dangerously close to Kaprice's head. "I should have killed you when I had the chance."
Had the chance? You were the one who was running away!
She slashed at him angrily, but she only managed a shallow cut to his forearm.
There was a sudden rustle in the trees behind her.
The mage flashed his teeth at her in a feral, animalistic manner. "They're here."
"Who's here-"
Kaprice's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach.
Three specters broke out of the forest and started to head towards her.
From the corner of her eye, she saw something silver glinting at her.
She scrambled back, but the sword was too quick: it cut a deep wound in her arm just below her shoulder. Luckily, it was her left arm and not her right.
But it still hurt like hell.
The mage laughed his insane cackle; just hearing it made her wince.
"I would have really liked to kill you myself," she heard him say, "but I think it'd be more fun to watch and hear you scream with pain when they finally reach you."
She would have really liked to turn around and bash him over the head with something painful, but the specters were closing in. She had to give them her full attention.
The moment one was close enough, she struck out with her sword and cut one of its hands off. The sword hilt grew warm in her hands, but luckily it didn't start melting.
There's too many. I could have fought against one and, if I was lucky, two, but not three. Not three…
"Stop."
The mage turned his head, "Say, what?"
"Stop," the voice commanded again.
And the specters stopped. Taking advantage of the moment, Kaprice reached out and cut off another specter's hand.
The mage frowned, "What's going on here. Why are you stopping? Kill her!"
The specters started to reach for her again.
"Stop!" the voice said again, strained this time.
Wait, I know that voice…
Roald stepped out from the shadows and grimly faced the mage.
"How are you… You can't command them! Only I can!"
"You command them through your ring. As I do." Roald held up a hand. The ring on it glittered.
"No! That's not possible! How can you have that… The one on my hand is the only one…"
"It isn't anymore." Roald's hands were clenched at his side. The tension on his face was obvious. It was a great strain for him to try to control the specters.
But the mage was also showing the strain. "Kill her! Kill them!" His rang out at an unusually high pitch.
The specters fluttered together, uncertain and confused.
Kaprice once again pressed forward: she swung again at one of the already injured specters.
Then, to her surprise, she saw Dom step out of the shadows and aid her, expertly cutting down yet another specter.
And from the corner of her eye, Kaprice saw Thorn sneak up behind the mage, her unusual staff raised high.
The mage staggered to the floor, knocked off his feet by Thorn's hit to the back of his head. Kaprice saw blood starting to spill from where the staff's thorns had connected. Strangely enough, he was still conscious.
He bared his teeth at the four of them. "Idiots," he spat. "You may have gotten rid of me, but you--"
"We haven't gotten rid of Demon's Hill," Kaprice finished. "I know, I know."
He glowered at her.
She stepped closer to him. "Tell me, how do we get rid of Demon's Hill?"
He lifted his head, and for a moment, she thought that he was about to answer her question.
But then he started to laugh. And laugh.
He laughed his crazy cackle, the cackle that echoed painfully through her head now as it had in her dream.
The mage's head suddenly went flying.
Kaprice, one hand still covering one of her ears, dropped her bloody sword. She could still hear his evil laughter in her head.
Suddenly, she realized what it was that she had just done. Her eyes widened with horror.
"Gods," she murmured. His laughter had been so horrible; she had actually cut off the mage's head.
A tangible silence floated in the air.
Suddenly, the wind shifted, and Kaprice realized that the only thing left of the mage was his ashes. And his ring.
She reached out desperately, wanting to grab it, but it disappeared right before she wrapped her fingers around it.
"Where could it have gone?" Dom asked softly.
Kaprice glanced at Roald.
Roald was busy studying the ring that was still on his hand. He reached up with his other hand and gave it a firm tug.
It stayed right where it was.
Roald closed his eyes for a moment. Then he opened them and glanced at her grimly.
"We'll have to ask Alanna to contact the castle. She'll have to ask King Jonathan to check if his son is suddenly sporting any new pieces of jewelry."
~*~*~*~
"It's deep and it'll hurt for awhile, but considering the fact that he could have taken your whole arm off if his swung had been aimed the right way, you got lucky."
"Kaprice, what were you thinking, going out there on your own?"
Kaprice flushed under the pointed glares that both Neal, acting as a healer, and Roald were giving her.
"I'm…sorry?" she offered with a wince.
"Sorry?" Roald cried out incredulously. "That's all you can say? You nearly died out there! Why didn't you tell one of the others?"
"I didn't want to risk anyone else getting killed needlessly." Roald's glare only grew more pointed. "Besides, everyone was already busy with preparing for the coming night," she added quickly.
"Oh, let up, Roald. Just be thankful that she's still alive," Dom said lightly.
Kaprice sent him a thankful side-long glance. He winked back at her.
"Where did you get that sword you were using, Kaprice?" Dom asked, smoothly changing the subject.
She wished he had changed it to another. "I…er…found it."
Neal raised an eyebrow. "Found it?"
"Yes. It was just lying there, unused, so I…"
"You stole it," Roald finished. He shook his head, but Kaprice saw the corners of his mouth draw up into a silent chuckle.
Neal laughed and Dom's eyes glittered with mirth.
"Well, then," Kel said suddenly; she had approached them earlier and had been listening to their conversation quietly. She was hiding her grin behind a hand. "We better get the sword cleaned and return it to where you 'found' it, before the owner finds out that its been missing."
~*~*~*~
Keladry of Mindelan
About a third of the knights and half of the riders had left camp. Kaprice said that the specters were gone, since Roald was now in control of the ring, but nobody wanted to risk it. What would happen if the specters were some how able to obtain control over themselves and were able to run free?
Kel had seen what those specters could do. She had actually come close to being another one of their victims, but Kaprice had interceded.
Thank the gods for sending her.
She had also been told of Kaprice's dream. The flooding of fire and sand. Absolute destruction.
"He's changed."
"Understandably," Kel said to Neal quietly in response. She didn't turn and face him: she didn't want to see his usually so cheerful green eyes filled with bleak helplessness.
"It's strange, seeing him this way," Neal said softly.
Kel watched Roald from beside Neal, who was also watching him. They'd been doing that a lot lately. Silently watching Roald while he didn't know it.
"Why don't you go speak to him?" Dom suddenly suggested. "You know you want to."
Kel turned to watch Neal's response this time. She saw the indecision in his face.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea," she said. "Especially now, when everyone's busily trying to figure out some way to--"
"Well, if not now, then when? Later? With the end of the world looming so close?" Dom said pointedly. "You should speak to him about what's been troubling you two. You're supposed to be good friends, after all."
Neal threw his cousin a wry look before heading toward Roald. Kel found herself giving Dom one of her own looks before following.
"Roald, may Kel and I speak with you for a moment?" Neal called out.
Roald nodded. "Of course." He finished the conversation he was having with one of the mages and turned toward them. "Is something wrong?"
Silence greeted Roald's question, since neither Neal nor Kel knew what to say next.
If the situation wasn't so serious, I would have teased Neal for actually being able to keep his mouth closed.
"Roald, what about Shinko?" Neal suddenly blurted out.
Kel blinked. So much for keeping his mouth shut. Well, at least he got to the point. Or one of them, anyway.
Roald stared steadily back at them. "What about her?"
"Do you no longer care for her?" Neal asked cautiously.
"I will always care for her, just not the way that I used to." Roald frowned. "Neal, why are you asking me this? Do you not like Kaprice?"
"It's not that, Roald," Kel quickly interceded. "He's just --we're just trying to figure out how you could change so much. That's all."
Roald gave them a grim smile. "Change? How can I not? I was left to wander the desert that used to be Tortall. I alone survived the Devastation. I saw it happening. I saw everything." He took a deep breath. "I saw you dieing, Neal. And you too, Kel. I saw how the fire ate away so quickly at your skin. I saw everyone die. Here one moment, then gone in the next." He held up a hand, palm up. "How could I not change? After seeing what I saw?"
And in that moment, Kel realized how pained Roald was. How desolate and alone he must have been. His face held the same look that Kel thought she sometimes spotted on Kaprice's.
"But now you have Kaprice."
Roald glanced at her. "Yes, but now I have Kaprice," he repeated quietly.
Kel saw Roald's gaze suddenly shift. He scanned the area behind Kel, searching for something, for someone. And only after he found the person, did his gaze stop searching.
And she knew without looking over her shoulder, that he was watching Kaprice.
"Roald, what will you do when all this is over?"
Kel noticed how Neal said when, and not if.
Roald's gaze came back to rest on Neal for a moment.
"Kaprice will probably return back to the future, back to her own time," Roald said.
"But what about you, Roald? What about you?"
This was the main question that had been bothering her of late. What would Roald do? If Demon's Hill was destroyed, and with it, the ring, then Roald would no longer be immortal. He probably would not have lived long enough to meet Kaprice seventy odd years from now. While Kaprice could return to her own future, Roald had no future to go to. Not this Roald. So where would he go? What would he do?
"Roald?"
His eyes flickered for a moment. And when she saw the flickering, she knew that Roald had been thinking and worrying about his future also.
Then Roald's gaze went back over Kel's shoulder. He made no move to answer Neal's question.