A/n: I hope that you enjoy this chapter because it took me a long time to write it. It's 7 pages long on my word processor. Dude that's a lot of writing!
Chapter 7
Revelations
Wren was vaguely aware of the next few hours since her return to the conscious world. Her hazy state of mind was not completely gone as she tried to piece together the current events. Although Vaughn had declared himself completely void of any magical abilities, Wren was certain that is was indeed Vaughn who has freed her of her enchanted sleep. She silently concluded that Vaughn was unaware of the magic he had within him. But at this point she could not completely concentrate on this. Her mind was clouded with other concerns, basically her fate now that she was captive in Andreus' new location. Her worries of her future was present however she now feared for her friends, if it was possible for Andreus to take her so easily, what was to stop him from once again launching another attack on King Verne and the kingdom?
"Wren?"
Her thoughts scattered as she heard Vaughn mention her name.
"What's the matter? Does the food not suit you? I can find something else if you want."
Wren looked at the stuffed roll. It was delicious, she was sure, but all her worries had caused her to momentarily lose her appetite. "Oh no, the food is fine. I just have some things on my mind."
He gave her a somber smile. "I understand the predicament you are in right now. I promised you I would help. But I think the most important thing at this point is to regain as much strength as you can. In that way, we can conjure up some sort of plan."
"Thank you." Wren appreciated all the help Vaughn was going to give her however, she was unsure of why. He was kind, a strange personality especially in the company of Andreus. She felt she could trust him despite all the strange happenings in her life. Instead of obsessing over smaller details, she focused her attention to the roll in front of her and took a big bite and gave Vaughn a smile.
~*~*~*~
The ride through the smaller roads had taken so much energy out of Connor, and he hated to push his horse to a near state of exhaustion. The rays of dawn had lighted the area around him. He immediately recognized that he was once again in Cantimoor. He was surprised that was not further from the castle. If it had not been for Carmella and Harmen, this speedy return would not have been possible. A familiar lake came into view and Connor believed it was time for a rest.
He quickly unsaddled himself as well as Tip as his horse took a drink from the river. Connor too felt he was grubby from his long ride and decided to clean up a bit before returning to the castle. So when Tip went off on his own to explore the woods, Connor paid no attention.
~*~*~*~
The night was sleepless for both Tess and Tyron. Every hour a nightmare or a sense of uneasiness would waken both and after numerous attempts both decided to stop trying. Instead they sat around the fire formulating a plan for dawn.
"Tyron what do you think of the summons ring?" Tess suddenly asked. "Could we reach her?"
"It's possible if Andreus has not removed her too far from Cantimoor. But I doubt that he would be so foolish to do so. But it is a great idea." He responded as he spoke into his summons ring.
Tess looked at her summons ring. It was a small chance for her to reach her childhood friend but hope was a wonderful feeling to once again have. As she mentioned the magical phrase into the ring, it suddenly became a brilliant red. Tess immediately looked at Tyron with her blue eyes. "Is she near?"
"It would not have responded unless another one of us was near."
Quickly both stood at scanned the woods around them. What could this possibly mean? A million question filled Tess's mind. She would not quit until Wren was safely back with her. The summons ring had revealed that she was near. But where? She wanted to curse the ambiguity of the ring, but at the same time praise it for locating Wren.
"Let's split up. You search west and I east." Tyron commanded and quickly headed towards the lake.
Tess ran as hard as she could through the surrounding woods. But as she moved deeper into the wooded area, the ring's once brilliant red became more and more dull. Tess panicked as she retraced her steps back to the camp. Her frustrations almost brought her to tears. She almost pulled the ring off her finger to throw into the fire when she noticed a small shaggy little dog.
"Tip?"
The dog stopped its investigation of their supplies and looked up. Quickly it raced over to the princess barking in kind response.
As Tess leaned down to pet the familiar friend, she was also confused. Why is Tip here? Connor must have passed these woods days ago. He should be long gone by now. However the discovery of Tip had reawakened some of her hopes. Connor may be nearby; he would never desert his traveling companion. Suddenly her confusion of the ring made sense. The ring had not located Wren but Connor.
"Tip, take me to Connor." In response the dog quickly made his way towards the lake.
~*~*~*~
Tyron made his way closer and closer to the lake with fear in his heart. The lake was a dead end. If the ring's red did not diminish as he neared it, he was sure he would jump into the water and search every inch of it. The pounding of his heart only increased as he came closer to the lake where Wren's canteen was found. He was sure that nothing magical was present when he checked the lake earlier. But he was willing to check it again if he missed something.
As he approached he saw a ragged horse drinking from the lake and a red headed figure standing beside the horse. He was going through his saddlebags. Tyron was confused. The ring was shimmering red. As the figure moved away from the horse, Tyron's confusion evaporated and become one of surprise. Standing before him was his best friend, Connor.
"Connor?"
Connor looked up and dropped all the items in his hands.
~*~*~*~
Vaughn's increasing worry of a plan plagued his mind. But as the dawn came upon him, he was losing concentration and strength. He put the blame on fatigue, but lately his headaches and feelings of illness were more common. Yet he tried to banish his symptoms, he had more pressing issues to deal with. Wren's safety was at the top. Though he had coaxed her into taking more food, he could not for the life of him get her to rest. She kept mumbling about a nightmare and swore not to sleep again until she was out of the vicinity of Andreus. This new pledge worried Vaughn. There was no possible way for him to get her out today. If she refused sleep she was certainly be ill, and it wouldn't do for both of them to be too sick to effectively escape the castle. That too was a new revelation Vaughn had made. He was going to leave. He didn't know where this newfound plan had come from but he was sure that he was completely decided on it. He didn't care about his destination, but he was sure it was to be far away from his father. But as these thought ran through his mind, another painful headache began to form near his temples.
Wren noticed the grimace on Vaughn's face. She had almost gained most of her strength back although she hadn't risen completely out of bed. "What's the matter? You don't look so well. I think instead of me getting some rest, it should be you. Go. I will be fine."
He began to think she was right. He was not going to be useful to her in this state. As he rose to leave, he stumbled and quickly grabbed a hold of the chair he had been sitting in. This is not a good sign. What is the matter with me? Why am I suddenly so fatigued?
"Vaughn, are you alright?" The worry in Wren's voice brought him back.
"I'm fine. It must have been the long night. I am sure a quick nap with fix everything." He said trying to sound cheerful, but he could see that his false enthusiasm did not fool her. He tried to leave as quickly as possible, making his way back to his room.
~*~*~*~
The reunion between Tess, Tyron, and Connor was brief. After a quick introduction to Kai, the immediate question of Wren was quickly brought to the table.
"So she is definitely missing?" Connor asked.
Both Tyron and Tess nodded. A sudden pain in his heart caused him to close his eyes. He knew something was wrong, but not something of this magnitude. His fears could not be measured for her. The thousands of possibilities of her fate were too much for him. He didn't know what he would do if Andreus did something to her. This situation was far more emotional for him than to Tess' kidnapping. He didn't know his niece then, she was family that he felt he needed to rescue. But Wren…she is so important to me…she is…He couldn't finish the thought without understanding his true feelings for the magician. She was the willful girl with a presence that could not be matched. The sudden realization of his feelings for Wren opened his eyes to his current situation. He swore to himself he would do all in his power to find her.
"If this Andreus fellow is that mean, I think me pal Wren is in big trouble." Kai observed quietly.
"It's true that this man is equally evil as he is dangerous, but at this point we are unsure if he has the resources to do what he once did. In our last encounter, we had stripped him of most of his immediate power. It would be close to impossible for him to have recovered enough to take on Wren." Tyron merely responded.
"That's what's troubling me. I feel as though we have missed something, the question of his power. How could he have regained them?" Connor asked.
"Tyron, is there some way to instantly yield a great deal of power?" Tess inquired.
A silence followed as the magician was deep in thought. In his deep state of contemplation, he did not seem aware of the three pair of eyes looking at him. He felt as though he should know the immediate answer to such a question. He of course was to be the Queen's magician. But in this manner when a close friend was involved, every part of his mind was somewhat fearful of mistakes in his knowledge.
"I know of no way for magical to be called upon without some sort of sacrifice," he responded carefully, "I have however come across ways for others to leech magical abilities on others. But in that case one would have to already possess a great deal of magic in the first place."
"Do you feel that Andreus has taken Wren for her magical abilities?" Tess asked.
"That may be a possibility but for one to take a substantial amount would take a special bond. But then again how can we accurately guess what Andreus' scheme?" Tyron said.
"But this answers nothing. How could Andreus have possibly acquired the power to take Wren? Everything has us back to this same problem. Where did his power come from?" Connor asked.
~*~*~*~*
Vaughn's headache would not leave him. He clutched his head in agony. He certainly would not reveal his symptoms to his father. But the pain was sharp and had taken most of his strength. He could not understand its origins. He had felt fine during his night search; it seemed to come out of thin air.
At this point he craved some water, and to his dismay decided to go to the kitchen to find himself some refreshments, as well as smuggle some more food for Wren. The walk took more energy than he expected. He gripped the walls to help support him. After struggling down the darkened corridor, he felt as though he should rest a bit. Luckily a door was open just ahead of him and he ducked inside.
In his hazy mood, he did not immediately recognize the room. It was his father's chamber for his meetings. Vaughn hated this room. It reminded him of all ills his father had produced. But his legs refused any order he gave them. Instead he tucked himself in a dark corner and drifted off…
The murmuring of voices arose him. Vaughn's disoriented state caused him to momentarily forget his surroundings until he heard the booming voice of his father coming from the hallway. "All things are going as planned. The capture of Wren is complete, my plans for Cantimoor are beginning to take shape, and my powers are recuperating well with special thanks to my son."
The last comment caught Vaughn off guard. I helped him? This new bit of information caused him some discomfort. As he unsteadily stood from his position, he decided to take a look in his father's personal chambers to uncover the meaning of his father's new appreciation for him.
~*~*~*~*~
Wren sat quietly in her prison. Nothing seemed to make any sense. First her sudden capture, her nightmarish sleep, and finally Vaughn. He certainly was a kind individual, she could tell, but she could not help notice something unique about him. His presence was something she could not place, but thinking about it continued to confuse her. There was also that peculiar resemblance he had with Andreus. It may be coincidental, she hoped. But she felt he was a trustworthy individual, and she could always count on her intuition. He did nothing to rouse her suspicion; after all he was going to extreme measures to help her out her capture. Plus the fact that she had yet to inform him of his hidden powers. He did have a great deal of magic within him to be able to counteract the spell placed upon her by Andreus. Once again this puzzling fact was something that needed extra consideration. She did not know it was possible for one to accomplish such a feat, but then again present situations were anything but ordinary.
But as these thoughts filtered through her mind, she decided to forget about it to plan her escape. She would not remain in the vicinities of Andreus' new location. A prolonged stay may not fare well with her safety. Since her somewhat swift recuperation, she thought of her summons ring. It was a good chance for some kind of signal of help, but at the same time just as dangerous if Andreus was powerful enough to sense its magical powers. Frustration began to edge her patience and a headache began to form. I just need something to get my mind off all these worries…even if it is for a while. Searching her scant surroundings, she saw a book on the floor. Gingerly, she picked it up. It must be the book Vaughn was reading while I was asleep. Smiling to herself, she was happy to find a small distraction from all the chaos of her life.
~*~*~*~*
Vaughn curiosity pushed him to explore his father's side of the manor. He silently walked through the corridors of the manor while formulating different scenarios for his father's earlier remark. Me help? It must be indirect because I would never help him. Nothing about my father's intentions is pure. A hidden meaning or value is attached to all he touches. As he made his way to his father's door, he stopped. Certainly his father would ward against intruders, his paranoia for such occurrences was strong. Vaughn was suddenly overcome with fear that his father would catch him snooping in his private quarters. But uncovering what lies hidden in the mystery of his life was somewhat more important. He disliked the feelings of being an outsider of his own home. Living in an environment where he was part of the scenery rather than action. What I am doing will ultimately save all those around me. Sitting idly will do nothing but bring more disaster. Stop being such a sissy Vaughn and get in there!! His internal scolding was enough, for his next action was to twist the brass doorknob.
To his surprise, the door easily swung open.
Stepping inside the unfamiliar room, Vaughn felt like an intruder, which he obviously was. Dismissing that thought he began to look around. Though it was certainly plush and comfortable, he felt an eerie sensation of evil.
Walking around the circumference of the room, luck must have been following him, for he noticed an ancient parchment on the table. Afraid to touch it, he simply glanced at the strange incantation…and was able to comprehend the purpose of the spell. This was much too much for Vaughn at this point. Either I am the luckiest person in the world or something strange is going on here. Vaughn sure hoped it was the first choice.
~*~*~*~*~
The camp was quiet as Tyron, Tess, and Kai thought of possible ways of contact with Wren. Connor and Tip were in search for more firewood.
"Tyron, would it be possible for us to contact her with scrying?"
He suddenly looked up with pain in his face. "Tess…"
But before he could finish, she held up her hand. "I know that it isn't one of your favorite things in the world, but for Wren's sake."
"What I was trying to say was that I doubt that I would be focused enough to accomplish it. Wren's natural ability would be ideal, but me it's not something I can do successfully."
This was not what Tess was hoping for. "Could you at least try?"
He shifted his gaze towards his feet. "I already have. I couldn't do it. I wanted to tell you but I didn't want to add to the bad news."
Tess shut her eyes. Oh Tess, you idiot! Of course he would try! That was a cruel to think him so foolish. "I'm sorry Tyron, I didn't mean my words to come out the way they did."
He nodded. "I believe that if Wren was strong enough, she would possess the power to scry us."
That was the best news Tess had heard in days.
~*~*~*~*
Thanks for reading!
~Charmgirl
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