Chapter 10

The Plan

Vaughn and Wren waited as Lylah sent back to retrieve her meager belongings. After she was gone, Vaughn began to wonder if he had made the right decision.

"It was her choice you know." Wren said, almost reading his mind.

"But she has no part in this. I don't want something to happen to her."

Wren smiled. "She was worried about you and wanted to help. Why deny her that?"

Vaughn gave her a puzzled look. "She is probably my only friend here. I am just as concerned for her as she is for me."

"You remind me of my friend, Connor." Wren replied quietly.

But Vaughn was no longer in the mood to talk. He felt it already, guilt. It was eating at him. He didn't want any harm to come to any of his friends. If only he wasn't born to such a malicious figure, life would be so much simpler.

Lylah emerged from the castle. But her arms were empty. Looking about her to make sure no one else was around, she made her way to Vaughn and Wren.

"I think I found a way to get out," she whispered, "I've told Morna that I can't it here any longer, and that I would be leaving. She has graciously offered me a ride to town. She said she is sending Ode to town for some supplies anyway, and he usually takes a cart with him."

"Isn't that a bit risky? Wouldn't someone see us?" Wren asked.

"No, Ode is the laziest man I know. At best he will seat himself and carry whatever is ordered by Morna. I have accompanied him many times before; just keep silent as he rides."

It was a nice and quick way to leave the estate without a long day of aimless walking, thought Vaughn.

He gave a quick glance in Wren's direction, she looked a bit hesitant.

"Where is the cart?" she asked.

"Not far from here, I volunteered to load it up with the empty barrels." Lylah responded with a small smile. "We just have to hurry before Ode returns."

"Then let's hurry," Wren said as she rose to her feet.

~*~*~*~*~*

It was a short time before all things were ready and waiting.

The four could think of nothing more to do.

"We are in desperate need of supplies, and I need to get word to the castle." Tyron said.

"What do you suggest?" Tess asked.

"Wren could summon us at anytime. It would be a waste of time to go to town if Wren were in the opposite direction." Connor reasoned.

"True, but a town offers more resources as opposed to the trees and such. If Wren is sick, we need to be ready with remedies."

The group grew quiet. Connor was reluctant but he agreed with his friend. "Tyron is correct. It would be useful to be in a town with resources."

It was decided then. Moving onto the nearest town, all were glad to be more productive rather than the unbearable waiting.

~*~*~*~*~

Carts are bumpy, was the only thought Vaughn could wrap his mind around. It seemed ages as he and Wren huddled in the back of the covered cart. As they reached the gate to the road, his heart hammered against his chest and he turned his head to see how Wren was faring. But her face reflected that of utter calm, and he felt ashamed that he was the one to panic. However as the horses moved quickly away from the gate, Vaughn heard her sigh of relief, it made him smile. At least I wasn't the only one.

~*~*~*~*~*

As Ode steered the cart farther away from Andreus' estate, Wren could feel a burden be lifted off her shoulders. It was as if a weight was be removed, and she could breathe easier. She sighed, though she knew that she only halfway through the battle. The matter of Vaughn was yet to be resolved. The escape was somewhat easier than what she, Tyron, Connor, and Tess had endured, yet at the same time she was relieved. The whole experience left her so drained. It was a relief now to be only surrounded by friends. Looking at Vaughn she saw him smile. But she kept silent; Lylah warned her that though Ode seemed like a nice man, his loyalties may not be with them. Wren could not understand how one could ally Andreus, but kept her comments to herself.

~*~*~*~*~

Andreus was fuming after his encounter with his son. That tone he had, it was full of insolence. But it was not a big concern to Andreus now, for he could teach that wretched boy a lesson when he used his spell. He would take an extra helping, and see how the boy would respond. Not well he knew. He saw the grayness of his son's features and it a good sign of his progress. Revenge would be easy, as well as useful, he thought. Right now he had more pressing matter, Wren. As of now she was trapped in a never-ending nightmare of her fears. It was a potent spell, assuring madness to any who were unlucky enough to be victim to it. The spell has taken much power to cast, but well worth it. Andreus smiled, he greatly enjoyed the image of Wren the mad magician. He even laughed at his private joke, and his voice echoed in the empty hallway.

He made his way once again to his chamber. As he passed by, he noticed what a terrible job his hallway was in. He would immediately have to terminate some dim-witted servant for the careless work. As he opened his door to his chambers, he didn't notice the discarded broom in the corner.

~*~*~*~*~

The ride through the forest was silent. Tyron and Tess rode side by side while Connor and Kai doubled up. The next town was not far away, and by the extensive use of the road, it was clear that many other travelers had passed by not much earlier.

 "Why hasn't she called us yet?" Tess asked Tyron.

"Let's not think of it that way, Tess. She may simply be in the midst of escape."

Tess smiled. "Tyron, you are always the positive one."

"I have faith in Wren."

"Yes, so do I. But it's Andreus that scares me."

"You have escaped him before, not many may claim that."

Tess couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness at his words. She had never thought she could feel an ounce of happiness since Wren was taken, but Tyron was the one who had reassured her and without him, she didn't know what she would do.

"I think I see the town is coming up ahead," Tyron called back to Connor and Kai.

"Great! Horses aren't comfortable t'ride" Kai responded glumly.

~*~*~*~*

Andreus walked to Wren's cell. But as he neared the cell, he could sense a something different. Magic no longer radiated in this wing. He has added extra precautions previously. However now there wasn't a trace of magic left. He ran to the door, and to his amazement, the door was ajar. Wren was gone.

His scream could be heard from every part of the estate.

The rage Andreus felt could not be measured. He stalked away from the cell. It was impossible way for her to have escaped. He was careful, extra careful this time. No one had the power to stop them! No one!

He paced the length of the cell. How? Certainly none of the servants had the aptitude to overpower his spell…but there was no one save himself who could contradict the spell effortlessly. Except Vaughn…but that could not be…the boy had no idea he carried such a magnitude of power, yet it was all too possible.

It was time to teach the boy a lesson. Andreus smiled at this thought as he returned to his chambers to prepare.

~*~*~*~*

The cart suddenly stopped. Wren could hear the busy trading around her. She looked at Vaughn for some kind of sign, but he too looked confused. It was then she could hear Lylah's voice. "Oh Ode, you always go get a drink at the tavern. I will find a place for the cart and grab my things and go. Besides I won't be back to tell Morna."

The only response heard was a simple grunt.

Suddenly Lylah's head popped in the cart. "Ready?"

Wren picked Lylah's bundle. She gingerly climbed out of the cart and steadied herself. Vaughn followed.

Together the three quickly left the town. They saw the main road and set off immediately.

"I must warn both King Verne and Queen Astren," Wren spoke softly, "They need to know that Andreus is back and may strike them soon."

Vaughn and Lylah nodded, they wanted to be as far away from Andreus as possible.

"I didn't have a chance to thank both of you for helping me," Wren suddenly blurted out as they made their way into the main road.

Lylah actually laughed. "I would much rather doing this than sweeping floors." Wren joined her in her laughter, but both girls stopped when they realized that Vaughn did not share their humor.

Looking in back his direction, he had stopped, and was resting his hands on his knees with his pack dropped beside him. Turning, the girls returned to his side. "Vaughn?" Lylah asked.

"I just need to catch my breath," he responded weakly.

"Maybe we should take a small break," Wren suggested, "Hand me your bag, I can carry it a while."

"No, I'm fine. I just need a moment," he said as he turned to find his pack.

Lylah and Wren gasped as they saw his face. His complexion has become a sickly grey, his forehead was covered with sweat and his hands trembled as he reached his bag. As he lifted it onto his shoulders, a sudden spasm jolted his body and he cried out in pain.

 "Vaughn!" Lylah cried as he fell to his knees.

Wren and Lylah caught him before his could fall to the ground. Immediately the girls tried to lift him carefully to the side of the road and attempted to revive him.

"I've never seen him like this." Lylah said while bringing a canteen to his lips.

"No, it's Andreus who is doing this to him. He's stealing his magic," Wren replied softly, "I had hoped that some distance would dampen the spell, but we must not be far enough."

"But his advisor said something about not taking too much…it is dangerous," Lylah said, "It's too soon!" She seemed to be talking to herself

"What do you mean?"

Looking up with a look of panic she replied, "I heard…Oh! I don't understand much about magic, but I heard Andreus say something about a clause that doesn't allow taking too much essence at once..." Lylah continued tell Wren the conversation she had overheard between Andreus and his advisor.

Wren furrowed her brow. This sudden information was troubling…she did not know what any of it meant. She could only wish Tyron was here to analyze the situation. His magical knowledge, to her, seemed limitless.

Vaughn groaned in pain as another tremor went through his body and more beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

"What should we do Wren? There is no way he can continue in this state." Lylah said while wiping his brow.

Wren thoughts of their option, they could return to the town and look for some kind of lodging, but the risk of Andreus finding them was too great. "Our options are limited. We could summon my friends, but that runs the risk of Andreus discovering our location. I believe that is how he captured me the first time."

"I think it's a risk we should take. What other choice do we have? I doubt we can carry him long and far enough back to town anyway." Lylah reasoned.

Nodding, Wren whispered the magical phrase, and to her surprise and intense relief, the glow was dim but getting brighter.

*~*~*~*~*~

"Your ring is pretty, I never noticed it glowed." Kai said faintly.

Connor's reverie was broken at the sound of Kai's soft statement. He quickly lifted his hand and looked intently at his ring. Only a few moments ago had checked the ring for what seemed to be the millionth time. He had never been so impatient before in his life. But now, the ring was slowly warming to its beautiful red vibrant color. Wren was near!

"Tess! Tyron! Look at our rings!" Connor cried.

Forgetting the town ahead, three horses suddenly leaped to life and thundered down the road.

~*~*~*~*~

"They are near!" Wren exclaimed.

Lylah only looked at her in confusion. "Who? Andreus?" Her sudden confusion changed to fear as she looked around them.

"No, my friends, when they are close, my ring begins to glow. Look, the brighter it becomes, the closer they are."

Lylah noted the sudden illumination become more intense. "But where are they and how soon can they reach us?"

"I don't know, but don't worry they will find us soon."

~*~*~*~*~*~

As Andreus cast his spell, he could feel the immense power growing within him, though it was not as strong was he had hoped. But it was enough. It would be enough to drain his boy and at the same time give the energy he needed to track Wren down. Elated with his plan of revenge, he prepared to set out to find them both.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The road was clear of travelers, and Connor could barely make out three tiny figures in the on the side of the road. But he could see her, with her wild streaked hair, her signature trait in the distance. A sudden weight was lifted from him as her face became clearer.

When he reached her spot on the side of the road, he flew off of his horse and ran to greet her. The surprised gasp he heard from her only made him smile.

"I missed you and I am happy to see you too," she said softly in his ear.

As he released her, Tess and Tyron had caught up and were ready to reunite themselves her Wren as well. As he watched her greeted them, he remembered Wren's companions. "Wren, who are your friends?"

 "Connor, Tess, Tyron, and Kai, this is Lylah." She gestured to a girl with long sable curls with serious grey eyes. Lylah shyly nodded. She had been sitting beside and wiping the brow of a sickly young man with disheveled brown hair. "And that is Vaughn," Wren said and carefully added, "Andreus had been stealing his magical essence and it's becoming increasingly worse."

"Leeching? That form of magic can only work with…," Tyron trailed off as he looked critically at Vaughn. "Impossible!" he cried.

"What's impossible?" Tess asked confused. "Tyron what's the matter?"

Tyron's gaze never left Vaughn's face. Absently, he replied, "The only way to successfully leech from one person to another is with a blood bond, the stronger the bond, the more devastating drain."

"Blood bond? That must mean…"

"Yes, Vaughn is Andreus' son," Wren responded for all of them, "But he is my friend. He helped me escape, and now we must help him."

"His father's stealing more and more of his essence though there are consequences." Lylah added. She had not moved from her spot beside Vaughn.

"Consequences…? Yes, there are several. What specific ones do you refer to?" Tyron asked.

But before Lylah could elaborate, Connor remarked, "It's not safe to be here out in the open, and the sun is getting ready to set we should set up camp soon." Tip barked in agreement.

Carefully, Connor, Tyron and Kai lifted Vaughn while the girls led the horses away from the road and deeper into the forest. Finding a clearing some distance away, the group set out to prepare camp.

Lylah and Kai volunteered to watch over Vaughn as the others sat around to discuss the matter of Andreus.

"How did he capture you?" Connor asked as they sat in a circle.

"I can't remember the details very clearly. The last thing I can remember was that I was collecting water when I felt this strange vertigo behind me. I woke up in this horrible nightmare," she shuddered, "I was in this cold place, and all I could hear was his endless laugh. It was pure madness. I swear if it wasn't for Vaughn I would be out of my mind."

"So Vaughn used magic to release you?" Tess asked.

"No, it was accidental. He has a great potential in his magic. For some reason or another, he was able to reach out and counteract the spell Andreus had cast."

"I have never heard of such a case before," Tyron said, "Earlier Lylah was talking about consequences and such. Do you know what she was referring to?"

"She was hiding while she was clearing the hallway and heard one of Andreus' men telling him of the consequence of taking consecutive drains."

"It makes sense now. His spell is ancient. I have only read a few books on the matter. I did not think that such a spell still existed. It is not exactly full proof."

"What do you mean by that?" Connor asked.

"If he is stealing all of Vaughn's magic, doesn't he retain it?" Tess inquired.

Sitting up, Tyron explained. "No necessarily. Leeching magic is an ancient custom used to help those with a weaker sense of magic be able to obtain a stronger form of magic but a bond of is required. But this magic can only be obtain for short intervals, therefore the need for multiple drains," he paused and looked at Wren.

"Yes, that is what Lylah and I had concluded. Andreus is drawing Vaughn's magic too many times."

"From my understanding, Andreus cannot permanently hold his son's magic. If he were to take a large portion of it, his body would most likely reject it and render it useless. Therefore he is feeding his body small increments of it in order for him to become accustomed to the foreign magic. But because Vaughn is his son, the magic is not too foreign and he stands a better chance of success."

"What should be done to stop Andreus?" Wren asked.

"I have read of a plan but it is a bit risky and I am not sure we will all be in agreement with it." Tyron said.

"Tell me," Wren said, "If we allow this draining to continue, Andreus will deplete the life out of Vaughn."

"Remember, the similarity of power is essential for the transfer. And it is important to keep in mind that Vaughn is the only person left who can give Andreus the powers he lost. Therefore if we were to either threaten Vaughn's life, it would force Andreus to go to the extreme. Taking more power from Vaughn in a single drain may cause Andreus' body to reject the sudden influx of magic; therefore he can no longer be able to leech from his son. His body cannot handle large amounts, thus eliminating the threat of his draining."

"But if Andreus were to be desperate enough to take the bait and steal a large amount, couldn't that harm or possibly kill Vaughn?" Connor asked.

"Yes, it is a possibility. But I can't think of any other way."

"We should not suggest any plan that is harmful any one of us," Tess said, "Too many factors can cause it to go wrong."

"I agree. We cannot use this plan. There are too many risks." Wren said.

"No," an exhausted voice from behind responded, "It's a good idea." Turning, the group saw Vaughn leaning heavily on Lylah. "He will be too angry to think clearly. The surprise element is what we need. There is no other way."

"No!" Wren exclaimed. "We can't risk it. You don't have to do this!"

"Please reconsider," Lylah added softly, "There must be something else we can do."

"I wish it were so, but as he drained me, I felt his anger and desire for revenge. I think he found out about the escape, and is on his way to us."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Vaughn's announcement had caused the group to suddenly spring into action. They could no longer sit idly to discuss future plans. Time was short and so many things needed to be done. First and foremost, the King and Queen must be warned of Andreus.

"Tess you must go!" Tyron said for the hundredth time. "You need to warn everyone at the castle of the threat."

"Send Connor, I can't leave. I won't," Tess replied stubbornly.

"Please," he said taking her hands. "Lylah and Kai are already packing your things."

But she only shook her head. "It's not fair. Why send me away. I could help."

"You would be a greater help if you warned your mother and father." Wren said coming up behind them. "It wasn't too long ago that they got you back. I want you to return to them and warn them Andreus. It's your duty as a princess."

"I agree," Connor said.

"Stop gaining up on me." Tess replied sourly. "I want to stay, please let me stay."

"What about your parents? They need to be notified of Andreus' current standings." Connor reasoned.

Tess sighed. She knew her duties, but everyone she loved remained here. But they were right. She needed to warn everyone back at home. She hated having to give in. "Alright."

~*~*~*~*~*~

As the three rode away, Wren watched. She was relived that Tess would be away from the battle, as would Lylah and Kai. But before Tess left the camp, she pulled Wren aside and gave her the knife her mother had given her. "Be careful, and don't hesitate to use it." Tess had told her.

She patted the pocket that concealed her weapon.

"Miss her already?"

She turned and faced Connor. "Yes, I hardly had a chance to talk to her. Aren't you supposed to be on some kind of quest?" she teased.

"I had a nagging feeling that you needed me."

She smiled. "I do, and I am glad you're here."

Together they walked back towards Tyron and Vaughn to finalize their plans.

~*~*~*~*~*~

 a/n: The end is near…it make me feel really sad. I wondered if the chapter was a bit too cheesy. It was the easiest way out…sorry I was a bit unimaginative. But I still hope you enjoyed this chapter. =)

~Charmgirl

To reviewers:

Miriam: While I was writing the part about disliking literature, I thought that the books you are referring to were books on magic not literature. But you make a good point and I am sorry that this story is inaccurate. Thanks for the input. Yay! Thanks I am happy you liked it. ^_^

AniHope: I don't know if I will add more Tess/Tyron because at this point it doesn't seem like the right time. I will try and do the best I can. But thanks for your review. Please write another story. =)