Chapter 15:                                            Dangerous Visions Part II

Lachran, Nat, Milan, Colin, Quentin, Robert and Aaron were waiting at the training courts. The girls hadn't arrived yet.

Lachran traded a look with Milan. "Maybe they're still sleeping."

Milan raised his eyebrows. "All of them? Normally they are here much earlier than we are. They always come together. If one of them is sleeping too long, the others would wake her up."

Nat was worried. The others could feel his strain. His blue eyes were fixed at the corridor usually used by the girls. His fists were clenched. 'There is something wrong. Sam has never been late since she's been here. She looked tired after the last magic lesson yesterday.' He shook his head and looked at the others.

After some hesitation Lachran went over and put a hand on Nat's shoulder. "I think everything's all right with them. Maybe ..."

"Maybe what? They are half an hour too late. This has never happened before."

Lachran looked at his former sponsor with surprise. 'He is different. Since she's been here, he is different. He's much more emotional than before.' He looked at his hand lying on Nat's shoulder. Last year Nat would have shook it off immediately. "Let's go to the girl's rooms. It's better than staying here, brooding."

He looked in Nat's eyes again. "Come on."

The others agreed to come with them. But before they were even able to enter the corridor they saw someone coming towards them.

"Ria!" Aaron ran towards his sister. "Where have you been? We've waited for you. Where are the others?"

The little black haired girl looked up very slowly. Her bright blue eyes were widened and her lips quivered. She was really pale. None of the boys had ever seen the liveliest of the triplets in such a bad condition.

Ria looked at the boys. She didn't know how to start.

Nat stared at her, breathing hard.

Lachran stepped towards Ria . "What's the matter. What has happened? Where are the others?"

"Danny and Bery stayed with Cori. She's ... half crazy of fear." She looked directly in Nat's eyes. Her voice was very quiet, almost inaudible. "She found Sam half an hour ago, lying on the floor, next to her bed. She was bleeding, shaking. Nobody can wake her up. There's something wrong with her magic. She's glowing green. Master Numair and Duke Baird are with her. They don't know what's wrong with her, they can't touch her without being attacked by her magic."

Nat stormed in the direction of the girls' rooms. The others were looking at Ria, deeply shocked. Aaron embraced his sister. After a moment thinking about the news, the whole group walked towards the girls' wing.

When they arrived they found a shocked Cori, surrounded by Bery and Danny, and Nat staring at the door to Sam's room.

"What did they say? How is Sam?" Lachran looked worriedly at Cori.

Bery began to speak, voice shaking. "They came out a couple minutes ago. They said that something went wrong yesterday with a magical exercise Master Numair and Sam have been practising. They tried to wake up her second sight, and now it seems that they were successful. Too successful. It seems that all these visions are coming at the same time. She has no control over it, she can't stop it. It's too much for her mind to bear. So she's hiding deep inside herself, because she would become crazy seeing these visions all the time. And that's one problem. Her magic reacts automatically. She in a kind of self- defence right now. Anyone who touches her will be attacked. Nobody can do real magic to her, because her shield won't allow it. That means nobody can wake her up." A tear ran down her cheek. "They've already sent for her uncle. They tried all they could, but ... there has never been a case like hers ..."

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Fog. White fog.

She looked around. There were colourful lightning bolts behind her.

In front of her there was light, peace and silence.

She hesitated one moment. She didn't want to go back. All these lightning bolts hurt her.

The only direction she could go was ahead.

She moved slowly towards the light.

It felt like flying.

Sam's heart felt lighter with every step.

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Numair was sitting on a chair next to Sam's bed. The only thing he could do was stare at the girl.

'It's my fault. She didn't really want to work on her magic. I nearly forced her to go deeper in her magic. What happened last night? I thought the gate to her visions was closed. Nothing should have gone wrong. Is it possible that her Wild Magic interfered again? Why? How? I don't understand.'

Somebody knocked on the door and entered.

"Daine!" Numair's face lightened a bit.

Daine looked at the sleeping girl. "How is she?"

Numair shrugged. "I don't know. I can only guess. Not better than before. I can't do anything. If I fight her magical shield, she will probably die. If she was awake it would be something different. She would be able to give up her shield before using all her life source. But this shield was built up by her subconscious. She felt attacked and reacted automatically. She fled from the pain into her subconscious and built up a wall around her to protect herself, until she's awake again. And such a powerful shield. I knew she had the potential. But I didn't think that it could get out of control. Not this way. I should have never tried that spell."

Daine embraced him. "You didn't know what would happen."

Numair looked into her eyes. "Can you see her Wild Magic. I still have difficulties seeing it."

Daine looked at the girl again. "It's interwoven in the shield. As always."

Numair nodded tiredly. "That's the other difficulty. How can you destroy a shield made of Wild Magic AND the Gift of a damned strong war mage? I never tried." He rubbed his eyes tiredly. It was late afternoon. He hadn't left the room yet. "What's happening outside?"

"Well, her friends are gone. They had to be forced to, but they went. Each of them fears losing her. I always thought she was a lone wolf, but she has quite a lot of friends."

Numair sighed. "I hope these friendships are enough for her to fight. I hope she wants to come back with all her heart. I guess that's the only possibility for her to wake up."

"I don't know her much, but there's one thing I know. She's a fighter."

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The fog was gone.

She was in a large forest.

It was so peaceful here: the silence, the atmosphere, everything.

Suddenly she heard a noise. Water. A little creek.

She knew, she had to follow the noise.

When she arrived she smiled.

'How beautiful.'

The only thing she wanted was to sit down and enjoy it.

But she knew, she had to go.

There was something waiting for her.

DESTINY! DESTINY! DESTINY! DESTINY! DESTINY! DESTINY! DESTINY! DESTINY!

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Lord Victor was sitting next to his niece. He had thrown the other people out of the room. He wanted to be alone with her. He didn't want to hear all the useless excuses. It didn't help him. It didn't help her.

He looked at her small, delicate face. She looked so peaceful. Like her mother when she was asleep.

He still remembered the day of her birth. He had been travelling to his sister to visit her. The day he arrived Sam was born. He had seen her, he had held her, directly after she was born. He had seen the happiness in his sisters eyes, and the pride in those of his brother-in-law.

And he still remembered the day they brought her to his fief. She had been alone under foreigners for a year. She had been so fearful. She couldn't sleep. She had nightmares. She had lost everything she loved. But to everyone's surprise she trusted her uncle immediately. Everybody was afraid of him. His warrior name had been 'The Hawk', because of his looks. Every child that ever saw him fled. But Sam felt protected when she was with him. And that was what he wanted to do, protect the daughter of his beloved sister.

He knew he wouldn't live forever. And he didn't trust those incompetent idiots calling themselves nobles or knights. His brother-in-law had been both. And he hadn't been able to protect his family. His sister died because she wasn't able to protect herself.

This would never happen to Sam. She would be prepared. That's why he sent her here.

He had never thought about a possibility like this.

He buried his head in his hands.

She was everything he had. There was nobody else. His wife had died. He had no children. He wasn't that closely connected to his other sister. He was a lone wolf. She had been his light.

He hoped his light wouldn't be extinguished.

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She was walking into a lake. The water reached to her hips. It was cool and comfortable.

She was walking towards an island with a huge tree. It was an oak. A very large, old oak.

When she arrived she touched the huge roots and lifted herself up.

Now she was leaning against the trunk, knowing that she had finally arrived. She closed her eyes, enjoying the peace.

*Welcome, little one. I've been waiting for you. But you are too early. That's not good.*

Sam wasn't surprised at all. It was as if she had expected the tree would speak to her. "I know, it's too early. But I had no choice. I can't control it anymore. I don't know what to do."

*I see. You shouldn't have tried to wake up. You are not ready. The time hasn't come yet.*

"I didn't want to wake up. I was forced to. They said that I should learn using my power. I have to get control over it. Otherwise it could be dangerous for everybody."

*You had the control. Only when you use it the wrong way it's dangerous.*

"I don't know the right way."

*Of course you do. You are only too afraid to do it.*

"Can't you help me stop it? I can't go back if it doesn't stop. I will never try to see the future without permission again."

*You want back. You are the first who wants back.*

"I have something to do before I can stay here. We will see eachother soon, after I've done what I have to do."

*You really want to kill him?*

"Yes. It's my destiny. I saw it. I know it."

*You know you will die when you kill him.*

"I know it. It's my destiny. My task."

*No. You have another task. You will see it with time.* The oak signed. *I will help you, little one. When you go back, your power will be gone for a while. It will come back when you are ready to control it. Without magic you won't be forced to use it.*

"Thank you. Can I stay here a moment? It's so peaceful here."

*Of course you can. It's your home.*

"Thank you mother."

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Sam slowly opened her eyes. Her head and the rest of her body felt horrible. The light hurt her eyes. She blinked surprised.

There were people in her room. On her right side, her uncle was sitting on a chair. On her left side, Cori and Nat were waiting. At the other side of the room Master Numair, Duke Baird and the Wildmage were talking silently. Nobody noticed that she was awake.

She raised her head moaning.

Suddenly everybody was staring at her.

"Sam?" Cori was rising from her chair. "Are you awake?"

"Hmm." Sam tried to raise the rest of her body. When she was sitting her headache increased. "I guess I'm awake. Sleep doesn't hurt this much."

Immediately Duke Baird was next to her. "Your head was crushed into the floor. You have a concussion. Don't fight me."

Sam felt the magic in her body. She knew it would be the only magic inside herself for a long time.

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That was quite a long chapter. I hope you like it.