Disclaimer: *gasp* I am actually changing it! The old new one bored me so now I'm changing it again … essentially I own nothing (minus anything unfamiliar) that has to do with Valdemar… no suing I have no money!
A/N I'm just cranking out the chapters now, I probably won't get to post them all right now, but this is the third chap I am writing at one sitting here… but what can I say… I'm review obsessed so sue me (see above for why you shouldn't do that) any-who… here we go with a chap from (drum role please) ratatatattatattattatattattatattattatat-tat: Azori's POV! Please hold the applause and (more likely) rotten vegetables.
Yoshiro was standing near my head when I woke up the next morning. I had been told in no uncertain terms to vacate my dungeon cell the previous afternoon and I had wandered the estate until dusk. Malken had insisted that I take my old rooms back.
"Welcome back kiddo," Yoshiro said by way of greeting. The way he said it, kiddo scared me. Granted Yoshiro was generally one of my better teachers, but he was creepy all the same. He was also the only mage I had contact with who was not blood-path.
"Hi," I mumbled sitting up groggily.
"Malken has informed me that we are to continue your lessons where they left off. I hear they made you one of their little soldiers?"
"I'm a herald," I admitted.
"You were a herald," he corrected sharply, "You don't belong to them anymore girl, you are ours again, don't forget it."
I didn't respond at first but a threatening glare reminded me to speak up.
"I won't Yoshiro."
"Master Yoshiro," he said, emphasizing the honorific.
"Master Yoshiro," I repeated obediently. Fighting about it would only get me in more trouble.
Yoshiro gave me a long appraising look before gesturing that I should follow him. I scrambled out of my bed to do so. He didn't say another word until we were near the entrance to the narrow stairway that led up to the eastern observation deck. From there a panoramic view of a large portion of Valdemar western border was distantly visible through a special viewing device.
I stood near the waist height wall and gazed off toward the place where the others were camped. I fancied I could see the large splotch that would indicate their camp.
"If I were you I would perhaps back away from the edge," Yoshiro said in a patronizing voice. I moved away and stood waiting for further instructions.
"Well, shall we start the lesson then little buddy?"
"I suppose," I said tentatively in response to yet another of his odd little pet names.
"I have to go get some supplies, in the mean time you can wait up here for me to return. Think fondly on your free times on the other side of the border girl, they won't be repeated here," he left the roof-top room and I could hear the door being bolted behind him. This too was typical of Yoshiro. He wouldn't actually hurt me, but he would definitely revel in his infuriating mind games. Just when I was sure he hated me he would do something truly nice. I shivered in the cold of the roof.
This was so much like things had been before the mage died. I shuddered to think about those days. Memories welled up and I quashed them back down before they completely took over. I went back to the edge and gulped down fresh air as if it were water.
There, now at the near edge of the forest, I was sure I saw it now, the Valdemaran camp. Something must have happened to draw them closer. I wondered briefly if it would be possible to contact them, but dismissed the idea out of hand. Malken wouldn't take kindly to messages no matter how innocuous they seemed, and he would be all too likely to find out about them
I turned away from the camp, there was no point in even pretending I could ever get away. I had been lucky to be free for as long as I had. I sat down to wait for Yoshiro. He didn't return.
It was well after dark when Malken unlocked the door to the interior. I was quite cold and hungry but I didn't say anything. He threw me a water skin and I drank deeply.
"Well, if you didn't get yourself locked out here on your first day," he said smugly.
"Yes sir,"
"You may call me Malken," he said magnanimously, "I am after all, your future husband," his broad smirk widened at my disgust. I glowered at him until his smirk turned to anger, "Look Azori, no one's coming to save you, you know that right? Or do you think that white pony of yours could come to your rescue?"
"I don't expect anyone back there to care enough to do anything, no."
"So why don't you just accept the fact that you belong here? When we were kids you didn't hate me."
I didn't say anything for a moment. Agreeing with him would serve no purpose and disagreeing would be a lie, "I hated the mage too much to worry about you," I hedged.
"Okay, but you used to trust me!"
"Yes, and you used to be nice to me, at least in comparison to everyone else."
"I came to remind you that they aren't going to save you. Those fools you brought with you were seen packing up this morning, approximately half of them turned back. They don't care about you."
"I know that Malken, leave me alone please?"
"Not yet, I just wanted to inform you that our official wedding is two months hence. It would be sooner, but these things take time you know."
"Of course," I knew that the only reason Malken would allow them to take time was so that I could stew about them.
"Very well then. I suppose you should be getting to your chambers for the night?"
It was more than a suggestion and I practically fled to my room. It wasn't much but compared to the rest of the estate it was safe. I eventually calmed down enough to sleep.
The next day was spent in actual lessons. Malken always made a point of seeing me for at least a few marks a day. The days blurred together into a month and a half. Before Malken finally decided that I was ready to become an adept. The actual process lasted only a few marks but I was barely able to make it to my bed before falling asleep in exhaustion afterwards.
I woke up scant hours later to the sounds of scuffling out in the hall. Loud roaring, clanks, clangs, screech's both human and inhuman assaulted my ears. Battle-sounds. I slowly woke up and opened my door enough to peek out into the hall. It was empty. Thoughts of escape were eclipsed by the sudden need to know who would dare attack Malken, his father had been the most powerful of the slave-traders. This house was the head of the alliance they had formed. Who would dare attack it for any reason?
I scampered down the hall hesitating outside of Malken's room. The door was open a crack and there were two voices inside. I recognized the first as Malken, but he sounded uncharacteristically scared. The other I didn't quite recognize. The sounds of battle were getting closer. I paused only for an instant before barreling into the room.
"I'm sorry to intrude Malken, really I am," I started gushing apologies before I was even all the way into the room. The second speaker turned to face me. It was clad in white, a herald. Sudden understanding dawned on me, Herald Roy. They had attacked the estate.
"Azori?" Roy asked stunned by my sudden entrance. Malken took full advantage Roy's inattention. Before I could utter a warning he had a knife to the herald's throat.
"What are you doing in here Azori?" Malken asked angrily, "I thought I sent you to bed hours ago."
"You did, but I heard them fighting and…"
"You heard this fool leading a band of maybe six soldiers in here to try and get you back."
"I didn't think they'd come after me, I'm sorry Malken, I didn't try to contact them, I swear it!"
"I'm sure you didn't," Malken said mockingly. The sounds of fighting approached closer. Finally it was right outside the door. Then in burst five of the Skybolts.
They stopped stock still when they saw the situation inside the room.
A/N oooooh, a cliffhanger, hehehe … that would be pretty mean wouldn't it? So…
Malken looked at each of the soldiers in turn, "If you come any closer he dies. Bring in one of my men."
One of the soldiers broke free of his shock to carry out Malken's orders. He returned moments later with one of Malken's minor mages.
"Sir?" the mage asked.
"Make a report Gil," Malken ordered
"Yes Sir, they have taken this floor, the white horses you warned us about were nowhere to be seen, Master Yoshiro is in his rooms trying to scry for the others."
"Thank you Gil that will be all."
The mage bowed and left. The Skybolts shuffled their feet unsure of what to do.
"Well, in a few moments we will have retaken this hall. However, since the girl appears to have been your aim, I agree to a hostage exchange, you take her and I will keep this man. Or you can leave her here and take his body with you."
"His body?" one of the Skybolts asked dumbly.
"Yes, I will kill him first."
They exchanged glances before one said, "We'll take the girl."
"Wise choice. I'll hang on to him for safekeeping," Malken said as he used a thread of magic to knock the herald out. I looked at Malken wondering why he was letting me go. Two Skybolts grabbed my arms and pulled me toward the exit. I looked over my shoulder at Malken as I was swept out in their midst.
Somehow we got back to the camp, right where I had seen it months earlier. Cymon was waiting for me at the edge. The Skybolts who had half-carried me the whole way left me with him. I tottered woozily for a moment before collapsing to sit by him. I stared at the ground feeling his eyes boring into me and wondering why Malken had suddenly let me go, and why he wanted Roy.
Finally I couldn't deal with Cymon staring at me any longer.
"Go ahead and yell at me," I said bitterly, "Ask me why I wandered off, why I'm so irresponsible. Ask whose fault it is that Roy got captured … go ahead, tell me how much you hate me!" I tried to get up and stalk away, but I didn't have the energy to do it.
"Are you finished?" Cymon asked evenly when my outburst was over he didn't wait for a response though, "I don't care to yell at you. Roy knew that he wasn't likely to get out alive. He took the risk because you are the only one with the information we need to fight this enemy. We sent part of the Skybolts away to circle around and surround the estate. An attack is already planned. This was mainly a diversion … and I don't hate you."
"You don't?" I asked quietly.
"No, I don't."
"You should," I said decisively and then moved on to the rest of what he had said, "Will I be participating in the attack tomorrow?"
"As a mage yes, as anything else, no."
"I don't want to do that."
Cymon raised an eyebrow.
"If you make me use magic you are just as bad as they are!"
"By not aiding us you aid them," he countered hotly, but then his tone softened, "Why won't you do it?"
"I'm tired, hungry, and scared Cymon, I hate my magic. It has done me nothing but harm, and if we attack then Malken will kill Herald Roy. He won't hesitate. He wants Valdemar and he knows how important the Queen's Own herald is."
"Herald Roy is likely to die anyway, Azori, you were useful to Malken alive, Roy is more useful dead," Cymon said bluntly.
"Fine, I'll use magic to fight. Would you please bring me some food though?"
Cymon gave me a measuring look, "Yes, don't you want to see Savannah though?"
"Savannah? If she'll see me then yes…"
"If? Azori, what's wrong with you? Do you honestly think that your own companion could be kept from you?"
"Don't play games with me Cymon, I don't know if she cares that much …"
"Azori, Savannah has been crazy with grief over you since we discovered you missing. Can't you get over the fact that people care about you? I'm going to get your food now. Savannah will probably be here before I get back. Neither of the companions was informed of this morning's actions because it was agreed that they would interfere."
"Why didn't the assassination attempt work then?"
Cymon rolled his eyes, "It wasn't an attempt on Malken's, that's his name? It wasn't an attempt on his life! They went to save you! If we got him it would have been just an extra bonus."
I didn't have anything to say about that. I just sat in the dust watching Cymon leave.
A/N okay now it's done.