Chapter 5
Author's Note: Adore me!!! Worship me!!!
*
Vho came to, completely cut off from the link, and stumbled, nearly falling, her jolty ride having unsteadied her completely. She felt oddly exhausted, and leant against a wall.
The others mages came out of their trance and blinked dazedly. The three unknown mages - all apparently Heralds - slipped out. Elspeth hurried over.
"Vho are you alright? You completely disappeared! Then the shield vanished, but you didn't come back." The Adept looked at her in concern. "What in the Havens happened?"
"I d-don't know," said Vho, her voice sounding shaky even in her own ears. "It was a slightly different shield this time. I couldn't break it like I did last time. But suddenly it was like I was looking from - somewhere else. I could see the inside of the shield, where the power was coming from, and I could break it."
Darkwind and Elspeth exchanged a troubled glance.
"Listen, Vho," Darkwind was strangely awkward, and Vho suspected he was about to say something that, strictly, he shouldn't. "Now we have someone who can stop these terrorists, we have to go with the Skybolts, and find their headquarters."
"What have the terrorists done so far?" Vho asked curiously.
Elspeth's face darkened. "They've been working against the crown." she said soberly. "We think what they want is to throw the country into chaos, and then move in and take over. They've been sending assassins against Mother and Daren, and the twins. And the council is terrified - two of them were killed already."
"But where do they get the soldiers? Why is the mage helping them?"
Elspeth looked impressed at Vho's political astuteness. "The soldiers are just bandits, but they're trained, and have weapons. The mage - well, we think his price is blood magic from the villages, and free rein over the country if they win."
"Vho, we need your help." Darkwind said. "We can't do anything against this mage, and somehow, you can. This is dangerous, and you can say no if you want - but we could really use your help with hunting this man down."
The thought of the blood magic raised from the slaughtered village made Vho shudder. "Alright." she said quietly. "If I can, I'll help you."
*
By the time she got back to her room, Vho's temples were pounding. It seemed that her helping the mages had given her a reaction headache, and she wished desperately for some herbs to numb the pain. But the thought of going to look for some just made her aching head hurt even worse, and so she went to bed, hoping to sleep off her exhaustion.
However, the headache did not lessen even in sleep, and her dreams were strange and vivid. She seemed to be looking out of another's eyes. She looked out at a rough walled cavern, through which men hurried. They seemed strangely lopsided, until she realised that she was lying down one a pile of silky cushions.
"Wine!" she shouted, in a voice far deeper than her own. "Bring wine! Or something! Painkillers! Quickly!"
An unshaven man dressed in armour ran over, offering a brimming goblet. She seized it and drank it down, noting with surprise that her skin had changed from it's normal, smooth dark brown, to a hard, shiny, onyx black.
She clutched her throbbing temples. A richly dressed man entered the cave and strode over, anger evident in his entire posture.
"Kalathan!" He shouted when he saw Vho. "What in the Havens happened?" I needed that village destroyed! And yet for the second time you've failed!"
"They have a new mage, Javer." The deep voice grated slightly with anger. "This one is like no other I have ever seen. He broke my shield - a shield none here could possibly know - and when I changed it, he somehow managed to spell cast through it. He blocked me, stole my power, and broke the damned shield again!"
"Find him, you idiot mage!" shouted the enraged Javer. "He would have left a trail a mile wide, even I know that!"
"You think I didn't try?" Vho started to her feet. She noted with surprise that she was wearing an adaptation of the rich silk robe that high class mages in the palaces of the Haileigh Emperors often wore. "He was gone. I found no trace."
"Find him. Stop him. Get us that throne!" Javer roared. "The other Lords and I can easily find another mage. Do not think you aren't expendable."
Vho settled back into the cushions, and a nasty smile twisted her lips. "I don't think so, my lord." The deep voice almost purred. "Even if you do find another mage for hire, he will be most expensive. There are not many who have reasons to want to destroy this land."
"We need those villages destroyed!" repeated Lord Javer. "We need to lure those mages away from Selenay, or the assassins won't get through. Now, do it!" And with that, the man strode from the cave.
*
Vho woke up, feeling very strange. She felt oddly strange and stiff, as though she had not moved all night. She looked out the eastward facing window, and saw to her surprise that the sun was coming up. She had slept the entire afternoon and the whole night as well.
A bell began to ring - the morning bell which called the trainees down to breakfast. Vho pulled on the still strange feeling uniform, and pulled her hair away from its messy fuzz around her face. She opened the door and slipped into the thin stream of trainees.
"Vho!" The addressed turned to see that Mara was approaching, and waited politely for her to catch up. "Where were you yesterday? We couldn't find you. Why did you get called away?"
Vho felt acutely uncomfortable. She had the feeling that Elspeth wanted this kept quiet. "I don't think I can tell you." she said quietly.
Mara laughed. "What could you possibly be doing that's so important you can't even tell another Trainee?" when Vho didn't answer, she shrugged. "Fine then. You don't need to tell me." There was no anger in Mara's voice, but Vho could tell she was slightly hurt. Mara moved off.
Again, her year group, including a slightly reticent Mara, sat with Vho. They, too, wanted to know where she had been, but Vho fended them off with queries about the work she had missed. They had all finished breakfast, and were about to return to their rooms, when Vho saw a white-garbed figure leave the Herald's table.
Even from a distance Vho could recognize Elspeth, and she contrived to be at the back of the group as they left the hall. She lagged behind as the group split into its component parts, and Elspeth caught up with her.
"Vho, I need to talk to you," she said in a low voice. Vho nodded and led her into her room. Elspeth took the desk chair, and Vho sat on the bed. "I talked to Teren; the Dean of Herald's Colegium. He says that if it is the only way, you can be taken out of classes long enough to help us hunt down this mage." Vho nodded again, and Elspeth went on. "You, Darkwind and me will go to hunt this mage. Firesong is Gating in to help us, but that will be all." Vho must have looked confused, because Elspeth elaborated. "Firesong is a healing adept, a very powerful mage, but we've only recently gotten a message to him. He'll be arriving around noon-ish, so we'll leave early tomorrow." The word 'leave' rang vague warning bells in Vho's mind, but she ignored it. "Don't tell anyone what's happening; pack a few things tonight, and I'll check them. Rest; don't use any magical energy; you'll need it all if we run into trouble."
*
Dun dun dun! (sorry, I can't resist it; all of should come with a soundtrack)
Author's Note: Adore me!!! Worship me!!!
*
Vho came to, completely cut off from the link, and stumbled, nearly falling, her jolty ride having unsteadied her completely. She felt oddly exhausted, and leant against a wall.
The others mages came out of their trance and blinked dazedly. The three unknown mages - all apparently Heralds - slipped out. Elspeth hurried over.
"Vho are you alright? You completely disappeared! Then the shield vanished, but you didn't come back." The Adept looked at her in concern. "What in the Havens happened?"
"I d-don't know," said Vho, her voice sounding shaky even in her own ears. "It was a slightly different shield this time. I couldn't break it like I did last time. But suddenly it was like I was looking from - somewhere else. I could see the inside of the shield, where the power was coming from, and I could break it."
Darkwind and Elspeth exchanged a troubled glance.
"Listen, Vho," Darkwind was strangely awkward, and Vho suspected he was about to say something that, strictly, he shouldn't. "Now we have someone who can stop these terrorists, we have to go with the Skybolts, and find their headquarters."
"What have the terrorists done so far?" Vho asked curiously.
Elspeth's face darkened. "They've been working against the crown." she said soberly. "We think what they want is to throw the country into chaos, and then move in and take over. They've been sending assassins against Mother and Daren, and the twins. And the council is terrified - two of them were killed already."
"But where do they get the soldiers? Why is the mage helping them?"
Elspeth looked impressed at Vho's political astuteness. "The soldiers are just bandits, but they're trained, and have weapons. The mage - well, we think his price is blood magic from the villages, and free rein over the country if they win."
"Vho, we need your help." Darkwind said. "We can't do anything against this mage, and somehow, you can. This is dangerous, and you can say no if you want - but we could really use your help with hunting this man down."
The thought of the blood magic raised from the slaughtered village made Vho shudder. "Alright." she said quietly. "If I can, I'll help you."
*
By the time she got back to her room, Vho's temples were pounding. It seemed that her helping the mages had given her a reaction headache, and she wished desperately for some herbs to numb the pain. But the thought of going to look for some just made her aching head hurt even worse, and so she went to bed, hoping to sleep off her exhaustion.
However, the headache did not lessen even in sleep, and her dreams were strange and vivid. She seemed to be looking out of another's eyes. She looked out at a rough walled cavern, through which men hurried. They seemed strangely lopsided, until she realised that she was lying down one a pile of silky cushions.
"Wine!" she shouted, in a voice far deeper than her own. "Bring wine! Or something! Painkillers! Quickly!"
An unshaven man dressed in armour ran over, offering a brimming goblet. She seized it and drank it down, noting with surprise that her skin had changed from it's normal, smooth dark brown, to a hard, shiny, onyx black.
She clutched her throbbing temples. A richly dressed man entered the cave and strode over, anger evident in his entire posture.
"Kalathan!" He shouted when he saw Vho. "What in the Havens happened?" I needed that village destroyed! And yet for the second time you've failed!"
"They have a new mage, Javer." The deep voice grated slightly with anger. "This one is like no other I have ever seen. He broke my shield - a shield none here could possibly know - and when I changed it, he somehow managed to spell cast through it. He blocked me, stole my power, and broke the damned shield again!"
"Find him, you idiot mage!" shouted the enraged Javer. "He would have left a trail a mile wide, even I know that!"
"You think I didn't try?" Vho started to her feet. She noted with surprise that she was wearing an adaptation of the rich silk robe that high class mages in the palaces of the Haileigh Emperors often wore. "He was gone. I found no trace."
"Find him. Stop him. Get us that throne!" Javer roared. "The other Lords and I can easily find another mage. Do not think you aren't expendable."
Vho settled back into the cushions, and a nasty smile twisted her lips. "I don't think so, my lord." The deep voice almost purred. "Even if you do find another mage for hire, he will be most expensive. There are not many who have reasons to want to destroy this land."
"We need those villages destroyed!" repeated Lord Javer. "We need to lure those mages away from Selenay, or the assassins won't get through. Now, do it!" And with that, the man strode from the cave.
*
Vho woke up, feeling very strange. She felt oddly strange and stiff, as though she had not moved all night. She looked out the eastward facing window, and saw to her surprise that the sun was coming up. She had slept the entire afternoon and the whole night as well.
A bell began to ring - the morning bell which called the trainees down to breakfast. Vho pulled on the still strange feeling uniform, and pulled her hair away from its messy fuzz around her face. She opened the door and slipped into the thin stream of trainees.
"Vho!" The addressed turned to see that Mara was approaching, and waited politely for her to catch up. "Where were you yesterday? We couldn't find you. Why did you get called away?"
Vho felt acutely uncomfortable. She had the feeling that Elspeth wanted this kept quiet. "I don't think I can tell you." she said quietly.
Mara laughed. "What could you possibly be doing that's so important you can't even tell another Trainee?" when Vho didn't answer, she shrugged. "Fine then. You don't need to tell me." There was no anger in Mara's voice, but Vho could tell she was slightly hurt. Mara moved off.
Again, her year group, including a slightly reticent Mara, sat with Vho. They, too, wanted to know where she had been, but Vho fended them off with queries about the work she had missed. They had all finished breakfast, and were about to return to their rooms, when Vho saw a white-garbed figure leave the Herald's table.
Even from a distance Vho could recognize Elspeth, and she contrived to be at the back of the group as they left the hall. She lagged behind as the group split into its component parts, and Elspeth caught up with her.
"Vho, I need to talk to you," she said in a low voice. Vho nodded and led her into her room. Elspeth took the desk chair, and Vho sat on the bed. "I talked to Teren; the Dean of Herald's Colegium. He says that if it is the only way, you can be taken out of classes long enough to help us hunt down this mage." Vho nodded again, and Elspeth went on. "You, Darkwind and me will go to hunt this mage. Firesong is Gating in to help us, but that will be all." Vho must have looked confused, because Elspeth elaborated. "Firesong is a healing adept, a very powerful mage, but we've only recently gotten a message to him. He'll be arriving around noon-ish, so we'll leave early tomorrow." The word 'leave' rang vague warning bells in Vho's mind, but she ignored it. "Don't tell anyone what's happening; pack a few things tonight, and I'll check them. Rest; don't use any magical energy; you'll need it all if we run into trouble."
*
Dun dun dun! (sorry, I can't resist it; all of should come with a soundtrack)