Summersea Saga

by crosseyedbutterfly

Sequel to Twisted Tortallain Tale! This time, our fav group of teens are sent to Summersea...and it's crazy boy mage who runs things behind the scenes! Chapter 22 up!

18.

*tosses it at audience and runs* THERE IT IS, DON'T EAT ME, PLEASE!!!!

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Brenna woke in a hazy place that reminded her of limbo from Dante's Inferno, a place where you weren't in paradise, but weren't tortured in various ways either. All in all, not a bad place to be if she had to spend the rest of eternity here, though it would get rather boring with all this mist and no one else around after awhile. Maybe there were other people here, wherever here was. Not like she didn't have the rest of her afterlife to find out.

"Thankfully, you won't be around here that long," commented a young boy as he suddenly popped into view, nearly scaring Brenna to death. The only reason he didn't was because she was, obviously, already dead.

"Where the heck did you come from?!" she asked, backing up a bit and giving him a glare. "You almost killed me all over again, sneaking up on me like that!"

"I thought I told you to be nicer around the mortal charges," commented a young woman in her teens dressed in American clothes as she appeared as well, but much slower and less alarmingly than her companion had. "Apologize, Devan."

"Why??"

The elder one glared at him threateningly. "Just do it!"

Grumbling under his breath, he rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright...sorry."

"Hey," said Brenna with a suspicious look. "I remember you...you're the mage-dude who got us into this mess!! It's your fault I'm dead!"

"MY fault?! Now wait just one darn minute, I'm not the one who decided to go sneaking off and play 'heroine thief', some twisted female version of Robin Hood, just for the heck of it!"

"I never would've had to if you'd taken care of us like you were supposed to!" retorted Brenna pointedly. "Trystan NEVER let us get ourselves into this kind of a mess."

"Trystan's world is a different one from mine!" snorted the boy mage angrily. "And yea, she did let you get yourself into messes -it's called freewill-, only you made less stupid choices, so you came out ahead instead of behind like you did this time. WAY behind."

"Well, what the heck am I supposed to do now?!" screamed the farmer lady, clenching her fists and wishes she could take his skinny little neck and tie it in half a dozen knots.

"What are you going to do?! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?! Oh, I'll TELL you what you're going to do!!" The mage boy suddenly composed himself, finishing quietly. "You're immortal, so in a couple of days (give or a take a few) you're going to reawaken in your body good as new."

Brenna deadpanned as he smiled giddily. "What the heck...? Immortal? Reawaken?? Would someone explain just what's going on?!"

"Visit more than one alter-universe = being immortal," said the elder woman with a shrug. "Simple concept. There's a ton of metaphysical explanation-crap behind it, but he doesn't get it and I'm not going to do it for him, ok?"

"...ok." Brenna breathed deeply, letting the air out slowly before she went on. "So...I'm not really dead?"

"No, just...'resting' while your body fixes itself," replied Devan with a shrug. "Though removed heads often take awhile..."

"THEY TOOK OFF MY HEAD?!" Brenna grabbed her neck instinctively, turning a greenish color.

"It's policy, incase the thief or vagrant or whatever managed to live through the hanging somehow," shrugged Devan simply. "Which is actually a good thing in this case, because you can't be seen back in town as you once were."

"You're not..." Brenna ran a hand through her long, raven tresses longingly. "No, no, no...not my hair! I like my straight hair!!!"

"Sorry, it's got to go," replied Devan with a shrug. "It won't be AS curly as it was before, if that helps, but the brown color will return. It happens naturally every time your body has to 'replace' part of itself that's been severed or lost as an immortal. So, any old scars you might have had from the shoulders up or so might be returning as well, just to warn you."

"What about my eyes?" whimpered Brenna sadly. "I get to keep my eyes at least...right?"

Devan shook his head. "Nope."

"NOOO!!!!"

"Nutcase," muttered the sister as Brenna continued to wail about her hair and her eyes, fading into the background.

Devan nodded, following her back to their home. "Absolutely."

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Olivia sighed as she sat tiredly beside Randy, Bryanna returning moments later only to shake her head. "Nothing," she said simply with a shrug. "Nothing at all. Whoever once lived here is long gone."

"What now?" asked Randy slothfully, toying with his belt strap as a bug buzzed by in the afternoon heat.

Olivia coughed as another wave of smoke came at them from the surrounding valleys where the constant threat of forest fires lay. "We can't stay here much longer. It's not safe, that's for sure."

"Where are we going to go, then?" asked Randy roughly. "This is the only place the guards haven't followed us yet. They're sending their circles out farther and farther north, and a few have passed relatively close to town, but they won't go in the forest itself in fears of being caught in the middle of a huge fire. Apparently they don't trust this 'Mage Yarrun Firetamer' entirely, and not that I blame him. From what I've heard from a few locals, any farther north and it's practically an accident waiting to happen."

"And you got all of that gossiping with the farmer's wives while bargaining for cheese in the ten minutes you were in town?" asked Olivia mockingly.

"You'd be surprised how fast those ladies can shoot their mouths off when they have a mind to."

"I'm sure."

"We've got a week, maybe two, before the smoke is really going to start getting to us," warned Bryanna as she shifted to reach the water bottle at her feet and take a sip. "Maybe three if we start wearing scarves over our mouths like some of the villagers do. After that...if we stay here we're all going to end up with asthma for the rest of our lives. I don't have the energy to keep up with the healing of all three of us over long periods of time, and someone would have to face the consequences because of it."

"Or as long as we're here in Summersea whatever, right?" added Randy lightly. "I could deal with asthma for a few years if I had to, if it meant I wasn't getting chained up by the police."

"It could be a few years, a few months, or a few decades," replied Bryanna with a shrug. "We really won't know until the day it's time to go home. And if we have to fight our way out like we did last time...well, asthma would not help in a situation like that. Besides, a hacking smoker's cough is hard to cover up and draws extra attention to ourselves that we don't need."

"She has a point," admitted Olivia slowly. "We move back south if we don't think of something in a week and a half. If all else fails we'll go back to that mage's place and see if we can't dig up anything else that might be useful. At best, maybe we'll find some out of the way village that hasn't heard of us yet and might find ourselves some work there."

"It's worth a try," sighed Bryanna with a shrug. "Nothing to lose either way."

"Works for me."

"Your turn to get up in the three," Bryanna reminded Olivia, motioning for her to get moving.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...who's idea was it to set a watch on that place during the day anyways?"

"Uh...yours?"

"Well...dang. That sucks."

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Alyse and Landon rode up to the spot they'd been tracking all morning, Revlis right behind them as usual. Dismounting quickly, the cat girl scouted the area while her two companions checked out the cave itself. There they found the dead animals and a stagnant pool of unmagic, but nothing more. Whoever had once dwelled there was long gone, leaving his filth and such behind.

Coming back out, they found a puzzled Revlis who mapped out what she'd found for them to see if they could make any sense of it.

"Ok, so the cave was obviously abandoned, but there are other signs here that a couple other people were in the area recently," she stated firmly. "Footprints, unnaturally crushed twigs and leaves. Only humans can do stuff like that. But they don't smell of unmagic, or at least not active unmagic. If they have trace amounts I couldn't tell, you know, but then again with that huge pile up back there I doubt even Alyse could sense them as long as they're within a few miles of this place. The area around the cave for several hundred feet has been relatively well-searched, but once again no real pattern to it and no sign of where they've headed off to next. It's like they just wandered about in random circles over a couple of days before leaving and coming back to do it all over again and leaving in a different direction to confuse their tracks. I can't make heads nor tails of who it might be or what they might want, really."

The two off-worlders exchanged glances. "Stay here and keep guard," said Alyse after a few moments of thought. "If there are others here, we don't want them poking around too much. Either they're after something they shouldn't have, or don't realize the dangers associated with this place, and either way we have to stop them. Landon and I need to go get some supplies for this time around, so we'll be back in a couple of hours as soon as we can."

"Anything in particular?" asked Revlis, rather puzzled as most jobs required just their powers and skills. "What's so different this time around?"

"Just some wards to keep other animals away from this place after we're gone," explained Alyse with a shudder. "Dead things hold the taint much easier than living ones do, and with all the dead junk in there that's soaked in that stuff and other blood-magic runes...well, we're going to seal it off for good even after it's been cleansed. It's just not a good place to be."

"Alright. I'll keep my eyes and ears pealed."

"Ok!"

"Be back as soon as we can, I promise."

"Better be!"

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Ben hauled water for the cook as he did during his usual 'servant hours', trudging along with the buckets hanging from a bar over his shoulders as he headed for the well once more. It wasn't a fun task, but it had been giving him broader shoulders as of late and didn't burn his hands the way turning the spit did so he didn't complain.

Rounding the corner, he paused in the shadows as he saw Artor by the well, and he wasn't alone. One of the younger maids, of around twelve years old, was with him, obviously on some task of her own that Artor apparently kept thwarting her ability to complete.

Hoisting a bucket to the top, she bowed her head respectfully and turned to leave as he laughed and blocked her path. "Please, sir," she whispered meekly, cringing away from his touch. "Sir, your father will be greatly angered if I am unable to complete my task of washing the floors in the great hall before dinner. Please, sir! Let me on my way!"

"There's no rush, there's plenty of time before the bells for dinner ring," he replied heartlessly with another chuckle. Reaching forward, he tipped the bucket over with a flick of his hand, letting the water splash carelessly over the stones of the courtyard. "Oops, looks like you'll have to draw another bucket, won't you? You shouldn't be so clumsy now, you almost got my new shoes wet, wench. Do so next time, and I might have to speak with my father about a suitable punishment..."

The young girl bowed her head ashamedly, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks in her futile anger and frustration. "...yes, sir. I apologize. Perhaps, if I'm so clumsy you shouldn't bother with one such as I."

"Perhaps." He grabbed her arm, forcing her to stand closer as he leered at her openly. "But do not forget, SERVANT...you belong to me."

Ben dropped his buckets, a rage so violent welling up inside him he was afraid his chest might burst. How COULD he?! Treating her as if she was no better than an animal, a toy, something for him to simply amuse himself with! The idea of him treating another human being...it didn't even matter that it was a girl, she still deserved better treatment than this.

"Master Artor!" he called politely, an edge to his voice though he tried to keep himself as calm and steady as possible.

"Hm? Oh, Ben! Come here and join me, will you?"

"...of course, sir." He slowly walked over, the Master's son releasing the girl so she could scuttle after her spilled bucket. Interposing himself between her and it, Artor kicked it farther away cruelly with a chuckle.

"You are as worthless as ever, girl," he sighed mockingly, laughing at her discomfort as she reached for it time and time again, kicking it just out of reach. "Perhaps I really should speak with my father about giving you new...duties."

"I am content with the work I do now, sir," she whimpered quietly. "Please sir, if you would let complete my job..."

Ben clenched his jaw, easily scooping up the bucket from the other side and hooking it to the rope, lowering and raising it quickly before handing it back to the girl with a silent nod. She nodded back gratefully, turning to leave when Artor shot out his hand to grab hold of her once more.

He was surprised to find his arm intercepted by that of Ben's, who firmly held him in place.

"Be careful, sir," said the servant boy in a low voice, motioning to the well next to them with his head as the girl made her get away. "It would be unwise of you to ruin your new shirt, and you nearly dragged your sleeve through the scum on top of the stone walls here." He refused to meet the other boy's eyes, slowly letting go once the girl was out of sight.

"It is always unwise for a servant to forget his place," hissed Artor in reply, shooting him a poisonous glare it was the first time Ben had ever been treated like this by his friend, but he could see immediately where it came from. Traces of his father's typical behavior with elder females of the house, and how his son had now thought to make them his own. "Tread carefully, friend, or you might find yourself in a trap you can't escape from."

"I understand, sir," replied Ben slowly, backing away to retrieve his own buckets and fill them carefully.

"You had better!"

Ben watched silently as he stomped off, a frown on his face. Now he understood why most didn't like the nobles, they only treated properly those they liked, such as himself. The rest, though...they were no better than animals in their sight. A single question continued to circle his thoughts as he filled his own bucket and began the long trek back to the kitchens.

Why?

What bothered him most, though, was he couldn't think of a good answer.

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Nicole gently guided the huge ship into the port, getting them into an empty dock off to the side before ducking down into the cabins below as usual. She wasn't allowed to be out and about in plain sight until later unless she was hiding in someone's pocket or hood. To have her stolen and sold as an oddity would not be a good thing at all.

"Where are we exactly?" asked Gwen as she tossed ropes down to Tyler and Tanner who'd jumped to the dock the moment they were sure they could make it without falling in. "It feels like we've been here before."

"We're in a smaller port just a few days south of Emelan," explained Talia with a grin as she easily tied one of the ropes on their end in place. "That would be a nicer berth for the winter storms, but I suppose this one'll do."

"This one's dock rate is about half as much," added Jenny pragmatically. "We're not paying a double silver crescent a week to stay there when we could get by on a few coppers here. The only difference here and there is they've got the Duke's Navy to protect them and all we've got us ourselves. I think we'll be just fine, though."

"Captain, Dock Manager here to see you!" called Tanner from the gangplank he'd just put in place.

"Coming!" she called back, turning to walk towards them. "Get moving, you two, there'll be plenty to do on our rest stay."

"Oh, I'm sure."

"Morning, ma'am," offered the lanky fellow, adjusting his well-fitted uniform proudly as she simply nodded courteously. "I'll need a name and two coppers to leave your boat here for the night, plus another additional six for every week extra you stay."

"Here's the equivalent of 30 coppers," she said simply, handing him a sagging pouch. "We'll be here another month at least, if not two, but I'll pay for those as they come. Name's Captain Jennifer Christopher."

"Appreciate it, ma'am," he said simply with a quick nod of his head. "If you'd sign here..." He held the book for her, handing her the graphite stick as she actually signed her name rather than making the 'X' as most did. "Enjoy your stay, ma'am."

"Of course." Jenny switched to Trader Talk, the language they normally communicated in as it was more natural for a good portion of the crew. "Get moving, you guys! I want the entire ship gone over and cleaned until it shines with every repair that needs to be done being reported immediately with an estimated cost!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Why weren't you this vocal back home?" asked Gwen as she sidled up along side her Captain curiously. "I swear, it was like dragging words from your mouth sometimes to get more than five words strung together at a time."

"I didn't have a ship to run back then," retorted Jenny simply. "Now get down to the galley and help Granny clean up down there. She's got old bones, and is a bit slow sometimes."

Gwen sighed. "I think I liked you better the other way."

Jenny smiled. "Oh well."

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Mike and Matt lay on their backs outside of the Tavern they'd been seated in only moments before, their drinks splashed all around and the barkeep with one of his assistants standing over them wiping his hands as if he'd touched something unclean. "Filthy drunks," he grunted uncaringly. "Don't ya come back until ya can pay the tab, got it? I don't serve nobody for free." He turned on his heal and stalked back inside, the young man following him closely after glancing back over his shoulder once or twice.

"Well, Mike," drawled Matt as he hauled himself up so he was sitting in the dusty street rather than lying flat on his back. "I thinks we not wanted hea..."

"Yea..." Mike looked at him, a dopey grin on his face as he let himself be pulled up by his less-drunken friend. "So...what now?"

"Dunno." Matt slowly stumbled to his feet, a hitching post for support as he tried to regain his footing. "But I still got somma dis..." He held up a wineskin teasingly, Mike groping after it as he pulled himself to his feet unsteadily by using Matt to claw his way up. Leaning on each other, they began to stagger down the street, laughing uproariously and singing bawdy bits as loudly as they could by intervals as they passed the leather pouch that was quickly being emptied of its contents back and forth.

Suddenly Mike went into one particularly rousing song, one that he'd taken to singing when Kristen was around just because she hated it so. Stumbling back and forth across the road, and belting it out for all he was worth, it went something like this:

Come on over and buy me some ale

For it, I'll tell you a bit of a tale

Not of brave knights going whither and hence

But a saucy wench of supposed innocence

Hey-ho! Such a bright little thing

She'll treat all her custom like high-sitting kings

But a line to each man who asked her she fed

'I'll not bed a man until we've been wed!'

Well I stayed on over at that tavern night

T'was dark on the stairs, so I asked for a light

'There's only one lantern' she said ever so kind

Then such a great plan came to my mind

Hey-ho! Such a bright little thing

She'll treat all her custom like high-sitting kings

But a line to each man who asked her she fed

'I'll not bed a man until we've been wed!'

Up the stairs together we went

All my charms her way I duly sent

She could not resist me, I tell you fair sir!

She leapt in my bed without as much as a stir

Hey-ho! Such a bright little thing.

She'll treat all her custom like high-sitting kings

But her line's now fair gone, and so am I

I proved that wench's words was naught but a lie

I tell you now sir, time's since then passed

Since her lie's been proven at last

There's not much else of the story to tell

Except of the-

*WHOOSH*

"COLD!!!!"

"AHHH!!"

"Serves you right," called Chris from his window, holding the empty bucket in both hands. "Now shuddup! Some of us actually have to sleep so we can go to work in the morning!"

"That was freaking cold!"

"Yeah, I know. Nite."

"Bloody bastard..."

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Kaitlin, Cheeks, Libby, and Rupal all sat around the table, staring at each other sadly, three days having passed since the hanging of their friend and family member and not much having been accomplished since then. Jem was passed out cold just in the next room over, exhausted from a night of torturous nightmares that were even worse than the normal bunch, the agony of the last few days having worn his sanity far thinner than usual.

Not that the four of them were in any semi-good condition at all. Libby looked like she'd been to hell and back, her hair bedraggled around her face with smudges under her eyes and still wearing the same clothes from the day they'd found out. Nothing mattered anymore to her, not even her bunnies, she just wanted to curl up and die. Kaitlin was much the same way, and had used every last bit of their flour to bake anything and everything she could think of with their limited resources at least once. Rupal didn't know food stuffs could be stretched that far, but the cook had done it and at least their pantry was stocked if their cabinets were not. Speaking of the accountant, she didn't know what to think. Everything was numb, she couldn't feel much of anything or summon enough energy to care. Things were slowly down, and soon they'd probably die as well. But who cared, in this cursed world? All she wanted was to go home, and to go home NOW. Cheeks was probably the most drained off all them, having not slept even an hour uninterrupted with Jem's worsening condition and the others unable to assist him in it. The boy wouldn't respond to any other, so he bore the duty as best he could and hoped eventually there would be a light at the end of this lonely and dark tunnel. All four eyes met, and suddenly jumped to something none of them had thought about yet.

Brenna's things. And then chaos broke loose as everyone scrambled for the stairs, pushing and shoving like nobody's business.

"I SO have dibs on her room!"

"Do not, get back here! I'm older than you!"

"And I freaking cook your meals, shove it!"

"I want her plant collection!"

"I thought you were asleep twerp! You can't have anything, you haven't been her long enough!"

"Now, is that really fair-"

"Screw being fair!"

"Fine then. Nobody better even THINK of touching her books and ink, those are MINE."

"Then I want her clothes! Leather boots and all, I never got those cuz you said cooks didn't need 'em."

"They don't!"

"Heck if I care!"

"I call her anime!"

"Libby, her anime is all back home...you can't get to it from here."

"Well...uh...if she's dead there too, then I get it there too!"

"You can't have all of it! That's a freaking fortune!"

"Yeah, well, so what?"

"Ami-chan's gonna kill you."

"...you can have the manga if you keep quiet about it. I don't read that stuff anyways."

"Deal!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!!!!!"

Everyone paused and turned around to see a soil-covered figure that look very much like their deceased friend standing there in the back doorway.

"Angry greedy ghost," whispered Kaitlin as she hid behind a frozen Cheeks. "Eep! Don't eat me! I swear, I don't taste that good, see? Eww...gross...I really do taste bad."

"SHUT UP!" The figure brushed her now-brown and curly locks out of her eyes, glaring at them all with a universal condemnation of: 'This had better be good or all males will be emasculated and girls beheaded.' "I'm not dead for ever THREE freaking DAYS and you're fighting over my STUFF?!! Bloody hell, I think I liked being DEAD better! Gee, thanks for caring guys, nice to know that all those warm, fuzzy feelings you once had for me actually lasted once I was gone..."

"Wait, you can't be dead, not talking like that," said Kaitlin warily, creeping closer and wagging her finger knowingly. "No one can counterfeit the 'Emasculate all offending guys and behead all offending females' glare. It's very similar to the 'I aught to run you through with something long, sharp, and pointy' Manda-chan glare, but distinctly different. But...you can't be Brenna. So who the heck are you??? And where'd you learn that glare?!" She sidled closer and whispered, "If you teach me, I'll tell the others you're the real Brenna. I know it can subdue an angry Cheeks, and that might come in handy- URK!"

Kaitlin found herself the sole recipient of that glare as Brenna's hand shot forward, getting her by the collar and forcibly dragging her collar. "Could a ghost do this, you numbskull?"

"Course not, you have to be an imposter," replied Kaitlin as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "So, who are you really?"

"I'm BRENNA!!!"

"Then tell us something only Brenna would know," replied Libby carefully. "One thing about each person. And...it has to be from our 'old life.' Not from the 'first trip', that's too easy, but from 'our original lives'. If you're the real Brenna, you'll know what I'm talking about."

"Well that's freaking easy," muttered the revived farmer girl, rolling her eyes. "Kaitlin and her 'Wake me if I say Nine Month's later' deal, which I don't think she wants me to actually mention details right now." Kaitlin blushed a bright red. "Rupal was a genius in high school, top of our class, etc...oh, and she had the psycho theatre teacher Junior year." Rupal nodded slowly. "Libby, you totaled your first car. And I mean TOTALED. That thing couldn't have been any more smashed without you having died, you're freaking lucky to have only come out with a bruise. And Cheeks, well...he's our trombonist that's forever sick with SOMETHING, be it a strained muscle or a lung virus."

"Yeah, it's definitely her," affirmed Kaitlin, still dangling from Brenna's grasp. "Our Vixie-chan is back!!"

"That's not possible!" cried Libby, smacking herself in the forehead as if hoping to wake herself from a very bad dream. "Not happening...not at all...not possible...never..."

"Libby, sweety, I have news for you," said Brenna, cheering up some as she did. "Guess what?"

"What?" The bunny woman couldn't even argue any more, her mind was so overwhelmed in shock.

"You and I and every other person for whom this trip is a second time around deal...we're immortal."

"Then why is your eyes back to blue and your hair brown and curly?" asked Kaitlin, still hanging in the hair.

"Well...long story, they just are. Do you believe me, though? That I am back?"

There was a pause, then everyone crowded around her instantaneously, hugs and kisses all over the place as she was welcomed in once more.

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Olivia sat perfectly still in her perch high up in the tree branches. Heights had never been a problem for her, so instead of setting a 'trigger' during her watch like Bry did to let her know when others where near or watch from under a bush, she merely hid herself behind the numerous, dry leaves and observed from there. It was actually rather comfortable, too, the way she'd set herself with an extra blanket as a cushion.

That wasn't the point, though.

It had been on her watch when the three strangers had rode up, their mounts obviously fine ones and from their matching clothing some sort of well-coordinated group. Two had gone in, the one with the boneless grace of a cat staying out as guard, she supposed. They'd emerged and then exchanged a few words, her being too high up to catch clearly what they said.

One disadvantage she'd never thought of with this seat, there was no easy way down, not even wearing the loose breeches she'd borrowed from Randy and if she moved and made a sound at all she was sure they'd sense her presence immediately. There'd been more talking, several hand gestures, and then the man and woman (who seemed strangely familiar to her) mounted their horses and left the cat-girl there alone to probably stand guard until their return.

And there goes her hopes of alerting the others the moment they were gone. Hopefully they weren't going to stick around and poke their noses into places they shouldn't, her two friends were in for a nasty surprise otherwise as she'd seen they were armed and things could get messy from here.

But the one thing that was bugging her the most: just who were these people? Their clothes were all the same, and they looked like guards or watchmen of some sort, but who'd ever heard of female guards in these parts and why the heck were they all the way out here? If they were searching for her they'd have found her with a magic-seeker, she couldn't hide her gift anymore than she could hide herself if she were in an open field. And if they weren't out here for her and her friends, what were they after? The unmagic? She hadn't felt the same waves of 'taint' she had on their old master, and if anything seemed as nauseated but what they'd seen in there as she and Bry had.

None of this made any sense, she decided, so she sat tight and waited, hoping for the best turn out in the end. Whatever that would be.

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Revlis looked a little relieved when Alyse and Landon rode back up, her ears twitching from time and time and a nervous air about her that made the other two a little edgy as well.

"Something wrong?" asked Landon as they unloaded the mounts, letting them graze nearby as they quickly set up their things. "Did anything happen when we were gone?"

"Nothing, really," she replied slowly with a shrug. "Just an...itch I have, I think. I can't describe it, just a feeling that something's not quite right, and I should know why too."

"It's not unmagic," offered Alyse slowly. "I'd be able to sense it. All of the stuff here is latent and unused, a collected reserve that can't hurt anyone unless it was tapped into or set free. Not that I intend to let either happen, but that shouldn't bother you."

"That's not it," she sighed with a shake of her head. "Just ignore me, I'm probably being silly over nothing..." Quickly working together and never missing a beat, they had the protective wards and blood-magic banishing barriers in place as Landon took his spot right in front of the cave itself, just outside the entrance with his sword drawn.

"Go ahead," said Alyse as she gave everything a last minute check, her own powers extending only to that and to her 'Sensing' abilities. Giving him a grin, she added, "We can handle anything that happens out here."

He grinned back. "I know." Turning away, he began to concentrate his powers in his sword, the usual blue flames that now tended to manifest during these times dancing long its keen edge. Slowly he let it build, waiting until it was exactly what he needed and driving the point of it hard down into the earth. From it in a circle the power pulse and flew out like a wave, a funnel of wind rising up only to die moments later as everything went still around them.

"...was that it?" asked Alyse hesitantly as he stumbled back a step, easily crossing the barriers she'd created to help him back out of there. "Wow, that stuff must've been there for years without being touched to let itself just be burned away like that with no resistance at all."

"There was some," returned Landon slowly. "But not much at all. I wish we knew some more in case that might-"

"OLIVIA!!"

All three of them froze, Revlis turning to see a young blonde woman and a guy with dark hair running towards them frantically, calling the same name, over and over again.

"OLIVIA, GET DOWN HERE NOW!!"

"What's going on?!" cried Revlis as she caught the girl by the arm, seeing the panic and fear in her eyes instantly. Glancing behind them, her mouth went dry as the hair prickled at the back of her neck. "Holy mother of darkness..."

A random girl dropped from the trees with long, reddish-brown tresses, the cat girl's fears mirrored in her own eyes.

There was a raging wall of fire, about fifteen feet tall not more than a hundred yards away. On top of that, it was moving towards them. On top of THAT....the sides were moving faster than it, and was about to hedge them in. Permanently.

"RUN!!"

The three Unmagic Assassins ran for their mounts, Alyse not even considering it an option to leave the other three behind as she offered the guy her hand hurriedly. The other two followed suit, their horses immediately going into a full-out gallop through the forest to anywhere they hoped the fire wouldn't spread. It was a race for their lives, and everyone one of them prayed to whomever might be listening that they wouldn't lose.

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Ben sighed as he changed slowly in his room, knowing he'd probably truly overstepped his bounds since he'd first started his 'relationship' with the Master's son as friends, and was probably going to pay dearly for it. The morning lessons had been cancelled, due to something the guards wouldn't explain to him when he'd asked them why he wouldn't be let it. So, he'd come back down here and changed into his regular clothes, figuring he'd go and lend an extra hand in the kitchens for the day. Nana would be there, and the Cook was always complaining she didn't have enough helpers, she'd be glad enough to give him some work for a couple hours.

Wondering if he'd ever be going back to lessons again, Ben absently stirred the contents of a large bowl and made sure they were well-mixed before carefully pouring it in the clay pan it would bake in. Hours passed as he methodically worked his way through the list of chores the surprised Cook had given him, glad for the help and hoping it would last more than just for today.

Considering he doubted he'd even get to have his free period with Artor, that was quickly becoming a possibility.

 Lunch came as one of the guards for the family came down, warily watching the lower servants as if he was afraid they might jump and bite him or something as he searched among their numbers. "You there!"

Ben looked up from the crust the cook had given him to munch on in surprise. "Uh...me sir?"

"You're wanted up in the Library," he said importantly, ignoring the others as if they didn't matter at all. "Follow me."

"Yessir..."

Wishing he'd gotten time to change, Ben straightened his wrinkled clothes as best he could and wiped his greasy hands on his pants. Working with food in the kitchen wasn't exactly a job that left you looking presentable considering the constant chaos that went on in there.

"Here, get in there and behave," said the guard gruffly, prodding him into the room with his foot before he shut the door behind him.

Artor sat in one of the two easy chairs before the fireplace, a chessboard set up before him with all the pieces already set. Studying it intently, he didn't even look up but simply waved to the chair across from him in a silent invitation to play.

Ben hesitantly walked over and sat down across from him, touching as little of the chair as possible in his condition so he wouldn't spoil it and waiting for Artor to move or speak first.

"You are confusing sometimes, Ben," said Artor carefully as he moved his first piece. "Why did you interferer with me like that yesterday?"

Ben considered the move, then made one of his own. "What do you mean sir?"

Artor quickly moved another pawn forwards two spaces. "I mean, why did you interpose yourself between me and that girl yesterday." Artor wrinkled his nose slightly. "I can't imagine that you've already marked her as 'yours', she didn't seem to know you very well at least. And other than that, she's just a servant, and a female one at that. Hardy worth anything at all. I do not see where she would mean enough for you to put your standing in jeopardy over her."

Ben sat back, carefully forming his next words and play in the game simultaneously. Cautiously picking up a knight, he moved it among Artor's pawns carefully as he spoke. "Sir...I believe you're wrong. A girl or not, a servant is still a human being. What makes you think you can treat others like that?"

"I'm her Master, she must obey me in all ways," replied Artor immediately, recklessly throwing a castle in the way of his pawn as he did. "She displeased me by not doing so, thus I rightly humiliated her for her. She's lucky you're the only one who saw her. This time."

Ben flexed his fist slowly as he kept his eyes downcast, resisting the urge to deck him across the chin good an hard. "She's not some...some toy! A thing to be played with and then cast aside..."

"That is the way my Father has always treated women, and they still flock to his side. Smile at him, fawn over him," replied Artor with a superior smile on his young face. "Wealth and power...he has both, you know. His bed is never cold, and mine won't be either."

Ben colored slightly. "Erm...look. Do you remember anything about your mother, Artor?"

"No, she died when I was born." The boy shrugged uncaringly. "She was weak. And don't start with trying to be sympathetic. I don't remember her, and I don't miss her. Father never could bring himself to love another woman after her death, from what they tell me, but what does it matter? I will be powerful and rich like he is, and women will bow before me as they do to him. Their smiles, their everything...they will belong to me."

Ben shook his head slowly, making his final move as he did. "I do not agree with you sir. That is a Check Mate, and I must be going so I can complete my other duties this afternoon."

Artor's frown deepened. "Go, then. We'll have lessons again tomorrow, don't be late."

Ben nodded slowly. "Yessir." He turned and left with a slight bow.

Well, that hadn't been what he'd expected at all...

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Nicole worked diligently beside Gwen, using her tiny hands to given the bands a little extra shine that even the more detail-oriented of them couldn't achieve with their larger and clumsier fingers. Granted, she couldn't even fully lift the band off the ground without their help unless she used her magic, but that wasn't the point. As long as she got the detailing done, that's what mattered.

Jenny came down into the hold and carefully picked up one of the finished pieces, using a cloth to ensure she didn't get any fingerprints on it. Examining it with the detail of a detective trying to pry each and every clue that might be hidden beneath the surface, Nicole waited nervously for her final judgment. She hadn't any real reason to worry, though.

"Perfect."

She stowed them away in their wooden box and carried it carefully under one arm. "Thanks guys."

Nicole beamed as Gwen just shrugged and muttered something about being a slave half the time.

"Welcome!"

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Mike slowly pealed on eye open to the morning sun, wondering who had left his shutters and window open as a brisk morning breeze came in. Feeling stabs of pain the moment light hit his vision, he clamped it shut again and groaned as his stomach roiled unpleasantly. Oh yeah, it was him. When he'd been puking his guts out last night in the little pond right below his window with Jon's fish in it since he couldn't make it to the bathroom in time.

Oh, was Jon gonna love that.

Laying there for a minute, he slowly came to several conclusions and yet few of them made absolutely no sense at all.

First of all, he was soaking wet. When had THAT happened? Yeah, sure, sometimes he'd wake up and his pants would be wet from having spilled the bottle on himself as he passed out. Or his shirt would be damp from being his head being repeatedly ducked in ice-cold water to give him the semblance of being sober.

Neither one of those had happened last night, he was sure of it.

Second, he was in his bed. How did he get there? He and Matt weren't even planning to come home that night, Good ol' Paddy was supposed to let them crash on his floor right across from the tavern for the night. Wonder what happened there? None of the others had come and dragged him and Matt home, and Matt sure didn't want to leave, so why...?"

"Don't you look nice," said Cam as he appeared in his doorway, a taunting smile on his lips.

"Get lost, brat," he growled impotently. "Now."

"Naw, seeing you in misery is too much fun. Heard you had a nice soak last night, though. Enjoy it much?"

"Nice soak...? What? I don't know what the heck you're talking about kid. Mind refreshing my memory? What happened last night, do you know?"

"You don't remember?" Cam chuckled to himself. "Gees, sucks to be you. Later."

"Hey wait, what-" *THUD* "Ooohh...." Mike lay sprawled on his stomach on the floor, having attempted to rise to quickly and found the floor rising to meet his chin suddenly. "That's gonna leave a mark."

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Brenna dragged herself downstairs as quietly as she could, not surprised to find Cheeks and Jem already there in the kitchen with a pot of hot water going with a mug of tea a piece. "Heya, guys."

"Hey," replied Cheeks with a nod, Jem just staring into his much blankly. "Can't sleep?"

"No, not very well at least," came the tiredly reply as she yawned. "Something about coming back from the dead...gives you creepy nightmares and stuff from time to time."

"I would too, if I'd been hung," he sighed slowly, settling back more comfortably in his chair as Brenna got herself a mug and some tea leaves, pouring hot water over them from the simmering pot. Settling herself in the chair next to them, Cheeks waited until she was comfortable enough not to get up and hit him before he asked his next question. "What the heck were you thinking, by the way? Doing something like that? We weren't that desperate yet."

"Yet being the operative, another week tops and we would have been," replied Brenna flatly. "At least the council gave you some restorive for the death of one of the breadwinners in the family, right?"

"Something like that. It wasn't much, but it helped some."

"Every bit counts."

"Exactly."

Silence settled between them, an easy one that made the farm lady turn drowsy as the hours wore on. She had almost nodded off when someone knocked at the door, startling out of her warmth-induced stupor enough to glance over at Cheeks, who was napping lightly with Jem resting peacefully in the crook of his arm. Knowing they got little enough sleep as it was, she got up herself and let them stay as they were, going herself to answer the door.

Wondering what time it was and knowing there wasn't really a way to find out as none of them had watches, she opened the door, not even bothering to question the fact that it was after midnight and there was someone pounding on the door.

That was her first mistake, her second was not closing it fast enough when she saw the couple dozen tough mercenaries standing there with weapons drawn.

They were in the house and surrounded her before she could do so much as blink, one of the knocking her out with a swift blow from behind as she reached for something, anything that might serve as a weapon. Down she fell and there she remained, completely knocked out as they streamed in past her, her last conscious thought being:

Well, isn't this a fine welcome back to the living world...

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Bryanna sat beside Olivia, watching over the girl a bit longer to make sure was in stable condition once more. She'd inhaled too much smoke leaving the forest and had passed out the moment they were safe, almost tumbling from the cat-looking girl that she'd been riding with. Her lungs hadn't taken much damage, and she'd done her best to clear her blood of the deadly toxins that had been in the air, so she should be fine, she just wanted to be sure before leaving her alone. A short way away sat two of the three whom had saved them with their horses talking quietly, Randy in the middle tending to dinner for them all. The third of the other group lay flat on her back much like Olivia was, but whatever it was she suffered from they hadn't asked her to tend to it and she wasn't going to offer her services otherwise.

The one Olivia had been riding with rose suddenly, walking over to sit on her other side facing Bryanna. "How is she?"

"Well enough, for one who almost died," she sighed wryly in reply. "Olivia'll be fine, she's tough as nails and then some, usually. Hopefully she'll be back to normal by morning and we can get moving again..."

"Where are you headed?" asked Revlis curiously. "Maybe we can give you a lift for awhile. Especially if your friend needs the rest for awhile."

"Not sure, we're sort of loosefoots..."

"Oh...what do you do for a living, then? Perform? Dance? Sing?"

"Odd jobs. Whatever we can find, really."

"Sounds like fun."

"Well, we've seen better days."

"If you'll take a look at our friend you can have this, and maybe it'll help you along." Revlis produced a gold coin from her jacket. Meeting the healer's eyes, she added in a low voice, "I know you're running from something, I smell the wariness on you from across the clearing. I also know you're a Healer Mage. You take care of our friend, and we can part ways at dawn as if none of this ever happened. I don't care whatever it was you did, I won't tell anyone I saw you or what direction you went it, just look over my friend, will you?"

Bryanna hesitantly took the coin, looking it over before she stuffed it in her sleeve. It was too good to pass up at a time like this, she'd just hope she could trust the feline-ish lady to keep her word. Randy gave her an odd look as she stood and crossed the camp to the other side but said nothing as she sat down and went directly into a healing trance without so much as glancing at her soot-streaked patient.

Going through the same motions as before, she checked the lungs and patched up the heat-scalding that had been done there, easing the burned tissue back to normal a bit a time. Then going through and removing the toxins from the blood that had gotten in from the smoke-filled air. She wasn't much worse than Olivia, other than she'd waited longer to be healed. Still, her presence felt very familiar for some reason and Bryanna wondered who she was as she finally finished and pulled out of her trance.

Looking down at the sleeping figure, her eyes widened considerably. She KNEW that face. And not from this world either!

"Your name is Landon, right?" she asked her patient's companion, looking up at him intensely.

"Yes," he replied with a slight nod. "Why?"

"Don't look at me like I'm crazy, but I'm going to ask you some questions that you're going to HAVE to answer honestly, ok?"

He nodded uncertainly. "Fine, go on."

"Do you know what Earth is?" He stiffened slightly, his discomfort urging her to go on. "What American is? Where Providence High School is?"

"You're one of her schoolmates," he said suddenly, the realization hitting him like a ton of bricks. "Holy son of....we finally FOUND somebody!"

"Is she from there too?" asked Alyse, motioning to Revlis quickly.

"No, no, she's from here," he explained quickly. "Alyse obviously is, though."

"Alyse...I know that name." She pondered it a moment, then snapped her fingers suddenly. "She's from the original journey! The one who claimed herself as Amanda's cousin!"

"I can't believe we finally met up with someone," he said in amazement, shaking his head slightly as he glanced over at Randy who was giving them strange looks. "You might want to call your friend over and explain things before he bolts. That, and tell me your story. Why are you guys out here in the middle of the woods with nothing but your clothes and no home to speak of?"

"Randy get over here," she called to her partner. "Ok, now, where to start...I guess the beginning would be the best place, right? So, we started out here as Students at the Lightsbridge University trying to earn our way up from Journeyman to Master."

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Alyse could not believe everything that had happened in just a few short hours as she sat on her horse, trotting towards the Lady's Mansion where Niko and the others were staying while Revlis remained behind with their three convict friends. Meeting people from her world in the middle of a forest fire....well, that's certainly something that didn't happen every day. And wrongly convicted ones too, but hopefully that wouldn't be much longer.

"Purpose of visit?" asked the Lieutenant at the front of the gate flatly. Two guards stood behind him, blocking the way.

"We need to see Master Goldeneye," replied Alyse, using his full name out of respect in the presence of strangers. "He isn't expecting us, but he should know who we are just the same."

"Leave your weapons and horses here," ordered the man, not even bothering to look up as he scribbled something down on a scrap of paper and handed it to a servant.

"We can't," retorted Alyse, matching him glare for glare as he finally looked up at them over his papers. "We are both Mages, sir, and perfectly capable of getting in without your assistance...however, I do believe it would go over better with your superiors if you let us in yourself." She gave her eyes a pinch of her power, manifesting itself there in the form of an eerie glow. Sure, her powers weren't suited to hurt him, but he didn't know that.

"Very well." He gave a terse nod to the guard beside him, giving him a quiet order before letting them pass. "Follow Dan, he will take you to the Master Goldeneye."

"Our thanks." They both dismounted and turned the horses over to the care of the stables, following the quick-moving man through the main courtyard and off to one of the smaller side ones. Down a series of halls they went, zigzagging back and forth until they finally reached a more private one, the four students they'd seen before all there sitting and eating their lunch with the two female mage teachers. The one who looked to be a blacksmith sat off to the side, talking to the man who was probably this mansion's regular smith about something, leaving their Master Goldeneye off by himself to one side intently reading a book.

"Sir!" said the guard, stopping beside him and snapping to a partial attention. "These guests are here to see you, sir."

"Thank you," said the elder mage, closing his book carefully without looking up as the guard departed quickly. "How may I...oh, it's you two again." He gave them a weary smile, motioning for them to sit silently. "I suppose this means your hunting didn't go well?"

"Oh no," replied Landon quickly with a grin. "It went very well, so well it couldn't have gone better than it did. However...we caught something more than we thought we would."

"Have you heard of three Lightsbridge students that supposedly went to Unmagic?" asked Alyse suddenly.

"There was something about a Master who was coming under question for awhile there, but little of it reached my ears," admitted Niko slowly. "Why?"

"The Council, though which one I'm not sure, tracked down three students who had been inadvertently helping the Master Mage, who was indeed an Unmagic Adept, and pinned them with his charges," explained the sensor slowly. "They managed to escape and find the man who did this to him, but I believe we got to him first and erased any and all evidence that might have aided them in clearing their names. Because of this they're still on the run, and if their caught they will likely be sentenced to death or slavery without a trial."

Niko paused, then asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

"You're a prominent figure in both the Unmagic and the Mage's Councils, respectively," said Landon in a low voice. "It benefits OUR plans to have these three alive and well and free citizens, understand? We cannot clear their name, though, the Council doesn't know us and can't track our pasts in any of the usual ways. However..."

"I can," finished Niko with a slow sigh, sitting back in his seat as he did. "Are you sure these three a guilty of nothing?"

"Nothing other than blind stupidity," replied Alyse instantly.

"Unmagic charges...those are very serious crimes," went on the mage slowly. "I can't just...well...can I meet them first?"

"Absolutely. And if you find them to be innocent, will you help them?"

He hesitated, the nodded. "Yes, I'll help them. You have my word as a Master mage."

"Good. Here's where we'll be staying, come drop in when you can. We'll be waiting."

Niko nodded, and put the paper in his pouch, glancing at the others who were watching curiously. "Can I bring a friend or two? The Council may not react to the letter of on Master...but of four, they would have to listen."

The two exchanged looks, then nodded slowly. "I suppose so."

"Good. Expect us tomorrow then, when things have settled down a little around here."

"We will." The two rose and left, bowing politely to him before heading back to the front.

"Well, that went better than I thought," sighed Landon as he stretched, watching his companion out of the corner of his eye. "Now all we can do is hope he'll keep his word."

"Oh, he will," affirmed Alyse, drawing upon all the knowledge she ever had of the Far-seeing Mage from the books she'd read. "He's just that kind of guy."

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Ben just watched as Artor walked away to go and get ready for dinner, sighing as he did. The boy had been distant with him all day, keeping their conversations short and away from what had happened the day before with a determination that surprised him. Not that Ben had tried to bring it up, but somehow everything they said kept coming back to that unfinished conversation.

Getting up slowly, he quickly passed through the servants back hallways and down to his room to change for his supper-time fluting. Passing the same courtyard with the well they'd been in the day before he say the same young girl there struggling to lift her bucket full of water from the bottom of the well.

"Need some help?" he asked, not even considering not giving her some sort of assistance as he strode up beside her.

Squeaking in surprise, she let go as she jumped back and almost lost both bucket and rope completely as Ben dove for the rope and barely caught the tail end. "Oh!! Sorry!! I thought you were the M-....someone else."

"S'ok," he said with a grin, fixing the rope so it went back over the pulley before hauling up the bucket and carefully handing it to her. "No harm done, see?"

"Uh...thanks."

"No problem." He shrugged and grinned once more, turning to leave when he felt her catch his sleeve.

"Who are you?" she asked curiously. Blushing, she let go and added, "Sorry, if I sound rude. But...I've been a servant here all my life and I've never seen you before."

"I work in the kitchens when I'm not helping to amuse the Master's son, Artor," he replied simply. "That, and I play flute in the evenings for the Master and his son while they eat their meals. Sometimes I'll accompany the few dancers we have among the drudges when they come in to perform, but not often. They only need a good drummer, really."

"Oh! You're the 'privileged one.'" She said it with a bit of a sneer, backing off even more. "Did HE send you to befriend me? Dirty snake..."

"If you mean Artor, no," cut in Ben, puzzled at this change in mood. "And what makes you think I'm privileged? It's like walking a tightrope day in and day out, being friends with him. You saw how displeased he was with me the other night, I'm probably lucky he didn't tell his father or his father was too busy to care. I get better clothes, but only for when we're together. I eat the same food you do, do the same chores, probably sleep even less since the cook uses me to help her close the kitchen every night and get it prepped in the morning. It's not easy, let me say that. At least you're not always in the Master's presence, and he's a moody guy sometimes..."

"I see what you mean." She gave him a slight smile back, appraising him with her eyes as she did. "Ok, then...so why did you help me?"

"Does a person really need a motive anymore to help another person?" he sighed, rolling his eyes. "Ok, do you really want me to come up with a reason? Will that make you happy? I....like your smile. Sure. That's why I helped you. Now, I have to go get ready before I'm late and cook gives me a nice tanning for it. Bye!"

"Bye," she replied, hauling her bucket dutifully as she waved once at him and gave him one full smile with a blush. "And...thanks."

Whoa, I really do like her smile... "Uh...you're welcome!"

A hidden figure in the shadows frowned, watching the two depart in opposite directions.

Artor was not pleased.

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

"Oh Captain of mine," said Talia with a grand bow as Jenny came up on the main deck, bearing her staff as all of those of the fully Trader crew did. "There is none here who wish to have a good bout with our staves, and I was told by one original member you're quite handy with yours."

"Is that a challenge?" asked Jenny, raising her brows as she cocked her head lightly to the side.

"A friendly one," replied Talia with a wink. "Come on, just a few rounds. You can give up any time, I won't think any less of ya."

"Well, I don't know about that..."

"What, that I'll think less of you? Give me a little more credit than that!"

"No..." Jenny waved the others back, easily twirling her staff a few times before she fell into a defensive stance with a no-nonsense look on her face. "That I'll be the one giving up."

"Oh, now that's a challenge if I ever heard one...here I come!"

The fight was short, but intense. Talia reigned blows down on her Captain, attempting to find a hole or a weakness but every time she did realizing she'd been set up to strike the wrong place just like every time before. Jenny herself didn't attack for a long time, letting the taller and faster girl wear herself out trying to get through her tight defense as many times as she liked before suddenly striking with the swiftness and unpredictability of a snake.

The next thing the other Trader knew, she was flat on her back gasping for air with little swirlies in place of her eyes.

"GO JENNY!!" cried Nicole, a little overly elated for some strange reason that no one seemed able to fathom.

"Who was your staff teacher?" gasped the fallen Talia as she slowly came back to her senses, touching the sore spot right below her ribs. She hadn't been hit that hard, but it had been enough to knock the wind from her lungs. "That was...I've never seen anything quiet like that."

"It's a survivors style," replied Jenny with a twitch of her lips. She lowered her eyes and turned away slightly. "Just like my...friend who taught me."

"Oh..." Talia slowly got up and left her alone, the Captain going back to the railing of the ship and reminiscing to herself of old times with her teacher and friend in many things, Sean.

Goddess, she missed him sometimes.

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Kristen slid down the ladder, surprised to not see Briteyes already up and about as she usually was before dawn and still huddled in her blankets before the glowing fire fast asleep. Then again, she mused, she hadn't gotten back until well after midnight the night before playing at that one merchant's party. Walking over to her quietly, she took her shoulder and shook it gently.

Big mistake.

Kristen wasn't sure just how it happened, but sometime in the next few seconds her arm was grabbed and a foot planted squarely in the middle of her chest, sending her flying across the room to tumble into a surprised Chris who'd just walked in the door.

"AHH!!"

"What the-!"

An awake and alert Briteyes crouched before them with a dagger drawn, panting heavily like a cornered animal before she suddenly seemed to snap out of it and calm herself quickly. "Oh, shoot...are you alright?!"

She rushed over to them, helping Kristen to her feet quickly and moving her to a chair before doing the same with the shocked Chris.

"Why was there a Kristen flying towards me as I walked into the kitchen?" he asked warily as she sheepishly gathered up her things and put her dagger up once more somewhere in the folds of her clothes.

"She tried to wake me up," replied Briteyes hesitantly, glaring at the Silven who just sat on the counter with the half a pastry and mug of tea someone had been kind enough to set her up with earlier that morning laughing at her. "I should of warned you guys, but I guess I figured it'd never happen..."

"Should've warned us of what?" asked Kristen slowly, rubbing her stomach where it now bore a nice foot-print. "Normal people don't attack others as they wake up, Briteyes."

"Normal people also don't sleep along side the road and have to worry about waking to being surrounded by rather unpleasant people," retorted the performer.

"Train yourself out of it then, you live here now," said Chris with a shrug. "Look, I'm adding another room down here soon, so you can have your own, alright? You don't have to worry about having people attack you in your sleep anymore, ever again."

Briteyes didn't reply, merely picking up a clean mug and beginning to prepare herself some tea. "I'll try," she said after a long while, not looking at either of them. "But I won't be letting you rise before me, ever again."

"Oh, right...just like you never woke up late for school and almost missed the last bell to get in when you were driving yourself?"

"Oh, shut up..."

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Brenna woke to sunlight streaming in from the window beside her, a worried Libby kneeling by her other side and blocking out part of the light as she held a cool cloth to her forehead.

"Brenna? Can you hear me?"

The farmer girl nodded, blinking to get the haze out of her eyes as she slowly propped herself up on her elbows and looked around. Furniture and other stuff was knocked over, muddy footprints tracked everywhere in such multitudes that she couldn't deny that what she'd hoped was merely a dream was truly reality. Her head throbbed dully, Libby wiping away something warm and wet from the back of her head. Reaching her hand back there, she knew what it was even before she brought it back before her face.

Blood.

They really must've hit her hard to break the skin like that...

"What....where is everyone?"

"Rupal's still up in her bed," replied Libby slowly. "She won't come out of her room, I think they scared her when they burst in and tied her up. Kaitlin is with Cheeks, he got the living daylights beat out of him and won't be leaving his present bed for awhile, but she's fine. Apparently she's used to being roughly tied up in the middle of the night, or something. They tried to do the same to me, but my bunnies attacked them and they left my room alone, just leaving a guard outside it to make sure I stayed put until they finally left. Fanged rabbits aren't something they know how to deal with, I guess."

"Wait....that's only four," murmured the injured young woman quietly. "Where...what's happened to Jem? He was with Cheeks, wasn't he?" When Libby didn't answer, she looked at her long time friend to see her close her lips tightly and bow her head. "They...they didn't kill him, did they? Libby, tell me what happened to Jem!"

"No, they didn't kill him," replied the bunny woman slowly, closing her eyes as she did. "At least, we don't think they did. They took him with them."

"Took him with them?!"

"Jem's gone."

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Olivia sighed as she sat in the Tavern room Alyse and Landon had managed to secure for them, pacing back and forth as Randy slept soundly on one of the soft, straw beds (or soft compared to the ground they'd been using lately) and Bryanna basked in the luxuries of a clean set of clothes and some hot coffee with a book for the first time in awhile.

Revlis and her two companions had possession of the only table in the room, talking quietly amongst themselves as they poured over a huge map. They marked on it occasionally, but what its importance was she really didn't know. Maybe they'd finally explain just what their job was later on. It was kind of odd to think she'd finally met up with someone from her own world, it had been so long since she'd actually met someone who she could say 'Your mama' to who wouldn't challenge her to a duel for it other than Bryanna and Randy.

The mage Niko had already been up there once, actually, and had spoken with all three of them with his little spell-thingies on them. Right now he was down below in the common room holding a conference of some sort, supposedly, with other 'Master mages.' Hopefully things would go as well as they'd planned, but if they didn't...she had a back up plan of her own going right then. She knew she could freeze two or three of them before anyone could touch her or her friends, and if given the proper motivation Randy could burst a light in their eyes long enough to blind most of them for at least a few minutes. It would be a close call, but they could escape in a pinch, if things were to turn sour.

Someone knocked at the door right then, Revlis going to answer it only to be met with a short, irate looking Earth Dedicate with curly brown hair cropped closer to her head followed closely by Niko and another man and woman. The first one's eyes suddenly widened, her fist shooting out to grab the cat girl by the collar. "YOU!!"

"Ahh!! You said she wouldn't be coming!!!" cried Revlis as she scrambled to get away, hiding behind a surprised Alyse and Landon who just watched in shock. "Stupid, sensitive earth-mage types..."

"Say that again, and I'll take that black-furred hide of yours and turn it into a fur coat!" threatened the dedicate, falling silent as Niko put a hand on her shoulder. Revlis fell into the smallest form any had seen her taken on yet, a kitten that hopped up on the table and stuck her tongue out at her from behind Alyse's arm.

"That will be quiet enough," said Niko as he walked in, closing the door behind them all as they each found seats around the room somewhere. Bryanna moved to sit beside the now awake and yawning Randy, Olivia sitting on his other side as they waited nervously for the decision to be made. "Now...we've decided to help you three clear your names."

Randy whooped for joy and would've probably turned a few cartwheels right then and there if several female eyes hadn't pinned him to his spot with icy glares. "Uh...shutting up now."

"You're going to have to travel back to Summersea with us," added the other female lightly with a soft smile. "But I don't think you'll find that a hardship in the least.

"Not at all," replied Bryanna with a grateful smile.

"You three," said the first female dedicate, looking over them carefully as she did. "I know you from somewhere...you've been to Urda's house and Winding Circle, haven't you?"

"For awhile," admitted Olivia with a nod and a slight grin. "You worked with us for a day or so. Believe me, we can't thank you enough for doing this for us now."

"Eh, you're good kids, and put me in mind of a few other young ones like yourselves who needed help a couple of times," replied the woman with a strange look on her face. "We need to go, though. Our students tend to cause lots of havoc when not carefully watched."

"They're good kids," amended the over woman with a twinkle in her eyes. "Just a bit...headstrong at times."

"We'll send word when we're ready to head out," offered Niko as they rose again and headed for the door, Alyse and Landon nodding gratefully as Revlis continued to hide behind them. "And we have two extra mounts from our original train...will that suffice for your added guests?"

"We'll manage," offered Alyse lightly with a smile. "Don't worry."

"We'll be going, then." The door shut behind them quickly, leaving the six others in peace once more.

Randy glanced about, then began to shout and whoop for joy once more as he did back flips and cartwheels around the room.

"He's a hyper one, isn't he?" asked Landon with a quirked eyebrow as he backed away slightly.

"Yeah, guess so."

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Ben packed up his things after the lesson, safely stowing them away in the cubby Artor had let him borrow until the next day as the Master's son watched him closely. He felt his eyes marking his every move but did his best not to show it, playing it off as calmly as he could.

"You've always caught my eye as an odd one," said the boy suddenly, tilting his head to the side slightly as Ben just glanced up in puzzlement. "I suppose that's why I asked Father if I could play with you, and not one of the others."

"Why am I odd, sir?" replied Ben slowly, carefully phrasing his words to as not to even come close to offending his powerful friend.

"It's free time, so don't call me that," said the boy lightly as he hopped to his feet and motioned for Ben to follow him. They walked a ways, finally coming to one of the few windows from which you could see the overgrown gardens below with the maids hanging up the washing to dry as they chattered among themselves.

"See, right down there?" asked Artor as he pointed to where some of the younger ones were, folding up the sheets and blankets that had already dried. It was more than a bit chilly out that day, and Ben could tell by the clouds it would probably snow soon so he was just glad he wasn't out there with them. Suddenly he spotted her, the girl from the well.

"You mean her," he said simply, easily pointing her out among the crowds of others. Here, she smiled freely, friends with anyone and everyone who cared to be friends with her.

"Yeah." Artor frowned as he watched her, a hidden fire in his eyes. "She used to talk to me when we were little, and there were other boys here. But when they left she stopped, and wouldn't smile at me anymore. Father took me aside, and explained to me many things when I asked him about it, so I followed what he said and...she still didn't smile at me. But you...you just spoke to her, said something...and she smiled. Why?"

"You weren't exactly kind to her, sir," offered Ben hesitantly, backing up a step incase Artor should decide to lash out at him suddenly. A black eye wasn't too bad, but he couldn't play if his jaw or lips were swollen or his fingers too stiff too move.

"Kind? Why should I have to be kind? She's my servant, belongs to me, she should give me what I want when I want it! I feed her, cloth her...or my father does, anyways. And someday that will be passed to me."

"You can't force someone to smile," explained the servant slowly. "A smile is a physical show of happiness. Or joy. Or caring and love. A positive emotion of sorts. If the person doesn't feel something like this when they look at a person, they won't smile. Or if they do, it'll be an empty one, and that's even worse than no smile at all."

"And you get a smile by a show of...kindness?"

"Sometimes."

"...how do you know all this?" asked Artor as he looked over at Ben, the elder boy sighing slightly as he leaned on the window sill.

"My sister."

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Nicole flitted out the corner to run into a wall of fur, blinking as she tumbled back to find the large, inquisitive eyes of a kitten looking down at her. It was an entirely gray fuzzy little thing except for a white spot in between its ears and paws and feet that were white as well. Sniffing her gently, she sat there stock still as it wrinkled its nose before grinning and licking her with its small (bur large to her) pink tongue.

"Eww!!" Nicole leapt to her feet and backed away, rubbing the kitty slobber off her quickly. "Ack...it's a lot different getting licked when its your whole FREAKING BODY."

"Mew?" The kitten looked at her puzzledly, tilting its enormous head to the side as she wiped away the last of the wetness from her face.

"Well, you are kind of cute," conceded Nicole, flying up to hover beside her ears and petting her gently. "Alright, very cute. But still...I don't remember anyone having cat on this ship. Guess you're new here, huh?"

"Mew." The kitten seemed to nod slowly, getting back up on its feet to explore a little more.

"Oh, off to find some adventures, are you? Guess I might as well come along and make sure you don't get yourself into too much trouble."

"Mew!"

Nicole went and settled herself atop the kitten's back, urging her on with a gentle nudge of air from behind to keep on going. Riding her like a clumsy, young horse, she laughed and hung as the kitten pounced around the shadows of the kitchen and scuttled after the man different people on board, sometimes getting a quick scratch or pat on the head from those who noticed them.

"Well, aren't you well-known?" offered Nicole as they bound their way up the steps onto the main deck. "Wonder why."

"Well, if it isn't little Socks. Talia's been looking for you again," said Trevor as he spotted them quickly, scooping them up easily as Nicole abandoned her post and sat on his shoulder instead.

"That's Talia's cat?" asked the nymph, frowning as she did.

"Yep, found her on the wharf the other day and brought her in when no one claimed her. Bright little thing, isn't she?"

"Yeah, I guess..." She hesitated, wanting to hate the cat for having such an owner as she but unable to. "Well," she whispered to the kitten with a final pat on the head. "It's not your fault you were picked up by that rotten brat. I'll come and see you later, ok?"

"Mew!!"

"Ok, bye!"

"Something wrong?" asked Trevor as she rose up to hover before him.

"No, just gonna go find Jenny. Later."

"Bye."

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Cam was up and downstairs as Briteyes packed her usual lunch of some sliced bread with cuts of meat and cheese between them, a flask of water, and an apple or two. Silven stood on the counter beside her, going through some cartwheels and flips as if warming herself up for something.

"Where is it you disappear to everyday?" he asked as she packed it away in her bag, tying her on sandals with her mask beside her at the table.

"The streets," she replied simply, motioning towards the front of the house where several different people bustled past this way and that. "You know, around."

"What do you do all day, then? Sit somewhere and play your lute?"

"Well...not ALL day..." She looked up at him, considering something as he stood there in his tunic and pants. "Want to come along?"

"Can I??"

"Sure, go as Kristen."

"Alright!! KRISTEN!!!"

Briteyes chuckled to herself as she listened to him bang about, Silven just hopping up on her shoulder and doing a final adjustment to her tunic and hat.

"Ready?" asked the human lightly.

{Absolutely.}

"I can go!!" cried Cam as he leapt from the top of the ladder to the bottom in his boots and with a hat on, Kristen peeking down from the top with a sigh. "Behave!" she called after them, giving him a warning look. "I mean it!"

"He will, he knows better than that," promised Briteyes as they walked out the door and into the crowds that quickly surrounded them. "Come on now, cousin, time to earn our keep."

"Where are we going?" asked Cam as she wove in and out of the townsfolk, nodding back to the few who brightly greeted her or Cam in the early morning light.

"Market place."

"But it's a zoo there!"

"And we'll be able to beat the crowds if we hurry, won't we? Come on."

They made it just before things began to fill up, Briteyes finding her usual spot of broken wall where she perched herself on top and Silven standing behind the hat she laid down to catch the coins that would be tossed her way. "Your voice isn't bad," commented the performer as she tossed him a tambourine all of a sudden out of her pouch. "And you can keep a steady tempo. Play along, ok?"

"Oh...ok!"

Pulling out her panpipes for once, she twiddled around a bit before settling into a rousing reel, smiling to herself as she gathered a small crowd and a few of the young people cleared a space and did an impromptu dance to some of her work. Going up a scale on the last note, she flew right into a steady jig, falling into the musical patterns as easily as breathing. Cam kept up as best he could, always pausing between tunes before going into some sort of a repetitive rhythm on the tambourine. Silven, besides keeping an eye on the hat, did dances and flips of her own to the beat of the music, enjoying herself greatly as she did.

The sun slowly passed overhead, the crowds coming and going at random intervals. Coins were slowly flipped into the hat, sometimes a handful at a time and sometimes just a lowly copper or two. But each coin helped, and she nodded to each as they went just the same with a grin or a wink if she happened to catch their eyes. Flying through some scales and ending on a high arpeggio, she decided that was enough at this spot for the day and headed out to take her music elsewhere.

"Where now?" asked Cam, slightly puzzled as he scooped up the hat and watched as she deposited the coins into her pouch quickly. "You never come home before the fourth bell, or at least the third anyways."

"Come on and I'll show you." They walked along a ways, Silven back up on Briteyes shoulder and watching everything around them intently. Finally they came to an open tavern of sorts, Briteyes greeting the owner lightly before going to the back corner and setting up there. A tankard of lemonade appeared at the table a moment later, the performer quickly devouring her lunch that she split between the three of them before pulling out her lute this time and tuning it to play.

Setting the hat out once again, she handed Cam a hand drum this time and placed the tambourine on the table in front of Silven. Once again, they drew a small crowd in the shady corner of the overhang, Silven dancing out rhythms to the short ditties and Cam keeping up with his drum as best he could. Again, the hours passed with the sun moving overhead and the boy hadn't even realized how much time had gone by until the barkeep sent some signal over to Briteyes and she wrapped up the last piece with a flourish.

His back ached from sitting hunched over so long, and his palms were a little red from striking the surface of the drum again and again, but he still felt pretty good. Silven gave a last bow as their crowd drifted away, Briteyes packing up her lute and scooping up the hat to deposit their takings back in her bag. It wasn't as much as Kristen or Matt got paid for their classes, nor as much as Chris might make on a big commission, but even he had to admit it wasn't bad for a day's work.

"And that's how my days usually go," said Briteyes as they walked back out into the sun, pulling up her hood so she could remove her mask. Silven sat contentedly on her shoulder, rubbing her sore footpaws as she did. "What do you think? Boring?"

"Not at all," replied Cam as he thought back over the many different people he'd seen and the multitudes of reactions to their music. "...can I come again?"

Briteyes laughed. "Sure."

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Brenna resisted the urge to tug at the bandages that wrapped around her head, tramping along side the others despite how weary she felt. With so many feet churning the soil, it was easy to see just where the attackers had gone. At this point, anyways.

They'd decided the moment they'd gotten Rupal to come down from her room to follow them if they could. Jem was one of them, now, and they couldn't just abandon him, not after he'd lived with them for so long. So they'd packed some food and changed their clothes, binding Brenna's head wound carefully before setting out as quickly as they could.

She and Libby were in the lead, following the footsteps diligently with Rupal and Kaitlin right behind them. Cheeks, they discovered, couldn't walk. His knee had been knocked from its socket, and once placed back in correctly had been so throbbingly sore that he had passed out from the pain. So there they left him in his bed with a note, hoping to get back before he was in need of their assistance again.

Forcing herself to take step after step, a light rain began to fall, blurring her vision as it also blurred the tracks in front of her. "Oh shoot...."

"Come on!!"

Kaitlin took off first, following the trail as she'd been shown to as long as she could until she lost it, Libby reaching her first and easily picking it back up again. Only to lose it moments later as the pattering rain turned to downpour. Those they were tracking were nowhere in sight, and in a few seconds all signs they'd been there at all were wiped out completely.

"No!!"

Brenna frantically searched as she shoved past the others, hoping to find something they'd missed...only to come up with nothing at all.

"No," she said flatly, brushing off Libby as she walked on further, soaked to the skin and barely able to see in front of herself. "No, he's no gone! We're just not looking hard enough, there has to be a way!"

"Brenna!!"

The girl stopped, looking at Rupal who stood there sadly shaking her head.

"No, Brenna, he's gone."

"He is not!"

"Then where is he?!"

The clearing fell silent with the question none of them could answer, Rupal taking a few steps forward and grabbing Brenna's sleeve.

"He's not coming back, Brenna. We're not going to be able to find him, not like this!"

"Then what are we supposed to do?!"

"What can we do! He's gone to somewhere we can't follow, and as much as I HATE to admit it, there's nothing we can do to change that! We don't know who they are, where they're from, or what they're doing with him. Our window of opportunity has shut, so...let's just go home. You're hurt, Cheeks was beaten senseless, the whole place is about to fall apart...we'll be lucky to live through this winter, we don't have the time to worry about the fate of one little boy."

The facts were harsh and cold, everyone stubbornly denying them in their heads, yet knowing in their hearts that it was true. Jem was gone, and he wasn't coming back to them.

Ever.

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Depressing chapter, I know. Brenna's not dead no more, though, you should be happy about that. ^_^

And now as usual:

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday dear Jenny and SSS!!

Happy Birthday to you!!

Yeah, that's right, our dearest Jenny, cook and Captain, is 18 this last week, please note that in your reviews. And Today is the One Year Anniversary of SSS, this very story. 18 28+ page chapters in a year, not bad, eh? Let me know what you think, feed back is very warmly welcomed!

~CB~

'For everything that doesn't move and it should, there's DW-40, for everything that does move and it shouldn't, there's duck-tape. They make the world go round.'