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!

20.

Well, not many reviews with chapter 19, but that's ok. We're back here with 20, and I know the break last chapter were missing with the 'evil character eating' thing, but I can promise they'll be there this time. Thank you to the few of you who did review, it's for you that this next chapter is written. For your viewing pleasure: Chapter 20.

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Brenna still couldn't believe everything they had told her in the last few hours, she remembered very well all the implications unmagic held from the books but couldn't even begin to imagine where it had come from.

"You're sure none the other home members wield it?" pressed Carlton seriously as he sat across from her at the kitchen table late that night, everyone else already asleep and in bed.

"No, absolutely not," replied his sister firmly. "Of all, she is the only one who bears any sort of magical ability."

"Were there any others who lived here before?" went on her brother. "Friends, relatives, frequent guests...?"

"The twins from just down the way used to come by a lot, but it couldn't have been them," said Brenna tiredly. "They actually got so sick from being here they couldn't visit anymore. Which wouldn't make sense at all if they were the cause to begin with."

"There was an extra hammock hung in your male companion's room," pointed out Carrie, who had administered some remedies to the poor young man earlier to help him sleep. "Who used to sleep there?"

"Hammock? Oh, you mean Jem..." she trailed off sadly, shaking her head as she did. "He was a surprise guest of ours, you could say."

"Where'd he come from?" asked Carlton, immediately interested.

"We never found out. Cheeks and Libby found him out in the woods one day being chases by some creature. They killed it, and we took him in." Seeing the looks the twins traded, she growled. "He wasn't the caused! He was the sweetest little boy you've ever met, you understand me?!"

"Then where is now?"

The question only reminded Brenna of the losses they had had, and she snapped back in return. "Gone. Taken from us in some sort of raid."

"By who?"

"We never found that out either. There was a rainstorm right after we'd managed to gather ourselves together again, and we didn't get far before the tracks were washed away."

The pair were quiet for a moment before Carrie spoke again, this time choosing her words carefully as she did. "I'm not saying it was Jem's fault, but...how was the farm doing before he arrived?"

"Great, which is why we could afford to take him in." The plant mage shrugged, closing her eyes as she did wearily. "The plants were growing, the animals multiplying...it was almost perfect when he came into our lives, like this little doll we could play with all the time."

"He sounds like a great kid," murmured Carrie.

"But we can't ignore the fact that it wasn't until after he arrived that things began to fall apart here," put in Carlton brusquely.

"Carl!" cried his sister indignantly.

"What?" He frowned, crossing his arms as he did. "We can't ignore the facts, Carrie. Based on everything they'd told us and we've seen for ourselves, this boy is the only one who could've been the cause. Ever so conveniently, he's also the one that's no longer here. That's a little suspicious if you ask me."

"Please ignore my brother, he can be a jerk at times," sighed Carrie as Brenna set her jaw in anger.

"He's wrong, that's all I have to say." Rising suddenly, she nodded politely as she did. "Thank you for your help. But I think I'm going to sleep now."

"You could be a little nicer, you know," muttered Carrie as she rose as well, Carlton following her to the room they were to share downstairs.

"Excuse me for telling the truth..."

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Ami yawned as she padded out onto the deck, meeting with Jenny as had been requested down in the hold in the kitchen where their ancient cook was currently baking pies stuffed with eggs, onions, and bacon for their breakfast.

"You called, Captain?" she said as she sat down across from the shorter woman who was nursing a mug of stiff coffee.

"Yes, I wanted to ask what you knew about the next port we were headed to," replied Jenny with a friendly smile. "Any and all knowledge helps."

"I understand." She looked over the map spread between them. "Which port are we visiting?"

"Crokus. Not great security wise, I know, but I think there's little that's getting past our resident nymph."

"Oh, they won't bother you there unless you make a show of having arms just to piss you off," coughed Ami knowingly. "The wine district is quite extensive, just as rumors say, but what they don't tell you is the vendors don't sell the goods in travel-ready packaging. Don't get wine there unless you've got someone ordering it from you already with specifications to get it from here. It's not worth it otherwise."

"Anything else you can tell me?"

"Don't peddle mage-goods there. The mages there are quite territorial, and even with Nicole I don't think you're going to want to make enemies of them." Ami gratefully accepted some coffee and one of the pies from the cook before turning back to the map. "Wood is scarce in that area, though. If you have any precious wood stock, you could make a good profit with any furniture makers or wood carvers you find."

"What are the vendors like?"

"Mostly friendly. Be careful, though, to offend some of those in higher rankings means you'll make the smaller guys beneath them pay dearly and then they won't be so willing to trade with you next time around."

"Alright. You know anything about the Traders in the area?"

"Land Traders don't come through there. Route's too dangerous and not enough profit for their sorts of wares. Sea Traders come and go. There might be some others there selling like us, there might not. It all depends."

"Ok. I think that'll do." Jenny looked over the list beside her nodding every once in awhile as she marked something off. "You wouldn't happen to know how the trade in scented oils there is, would you?"

"Nope. Probably not great, though. There's not many noble ladies in the area, and the priests tend to skimp on the rites and such."

"I see. Been there before?"

"Once or twice. The local dialect is very easily understood, though, so my services will likely no be needed."

"We'll see about that." Jenny grinned. "We'll find a use for you, no fears there. Come on, I want you to tell me more about the 'local dialect." She rose, finished with her meal and headed for the deck.

"Yes, Captain!"

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Kristen crept from one hallway to another, now in a section of the mansion that was relatively abandoned. The alarm for her 'escape' had been raised awhile ago, but as far as she knew they didn't know her whereabouts just yet. Coming to a dead end, she found a window there which opened outwards. Unlatching it, she opened it to reveal a narrow walkway that lead to the roof of the guard's quarters.

Gritting her teeth as the sound of footsteps came echoing down the hallways behind her, the hunted young woman crawled out the walkway and quickly shut the window behind herself. Holding the pole lengthwise to aid in her balance, she broke out into a cold sweat with her back firmly plastered against the wall behind her. If she fell, it would be a good two stories before she hit the ground. Far higher than anything Jon had pushed her into trying before.

Taking a few deep breaths, she attempted her solidify her resolve into one desperate attempt. First step....second step... The air about her moan softly, the moon low in the sky speaking of the next approaching day. Third step...fourth step... Her stomach grumbled and her legs and arms ached. Sleep was something that she was only a barely keeping off, and she knew she was in trouble as she began to sway slightly. Fifth step...sixth step.... No mage there to save her this time if she fell. No harness around her middle. She was a mortal, and most likely she would die. Seventh...eighth...ninth... On and on, her feet moved steadily forwards, never faster or slower than the first step taken what seemed now light years ago. The walk seemed to never end.

Hearing the hooting of an owl, she paused and turned to look up, seeing no one at all who might observe her at the moment. Looking back at the walkway, she felt her stomach drop. It really was a far ways away, so very, very far... Quickly scrambling through the last few yards, she nearly stumbled in her haste and barely regained her balance in time to reach the platform on the other side.

Collapsing to her knees, the young woman rested there before she looked around and quickly located a ladder to the ground. There, she hid behind some bushes as the guards night passed her by, yawning as their replacements tagged off with them for the dawn shift. The wall was not ten feet from where she now sat, but she didn't dare move. Not now. Soon others would awaken, and if she couldn't find shelter before prying eyes found her she would be caught. Electing to stay where she was (and hope against hope that they wouldn't find her asleep) she settled back in the small hallow and folded herself up as small as possible.

When she finally made it out, she would kill whoever had put her through this. Not letting her sleep, no food, crawling through the dirt, walking paths as narrow as boards just to get to the ground without being caught...yes, they were most definitely dead.

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Alyse and Landon plodded along on their sweat-soaked mounts, as weary as the beasts that carried them. After the initial flare, the signal had disappeared, leaving not even a trace of where it had once been. The 'sleeping giant' had gone firmly back to sleep for the moment. And now after riding for hours in the direction they 'thought' they were to go, they were too tired to go on any further.

"It was so clear, and then it was gone," muttered Alyse, shaking her head. "I don't understand..."

"Please, can we stop?" panted Landon, almost asleep in the saddle and his horse stumbling every few steps in exhaustion.

"We have to, or we'll founder the horses," replied Alyse in a low voice, spent from hours of scanning that brought up nothing at all. Not in the area the flare had been originally. "Come on, there's a town just ahead."

"Thank you lord!"

Stopping at the first Inn that looked at least semi-descent, they let the horses with the stable boy with strict orders to be rubbed down and well-fed with a few coppers to enforce it. Even passing up the prospect of a hot meal, they merely got themselves a room and climbed the stairs to the one the landlord had pointed them to.

"If you're sure you won't eat," he had said kindly. "At least a bath, then...?"

"When we wake," Alyse assured him with a smile.

"Most definitely then," added Landon with a yawn. "Just...let us sleep. We'll come down when we're rested again."

"As you wish, sir."

"This was not what I expected when I came to America," sighed Landon as he plopped himself on the first bed available, kicking off his boots and sitting up to remove his leather vest before lying down again. "Not what I expected at all...drugs I could deal with...and...and work, no problem...mm....but magic...and monsters...I...zzz...zzz..."

Alyse looked back at him, unable to do anything but smile with him fast asleep, spread eagle on his back on the bed. Taking a blanket, she threw it over him and tucked him in gently before changing behind the screen and crawling into the bed on the other side of the room.

He was right, that this was all unexpected. Even with the war last time, things hadn't seemed this eventful. Remembering the battles and enjoyments from the Tortallian world, she drifted off to sleep dreaming of a past she could only remember in the far corners of her mind.

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"It's gone."

What's that?

"The feeling. It's gone again."

The odd pair of performers stood at an intersection of five roads, Briteyes standing in the center as frustrated as ever.

"I had it yesterday," she went on, turning around again and again only to be met with the same feeling of uncertainty. "Yesterday, it was so clear. That's why we kept going, I just knew where it was I had to go...and now it's gone."

We should've stopped yesterday, then put in Silven grouchily. That rich guy was gonna house of for the night if we played for dinner. Even the scraps from his table...can you imagine?! Real roast beef for once, and fresh soft bread with hot butter and lots of sugared puffs...

"I know, I just thought..." she trailed off miserably, unable to complete the sentence anymore than she was able to complete the longings in her heart. "Never mind. I'm just being stupid again, I guess." She turned randomly and began to head down the road to her left, with no clue at the moment where it might lead.

Where are we going, then?

"I don't know. Not sure I much care, either."

The squirrel frowned. It wasn't like her friend to be so melancholy even after losing track of where they were going again. What's wrong?

"What's wrong? With me? Wish I know. Wish I could remember what happened."

... Biting her tongue, Silven just huddled down around her next comfortingly. She couldn't tell her the truth. Not that it was Ben who'd died. How he'd died. How she'd gotten her scars and why sometimes the yearning would come for her to go north and get her revenge. Afterwards she could never remember what direction they'd been traveling in, which was a blessing at least, but Silven feared the day the block would be absolved completely and Briteyes would regain all that she had once lost in her mind. To do so...it was almost necessary before they returned, that she relearn the truth. How else would they explain Ben's absence upon their return? Still, it would not be a pretty sight.

After walking on a ways they came to a road sign, posting the miles to several large cities.

Summersea! exclaimed Silven, surprised at how close they were.

"You want to go back there again? It's been awhile since we visited Rosethorn and Lark and the little foursome there."

Could we please?

Briteyes couldn't help but laugh at the wistful tone in her companion's 'voice', nodding as she noted which turn she'd have to take at the intersection up ahead. "Yeah, alright. I could do with some good cooking myself. Been losing weight again."

You're always doing that because you never eat!

"Can't eat what I don't have."

You'd have it if you stopped every time you got offered a job and occasionally stayed in one stop for more than, say, a day?

"But I don't want to do that."

Believe me, I know.

Silven's wry tone just made her companion laugh all the more, a far happier sound than had come from her companion's lips in days. "I'm sure you do," she said after awhile, a smile on her face. "Come on, I'll bet you a candied nut Rosethorn scolds me for being gone so long again."

That's a given. She always scolds you.

"Not necessarily...she didn't scold me the first time we came."

Well, let's see here, maybe because she'd never met you before, hm?

Briteyes just laughed again. "You're going to have to watch yourself while we're there. While my waistline shrinks while we travel, yours grows every time we stop!"

There is nothing wrong with being pleasantly plump

"Uh huh, sure..."

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"What is this one for?"

Carrie took the ward from Brenna's hands, once again shying away from any physical contact without meaning to. "This is a magical ward," she explained quickly as she pinned it down at the corner of one field, muttering a few words over it before it began to glow faintly. "It will shield all of this unmagic from any Dark mages that happen to be in the area."

"Don't forget to let the second phase go!" called Carlton from his place across the field, mincing his way among the tangled plants with a grace that had the farmer woman jealous. "Everything else is set at this end!"

"We're going to need more of the cedar stakes," muttered Carrie to herself as she did something else to the tagged-down disc of a dark, shiny wood. "It's worse than I even imagined..."

"You can fix all of this, right?" prodded Brenna as she followed the twin mage around the field suspiciously. "This isn't some sort of ward to destroy the whole place, is it?"

"No, but this isn't the ward to cleanse it either," admitted Carrie as she went around, setting another one down carefully.

"Then what's the point of all this?!"

"Keeping it from enemy eyes, like I said," came the low reply. "I don't think you understand just how much of the taint this land currently bears. Should a Dark mage reach it and use it...there is no mage presently alive in the council who would have the power to destroy him before he took out half of Summersea and all of this surrounding country side with him. And that's assuming they were ever able to destroy him at all."

"...oh. When are you going to cleanse it?"

"We aren't."

"Wait, but you...you have to! We can't leave this land!"

"You're right, you can't," replied Carrie enigmatically. "To do so...you and your companions have the taint, as I said. You're like walking energy-packs for Dark mages looking for a boost. And it's just like a caffeine-type pick up either. We're talking serious magical enrichment...all of you combined, if he managed to catch you alive and keep harvesting it off your body, and it would even be worse than if they were able to tap into the land."

To that Brenna didn't reply, she just followed and watched, unable to think of a reply to such a point-blank answer. Things had changed overnight, it seemed, and even if they had more hope than before, deep in her gut she didn't see how things would work out if they were truly as bad as the twins had said.

"If you're wondering who is going to cleanse this place, well, to be honest, I don't know either," admitted Carrie a bit sheepishly as she walked on, completing the same as the time before every ten yards or so. "They are called the Sensor and Cleanser. It's one of the darker sides of the council, that they never talk about, and while we were warned that we might come into contact with them there was also not a guarantee that they would come swooping to our rescue."

"What do we do if they don't come?"

"...."

Brenna felt the icy hand of dread enclose her heart, squeezing it painfully. Something told her that the answer was not one that she would like, and she hoped it wouldn't come to that.

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Talia sat up on the railing of the ship, enjoying her time off and soaking up heat from the blazing sun overhead. She didn't have duty until the next day, giving her time to relax and just stretch out lazily in the sun in the first time in a long time.

Feeling someone watching, she sat up to find Ami heading towards her, her usual bright but slightly shy smile in place. "Heyla...mind if I join you?" said Ami in her slightly slurred Trader talk, unable to pronounce the complex syllables quite as easily as her companions did.

"No. Whole ship is Captain Jen's really, so I can't much tell you where to sit and where not to," replied Talia jovially. "Where've you been today?"

"With the Captain, giving her more goods advice and stuff that I remember from our next destination," explained the white woman as she sat down on the railing, though her posture was not as relaxed as her friend's and her hands gripped the edges as a precaution in case they randomly hit some rough waters in the ocean. "Just doing the job I've been hired to do and all."

"Where all have you been?"

"Oh, little bit of everywhere." Ami waved one hand about in a generalization. "Yajin Islands for a bit, as far up north as the lands where there's no travel except by skis and skates from September to May. All the way to the southern tip of the main land until it curls back up to Yaro and Junchan. At least stepped foot on most of the islands in the Emerald Sea. Yeah...a little bit of everywhere."

"So it would seem..." Talia shook her head slightly. "I've only been to our family's village, and then the few voyages to ports that we've taken since I joined the crew."

"Oh, so you are a relation to the Captain?"

"No, her only relatives are Jack, Gwen, and even though she's not related to Nicole she had known her the longest from what I gather." The Trader shrugged. "They don't talk much about their family or where they're from."

"Yeah, I noticed that."

"You're a kaq, but a perceptive one at that if you saw that," commented Talia with an easy shrug. "We, in my family, rarely invite your kind on the ship as a rule of thumb. But if the Captain and her nymph like and trust you I suppose I have no choice but to do the same."

"You do have a choice," Ami corrected her lightly. "However...I'm glad you're following your Captain's lead."

"Been on other Trader ships?"

"Uh huh."

"Not a great experience?"

"If you weren't more reliable than most merchants I know and I hadn't a need for food, clothes, and shelter, I likely would avoid working for your types all together." She sighed. "Not that you aren't fair and true to your word, but I am usually not spoken to at all while on board. And told to stay out of the business of running the ship until they have need of me."

"You can't blame them for sticking to what they know. Few kaqs I have met are as honest and bright as you, and thus we have our reasons for staying away from them."

"Merely preserving your way of life."

"Exactly."

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Kristen nearly panicked when she heard someone tromping through the bushes around noon, finding the grounds gardeners combing the bushes for weeds in between them and trimming them as they went. Looking around quickly for anything she might escape too, she spotted the door open to a huge structure not ten feet from where she crouched. One more look confirmed that there was no one there to see her, so she darted out of her cover and ran with everything she had left for the darkened doorway.

Once in side, she glanced about before putting her back to the wall and breathing a sigh of relief. There was no one in the darkened hallway, and she couldn't hear anyone else nearby. About to creep farther into the structure, she froze as the sound of footsteps came from the single hallway just around the bend. Unable to go back outside by the gardeners and be seen by them, and unable to go down the hall or be caught by whoever it was there, she looked around and saw a ladder that led up through the ceiling to another room.

Even faster than when she ran did she scale that ladder, reaching the top and scrambling off to the side panting heavily. A quick look around revealed the room as just a supply area, and she assumed she was safe as she sat down among the sacks there. About to settle down and attempt to find a comfortable place in which to snatch a couple more hours of sleep, the young woman was startled from her feelings of safety when there were loud voices at the bottom of the ladder.

"Nah, Brent, it's your turn! Cap'n said so, so get to it!"

"I jest did the hauling yesterday, can't have that duty two days in a row!"

"Then yeh can take it up with him, I jest be the messenger."

"And an ugly one at that..."

"Get hauling already! Cap'n will have your hide if he comes back an it hasn't been done."

"Yeah, yeah."

Feeling her heart stop as she heard someone slowly climbing the ladder, looking around frantically once more for somewhere to hide. Unable to hide behind the stores, as tightly packed against the wall as they were, she spotted what looked to be a trap door in the side of the wall that she quickly undid the latch to and quietly closed behind herself before turning around to see where she had gotten herself this time.

It looked exactly like Jon's setup. Only this time, instead of empty space below, it was the guards bunks.

"Oh no..."

Going still as she heard the man tromping about in the room behind her, Kristen sat with her back to the door on the narrow ledge that ran around the edges of the room. If she didn't move, someone might walk in and see her sitting there like that. And, even with her fighting abilities, she didn't weigh her chances to be very good against a whole garret full of soldiers.

Standing and putting her back against the ledge, she crept along until she reached where the meeting joists and beams formed a secluded sort of platform in the corner. From there she planned her next move, and was just about to make the 'dash' across the beams to the other side where it looked like it had a direct connection to the ledge on the walls outside when some others entered from below and began to mill about the huge room. The opportune moment had passed, and she was stuck there in the corner hardly daring to even breathe. Things would not be completely still and quiet again until that night, and she waited until then to make her next move.

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Alyse woke some time later to Revlis lying across the end of her bed, flat on her back juggling a few balls made of tied up rags over her head in boredom.

"Aww...what a cute little kitty...Ow!!"

Revlis just grinned and kept on juggling her four instead of five now tied ball rags over here head, the fifth lying next to Alyse where it had landed after whacking her in the head. "Nice to see you awake. Feeling alright?"

"I'm still drained." Alyse stretched her back and then stretched her sensing, finding them still severely limited. "Yeah, definitely still drained...I'm awake, though, and that's an improvement."

"That's good to know. Want to wake up sleepy head over there or do I get that honor?"

"Go ahead," replied Alyse as she pulled herself from under the covers and headed behind the screened-off corner. Stripping off her night clothes, she poured water from the pitcher there into a deep basin and washed her face in the chilled water. "Brrr..."

Revlis grinned, and then fell into panther form. Padding silently across the room, she took a few steps back from the foot of the bed before leaping up onto it with a playful pounce right on Ladon's stomach. Prancing about a bit as he squealed like a girl, trying to sit up a straight and unable to with the giant black fur ball on him, she then flopped down on her side with her tail twitching in his face and watching him with her slit yellow eyes from near his knees.

"Rev...lis...!" he gasped, sputtering when some of the fur from the tail got in his mouth. "Pleh! Ack...c'mon...!"

She just purred in reply, giving him the biggest kitty-eyes in the world.

"Not even working this time," he told her flatly, giving up in his struggle to sit up and simply lying there in defeat. "Hnn...you're not making it easy to breathe..."

"Revlis, off him," called Alyse as she came out from the screen, looking somewhat refreshed and dressed in clean clothes. "Come on, we have to eat so we can get going again."

"You're drained, though," pointed out Landon as he gratefully scrambled out from the huge panther the moment she moved off of him.

"Were you awake when I said that?"

"Heck no. I can feel it, though."

"Feel it?"

Revlis was at his side in an instant, eyes bearing down into his almost hungrily. "What do you mean by that?!"

"...wait, why do you care??"

"As a Sensor and Cleanser you should be connected...but not that connected!" Her tone took on a lecturing feel to it, both Alyse and Landon shrugging. "You should only know her reserves when in contact with her!"

"Come on, when she's at full power you can feel her 'sensing' everything around her as if it were rain or something," replied Landon quickly. This got him another odd look.

"You shouldn't be able to feel that either," said cat girl ominously. "You really are a strange pair..."

"Food," said Alyse emphatically as her stomach growled. "Then we can puzzle all this out. Let's head downstairs, if you don't mind...?"

"Food sounds good to me!" Landon grinned as he ducked behind the screen long enough to completely change his clothes and was back out a heartbeat later beating a trail to the dinning area below. "Hey, Alyse, if you're low why don't you let me link to you??"

"Link?" she inquired as she followed at a slower pace, taking her seat at his side when she finally reached the table he had placed himself at.

"Yeah, remember? Where we like 'link into' each other's abilities, give each other a boost and stuff like that?" He took a huge bite of buttered roll, lunch being served to them as they'd slept straight through breakfast. "I wouldn't mind, not like I need my 'abilities' for anything right now..."

"It might help speed things up," added Revlis coaxingly. "Anything to get a closer read on where we're going is good."

"Well...alright." She held her hand out to him, letting him take it gently before she fell into a deep meditation and pulled him along. He was right, he was far fresher than she and with the generous lift his presence gave her, she was able to reach to the last spot she could 'recall' as being near the unmagic and even beyond as she searched around there with him 'looking over her shoulder' so to speak. Finally spotting something, only a glimmer of what it had been before, but a definite taint that was steady through certain sections of the land, they pulled out together to find the Tavern's main room mainly emptied and cat girl sitting across from them looking bored out of her skull. Alyse blinked unsteadily as she got some flashes of people and places around it as usual when she opened her eyes, however this time they looked familiar...maybe?

"Must you take so long?!" she whimpered as they let go and fell to their meal ravenously.

"Excuse us for doing our job," shot Alyse, rolling her eyes as she did. "Anyways, I have a general idea...let's finish eating so we can get moving again."

"Sounds like a plan to me!"

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Ben waited until the clocks chimed the stroke of midnight, creeping out of his bed and padding like a ghost of a shadow down the halls he'd grown as familiar with as the back of his hand over the passing of the months. The moon, for the first time in weeks, hung over the miniature kingdom in a clear sky with a myriad of stars twinkling overhead.

Rounding the corner, he kept his eyes forwards and ears open in case one of the night guards should come around on their rounds and decide he needed to be punished for being out so late. What he didn't notice until too late was the figure sneaking up behind him, grabbing him by the neck at the last second.

"Gotcha!"

"AH!?"

Whirling around, Ben was shocked to see Artor standing there, in fine silk night robes and looking like he was ready to get into some mischief.

"You scream like a girl," he commented flatly, giving Ben a teasing grin.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that!" retorted the servant, adding at the last second in case someone was listening. "Sir."

"Servants are also not supposed to be out in the hallways after the master is abed," replied the Master's son knowingly. "What are you doing wandering around like this when you know you're not supposed to be?"

"I was summoned," said Ben in the straight face that all servants were taught by their peers to assume.

"Liar," replied Artor with a smile. "But that's ok, I won't tell."

"Ok, thanks, then I'm gonna..."

"So long as you take me with you."

Ben paused, uncertainty obvious on his face. "Well...I..."

"Come on, promise I won't make a sound while we're walking."

Caving, and only because he really didn't have a choice, Ben nodded. "Ok, come on."

"Where are we going?"

"The roof."

"Oh."

Leading the way, and showing far more of the servant short-cuts than he wished to though he was sure the boy had once known all the passages of the mansion in his more childish days, they quickly, and noticed by none, reached their destination.

"Wow..." Artor gazed upwards, turning a slow circle. Winter had melted away not long ago, and though there was still a deep chill in the night air it was hardly noticed by the two preteens as they stared at the depthless deep above them that shone with trillions of pin pricks of light littered across the inky expanse.

"Yeah, I know."

Sitting down, they stayed that way, back to back, sharing the silent experience of studying the heavens above. They certainly weren't enemies, or exactly close friends, but this kind of simple companionship...with that and their stars, they were content.

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Surrounded in a ward circle of some greenish power the female twin had laid down, Brenna sat cross legged across from the odd pair doing her best to mimic their breathing movements and counts in her head. It wasn't coming easy though, and the harder she concentrated and attempted to clear her mind the more crowded into it. Frowning, she was about to give up when the memory of walking in the fields when they were halfway through the season came to mind. Everything was green and fresh...all about her she could smell the damp earth and the scent of fresh growth as the crop she'd tended since they were no more than baby shoots continued to grow and expand. There in that place, she imagined her self sitting down among her plants and other growing things and began to meditate as they'd instructed.

Carlton, who wasn't there so much as to teach as he was to observe, immediately noted the change when she finally found her 'center' as they'd been trying to teach her for the last hour. The place in her mind where she was most relaxed and receptive to learning new things.

"Now," went on Carrier quietly when she got the go-ahead nudge from her brother. "Imagine fitting yourself into something, something small that you feel represents you..."

Sitting there in the fields of her mind, Brenna imagined herself fitting into the shape of a sheaf of wheat, golden and glistening in the sun as it approached harvest time. This task she accomplished much quicker than the first, drawing all the tendrils of power that had been floating outside of her body in Carlton's vision vanishing as, for what was probably the first time ever, she exercised total control of the power that welled up inside of her.

Impressed, but reserved in saying so, the young man stood as he tapped his sister on the shoulder. "That will be enough."

Brenna opened her eyes, blinking as they came into focus in confusion as she stretched her decidedly cramped body. "Did I not do well?"

"No, you did!" replied Carrie brightly with a smile.

"It was satisfactory," corrected her brother roughly as he scuffed lines in the powder with his boots, scattering it thoroughly into the surrounding grass.

"Oh, ignore him," huffed Carrier as she pulled herself to her feet and helped Brenna to hers. "He's just a stick in the mud half the time..."

Brenna nodded, still unsure though. Wiping her sweaty hands on the front of her tunic, she watched as the young woman caught up with her twin and began to berate him quietly. Deciding to let it go, she headed for the house to join the rest for lunch. Meditation had worked up quite the appetite!

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Nicole floated about lazily on the ship, finally getting so bored with the waves that lapped in all sides on their way to the next port that she headed down below to see who else might be off duty. Going past Trevor, Tanner, and Tyler's closed bedroom door and hearing what sounded like their usual daily scuffle inside, she floated on past (places with flying fists and feet were not safe for nymphs of her size) and instead found Ami in the small room where she'd been installed lying in her hammock tinkering with something overhead.

Coming in without announcing her presence, the miniature person flew up beside her, watching in fascination before asking, "What're you doing?"

Ami cried out loud in surprise and flipped out of her hammock, landing on the floor in a painful heap before scrambling to her feet and looking around hastily as if to ward off an attacker. "What?! Who's there?!!"

"It's just me," said Nicole with a laugh as she appeared in front of Ami, as harmless as ever. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"You can't just sneak up on people like that!" grumped the young woman as she sat back down in her hammock, rubbing her sore spots from the fall gently. "It's not very nice!"

"No one else jumps when I do it, though," replied Nicole simply with a shrug. "And you probably wouldn't hear me if I called anyways. What were you doing up there?" She pointed to just above the hammock where a couple of screws were half-inserted into the wood.

"About to set up my wind catchers."

"Wind catchers?" Nicole couldn't help but show interest when the young woman held up a metal hoop with metal bits in various shapes and sizes hanging from it. "Oh, you mean like wind chimes!" Sending out one of her friends, the small contraption tinkled pleasantly. "Ha! I like that one."

"Yeah, it's one of my favorites too," admitted Ami with a grin. "I used to have a wooden one what was like a larger version of it, but it got damaged in a storm during a voyage."

"That's too bad...where do you find them?"

"Around..." Ami held up another one made of finely shaped glass. "This is from way up by the Salty Sea. And this one..." She held up one of finely crafted copper. "Is from Duke Verdis's copper mining towns in the northern part of his territory."

"Wow. How many you got? Or have you ever had?"

"Not a clue." Ami carefully tied up the copper one, though she left the glass one in the box by her bed for safe keeping and not that Nicole could blame her. It was likely to get shattered otherwise. "I keep finding new ones and selling old ones when I find someone who takes a likely to one and pays some extravagant price for it. Not that I started this collection for money, but it has come in handy a few times when I'm running short on coins."

"Like a nest egg," replied Nicole knowingly.

"Exactly."

The two oddly-proportioned companions grinned at each other. It twisted Nicole's heart a little, thinking of the real Ami back home who was so very like the one she spoke to now in some ways. Still, this 'copy' was a pretty good substitute at the moment and they spent much of the day going over the many wind chimes and wind catchers the translator pulled from among her possessions.

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Kristen finally allowed herself to breath easy several hours later, her stomach practically gnawing on her backbone with hunger and feel more than a little faint with exhaustion. Even the little sleep she had gleaned while in her cramped position had not done much to revive herself, and she wondered seriously if she could complete the next part of what she hoped to accomplish.

Standing when there was only one light left in the huge room of bunked, sleeping soldiers by the door, she waited until the next shift switched and she was sure everyone was at least not paying attention to what was going on above them she began to creep along the rafters to the other end. Her first big obstacle came in the form of a huge beam completely cutting through the middle of the one she was currently walking on vertically, with the only way to get past it to hope she could shimmy around it on the inch-wide ledge on the sides without falling to the other side.

Taking a deep breath even as her eyes began to droop tiredly, the young woman took out the stolen dagger since the pole she'd been carrying had long since been left behind while fleeing her enemies, she shoved it into a crack in the beam and held onto it with all her might, using it as an extra support as she edged her way over the tiny ledge. Getting her right foot around the other side and getting an arm around it as well, she had almost made it when her left foot slipped from the ledge, bringing her shoulder painfully against the same edge her right foot was wedged behind and both hands grasping either the dagger or the edge of the beam as hard as they could. Gasping quietly, she remained like that, one foot hanging off into space and all the other three limps scrambling quietly to avoid the same fate. Getting a firm grip she hauled herself back upright, leaving the dagger where it was in the vertical beam as she plopped down on the opposite side breathing heavily. She'd made it, but...another close call like that and she wasn't sure her aching muscles could stand the strain.

Standing as soon as she was sure she could without shaking, Kristen made her way across the beam, no longer even aware of the huge space beneath her in her determination and desire to leave this wretched place as soon as possible. For those who resided there for work, she was sure it wasn't that bad, but for her as a kidnapped person it was pure hell.

She was about halfway across when she encountered her next obstacle, a foot-wide space in the beam where parts of it had been removed. After that part, though, it didn't even seem to faze her as she stepped over it, completely in control as she went on.

Now to her final obstacle. Coming to the railing, she slowed her pace before she silently crawled over it. Glancing about nervously, she saw no one until she stepped outside and nearly collided with the guard coming around the corner. Sidestepped his initial grab for her arm once he got over his shock, she pulled back her fist and belted him in the face, neck, and chest as hard as she could. The final hit was straight into the metal breastplate he wore, though, and she could feel her skin splitting under the pressure over her knuckles.

Letting him fall to the side, she came to the wall itself and quickly crept down the nearest stairs cradling the nearly crushed fist in the crook of her other arm. Coming to the side gate at the bottom of the stairs, she whacked the guard there over the back of her head with her good fist from behind and kicked him quietly out of the way before taking the keys from his belt and letting himself out the door.

Once out and free once again, she took a quick look around and found herself deep in the 'Old Blood' section of town, where the lower nobles of long lineage lived. Not sure how to get out of there, she rounded the bend and found four figures dressed all in black standing outside the wall staring up at the top with ropes and such in hand. Looking at them suspiciously, she was about to meld herself back into the shadows and take another street when the tallest one caught side of her and pulled back his hood. Not that it helped, because his skin was so dark you still couldn't see his face. His voice she recognized though, and she almost smiled as he called her name.

"Kristen!?" called Chris hopefully.

"Keep it down!" she called back softly, trotting back over to them quickly to discover Matt, Jon, and Cam as his accomplices. Mike, they told her, had forgone this for a night of drunken pleasures and, without her there to threateningly dissuade him, he'd gone. "Ok...that still doesn't explain why you're here!" she hissed as they waited for the night watch to pass before running down another side street towards their house.

"What?! Did you think we were going to let them just take you like that?!" snorted Matt incredulously.

"Yeah, we came to rescue you!" added Chris.

Kristen stopped dead in her tracks, glaring at the older three. "Do I look like I need rescuing?!"

"Um...no. But you might've!"

Cam smirked as she began to grind her teeth, saying no more for the moment so they could get home but any idiot could tell those three were in for it now. "I told you so..."

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Alyse paused, stopping her horse as well in the middle of the road.

"What's wrong?" asked Landon immediately, pulling up beside her.

"The unmagic has been warded," she replied, a hint of panic in her voice. "If the ward was done to contain it to be 'absorbed...with the flare ups its more immense than I even first thought...we have some serious trouble on our hands, here."

"What do we do?" asked Revlis, on her other side as usual.

"Go ahead of me with Landon, make sure he gets there safely and as quickly as possible," replied Alyse as she wheeled her horse around, heading instead of out into the country side into Summersea itself. "We're going to need some extra back ups like in the cave. A lot of extras, to be honest, to create a ward of our own and then to supplement the power that will be needed to cleanse the place in one sitting."

"Could we break it up?" put in Revlis.

"Too risky," came the immediate reply. "If trouble were to come while we were both still drained, leaving only you to combat it...your panther form would do you little good against a true Unmagic Adept."

Landon thrust out his arm automatically. "Give me the location. We'll go there immediately and protect it until you arrive."

The link was now simultaneous, mere seconds passing before they let go and Alyse turned to race back the way they'd come to a cross roads that would take her to Summersea and its Mages there.

"Be careful!" she yelled over her shoulder as she disappeared into the distance. "And hurry! I'll be there as soon as I can!"

"Let's go," said Landon gravely as he kicked his mount into a swift gallop, leaning low over the neck as he'd learned to ride as fast as he possibly could. Revlis was right on his heals, urging her mare into stretching her legs as far as she possibly could to keep up with the sprinting gelding in front of them. In for a nickel in for a dime, as they said, and they were really in for some action this time. She could feel it.

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Briteyes pulled her hood back from her face, absolutely soaked to the bone and her clothes sticking to her like a second skin as Silven huddled tiredly in the water-proof pouch she carried her instruments and scrolls in. Being let in by the guards after providing her proof of identity, she continued onwards with sandals that squished through the muddy paths and sang to herself with uplifting spirits despite the weather and her present condition of walking along outside the walls of Winding Circle at nearly midnight.

Just a few more steps to go

There's one thing that I know

To me courtesy they will show

When I come to the door

Sopping wet and cold to boot

Really, I don't give a hoot

All of it is completely moot

When I come to the door

Warm faces and food are there

Unlike those found anywhere

Be able to sleep without a care

When I come to the door

Are you going to add in a verse about the poor squirrel? put in Silven miserably. She was getting quite claustrophobic shut up as she was, and freezing cold from not being able to curl up around Briteyes' neck.

"Won't have to," replied Briteyes gamely as she closed the gate behind herself, her staff over one shoulder and looking about as bedraggled as she ever had before. "We're here."

Reaching for the front door, it opened before she could touch it to find an irate Rosethorn standing in the doorway, eyes flashing ominously.

"We generally don't let in drowned rats," she said cuttingly.

Briteyes just fell into a player's bow, the teasing grin on her face visible with the absence of her mask. "How about a drowned squirrel and performer? Ever take in those?"

"Let her in already, Rosie!" fussed Lark, pulling the soaked young woman indoors so she stood there dripping on the rug and closed the door behind them. Refraining from hugging her in her wet state, the dedicate relieved her of her overcape and tunic as Rosethorn took her staff and bag to hang by the fire. "Really, you must be quite cold..."

"Just a little chilled," she replied lightly. "Nothing that can't be fixed quick enough with some hot tea."

"I assume you'll want to be fed as well?" put in Rosethorn as Silven appeared out of her spot in the bag and curled herself cutely about the elder woman's neck who gave her an automatic scratch under her chin.

Briteyes didn't have to reply as her stomach growled loudly, the young woman flushing slightly in embarrassment. "...please?"

"You get her something to eat," ordered Lark as she pushed the performer into her bedroom to give her some dry clothes.

"Where are the kids?" she asked as she stripped behind a screen in one corner, toweling off before pulling on the spare robe Lark tossed over to her. "Oh, it feels go to be dry..."

"Already asleep," explained Lark as she wrung out her clothes before hanging them on hooks to dry. "They'll be excited to see you in the morning. Briar might miss you, he and Rosethorn have a trip planned to Summersea in the morning."

Briteyes shrugged as she walked back out into the open, barefoot and far more comfortable than she'd been in a few days. "Well, I'll be here when he gets back, I'm sure."

"Have a seat," invited Rosethorn from the table, already seated with a fresh mug of tea in front of herself and a plate filled with a cold ham and cheese sandwich, some vegetables, and cookies from Gorse's kitchen. "It's just leftovers, but I figured you wouldn't mind."

There was no reply, just the starved performer taking a huge bite out of the sandwich and swallowing it down with her own mug of tea. Silven sat beside her plate, chowing down hungrily on her own bread crusts and cheese. After getting a good start on her food, Briteyes swallowed the last bite and sighed.

"I suppose you'll want to hear what I've been up to this time?" she said as she sipped some more tea, relishing in its sweet taste.

"As always," replied Lark, a twinkle in her eye.

"Alright, well I met up with some old friends in Summersea..."

The night passed quickly, and it was not until right before dawn that the young woman was allowed to crawl into her bed upstairs in the attic and fall into a fully restful sleep lulled by the pounding rain overhead.

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Cheeks met Rupal down in the kitchen, sitting beside her at the table as he drank the coffee left to stay warm over by the fire. Helping himself to the dried fruit bars and a slice of bread with cheese, he ate slowly as he felt full and content for the first time as far as his stomach went like he'd only remembered from good times before the farm had started to fall. His mind was not as easily to gain its trust, though, and he considered his words before he spoke to his housemate.

"What do you think of the twins?" he asked carefully, wiping his mouth on a napkin as he did. "I mean, they're polite and all, and the sister's kinda cute and sweet, but I mean as people that just sort of invaded our farm out of the blue."

"They're nice enough, just like you said," replied Rupal, shrugging as she did. "They haven't shown yet that they can't be trusted with our farm, and they certainly helped feed us these last few days, but I do wonder about these claims of 'unmagic' that they make and stuff like that."

"I don't understand a lot of it either," admitted Cheeks in concern. "I'm not saying they're necessarily lying to us, but promising the farm will be good as new after they have some 'special cleanser' guy come and chant some mumbo jumbo over it... Excuse me if I'm a little skeptical about all that."

"No, you're right," replied his companion in a low voice. "It does seem a little far-fetched, even after all the other strange things we've seen here. But you know what? Since they've come, Brenna's had hope again that we were going to make it through. Kaitlin went over and played a prank on Libby for the first time in months. And you've gone for a few days now without sounding like you were a long time smoker. Everywhere I look things are improving, even the bunnies beginning to perk up more than before, hopping all over the place and getting into trouble. So maybe...maybe they will do some good here, and help us turns thing around once again. Do I think it'll all happen in a single season? Not really. In fact, physically speaking, it's impossible. But we can always dream, and if they can at least get rid of those weeds I think we'll be able to survive through another season just fine."

"So...you're settling on a tentative hopefulness?"

Rupal nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm not going to take their words as straight promises, but as possibilities in the future. And if they prove to be doing something other than helping this farm, I'll personally go find that mage guy that's supposed to be helping us and wring his neck."

"Alright. I can do that." Rising, Cheeks put his things in the sink to be washed. "I have to go chop some more wood, keep at least a little food coming in without their help should things turn south. I'll be back before dinner."

"Ok, we'll wait for you."

"Thanks."

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Nicole sat on Trevor's shoulder for the first time in what felt like forever, enjoying a night shift with him at the helm of the ship. Sipping a flask of warmed tea, she enjoyed the cool breezes that curled about her in a friendly fashion and mussed with her lengthening hair.

"Beautiful night," commented the Trader man as he steered the ship onwards, occasionally checking with the compass that sat there beside the wheel.

"Yeah, it'd be better if there were just a little fewer clouds, though," replied Nicole wistfully as she looked up and caught a glance of the moon overhead.

"It'd make visibility a lot better..."

"Hey!" called Jack from the main deck, climbing the steps towards them quickly. "The lamps have been trimmed and refilled with oil so you're set."

Trevor gave him a quick salute, though it had a mocking edge to it. "Yes sir!"

"You're being awfully nice tonight," commented Nicole teasingly. "What's the occasion?"

"Your death in my dreams," replied Jack with a cold smile. "Plus a cold mug of ale and a warm bunk waiting for me below."

"Too bad it's only a dream," sighed Nicole with a laugh. "Because then I really could haunt your dreams...oh, that'd be fun!!"

Jack glared, then headed below. "More like a nightmare..."

"What is it between you two?" asked Trevor as he disappeared from sight, Nicole sending just enough of a puff of wind to trip him halfway down and listening in amusement at the crash at the bottom that came from it.

"He's a bigot against short people," she replied calmly. "Nymphs in particular, especially ones that like to play pranks. Not sure why..."

"Uh huh, I'm sure." Trevor gave her a stern look, but couldn't help but smile as she looked back at him innocently. "Well, I suppose someone has to keep him in line, right? Jen's not always around to keep him in check, and he can get pretty egotistical at times."

"Which is why I'm here," she replied sweetly. "Just maintaining the balance, see? A little bit of trickery here, a little mocking there, and he knows he's not as big or bad as he thinks he is."

"Maintaining the balance, right...Captain does a little of her own maintaining sometimes," he commented lightly. "Like when she beat him down the other day all those months again with her staff. Or when she told him off for relying on her to keep Tanner off his back. Not that hers are better, but they seem to be a little more effective sometimes."

"You mean they last longer?"

"Yeah."

"That's because she only bothers to get on his case occasionally," explained Nicole knowingly. "I bet if I left him alone for a few weeks and let him get a puffed up before I took him down, it'd be just as effective as what Jen does."

"Maybe, but I think Captain would get some complaints about his attitude and maybe take care of it before you did," replied Trevor with a shrug. "It's a delicate balance...you don't want to upset it, would you?"

Nicole snorted derisively. "And lose my title of the best prankster nymph ever? Heck no! That just proves that I can't ever leave him alone, and I won't."

Trevor laughed. "Alright, you do that."

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Kristen sat in across from Chris, Jon, and Matt; Cam watching from the kitchen counter where he was making her a mug of hot tea with a grin on his face.

"Now," she state icily. "What ever made you think I couldn't handle whatever situation had developed on my own?"

Opening his mouth to speak, Jon had a feeling it probably wasn't a good idea, but then again when did he fully listen to his brain? "Well, you were gone for a couple of days..."

"It took time to escape, yes, but I never requested backup," she replied hotly.

"What if you'd been unable to communicate with us?" pointed out Matt quickly. "And you had needed our help? Like they cut off your leg or something? Or cut out your tongue so you couldn't talk!" Getting weird looks from everyone around him, he held up his hands defensively. "What?! It could happen!!"

"Uh huh, because that would be a wise idea," coughed Kristen, rolling her eyes. "My leg I could understand, that would cripple me, but my tongue? In the long run, what good would that do? It is still possible to teach by demonstration."

"That's not the point," broke in Chris. "You were missing, and we didn't know what else to do. What did you expect? That we'd stay here like good little boys sitting on our hands?!"

"Uh, yeah," replied Kristen sharply. "There was no threatening note sent to you. No message to come save me. What if I'd just happened upon Amanda and followed her back to wherever she's staying now?"

"Briteyes, as she now prefers to be called, hasn't been back in weeks," replied Matt flatly. "She's not staying in the Summersea are or we would've heard some news by now. Besides, if that was the case, our search for information would've have led us to the house that it did."

"Which reminds me, how did you find where I was?" she asked quickly, forgetting her anger only for a moment with curiosity. "I am slightly impressed, though only slightly."

"Jon and I went into a bar, complained about females in our profession, and were assured by a shady fellow too drunk for his own good that the good Baron would be attending to that problem soon enough," replied Matt in a slightly superior tone. "There's only two actual Barons in the city, one is infatuated with you, and it only took Cam innocently asking one of the resident serving ladies for the other one to find that he had a female guest locked in one of his far rooms."

"It was easier than we thought, really," put in Jon with a grin. "The guy was so blasted he passed out before we could get the address, though, and that took a little asking around."

"Regardless," finished Kristen. "I'm not some fragile flower to be protected all the time, got it? Unless I specifically ask for your help, don't try to come and save the day or something like that!"

"Oh, come on, what if you'd been stuck on a catwalk or something," snorted Jon. "I've seen you on the beams for my class; you can hardly make it there when you have a safety harness on!"

"For your information, I went over something just as bad or even worse than your 'beams' twice while escaping that place!" retorted Kristen, giving him a hard glare. "I don't like heights, but now I can manage them just fine!"

"Alright, alright...at least all that work came in handy."

"Yes, it did," she conceded with a nod.

"I told them they were wasting their time," said Cam as he brought her the tea and sat down beside her with a gooey bun in hand to eat. "But they wouldn't listen to me at the time."

"Well, thank you for someone believing in my ability to take care of myself," stated Kristen, giving him a wry smile. "Thanks for the tea, I'll be taking it with me..." Rising, she walked over to the ladder before making her way up it with one hand, the other holding the mug of tea. "Good night." In reality, the fact that is was not exactly difficult for either her to escape or the others to find her led her to believe that, once again, Devon was messing around in their lives, but there wasn't much she could do about it and thus simply took out what anger she did have on those poor boys who lived with her.

"That's the last time I'll try and come to her rescue!" muttered Chris as he walked her leave with a frown. "What's the big deal anyways?!"

"Don't try to think about it too hard, it'll only make things worse," advised Matt as he rose as well, heading for the ladder to his room. "It's just a Kristen thing."

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Landon and Cat slowed only once in their journey as they passed through a small town, pausing to water the horses and give them a good rubdown while they caught their wind before they pressed on again. It would not do to founder the beasts now, not when even Landon couldn't say for sure how much distance they had left.

Galloping as hard as they thought the horses could take, the pair spotted a rundown farm in the distance and immediately armed themselves riding as they were with the sight of two twins standing just outside the wards on the unmagic that would obvious to even a half-trained mage.

"Get away from there!" yelled Landon as he drew his sword, leaping from the gelding's back the moment he'd entered the yard and racing with Revlis close on his heals to interpose himself between the twins and the fields. "Try to take advantage of such a pool of it, would you? I'll destroy you with it!"

"Who are you?!" demanded the male twin, reaching into his pouch threateningly. "We're the protector's of this land!"

"Protectors for a master?" sneered Revlis growling as her fangs elongated with her panther form. "Grroohhh..."

"Don't draw on me, mage!" yelled Landon, others pouring from the house, among them a stout young man with a club in hands and a young woman surrounded by pink bunnies. His own sword became aflame with the usual blue lights, which he leveled at his supposed opponents menacingly. "You will not like the consequences..."

"What's going on?!" demanded one young woman with exceedingly curly hair, with an air of one who was in charge.

"We've waited too long, they've come to steal the deposit from our protection!" replied Carrier, turning pale as she allowed her brother to step in front of her.

"Steal it?! Liar, it's you who are to steal it, pretending to be what you are not to these poor folks!" Landon ground through his teeth as Revlis bared her fangs with a low growl.

"He's mad," said the male twin, his voice laced with hate. "Why would we wish to use it?! It can only be used to destroy, and I am a mage of life!"

"A perverted one, perhaps," snorted Landon, all reason falling on deaf ears as he tried to defend that which he assumed as being held by the enemy. "I warn you this one: Leave! Take nothing, not even these commoners, and leave before you face a wrath you cannot even begin to imagine!"

His opponent took a step closer, drawing his hands together as a circle of green appeared around his feet with the same colored fire flaring in his eyes. "Come and try me!"

"If you so wish to die...!"

"LANDON!!"

Everyone seemed to pause just as the two mages brought their powers to strike, Alyse coming to a sliding halt between the two of them, fans out and ready to deflect anything which might be flung her way.

"Stop this!" she ordered, Landon immediately lowering his sword though his face conveyed his confusion and Revlis relaxing to sit warily at his side. Turning to the twins, she remained mounted and with fans at ready as the male's green circle around his feet slowly began to fade. "You are Carrie and Carlton, yes?"

"It depends, who are you?" replied the male twin coolly, his hands still held together in the ready position.

"I am the Sensor," she replied flatly, giving him a searing glare. "And you nearly went to battle with my partner the Cleanser. For you, that would not have been a wise choice."

"Alyse, is that you?!"

The young woman looked up past the mages, her jaw dropping slightly at the sight of Brenna, Cheeks, Rupal, Libby, and another she didn't know very well. "...is that you really you guys?!"

"If that's really you then it really is us," replied Brenna, breaking out into a relieved smile. "You don't know how good it is to see you..."

"Are there any others?" asked Alyse, dismounting and coming over to Brenna though she couldn't touch her at the moment. "Besides your five?"

"No," replied Libby with a quick shake of her head. "We haven't seen anyone else as of yet. You?"

"Three others. Olivia, Bryanna, and Randy," she said, ticking them off on her fingers. "You guys put the total up to 10."

"WHOA!! What's going on here?" asked Landon, still not moving from his spot and the twins with Revlis just looked confused out of their mind. "Alyse, who are these guys?"

"They're with us," she replied, stressing the last word slightly. His eyes widened slightly, then he broke out into a laugh. "You guys, this is Landon, he was an exchange student who came in to the band room right before we got pulled in..."

"That still doesn't explain what's going on!" cut in Carlton, still glancing around suspiciously. "We're the guards for this deposit, are you truly the ones come to cleanse it?"

"Yes," replied Alyse. "Don't worry, my two companions just overreacted. Now look." She looked around, letting her next words stand for everyone. "All questions will be answered soon! Landon and I have to complete our task first, before any others find this place."

"Can you really cleanse away the unmagic in one go?" asked Brenna hungrily.

"Yes, and from yourselves as well," came the quick reply. "Just let us work."

"Come on, they're gonna need to eat when it's done," said Carrie, taking her brother's arm and pulling him towards the house along with the rest of the group.

"Well," said Alyse as she surveyed the land with a frown, both of her partners coming to stand on either side. "Let's get busy."

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Briteyes woke the next day, rolling over to find another in her area feeding Silven bits of a honey roll and candied nuts. "It's usually not polite to come into people's rooms without asking," she murmured teasingly.

"It's also not usually polite to sleep until noon when you're a guest in someone's home," came the tart reply, Tris, shoving her sliding glasses back up on the bridge of her nose with a huff.

"Nice to see you to," said Briteyes with a grin, letting the barbed comment roll off her scarred skin lightly. "Why aren't you at lessons?"

"They've been suspended."

Briteyes rummaged around in the box of clothes she usually left behind, coming up with a clean shirt and pants in a light gray color to wear. Shooing her companion out, more to save her from the sight of her many scars rather than out of modesty, she changed into the fresh clothes. "What for?"

"Niko is busy."

"Where's Briar and Rosethorn?"

"In the city."

Hearing an edge to the younger girl's voice, the performer slowly turned towards her with a frown. "Say...where in town are they again?"

"Hulda's House."

There. A definite note of fear quavered in the young girl's voice ever so slightly. Standing and brushing past her to the ladder, she was down in the kitchen seconds later lacing up her sandals with Silven darting after her chattering away inquiringly.

Amanda, what's going on?! she finally demanded, biting her human companion's ear hard enough to catch her attention.

"OW! You didn't have to do that! I'm going into town, alright?"

"You can't!" Daja and Sandry, who were watching the exchange in shock from by the fire, and Tris standing on the stairs white as a sheet all looked to Lark who even appeared surprised by the amount of force in her voice. "Briteyes," she said more calmly. "You can't. You need to stay here, ok?"

"No." The young woman shook her head as she finished with her sandals, pulling on her overcape which was now relatively dry.

"I can't let you go there." Lark put a hand on Briteye's arm in a restraining manner. "Brite, you don't understand..."

Pulling the elder woman aside, the younger woman shook her head to signal her to be silent. "I know," she said simply, staring her straight in the eyes. "And there are others in that city that I can't let lie in the path of such danger. I promise I will come back alive. I must go."

Eyes wide, the dedicate frowned in puzzlement. "But, how could you...?"

"You're not leaving!" declared Sandry, putting herself in the way of the door with Daja and Tris behind her, silent but just as determined. "Briteyes, you can't, Briar told us...there's a bad sickness down there right now!"

Pausing in front of the trio with Silven on her shoulders, the performer bent over so she and the younger girl were eye to eye. "Sandry, tell me something," she replied slowly. "If Briar were in danger and didn't know it, or any of the others in this house were, would you stand by and stay where it was safe that you might not face the same danger."

"No, but they're my family," she replied, a distressed look overcoming her features.

"The only family I have is in the city right now, and they don't know what's coming," said Briteyes, a hint of desperation in her voice. "No one knows but you and I and the rest here what could happen. As their sister, how can I stay here and let them possibly be in danger? How could I call myself their family if I do not try and save them?"

"..." The blonde girl bowed her head, cheeks flushed and though it was hesitant, she moved out of the way. Daja did as well, leaving Tris standing there alone.

"You'd better come back alive," she stated harshly, refusing to let any emotion but annoyance show in her hard eyes. "Or I'll never forgive you."

Briteyes glanced at Silven, who sighed and nodded her agreeance. Picking up the squirrel, she deposited her into the younger girls hands. "Now I have to come back. Take good care of her, alright?"

Tris nodded. "I will."

Grabbing her staff, the young woman looked back one last time before she left at a dead run, sprinting as fast as she could for the gates and then down to the city itself. Time was short, all she could hope was she could run her race swifter than it would run its own course.

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Brenna sat in an absolute daze as Carrie and Carlton kept watch on the steps outside, everyone else watching through the windows in the kitchen. Alyse and Landon circled the fields, their strange friend who could turn into a huge black panther accompanying them as they dismantled the original wards the twins had created and put up their own instead. Black, shiny stones they'd never seen before sat in the middle of a spiral of some white powder every fey yards, and after they'd finished surrounding all the fields, the cat girl stepped back to wait as Alyse and Landon entered the marked off area to stand back to back.

"What are they going to do?" asked Kaitlin, watching curiously with her nose plastered to the window. "And why do we gotta stay here?"

"Because, they're ridding it of unmagic," replied Rupal calmly.

"What about us?" queried Cheeks with a frown. "They said we have the 'taint' too, what does that mean for us?"

"Your taint isn't life-threatening," said Carrie as she appeared in the doorway, a reassuring smile on her face. "Or at least it isn't yet. It might have evolved into that, given time, but with their help you can be cleansed safely enough."

"What happens if the taint becomes too great?" asked Rupal curiously, wishing to learn more as always.

"The life must be drained with the unmagic," she said quietly. "Once beyond a certain point their only choice is...death."

"We got lucky, then," sighed Brenna as she rose, coming and watching at the window as the shield was raised about the land, blocking the two inside from sight withholding the occasional glance as blue flames surged upwards towards the sky, curving into a dome of protection. "How will we know if it works? If they succeed in getting rid of all the unmagic?"

Carrie gulped, obviously reluctant to reply. "If they come out alive."

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Olivia, Bryanna and one hung over Randy looked back at the Lightsbridge school of Magery, regretting their need to leave despite the fact that it was time.

"That was quite a party," commented Olivia as she turned her mare away, towards the road bhind her.

"Yeah, it lasted a whole week," added Bryanna thoughtfully. "Very nice of the students to celebrate with us like that."

"I think they just wanted an excuse to get out of class."

Randy moaned, hunched over in his saddle. "Ohhh...my head..."

"I told you not to drink with those girls," snorted Olivia coolly, obviously displeased with his behavior. "Getting smashed is one thing. Making a fool of yourself in front of others is another."

"Unfortunately for you, they often seem to happen at the same time," added Bryanna dryly, giving the miserable young man an appraising look and finding something lacking. "Randy, why do you do things that you know are only going to make you feel worse in the morning?"

"Because, at the time, you don't think about things like that," he admitted with a shrug, trying to hold his head as still as possible, peering at her through bleary eyes. "The next morning is only a distant thought, really...the problem is it doesn't stay that way."

"Moron...do we have any idea where we're going?"

Bryanna shrugged. "Not really. The only ones we've met up with are Alyse and Landon, and seeing as we don't know where they are at the moment I was thinking some wandering around for awhile would do."

"Like when we were students, but without the planned stops?"

"Or like when we were fugitives," piped up Randy. "Except we're not wanted criminals anymore...and we don't have to scrounge for food...and we can sleep in real beds..."

"Anyways, I was thinking we head north for awhile...see what we can find," went on Bryanna with a shrug. "We won't find much work around here, or even Summersea period there's so many mages there. But maybe farther out, away from the Circle schools we'll find something we can do."

"Not like I have something better planned," agreed Olivia with a shrug. "Randy?"

He lifted his head slightly. "What?"

"It ok with you?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really."

"Will you let me have a bag of ice when we stop if I agree?"

"Yes."

"Alright...sure. Sounds good to me."

"Then we're settled. To the North!"

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"C'mon Captain, please?"

Jenny sighed, standing at the bow of her boat facing out to sea. "Why? 1st Ship Windsor is a fine name!"

"Yes, but Wyndcatcher sounds so much more lyrical," pointed out Talia with a smile. "And if there ever gets to be a Second Ship Windsor, you'll want something more than a number to separate their names."

"Not necessarily," replied Jenny a tad bit sourly. "And that's entirely an assumption, there may never be a Second Ship Windsor, not in my lifetime anyways. Look, Windsor is its name and Windsor it will stay!"

"Technically, that's not true," broke in Trevor, though he remained as respectful as ever. "Windsor is your family or clan name. This is the First Ship of the Windsor Clan, by its full title, and thus really doesn't have a name other than 'First Ship'."

Jenny glared at him in annoyance. "You're not being very helpful right now, Trevor."

"My apologies, Captain, but it's the truth," he replied with a slight shrug and a smile. "And you always encourage honesty."

"Yes, but only when it works to my favor!"

"Double standards aren't fair either, Captain," added Gwen innocently, getting several chuckles from the surrounding crew. "What kind of examples are you setting for your more impressionable crew members?"

"You, Gwendolyn, are about as impressionable as a rock," retorted Jenny with a bark of a laugh. "And I'd say the same is true for the rest of this lot."

"I still think we should change the name," put in Nicole, adding her voice among the rest.

"Hey, don't look at me," added Jack when several heads swung in his direction. "I don't much care. Windsor or Wynd-whatever, what does it matter? So long as I'm not the one painting it on the boat it doesn't matter to me."

"Then we've a hung jury," said Gwen, who technically was under Jack in command. It was only hers, Nicole's, Jen's, and Jack's votes that would count in the matter. The crew could argue all they wanted, but if those four decided something that's the way it was. "Come on, Jack, isn't Wyndcatcher a pretty name?"

"It's a load of B.S. is what it is," he replied with laugh. "Like I said, I don't care. Go bug Jen if you want to change someone's vote. I'll go with whatever she says."

"Never were man enough to stand up for what you wanted, were you?" mocked Tanner with a grin.

"Watch it, or you'll be mopping deck the rest of the way into port!"

"Yes, sir!'

"Come on, Jenny," coaxed Gwen, pulling out her big puppy dog eyes. "Please???"

Grumbling under her breath, the ship's Captain looked away, trying to resist the mesmerizing power of the puppy-dog eyes and finding herself nearly defenseless against it. "...fine. You may rename the ship Wyndcatcher."

"Get the paint, lads!" called Tanner triumphantly as the deck immediately became a swarm of activity. "We've got a ship to paint!"

"Thanks, Captain," said Talia with a wink and a salute, sauntering off to help with the activities.

"You're getting soft, you do realize that, right?" commented Nicole as she plopped herself on Jenny's shoulder.

"That's not it, really," replied Jenny with a shrug. "I was never exactly tough to begin with. Oh well, let's go make sure they don't make a mess of my ship."

"Yes, ma'am!"

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Kristen was out in the front of her house under the overhang by the cellar door, sorting through the 'payments' they'd received for this last weeks worth of lessons. Not everyone had the capability of paying in coin, and after doing price checks and such they'd agreed with those who couldn't a sort of barter system that consisted of meats, vegetables, and fruits they would accept in lieu of coin payments for their services. Granted, this weeks taking were going to be a little less than usual with the cancellation of classes two days in a row due to her partner's bumbling antics, but it would be enough to tide them over without touching their savings until next week.

Coming back up from depositing the goods they wouldn't need until later down there, she paused at the sound of several horses approaching quickly down the street at a ridiculous hour for normal human beings to be awake. If it weren't for her work, she'd never be out of bed before noon, and if she were in charge of the world she'd make it a rule as well. Besides that, it was pouring and she was glad for the protection of the extended roof from the drenching rains.

A lone rider came into view on a giant of a gelding, two others just like it saddled and ready to ride without passengers being led along behind. Skidding to a halt in front of their gate, the rider jumped off and tied the horses to the front gate before turning around and finally showing their face.

"Amanda?!! Where have you been!!"

"Kristen! Thank you Lord! Come, we have to hurry..." Running towards her, the young woman, though soaked and in some plain clothes Kristen had never seen her in before, grabbed her arm and darted in the front door like a madwoman. "Right now the past is not important. Go, pack enough clothes for a few days and wake the rest, there may not be much time left!"

"Pack for what?" Kristen stopped inside the door, forcing her friend to do the same. "Amanda, what's going on? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"This place will be filled when them, in a few days time," she replied ominously. "The plague is here, Kristen. Today. Right now. For the moment it may be contained in the lower district, I don't know for sure, but if you stay someone is going to die..."

"You only brought three horses," Kristen pointed out quickly, a feeling of dread forming in her stomach. "Even doubled up, someone will have to stay."

"I'm not going," admitted her friend with a nod. "I can stay here and look after things for you while you're gone. Keep it safe."

"I won't leave you here alone! Let me stay."

"No, Kristen, I can't die. You can. And if you do, you're not coming back home with us." Pausing, Briteyes wiped her wet face with the palm of her hand. "The only one who can stay, if you insist, is Jon. He'll live, no matter what happens. The rest of you have to leave, now!"

"But I..."

"Get Cam out of here." Briteyes gripped Kristen's arms tightly. "Please. He won't go if you stay. And I'm not putting him at risk in this."

"...alright. Let me go wake the others."

Moments later, everyone had assembled downstairs, Briteyes sitting around the kitchen table with them explaining what was going to happen.

"Today, and perhaps already, a disease will be discovered in a street rat befriended by one of the kids up in Winding Circle," she stated quickly. "From there it will spread through the lower districts and beyond. They'll call in blue pox, and a cure won't be found until after its spread through the whole city and into the Winding Circle temple itself. At least half the population will be infected, and many will die as well. I don't know what the exact ratio is, but if you stay someone will catch it and likely end up dead. With the odds being 7 to 9 that the person won't be immortal, I'd say it's a good shot that it'll be one of you who won't be coming back."

"How's it transmitted? Air? Touch?"

"By water, mainly," admitted the performer.

"That's easy," snorted Matt, settling back in his chair. "We lock ourselves in, drink only from our own pump and boil all the water before we use it."

"Not that easy, it's magically borne," replied Kristen tightly. "We can't stay here."

"Grab your things, then," said Chris as he rose, collecting his own bag and tossing it over his shoulder. "Which way should we head?"

"North, and don't stop until you're at least two town away," replied Briteyes firmly. "Don't worry about us here, just get as far away as you can." Out the door they went as one, Kristen taking the horse Briteyes had come in on and Cam sitting behind her. Chris had his own horse, leaving Mike and Matt to share the last one. Pulling something from her pockets, the performer threw it at Matt who caught it. "Use that for supplies!" she called as he opened it to find several silver coins.

"Where'd you get all that?" asked Jon a little suspiciously.

"Called in some favors," she replied with a shrug. "Come on, we've got work of our own to do."

"And what's that?"

"To make this place as plague-proof as we can. Come on."

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Alyse and Landon stood back to back in their shielded dome of fire, feeling the unmagic stir restlessly around them as the edges of it began to burn away.

"Do you think we could take it in one swoop, or should we chip at it a little at a time?" asked Landon as he reaching for her hand, both physically and in his mind to 'link' together.

Accepting both, Alyse shook her head. "If we chip at it, we'll be at it all week."

"One swoop, then?"

"If we can, yes."

"Alright. Let's begin."

Drawing upon his inner fires, Landon let Alyse weave her own strength into his doubling its capacity and the potency of his flame as the ground about their feet began to sizzle and crackle in a physical representation of the energies that were flowing about them. Building a 'base' from which to launch their attach, Alyse anchored it as Landon went along to the top, his mage vision showing him when the final strands were in place and prepared. Letting the base thicken and strengthen itself even further, 'reaching' out, he then twisted it, shaping the power into a spear headed weapon as Alyse still held onto the bottom.

Unsheathing his blade, the young man began to chant in time with his partner, the spirals with stones they'd set out gathering up the energies running at their feet and forming them into several smaller replicas of what they'd created, spinning spearheads and all. When everything had reached its zenith, and their creation strained with the energy it now contained, the young man turned and let Alyse grasped the handle of the sword as well, both of them turning it together downwards before forcing as with as much strength as they could muster into the ground, all of the mage energies reacting at the same time in the same manner.

"Strike!"

There was a terrifying wind as the creations struck with greater force than their masters had been able to, the pooled effects of the rippling energy effectively trapping and destroying all traces of the unmagic that hadn't been decimated instantly. Staying there, kneeling together, until they were sure every last iota was gone, the domed firewall dropped at last revealing Alyse panting on her kneels and Landon sprawled out flat on his back.

"Guys! Are you alright??"

Revlis sprinted towards them the moment she was sure it was safe, pulling two flasks from her belt and popping the corks from both with her teeth. "Here...drink this."

"Thanks," gasped Alyse hoarsely as she moved her legs from under herself and let Revlis support her as she drank it down quickly. Feeling a faint revival of her being, she nodded before motioning to Landon. "Help him. We still have to take care of our friends."

"Not right now, you're not," retorted Revlis. "You'll be resting is what you'll be doing."

"I know that! But if he recovers first he can take care of them without me. I'm not the official Cleanser, he is."

"Oh, right..." Walking up to the young man who's chest was still heaving with exhaustion, she pouring the liquid down his throat without any warning and watched in satisfaction as he sputtered in surprise. "There, feeling better?"

"You know, when you warn me more of it makes it down on throat rather than my shirt," he retorted, wiping his mouth on his sleeves. "Thanks, though."

"You two!" snapped the cat girl, motioning to Carrie and Carlton who were waiting at the edges of the field. "It's safe now! Get these two inside, quick! They've gotta recharge so they can take care of your other buddies."

"Coming!"

"Just take it easy," she told Landon, giving him a wink. "We'll get you and Alyse all ready to do it again in just a few hours."

He nodded, letting her help him to his feet as Carlton came and helped support him from his other side. "That took a lot more than I thought...but the fields are done. No more left there."

"That's very impressive," stated Carlton, his skin slightly paler than usual as he calculated the amount of power that would be needed to rid them of such a large unmagic pooling. "Thank you. Now the land may heal."

"You can thank me by letting me sleep," replied the young man as his eyes already began to droop as they passed the threshold into the house itself. "Good lord...never been so tired in my life..."

"Sleep then," advised Revlis as they settled him upright on a couch, Alyse making it in a moment with Carrie's help to sit next to him and accept the blanket they passed her to her. "Don't worry, things can wait until you wake again."

He smiled as his eyes closed the rest of the way, flying away on the wings of sleep. "Oh, I won't..."

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Chapter 20, folks. And up in record time compared to last time. Well, thank you for those of you that did review, and please review again as I am taking time out of a stuffed schedule to do this for you. Much love as always, and hoping to have more up for you soon. Oh, and if you noticed that the students were only in section this time, well, I didn't realize that I hadn't put anything in for them until close to the end, so...they were just partying the whole time. Simple as that. Yeah, sorry about that!

crosseyedbutterfly