She had trundled along the road for many weeks. Over this time period, Raven relearned her instrument of choice, the violin, and now was comfortable with it once more. She had travelled through Tusaine with little more difficulty than the temperamental people and weather, and now neared the border of Tortall. Topping the rise, she looked down into the valley to see the River Drell wind along a few miles away. As she took in the view something caught her eye, or more like a few someones.
Leading her horse slowly down the path, she came to be in between two walls of granite when she saw it again. Checking above her she brought her the gelding to a stop. Dismounting she watched above her. She stood there for a moment, concentrating on the rock that mounted high into the sky on both sides of her. Then she saw them. Bandits. Crawling along on either side of the path. Their eyes fixed on her person.
'They must believe me an easy catch,' she thought to herself, as she pulled down her violin case. The bandits came closer to the edge; one lifted a bow. She opened the case to reveal her own form of bow along with her red-tinted violin. 'Maybe we shall try that new spell, eh Julian.' She thought to the gleaming, crimson instrument.
Lifting the instrument, she tucked it under her chin and dragged the bow across the strings in a low trembling G. She looked towards the archer, who had taken aim but had yet to fire. Grinning, she began to ascend to an Eb with the same foreboding tone, once there she began to pick her way through a slow melody with harmony by way of double-stops. The archer lowered his bow a little, releasing the tension. Raven looked at the young bandit through the corner of her eye, she had made him unsure and the others at least confused. It was all the sign she needed.
She took in a breath and opened her mind, closing her eyes against the world as she let her magic flow out into the notes. Continuing a bit more confidently, Raven edged her horse into a safer position by backing into it, letting her music be her guide.
High above Raven, the bandit leader glared at the enthralled young archer. The young man however did not react, nor would he fire, by the lead bandit's reckoning. Taking out his own crossbow, he signalled to the other group to begin to move in. He himself notched his bow.
Raven however did not see this; she felt it. As she continued with her coy, legato melody, she felt the vibrations in the air created by Julian, her violin, be returned to her. The bandits were closing in. Drawing in another breath, she drew up a small ball of power with a sudden crescendo. The bandit leader, however, was not amused and took aim. Raven turned towards the click of his crossbow and opened her eyes to him. Instead of their usual amber colour, they were red, like Julian.
'This power...' Raven felt as though she was loosing touch with her body, but she played quicker and fiercer. The notes seemed to flow out on freely, as the sound wafted over the clearing followed by a ruby light. 'No matter, we have a task.'
She turned her attention onto the approaching bandits, locking her crimson eyes onto the nearest few; she accented the notes as she descended. To her delight and surprise her spell music caused them to freeze in their tracks. Turning to the other bloc of approaching bandits she reset her bow and repeated the action, they also stopped as though turned to stone.
'One more left,' she thought as she stepped out to look at the bandit leader who was in the midst of warding himself. 'That's not acceptable. Let's try something new, Julian.'
She rolled her bow to the E string bringing her hand to the fifth position; descending at lightening pace from the piercing F to a low A on the G. In response, the ruby light about her came in tightly and then flared again like a fire receiving new oxygen. Ascending to middle C, she hesitated for a moment in thought, 'What shall we do...?'
Continuing with her original melody only much quicker, she thought of arrows. Sharp, flaming arrows. Concentrating on the bandit leader's shield, small fire arrows formed out of her magical aura to rain down in volleys onto the ward.
After what seemed like ages to the tiring Raven, the ward flickered and then collapsed. The bandit leader loosed the bolt that he had prepared through the magical fire. Upon nearing Raven, it incinerated, crushed by the ruby flame.
The bandit leader rolled to his feet and ran to the side in an attempt to evade the arrows causing Raven to play more insistently, almost impatiently. 'Why won't you stay still, dammit!?'
With one last triumphant trill, Raven's magical energy over took the fleeing bandit rendering him unconscious. The entire episode had Raven's horse trying to bond with the rock face; he was scared!
Pulling Julian out from under her chin she sighed pulling the ruby light back into her. Once it had all gone back to from whence it came, her eyes returned to their normal amber. Placing the crimson violin back into 'his' case, she then swung it back onto her back.
"Hush, it's okay." She said to the trembling grey gelding, after the animal had calmed down, she approached him and mounted turning him back towards their original destination.
Setting the horse into motion, she continued on her way into Tortall. Coming down into the River Drell Valley, she came upon the camp of the bandits. Sneaking into the camp she came upon a tent that interested her. Retrieving some more food, she snuck back to her horse and to put the eatables into her saddlebags. The gelding gave her a 'look'; she glared back.
"All things considered, I don't think they'll be missing it much."
Remounting, she turned her horse back to the path.
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