Chapter 11
The beast stank. From it's gaping mouth floating a collection of odours that threatened to make Raven's last meal escape her. Common sense told her not to look into the large eye that dominated the majority of the monster's body. Common sense told her to run and never look back; to wake the guests at the inn; to get help.
Since when did Raven have common sense.
Despite her disgust and fear, she stood her ground. She had come so far and wasn't going to back down.
"Kill her!" that voice shouted again. The Beholder moved forward, the five eyes on their tentacles dancing back and forth, watching her hungrily. It was revolting.
Raven stepped back a little, taking a battle stance. Could she sing a spell? She could try, it wouldn't be strong but maybe it could buy her some time. The creature loomed above her. She was about to dive to the side, but couldn't.
Scanning her memory, she realized that she knew this creature. It lived in the sewers and had the ability to paralyse its prey. It had paralysed her, the damn beast!
Controlling her fear as the creature circled her; it was not going to kill her...yet. Why? In reality she should be dead. Before she had met Demetrus, she had seen these creatures paralyse and devour a person in less than ten seconds. What was holding the creature back?
Risking a glance at where the shout had come from, she spotted two figures. One tall, slender and feminine, the other short, masculine and, if his waving arms were his emotions, very angry. From the feminine figure an ebony cord stretched between her and the Beholder. Eyes flicking to the Beholder, Raven say that the cord had bound its mouth shut. A look at her own body showed that the ebony cord was being wrapped around her.
A little apart from the two figures were the two remaining Panthers, swathed in black with perfect postures. Like nobles.
'Nobles!' Raven realized in shock. She had fought nobles. 'They must belong to a king then.' Eyes flicking back to whom she guessed were a pair of mages, she saw the woman step out from the forest cover. While the moon cast a blue light over the entire world, Raven knew that this woman was Tyran. Apart from her coal coloured eyes and hair, she had the natural tan. She waved a hand; an ebony bolt of lightening killed the Beholder.
Well that fixed some of her problems.
The short man came running after the woman, furious.
"Miss Draper, what do you think you're doing?" he yelled. She gave him a pointed look and his mouth snapped shut.
"If you would speak a little quieter, Kresh, we do not want to attract anyone's attention." Her voice was soft and smooth, like velvet. She turned to Raven, a kind look on her face. "Forgive my partner, he wishes to kill you for what you did to his comrades." Raven looked at the man, his eyes showed that the woman was correct. The woman grabbed Raven's wrist prying the dagger out her paralysed fingers. "You don't need this any more." Raven glared at her. She tried to speak; her mouth wouldn't open. Okay so only her eyes worked.
"You can't move, can you?" The woman said; she still held the ebony cord that semi-bound Raven. "Here." The woman pulled the cord back into her. Raven fell over.
"Ouch," she rubbed the small of her back, "Who are you people?"
"Curious little brat, isn't she?" The man remarked acidly.
"Hush," the woman rebuked him. She knelt before Raven who was still on the ground. A risky move. "First of all, don't even think of attacking me. I could turn you to ash with a thought. Secondly, we are servants of King Gaile of Maren, he requests your presence."
Raven digested this, the woman before her could kill her in an instant. Scary! They also wanted her dead. She mustered a polite smile.
"Will you please tell, His Majesty that I am currently on my way to Corus under the request of His majesty of Tortall. Once I am finished my business there, I will hurry back to Maren with utmost speed. Please send him my regards." Raven replied, struggling to keep her voice steady.
"I'm afraid that is not an option, miss." The man said tightly. He suddenly turned black and crumbled. Raven looked back at the woman. She was muttering.
"Stupid man, when I tell you to shut up, you stay silent." The woman lifted Raven to her feet. "Now, you are Raven, I assume."
"You assume correctly, milady." Why bother lying to this woman, she had truth-spells emanating from her.
"Good, as you likely heard that idiot Kresh say earlier, my surname is Draper." The woman stretched. She wore a navy dress that could be considered a woman's falconine attire. Definitely not belonging to any normal commoner. "My name is Anelee Draper, I am a mage. You are a musician. We are similar in that we were both hired by the late king Barnesh."
Slinging an arm around the awed Raven's shoulders she led the girl back towards the inn. She loosed a small black ball that whisked the remaining two Panthers away. " I will accompany you to Corus and then I will portal us back to Maren." She stated matter-of-factly.
Raven couldn't believe it. Anelee Draper. The single most powerful mage in Maren was walking and talking with her. She would travel with her. Then it hit her, she would also drag her back to Maren. Stepping out from under the woman's arm, Raven turned to face; she had to crane her neck to do so.
"Miss Draper, while I appreciate your concern and offer, I doubt that His Majesty would want you absent so long. I suggest that perhaps it would be best for us to part ways." She looked at the woman expectantly, she was very still and giving Raven a look of ice.
"You know," she started, "you were my excuse out of the pit of confinement and leers back in Maren." This caught Raven off guard. "That back there, was all an act. I didn't want that bastard wizard to touch you and I needed to see how you would react to me. You don't know what it is like to be pet mage to king who does not deserve the title. I do not care if he caught Barnesh's assassin, he is completely inappropriate for kingship." She looked at the girl, examining the her.
"You did not kill Barnesh." It was more of a statement than a question.
"That is correct."
"Then I will attest to your innocence in the court of Jonathan." Anelee confirmed. They had begun walking again, but Raven stopped.
"Okay, rules of travel. My name is Katherine, we do not speak of the accusations concerning the violinist Raven." She looked up at the woman with a grin. "Jeremy doesn't know."
"Ah, then let us make sure that he never finds out." The woman said mock-sagely.
The two went back to Raven's open window, Anelee levitating them inside. Raven pulled out her bedroll and slept in that allowing her new mage friend the bed. While Raven slept, Anelee filled the stone washbasin with water. She conjured up the image of her horse, back in his stable. Completely saddled with saddlebags packed tight with everything that she needed to make a new life. She could portal the rest of her items later.
Sending a magical caress to the animal, it lulled asleep. She picked up the stone basin, the image rippling. Carefully she exited the room and went down to the stables, careful not to wake the stable master who was likely in the loft.
Setting the basin down, she let the water settle and the image of her horse settle. The horse, Speckle, was a beautiful mare. Black with a white dappled back and white mane, socks and tail, she was a rare find. Setting up the necessaries for a portal (a ball of magic here and there along with a stabilizing item), Anelee transported the sleeping horse from her stable in Maren to the one in which she stood.
The sleeping horses in the stable awoke and glared at the human mage. They would not whinny, because they had the horse sense to know that the black-haired woman could kill them on a whim. They could feel the power in her because they were of the People. Once the black dappled mare was settled in her new stall and the portal had been collapsed, Anelee went around to the horses, conjuring little treats for them as a 'thank you'.
Anelee poured the water in the basin outside and then hurried back up to her and Raven's room with her pack and the basin. Carefully setting things back to rights, she changed and slipped into bed, instinctively warding the room.
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"She what?" Gaile was livid.
"She...she defected, Your Highness." Stammered one of the warriors before him. They had given him the account of their approach on the girl, how she had slaughtered seven of them, before Kresh called them off. The male mage then attacked the girl with a Beholder, then Anelee, wondrous, beautiful Anelee had killed both Kresh and the Beholder, to walk off with the brat. He had lost his mage, his queen, to a musician!
"Hunt them down," he said quietly.
"But my lord, that is near impossible." The other remaining Panther blurted out.
"Then do so anyway," he said standing by the window, looking over his shoulder at them. "One more failure and it's your heads. Now get out of my sight!"
The two Panthers bowed and hurried out of the throne room.
"Incompetent fools." The king muttered as he turned back to the window, where the sun was just beginning to rise.
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"Miss Draper," someone was shaking her. Anelee turned over to look at the girl with a groan, "Time to get up." The girl said, shaking the red-robe mage again.
"The sun's not even up." Complained the mage.
"Yes it is, our window simply faces east not west." Raven said kindly, poking the mage. "Now get up, we need to leave soon."
The mage sat up and stretched with a yawn. "You know, I could simply portal us to Corus."
"Uh huh, that's nice. I'm sure you could after doing two such portals last night."
"How—?"
"I've already packed. I saw your horse." The girl said. She looked at the shift-clad mage and shook her head with a laugh.
"What is so amusing?" Anelee asked, hopping off the bed to stand a head taller than Raven. The violinist merely shook her head and flapped a hand.
"Get dressed and I'll introduce you to Jeremy." The petite girl left the room after grabbing another bag.
"Bossy little child, I'm likely twice your age." Anelee began pulling on a riding dress. "Or not. Considering I'm 28 and you're...oh about 15 or 16. But that is besides the point." She stopped muttering as she tied the laces of the dress. After running a brush through her hair, Anelee packed her bags, magicking them to make all her belongings fit. Picking up her bags, she left the room for the stables.
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"I'm riding again," Cairn hugged the horse, a blue roan. "I'm so happy!" He smiled. He had hated the wagon. It was such a relief to ride again.
"He's rather happy, isn't he?" Prosper said indicating the rejoicing violinist next to Esmond
"Cairn dislikes small, cramped, uncomfortable spaces." Draguen replied. "He also has taken Korosh's job of acting as though he's in centre-stage." Prosper looked over at the other blond. The cellist. He was riding next to Merric, listening to the redhead talk about random things. The boy's expression was dour; he could hardly imagine this boy pretending to be ruler of the stage. "He's had a rough year. The girl he liked moved away." She did move in a sense, Draguen told himself. "He hasn't seen her since and they didn't have a proper goodbye. It's best not to ask him about it."
With that the blue-haired violist turned to safer topics of medicine and other normal uses for the Gift. Prosper let the cellist fade from his mind as he and the violist puzzled over a new theory from Carthak.
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Iden and Warric could be annoying, Thetar decided. Currently the large man was in between the two cousins as they excitedly described all of Corus' wonders. At first their running commentary had been amusing and helpful, now it was pointless. He looked over at the other 'Roses' enviously. Draguen was conversing animatedly with one of the Gifted knights, Cairn was rejoicing for being allowed back on his horse while his 'drinking buddy' and the knight driving the wagon laughed and Korosh was speaking quietly to the redheaded knight who seemed to be in charge.
Life was unfair.
Why was he stuck with the two hyper knights? Honestly they were likely his age of 23 and they sounded like chipmunks as one rattled off the specifics of a certain inn's food while the other agreed with enthusiasm. He could punch them. Hmmm...that wasn't such a bad idea. He caught Draguen's eye on him, telling him to behave. Spoil sport.
Iden finally stopped his commentary of cuisine much to Thetar's relief.
"Tell me about your pranks?" He interjected.
"Pranks?" Warric blinked.
"Yes, pranks. I heard the freckled knight—"
"Esmond."
"—tell Cairn that you two and your other cousin were hellions as squires." He finished.
"That we were," Iden agreed gravely.
"For that we are most remorseful." Warric added.
"No, we're not!" Iden mock-whispered to Warric. To Thetar he said, "Our best prank would likely have to be one thought up by yours truly." He half-bowed in the saddle. Warric shook his head, with a here he goes expression. "It was our second year as squires and our cousin's third. Despite there being a war beginning—"
"Actually because of that, likely." Warric interrupted.
"Yes, likely for that reason." Iden continued. "We decided to take it upon ourselves to keep everyone in good spirits. It was a little before Mid-winter, so all of our knight-masters were at the palace for various reasons. Would you like to continue?" he asked handing the story off to Warric.
"The princess Lianne was born a little before Mid-winter. She's an easy-going woman with a bit of a sweet tooth. In honour of her 18th birthday, the king held a small feast for her and her friends from the convent. Well, the kitchens were right there...and Iden's knight master was an Irenroha." He gave his cousin a look.
"What difference does being an Irenroha make?" Thetar asked. Iden gave him a quick explanation before continuing with the story.
"So we were able to sneak into the kitchens. Oh yeah, we also kidnapped the middle Irenroha boy who was in the infirmary; he can turn things into gelatin. We found where they were assembling the food for the princess' birthday party and..." he grinned at Warric.
"You two turned all the food into gelatin snacks." Both knights grinned triumphantly.
"The princess loved it. She was laughing so hard, when the head cook dragged the four of us in. We got to sit in on the feast too." Warric announced. "She even gave Iden a kiss on the cheek for master-minding the event." The other knight blushed furiously, glaring at his cousin.
"She's married to a Tyran prince now." Iden said stiffly, regaining his composure.
Thetar found the knight's reaction interesting. So Iden had or has a crush on one of the princesses of Tortall, Thetar grinned, he could tease one of the knights about something now. Perhaps he could last between these two now.
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