Disclaimers: Elena Gilbert, Stefan Salvatore and friends, along with the Vampire Diaries I - IV belong to L.J. Smith. Everything else is mine. No harm intended or money made from this fic.
Notes:
~ Chapter ~
::Thoughts or telepathy::
_emphasis or italics_
Date posted: 29 January 2003
~ Thirty Six ~
"This is _not_ what I signed up for," Gabrielle muttered under her breath. Beside her, Benjamin nodded agreement to the complaint. Slipping into the Old One's lair had been almost ridiculously easy with the shield Jerrick had put on each member of the team to damp their minds; to any vampire sweeping the area, looking for minds, they were invisible. All they had needed to do was stay out of sight and be silent, child's play for experienced hunters such as they.
"Stupid layout. Defending this spot is a nightmare," she groused on. The Old One's chamber opened up to the garden courtyard, which Taura and Eiran were guarding. There were also doors to the corridor and his consort's chambers. The two rooms were set at the end of the building with two hallways leading to it in a U-shape. To add insult to injury, there was very little in the way of cover; no nooks in the wall to climb into, no shadowy enclaves to shrink into, no curtains or statues or handy suits of armor to hide behind. The two of them were guarding the entrance to the consort's rooms.
"Well, it's not like he needs a lot of protecting; no one can hurt him, eh?" Ben pointed out. Somewhere down the hall, where the three mystics were guarding the main entrance to the target's rooms, Trent hissed, "Be quiet!" The two hunters exchanged annoyed glances, but subsided into silence.
Minutes later, Gabrielle resumed muttered conversation. "Are you sure that consort is not in her room?" she asked for the third time. "What if we're shutting the barn door after the horse is gone?"
"There was no one in the room," Ben bit out irritably.
"Well, what if he comes along with a friend or two? We'd have to separate them–oh," she bit off an expletive at the sound of footsteps. She glanced down the hall and when she didn't see the three witches, raised her eyes to the gloom of the ceiling. The three of them hung seemingly in midair, clinging to cornices with fingers and toes although it was Alvin's spell that was really holding them up there. For their part, the two hunters scuttled noiselessly down their corridor and pressed themselves against the wall. Gabrielle peered cautiously around the corner.
A lone well-built man appeared and entered the door the witches had been guarding. As the door shut behind him, Gabrielle shot a quizzical glance at the others, "Was that him?" she mouthed. Shrugs and nods. A throaty chuckle bubbled its way up her neck. Well, that took care of her last question. It seemed that things was going according to plan. Everything was quiet; no fireworks. Now, give Elena about twenty minutes, tops and they could all go home, mission accomplished. And that little squirt upstart Taura wouldn't get her big, fat battle, poor baby.
She felt a nudge in her ribs and shot Benjamin an enquiring look. "Don't get complacent on me just yet. We've still got to make sure she's not interrupted," he whispered in her ear. She punched him in the arm to show him how complacent she was, but inwardly she chastised herself for getting distracted.
The witches had gotten back to the ground by then and had their heads together, close to the door. Gabrielle exchanged another look with Ben and rolled her eyes. She sauntered over to their corridor to take up the guard duty, since the three of them were obviously engrossed in something else.
She kept her eyes trained down the corridor but her mind wandered after several minutes. Suddenly, her ears caught the scuff of sandals on the floor and she jerked into full alertness. The trio were still lost in their own world, in plain sight and there was nowhere for Gabrielle to secrete herself. Mouthing curses, she threw Ben a warning look before darting forward. Her hand pulled out a wicked dagger. She hit the unsuspecting person full force, slamming the slight figure against the wall hard enough to knock the breath out of him. Or her, as Gabrielle saw a moment later. A young girl with huge chocolaty brown eyes, black tresses and olive skin. The gleam of laminated wood rested against the heaving skin of the newcomer's throat but Gabrielle checked herself just short of the killing blow. Something...there was something nagging at her...
She studied the girl under her hands. Pretty but hardly gorgeous. In fact, if she was a vampire, she was rather plain...
It hit her then; this was no vampire! She was human! She was a captive then. Or a servant about to be a convenient food source. The girl babbled something in the local language, which Gabrielle didn't know a word of.
"It's okay," she told her in English, hoping she would understand. "We'll get you out of here. No vampire's going to drain your veins." She removed the blade slowly, motioning for the girl to be quiet. She earned a scornful look and a full-throated shout for her trouble. ::Damn!:: She brought her hand down sharply on the juncture of the girl's neck and shoulder and caught her as she slumped in a senseless pile.
"Nice going," Ben shot at her, as he strode by, pulling out his gun and stake. He took a ready stance at the juncture of the corridor and the passage just off the secondary hall. Scowling, she pulled out her own gun and went to join him.
Vampires came barreling down the hall, armed and wary. Whatever it was the girl had screamed, it had effectively put them on their guard. Even so, things went well in the beginning. They came in unsure as to where the threat was and the duo could pick them off cleanly. By the time the vampires had their wits properly about them, six of their companions lay in various stages of decomposition on the ground.
Gabrielle fired off another shot and got a nasty shock when blood spurted from the young man's chest and he fell with a cry and _didn't mummify!_ Human!
"What is this place?" she snarled as another person, an elderly man this time, crumpled without disintegrating. "Vampires and humans living together?"
By then, the vampires were attacking in earnest. Most carried archaic weapons, thankfully. They outnumbered the hunters by more than ten to one; impossible odds given the disparity between human and vampire abilities. And then, there were two points that needed guarding...
Gabrielle threw a harried glance over her shoulder. The witches were nowhere in sight. They were either already in the room with Elena or guarding the other door. Good. At least they'd woken up and gotten to work. After that, Gabrielle didn't have any attention to spare, throwing her heart and soul into keeping the vampires at bay.
Which was why she didn't see the girl she had knocked unconscious rise and pick up a knife that had skittered across the line of combat. She was unprepared for the shock of cold metal sliding through her ribs and piercing her lung. She recovered quickly, a flash of pure adrenaline jolting her into motion. Spinning, she knocked the triumphant girl away. "You ungrateful–" A quick kick to the head sent her back into oblivion before Gabrielle returned to the battle. She had to keep going; Ben depended on her. There were too many of them; he needed her help. Shoot, stab, on to the next.
Gabrielle went on fighting, to her last breath a vampire slayer. Ben turned, surprised when her knees buckled suddenly and she toppled to the ground, eyes staring, still, at the on-coming, seemingly never-ending vampire wave.
* * *
The vampire picked his target with vicious logic. His inhumanly beautiful eyes lighted up when they found Maddy. Sweet, innocent, gentle, _good_ Maddy. The vampire's intention was clear. Trent, watching the scene unfold in a bare instant, could not let him have his way.
The diviner barreled forward to interpose himself between the vampire and his would-be prey. Confronted with a belligerent human, the vampire smiled unpleasantly. ::You humans brought this upon yourselves,:: the words sounded clearly in Trent's head. ::You invaded our home without reason, seeking to hurt our clan. If we retaliate, blame us not!::
The vampire flashed his fangs at the stout diviner, pacing forward menacingly. ::Step aside,:: the sending was laced with persuasion and authority, working subliminal commands on Trent's psyche. ::Bar not our way to our Sire and his lady, and we may let you leave in peace.::
The weather-witch set his jaw and stood his ground. "You'll only get to her through me," he growled, knowing the vampire could hear him perfectly well despite the din. He wasn't sure if he referred to the healer or Elena, but that hardly mattered.
The vampire nodded, as if to seal an agreement. And sprang.
* * *
"Maddy!" she heard Alvin call, desperation in his voice. The healer shoved her opponent away to buy herself the precious second in which to look around. Catching her eye, Alvin jerked his chin towards the still form of the weather-worker, entangled with the disintegrating remains of a vampire.
"No...nonono," Maddy whispered. She had to return her attention to the human girl who came at her. She had been surprised to realize that the attackers were a mixed group of humans and vampires. Could it be that they coexisted? Or were the humans being used? The ratio of vampire versus humans was very high – perhaps one person in ten was a human. No time to think about that now. Maddy steeled herself and broke the girl's wrist. With two carefully placed kicks, she managed to shatter the girl's kneecaps, rendering her immobile with pain and unable to support her weight or wield a weapon. ::I'm sorry,:: she thought silently to the girl before darting to where Trent lay motionless.
Even as she bent down, she marshaled her healing powers. He must not be incapacitated! Elena needed him to dispel the massed Power through weather working! "Trent?" she said softly, rolling him over onto his back. Her breath caught at the sight of his brutally torn-out throat. She felt for a pulse, knowing it was futile. She found none. She closed her eyes briefly, fighting fear and grief.
"Maddy! I need you!" Alvin's plea broke through her haze of sadness. Quickly, she closed Trent's eyes, giving him the little dignity in death that she could and stood. "Maddy!" Alvin shouted.
"Coming!" she called, mistaking his call for prompting instead of the warning it was. Someone cracked a club over her head and she fell senseless beside Trent.
* * *
Taura was fighting tooth and nail. That is, she was fighting vampires who were using fang and claw. She herself had her trusty blades, having expended her throwing knives earlier on. If opportunity came, she retrieved the spent knives and found new targets, but the vampires were coming too hard and fast for her to do that very often.
Eiran was putting those wooden claws of his to good use. He had to be careful, though, not to let the vampires surround him or mob him. Around the corner, Elsa and Jason seemed to be keeping score. On the roof, Karen was picking off vampires, probably accounting for more kills than the rest of them put together. Without her, Taura doubted that they could have managed to hold off the onslaught. As it was, they were spread thin, covering the damned doors leading to the garden and courtyard at the back of the house as well as all the windows along that end of the wing! Taura worried about the markswoman; it was only a matter of time before someone thought of going up there to neutralize her and then where would they be?
::Don't run out of bullets anytime soon, my friend,:: she thought to the sniper on the roof. The problem with knife fighting was that most of the time, one's opponent had the advantage of reach on one. Taura dodged and danced out of grasp, but it was sapping her energy fast.
::Hurry, Elena!:: There was no telltale static in the air to indicate that the Old One was being unmade. She managed to stake the vampire she was currently facing and almost choked on the dust as the being died. She barely had time to blink, much less catch her breath properly, before she was confronted with another attacker. He twitched a whip, looking barbarically handsome and completely relaxed. ::Hurry!::
Minutes later, she realized that the steady crack of gunshots had fallen silent.
* * *
Spots of darkness danced before Benjamin's eyes. His arm ached but rose obediently to slash at yet another opponent. He had run out of bullets and stuck the gun back in its holster, grabbing a blade lying on the ground. The hilt was sticky with blood, but Ben scarcely noticed. How many of them are there? Bodies and dust formed a solid layer on the corridor and still they came. How many had Jerrick said there were? Fifty? This was definitely more than fifty vampires!
He was parked solidly in front of the door to the consort's room. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the combat witch standing squarely before the entrance to the Old One's chambers. At his feet were the lifeless forms of his two colleagues. The golden witch stood over them, a barely visible wall of force holding back the vampires. Ben was not fooled into thinking that the witch had it easy. Sweat ran down his face, mingling with blood. He had no more energy for offensive spells left; all he could do was shield and wait things out.
Gabrielle's body was lost, buried somewhere among the mass of corpses that littered the hallway. Ben turned dead eyes back to the advancing attackers. It took a moment for the strange scraping noise overhead to penetrate his fatigued senses. Debris rained down around him and suddenly, someone fell through the roof, uncurling from a tucked spin to land with knees bent to absorb the shock of impact. The person started shooting at the vampires almost immediately, a long, willowy figure dressed in formfitting black. Karen Oliver, markswoman elite.
"Glad you could drop in," Ben grated grudgingly but sincerely, his fighting vigor revived somewhat by the arrival of help.
"Jerrick told me to come," Karen said briefly, never breaking the rhythm of her shots. She reached into a pouch with one hand, the other still firing, pulled a case of bullets, and passed them to him. She stepped forward and covered him while he reloaded his weapon.
When his shaking fingers had accomplished the task, he rose unsteadily and took aim.
* * *
Alvin gritted his teeth as his shields absorbed the pressure of multiple attacks. He had no illusions; with Trent gone and Maddy out of action, he had to hang in there and be ready to help Elena when the time came.
::I wouldn't mind you throwing me a line and pumping Power this way right about now, milady,:: he thought, adding to his shields as they were destroyed. So far, he had been pulling from inner reserves and the energy stored in his collection of magical artifacts from the last strike in Quebec. Then he had resorted to what little he could gather from the ley lines in the area. Now, all supplies were running dangerously low...
::Maddy! Trent! Alvin!:: the longed-for call finally came. Alvin threw a desperate line to her and sighed with relief when Power surged strong and pure through him. ::Yes! She did it!:: He straightened, feeling rejuvenated. His shields became incandescent and he even managed to throw an offensive spell or three at the relentless surge of attackers. They were blinded, deafened and paralyzed in turn. Alvin felt like laughing. He knew how much Power was available to him now; he could keep this up forever. Maybe he should extend his shielding to cover the others...
And then, suddenly, the link to Elena went dead. Power was cut off abruptly, leaving him overextended and desperate once again. Amid his panic, he wondered, terrified, ::Elena. What happened to her?::
* If you read this, if you like it, if you hate it, please let me know! Feedback is much adored. =)
Notes:
~ Chapter ~
::Thoughts or telepathy::
_emphasis or italics_
Date posted: 29 January 2003
~ Thirty Six ~
"This is _not_ what I signed up for," Gabrielle muttered under her breath. Beside her, Benjamin nodded agreement to the complaint. Slipping into the Old One's lair had been almost ridiculously easy with the shield Jerrick had put on each member of the team to damp their minds; to any vampire sweeping the area, looking for minds, they were invisible. All they had needed to do was stay out of sight and be silent, child's play for experienced hunters such as they.
"Stupid layout. Defending this spot is a nightmare," she groused on. The Old One's chamber opened up to the garden courtyard, which Taura and Eiran were guarding. There were also doors to the corridor and his consort's chambers. The two rooms were set at the end of the building with two hallways leading to it in a U-shape. To add insult to injury, there was very little in the way of cover; no nooks in the wall to climb into, no shadowy enclaves to shrink into, no curtains or statues or handy suits of armor to hide behind. The two of them were guarding the entrance to the consort's rooms.
"Well, it's not like he needs a lot of protecting; no one can hurt him, eh?" Ben pointed out. Somewhere down the hall, where the three mystics were guarding the main entrance to the target's rooms, Trent hissed, "Be quiet!" The two hunters exchanged annoyed glances, but subsided into silence.
Minutes later, Gabrielle resumed muttered conversation. "Are you sure that consort is not in her room?" she asked for the third time. "What if we're shutting the barn door after the horse is gone?"
"There was no one in the room," Ben bit out irritably.
"Well, what if he comes along with a friend or two? We'd have to separate them–oh," she bit off an expletive at the sound of footsteps. She glanced down the hall and when she didn't see the three witches, raised her eyes to the gloom of the ceiling. The three of them hung seemingly in midair, clinging to cornices with fingers and toes although it was Alvin's spell that was really holding them up there. For their part, the two hunters scuttled noiselessly down their corridor and pressed themselves against the wall. Gabrielle peered cautiously around the corner.
A lone well-built man appeared and entered the door the witches had been guarding. As the door shut behind him, Gabrielle shot a quizzical glance at the others, "Was that him?" she mouthed. Shrugs and nods. A throaty chuckle bubbled its way up her neck. Well, that took care of her last question. It seemed that things was going according to plan. Everything was quiet; no fireworks. Now, give Elena about twenty minutes, tops and they could all go home, mission accomplished. And that little squirt upstart Taura wouldn't get her big, fat battle, poor baby.
She felt a nudge in her ribs and shot Benjamin an enquiring look. "Don't get complacent on me just yet. We've still got to make sure she's not interrupted," he whispered in her ear. She punched him in the arm to show him how complacent she was, but inwardly she chastised herself for getting distracted.
The witches had gotten back to the ground by then and had their heads together, close to the door. Gabrielle exchanged another look with Ben and rolled her eyes. She sauntered over to their corridor to take up the guard duty, since the three of them were obviously engrossed in something else.
She kept her eyes trained down the corridor but her mind wandered after several minutes. Suddenly, her ears caught the scuff of sandals on the floor and she jerked into full alertness. The trio were still lost in their own world, in plain sight and there was nowhere for Gabrielle to secrete herself. Mouthing curses, she threw Ben a warning look before darting forward. Her hand pulled out a wicked dagger. She hit the unsuspecting person full force, slamming the slight figure against the wall hard enough to knock the breath out of him. Or her, as Gabrielle saw a moment later. A young girl with huge chocolaty brown eyes, black tresses and olive skin. The gleam of laminated wood rested against the heaving skin of the newcomer's throat but Gabrielle checked herself just short of the killing blow. Something...there was something nagging at her...
She studied the girl under her hands. Pretty but hardly gorgeous. In fact, if she was a vampire, she was rather plain...
It hit her then; this was no vampire! She was human! She was a captive then. Or a servant about to be a convenient food source. The girl babbled something in the local language, which Gabrielle didn't know a word of.
"It's okay," she told her in English, hoping she would understand. "We'll get you out of here. No vampire's going to drain your veins." She removed the blade slowly, motioning for the girl to be quiet. She earned a scornful look and a full-throated shout for her trouble. ::Damn!:: She brought her hand down sharply on the juncture of the girl's neck and shoulder and caught her as she slumped in a senseless pile.
"Nice going," Ben shot at her, as he strode by, pulling out his gun and stake. He took a ready stance at the juncture of the corridor and the passage just off the secondary hall. Scowling, she pulled out her own gun and went to join him.
Vampires came barreling down the hall, armed and wary. Whatever it was the girl had screamed, it had effectively put them on their guard. Even so, things went well in the beginning. They came in unsure as to where the threat was and the duo could pick them off cleanly. By the time the vampires had their wits properly about them, six of their companions lay in various stages of decomposition on the ground.
Gabrielle fired off another shot and got a nasty shock when blood spurted from the young man's chest and he fell with a cry and _didn't mummify!_ Human!
"What is this place?" she snarled as another person, an elderly man this time, crumpled without disintegrating. "Vampires and humans living together?"
By then, the vampires were attacking in earnest. Most carried archaic weapons, thankfully. They outnumbered the hunters by more than ten to one; impossible odds given the disparity between human and vampire abilities. And then, there were two points that needed guarding...
Gabrielle threw a harried glance over her shoulder. The witches were nowhere in sight. They were either already in the room with Elena or guarding the other door. Good. At least they'd woken up and gotten to work. After that, Gabrielle didn't have any attention to spare, throwing her heart and soul into keeping the vampires at bay.
Which was why she didn't see the girl she had knocked unconscious rise and pick up a knife that had skittered across the line of combat. She was unprepared for the shock of cold metal sliding through her ribs and piercing her lung. She recovered quickly, a flash of pure adrenaline jolting her into motion. Spinning, she knocked the triumphant girl away. "You ungrateful–" A quick kick to the head sent her back into oblivion before Gabrielle returned to the battle. She had to keep going; Ben depended on her. There were too many of them; he needed her help. Shoot, stab, on to the next.
Gabrielle went on fighting, to her last breath a vampire slayer. Ben turned, surprised when her knees buckled suddenly and she toppled to the ground, eyes staring, still, at the on-coming, seemingly never-ending vampire wave.
* * *
The vampire picked his target with vicious logic. His inhumanly beautiful eyes lighted up when they found Maddy. Sweet, innocent, gentle, _good_ Maddy. The vampire's intention was clear. Trent, watching the scene unfold in a bare instant, could not let him have his way.
The diviner barreled forward to interpose himself between the vampire and his would-be prey. Confronted with a belligerent human, the vampire smiled unpleasantly. ::You humans brought this upon yourselves,:: the words sounded clearly in Trent's head. ::You invaded our home without reason, seeking to hurt our clan. If we retaliate, blame us not!::
The vampire flashed his fangs at the stout diviner, pacing forward menacingly. ::Step aside,:: the sending was laced with persuasion and authority, working subliminal commands on Trent's psyche. ::Bar not our way to our Sire and his lady, and we may let you leave in peace.::
The weather-witch set his jaw and stood his ground. "You'll only get to her through me," he growled, knowing the vampire could hear him perfectly well despite the din. He wasn't sure if he referred to the healer or Elena, but that hardly mattered.
The vampire nodded, as if to seal an agreement. And sprang.
* * *
"Maddy!" she heard Alvin call, desperation in his voice. The healer shoved her opponent away to buy herself the precious second in which to look around. Catching her eye, Alvin jerked his chin towards the still form of the weather-worker, entangled with the disintegrating remains of a vampire.
"No...nonono," Maddy whispered. She had to return her attention to the human girl who came at her. She had been surprised to realize that the attackers were a mixed group of humans and vampires. Could it be that they coexisted? Or were the humans being used? The ratio of vampire versus humans was very high – perhaps one person in ten was a human. No time to think about that now. Maddy steeled herself and broke the girl's wrist. With two carefully placed kicks, she managed to shatter the girl's kneecaps, rendering her immobile with pain and unable to support her weight or wield a weapon. ::I'm sorry,:: she thought silently to the girl before darting to where Trent lay motionless.
Even as she bent down, she marshaled her healing powers. He must not be incapacitated! Elena needed him to dispel the massed Power through weather working! "Trent?" she said softly, rolling him over onto his back. Her breath caught at the sight of his brutally torn-out throat. She felt for a pulse, knowing it was futile. She found none. She closed her eyes briefly, fighting fear and grief.
"Maddy! I need you!" Alvin's plea broke through her haze of sadness. Quickly, she closed Trent's eyes, giving him the little dignity in death that she could and stood. "Maddy!" Alvin shouted.
"Coming!" she called, mistaking his call for prompting instead of the warning it was. Someone cracked a club over her head and she fell senseless beside Trent.
* * *
Taura was fighting tooth and nail. That is, she was fighting vampires who were using fang and claw. She herself had her trusty blades, having expended her throwing knives earlier on. If opportunity came, she retrieved the spent knives and found new targets, but the vampires were coming too hard and fast for her to do that very often.
Eiran was putting those wooden claws of his to good use. He had to be careful, though, not to let the vampires surround him or mob him. Around the corner, Elsa and Jason seemed to be keeping score. On the roof, Karen was picking off vampires, probably accounting for more kills than the rest of them put together. Without her, Taura doubted that they could have managed to hold off the onslaught. As it was, they were spread thin, covering the damned doors leading to the garden and courtyard at the back of the house as well as all the windows along that end of the wing! Taura worried about the markswoman; it was only a matter of time before someone thought of going up there to neutralize her and then where would they be?
::Don't run out of bullets anytime soon, my friend,:: she thought to the sniper on the roof. The problem with knife fighting was that most of the time, one's opponent had the advantage of reach on one. Taura dodged and danced out of grasp, but it was sapping her energy fast.
::Hurry, Elena!:: There was no telltale static in the air to indicate that the Old One was being unmade. She managed to stake the vampire she was currently facing and almost choked on the dust as the being died. She barely had time to blink, much less catch her breath properly, before she was confronted with another attacker. He twitched a whip, looking barbarically handsome and completely relaxed. ::Hurry!::
Minutes later, she realized that the steady crack of gunshots had fallen silent.
* * *
Spots of darkness danced before Benjamin's eyes. His arm ached but rose obediently to slash at yet another opponent. He had run out of bullets and stuck the gun back in its holster, grabbing a blade lying on the ground. The hilt was sticky with blood, but Ben scarcely noticed. How many of them are there? Bodies and dust formed a solid layer on the corridor and still they came. How many had Jerrick said there were? Fifty? This was definitely more than fifty vampires!
He was parked solidly in front of the door to the consort's room. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the combat witch standing squarely before the entrance to the Old One's chambers. At his feet were the lifeless forms of his two colleagues. The golden witch stood over them, a barely visible wall of force holding back the vampires. Ben was not fooled into thinking that the witch had it easy. Sweat ran down his face, mingling with blood. He had no more energy for offensive spells left; all he could do was shield and wait things out.
Gabrielle's body was lost, buried somewhere among the mass of corpses that littered the hallway. Ben turned dead eyes back to the advancing attackers. It took a moment for the strange scraping noise overhead to penetrate his fatigued senses. Debris rained down around him and suddenly, someone fell through the roof, uncurling from a tucked spin to land with knees bent to absorb the shock of impact. The person started shooting at the vampires almost immediately, a long, willowy figure dressed in formfitting black. Karen Oliver, markswoman elite.
"Glad you could drop in," Ben grated grudgingly but sincerely, his fighting vigor revived somewhat by the arrival of help.
"Jerrick told me to come," Karen said briefly, never breaking the rhythm of her shots. She reached into a pouch with one hand, the other still firing, pulled a case of bullets, and passed them to him. She stepped forward and covered him while he reloaded his weapon.
When his shaking fingers had accomplished the task, he rose unsteadily and took aim.
* * *
Alvin gritted his teeth as his shields absorbed the pressure of multiple attacks. He had no illusions; with Trent gone and Maddy out of action, he had to hang in there and be ready to help Elena when the time came.
::I wouldn't mind you throwing me a line and pumping Power this way right about now, milady,:: he thought, adding to his shields as they were destroyed. So far, he had been pulling from inner reserves and the energy stored in his collection of magical artifacts from the last strike in Quebec. Then he had resorted to what little he could gather from the ley lines in the area. Now, all supplies were running dangerously low...
::Maddy! Trent! Alvin!:: the longed-for call finally came. Alvin threw a desperate line to her and sighed with relief when Power surged strong and pure through him. ::Yes! She did it!:: He straightened, feeling rejuvenated. His shields became incandescent and he even managed to throw an offensive spell or three at the relentless surge of attackers. They were blinded, deafened and paralyzed in turn. Alvin felt like laughing. He knew how much Power was available to him now; he could keep this up forever. Maybe he should extend his shielding to cover the others...
And then, suddenly, the link to Elena went dead. Power was cut off abruptly, leaving him overextended and desperate once again. Amid his panic, he wondered, terrified, ::Elena. What happened to her?::
* If you read this, if you like it, if you hate it, please let me know! Feedback is much adored. =)