A/N: Huge, enormous, gigantic thank you to all reviewers! Also, thank you to all readers who have stayed with me until now despite my infrequent updates... I'm hoping to end this story in several more chapters though, so just bear with me until then.
Replies:
Neverfall - I was a bit worried that Ran would seem too serious to be likeable, so thanks for your comments to the contrary. I guess I was bored with cheerful Companions who possess a wicked sense of humour. That seems to be a stereotype of all the Companions I've come across in Mercedes' books so far... Still, is this update soon enough for you?
silverbrilliance - Oh, you're thinking along the romantic lines aren't you? But Zarien is a Herald, he's different from all the other chauvinistic males who are all overly protective of their lovers. Don't forget that Kerri is his sparring partner in Weapons; he knows that she can be a good fighter. Besides, Valdemar comes first and foremost to Heralds; didn't Vanyel sacrifice himself despite Stefan's love to save Valdemar?
dustigrey143 - (Gasps and squeals) Your reviews are so long! I was kind out jumping for joy when I got your review (and I received a huge stare from my visiting uncle for doing that). And you know, I like writing characterization more than action. I just love seeing the personality of the characters take shape throuh my writing. And, a lifebond is a very rare occurence. In Mercedes' books, she states that explicitly, but in her stories, I often encounter many lifebonded pairs, so I'd thought I would emphasizethe rarity of a lifebond in my story. Yep, Queen Jisa seems very suspicious of Kerrayrlia. I suppose it is the politicians' job to be suspicious, I don't really know a lot about politics. And it's nice to know Kerri and Zarien are likeable. I suppose I should devote some time to the other characters too, but that would mean a long novel. As to your second review, thank you for your compliments! I guess the reason behind the different elements in my story is because I would get bored writing a "one-sided" story:) Oh, there's already many of Mercedes' books and other fanfics dealing with the life of Heralds, so I did not go into detail there. As for the question about the shadow, hope this chapter answers your question. Also, Zarien and Kerri felt the harm intended to Valdemar through the magical Web that Vanyel wove around Valdemar; that if danger is intended, an alarm would be raised. The books I read weren't really specific on the question of how though, so I invented the details, i.e., there would be a sensation in the head bordering on pain that warns them of the presence and direction of the danger. Hope this helps!
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Chapter 15 Plans of Darkness
Derrik Vala smiled to himself as he slipped silently through the large iron door of the dungeon. He was going to enjoy this mission very much. None of the guards even glanced at him as he walked past them boldly. Much of the credit of course, went to the mage who had cast this illusion on him just ten minutes ago outside the palace walls.
What was his name? Derrik couldn't remember. No matter. The mage was just another pawn in his lord's game, unimportant and disposable. For that matter, he himself was also a pawn to his lord. Derrik had no illusions about that. As soon as he proved to be useless, his lord would treat him as just another piece of junk.
The illusion that the mage had cast practically rendered him invisible to all but the most alert of guards. And right now, at this time of the night, none of the palace guards were very alert at all. In fact, with Valdemar as peaceful a country as it was, most of the palace guards had never seen much combat.
As Derrik walked past each cell, he looked carefully into each of them, searching for the person his lord had bade him to find. He could still remember his lord's exact words. "Complete your mission with the utmost care and stealth. Leave no witnesses. If you fail me, I expect you to be too dead to provide any excuses this time."
The recollection brought a frown to his face even as he continued his search. It was not my fault that the Herald Trainee managed to rescue the girl. My lord specifically told me to keep everything as secret as possible. If I had attacked the Herald Trainee, the whole thing would have been blown up.
When Derrik had caught sight of a Herald Trainee running down the small path in his Formal Grays, he had stepped back even further into the bushes he had been unobtrusively hiding in. He had let the Herald Trainee past, and he did the same with the Companion and the noble who followed. When they had all made their way into the grove, he had quickly escaped from the scene of crime.
His lord had not been pleased at all. Some of the wounds he had received from the resulting whip lashes were still not fully healed. Derrik had been given this assignment as a last chance to redeem himself in his lord's eyes. If he failed, he would be better off dead. Even death was preferable compared to the torture that Lord Darcy Shyaman would be sure to devise for him. He shuddered. His lord's tastes in pleasure ran to the perverse.
So, I just won't fail, he told himself. Peering through the small iron-barred window of yet another cell, he was rewarded this time by the sight of a man with long, curly copper coloured hair, who was wearing dark green coloured clothes. This must be him. Steeling himself against further unproductive thoughts, he set to work, using his thick, meaty fingers to pick the lock with surprising deftness, using the set of magic lock-picks the mage had provided.
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Aleron smiled to himself, very pleased. His spell had been completed successfully, without any loopholes. That would please his employer very much, and when his employer was pleased, he would benefit. Concentrating on his success, he tried not to think about the feeling that he was being watched.
This cursed country! Every since he had crossed the Border from Rethwellan into Valdemar, he had had a nagging feeling of watchers taking note of his every actions. And now it appeared that whenever completed a spell, the feeling of being watched would worsen, if what he was feeling now was any judge of that.
Stamping his foot a little, he tried to concentrate on the spell which would make anyone looking not notice him. It was something similar to the illusion he had performed on Derrik, but it required less strength and was less effective, as it wouldn't deter anyone looking specifically for him. Still, it should be sufficient to hide me from the eyes of the Palace guards.
With a relieved sigh, he released his completed spell. Now, he and the two horses would be just part of the scenery, no more remarkable than the wall he was standing next to was.
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Kerrayrlia pounded off towards the dungeon, her heart hammering with nervousness. She swept past the surprised guards at the main door to the Palace, who, on seeing her Trainee Grays, did not stop her. Lucky for me, I'm now a Herald Trainee. If I was still wearing the Bardic Trainee uniform, I would have been hauled up for questioning. And I cannot afford to stop now, the danger Zarien sensed so strongly seems to be getting more urgent.
She had split up with Zarien a while ago, as he had pinpointed two different source of danger, one outside the Palace walls and one in the dungeons. Muttering something about Vanyel's Web, he had then sped off to meet his Companion and proceeded to find the other danger.
Ran, does anyone else know about this 'danger' to Valdemar? Rannael had been very upset that he could not be of more help to Kerrayrlia, but then, although there were few places that Companions were not built to go into, the underground dungeon deep in the Palace was one of them. Therefore, Rannael could only content himself by dropping all shields between him and Kerrayrlia, increasing the intensity of their three-day-old bond as far as he could manage.
He now spoke in a decidedly worried tone. All the full Heralds and even the Trainees felt it, Kerri. Most of them are now rushing to the dungeon and outside the Palace as we speak, but Zarien and you are the closest to the trouble-spots. Ever analytical, Kerrayrlia still found time to raise a question despite running at top speed through the slippery stone corridors of the Palace. But how did they know? Did Zarien Mindspeak them? Wouldn't he be very fatigued then?
Concern for her lover caused Kerrayrlia's heart to stop momentarily, but Rannael soon put a stop to that unease. No, he did not exhaust himself using his Gift. All the Heralds and Trainees in Valdemar are part of a large Web created by Herald-Mage Vanyel. It's an alarm of sorts to warn Heralds of danger to Valdemar. It's extremely sensitive to true magic.
Kerrayrlia was even more alarmed now. The last mage in Valdemar had been Herald-Mage Vanyel Ashkevron. Surely there couldn't be a mage behind this danger! Running even faster, Kerrayrlia flew past curious servants and guards.
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Click! The locks gave way beneath the steady pressure of the magical lock-picks. Derrik smiled triumphantly, and then gave the metal door of the cell a small push. The door creaked open. Even though this was relatively enlightened Valdemar, prisons all over the world had the same neglected conditions. Who would waste time oiling the hinges of the door to a cell?
Still, this proved to be quite inconvenient for Derrik. Bit by bit, he opened the door, hoping that that would make the hinges creak less. It worked. He slipped his hulking frame through the gap, and found himself face to face with Moris Ertiyn. Or rather, he found himself face to face with Moris. Moris on the other hand, was confronted by what appeared to be a self-moving door and empty air. "Who's there?" Moris spoke in a strangled whisper. By this time, Mortis was sitting bolt upright, and, if the expression on his face was any judge, quite frightened.
At last, the end of my mission is in sight. Derrik knew he should end it here and now. He fingered the blade tucked into his belt lovingly as he circled around to Moris' back. The poison applied on it would be enough to kill even an elephant. For his lord had sent him here, not to rescue that sniveling coward, but to kill him.
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Is this considered a cliffhanger? I heard it was a good way to end chapters, so I decided to try it...
Reviews please! The more I get, the sooner I'll upload the next chapter:)