A/N: Well, my week long holiday is going end the day after tomorrow, so I'll not be able to update as fast...Still, continue to support this story, readers! I expect it to end at Chapter 20...And once again, thank you so much to reviewers:)

This chapter is dedicated to Neverfall, who has reviewed this story a total of nine times! Thank you for your continued support. Your pen name is hidden somewhere in this chapter too...

Replies:

Neverfall - You're always one of the first to review, thanks! Hee hee, the reason Ran doesn't have a sense of humour is because Kerri would just die if she had to put up with a Companion who had one, on top of her lifebonded and all. Well, thank you for the confirmation about the cliffhanger, and no, Kerri isn't going to touch the poison:p

silverbrillance - Well, Derrik is a sadist, and that is how he is. I don't know about normal human beings, but that is just how Derrik feels about annihilating Moris, whom he has a grudge against, since he was made to guard him a few nights before while Moris had his pleasure with Kerri. Oh, and I'm afraid Darcy Shyaman can only manage to find a 'weak' mage at such short notice. And since the matter about Moris was not supposed to involve the mage in combat, he just sent the 'weak' mage along. Aleron really isn't THAT 'weak'. Erm, and I don't think your suggestions about cliffhangers would work, since it would take a very skilled writer (which I'm not) to hint at the success or failure without giving the game away.

Whitewolf - Hope you can access your computer now, since it's a bit hard to read from a small cell phone screen. But thanks for your support:)

dustigrey143 - Thanks for your confirmation that the previous chapter was indeed a cliffhanger! That's why it's tense...And yes, mages in Valdemar are rare. In fact, Vanyel was the last mage in Valdemar, so there are currently zero mages there. And I'm glad that I'm able to add a bit of reality to a fantasy story; I've been accused of living in a dream before by family members... Oh, and Morris did not know whether Derrik was going to rescue him or not, but Derrik was invisible when he burst into the cell, and Morris could not see him at all. That's why he is frightened; he's afraid of the unknown, like most humans. Also, Liritia will pop up now and then along the way. And she is going to come back just once before the end. I don't really know how to insert her into the story too much, because she's not the kind that will have adventures:

mugglepirate - Hope you've managed to wait until now :P

Sunfairy - Hope this is 'soon enough' for you :P

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Chapter 16 Fighting the Darkness

"There is no use trying to hide." Aleron froze at the sound of the ice-cold voice, which had seemed to come from nowhere. He turned towards the sound rather reluctantly, even though he would much rather jump onto one of the horses and gallop away. But he could not do that. He had accepted a commission from Lord Darcy Shyaman and he would do well to complete it.

It was not that he possessed any sense of honor. Rather, this determination came from his sense of self-preservation. He knew that Lord Shyaman would hunt him down to the very ends of the world if he fled now. Whoever had said those words could not even be compared to Lord Shyaman.

Before he could get more than a quick look at the person however, a cloud passed over the moon. Squinting a bit, Aleron could make out a silhouette of a person on horseback against the night sky. Dimly, he could see that the coat of the horse was white… Bloody Sun-god! That's a Companion! That must mean that its rider is a Herald. Demon-spawns from hell, the lot of them.

"There is no need to swear so colourfully, mage. My Companion and I find it most offensive." Aleron gaped a bit at first, but then swiftly clamped down his shields tightly. He had not bothered to do so before because he did not think that he would actually encounter a Thought-sensing Herald. Luckily, they did not have such abilities in Rethwellan. My exile would have been most horrendous otherwise. The thought of his plans in Rethwellan being thwarted by mind-magic was almost too much for Aleron.

The clouds covering the moon thinned. A gentle white light illuminated the earth and Aleron could finally make out the features of his opponent. The first thing that struck him was his opponent's hair; a silvery golden waterfall in the moonlight. Then, he noted the person's sharp nose, high cheekbones and strong, smooth chin. Last of all, he took note of his opponent's clothes.

Zarien was wearing his pale Trainee tunic, which Aleron mistook for white in the silvery light. A Herald and a Companion! What should I do now! For a moment, Aleron panicked. Then, he collected himself. He had gone through years of arduous training in Karse before mages were exiled and that training took over now. A mental wall of cold, deadly steel slammed into place between his emotions and his thoughts. Instantly, Aleron became a different person altogether. The Herald must not be allowed to live.

Arrogantly, Aleron sneered, "Scare me, that white horse of yours does not. Blood red, that white uniform will be turned." His speech was halting and had a strong Karsite accent to it, but months of preparation on his part for such an opportunity had included learning the Valdemaran language. Abruptly, he let loose a levin-bolt at the Herald.

While he was speaking those words, he had also been covertly gathering mage power and forming up an attack spell. Now, as he watched the Companion twist to one side and avoid the bolt, he started to prepare another levin-bolt. Foolish was the person who wasted time seeing what his opponent did. Remaining on the offensive was what he had been taught since young.

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Zarien flattened himself on Dorilynn's back as the levin-bolt brushed passed. He felt his hair stand at the proximity of the energy-charged bolt. For a few nanoseconds, he started to panic, but then, his lessons came back to him. We'll let the mage find out what a Herald and his Companion can do, shall we? With that, Zarien lowered all of his mental shields and stretched his Mindspeech Gifts to their fullest.

Zarien? Is the situation over there okay? Kerrayrlia's mind voice was tinged with worry that she could not hide. Zarien almost smiled. It was difficult for anyone to lie mind-to-mind, and that meant that the mask which Kerrayrlia normally presented to the world at large could not hide her emotions in Mindspeech. But, instead of replying, Zarien shut out her voice regretfully, as he could not let himself be distracted.

Pitching his Mindspeech to its highest and loudest, Zarien shaped his Gift into a thin, sharp diamond blade and let loose. Through his Broadcasting abilities, Zarien sent a blast of focused Mindspeech scream at the mage.

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Kerrayrlia's brows creased with concern as she entered the stone dungeons. Torchlight cast strange shadows over the stone walls and floors, but Kerrayrlia was in no mood to puzzle over them. She had just wasted precious minutes arguing with the dungeon guards to let her in. In the end, only a sharp threat to the Guards, telling them that they could explain it all to the King and Queen if they hindered her, had convinced them that she was serious. There were some places where even a Herald Trainee could not go.

Then, Kerrayrlia had felt Zarien's mind brush against hers. She assumed that he had lowered his shields for some reason, and had in turn dropped her own shields to speak to him. His lack of reply whateverso worried Kerrayrlia no end. She tried reassuring herself that she would know if Zarien was hurt; they were lifebonded, weren't they? But that did not help at all, and she found herself visualizing every possible scenario where Zarien could be hurt…

Kerrayrlia snapped out of her reverie with a conscious effort. Used to control, she simply did not like the uncertainty that came with loving someone. So, she dealt with it as best as she could, by walling off that worry in one corner of her mind.

As she rounded another turn, she saw a slightly ajar iron door. Someone must have broken in. There was absolutely no other explanation for it. So, Kerrayrlia glided over the stone paving of the dungeon, smoothly and quietly towards that particular cell. To judge by her actions, one would have thought that Kerrayrlia was confidently calm. In actual fact, her nervousness at that point in time surpassed all previous such feelings. She had not felt that anxious before; not even when she was being tested for entrance to the Bardic Collegium.

Heart beating slightly faster, Kerrayrlia pushed open the iron door. Vaguely, she saw a figure sitting upright in the center of the room. As she waited for her eyes to adjust, she was aware of the pungent smell of body wastes in the cell. This was mostly concentrated about the bucket towards the side of the cell. Yet, underneath all that offensive smell, Kerrayrlia thought she could detect a separate light fragrance. It reminded her of the beautiful little blue-coloured flower that grew near roses. What was it's name? Ah yes, I remember now. It's called neverfall... But 'Ritia told me once that it has a defense system; the juice of the crushed flower can be fatal if touched...

Kerrayrlia narrowed her eyes. Someone else other than the prisoner had been in the cell recently, of that she was sure. The fragrance could not have come from the prisoner. Speaking of which… Kerrayrlia clenched her fists. She caught full view of the prisoner for the first time, making out the mob of red hair, pug-like face and the dark green clothing.

That man! For a moment, Kerrayrlia wanted to step up and strangle him. She felt irrationally angry; angry that the man who had touched her was still alive and relatively well. Yet, in the end, it was that irrationality that helped Kerrayrlia to control her anger. She was a rational person, no matter what had happened to her. That was an aspect of her that would never change.

Moris Ertiyn stared at her savagely. "Here to gloat, little bitch?" Kerrayrlia stared back coldly, but did not let the insult get to her. The man's features were twisted into a snarl, his whole posture one of challenge. Yet, Kerrayrlia could detect a hint of fear underneath his façade of bravado.

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Kerrayrlia started to drop her outer shields and tried to Sense the thoughts of Moris. Maybe I can find out why the iron door was ajar, and why he did not take the opportunity to escape… As soon as she dropped her outer shields however, she felt the presence of another set of thoughts. She barely had time to register her surprise, when she heard the sound of a knife slicing through the air…

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So, Neverfall, did you find it? I hope you don't mind being compared to a flower... (I apologise if you do, and will be willing to change it.)

Keep reviewing, everyone! I love reviews :)