A/N: I'm taking longer to upload chapters now, because of the large amount of school work and revision I'm having to do. And I don't have the time to check for spelling and grammar errors, so if you see any mistakes, bear with me. But still, thank you to all reviewers for your encouragement!
Replies:
Neverfall - Hmm, are you poisonous when crushed too:P I was not aware that cliffhangers are evil. Well, this chapter is not a cliffhanger, so don't get too worked up over it :)! And the projected ending is Chapter 20, but after the exams, I may decide to write a sequel if this story gets enough reviews...
Sunfairy - Glad you like this story, I'll keep writing, don't worry.
silverbrilliance - Does it sound like Yoda? I don't know, maybe Mercedes Lackey got inspiration from Star Wars? And yes, all Companions are white horses, their magic bleaches them white. In this, they are quite similar to the mages of the Hawkbrothers. And also, please remember that Kerrayrlia is not a full Herald. I think she did quite well, considering that she was in this situation with which she had no prior experience in.
mugglepirate - Thanks, I was afraid that it might be too fast or something.
And now, let's go on to the story. It's slightly longer than previous chapters.
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Chapter 17 Darkness…An End?
As the full force of Mindspeech hit him, Aleron clapped his hands to his ears and moaned in agony. Writhing and squirming, he fell to the ground, all control over his body lost. He felt as if his brain was being forced into a container too small to hold it, and then pierced with thousands of sharp needles. All over his body, his muscles spasmed and twitched with bright slivers of pain that had traveled from the brain.
In this state, he could not even think, let alone do anything to fight back. The single thought he managed to produce was to wish for a quick death. Anything to e…n…d…this agon-- Then, thankfully, oblivion took him.
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Zarien watched coldly as Aleron hit the ground. He could see that Aleron was suffering and in pain, but he decided to continue his attack for a few more moments. His opponent was a mage, and as such, not to be taken lightly. If he stopped now, the mage might retaliate. Slightly shuddering at the thought of facing the levin-bolts again, Zarien did not stop his Mindspeech scream until the mage went limp against the ground.
As he started towards the crumpled figure on the ground, he heard Dorilynn's reproachful voice. You should have stopped earlier, 'Rien. He has done nothing to deserve such treatment. Without hesitation, Zarien retorted, He was sneaking around the Palace grounds at night, and he was one of the sources of danger that Valdemar was facing. Much as I disliked it, I had to deal with him that way to ensure that he would be of no further harm to Valdemar.
He felt Dorilynn consider the matter as he dragged the mage upright. Strolling over to where the horses were tied, he untied them deftly. Then, he used the ropes that were previously used to tie up the horses to tie up the mage securely. You're right, 'Rien. There was a short pause. I guess I was too revolted by the action that I failed to consider the causes and consequences of it. Valdemar comes before everything else.
Zarien hauled the mage up over onto one of the horses, noting that the mage was wearing a tunic cut in the style of the Rethwellan as he did so. I apologize for snapping at you, 'Lynn. I guess……my actions disgusted me more than I realized. Dorilynn sent a wave of pulsating warmth down their bond. A trifle sadly, she replied, Sometimes we have to do things that we dislike, Chosen.
It was in this mood of melancholy that Zarien mounted Dorilynn and started off back towards the palace. Before he could reach the gates though, he heard a loud cry.
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Kerrayrlia barely had time to register the sight of the knife flying towards her face. In that one moment, as her world narrowed down to the approaching blade, she seemed to tether on the edge of life and death. She experienced profoundly the fragility of life; it could wink out in a blink of eye.
Then, that moment was gone, and her musing was replaced by terror; the fear of losing her life. It was this terror that overtook her, overrode all her logical thought processes and made her reach for her untrained, untried Gift. Once again, Kerrayrlia experienced the total loss of control that followed. She started to struggle a bit, then decided that she should give up fighting a losing battle…
Oh no, don't give up, Chosen, Rannael Mindspoke Kerrayrlia in his rich, serious voice. I'll help you to control you Gift. So saying, Rannael extended his support to Kerrayrlia through their Herald-Companion bond. Though their bond was still comparatively tenuous, having been bonded for only three days, it was still enough for Rannael to act as an anchor to Kerrayrlia.
With Rannael as an anchor, Kerrayrlia found it easy to control the power of her Gift, while at the same time still letting it act as it would. Her Gift of Fetching lashed out at the knife, moving the knife out of its course of trajectory. The Fetched knife suddenly appeared a few inches left of where it should have been, then continued traveling forward.
Kerrayrlia could feel the wind from the knife blow pass her hair as the knife flew past. Thanks to her Gift, the knife which should have hit her in the middle of her forehead caused no more damage than a scratch mark on the stone wall behind her.
Eyes narrowed, Kerrayrlia did not wait for the intruder to throw another knife. Instead, she dove for the bucket at the side of the cell. In one swift motion, she flung the contents of the bucket over Moris and at the general direction of where the knife had came from. The faeces and urine in it connected with the invisible intruder with a loud thud. Splotches of faeces and urine appeared suddenly in seeming mid air, forming the outline of person.
A grunt emitted from the intruder. No one could have maintained complete control after being drenched in foul smelling wastes, not even the most emotionless person. Kerrayrlia made use of this instance of distraction and sprang lightly forward, over the frozen Moris Ertiyn, and hit the heretofore invisible person on the head as hard as she could. The figure folded over like a pack of cards and collapsed onto the stone floor.
Panting slightly, Kerrayrlia turned to face Moris Ertiyn. Muscles tensed, his eyes were straying in the direction of the ajar door. "If I were you, I wouldn't move right now." Freezing, Moris slowly exhaled. Then, he turned back to Kerrayrlia with a sullen expression not unlike a spoiled child on his face. Like all bullies, he did not want to risk taking on a person who might be stronger, which Kerrayrlia may be since she was not tied up as before.
When Moris lay down again, Kerrayrlia dismissed him for her mind and turned her attention to Rannael. Thank you, Ran. The light fragrance came from that knife. If not for your help, I would probably be badly poisoned and near death by now. She could feel Rannael's smile even though she could not see him. Nay, Chosen. No thanks are needed. We did this together, you and I.
Kerrayrlia started to say something more, but Rannael interrupted her. Chosen, some Heralds are coming this way. They will arrive in a few moments. There was a short pause, then Rannael continued. 'Lynn tells me that Zarien has also accomplished his task, and that he is unhurt.
For the first time since her moonlight stroll with Zarien was interrupted, Kerrayrlia broke into a smile.
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"Zarien, what's going on?" A short, stocky figure astride a white Companion rode up to meet Zarien. The loud cry Zarien heard had been an exclamation from him. Leading two horses behind him, Zarien eased towards the figure. "I found this mage outside the Palace walls, Dean Probert. He is the source of the disturbance caused in the Web." Dean Probert rode towards the unconscious mage on the back of one of the horses, taking a closer look at him.
"Rethwellan." He snorted in disgust. "A mage, you say? Well, Trainee Zarien, it looks like he may be one of those mages who escaped from Karse to Rethwellan years ago." Shaking his head a bit, he turned around and headed towards the Palace gates at a canter. "The King will be along in a few moments; he was just behind me. Let's move towards the gate to meet him."
Zarien complied and moved to follow. He tried to reach for Kerrayrlia, but found that he was completely exhausted. It was all he could do to speak to Dorilynn. 'Lynn, could you help me to ask Rannael to tell Kerri that I'm alright? And find out if she's hurt… The thought of Kerrayrlia hurt brought a lump into his throat. Already done,'Rien. And don't worry, your lifebonded is completely okay. You overextended your Gift just now, 'Rien. Rest now.
Zarien reached forward and caressed Dorilynn's head with his right hand while keeping a tight hold on the reins of the two other horses with his stronger left hand. He did not try to Mindspeak her; his brain was already throbbing with the beginnings of a headache. But Kerrayrlia was safe and the danger to Valdemar over, at least for now. That was all that mattered.
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Please give me reviews! I gobble them up very quickly, so I need some more...