Chapter 26

He moved carefully through her mind and looked down at the woman in his arms and was amazed. With tender fingers he pushed back the hair from her brow and spoke softly, "Well I will be damned, you are still a part of both our destinies."

He curled into her tighter and laid his chin on the soft part of her body closing his eyes he felt the warmth she offered and a sense of peace came over him, "Leave us alone you old fool. We were meant to be together, she has to learn that there is tenderness in this world not what she learned from Tarin"

Ageis was angry "Yes I will kill him when I find him he will die a thousand deaths. Lying bastard, and I see she will tell Shayla about what happened no thanks to Morgan. Yes she will tell Shayla about that black hearted bastard. Darrin will be taken care of by John."

The voice of Batu was echoing in his mind. "Ageis, she needs to learn what it is to share and know tenderness."

"I told you she will know tenderness and know what it is like to feel and know it will be okay to love. But the first foot steps to our journey will begin when next we are together and away from your damn eyes."

He looked around and peered at the glowing dark figure that shrouded itself in the corner of his room. "Do you really want to challenge me now? You that quick to die?"

He muttered and saw the figure fade from view. Pulling her closer to him he held her protectively in his arms. "You meddling fools wanted a cause we have our cause for now, it is to protect this poor girl and show her some kindness, Maison made damn sure her life would be hard. He should have made Kelson hide her in the past instead of now."

The cold feeling of evil had left the room and Ageis relaxed and smiled at the woman in his arms. "Our one night of passion is about to set the course for the rest of our lives and I am prepared my dear I just hope that you are equally prepared. Before we allow our time to ourselves we first have roles to play and tonight is not the night for love play."

Curling into her tenderly he nuzzled her neck and listened to the soft sigh he evoked from her. "It is the night for rest and rebirth and soon the time will come and I will take you to the heights of ecstasy and passion like no other you ever felt. Others may try to show you passion but none will mark you as I will."

Gently he pushed the hair back and leaned over and placed a light kiss on her full lips and in her sleep she smiled and stirred slightly and instinctively returned his kiss, her arms sliding around his neck kissing him back with as much passion as she could in her sleep.

He felt her immediate press against his body and it took all the restraint he had to keep from wanting to take her very pliable and very willing body. "No lass, not yet, now is not the time, feel the gentleness of just being held, and shut up Batu before you wake up Geoffrey and Thomas. Thomas is the protective one, he is afraid I will hurt her."

He looked down and nodded, "Yes she is very beautiful, Maison knew what would get my attention and it's working." Ageis pushed himself up against the headboard of the bed and drew her body up with him, keeping her wrapped in the blanket and his arms he held her and sighed, "I was really wanting to sleep Batu, and she needed to sleep. Kane is a tight asshole, even if he is my son, he is still an asshole and he would have destroyed her."

Ageis kissed her forehead and smiled as she snuggled closer to his chest in his arms. "She is so vulnerable right now, soon enough she will be better able to protect her self from those like Darrin Summerset." Ageis took a deep breath and watched her as she slept so peacefully in his arms. "Yes, I will do psychic blocks so he can't read her thoughts, that will protect her from his tight assed viewpoint and want to put her to death."

Ageis gently cuddled her close. "Besides he is about to grow bored and want to transcend and leave this island in chaos and turmoil. This poor child will once again suffer at the hands of Kagar but will be reborn to a new world and when she is brought back her weakness will be her strength."

Ageis yawned, "I know Batu, but it is as it has to be and she has to grow with the rest of them and learn just like the others will learn. She will suffer heartache and feel alone but she will know she had her love for me and not understand it. It is better this way."

His irritation was beginning to show whispering harshly into the air, "Shut up, it cannot be any differently than it is. Besides what do you know, you are a ghost, now go away and let me sleep. I need to think about this, Kelson has thrown me a loop this time and I need to figure out what the little meddler is up to!"

M'lar curled around into his chest and sighed as she laid her head against his chest. Sliding down in the bed he pulled her on his chest and began to stroke her hair, "Oh Annaleise, my sweet Annaleise why did he use your spirit for her, why could he have not let her rest? You were not happy unless you could torment me?"

Ageis closed his eyes and sighed holding her close and fell asleep only to awaken and look down at the still sleeping M'lar, "No lass you need to sleep in your own room tonight." Rising from his bed, naked as the day he was born, he stepped unabashedly into the hallway and carried her back to her room.

Moving through the door without opening it, using his incredible mental powers to ~phase~ through the solid door and stop by her bed, There he laid her gently on the large comfortable bed and watched her roll to her side and curl into her pillow, speaking softly, "I love you Ageis my sweet." It was her voice and he was saddened but angered by the audacity of such an affront to something he had cared about so very long ago and had almost forgotten. Hearing a noise in the door way to the inner room he turned and blinked, there stood a three year old child that would have been her mother made over but for the dark eyes and coal black hair.

She looked up at him curiously not one bit affected by seeing a naked man standing in her mothers room and she smiled, that smile melted his heart and he sighed, "Yes Batu I see her, the spawn of Tarin's that is not really Tarin's, she is gypsy in looks but she is far more than that. She could never have possessed the powers she has not if she were that assholes' kid."

Bright wide eyes that held the hint of the ages and innocence together peered up into his eyes and she smiled, "Daddy?" She toddled towards him at a dead run and hit him in his legs. Lifting her up into his arms he sighed and looked over his shoulder, "Shut up, no I am not a pervert you are." G

illian looked into his eyes and Ageis felt the tenderness that had been long denied by him that he felt for others and he smiled, "Yes, my sweet child, it is Daddy, now you must forget you saw me and you go to sleep. Now close your eyes."

Gillian laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Love you daddy." She muttered drifiting off to sleep. Ageis smiled and gently laid her in bed with her mother, covering them both. Gillian snuggled over to her mother. M'lar instinctively feeling her daughter in her sleep, rolled over and curled herself protectively into Gillian and held onto her using her body as a barrier to protect her.

Ageis looked at them both sleeping together and sighed, "Yes, I see the resemblance I don't need your smart assed comments to know what my own eyes see. Now lets go, I have a lot to do before this night is done."

Turning Ageis was now back in his armor but it no longer squeaked in protest nor did it make a sound as he looked one more time at the sleeping form of M'lar and their daughter. "I got to find Kelson and find out what he did." Moving his hand over her face he wiped out that memory of seeing him in her mother's room. Turning he evoked the will of the way, and disappeared as silently as he had dressed and was gone from the room. There was nothing but the hint of his cheese foot smell, which quickly dissipated with his disappearance.

Gillian smiled as she opened one eye and looked at her mother holding her, "Love you too mommy." Snuggling back down into her mother, Gillian was soon asleep feeling the soft tickle of a kitten that had made its way up the stairs and into her room. Reaching down for the kitten she purred and meowed softly to it feeling it settle down in her surprisingly gentle three-year-old arms and all three slept soundly.

Sunlight peaked its way into the window and M'lar sat up confused, "What the?" She looked down to see a soundly sleeping Gillian sleeping in her bed holding an equally sleeping Pusspatoo. "Well looks like I had a partner when I went to sleep but it was not you two."

Sliding from the bed, she moved to dress in her tank top and her cut off breeches, and her soft doe skin shoes. Slipping them on, she pulled the brush through her hair and then tied it back and sighed, "All right lets go, you are only as tired as you believe you are and the run will do you good. Take your staff and you can also do your practice work out."

She took the short staff and hooked it through her frog on her belt and went silently out the door and to the top landing to look below and see Black passed out at the bar. Baloq glanced up at her and shrugged, "He was on the door step when I got here, so I brought him in."

M'lar tripped lightly down the steps and moved to the bar and peered at him. "He had a bad night. He kept running his mouth and finally he had enough to drink that he passed out. He found out I am part scro and that seemed to bust his bubble."

Baloq sighed dramatically, "Another hopeful swain down the drain." M'lar frowned and looked dangerously close to snapping at him, Baloq tucked his chin and moved into the kitchen.

Moving out the door M'lar she muttered, "Good choice." Looking to the now climbing sun she sighed, "It is going to be another hot day." Taking out on foot she started at a slow easy pace and she was soon into a full out run, pacing herself along the path that she had used to do her daily run, she could feel the singing of the blood in her veins and the paced heart beat moving along like a graceful gazelle.

Feeling the sweat beginning to build she moved around the path and followed it to the park where she jogged to the center of the common area and stopped. Bending over she let out her breath blowing it through her lips to catch her breath.

Reaching for her staff she commanded softly, "Elongate five foot." The staff shimmered and then began to grow and stopped at five foot. Twirling the staff around she began to move through the motions of lunging, sweeping, and pole-vaulting with a side ways kick to the chest region.

She paced herself through all the moves so she could get a really good feel of the staff. She was using the staff as an extension of her body, when she looked up to see that she had gathered a crowd on the pathway, men and women and children had paused to watch her move through the motion of her training work out.

Having blocked them out of her field of vision and concentrating on her work out, she also failed to realize that one of those watching her was the great man himself. He glided towards her and smiled, "I see you come here to practice, and you know you can use my facility."

M'lar flushed the great man always seemed to make her feel insecure and unsure of her self she lowered her gaze and smiled, "Thank you General Kane, that is kind of you." He extended his hand and indicated he wanted to look at her staff." Speaking softly, she commanded, "Shrink six inches." Again the staff shimmered and shrunk down to six inches long.

Handing the staff over he smiled, "Magical properties?" M'lar nodded feeling self conscious, he looked up and then the most curious look came over her face, "You have been with Ageis?" M'lar flushed and her eyes grew wide, "Yes, how did you know?"

Kane smiled, "I can see some of his handiwork, he is a wily old bastard." He handed her staff back and nodded, "He is it would appear to be very fond of you." M'lar smiled, "His touch is most healing, I cut my hand to the bone last night and his touch was almost magical, he healed it."

Kane nodded and then he frowned as he looked at her. "You have been through a lot lately have you not?" M'lar sighed and then grateful she saw a white wolf appear on the edge of the wood line and it bounded towards Kane then shifted to the lovely form of Gabby.

Kane did not turn he still continued to focus on M'lar. "You are still upset with my wife, over the trial?" M'lar shifted her gaze back to the now serious looking Kane. "I am still dealing with being thought a conspirator and condemned before my trial."

He paused and frowned again as he felt his blade begin to hum and Gabby moved up to his side. "Hmmm, Shalisandra is upset Gabrielle would you know why?" He turned his gaze on his wife's form as she moved up to stand next to him.

She flushed deeply and shook her head. "Why would I know why the spirit of your deceased wife if upset?" From the corner of the wood line she saw him watching Gabby, Kane and her. Then he began to saunter forward. M'lar stiffened and slid her staff into her frog and she could not control her anger when he neared them.

Kane glanced to the man and then down to the blade. "What? A darkness that has hurt?' Kane was almost speaking like Ageis did to his ghosts. Seeing Gabby stiffened and Kane's brow furrow, she slowly and quietly stepped away from them and moved towards the hilltop. Looking up at the glorious morning colorful array across the sky, she let her gaze shift down to the docks and sighed then closed her eyes and gave her tribute to her god in silence.

Finishing her morning tribute she moved to turn away from the ocean view and felt the blade bite into her back." You are going to come with me now." Darrin had successfully moved away from Kane and Gabby and now as she peered down in the park, she noted they were no longer in sight.

"You have about caused me enough problems with your anger and your innuendos. You are spoiling all my plans." M'lar wanted to spin around and shove that blade up his ass, but instead she let her hand drop to her side and rested her fingertips on the end of her staff.

"Don't do anything stupid woman, I won't hesitate to drive this blade into your worthless hide." M'lar flushed and kept her hand tightly cupped under the end of her staff. "Now come along we have some more lessons to teach."

M'lar moved down the hill and allowed him to lead her to the woods when they were about a quarter of a mile from that damn cave she reacted. She had waited for him to be lulled into a false sense of security and she pulled her staff out of her frog, caught it and screamed, "Elongate six feet."

Darrin not expecting any resistance fell back as the staff that had earlier looked no more than a cudgel, frowned and moved to remove his blade from its scabbard. M'lar paced around him making him pivot on his feet keeping him off balance while he struggled to remove his sword. Finally pulling it out he fumbled to hold it on her.

Stepping in to her swing she hit him on his elbow and caused him to loose his sword, stepping back she frowned, "You will never approach me again, you will never demand anything from me again, and you will stay away from Kait or I will kill you."

She turned back and then pushed her body into another swing and hit him across his shoulder sending him sprawling on the ground and she felt empowered. Too late her footwork betrayed her as his hand shot out and he grabbed her ankle and tripped her watching her fall and drop her staff. In pain he rolled to pin her under him, locking her arms down to the ground and glaring down into her face.

"The last lesson was apparently not strong enough to teach you not to interfere with my plans. You only touched darkness bitch, I made darkness."

He used his knife to cut criss crosses on her chest as he slid down her body and forced her knees apart, he cut her clothing off and left her feeling the hot body cooling with the blood and the air that wafted across her body.

Lying naked beneath him he laughed, "You think I find you appealing? You are a bane of existence of this island's kind; you have no right to be alive you bitch. The only thing that is keeping you alive is that Shayla has formed some kind of attachment to you."

M'lar could feel his arousal at doing so much harm so she laid placid beneath him until she felt him play his blade across the place that was personal to her.

Then she went wild, head butting him, biting him, and fighting for all she was worth, knocking him backwards getting free from his hold, she bounded up, grabbing her staff and ran, she ran as hard and as fast as she could into the park and to the center of the park's common area where she collapsed and was soon surrounded by a crowed of gathered strollers all shocked and frightened at seeing her naked and cut up.

The sound of horse back riders disrupted the flurry of speculated thoughts and voiced opinions on what had happened and M'lar from a distance could hear a voice she at one time loved and held dear to her.

"Step aside, step aside" he had dismounted and moved towards the fallen heap of naked flesh and as recognition hit him he cried out in his own anguished filled voice. "Mother! Oh Mother!"

She felt his jacket go around her and she was gathered into his tender arms and lifted. Yielder arrived on foot with his contingent of guard and he rushed forward seeing it was M'lar. "We need to get her to Dr. Manshak. I don't know how much damage has been done."

Lifting her up to one of his men to hold, Marstoq remounted and moved his horse to his man, gently holding M'lar against his chest he moved towards the town proper and the office of Dr. Morgan Manshak.

Morgan had spent the day in his office mostly bored and thinking of hiring a cleric to cover his office for all the minor things that came into his place of business. He would of course still go to the orphanage and tend to the minor problems there just to keep up appearances, he rather felt it was time to go adventuring into wild space and see what business he could find.

The island was going to be his base camp and he would occasionally return and over see his kingdom under the leadership of King Eric. Eric had the right idea, tame this wild land and then kick back and enjoy his wine, women and an occasional run into the woods, there was that slight problem that Eric was still dealing with and not as well as he had hoped.

It was the matter of a little curse placed on him a long time ago, and now that he had separated from his wife in Damara, he just needed to take things a little slower in New Damara, that was under doctor's orders of course. Morgan looked around at his office and found it neat as a pin, antiseptically clean and ready for business. He should have rethought the direction of his mind.

As soon as he had settled back in his office and tried to meditate the door to the reception area burst open and the large and rather overbearing Marstoq, Captain of the town guard moved into his office carrying someone wrapped in his large jacket, from the looks of it, the person was female and was obviously or possibly naked under that coat.

Not sure who it might be nor really caring, he moved to the exam room with a quickly spoken, 'In here Captain. Lay the patient on the exam table."

With such gentle care for a large man and a half scro he laid out the female and even Morgan was shocked and surprised to see the feature cut and the disfigured body of M'lar, his very once charming protagonist lying bleeding on his exam table.

Even this to someone as her was just about too much to handle. Moving quickly to the table he did a cursory exam and then looked up, "Who did this? What happened?"

Marstoq sighed and looked down. "I don't know Doctor, she was found this way in the park."

Morgan frowned deeply and sighed, "Well go find out what you can and leave me to tend to her. I assure you she is in very capable hands."

Marstoq was loath to leave his precious mother with him but had no choice. He needed to find out what happened and who had done this to his mother and nothing was going to prevent him from killing the creature, man or whatever that wanted to use his mother for blade practice.

M'lar lay on the table trembling and speaking in scro, they sounded suspiciously like swear words or words of a curse whichever as far as Morgan was concerned were appropriate for what had happened on her. There was a small crowd standing outside his office and he looked up annoyed, "What the hell is going on out there?"

He muttered and walked to the door to peer out. The same devoted towns people that had followed her to her trial and stood in the rear of the room watching her trial were now gathered.

Turning to his assistant he muttered, "News travels fast when it involves the council woman."

The assistant nodded, "She is very popular and now seems to be a hate target."

Before Morgan could do much more he watched as a blot of pink gown, and umbrella moved among the crowd to push her way forward and up to his door and he paused and smiled, it was Lady Kaitlin Kaleen and she was very determined to make her way to the front door of his office.

Morgan moved to the door and opened it for her. Stepping aside to allow her entrance, he watched, as the concern that etched her face was prevalent she slowly lowered her parasol and stepped in. "Thank you doctor."

She rested the tip of the parasol on the top of her foot and looked around. "Where is she?"

Her words for Kaitlin were brief, professional and to the point.

"In the exam room." Kait stepped into the room and followed him to the exam room and paused in the doorway paling considerably laying eyes upon her beautiful sister now marked and horribly disfigured.

Tears welled in her eyes and she gasped, "Oh my dear, dear sister."