author's note: here's chapter 2! Enjoy and chapter 3 will be up soon! Thanks to Mabel Lane Fox for the reviews and continued support!
Chapter 2
Irys strode into the Masters' chambers. The unusual distressed look on Bain's wise face bothered her, though she chose not to show it.
"Irys," he said bowing in greeting.
"Bain," she said, returning the gesture.
"A guard reported to me just a few moments ago," The First Magician said shakily.
"Saying what exactly?"
Bain opened his mouth to say something then closed it, shook his head, then pulled a burlap sack onto the table. He opened it and carefully poured the contents onto the table. Tiny glass fragments spilled onto the table. Irys looked up at him, confused.
"These are what remains of Roze Featherstone's glass prison," Bain said so quietly Irys almost didn't hear him.
Irys felt as if her heart stopped.
"She's free," she said quietly, stunned.
Bain could only nod.
"Then that was the release of power I felt last night."
"I assumed you felt it as well, Irys. I think it's safe to assume Zitora felt it too."
"No one knows where she is, Bain. No one knows if she's even alive or dead," the Second Magiian said sinking into a chair before her legs have out on her.
"I think we should get Yelena back here," Bain began. "She'll be able to determine where Roze's soul has gotten off to."
"Agreed."
"It's interesting that your mental defenses are so weak, yet the rest of you abilities are so adept," Roze said, appearing in front of Lily with her arms folded.
"Mental defense has never been something I'm good at," Lily said, ashamed, looking at the floor.
"I can teach you if you'd like."
Lily looked up, shocked.
"Y-You'd really do that?!"
Then she realized that the ghost of an executed criminal was the one offering the help. Roze vanished and Lily could actually feel arms wrapping around her waist.
"I told you... I did what I did for just reasons. You have no reason to be afraid or doubt me," Roze whispered in her ear.
Lilly's eyes instinctively rolled back and her body went slack. The feeling of arms around her waist and a chest against her back vanished as her mother swept into the room with a stressed gleam to her emerald eyes.
"What's the matter, Mom," Lily asked, worry creeping up inside her.
"Bain just received troubling news. I have to go to Ixia," Irys said as she pulled on her riding boots and packed her travel bag.
"What?! Why?!"
"I have to inform Liaison Zaltana of the situation and bring her back to deal with it."
Lily looked sadly at her mother. She wasn't used to her being gone for long periods of time.
"I should only be gone for a couple of days," Irys said over her shoulder as she put her pack on her back.
"Alright," Lily said quietly.
Irys wrapped her daughter in a tight hug.
"I'll see you in a couple days, Lily."
Irys kissed her on the forehead then took her leave. Lily plopped back down onto her bed with a heavy sigh. She felt Roze's presence again; it was constantly at the back of her mind, but it was always stronger when Roze came out of her head.
"You never gave me an answer," Roze said aloud.
"You would really teach me?"
"Yes. If you work with me, I could have you powerful enough to take the Master-level test within the next year or so."
That thought was very appealing to Lily.
"Okay, I'll do it."
Roze smiled, "Good. So let's start with this 'safe' place of yours."
Lilly's breath caught in her throat as she felt Roze begin an onslaught of her mind, rummaging trough her thoughts. Her heart started pounding as she tried not to think about that time... Roze went to that specific memory the second she picked up Lily's hesitation towards it.
As hard as Lily tried she couldn't keep Roze from seeing the memory causing Lily to relive it...
Zitora Cowan walked beside Irys and Lily. The Third Magician's hand was intertwined with her daughter's as they walked through the marketplace.
Irys and Zitora stopped to look at some of the perfumes the Zaltanas' were now selling in the market.
"Stay right beside me, Lily," Irys said as she released her daughter's hand and turned her attention to the perfumes.
A nine or ten year old Lily looked around at all the sights; even though she had been to the markets countless times, she never got tired of all the sights, sounds, and smells. A man gestured for her to come to him.
Roze felt fear and agony rising in Lily as she was forced to relive something that obviously brought her pain.
You have to get through this. We'll be able to find your safe place this way, Roze said mentally.
Lily obeyed and stopped trying to force the memory away.
The little Lily went to the man, the only thought in her young mind was maybe she'd make a new friend. An argument broke out between a buyer and a seller and when Irys and Zitora turned their attention to the quickly escalating disagreement, the man made his move.
He snatched Lily, putting his large, strong hand over her mouth and his other arms around her midsection. He took off at a run with her kicking and flailing in his arms.
After he reached an abandoned building in a darker section of the Citadel, he stripped her of all clothing and tied her up spread eagle to his bed.
Roze watched as this man did sick and twisted things to this poor little girl.
After about three to four hours of torture the door to the building was broken down. Irys Jewelrose was on the man so fast he had no time to defend himself. Irys wrapped a thread of power around the man's heart and squeezed until it burst and all life left his body.
Irys untied her crying and bloody daughter and wrapped Lily in a tight, loving hug. Her arms were like a steel wall surrounding a fortress. So loving, so protecting...
Roze ended the memory there.
"That's your safe place. Wrapped in your mother's arms."
Lily remained silent. She hated thinking about that day. It was only a week after the kidnapping that Zitora renounced her title and position as Second Magician to go in search of her sister.
"From now on when you're trying to put up a strong mental defense I want you to picture Irys wrapping you in a hug."
"Yes, Roze," Lily said obediently.
For the next few hours Roze true to invade Lily's mind and even though she was picturing herself wrapped in her mother's arms, it wasn't working. Lily collapsed against the side if the bed.
"Mental defense seems to sap your energy very quickly," Roze said appearing in front of her.
All Lily could manage was a nod if her head.
"I want you to act as if every person trying to get in your head is the man that raped an tortured you."
Lily again nodded and did as she was told. After several attempts Roze couldn't get through her defense.
The dead First Magician smiled to herself. She's strong. She'll be very useful to me, Roze thought, blocking the words from Lily's mind.
"We're finished. It's late, why don't you get something to eat and go to bed."
Roze vanished.
Lily waited a moment to regain some of her strength then she went down to eat. When she got there she found Bain seated alone, eating while going over some documents. Lily got her food then sat down beside him.
"Hello child," he said distractedly.
"Hello, First Magician."
"You can call me Bain, Lily. Well at least when no other students are around."
"So what are you working on?"
He slid some of the papers towards her. She nearly choked on her food. The document he had handed her was the execution order for First Magician Roze Featherstone. At the bottom there were three signatures that stood out above the many. The first signature was that of Bain Bloodgood; his signature had a soft loop on the 'g'. Next was Zitora Cowan's; hers was proper but childish in its own way. Lily immediately recognized her mother's sharp, prominent signature. The other signatures below the Master Magicians' were the Sitian council members.
She could feel anger rising inside her. But it wasn't her own. Roze had read the document as well. On the order was a portrait drawing of the now dead First Magician.
"So that's Roze Featherstone," Lily said quietly.
"Yes. She was an impressive magician, but she let the power get to her head," Bain said with a grin, somewhat disappointed tone.
"Why did she do what she did, master Bloodgood?"
Lily felt Roze's surprise at the question. Bain looked at Lily sadly and shook his head.
"I honestly don't know why. My guess would be because she was power hungry. The power she had wasn't enough anymore."
Anger was rising inside her again and it was hard to fight it down. She just stare at the floor.
"You should probably go to bed, child."
"Yes sir," she said grabbing a fruit and going back to her mother's tower.
author's note: well that's chapter 2 :) thanks for reading and I look forward to reviews! Chapter 3 will be up very soon!