Chapter 3
The next day ran on. Lady and I argued over her little crush on Aleron and she spent the whole day reading. Most of the day went on without incident; we mostly sat around and planned our first move against Lord Vile. The day went by without incident and we talked, and talked, and talked, and talked. Lady kept her nose in her book, seemingly annoyed at the world. I kept my mind active, trying to come up with a plan that would help us against Vile. Nothing came to me, though.
It was close to eight in the evening when the lights in the Sanctuary went out. I heard several people in the room swear and someone finger's snapped, lighting the room with fire. The light of the flames dimmed for a second as I called it to me. It curled in my palm, sparkling oddly, moving like smoke in a ball, only white light. I took my spot slightly in front and to the left of Erskine, waiting for the doors to open and our enemy to show him, or herself. I was beginning to relax, thinking it was a false alarm when the door opened. The figure of a man strode in, his eyes squinted in the in the dim light. Fear froze me, sent ice shooting through my veins.
The man's face twisted into a dark sneer when he spotted me. I shook my head, trying to dispel the terror. I could hear Erskine's breathing behind me and sense my friends' energies around me. That helped me settle. My eyes met his and I felt the pull of his magic on me. "You know better than that, Viper," I said softly. He growled and I relaxed even more. I felt his pull, trying to manipulate me, cause me pain by pulling and twisting on the magic and energy inside me.
Babylon Viper was the man's full taken name. He pulled on the power in people's true names and used it against them. I never understood how, he didn't know the true names, but he did it somehow. He didn't get why his powers didn't work in me, but that was my secret against him. My history with him was long and complicated, but it all boiled down to him killing my fiancé half a century before.
I waited, one hand holding the light, the other gripping the handle on my whip. Viper scanned the room, dark eyes glowing as they settled on Lady. Before I could act, Lady cried out and fell to the floor holding her head in her hands. I sent the ball of light straight at the man's chest and ran to my friend's side. Calling her energy forward, I worked to untwist it. I felt the tangled mess inside her and worked at unraveling it. Her eyes fluttered open just as Viper fled. Then they closed again as she passed out.
Aleron came to her side and I let him carry her to the infirmary. I checked around the room, making sure no one else was harmed. They all seemed okay, so I sat down, willing my body to relax. Erskine's fingers trailed along my neck. I looked up at him with a small smile. "You okay?" He asked. He knew my issues with Viper. I nodded.
"I'm okay," I murmured. Worry over Lady caused me to stand up and start pacing. The room was empty, everyone had followed Aleron out. Erskine grabbed my wrist, gently tugging me against him.
"Stop worrying. Let's go check out the damages. Then we can check on Lady, okay?" His voice was gentle. I nodded, leaning up to kiss his jaw. I was still full of adrenaline, so the exercise would be good for me. Erskine let go of me after returning my kiss and we walked out of the room.
At least the underground building wasn't in shambles. A few walls had holes in them, a few statues and beams were broken, but it would be easy to fix. We made our way to the infirmary. Everyone stood outside. Worried looks on every face caused my heart to drop. "Any news?" I asked shakily. They shook their heads. I forced my body to relax. The healer knew what he was doing. After all, I'd trusted Shoney with my life long before I brought him to the Sanctuary with me.
A while later he walked out. "She'll be fine, but I'm keeping her overnight, just in case." His aqua eyes were bright as he scanned us all, noting that we weren't harmed. His mouth twisted into a gentle smile. "Trust me, I know best." I sighed as he turned around and pushed through the door. I refused to leave the Sanctuary until I saw Lady. I was exhausted, but didn't let it show. I sat through the night, head on Erskine's shoulder, only dozing as the sun began to rise.