-53-

The moon was veiled behind clouds that night which helped Byron and Ryll blend into the shadows. She stayed close to his side as he led her toward the Brotherhood's camp. It was a good three miles from the druid camp and hidden well if you didn't know where to find it. They knelt down in the undergrowth surrounding the camp, and Ryll could see a group of people sitting around a fire. The fire threw shadows on the entrance of the caves.

"Do you know what you're going to do?" Byron asked Ryll, his breath tickling her ear as he spoke quietly.

"I'm working on that."

"Well you might want to work a little faster. We haven't got all night."

"Right. I was thinking some sort of storm."

"Alright, good. Will it be enough to keep them busy?" Byron sounded doubtful.

"It will have to be. Don't worry," Ryll assured him. "I can do it."

"I know you can do it, I just wonder if you know it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ryll asked.

Byron's eyes were black in the night. She could see a glint of color reflected in the light cast by the fire. "I just wonder if it comes down to it, if you'll be able to do what's necessary to keep them from catching us."

"You mean kill them."

"I didn't say that. But I want to know that you're not going to hold back."

"I'm not a coward."

"No, you aren't." Byron turned his eyes back to the camp. "Ready when you are."

Ryll closed her eyes and drew upon her elemental powers. A wind stirred in the north, picking up speed until it blew the fire out. Then Ryll started her own fire. It leapt up around the camp, cutting the Brotherhood off from the caves. They started shouting in a panic, and Ryll felt a strain on her power. They were fighting back but their magic was no match for hers.

"Go," she told Byron. "Hurry. I don't know how long I can hold them off."

He left her side and slipped past the fire and into the caves. Ryll concentrated on her power. The ring of fire wavered for a moment, and she doubled her efforts to keep the men contained. The harder they fought against her, the harder it became to keep a hold on her power. She felt a pressure begin to build in her head until it was a stabbing pain. It became harder and harder to keep the fire up. The pain was nearly blinding now, and Ryll felt her concentration waning. What was taking Byron so long? Had be been caught? She hadn't considered that some of the men might be in the caves. He'd have to take care of them on his own.

Suddenly something hard thumped against Ryll's head, and she slumped to the ground, unconscious. Her power immediately ceased and the fire died down to nothing.

…

Ryll awoke to find herself lying on a dirt floor. Her vision was blurry and there was a sharp pain on the side of her head. She put a hand to it and her fingers came away bloody. She heard someone saying her name, but she couldn't seem to think straight. She felt hands pull her into an embrace and looked up to see Byron holding her.

"Ryll, are you alright?" he asked. He wasn't so blurry anymore but the clearer her vision got, the sharper the pain in her head was. She moaned. "Here. I can heal you," Byron said. He put a hand to the wound, and Ryll felt a warmth build up under his touch. The pain started to recede until it was gone.

"You can just heal with the touch of your hand?"

"Usually it's not so effective. There's something about our powers that seems to coincide. I could feel yours helping me heal you."

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know."

"Where are we?" She sat up, noting that they were behind bars.

"I'm thinking their prison. I was knocked out and thrown in here." He grimaced.

"Clearly your stealth skills need work," Ryll told him.

He lifted an eyebrow. "Don't forget, you're in here too."

"I couldn't keep a hold on my power with them fighting against it. It felt like my head was going to split open."

"You shouldn't press yourself. You don't know your limits yet."

"You were the one who made me promise to do what it took to keep them distracted!" Ryll argued.

"I didn't mean kill yourself over it," Byron shot back.

"Right, well, next time I'll just ask them politely to give us what we want."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you nor does it solve our current dilemma," Byron told her flatly.

"Right, well if you have any brilliant ideas for escape…" She motioned for him to speak. "No? I don't suppose I could just use my powers to get us out."

"I've already tried. The cell is protected."

"Great. So our rescue plan now involves rescuing ourselves."

"Looks like it."

Ryll felt frustrated with herself. She couldn't even perform a simple rescue. She couldn't believe she'd let herself be caught. She should have sensed the danger or something. Anything. What would the Brotherhood to do them? Probably have them killed. They'd failed to do the job earlier when Ryll had run across them. Why not finish it now?

Ryll stood and began to pace. "Is your leader somewhere nearby?" she asked.

"I don't really know where we are. I'm sure he's in one of the other cells close by though."

"Helpful."

Byron rolled his eyes. "Sorry I couldn't be more specific. I was kind of busy being knocked unconscious and thrown in a cell."

"Did you even fight back?"

"Of course I did. Where did you think these bruises came from?" he asked.

The lighting was bad but now that he mentioned them, Ryll could see dark marks forming on his face and one lip was bleeding. "Can't you heal yourself?" she asked.

"I can, but it takes longer. Maybe if we combined our power."

"I don't know how to do that."

"Take my hand." Ryll just stared at him. "It's worth a try, isn't it?" Byron asked more gently. "Look, it's not going to do us any good being at each other's throats. We need to work together to get out of this."

Ryll sighed. She knew he was right. It would do no good to take out her frustration on Byron. She knelt down next to him, holding out her hands. He took them in his own and shut his eyes in concentration. Ryll did the same. Then she gasped.

She could feel a sort of connection when they both concentrated on their powers. "Focus on healing me," Byron told her. "Just imagine it happening."

Ryll did this. She could feel a tingling in her fingers where Byron held her hands. When the tingling faded, she opened her eyes and saw that Byron's face was healed. "It worked," she said.

"You're like an amplifier," Byron told her. "You help strengthen other people's powers."

"I didn't know that was possible."

"Nor I, but you aren't exactly a run of the mill magician," he replied.

"So can we combine our power to get out of this cell?" she asked.

"Maybe. It's worth a try." Footsteps echoed in the caves around them suddenly and they shrunk back against the wall. "Or not."

A man appeared, and Ryll recognized him as the man who had confronted her before. He eyed her with distaste. "We meet again, witch," he said.

"Don't call her that!" Byron said, placing himself between Ryll and the man.

The man's eyes flickered to Byron. "We don't deal with your kind," he said. Byron's jaw tightened, and he looked like he wanted to punch the man.

"But apparently you do. You've taken their leader captive. They just want him back," Ryll interceded, stepping forward.

"And what do you have to offer as a trade?" the man said, turning his eyes back to Ryll. "It seems to me that you do not have anything that I want."

"Take me," Ryll said on an impulse.

"Ryll!" Byron looked at her in surprise.

"You wanted to kill me, so take me and free him."

"But we already have you."

"You saw what I can do. I could break out of the cell in a second." She was bluffing, but he seemed to consider her words. "But if you let them go, I'll stay."

"What are you doing?" Byron hissed at her.

"Keeping a promise to your people," she told him.

The Brotherhood leader seemed to consider this. "How do we know you aren't going to escape after he's gone?"

"You want me dead anyway. What does it matter? I can promise that if you don't let them go, I will use my powers to defeat you. There's only one of you now."

"I will consider your offer." The man moved away, and Byron turned on Ryll, taking her shoulders.

"What were you thinking?" he asked, eyes flashing.

"I was thinking that I was the one thing I could offer them. Don't worry. I can escape once you're free."

"Can you? You couldn't overpower them before."

"Just trust me. There's too much at stake for me to just get killed. I'll get through this. You get what you came for."

Byron gave her a hard look. "If anything happens to you, I'll never forgive myself."

"I chose to come. I knew it would be dangerous."

Byron ran a hand through his hair, mussing it. "This just isn't going as planned."

Ryll laughed hollowly. "Does it ever?"

"I've considered your offer." Ryll and Byron jumped as the Brotherhood leader suddenly appeared again. "And I accept the terms. However, I will send a message with the druid leader."

"What message?"

"He and his people will prepare themselves for annihilation. The Brotherhood has seen that they are not worthy of their magic. If they wish to save their souls, they should kill themselves now. At dawn we attack."

"You have no right to make that judgment! My people have lived in these lands a long time before yours!" Byron shouted.

"My people are descended from the Sidhe themselves. We have blood from the immortals running through our veins."

"Banished immortals," Ryll said quietly.

"How dare you insult my ancestors!"

"Our ancestors. I'm descended from them too. They were banished from Avalon for murder or other crimes against their own people. You are nothing but a shadow. You will never hold the power of the Sidhe."

"Then nor will you," he growled.

"Well unlike you, I don't crave power," Ryll said, enunciating each word. "Your own misjudgments will be your undoing."

"Enough!" He pulled a key from his belt. "The boy and his master may go with my message, but you will stay here and face judgment." He unlocked the door and grabbed Byron, pulling him bodily from the cell. Byron tried to fight, but Ryll laid a hand on his arm.

"Don't cause trouble, just go," she said.

He looked torn, his eyes dark. "I can't just leave you. They'll kill you."

"I'm not ready to die," Ryll said. "It's not my destiny to die here."

He narrowed his eyes in confusion, but the Brotherhood leader shoved him away from the cell, locking it again. He moved away to unlock the cell a few doors down, and Ryll could hear someone groan. "I will come back for you," Byron swore.

"I won't need saving," Ryll told him with a smile. "I can save myself. Now go. Prepare your people for a fight." He gave her one last look and then moved off to collect his leader. Ryll waited until they were gone before laying her hands on the bars of the cage. There was one way to solve this, to prevent the Brotherhood from attacking the druids. She needed to steal the scrying stone and to do that, she needed to escape. She shut her eyes and drew on her power.