3: Trials by Fire

Tanjee watched with interest as Ceridwyn chanted the words that dispelled the enchantment to reveal nothing but a regular stick the same size as Kwinn’s staff. But at the same time, she felt a sickening in the pit of her stomach. How could her brother be so…..stupid? And why? He was strongly opinionated, much like she is, but he had never been so…..adamant about his dislike of humans. But even then, Tanjee couldn’t really remember him not liking them. He may have thought like most elves do in that they were the best of the best but he’d never been rude or insolent about it.

But if her brother was taking measures like this to place mistrust in humans, what else was he doing to cause trouble? And now that Ceridwyn and the others were on to his deceitfulness, what was that going to mean for him? His punishment could be quite severe and while Tanjee wasn’t happy with her brother right now, she did love him. He was, after all, the only living member of her family she had left. If he were to die, then she would be the last.

As Ceridwyn turned her sad filled eyes to Tanjee, the she elf nodded. It was evident by the look on Tanjee’s face and the tone of her voice she was disappointed yet relieved by what Ceridwyn discovered.

”It is OK, Ceridwyn. As I have said, Aeolis hasn’t been himself in a very long time. Perhaps it is best we find out what is going on here so we can get to the bottom of things.”

Myth scratched his chin as he watched the enchantment break away before Cerdiwyn. Much as he had guessed magic had been used to disguise the true object from view. Admittedly it was a bold and risky move by Aeolis, but not entirely out of character. Myth could only grumble at the circumstances surrounding everything though. The situation had an eerie familiarity to it that Myth did not like. When the elven mage mentioned possible control Myth's mind sparked with memories. Myth cleared his throat speaking with a haunted voice. "It isn't control so much by means of possession... but a poisoning of ones thoughts...."

Myth shook his head looking at everyone "However what I am thinking is only a theory. I'll need to see more before I will divulge anything further."

Looking to the canopy above Myth's eyes settled upon everyone once more. "We should be moving if we intend to return to the city proper in time to accept the royal invitation laid out before us."

Myth's thoughts were open to Rayann and to a degree Cerdiwyn as he thought about events long since past. He was focusing on memories from the days before he left the city. More accurately he was studying his own actions and mannerisms. Things were feeling uncomfortably familiar to him and he was searching his mind for possible answers. His mind had always been in a shrouded haze while in the Queen's employ, but here in Sylvanost his memories were clear as day. old arguments came to mind as well as accusations and in some cases full on fights. Myth's brow furrowed for a moment before he noticed a look on Rayann's face. All at once his mind the chaos that erupted in his mind fell into order. Reaching up he rubbed his temple "My mind seems to be getting the better of me this day... I apologize for my distraction..."

Rayann watched Ceridwyn as she performed the reveal spell on the staff in question. As the Elf Mage tapped into the magic around them, Rayann felt the current quickly increase and when the spell had completed it’s life cycle, the current slowed to a normal flow once more. Furrowing her brows, Rayann looked from the staff to Tanjee and saw the disappointment and sadness in her face. She felt bad for the young woman and hoped there was some sort of way this could all be cleared up.

When Myth spoke in that voice that was his, yet not, Rayann turned her attention to him and quirked a brow. It sounded as though he’d heard that saying spoken quite a bit. After all, he knew it verbatim without having to think about it. But what was more disconcerting to Rayann were the river of thoughts that suddenly flooded Myth’s mind.

Their link was so complete now that Rayann felt as though she were watching it all play out like a theatrical presentation right before her eyes and the players were Myth and Aeolis. As each scene flashed and played out, Rayann felt a great deal of frustration and down right hostility. When Myth finally got his thoughts under control, Rayann blinked and nodded her head and they started heading out following Kwinn’s lead as to where he had set the traps to alert the Guard of possible intruders.

~Don’t apologize, Mel’amin. I rather like having this…open book of Myth’alas to read. While I know it’s not particularly something you like, it does help me understand things better as far as you are concerned. I can imagine it’s difficult knowing someone has an almost unprotected access to your very thoughts. Don’t hesitate to tell me if I tread where the ice is thin., I’d rather avoid it all together then realize I strayed too far and am about to fall in well over my head.~

Kwinn heard the sadness and anger in Tanjee's words as she lamented the change in her brother. Kwinn did not know the elf, perhaps at one time he was much different.

Ceridwyn unlocked the secret of the staff, it was a phony, made to look true by magic. It was nothing more than a tree branch freshly cut from the woods around Sylvanost.

"I can take us there, it is not far beyond the wall."
Kwinn said as he studied the twig in Ceridwyn's hands, Aeolis had gone as far to use magic to try and cast doubt on him, what was his end game? In elvish culture such tricks were considered cheap and beneath them, if it could be proven that Aeolis had done this he would perhaps have to answer to the courts himself. Elves simply did not frame people, they did not use magic to further their own means, they had more respect for the power than that.

Maybe the elf did these things out of fear, perhaps he could not abide his only sister caring for a human. Kwinn could almost understand this theory, he might do many questionable things to protect a sibling from a broken heart. The ranger could not see this being the case, these choices did not seem motivated by a misplaced sense of familial duty, they seemed much more destructive.

Kwinn was frowning as he lead the group to the Eastern gate, the very one he and the Home Guard had passed through to see what could be done to further protect the city.

We set many snares and traps along here, dozens of them." Kwinn walked deliberately into some waist high grass, within a few steps he set off one of the traps, a thin almost invisible cord wrapped itself around the ranger's feet, he fell to the ground quickly and was unable to move.

"You see, there is nothing wrong with these defenses." The ranger said as he laid on his side, his feet and arms bound tight.

Ceridwyn could not help but giggle out loud as Kwinn set off his own trap. She could see why Tanjee was so drawn to him, the man had a very free spirited air about him, the kind of personality that drew you in an forced you to interact and enjoy his presence. She knelt down and began to unwrap the snare around his feet speaking with that same giggle in her voice, “A well constructed Snare Master Kwinn, it caught the culprit in an instant.”

After she helped him to his feet she looked around a moment, checking here and there as Kwinn pointed out other locations of traps that had been set. Finally her keen Elven eyes noted a small disruption of some foliage and she motioned for Kwinn to hand her the false staff, sure enough the cut mark on the stick matched that on the tree.

“Well my friend, this is where the branch was cut, there is no question about it.” Looking around she could not see any other disruptions in the area, if Aeolis was the one who did this, he certainly did a fine job of covering his tracks. “Things are completely undisturbed apart from this small bit we found, and unfortunately magic won’t help us to see into the past. One fact remains however we have definite proof that Kwinn was framed. The real trick is going to be figuring out who did it, suspicion is only that until we find something more rock solid to take to the judges.”

She looked at the group for ideas, this was about as far as she was able to take them at the moment.

Myth simply smiled at Rayann tapping his skull. "If there was a place in my mind I did not want you to be I would tell you. You already know what you can find if you dig down deep enough so it is not like there is a lot you don't know already."

He looked past Rayann and descended the steps to follow Kwinn as the ranger prepared to lead the group to the staging area for yesterdays endeavors. Given the time of day and how long it likely had taken them to find where Kwinn was Myth was not expecting to see much out of the ordinary. There had been plenty of time to clean up any inconsistencies that someone could notice. This entire thing was thought out well for the most part. Myth frowned as old thoughts began to surface.

Upon arriving on the scene Myth watched as Kwinn made a deliberate move into a trap and set the thing off to prove a point. Stifling a chuckle Myth only shook his head before he set about examining the various contraptions in the area. He was very quiet and very thorough in his examination even removing a pin from his hair to gently poke at things. His ear twitched slightly as Cerdiwyn made her assessment of things. Standing Myth rejoined the group.

"Sadly the truth of the matter dictates that the lack of truth leads us to the culprit. You have a good eye on you Cerdiwyn but it isn't trained to see some things." H held up a hand "I mean no offense with that statement."

"Truth be told many of the devices around us have been reset recently. Some of the faulty traps were mentioned as being discovered and chances are the commander of the home guard would have ordered them all reset this morning after the discovery. Doing this eliminated our chances of finding anything more than the home of that branch. That was the only thing he couldn't cover up short of burning the tree, but I doubt he expected us to look into it or something may have been done to the tree."

Taking a breath Myth looked around "He is not smart in the ways of magic but he knows procedure and protocol and how to best get around them. I guarantee we would have found something had we been here this morning, but that is the past. Trying to catch him in the act is going to be tough but at the same time he is so over zealous in his thinking we could lay our own trap for him." Myth simply smiled with a broad grin.

Ceridwyn listened as Myth spoke, she knew that this was his area of expertise, not hers and when he mentioned he meant no offense she simply smiled and nodded. It was a gesture of knowing he was right, she would miss much that he would see for this was his playground, not hers.

As he mentioned setting their own trap, she smiled again, looking around at the group. "Catch the cobra with the tactics of a mongoose, I like what I am hearing."

As Tanjee followed along with the others, she couldn’t help but pray and hope Aeolis wasn’t the one responsible for framing Kwinn but for some reason, that sinking pit in her stomach seemed to be deepening instead of shrinking. When Kwinn showed them his devices Tanjee felt her heart sink even more.

What was worse was when Myth began looking around with a critical eye. Even before he said anything, Tanjee knew he would have a plan for catching her brother. She suddenly found herself torn between to duties. Duty to her brother and family and duty to her people. Blood always ran thicker than water but Tanjee knew if she did anything to jeopardize this plan, her credibility with the people of the city and her reputation would be forever tarnished and she could never regain their full trust again.

But Aeolis, for all his faults, was her brother. The only other family member she had and of she lost him, she lost so much. Her eyes moved from Ceridwyn to Myth to Rayann then to Kwinn. There was no doubt the Ranger was weaseling his way into her heart but did he feel the same way? He wasn’t afraid to show his affection for her but she wasn’t sure if it was a fleeting thing for him or not. If she lost Aeolis, she didn’t know how long she would have Kwinn. If he even wanted to stay after the dust settles. She certainly hoped he did b ut she would also understand if he didn’t.

Her decision was going to be extremely difficult and as of right now, she had no idea what it was going to be but she wasn’t going to say anything one way or another. Aeolis had done a serious injustice to Kwinn and he needed to answer for his actions, that much was clear. What made the waters murky was just exactly how much punishment he would be subjected to.

She would have to wait and see where the chips fell.

Rayann didn’t have the eye for things Ceridwyn and Myth did when it came to things involving Elves and how they did things. But when she saw Ceridwyn and Myth analyze the area around the devices and how quickly Ceridwyn and even more for Myth picked up on things, she knew the right people had come to check things out for themselves. As Kwinn fell prey to his own trap, Rayann couldn’t help but chuckle softly along with Ceridwyn on how Kwinn demonstrated it for them.

It was clear Kwinn had done everything he was supposed to do and Aeolis was smart enough to make sure everything was reset. It still didn’t make any sense as to WHY Aeolis was being so adamant about making sure he made Kwinn’s life miserable as well as caused trouble in general. There was certainly more here than what met the eye.

As Myth began to formulate a plan, Rayann could already see the direction this was going to take and she liked the way Myth was thinking. There was no doubt what ever the Prince was crafting would be a fail safe plan to snare the fox in the rabbit snare.

”Well….looks like some plans have to be finalized before we can take action. Why don’t we go back to the city and start putting things together and see what we can come up with?”

Ceridwyn smiled slightly and looked at Kwinn, reaching out she touched his shoulder with her delicate, slender fingers and looked up into his face, “We will find a way to absolve you of this crime Kwinn, I sense no darkness within you, and we will make sure that the leadership of the Silvanesti know it.”

She turned to Rayann and Myth. “You two need to get ready to meet the Speaker of the Stars, Tanjee and Kwinn and I will take care of this situation for now. You can join back up with us when your done.” She looks at Myth specifically, “That is a much more important task for you at the moment, the healing of Father and Son, and that of the Silvanesti rest in the balance. Concentrate on that, sometimes it’s ok to focus on yourself.”

She smiled and started walking back towards Silvanost. The guards snapped to attention when she passed, and she simply shoke her head at the gesture.

Myth scratched his chin lightly when Cerdiwyn brought up the meeting and nodded his head in agreement. "Ypu are right.. there are more important things for me to attend to. This entire situation vexes me greatly but duty dictates I put it off for now."

His eyes shifted to Tanjee and he could tell be her posture she was not handling this well. The inner turmoil showed in her eyes and Myth thought briefly of his own siblings before shaking his head. "Tanjee we will do everything we can to dig up the truth of things. Sadly exposing your brother is an unfortunate step we must take. The sooner we act the less damage he will do to both his honor and your own."

He walked up to the young elf and placed a hand on her shoulder giving a light squeeze. "I need you to think about something though while I am away seeing me father. I see a lot of things happening that haunt me greatly. There are things Aeolis is doing that I remember doing back before I chose to leave Sylvanost. Dark were my thoughts and darker still were the actions I was considering. One reason I chose to leave was because I did not wish to act on those thoughts. Aeolis is not so strong willed I think."

He took his arm from Tanjee's shoulder and walked to Rayann calling back. "I want you to think on whether Aeolis has had any female companionship that seemed... out of place. Think long and think hard on this for me." With a heavy sigh Myth began walking towards the city and past the saluting guards. His mind once more dipped heavily into his past.

Tanjee was grateful for Myth’s words. It still didn’t make her feel any better knowing her brother was doing something that went totally against the code of honor he had sworn to uphold back when he became a Home Guard. But at least someone understood why she was a bit more unsettled than the others at Aeolis’ actions.

The request Myth made of her didn’t make any sense, but she would do as he asked. What else was she supposed to do? Her brother’s very life could depend on it. As Myth and Rayann started walking away, Tanjee stayed behind with Kwinn and gave the ranger a sad smile.

”Sort of makes it sound like all women are the down fall of all good men, does it not?”

With a deep sigh, Tanjee glanced around their surroundings then towards the city then back to Kwinn.

”I really do not feel like going back into the city just yet. Would you stay out here with me for a little while? I need to clear my head and I find slipping away from the city proper is the best way for me to do that.”

Rayann looked to Tanjee as Myth spoke to her. The turmoil the Elf was feeling was rather evident, even if one couldn’t feel it the way Rayann could. She felt bad for the healer and it dawne don her that Tanjee was more or less in the same boat as she was. Her brother was betraying her for reasons only the men themselves could say. It was a fine line they walked. Love for the brother or love for the people. While that seemed like an easy decision, but hat wasn’t the case.

Seeing the way Tanjee looked to Kwinn, Rayann glanced at Kwinn and saw there was a great deal going on between the two than perhaps even they realized. With a smile to both and a small nod, Rayann turned to join Myth as he walked back into the city.

The pieces of Myth’s past seemed to flash before Rayann’s eyes once more as though she were watching it play out in a theater. It was obvious Myth was troubled by the meeting that was going to take place between himself and his family, particularly his father. Rayann could understand he must feel for when ever she had to meet with her own father, she felt as though the weight o the world were on her shoulders. She could only imagine how Myth felt being a male child.

As they moved back into the city, Rayann finally reached out with her mind. She didn’t say anything but it was like feeling as they had shared many times between the two of them, when they were alone and the outside world couldn’t invade in on them. It was calmness. It was serenity. It was….love. Rayann glanced up at Myth and offered him a small smile before looking back towards where they were walking. No matter what, she would be there for Myth.

But something Myth had mentioned about Aeolis’ female companionship gnawed at Rayann. Thinking back to when Rayann encountered Kali disguised as Nim’Sul’s apprentice, Rayann….felt….something from the strange, haughty Elf. It had to do with the fact that it was Kali in disguise, yes, but there was something else to it. Knowing how efficient Kali was and how manipulative Rorie had trained her to be, Rayann had a hunch to follow and it simply wouldn’t go away. Finally Rayann spoke up.

~I’ll join you in a minute. There’s something I want to see first. I won’t be long.~

Seeing the look on Myth’s face she gave him a bright smile.

~I won’t start any trouble. Promise.~

Walking towards Nim’Sul’s fallen tower and the dust that was left of it, Rayann knelt down and her hand hover over the dust and dirt. Kwinn was right. It practically hummed with power. Pulling out a satchel from her robe, Rayann gathered up as much of the dust as she could then pinched the top of the satchel closed before tucking the satchel back into the hidden pocket of her robe. Standing she looked around then and walked towards what appeared to be the soldier’s quarters then stopped. If they saw her coming towards their personal quarters, they would stop her. Time for a little deception and some detective work.

Walking around until she found a place where she could watch, unseen, Rayann waited for one of the guards to exit and walk towards her. As he walked towards her on his way to his post, she observed everything about him. When he passed by, Rayann turned so he couldn’t se her and in the next instant, she stepped out from where she was and started walking towards the building.

But it wasn’t Rayann. Or at least how she really looked. She was the perfect replica of the guard that had just left which made it easy for her to walk past all the others who were there and into the building. Putting “feelers” out for what she was looking for, she let them guide her to one room in particular. Standing before the door, she looked both ways to make sure no one was about to see her then tried the door. It was locked, of course. But that wasn’t going to deter her. Looking around again, Rayann dropped the illusion spell and cast another one that made her able to pass through the door as though she were a ghost. When she solidified on the other side, she looked around.

The place was rather neat and orderly. Of course she expected nothing different. Rayann was in the right room, of that she had no doubt, what she was having trouble with was locating where she was getting the negative vibrations from. As she slowly moved about the room she lifted her hand to hold out ahead of her. Furrowing her brows, she felt the vibrations growing less intense so she moved to the opposite side of the room. The vibrations were growing stronger and seemed to be strongest coming from what appeared to be some sort of sparring staff.

The shaft was worn smooth from years of using it and it had quite a few nicks and scrapes on it as well, but over all, it was still in fine shape. No doubt the owner took special pride in the staff for some reason. As Rayann’s hand grew closer to the staff, the negative energy she felt coming from the staff was so strong she could practically feel it try to reach out and touch her.

Knowing it might not be the best thing to do right now, after all that had happened, Rayann reached out and took the staff in her hand and immediately sucked in her breath. She knew this magic! And she could feel the heart beat of the one who wielded it.

Releasing the staff as though it had burned her, Rayann took a few steps back and tried to regain the breath that rushed from her lungs as she realized who had been feeding Aeolis such poisonous thoughts.

Her own daughter, twisted and tainted by the hatred of her uncle, Rayann’s brother Rorie, had turned Aeolis into a puppet and was using him to continue doing more harm to the people of Sylvanost.

Shulamite sat, the Staff of Winds beside her like a trophy that a child had just won and wouldn’t let out of their sight. She held her spellbook on her lap and studied the magic within. Even a direct consort of the Queen had to study, it was the toil to which all Wizards dedicated their lives, the pursuit of the Art. She whispered the words to herself, over and over, memorizing the incantations… suddenly she felt something hit her like lightening. Her brow furrowed in anger and she stood up, grabbing her staff and running to her quarters within Rorie’s domicile.

She flung the door open and knocked back the drapery that contained the sparring staff. It was the replica of the one in Aeolis’ room, the one she was using to communicate and manipulate his mind. She clenched her teeth tightly as she starred at it. There was a presence in the room, one that was not Aeolis. Suddenly the staff flashed brightly and shuttered as it recoiled back and a purple haze enveloped it, sending a shockwave back to whomever had made contact.

“DAMN IT!” She spun and grabbed her scrolls, flicking through them hastily. She needed to reinforce the spell, strengthen it and put more power into the object on the other side. It was no mystery who had touched the weapon on the other side of the connection, Rayann. Finding the scroll Shulamite studied the magic again. It was a complex spell, almost out of her league, almost. She knew that being discovered early was going to create complications, if she had had time to get the scrying stones in place it would have been easy to look into Aeolis’ room and see what the white mage was up to, but for now, she had to work on reworking the magic within the staff.

She stood from her desk and brought up her hands, releasing a fine dust into the air. As she chanted the magic flowed through her and clung to the staff on her end of the connection, pulsing with power and sending the dark energy to the staff in Aeolis’ room. If Rayann was still there the staff she had just touched would begin to look as if shadow were flowing over it like water, and an incredibly high amount of magic movement would be occurring in the room as it sucked itself against the staff.

Rayann watched the shadow flow over the staff as though it were suddenly bleeding the blackness. Feeling the draw of magic towards the staff, Rayann furrowed her brows. She had to stop Kali from doing any more harm. Enough was enough. If it was magic that was needed to draw from, then Rayann would give some magic that would certainly make sure it had all it could handle…and then some.

Holding her hands out in the exact same way Klai was, Rayann’s lips moved but no words were heard, audibly, from her lips as she began casting her own spell. The staff began to levitate and soon became wrapped in a field of positive energy that seemed to crackle as Rayann drew much more energy for the spell than was necessary.

Her lavender eyes glowed softly as she felt the current of magic flow through her very being as she called upon the Gods to grant her the ability to cast this spell and keep it held in place as she stood in Aeolis’ room and combated an enemy she couldn’t see but could feel as the heartbeat reverberated within her again.

As Rayann stood holding the staff within the protective shield, her anger at Rorie began to grow. How could he do this to her? Did he think her so callus as to purposely separate them in such a way that it would cause him to lose his magic? He went far beyond hurting Rayann when he stole her and Myth’s daughter from them to taint her mind and heart against her own parents. That was blasphemy towards any of the Gods to manipulate the time continuum like that for his own gain!

Rayann didn’t know it but as she stood there her mind kept repeating one thing, My daughter, not yours. My daughter, not yours. My daughter, not yours. It was the basis of her anger at Rorie and with each short repeated thought her laced the words with a piercing pain s the hurt and anger she was feeling began to manifest itself.

Shulamite instantly felt the counter measures, and whispered the spells final incantation. She was blind to what was going on, but she was aware that there was something hindering the magic from taking hold of the staff. She grit her teeth and reached out, grabbing the staff on her side of the equation. She closed her eyes and began to hiss the spidery words of magic again, weaving the magic around her and sending it into the staff in her hands. The magic build up was happening rapidly, even to the point that Rayann might be able to feel it, and at just that moment, an explosion of sulphur and fire exploded from the staff in Aeolis’ room. The spell of protection Rayann placed around the staff would hold, but the whole room would shutter from the blast like a minor earthquake had hit a very tiny, specific area.

Shulamite opened her eyes, she could feel the spell containing the staff on the other end was still in place and she cursed. “Very well pretty white thing, if you wish to play this game…” She reached into her robes and removed reagents from within. They smelled like lilac and jasmine as she released them into the air, and began to hiss the language of magic again. She began to draw the ambient magic to her, and as the reagents sparkled to life Rayann would be able to feel an incredible build up of power being channeled into the staff in front of her, it was not clear what Shulamite was doing on the other end of this connection, but whatever it was had the potential to be extremely horrific.

As the staff exploded within the protective bubble Rayann had around the staff, she still felt the shuddering all around her and nearly lost her balance but she was so focused in on making sure the negative energy she felt from the other end remained contained that she refused to let anything break her concentration.

As Rayann began to feel the build up of energy from the other side of this tug of war, she knew what ever was getting ready to come this time would be much more powerful than that had previously come. Her daughter was not one to be bested by anyone and Rayann knew her quick temper and clouded judgment wouldn’t allow her to see she was leaving herself open for what Rayann was about to do.

Now that Rayann knew who was on the other side of this confrontation and had opened the channel, Rayann cast two powerful spells back to back. Dropping the protection spell around the staff, she quickly cast an energy bolt towards the staff while she cast a spell that would send the staff to the other side of the open channel by banishing the staff to where Kali was. The bolt would precede staff and as quickly as the bolt came through the staff would soon follow like a high powered projectile.

Rayann hoped and prayed her daughter would not suffer from what she was doing. The last thing she wanted to do was harm Kali in any way but she couldn't allow the child to remain in this city after all she had already done to cause such pain. It was time for healing and in order for that to happen, Kali would have to be removed from the area entirely.

As soon as the staff disappeared Rayann cast one more spell as quickly as she could to dispel the open channel on the end she occupied. The last thing she needed, right now, was for Kali to make it through the open channel and cause these people any more trouble. As it was right now she had already overstepped her boundaries as far as being in a place where she didn’t belong without being invited, but she really didn’t expect to find anything quite like this.

Shulamite was seconds away from casting the powerful explosion when the air around her crackled with light, she lost her concentration and the spell failed, sending the hot reagents flitting to the ground while a blast of magic came through the staff and smashed into her like a falling tree. She had not expected any push back like this, and was not prepared in the least. The spell hit her square in the chest and knocked her back against her bedpost, then the staff from Aeolis’ room came rocketing at her followed by a second energy bolt spell. If it had not been for the natural momentum of gravity pulling her downward the staff or the spell would have severed her head from her body. Her bed post shattered as the staff exploded through it, and then the bedpost behind it out was taken out by the spell that came following behind it. The dark canopy over her bed shuttered and came down, striking her on the top head and she fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

The last thing she remembered in the haze before the blackness of unconsciousness took her was the involuntary scream she let out, a scream that Rayann would most definitely have heard right before the magical connection between the two staves was closed.

The scream that Rayann heard tore through her heart like a jagged, rusty knife blade. Rayann’s eyes blinked and she reached out towards the place the open channel had been and she cried out to the voice on the other end, both mentally and verbally.

”KALI!”

Nothing but silence filled the room now along with the heavy smell of sulfur and ozone from the magic that had been wielded. All too soon Rayann heard the sound of heavy boots running down the hall and pounding on the door. Just before the door was busted open, Rayann blinked herself out of Aeolis’ room and into the place Myth and she had shared the night they arrived.

So shaken by the events that took place, Rayann was beside herself with worry. A sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach grabbed a hold of her and wouldn’t let go. And her head hurt very bad as though someone had struck her with something rather heavy. In fact, it hurt so badly her vision was distorted.

Holding her hands on top of her head and pressing down to try and make the pain go away, Rayann paced the floor in the quarters and prayed her daughter was OK. She hadn’t meant to make the spells that powerful. All she was trying to do was make sure Kali understood she couldn’t always have her way in everything she was involved in.

Myth was going to be angry with her when he found out what she’s done. There was no way to sugar coat it either. What was she going to tell him? Hi honey, good to see you before you go meet your father. Oh, by the way, I think I killed our daughter.

Rayann stopped pacing then and buried her face in her hands as true fear gripped her. Please….please don’t let their daughter be dead. Please, by all that was holy, let her live. Don’t take our daughter away from us now. Not when we just found her. Please….

Shulamite felt the soft cold of a damp cloth on her head. She blinked her eyes just barely and even that small amount of movement caused the pain in her forehead to rocket through her brain and down her spine. She grit her teeth and moaned. There was a soft touch on her shoulder and then the deep soft voice of her Mentor.

“Uncle…” He brushed her cheek with his finger and spoke in a whisper, “It’s alright Shulamite, the damage is more superficial than internal, with time you will heal. I felt the magic and came, but by the time I arrived in your room the portal to Silvanost had been sealed.” Shulamite nodded gently, feeling the stiffness in her neck as she did and spoke softly. “Yes, Rayann discovered the link, I don’t know how.” “I have told you she is not to be underestimated, she is a powerful Wizard, and if you are to have your revenge against her you need to be calculating and ready. She has a powerful knowledge of magic, and as strong as you are she is much more experienced.”

Shulamite nodded gently and raised her hand, touching the back of her uncle’s hand. A slight smile crossed her face and Rorie couldn’t help be smile as he looked down at his niece. “You did well Shulamite, and don’t worry, we have other measures still in place around Silvanost. Aeolis is not the only one we targeted.” “But he was the only one left I had connection with.” “I know Shul, but worry not, when we unleash the final blow you will be there with me. You are strong, and you will heal quickly.”

She nodded gently and spoke, there was venom in her voice again, “I will be ready next time uncle, I will not give Rayann the chance to kill me like she killed my mother.”

Rorie smiled as he looked down at her, “I know you won’t dear, I know you won't.”

Ceridwyn had felt the incredible pull of magic, it lasted only seconds, but she knew something was wrong. The magic had such intensity there were few in the whole of Silvanesti that could have been the source, but when she felt the darkness laced within it she grit her teeth and blinked herself to the military quarters where she had felt the magic originate. She looked around, hearing guards rushing down the hall she moved quickly and could feel the magic intensifying. Turning the corner she saw the guards rushing towards what she knew was Aeolis’ domicile and then felt the magic signature of a wizard teleporting out of the area. She blinked in front of the door and spoke to the guards; her voice was full of authority, “HAULT!”

The guards slid to a stop and the captain looked at her, “You must move out of the way Ma’am, we need to investigate the noises we heard within! We are under strict orders to not allow anyone into General Aeolis’ room! Now move!” Ceridwyn’s brow furrowed as the four guards began advancing again in a rather aggressive motion, but a small mischievous smile suddenly appeared. She waved her hand in a wide sweeping arc across the space between the guards and herself, releasing sparkling sand into the air as she hissed the spidery words of magic. The four guards slumped over instantly, hitting the ground with a crashing sound as their armor clanged against one another, victims of her sleep spell. Their weapons hit the ground with a clatter and Ceridwyn picked them up. She placed them a small distance away and removed more reagents from her robes, releasing them into the air and hissing the ancient words she knew so well. A sticky web like substance sprung from the floor and wrapped itself around the weapons, gluing them securely to the floor. She looked around, her instincts tingling with warning. Something was horribly out of sorts and she was determined to figure out what was happening.

She moved herself back in front of Aeolis’ door and brought up her hand, touching it gently to the wood. She could feel the darkness lingering from within, but the signature was fading quickly. She bit her lip and looked around. There was no one in the hall way and she blinked herself into the room. Immediately she could feel the dark magic that had been in the room. She could also feel the magic of good that had recently been cast, both signatures were fading quickly and she had to act fast. She began to cast detect magic to deduce where the magic originating from. An area to her right glowed a bright blue color and she walked over, reaching out her hand and casting again, detect evil. The area intensified with a purple hue and she furrowed her brow. Looking down she could see a stand on the floor, a stand where a weapon could be stored, but it was empty. Shaking her head gently she looked around, what in the Abyss happened in here? Nothing was making sense and time was not on her side as the river of magic was correcting itself every second. She turned and cast trace into the corner of the room and a haze formed, clearing slowly as it revealed a room, decorated in blacks and reds, an Elven quarterstaff stood on end beside the bed. She furrowed her brow again as she studied the weapon, it was most certainly of Silvanesti design, but she wasn’t around town enough to know who might wield this particular weapon. She looked down at the stand and then back into the spell’s haze. The same stand was on the floor in the room.

She gasped slightly and things suddenly were becoming clearer. Something, or someone, was channeling dark energy in a mimic spell, moving magic from one replicated object to the original. She had never even heard of this sort of thing being used for more than scrying, but the magic was far too intense to simply see what was happening in the room, something deeper was being done. Ceridwyn was concentrating deeply, staring into the corner and focusing on how to unwrap this mystery. Her focus was so intense that she never heard the key enter the lock of the door across the room behind her.

”Find what you are looking for, Wizard?”

The cool tone of the male voice behind Ceridwyn was laced with agitation. When Ceridwyn turned around she would see Aeolis standing behind her. His eyes narrowed and he glanced behind him at the sleeping guards then back to her with a quirked brow as he closed the door behind him and locked it.

”To what do I owe the pleasure of your unannounced and uninvited visit? I do hope putting my men to sleep was well worth the effort. If you wished for them not to hear us within, I could have arranged a meeting at a less….populated moment.”

Aeolis’ hawkish eyes moved around the room as he walked slowly towards Ceridwyn. He could feel the magic that still lingered within the room and he knew something happened in here, but what, he wasn’t sure. Finally his eyes rested on the empty stand his quarter staff usually rested and he quirked a brow again.

Turning his gaze upon Ceridwyn again, he crossed his arms before him, the gauntlets scraping softly against the chest armor he wore. His eyes bore into hers as he stood in silent contemplation for a moment. When he finally spoke, his words were practically dripping with venom.

”You do realize it is against the law to be in another’s quarters uninvited. Especially when they are not present at the time you make entry. I would hate to see anything happen to you so close on the heels of Nim’Sul’s murder. I do not think the people could handle another member of their coveted Sorcery Council falling victim to unfortunate circumstances.”

Ceridwyn heard the voice and she suddenly came to grips with the fact that technically she was guilty of breaking and entering, not so much the breaking, but most certainly the entering. She turned and looked at Aeolis and despite her small size she managed to look very intimidating. Ceridwyn was an anomaly among the Elves, she was smaller, more a runt, than the average female, but there was something about the look she portrayed. She was street smart and wise about the way the real world worked having been raised outside the safe walls of the castle. Her face echoed her education of growing up poor, and she narrowed her gaze on Aeolis, not feeling panic-stricken in the least about being caught within his domicile.

“Well, General Aeolis. I don’t think it is necessary for me to point out that you hold no authority over me or the Order of Wizards, and as such your threats are empty. Secondly, your men are unconscious purely as a defensive measure; I don’t think you are stupid enough to begin to believe Solinari would even allow me to cast a spell done in aggression or anger. Third, if you think that locking the door is in any way going to frighten or make me feel uneasy, you are sorely, SORELY mistaken. Fourth, and finally I might add, if you are threatening me thinking it will cause some sort of discomfort or to rattle my nerves let me remind you that though this is your room you are at an amazing disadvantage.”

There was a look of seriousness on her face, again, despite her tiny size she wasn’t showing any signs of nervousness or fear, she had her magic to protect her, and protect herself she could in a mili-instant.

“To answer your question Aeolis, I have not found what I am looking for, but then again my investigation is not complete. I am here to discover the root of dark magic that has penetrated the very heart of Silvanost, and as you can see, there is a deep concentration of that magic in your room.”

She moved and pointed to the corner, the deep glowing hue of blue and purple intermixed creating an eerie haze of color. She was sure Aeolis would know the look of a detect magic and detect evil spell, but just to remind him she spoke, “Blue indicates magic, purple indicates evil, but I am certain you already know that. One might begin to speculate exactly why there are traces of dark magic in a high ranking Silvanesti Elves domicile, Aeolis. Practicing dark arts or pursuing evil gods is strictly forbidden in the Silvanesti laws, but again, being a guard of such prominence you probably already know that as well.” Her last statement was clearly sarcastic and biting.

She narrowed her gaze on his; surely Aeolis would realize that he was in a much deeper quagmire for those charges than she was for being in his home. She looked up at him and spoke with authority in her voice, “Perhaps instead of threatening to terminate my life sighting that Nim’Sul’s was also recently taken, you would like an opportunity to explain to me why there are such strong signatures of dark magic in your room before I bring this matter to the Speaker of the Stars?” The threat was clear, she was beginning to tie HIM to the death of Nim’Sul, everyone knew it wasn’t Aeolis who did it, but if he could be associated as an accomplice to the dark wizard that did kill the top adviser to all of Silvanesti it would prove very detrimental to his career plans.

Aeolis smirked slightly as he listened to Ceridwyn talk. There was something about that look that said much more than words ever could. He knew she was a wielder of powerful magic but he didn’t seem concerned about it. In fact, he seemed to taunt her with the fact.

”I did not threaten your life, Ceridwyn. I merely made mention of certain things. And as for the use of dark magic, I honestly do not know what you mean. I can clearly see the signature that indicates it was here, but I can also assure you I was in no way practicing with the dark arts. It would be most foolish of me to even think of doing such a thing.”

Uncrossing his arms, he turned slightly and held his hands out, palms up and open as a sign of neutrality. There was something about his words that Ceridwyn would know he was speaking the truth. He was in no way trying to hide anything.

”I have nothing to hide from the Speaker so if you want to have an audience with him, by all means, I welcome the opportunity. As you say, I am well versed in what is and is not legal and illegal in our city. Just as you are. I think it would be a double edged sword we played with if we both went down that route. But let us stop playing games here, Mage.”

Placing his hands on his hips, he narrowed his gaze at her once more.

”Let us begin with you telling me where my quarter staff is. It was the only ting I had left of my father’s and I would very much like to have it back. Not only does it help me keep proficient in using the weapon but it has sentimental value as well.”

Myth could only nod to Rayann when she chose to take her leave. Though she promised to stay out of trouble Myth was not worried so much about her finding trouble, but trouble finding her. With each passing day the times were proving more troublesome and dangerous. With the way things had been so far Myth was thinking that this wasn't his home city but one of the fabled dark cities of the underlands with all the danger and intrigue. The mere thought of those places made his nose wrinle slightly.

A thought crossed his mind however that had some merit. Glancing around Rayann had already vanished and he shook his head with a smile. He knew just the thing to kill time and sopun on his heel heading off towards the merchant section of the city. It had been to long since he had layed eyes upon true elven craftsmanship. The night would hopefully be a special one and he had an idea of a couple items to pick up.

The range of looks Myth recieved as he wandered through town was mixture of smiles and scowles. Many were happy to see him but many could not forgive him, and then there were the ones who disapproved of his mate. To him it made little difference what anyone thought, but that had always been one of his problems. However he was never destined to rule that was his brother's path. This thought caused Myth to frown though. He had noted that several times he had been refered to as Crown Prince.

Answers would have to wait until dinner Myth told himself as he approached a very old shoppe. Tyr'lyn Curiosities was an old and ancient business well respected here in Silvenost and other elven cities. Looking at the shoppe name made Myth raise an eyebrow slightly though. Tyr'lyn Sweets and Curios. Taking in a deep breath Myth now knew the source of the pleasant but strange scents he had been smellign the whole way here. Seems the rumors of the daughter of old Try'lyn were true. She had expanded the business to other things than the families famous trinkets.

Myth turned the door handle and entered and a little bell dingled as he stepped in. The smells outside were pleasant and aluring. Inside however Myth felt his mouth begin to water slightly. Behind the counter a young red haired elven girl looked up and smiled "GReetings and welcome to Tyr'Lyn Sweets and Curios... if you need any help let me..." the girl stopped blinked a couple times and Myth clearly saw the excitement in her eyes. "Prince Myth this is most unexpected and a pleasure. Would you like a tour, need a bite to eat.." Myth held up a hand chuckling.

"Do not over excite yourself.." what was the name, he recalled it was quite human "Eva... just treat me as you would anyone else. I came to take a look at the curios." He flashed a smile "And maybe get a snack or two." Eva practically beamed with pride before bowing.

Myth could feel eyes following him and only shook his head. He could request it all he wanted but it was ingrained into the people whether he liked it or not. Eva however kept to her work disappearing from time to time into the back while Myth browsed. A necklace here a statuette there. Things were exactly as Myth remembered them. Tyr'lyn had not lost his talent in crafting, just his patience with people. One piece drew Myth to it however. It was a hair pin with a white rose attached to it. Myth picked the item up and looked at it curiously.

His attention was so focused he barely heard Eva step up in front of him. "You have quite the eye there Prince Myth. That is quite the unique piece indeed even for my father's talent. Let me show you why"

She reached out with a smile and waited for Myth to place it in her hand. She whispered a quiet word and as Myth watched the rose began to bloom and spread it petals. The core of the rose was white with lavender tips. From the looks of things it was clearly made of glass with some kind of silvery lining that Myth could not quite put his hands on but he swore it was Mythril.

Eva grinned "A special rose for that special lady. Meant only to bloom like ones love for the giver. I'm told it can be quite spectacular to behold. What you see here is but a brief glimpse because after all it was made here and we know the secrets." She grinned as the rose closed to a bud once more.

Myth nodeded and reached into his pocket to pull out his pouch and Eva held up her hand shaking her head. "A gift prince to comemorate your return home."

"Eva I couldn't ask you to gift such a fine piece of work like that.> Your father might be upset."

Eva only shook her head "Father will understand, I saw how you were drawn to this piece. That tells me there is meaning to it and purpose. This piece was meant for you to give." Without a word she retrieved a wooden box and slipped the rose pin inside before tying a lavender ribbon around it. She handed it to Myth with a smile and also a couple snacks "Have a good day Prince Myth."

With a dumb founded look Myth took the items and exited the shoppe. He was contemplating what had just happened when a strange feeling washed over him. There was a charge of magic in the air. Slipping his new items away Myth moved quickly heading in the direction of the feeling. As he drew closer the guard quarters came into sight and Myth felt the pit of his stomach drop. All he could think was Rayann had found trouble. As he drew nearer he felt a shift in the feeling as it seemed to suddenly tug in another direction. Myth stopped looking in the direction he knew his home to be.

Myth saw Aeolis pushing through the crowd heading towards the guard housing, but witht he feeling no onger tugging that way Myth ignored the elf and shifted his path towards his home. There was an urgency to his movement but Myth did his best not to make it overly obvious. He did not want to alert prying eyes and draw attention to himself. Before long Myth found himself ascending the tree to his home and Myth felt Rayann. His brow furrowed as he felt something was off.

His footsteps hastened and in a flsh he was entering the room. Emerald eyes fell upon his weeping love and he felt his heart constrict slightly. Walking up to Rayann he knelt placing his hand upon her shoulder speaking in a soothing voice. "What has happened Mel'Amin... why do you shed these tears of sorrow."