Lord of Azure Flame: Chapter 19: To catch a Priestess

[Snowy_One]

"Wait." said Kaileen, raising her hand. "I need an escort. My... My power has waned over the years. Please, will you accompany me?"

[-Cynthia-]

Tristan, watching the group from afar, became interested when Alex began speaking with Derek and some red haired woman. Perhaps she's offering to join their group...I should get closer... He nudged Bellerophon forward, which the pegasus saw as an opportunity to land spectacularly in the middle of the conversation.

"Er, hello there." Tristan said to the assorted people, a little shaken by his mount's unexpected actions. "Are you all leaving Burgosas so early?" he asked, looking around at people gathering cases and such. "I was expecting a later departure myself."

[Inactive Account]

"Thanks," Kelas mumbled, rooting one hand in Amari's mane and wrapping the other loosely around the mare's neck. Within a few seconds, she'd dozed off, face buried in her horse's mane.

[Phoenix]

Before We Leave

Viveka: Thanks again, Derek. Sometimes I feel guilty I brought those in the first place but then I remember the ball last night and shrug it off. Are we leaving soon?

Jasmine: WE CAN'T LEAVE YET!!!

Viveka looked over her shoulder at Jasmine after her cringe and gulped nervously.

Viveka: O-okay ... why not?

Jasmine: I haven't gotten to see Alphonse yet! If we leave now, I might never see him again!

Viveka: Urgh. (Just because you're only casually dating two guys at once doesn't make you any less annoying than Damian. And it's worse with you because you're so damn outspoken about people.)

They were interrupted as Tristan landed, and that's when Jasmine got an idea of her own.

Jasmine: I should fetch Illiam. Then I can go find him instead of going on foot if he's not in the castle.

EDIT: Added Tristan bit

Edited September 22, 2010 by Phoenix

[Inactive Account]

They continued on for a while as the sun made its way to the horizon. Kelas slept soundly at first, but as the initial pressing need for sleep wore off, she began to dream.

It was the next day; they were waking up. There was no hurry; they didn't really have to go further, just wander around and wait. Breakfast was muttered about. It was all kind of vague.

Then, they came out of nowhere: Shanice and two of its cronies. Megae appeared, holding out her hands to materialize her blades: Eric and Cess were run through without so much as a gesture. The quiet one with the stony hide simply picked Charlotte up by the neck, clenching his fist and then dropping her to the ground. Charlotte lay still.

Kelas had grabbed her bow, was halfway into the saddle, when Megae ducked under Amari's trampling hooves. The mare fell to the ground, tendons cut, pinning Kelas and crushing her legs. Blood splashed Kelas' face: the demon had delivered her horse a mercy stroke and leapt away, red running off her swords. Trapped and broken, Kelas could only watch as the others fell, not even able to cry out: she tried, but no sound escaped her lungs.

She gritted her teeth and tried to pull her legs out from under Amari's side. She rolled to dodge as the rock-demon brought Kiev permanently to the ground mere feet from where Kelas lay crippled. Irina hit the ground moments later, limbs and neck at all the wrong angles.

Fire rained down: they weren't all beaten yet. Kelas shielded her eyes until the inferno died down: surely the demons couldn't have survived that? She looked up: Isotov was still on his feet, a few feet in front of her.

Then he fell, a knife in his back, and Shanice stepped out from behind. The demon was juggling a pair of tomes and grinning. It held up Daranau, and suddenly Arrin was standing in front of her, smiling. She reached out, just as he collapsed to the ground, dropping the tome and coughing blood. He stood up, Shanice again, then crouched down to look her in the eye.

"You honestly thought you could save any of them?" it asked in a thousand voices: old employers, Morgan, dismissive border guards, her parents, Arrin, her friends. "Guess I'll just remove this useless piece of trash from the world, then." It held a knife over her neck, a flick of the wrist away from her jugular.

The ground lurched--

--and she nearly fell from the saddle. Amari shied again, as she had a few seconds before, trying to dislodge Kelas: she could tell her rider had been growing more and more uncomfortable, but when Kelas' arm had tightened around her neck and her fingers twisted her mane, it had hurt. Sensing that Kelas was awake, she settled onto all fours again, hoping that Kelas would be all right now.

Weakly Kelas dismounted, holding onto her saddle for support. She looked up at the sky, then their surroundings: not much shelter, but not many angles for ambush, either. "I... I think we should probably stop now," she said hollowly, willing her heartbeat to slow and her mind to return properly to reality.

[Script]

Luc Altair

Luc had retrieved all the necessities for departure he had desired, only to find out they were going back to the plan where the small group sneaks away again. It was unnecessarily risky in his eyes, but Paul--for once actually doing his job, or so he said he would--had agreed to run interference in case any of Jace's spies had tried to capitalize on the divergence. With no other course of action until the desirably inevitable warping, Luc had taken his time to come up with a few situations the enticement group may run into. None were pleasant, of course--the madness of working without proper intelligence on enemy movements as always a concern--but if the demon's were just as ignorant of the group's planning as Luc was of theirs, the odds were in the acceptable region of success. But still, if the demons did have information on this plan, even the best-case scenarios would be a disastrous. And Luc reasoned the latter was far, far more likely.

[Snike]

I don't know, ARE we Leaving?

"That would be a good idea, but take your time. I think we're only leaving once a signal comes in," Derek said calmly to Jasmine, as Prince Tristan landed. "This is going to be interesting, considering the absence of the princess..."

"Apparently so, Your Highness," Alex said, addressing Tristan. "At least, Princess Charlotte has already left, which concerns me."

Tranquility

"Not a bad position for a reverse-ambush," Eric said, looking around. "Now, we wait, I suppose."

Choo-Choo

"... As an escort? I suppose... For a short while," the man said, turning back. "... Lead the way, Lady Kaileen."

[Psych]

Pary:

Enough. Pary quickly took a flower out of his bag, crushing it to a powder in his hands. "Guard! There's something wrong! Come quick!"

The guard opened the door, before stepping inside. "Oi! What is it?"

Pary blew the powder into the man's face, knocking him unconscious. "Well, about time I got out of here." He quickly dressed in the man's uniform, and wrapped his things up. He hurried to the library, taking a map, before heading into town, mailing a letter to the King and Queen. He picked up supplies from town, beofre heading on the road. He could meet up with the group that left early.

[riariadne]

Chase piped up. "We're leaving? Finally," he remarked, before he realized he was the only one completely ready. "... If you guys aren't ready in about five minutes I'm going ahead of you."

Conrad grimaced. "You're going to get yourself killed with that attitude, Veshkal. We can't go too quickly or we may forget something essential."

"Yeah, yeah..." the archer said, sighing.

[Ether]

"Well, I don't know all of the details, but apparently Jace the Brute wished for all contact with Princess Charlotte to cease. I guess she left early to placate him. There are a few others with her, and we have a means of communication with them, so I guess that is enough for Morgan... most people here won't bother to contradict what she says, and even if someone did, I doubt all that many would listen..." Aiya replied, trailing off with a sigh.

As Prince Tristan landed, Aiya turned towards the royal.

"I suppose the usual is in order, then.'

"Ah, welcome, your Highness Prince Tristan." Aiya addressed him with a slight curtsy.

**************

As the regal pegasus landed nearby, Ulfhrahn looked the winged pony over. He could never understand the wide use of the creatures. While they were agile, their bones were weak, and easily broken by a stronger, more dependable wyvern.

Yet another oddity with this specimen, the usually sexist Pegasi was allowing a male to ride atop it's back. What was the world coming to?

[Phoenix]

My Brother By Another Mother

Krinkov looked down at the group and the strange pegasus from the top of the castle. Once again the guards were perplexed by the wyvern. This time he had a girl with him. She seemed alright, and not too distressed, so perhaps nothing was amiss. Nonetheless one of the men came over trying to get a closer look.

Kamilla had been instructed by Lev to not talk too much, and the only reasons she didn't were because Krinkov was also instructed to keep her quiet. She had no idea how the beast would do that but she had a feeling it would involve some kind of injury being inflicted on her. She also noticed that Lev had been somewhat caring and sincere when he he made the request. That alone was odd. He asked her to be cooperative. He didn't make demands or threaten her. She was beginning to think that since he'd intervened and stopped the party from hurting her the previous night, he might do so again if Morgan tried anything. He and Shamus may not have gotten along, but Shamus had disappeared and Lev was really the only hope she had left of getting out of the mess with her memories in tact.

When the guard came over he watched his footing. Falling over the edge while checking on a poor girl would have been quite embarrassing. Krinkov shot the guard a blank stare that he couldn't quite interpret. He could tell the wyvern was guarding her but not much else.

Guard: Are you alright, Miss? Why are you up here with this wyvern?

Kamilla: I ... um I'm waiting for someone. So is K-Krinkov.

In truth, Krinkov already knew where Lev was. He could see him down by the entrance with the others. He was waiting for a chance to deliver the girl that wouldn't cause a ruckus.

Guard: Perhaps you could tell me who it is.

Kamilla: Krinkov knows who it is.

She pointed to the wyvern who in turn went back to staring down at the entrance. The guard sighed. He was concerned yes, but the fact of the matter was that guests and their wyverns weren't allowed on the roof of the castle. He wasn't sure exactly how to tell her that though.

How Far Away You Have Gone

Irina had fallen asleep atop the saddle as they traveled and when the suggestion to stop came, Kiev looked back at his sleeping rider. Were they stopping to sleep? Or was this a place they needed to be for some reason? He used his head to nudge Irina awake so she could do human things with the others and make decisions. He didn't always know what was going on, but Irina usually did, the blessings of being human and fluent in human mouth flapping.

When she woke up the first sound from her was a yawn, supplemented by her arms fanning out to stretch.

Irina: What's going on?

Iso: We might be stopping here. Seems like a good place. Room for us to maneuver and we can't be snuck up on as easily. There's no cover for either side though so if we get ambushed here we'll have to be aggressive.

Irina: Oh boy.

The tone in Irina's voice after Isotov's response was slightly dismayed. Dismay? Were they out of food? What about the deer on his back? Maybe it meant something else. Was the mission compromised? He quickly trotted up to Amari and gave her a questioning look hoping for some kind of answer. Irina was once again left clueless as to why her wyvern was wandering around on his own with her still mounted.

[Snowy_One]

"Thank you." said Kaileen, curtsying graciously as her child returned to her side, nuzzling his head into his mothers ribs. "If the goddess has sent a message, we need to head for the capitol. My child will need a safe place to stay, and I can not provide such security on my own. Even a vagabond in a walled city is safer than a man on the open road. I have a friend there from when I was a child. She should be willing to look after him for a time."

"Don't worry mommy. I won't become a vagabond." said the boy, his childs voice piping up. Kaileen smiled and tussled his hair before returning her attention to the strange man. "As for you, you need a name. Do you mind if I call you Scooples? I had a puppy by that name once."

[Inactive Account]

Amari craned her head round to look at Kelas reproachfully: clearly she was spooked, and if nobody did anything about it soon, she might run (at least, Amari thought she would; she wasn't sure of the usual range of human reactions to being spooked). Kelas barely noticed the glare, so Amari seized her rider's arm lightly in her jaws, snapping her out of it.

"Ow-- ah," Kelas muttered, looking down at her hands: she'd torn a few strands from Amari's mane while caught up in her nightmare. Seeing the mare's hurt look, she leaned against Amari's neck for a moment, giving the mare an apologetic hug. "<I'm sorry... being stupid...> not going to let that happen..." she mumbled, beginning to unsaddle Amari. "If we're agreed that this spot's safe enough, we should probably set up camp," she suggested as Amari ambled over to where Kiev stood. "Campfire'd be nice, but we probably don't want to attract attention... and someone should go on watch... I would, but..."

She sat down on a nearby rock, staring out into space. Just a dream... She knew she desperately needed sleep, but now... she would rather do anything but.

Amari looked up at Kiev. The wyvern seemed to expect something; she wasn't sure what. Amari tossed her head in an equine shrug, then dropped her head to graze. The humans were obviously stopping for the night; might as well eat while there was time.

[Snowy_One]

As soon as Pary got up and started to head out though, the vice grip of the guard's hand came down upon his shoulder. "I don't know what on earth you blew in my face, but it's making me see sounds and other weird things! You are a crazed and insane warlock! I'm going to take you and lock you up in the deepest dungeon I can fight, right after we stop for some mutton."

[-Cynthia-]

"Er, well met." Tristan replied to the red-haired woman. "Charlotte left already? That doesn't seem very safe to me." he speculated.

Undisclosed Location

"Do you sense that Megae? One Crimson Weapon alone...and Shanice too. Some sort of trap he's laid?" Petros asked his fellow demon.

[Snike]

Scooples?

"Err... Perhaps it would be best not to name me after a pet," the man said, feeling awkward. "However, it is true that I need a name... Perhaps, something rather common?"

Security Concerns

"So, she left based on a threat from Jace? Do you realize that he could very well have set up an ambush just outside of the capital?" Alex said, thoroughly frustrated now. "She was about to get the support of at least half the army, in defeating Jace. But now... Ugh, go tell your leader to contact them. This instant."

I'll Go

"I will take it," Eric said, producing his sword, when Kelas mentioned watch. "I've done this before, so, no worries."

[Snowy_One]

"Oh! Why do you need to ruin it? Fine... Ummm..." she stopped for a moment, her eyes rolling up into her head as she thought for a name. Childhood friends? All female. Lover? She had never had one before.

"What about my name mommy?" offered the small child. "Henry Jr." he said, tugging on her dress to get her attention. Kaileen turned and looked down at the child, a smile on her face as she looked at him. "Because people only get called Jr. when their daddy has the same name as them." she said, kissing his brow thankfully. "But still, Henry would work. It's simple enough, and it doesn't leave a bad taste in my mouth. But I was so looking forwards to having another pet name Scooples!"

[Ether]

"Oh, sure. I'll let Morgan know. Follow me, and you can let her know your thoughts in person... doubt she gives what I say much weight." Aiya replied, waiting to see if Alex would follow.

[Inactive Account]

Lurking

"Yep, that's Boss," Megae confirmed. "And if there's not many of them... yeah. We should check it out. Even if it's meant to wait a little longer, maybe we can get a report." She grinned. "And if only one of them's red..." She hopped to her feet. "Let's go have a look." She grabbed Petros' arm and warped, appearing a few miles from where they'd sensed Shanice.

At the camp

Kelas nodded as Eric volunteered for watch. "I might take a watch shift later," she offered, though she realized it was probably a bad idea.

Since they were now about as safe as they could be, Kelas resumed staring into the distance. She should sleep... but she was afraid of what would happen if she did.

Back at the castle

After Aiya left, Arrin remained sitting for a little while, petting the cat and hoping that his head would stop spinning soon.

Eventually the dizziness did indeed subside, and he got up. He recalled what he'd originally set out to do, before Kelas had found him and informed him of several successive plan changes: he'd wanted to find Tessa and apologize for missing out on the ball.

Still unsure of where she might be, he commenced wandering the halls again, now with the cat riding on his shoulder.

OOC: Yes, the Arrin bit is hours before the advance group. Not entirely sure when Megae and Petros are.

[Snike]

Henry It Is

She thinks I am some sort of a pet? "I suppose that would be acceptable," the man now known as Henry said, looking around. "Now, then, shall we be going?"

[Snowy_One]

"Indeed." said Kaileen, taking Henry hand in her own. "To the capitol city, then to the will of the goddess? Just follow the yellow-posted road and we're off!"

Edited September 23, 2010 by Snowy_One

[Phoenix]

No Marshmallows

Iso looked around in both directions before turning to the others. Irina happened to be behind him untying the rest of the deer from Kiev's back. Kiev immediately went back to eating while Irina walked over.

Iso: So we're staying here for the night?

Irina: Can we make a campfire?

Iso: Err ...

Irina quickly thought to herself. The idea about the spirit dolls earlier that day had intrigued her. She preferred being a wyvern rider, but part of her still liked magic in general. She knew damn well she couldn't cast to save her life after letting her energy wane over the years, but she playfully snatched up Iso's fire tome and opened it up to a distant page! Kiev looked up and Iso span around just in time to see her start chanting! She held out her hand at the ground feeling a great warmth surround her hand! That was the end of it however as a fire spell didn't form!

Iso: What are you doing?!

Irina: Darn it. I knew it wouldn't work but ... it almost did.

Suddenly she felt incredibly weak and fell into Iso's arms dropping the tome! She used his shoulders for support as he sighed and shook his head.

Iso: Casting takes energy crimson weapon or no, and you're using a lot for that type of spell.

Irina: Uuuuuug I forgot about that ....

[Inactive Account]

"No campfires... else we'll get unwanted attention," Kelas reminded Irina, moving back towards the core of the group. "Not that I like it," she admitted with a slight shiver as she rooted in her saddlebags for a blanket, "but we can't give them an extra excuse to attack while we sleep... we need to be ready for them..." She winced, recalling what she'd just been dreaming. "Not going to let that happen," she muttered to herself, wrapping a blanket around herself and sitting down again.

[-Cynthia-]

Charlotte went to bed while others took the watch, exhausted by the day's travel. She bagn to dream, odd for her as she rarely had dreams of consequence. She was chasing a strange man through the palace, but she couldn't see him. Or was it that he couldn't see her? Either way, she knew she had to catch up with him, but he was too fast for her. She found herself in a hall of mirrors and somehow Eric had appeared behind her. In each mirror he had a different expression...and he was raising his sword? Charlotte woke up after this ina cold sweat, heart racing.

[Snike]

Onto Burgosas

"If you say so...," Henry said, turning around as Kaileen began to head towards where he came from. Somehow, the warmth of the hand she held out reminded him that he actually was there, and that this was not some sort of illusion. It also reminded the man that he had no idea what he was wearing. Deciding not to think too hard upon it, he simply experienced the gentle breeze against his face as he, the priestess, and his namesake walked onward.