Avalon Keep #95 is up- 'Deepened Conflict'

[BluMajica]

I should have a 'Pygmy-translate-o-matic' after every chapter where Fiji talks so you can know what he says

that would be awesome...except... you need to write/post more to do that!

[SeaCrest]

I should have a 'Pygmy-translate-o-matic' after every chapter where Fiji talks so you can know what he says

that would be awesome...except... you need to write/post more to do that!

She's away

[Phoenixwildfire]

:tard: FINALLY, RIGHT?

ch. 89

Non-spaced version:

Spoiler

Nikko flipped through a small book from the market, stopping on a page. “Here we are- tracking spell. I don’t know much about this Isildre fellow, so how about we track Pheona? We need her element…” he thought for a minute. “Fire, right?”
Red snickered in amusement. “Her name sounds like Phoenix- I don’t know what do you think?” She laughed.
“I haven’t known her long, love. For all I know she could have been a water magi.” He looked down at the page again, glancing through the text. “Ah, here we go, fire magi- we’ll need a candle and something she holds dear to her- an item she usually has with her.”
“But all of our things are in our packs- which are on Thiazi.” Keisin said in frustration, trying to look over Nikko’s shoulder at the book.
“He’ll probably come back if he was left alone.” Red said reassuringly. She looked out over the horizon of snow, but saw nothing.
“We should wait, then. I can’t do anything without something that belongs to her.” Nikko shrugged, closing the book.
Keisin nodded with a frown, looking for any movement in the snow as the sun set. He hated doing nothing.

“It’s so dark!” Russet trilled in fear as he looked around him, seeing nothing but snow.
“It’s okay- and be careful of Prism.” Thiazi reminded him, pricking his ears to listen for the sound of a city. Shouldn’t have been too hard- humans are usually quite loud when in groups.
He heard a low growl from behind them and turned around to see a huge tasharn at full size, stalking them. Thiazi looked up at the creature several times his size with an annoyed snort. Obviously the cat had never seen a frost unicorn before. He reared and let out a loud warning whinny as Russet held onto his back, gripping his claws into Thiazi’s mane. His horn flashed brightly, making the tasharn flinch.
“Ignorant cat, who do you think I am?” Thiazi yelled angrily. The tasharn realized what he was and shrunk down to the size of Russet in fear.
“Show me where the city is- then you may be on your way once we get there.” Thiazi said firmly, glaring down at the tasharn.
“B-but-“ The tasharn said uneasily.
“What? You mistook a unicorn for a meal- one of the herd led by Lir and Amalthea. I will let you go in peace if you show us where the city is.” Thiazi pounded a hoof on the snow in frustration.
“Lir? The guardian?” the tasharn shouted in terror. “Okay, I’ll take you- just don’t tell him what I did!”
“Thank you. I will not tell him as long as we get there safely.” Thiazi snorted, following the tasharn through the snow, hoping the cat knew where it was going.

“Hey… what’s that?” Red squinted her eyes as something moved in the distance. Keisin stood up to get a closer look and heard a familiar trill of excitement.
“That’s Russet!” Keisin grinned happily, glad the hatchling was alright. He watched as Thiazi galloped up to them, murring at a gray cat before it ran off into the night. The unicorn walked up to Keisin, his eyes filled with frustration. He swung his head to motion toward Russet on his back, who held up Prism.
“Oh no…” Keisin took the butterfly in his hands delicately.
“A cascara butterfly?” Red looked down at it curiously. “Here- let me see if I can heal it any.” She put her hand over the small insect, her palm glowing for a moment before fading.
Prism twitched in Keisin’s hand, his small antennae wriggling. Pheona? Is she here? He whispered, sounding tired.
“It talks!” Nikko’s eyes widened in surprise as Red shushed him, trying to listen to the soft voice.
Thiazi leaned down and whickered softly to the butterfly, who twitched again in shock. I see. He took her. She is in great danger, then. The butterfly tried to stand, but one of his wings remained motionless on Keisin’s palm. Damn, my wing is cracked.
Sure enough, a small crack had formed in one of the small panes of glass that made the butterfly’s wings.
I won’t be able to fly until it heals- and my glass cannot be healed by human hand. I am… useless. Prism said sadly.
Thiazi whinnied in protest, setting his horn against Keisin’s palm.
Thank you, Thiazi. The butterfly said gratefully, crawling slowly up onto his horn and hanging on as a perch.
“What happened to Pheona? Why did she leave?” Keisin asked, hoping the butterfly would get better- he had traveled with the creature long enough to get attached to it.
An imposter imitated you, Keisin. He was illusioned to look like you, but after talking with him long enough to see the differences in personality, Pheona realized it was not the real you. She was attacked by Isildre, who killed the imposter- he seemed to be someone Pheona knew, though I do not know him myself. Isildre called him ‘Cain’.
Red blanched in shock. “Cain is following her around still? I thought she got rid of him a long time ago.”
It seems not. Isildre attacked her, and we rose to defend her as best we could. His magic was too strong- he simply blasted me with it. The butterfly let off a soft sigh of frustration. Through all my travels, I have never been useful in defending my magi. It is one of my greatest weaknesses.
“You tried your best.” Keisin sighed. “Do you know where he might have taken her?”
I do not. I was knocked out for when he took her- all I know is that I just woke up in your hand, and Thiazi said she was taken.
Russet jumped off Thiazi’s back, nuzzling Keisin’s leg with a small mewling noise before looking up at him sadly.
“I know you tried too. We’ll find her, and we’ll rescue her… somehow.” He gritted his teeth in frustration as his anger rose. Cain had been at the root of the problem again. It seemed no matter how hard Pheona and Rynu tried, their past always seemed to haunt them somehow.
“I wish we knew more about what we’re up against. What kind of magic does this guy use? It sounds dangerous.” Nikko said uneasily. “Dark sorcerers aren’t like dark magi- magi are weaker when it comes to magic- no offense, love- but sorcerers just get even more powerful when they turn to dark magic. Is there any hint at what this guy does? Any consequences or have you seen the result of his magic before? Anything unusual?”
Keisin thought for a minute. “He can obviously do the typical magic blasting, but he can also control people’s minds by putting a mark on them- like Rynu.”
Thiazi whickered, Prism twitching on his horn in surprise. Apparently all that was left of Cain when Thiazi awoke was dried bones and a strange red substance. How would he manage to do that?
Nikko’s eyes widened in horror. “Kid- do you know anything about where this guy came from? His past- or anything about him other than he wants to kill magi for some reason?” he whispered uneasily.
“No, why?” Keisin looked over at the older man nervously.
“He’s not just a sorcerer anymore- he probably was a sorcerer at some point, but… he’s a necromancer- or will be soon if he’s not stopped.” Nikko said, glancing over to Keisin.
“He’s a necromancer? I thought they were just legend.” Red said, her eyes widening as well.
“Wait.” Keisin held up a hand in confusion. “My dad never taught me about them- what are necromancers?”
“Your father probably didn’t want you to know about them. They’re sorcerers turned evil- they summon the dead and use other people as their own slaves. Whatever caused this man to turn toward such dark magic… Necromancy twists the mind- it causes someone to go insane, so that he has no morals except what he wants…” Nikko trailed off to let the others finish the thought.
“And he wants to kill magi.” Keisin said in horror.
“He’ll start another Wizard War. How could others not know about him?” Red looked over to Keisin.
“He was working with the Brotherhood, from what Rynu said. He was using them to keep his identity a secret- using the name Demetre. I don’t think he cares if anyone knows whether or not he’s evil, now. He just wants to kill people- and he may start with Pheona.” His voice hitched in panic. “We have to find her quickly- how do you do that spell?” he ran over to Thiazi, digging through Pheona’s pack. He found a strange stone on a chain, held in by a clawed hand. An inscription on the metal read ‘to my dearest brother, Raoul.’ “This belonged to her father- it must be important to her.” He brought it over to Nikko quickly.
“Alright, now all we need is a candle. Let’s head over to the market, and then back to the inn to cast the spell.” Nikko nodded, taking the chain carefully. He looked down at Keisin in concern. “It’ll be alright, kid. Just keep calm, and try your best to find her.”
Keisin looked up at him in surprise and nodded, his blue eyes still filled with panic.

Nikko flipped through a small book from the market, stopping on a page. “Here we are- tracking spell. I don’t know much about this Isildre fellow, so how about we track Pheona? We need her element…” he thought for a minute. “Fire, right?”

Red snickered in amusement. “Her name sounds like Phoenix- I don’t know what do you think?” She laughed.

“I haven’t known her long, love. For all I know she could have been a water magi.” He looked down at the page again, glancing through the text. “Ah, here we go, fire magi- we’ll need a candle and something she holds dear to her- an item she usually has with her.”

“But all of our things are in our packs- which are on Thiazi.” Keisin said in frustration, trying to look over Nikko’s shoulder at the book.

“He’ll probably come back if he was left alone.” Red said reassuringly. She looked out over the horizon of snow, but saw nothing.

“We should wait, then. I can’t do anything without something that belongs to her.” Nikko shrugged, closing the book.

Keisin nodded with a frown, looking for any movement in the snow as the sun set. He hated doing nothing.


“It’s so dark!” Russet trilled in fear as he looked around him, seeing nothing but snow.

“It’s okay- and be careful of Prism.” Thiazi reminded him, pricking his ears to listen for the sound of a city. Shouldn’t have been too hard- humans are usually quite loud when in groups.

He heard a low growl from behind them and turned around to see a huge tasharn at full size, stalking them. Thiazi looked up at the creature several times his size with an annoyed snort. Obviously the cat had never seen a frost unicorn before. He reared and let out a loud warning whinny as Russet held onto his back, gripping his claws into Thiazi’s mane. His horn flashed brightly, making the tasharn flinch.

“Ignorant cat, who do you think I am?” Thiazi yelled angrily. The tasharn realized what he was and shrunk down to the size of Russet in fear.

“Show me where the city is- then you may be on your way once we get there.” Thiazi said firmly, glaring down at the tasharn.

“B-but-“ The tasharn said uneasily.

“What? You mistook a unicorn for a meal- one of the herd led by Lir and Amalthea. I will let you go in peace if you show us where the city is.” Thiazi pounded a hoof on the snow in frustration.

“Lir? The guardian?” the tasharn shouted in terror. “Okay, I’ll take you- just don’t tell him what I did!”

“Thank you. I will not tell him as long as we get there safely.” Thiazi snorted, following the tasharn through the snow, hoping the cat knew where it was going.


“Hey… what’s that?” Red squinted her eyes as something moved in the distance. Keisin stood up to get a closer look and heard a familiar trill of excitement.

“That’s Russet!” Keisin grinned happily, glad the hatchling was alright. He watched as Thiazi galloped up to them, murring at a gray cat before it ran off into the night. The unicorn walked up to Keisin, his eyes filled with frustration. He swung his head to motion toward Russet on his back, who held up Prism.

“Oh no…” Keisin took the butterfly in his hands delicately.

“A cascara butterfly?” Red looked down at it curiously. “Here- let me see if I can heal it any.” She put her hand over the small insect, her palm glowing for a moment before fading.

Prism twitched in Keisin’s hand, his small antennae wriggling. Pheona? Is she here? He whispered, sounding tired.

“It talks!” Nikko’s eyes widened in surprise as Red shushed him, trying to listen to the soft voice.

Thiazi leaned down and whickered softly to the butterfly, who twitched again in shock. I see. He took her. She is in great danger, then. The butterfly tried to stand, but one of his wings remained motionless on Keisin’s palm. Damn, my wing is cracked.

Sure enough, a small crack had formed in one of the small panes of glass that made the butterfly’s wings.
I won’t be able to fly until it heals- and my glass cannot be healed by human hand. I am… useless. Prism said sadly.

Thiazi whinnied in protest, setting his horn against Keisin’s palm.

Thank you, Thiazi. The butterfly said gratefully, crawling slowly up onto his horn and hanging on as a perch.

“What happened to Pheona? Why did she leave?” Keisin asked, hoping the butterfly would get better- he had traveled with the creature long enough to get attached to it.

An imposter imitated you, Keisin. He was illusioned to look like you, but after talking with him long enough to see the differences in personality, Pheona realized it was not the real you. She was attacked by Isildre, who killed the imposter- he seemed to be someone Pheona knew, though I do not know him myself. Isildre called him ‘Cain’.

Red blanched in shock. “Cain is following her around still? I thought she got rid of him a long time ago.”

It seems not. Isildre attacked her, and we rose to defend her as best we could. His magic was too strong- he simply blasted me with it. The butterfly let off a soft sigh of frustration. Through all my travels, I have never been useful in defending my magi. It is one of my greatest weaknesses.

“You tried your best.” Keisin sighed. “Do you know where he might have taken her?”

I do not. I was knocked out for when he took her- all I know is that I just woke up in your hand, and Thiazi said she was taken.

Russet jumped off Thiazi’s back, nuzzling Keisin’s leg with a small mewling noise before looking up at him sadly.

“I know you tried too. We’ll find her, and we’ll rescue her… somehow.” He gritted his teeth in frustration as his anger rose. Cain had been at the root of the problem again. It seemed no matter how hard Pheona and Rynu tried, their past always seemed to haunt them somehow.

“I wish we knew more about what we’re up against. What kind of magic does this guy use? It sounds dangerous.” Nikko said uneasily. “Dark sorcerers aren’t like dark magi- magi are weaker when it comes to magic- no offense, love- but sorcerers just get even more powerful when they turn to dark magic. Is there any hint at what this guy does? Any consequences or have you seen the result of his magic before? Anything unusual?”

Keisin thought for a minute. “He can obviously do the typical magic blasting, but he can also control people’s minds by putting a mark on them- like Rynu.”

Thiazi whickered, Prism twitching on his horn in surprise. Apparently all that was left of Cain when Thiazi awoke was dried bones and a strange red substance. How would he manage to do that?

Nikko’s eyes widened in horror. “Kid- do you know anything about where this guy came from? His past- or anything about him other than he wants to kill magi for some reason?” he whispered uneasily.

“No, why?” Keisin looked over at the older man nervously.

“He’s not just a sorcerer anymore- he probably was a sorcerer at some point, but… he’s a necromancer- or will be soon if he’s not stopped.” Nikko said, glancing over to Keisin.

“He’s a necromancer? I thought they were just legend.” Red said, her eyes widening as well.

“Wait.” Keisin held up a hand in confusion. “My dad never taught me about them- what are necromancers?”

“Your father probably didn’t want you to know about them. They’re sorcerers turned evil- they summon the dead and use other people as their own slaves. Whatever caused this man to turn toward such dark magic… Necromancy twists the mind- it causes someone to go insane, so that he has no morals except what he wants…” Nikko trailed off to let the others finish the thought.

“And he wants to kill magi.” Keisin said in horror.

“He’ll start another Wizard War! How could others not know about him?” Red looked over to Keisin.

“He was working with the Brotherhood, from what Rynu said. He was using them to keep his identity a secret- using the name Demetre. I don’t think he cares if anyone knows whether or not he’s evil, now. He just wants to kill people- and he may start with Pheona.” His voice hitched in panic. “We have to find her quickly- how do you do that spell?” he ran over to Thiazi, digging through Pheona’s pack.
He found a strange stone on a chain, held in by a clawed hand. An inscription on the metal read ‘to my dearest brother, Raoul.’ “This belonged to her father- it must be important to her.” He brought it over to Nikko quickly.

“Alright, now all we need is a candle. Let’s head over to the market, and then back to the inn to cast the spell.” Nikko nodded, taking the chain carefully. He looked down at Keisin in concern. “It’ll be alright, kid. Just keep calm, and try your best to find her.”

Keisin looked up at him in surprise and nodded, his blue eyes still filled with panic.


(Once we get through this 'section' of the story of saving Pheona, we'll get into the actual 'how to defeat Isildre' stuff o3o 'Cause there's only one person, but he doesn't know it yet...

*snicker* )

[Ceres]

Finaally!!!!!
They still didn't save her yet though

[SeaCrest]

*snickersnicker* I know I know I know!

*pats Prism gently*

[LightningRip]

Moar! Poor Prism...

[BluMajica]

Im so glad Prism is ok - minus a broke wing of course.

also MORE MORE!! lol

[Phoenixwildfire]

Ch. 90

(non-spaced version)

Spoiler

Pheona looked down at Fiji as he twittered angrily in her hand. She smiled in amusement and chuckled softly. “I know little guy- I don’t like him either. We have to figure out a way to distract him so we can get away…” She looked around thoughtfully, seeing nothing in the room but the chair Isildre usually sat in when he talked to her.
Fiji twittered again to get her attention, flapping his small wings furiously. He opened them and a small ball of flame appeared in front of him, swirling within the air. He pointed one wing to her, and then to the fire.
Pheona frowned as she tried to figure out what he was trying to say. “You want me to try using water on it?” She asked, looking at the ball of flame before smiling in realization. “You smart little bird- I see what you’re thinking. That’s a fantastic idea!”
Fiji puffed out his feathers happily and churred, squeaking as the door opened and Pheona quickly moved him behind her back. She leaned back against the wall, making sure he was secure behind her as Isildre walked in with a bright smile.
“I’ve thought of a wonderful solution. It will take a while to accomplish, but…” He walked over to her, the red glow resuming its place over the door behind him.
Pheona resisted the urge to smile- so whenever he opened the door, the glow disappeared from the door… “And what would that be, crazy man?” Pheona said idly, hoping he didn’t mean anything that might physically disable her.
Isildre frowned, anger flashing in his black eyes. “It will indeed take a long time to deal with that wild personality of yours- but I believe she is strong enough.” Isildre reached out quickly, taking hold of Pheona’s chin and moving her head to examine the sides of her face. Pheona tensed as a slow smile crept onto his face.
“You are indeed similar to her- there are of course differences, but you seem to be almost… related.” He said, his eyebrows going up in curiosity. “I will have to examine this fact later. For now-“ He brought his hands up in front of her, making her gasp in fear as his magic swirled around his palms. He chanted low and put his palm against her forehead, channeling his magic into her.
Pheona gasped as his magic flowed through her, seeming to seep into every fiber of her being. She whimpered in terror, wondering what he was doing to her. She felt suddenly numb- everything was gone, everything was disappearing. She saw a bright light in front of her, one that seemed to get brighter as his magic flowed from his stone at his neck, glowing against his robes. She couldn’t move for some reason- but felt something against her back. She felt a twinge of pain against her spine and snapped out of her trance, reaching up to grab his amulet in her hands.
The magic stopped as he stared at her in shock, his black eyes wide.
“I know what happens if I take this from you, sorcerer.” Pheona growled angrily. “Reverse whatever you’ve done, or I rip it off.”
Isildre looked down at her with a pleasant smile. “Even I cannot reverse what has already been started- however, it will take time to complete. The spell has started though- you will soon see its effects.” He looked down at his amulet, then back into her red eyes. “You do not have the capacity to kill me. You are too weak.”
Pheona bit her lip, knowing he was right. Even if he had killed her parents- even if he had tortured Rynu for years, she still wouldn’t be able to kill him. She was weak- she couldn’t finish this. She closed her eyes at the pain of that realization, her grip on his amulet loosening a little. He grabbed her wrist, slowly pulling her hand away from his amulet until it fell back against his robes. He smiled in satisfaction, looking at her tears with a smile.
“Perhaps I overestimated you. You are not as strong as most fire magi- you do not really hold that flame of anger in you as most do.”
Pheona grimaced, knowing that was true as well. She had chosen to be a fire magi because of her past- not because it was what she was best at. When her father had first discovered her magic, he and Conintor had come to the conclusion that she had no specific element she was best with- she could choose to specialize in any of them. Only when Avalon had burned down, had she chosen fire for her specialization because she wanted to prevent the past from repeating. She wanted to protect her beloved home.
“But soon that will not matter- she will come, she will rise again. I will admit I do not know what will happen to you- but honestly it is a sacrifice I’m willing to deal with.” He stood up again, looking down at her with an odd expression as she cried softly against the wall. “For all it is worth- I am sorry it had to be this way.”
Pheona looked up at him in surprise as he turned around and walked back out the door of the room. She leaned back against the wall as the door shut, the red glow resuming around it. She felt Fiji squeeze his way out from behind her, looking up at her with concern as she stared at the door in shock.
“I don’t know what he’s done.” She whispered, looking down at the pygmy phoenix with eyes filled with terror. “Whatever it is, it can’t be good-but I don’t know what he’s done.”
Fiji hopped up onto her lap, looking at her in worry before poofing his feathers out and settling against her for comfort. He flared his fire to keep her warm as she tried to figure out what had happened.
She felt normal- nothing major had happened, yet she felt some sort of twinge of sorrow for some reason. Some sort of eternal sorrow that made her want to weep until she ran out of tears. She didn’t know why, though- she should feel fear, not sorrow.
She had to get out of this place. The next time he came in, she would be ready. She looked down at Fiji, wiping her face to get rid of her tears. “Are you ready for this, Fiji? We’re going to ambush him next time- we’ll catch him by surprise and get out of here.”
“Fiji-ti!” Fiji twittered loudly, puffing up his feathers again so that he looked bigger than he was. Pheona smiled down at the little bird and ran a finger over his head comfortingly; glad she wasn’t alone in this place.

“Here we go!” Nikko said triumphantly as he held up the locket. The light blue magic that came from his hand swirled around the locket, infusing with it until it flashed brightly. A soft red line flowed toward the east, through the wall of the room in the inn, and outside into the cold.
“So- she’s obviously somewhere in an easterly sort of direction.” He looked at the line with interest.
“So this line will lead us to her?” Keisin looked at the red line, his heart thumping with anxiousness at finding Pheona. He had a bad feeling about something.
“It should lead us right to her.” Nikko nodded.
“Then let’s get going!” Keisin said, standing up and looking down at Red and Nikko. “The sooner we get going, the sooner we find her- we’ll kick Isildre’s ass and get her back.” He said quickly, running out the door to get Thiazi ready to ride.
Nikko chuckled in amusement and set the locket in a pocket of his white tunic. “Well, someone’s a bit eager.” He said to Red, standing as well.
“He has a point- the more time Pheona is will this sorcerer, the more things could happen to her.” Red said uneasily.
“That’s true- well, let’s get going then.” Nikko said, walking outside to the unicorns to go rescue Pheona, Keisin already mounted on Thiazi and waiting impatiently.

Pheona looked down at Fiji as he twittered angrily in her hand. She smiled in amusement and chuckled softly. “I know little guy- I don’t like him either. We have to figure out a way to distract him so we can get away…” She looked around thoughtfully, seeing nothing in the room but the chair Isildre usually sat in when he talked to her.

Fiji twittered again to get her attention, flapping his small wings furiously. He opened them and a small ball of flame appeared in front of him, swirling within the air. He pointed one wing to her, and then to the fire.
Pheona frowned as she tried to figure out what he was trying to say. “You want me to try using water on it?” She asked, looking at the ball of flame before smiling in realization. “You smart little bird- I see what you’re thinking. That’s a fantastic idea!”

Fiji puffed out his feathers happily and churred, squeaking as the door opened and Pheona quickly moved him behind her back. She leaned back against the wall, making sure he was secure behind her as Isildre walked in with a bright smile.

“I’ve thought of a wonderful solution. It will take a while to accomplish, but…” He walked over to her, the red glow resuming its place over the door behind him.

Pheona resisted the urge to smile- so whenever he opened the door, the glow disappeared from the door… “And what would that be, crazy man?” Pheona said idly, hoping he didn’t mean anything that might physically disable her.

Isildre frowned, anger flashing in his black eyes. “It will indeed take a long time to deal with that wild personality of yours- but I believe she is strong enough.” Isildre reached out quickly, taking hold of Pheona’s chin and moving her head to examine the sides of her face. Pheona tensed as a slow smile crept onto his face.

“You are indeed similar to her- there are of course differences, but you seem to be almost… related.” He said, his eyebrows going up in curiosity. “I will have to examine this fact later. For now-“ He brought his hands up in front of her, making her gasp in fear as his black magic swirled around his palms. He chanted low and put his palm against her forehead, channeling his magic into her.

Pheona gasped as his magic flowed through her, seeming to seep into every fiber of her being. She whimpered in terror, wondering what he was doing to her. She felt suddenly numb- everything was gone, everything was disappearing. She saw a bright light in front of her, one that seemed to get brighter as his magic flowed from his stone at his neck, glowing against his robes. She couldn’t move for some reason- but felt something against her back. She felt a twinge of pain against her spine and snapped out of her trance, reaching up to grab his amulet in her hands.

The magic stopped as he stared at her in shock, his black eyes wide.
“I know what happens if I take this from you, sorcerer.” Pheona growled angrily. “Reverse whatever you’ve done, or I rip it off.”

Isildre looked down at her with a pleasant smile. “Even I cannot reverse what has already been started- however, it will take time to complete. The spell has started though- you will soon see its effects.” He looked down at his amulet, then back into her red eyes. “You do not have the capacity to kill me. You are too weak.”

Pheona bit her lip, knowing he was right. Even if he had killed her parents- even if he had tortured Rynu for years, she still wouldn’t be able to kill him. She was weak- she couldn’t finish this. She closed her eyes at the pain of that realization, her grip on his amulet loosening a little. He grabbed her wrist, slowly pulling her hand away from his amulet until it fell back against his robes. He smiled in satisfaction, looking at her tears with a smile.

“Perhaps I overestimated you. You are not as strong as most fire magi- you do not hold that flame of anger in you as most do.”

Pheona grimaced, knowing that was true as well. She had chosen to be a fire magi because of her past- not because it was what she was best at. When her father had first discovered her magic, he and Conintor had come to the conclusion that she had no specific element she was best with- she could choose to specialize in any of them. Only when Avalon had burned down, had she chosen fire for her specialization because she wanted to prevent the past from repeating. She wanted to protect her beloved home.

“But soon that will not matter- she will come, she will rise again. I will admit I do not know what will happen to you- but honestly it is a sacrifice I’m willing to deal with.” He stood up again, looking down at her with an odd expression as she cried softly against the wall. “For all it is worth- I am sorry it had to be this way.”

Pheona looked up at him in surprise as he turned around and walked back out the door of the room. She leaned back against the wall as the door shut, the red glow resuming around it. She felt Fiji squeeze his way out from behind her, looking up at her with concern as she stared at the door in shock.

“I don’t know what he’s done.” She whispered, looking down at the pygmy phoenix with eyes filled with terror. “Whatever it is, it can’t be good-but I don’t know what he’s done.”

Fiji hopped up onto her lap, looking at her in worry before poofing his feathers out and settling against her for comfort. He flared his fire to keep her warm as she tried to figure out what had happened.

She felt normal- nothing major had happened, yet she felt some sort of twinge of sorrow for some reason. Some sort of eternal sorrow that made her want to weep until she ran out of tears. She didn’t know why, though- she should feel fear, not sorrow.

She had to get out of this place. The next time he came in, she would be ready. She looked down at Fiji, wiping her face to get rid of her tears. “Are you ready for this, Fiji? We’re going to ambush him next time- we’ll catch him by surprise and get out of here.”

“Fiji-ti!” Fiji twittered loudly, puffing up his feathers again so that he looked bigger than he was. Pheona smiled down at the little bird and ran a finger over his head comfortingly; glad she wasn’t alone in this place.


“Here we go!” Nikko said triumphantly as he held up the locket. The light blue magic that came from his hand swirled around the locket, infusing with it until it flashed brightly. A soft red line flowed toward the east, through the wall of the room in the inn, and outside into the cold.

“So- she’s obviously somewhere in an easterly sort of direction.” He looked at the line with interest.

“So this line will lead us to her?” Keisin looked at the red line, his heart thumping with anxiousness at finding Pheona. He had a bad feeling about something.

“It should lead us right to her.” Nikko nodded.

“Then let’s get going!” Keisin said, standing up and looking down at Red and Nikko. “The sooner we get going, the sooner we find her- we’ll kick Isildre’s ass and get her back.” He said quickly, running out the door to get Thiazi ready to ride.

Nikko chuckled in amusement and set the locket in a pocket of his white tunic. “Well, someone’s a bit eager.” He said to Red, standing as well.

“He has a point- the more time Pheona is will this sorcerer, the more things could happen to her.” Red said uneasily.

“That’s true- well, let’s get going then.” Nikko said, walking outside to the unicorns to go rescue Pheona, Keisin already mounted on Thiazi and waiting impatiently.

[SeaCrest]

He did something to her! is he going to...warp her or something?? But that would...ah wait never mind I'm not supposed to know

[Phoenixwildfire]

Well something was going to happen eventually

Did you think he kidnapped her because he likes her or something? Noooo.

I will say- what he did to her ISN'T good, and will be a major impact on the rest of the story.