Swanheart

Chapter Six

Captives And Allies

Tanith couldn't tell exactly how much time had passed, but to her it seemed like an eternity.

After the battle for Pavan had been lost and the masked sorcerer had taken the golden gem, she had watched the golems, the sacred protectors of the country, fall apart.

The dark wizard had called for one of his men. General Burak or something like that was his name, the High Sorceress thought to remember. Her mind was still somewhat befuddled. A lot had happened, but the occurrences didn't have time yet to really sink in.

She felt torn by many emotions. The most protruding ones were anger, disbelief, shock, despair and a strong wave of hopelessness waited to crash over her.

The man had placed a woolen hood over her head, concealing her face and disabling her from seeing anything that was going on around her. The stupefying spell still held her bound and she couldn't move or defend herself.

Burak lifted her across his shoulders and carried her off, not bothering to tie her up with ropes.

She had to rely on the one sense that was left to her in that state; the sense of hearing. From the sounds that his heavy boots caused on stone, Tanith could tell that their way led them back to the palace.

Muffled noises of fighting drifted to her ears and pride swelled in her heart. Her men had not given up. They still were engaged in the fight with the enemies' soldiers.

The air around them grew colder while the unlikely pair made their way deeper inside the palace of Pavan.

Burak kept silent the whole time. He just concentrated on carrying out another order by his master. He was also glad that the woman couldn't struggle or yell, which made this task a lot easier.

Tanith, trapped by the paralyzing of her body, picked up the sounds of another set of footsteps, which had joined Burak's. They were behind her but drew closer by the second. At first she thought that maybe one of Pavan's soldiers would come after them to rescue her. Fear seized her as she realized it was the masked sorcerer, who followed them. 'Where are they taking me? Will they kill me here without witnesses?'

She had barely finished her thought, as the chuckling of her opponent caused chills to travel up and down her spine and the tiny hairs at the nape of her neck rose.

"Tanith, Tanith," he said, shaking his head softly in amusement. "I told you before that if I wanted to kill you then I would have done it already. I have no intention of killing you. Quite the opposite is the fact. I want you to live for a long time yet to come."

'Then what do you want with me? Where are you taking me?' she thought, alarmed.

"It is a very wonderful surprise. I'd rather not spoil it by telling you our destination. You will see soon enough," he answered.

After pondering that very unsatisfying response, Tanith shot back, 'I demand that you tell me right now where you are taking me!'

He sighed dramatically. "That is so typical of you. In case you forgot, it is not your place to demand anything."

There was no smart comeback.

"What happened? Are you pouting now?"

The open mirth in his tone aggravated her to no end. Fuming silently, she decided to turn her thoughts to a matter that would give him nothing to torture her further.

She needn't have bothered because his attention was caught by something else.

The first thing she noticed was that they had stopped. Tanith could hear him mumble. It definitely sounded like chanting.

Wishing desperately that she could see she tried to wriggle in Burak's grip, but found that she was still unable to move.

Golden light flashed for a brief moment. It was so bright that the captured woman's eyes, which were wide open behind the hood's wool, caught it.

The humming noise of an energy field filled the air.

'What is going on?' She could feel the stirring of magic.

The dark wizard didn't answer. "Take her through," he ordered Burak. "I'll be right behind you."

'Through where?' Tanith's racing mind screamed and soon after that she felt a weird sensation of being pulled through a hole. There was a strange pressure all around her body. The humming grew louder, another bright flash of golden light almost blinded her and then there was absolute silence, aside from her own panicked, harsh breathing.

Burak moved again, still carrying the High Sorceress of Pavan across his muscled shoulders, taking her to the dungeons.

The dark wizard followed only a few steps behind. The clicking, which was caused every time his staff hit the floor, reverberated eerily through the corridor.

Meanwhile, Tanith became aware of a tingling sensation. It was starting at the tip of her fingers and with each passing second it spread more and more over her body. The paralyzing spell was fading and she quickly turned her thoughts away from that fact, before the masked sorcerer would pick up on it.

They stopped in front of a spiked metal door and the High Sorceress felt the grip of Burak loosening. He let go with one hand to open to cell door.

With the powers that only the courage of desperation and fear can set free, Tanith curled her free hand into a fist and smashed it against Burak's kidney area.

Caught by surprise, the soldier gasped, let go of his captive and bent over in pain.

She ripped the hood off her head, cast a paralyzing spell of her own and in her anger threw herself at the dark wizard.

He ducked and the energy beam went past him, but as the sorceress flung herself at him, he couldn't get his hands up quick enough to welcome her with a defensive spell.

Their bodies collided and she tackled him to the floor.

The mask, which had been hiding his face, came loose and Tanith froze in shock while her eyes widened in recognition as she looked at the features of the man that had attacked Ashkyhra and Pavan.

"You?" It was a hoarse whisper that came strangled from her throat.

His silver eyes bore hard into her brown ones and a sneer curled his lips.

Before the High Sorceress could grasp it and make any sense of what was going on, the chop of a rough hand fell on a pressure point at her neck and she slumped forward, unconscious. Her head came to rest on black armor and her blonde curls spilled all over his chest and the floor.

Burak pulled the limp woman off his master. His face was betraying no emotion, even though he had just seen the other man without the demonic mask. What he had seen had surprised him. Secretly he had expected that the face beneath the mask would look horrifying. Burak found it more horrifying that it didn't.

"Shackle her next to the boy," the dark wizard ordered, attaching the mask to his helmet. He rose and looked on while the man did as he was told.

Burak entered the dark cell, briefly glancing at Tyrel, who was curled up under a fur-lined blanket on a heap of straw. The boy's breathing was even and his tear-streaked, dirty face was relaxed in sleep.

Crossing over to where another pair of iron chains and shackles hung from the wall, Burak sat the unconscious sorceress on the floor and leaned her back against the wall.

Tanith's chin rested on her chest and she didn't move in the slightest as the cold metal restrains snapped shut around her small wrists.

*****

The door to Leigh's room slowly opened.

A big black nose shoved its way through the crack and opened it further. Silently, the white wolf entered the room and walked over to the bed. She sat down on the fluffy sheep fur rug, which had been placed beside it. Looking expectantly towards the door, Cerulia waited for Alannah.

The princess tiptoed up to the bed, her soft leather boots not making any sound. Her brown eyes were fixed on the knight, who lay there, deeply asleep.

Leigh had been awake long past midnight. She had tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. Finding rest had not been easy because her mind would not want to shut down. Constantly it was circling around the attack on Ashkyhra and how to help Terrulli.

Alannah felt concerned as she stood there and watched her best friend sleep.

Leigh had kicked off her covers, which now lay in a rumbled mess at the foot of the bed. Her eyes rolled restlessly beneath closed lids.

The princess could see her jaw muscles clench, indicating that the knight ground her teeth, a sure sign that even in sleep she was troubled. 'What demons are haunting your dreams, my brave, little knight?' she thought.

Turning over with a tiny moan, Leigh pulled her legs up to her chest, curling her body into a fetal position.

Alannah sat down on the edge of the bed. Reaching over with a delicate hand, she brushed some of the tussled hair off Leigh's forehead. "Leigh. Leigh," she called out softly, trying to rouse her without scaring her awake. "Leigh, wake up."

An unintelligible murmur fell from the young woman's lips and her eyelids flickered but didn't open.

The princess' hand traveled from her forehead to her shoulder and she gave her a gentle shake. "Leigh, wake up," she repeated, still keeping her voice soft. "We have a visitor."

The sudden tinny rattling of Chitaan's trumpets had Leigh jerk awake and sit up. Peering through bloodshot eyes, she looked at Alannah. "Where's the fire?" she muttered in confusion.

Smiling, the princess rubbed a hand across her back to calm her. "No fire." After a pause she added grinning, "At least not yet."

The trumpets sounded again.

Leigh stumbled out of bed and gazed out of the window. Commander Leander, Wyan, Ranib, Loreen and King Zaylan had gathered in the courtyard. All of them were staring up at the sky.

"What's going on?" Leigh inquired.

Alannah gave a pat to Cerulia, who had taken the opportunity to curl up on Leigh's bed and went over to the window to join the knight.

"That's why I came to wake you," the princess explained. "We have a visitor and I'm sure she would like to greet you too."

Frowning, Leigh cocked her head. "She? Who is it?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," Alannah teased, grinning cheekily.

"Alright, I think I had better get dressed."

Still grinning, the princess said, "Wear your armor."

"Are we going to war? I thought we have a visitor."

Alannah nodded. "That is correct."

"And still you want me to wear my armor?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I think you look exceptionally adorable in it."

Leigh looked at the other woman's face, trying to find any trace of teasing there. All she could see on Alannah's features was pure honesty. Clearing her throat in embarrassment, she grumbled, "Knights do not look adorable."

The princess patted her cheek and her grin widened as she saw the blush. "Whatever you say, but I know different."

"Alannah!" Leigh whined, feeling the blush deepen and spreading all over her face.

Chuckling, the silver-haired woman decided to let her off the hook. Wrapping her arms around Leigh in a tender hug, she said, "I'll leave you to get dressed. See you in a bit." With that Alannah left the room to join her father and the others in the courtyard.

To Leigh's surprise the white wolf didn't make any move to follow the princess as she usually would. Cerulia didn't even raise her head. She had made herself comfortable on Leigh's mattress and acted like she didn't have a care in the world.

The knight sat down beside her and stroked the soft fur on top of her head. "You know, our Princess really is something."

Cerulia yawned, turned on her back and automatically Leigh's hand wandered to her belly to give her a good scratching, while the wolf regarded her fondly through blue eyes, which had narrowed to tiny slits.

"One cannot help but love her," Leigh continued, absentmindedly rubbing Cerulia. "And I do… so very much." Releasing a deep sigh, the knight rose after a moment to wash and get into her armor.

*****

The red dragon flew very calm, intending to jolt her precious cargo as little as possible. Firetail and Ranya had left Urdgard after the sundown prayers. So far the night and their flight had been uneventful. The High Sorceress had been unusually quiet the whole time and that had the dragon a little bit worried. Firetail knew that she was troubled by something, but she also knew that Ranya would tell her eventually.

The landscape underneath them had been changing in the last hour. The air also had grown noticeable warmer the closer they came to Chitaan. The sandy dunes of Urdgard's deserts gave way to rivers and forests, lakes and fields, mountains and meadows.

Firetail felt excitement stir in her massive body as her bright, orange eyes took it all in. She loved these trips where she would get to see something else aside from miles and miles of hot sand. The dragon was also looking forward to meet Ranya's closest friends again, as well as the sorceress' goddaughters. The last time they had visited, Alannah had been at the Wizardry Academy of Shircon while Leigh was undertaking her apprenticeship with Master Yan.

Firetail was brought out of her thoughts as she discovered the white castle of Chitaan in the distance. It was time to wake her rider.

"Lady Ranya? We have almost reached our destination."

The soft rumbling voice, which reverberated through her whole body, woke the High Sorceress. "Did I fall asleep? I didn't mean to," she muttered, trying to get her bearings. "It's a good thing that I strapped myself onto the saddle. I might have fallen off."

"I would not have let you fallen," Firetail replied and continued to sail through the air, following Saberclaw.

The eagle had been leading the way, finding a shortcut that spared them a good hour.

"I know," Ranya said smiling and took off the heavy woolen cloak that had protected her from the cold wind. She wrapped it around her waist and stretched her sore limbs. "It is getting much warmer, so we must be close. I'm ready for a break. My muscles are all clenched up."

Suddenly, Saberclaw gave a shrill cry and sped up, propelling himself through the air like a flash.

"I think our friend is anxious to get home," Firetail remarked. "It is only a couple more minutes. I can already see the castle."

The High Sorceress of Urdgard strained her eyes. "Yes, indeed. Just how long did I sleep?" she wondered out loud.

The dragon snorted and teased, "We had not even passed the borders of Urdgard when you started snoring."

"I do not snore," Ranya shot back. She was not angry for she liked the good-natured teasing between herself and Firetail. "At least not like you. I mean, when you snore it makes the whole of Urdgard shake. It's a wonder that the tunnel system has not crashed on our heads until now."

Laughter rumbled deeply from the dragon's body. "I am most happy to find you in such a good mood. I was worried when I saw you before we left. There was such concern on your face and you were very quiet."

Ranya extended a hand and stroked the dragon's neck. She knew that Firetail wouldn't feel the touch through her rock-hard, red scales, but she still wished to express her appreciation of the dragon's care. "I know, Firetail, and I am sorry, my friend. I just have a lot on my mind."

The dragon turned her big horned head around in order to look at the sorceress. "I understand. There is no need to apologize."

Ranya smiled again. "I think you should look where you are flying."

Firetail snorted once more and thin trails of smoke curled their way out of her flaring nostrils. "I do not need to. There is something called instinct and that will guide me."

"Sure. Like this one time you were not looking and crashed straight into a boulder," Ranya retorted, her body quaking from barely suppressed mirth.

Firetail curled her lips in the dragon impression of a grin. "I was very young then and I wish I had never told you about that particular incident because you just cannot let it rest."

Laughing, Ranya wrapped her arms as far around the dragon's neck as she could reach.

"Oh, would you look at that?" Firetail announced only a moment later. She had heard the sounds of Chitaan's trumpets. "They must have known we are coming." She pointed one of her claws at the eagle that dove down quickly and went straight to his pole. "That must be King Zaylan over there."

"Interesting, we are getting a whole welcoming committee," Ranya said after gazing down and seeing the group of people that had gathered and was staring up at the sky. "Do you think you have enough room to land?"

"Oh yes, they cleared out the courtyard just for me. Hold on tight now, Lady Ranya."

The High Sorceress did as she was told. She braced herself even though she knew that Firetail would make the landing as smooth as she could.

Soon enough, four massive, clawed dragon feet and a spiked tail hit the ground. Only a little bit of dust was whirled up.

Ranya unbuckled herself while Firetail folded her wings to the sides of her body and lay down on her belly, which made it easier for her rider to slide out of the saddle.

Zaylan approached the tall woman and after a moment of hesitation, he embraced her. "I'm glad you're here." Holding her away from him, he looked at her, smiling. "It's been a long time, my friend."

Ranya nodded, agreeing, "Far too long."

"I'm surprised to see you," he went on. "Happily though, but still, it was unexpected. I couldn't believe it when my guards told me that there was a red dragon coming towards the castle."

"I know. After I got your message, I thought it would be better to talk in person." She looked over the king's shoulders and her warm eyes flitted over the faces of the other people that were present. "Besides, I'm glad to see all my friends again. I have missed you all dearly, especially my two goddaughters." Smiling broadly, she stepped around Zaylan and went to greet the others.

Leander, Ranib and Wyan went out of their way to give her a polite bow and a small kiss to the back of her hand. Loreen was gathered into a bear hug that almost took her breath away. Ranya lingered on Alannah, holding her for a long time and gushing about what a beautiful lady she had become.

Alannah rolled her eyes. "You always have to exaggerate so much."

Ranya grinned and went to the person that stood next to the princess. Looking them up and down she didn't recognize them right away, but there was something familiar about the clear, green eyes. Then realization dawned quickly on the sorceress. "Leigh! I almost didn't recognize you. Look at you. You have changed a lot since the last time I saw you."

The knight sighed and uncomfortably ran a hand over her head. "It's the hair, I know, Auntie Ranya."

The woman laughed and reached forward to cup her second goddaughter's face. "You have grown up. I take it your apprenticeship with Master Yan went well?"

"It did." Leigh nodded.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come to your ceremony. Knight Leigh of Chitaan, I really like the sound of that." Looking her up and down once more, Ranya pinched her cheeks tenderly and added, grinning, "Did anybody ever tell you that you look absolutely adorable in your armor?"

Leigh felt her ears grow red and warm. She heard the stifled snickers from Wyan and though Ranib had averted his eyes, she could see the smirk on his face. Alannah faced her boldly with a cheeky grin. The knight was pulled into a long embrace, before Ranya left with Zaylan and Loreen to go inside.

Commander Leander, Ranib and Wyan disappeared soon after.

Leigh was just about to follow them as she discovered that Alannah was still grinning at her.

"What?" she asked.

"See? I told you so," the princess responded.

Leigh decided to act indifferently. "I don't know what you mean."

"You look so adorable in your armor." Alannah leaned over and placed a little kiss on Leigh's cheek. "Especially when you blush," she whispered. Turning on her heel, she entered the castle.

Thunderstruck, Leigh stood there, staring after her and touching her fingertips to the place that Alannah's lips had just left. Slowly a smile spread across her features.

"Great," rumbled a sarcastic, female voice, sounding playfully offended. "Now everybody left without giving me a hug. What am I, chopped liver or something?"

Leigh whirled around, finding Firetail staring at her.

The dragon cocked her head, batting her long eyelashes and poked out her lower lip. "Does nobody like me anymore?"

Leigh couldn't help but chuckle. She had never seen a dragon pout. "Now that is adorable," she said and walked over. "I'm sorry. Did you feel left out?"

"Nah, give me a hug little one and I will forget about it," Firetail replied, dismissively waving a claw.

The knight reached for her and the dragon lowered her head until the young woman could wrap part of her snout into an embrace. After a moment Leigh let go and took a step back. "How was that?"

"Well… I remember your hugs being far softer," Firetail answered, winking. "Must be the armor."

Leigh's face darkened. "Don't you dare say that I look adorable wearing armor or…"

"I was not going to do that," Firetail interrupted her nonchalantly.

"That's good. I need to go now. We have something important to discuss but maybe we can go for a ride later."

Firetail's eyes widened surprised. "What? You are not scared of me anymore?"

"Hey, when I saw you the first time I was 5 years old. Of course I was scared then, since I didn't know that dragons could be as nice as you are one. Anyway, Leon will fetch anything you need for you. Please behave and don't frighten him. Can you do that for me?"

The dragon bowed her head and answered seriously, "I will be at my best behavior."

"Thank you, Firetail."

"You are most welcome. I will be looking forward then to take you for a ride later."

"I can't wait." Leigh waved at the dragon and was about to leave the courtyard.

"Oh, and Leigh?" Firetail called her back.

"Yes?"

"You look immensely cute in your armor!"

Rolling her eyes, the knight stomped off, not bothering to reply. Under her breath, she muttered, "Just what is going on? Is it 'Pick-On-Leigh-Day' or something?"

She heard the happy laughter rumbling from the dragon's throat and quickened her steps before Firetail could make another remark at her expense.

*****

As Tyrel heard the heavy footsteps that were drawing close to his cell, he quickly tried to wipe the traces from frustrated tears off his cheeks, threw himself on the straw and wrapped up in the blanket that he had been given.

Some time ago, a soldier had come, giving him a plate with bread and cheese and a mug of water. He also had unshackled the boy and when he came back to retrieve the empty plate and mug he had not bothered to put him in chains once more.

One thing Tyrel had learned during his time as the masked sorcerer's prisoner was to be grateful for small favors.

Time passed and nobody came to rescue him, but being able to move freely even if it was in such confined quarters made it easier to not lose the hope of eventually regaining freedom.

Aside from being the victim of the dark wizard's temper tantrums, because he still would not reveal the whereabouts of Ashkyhra's gem, everybody else was treating him with indifference, though making sure that he was fed and that the cell was kept clean.

Tyrel's heart began to pound as he heard the sounds of a struggle, right in front of the door. Somebody, a female, was to be imprisoned but she didn't want to go willingly. He closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep as the door creaked open and torchlight from the corridor flooded the cell a moment later.

He waited silently, keeping up the pretense of being fast asleep. Opening his eyes a tiny crack, he saw Burak enter and deposit an unmoving woman in sand-colored robes on the floor. The man shackled her, using the chains that were long enough so that she could keep her arms comfortably resting at her sides.

The door closed behind him, casting the cell once more in darkness. Locks and bolts slid clicking and rattling into place.

The boy waited a few more heartbeats until only silence drifted to his ears, before he opened his eyes fully and got off his makeshift bed.

Tyrel walked over to the woman. In the sparse light of torches that flittered through a crack between the door and threshold, he looked at her. There was something distinctively familiar about her. He knew that he had seen robes of that particular color before, but at the moment he couldn't place the memory correctly.

Hesitatingly, the prince of Ashkyhra reached forward and placed two fingertips on the woman's throat, checking for a pulse. He found it and felt relief. "She's alive." Tyrel was trying to decide if he should rouse her or not. In the end, he decided against it. Whoever it was, she deserved to have some more time in solitude before her eyes would look into the abyss and see the terrors that the dark wizard wielded.

The boy rose and dragged the blanket from his heap of straw. He used it to cover the woman's body as best as he could. Holding on to one of her hands for comfort, he sat down next to her, waiting for her to wake up.

*****

Dusk had fallen and only a mild breeze stirred the air over the 'Plains of Darkness'.

His mask secure in place, the dark wizard stood with crossed arms on a rocky plateau. The magical staff leaned against his side, while he watched a few of his soldiers working.

Carrying large jute sacks, the men emptied them in the place Burak told them to. In the matter of merely an hour, the plateau was covered with 36 piles of what appeared to be sand.

After the battle of Pavan had been won and Tanith had been brought to the dungeons, the masked sorcerer had sent his soldiers back with shovels and sacks. Instructing them to be precise and to not miss one grain, he had ordered them to pack up the heaps of sand from the palace's compounds and bring them through the portal to his realm.

"This is the last one, my Lord," Burak told him, gesturing to a soldier that emptied the final sack.

"Good," the dark wizard replied, a trace of impatience in his voice even though he was satisfied with the work of his men. "Have a couple of wine barrels opened and pass them around. The men deserve to celebrate their victory," he added, dismissing him with a wave of his gloved hand.

Burak bowed his head submissively before he left. "As you wish, my Lord."

Once he was alone, the sorcerer took his staff in a tight grasp. He rubbed his left hand across the golden gemstone that he had attached to the top, whispering the words of magic that would activate the jewel's imbedded powers.

The golden light shone like a beacon in the fast approaching darkness and the runes that had been carved into the ebony shaft glowed intensely.

"Let's see what powers you hold, little stone." Holding on to the staff and chanting under his breath, he strode from sand pile to sand pile. Bright rays of light spiraled out of the jewel and into his palm, where it formed to a small golden ball, which was transferred to the heaps of grains. Afterward, the piles were glowing in a dim red light.

The dark wizard walked to the middle of the plateau. Stretching his arms out to the sky, he leaned his head back.

Large clouds rolled in from north, south, east and west. Like a black curtain, they hid moon and stars, making the darkness that had fallen even more impenetrable. The wind had disappeared and an eerie silence filled the air.

He chanted and hit the ground with his staff, the sound of it echoing as loud as a clap of thunder. The ground began to shake beneath his feet and a pattern of thin cracks equal to a spider web appeared on the plateau. Taking it in, he sighed in pleasure. "Earthquakes… that might be useful. I will have to test later how strong I can make them and what damage they can cause."

The dark wizard turned his attention back to the sand piles. They still were as they had been and not a grain had moved while the ground had trembled under them. "They don't seem to be effected," he muttered to himself, pondering. "I guess they are protected from a spell that uses the same source of magic… interesting." He shoved the thought aside for later contemplation.

Swinging his ebony tool in a graceful arc over his head, more words of magic fell from his lips. The butt of the staff hit the ground once more and his deep voice rang loudly across the plateau. "Rise my minions! Rise for your master!"

Grain by grain, the golems manifested slowly under his excited gaze, but there was something different about them. The magnificent creatures didn't look as they did before. Though standing 12 feet tall and bearing a massive stature, a change had occurred on their faces. Their features were twisted as if they were in grave agony.

"Yes, you dumb sand beasts. You have been summoned by a foreign magic-wielder. I'm not your precious High Sorceress," the masked sorcerer gloated.

Moans of confusion and despair came from the golems.

"Nonetheless, I have the gemstone that gives you life. You will do my bidding. You will carry out my orders. You are an exceptionally great addition to my army," he continued in delight and then laughed as the leader of the golems stumbled toward him in order to kneel at his feet. The star on his chest glowed in a murky red. Even though the creature tried to resist, the spell that kept him bound was too strong.

"We await your order, High Sorcerer," the golem forced out, his face a mask of pain and sadness that also could be heard in his booming voice.

"I wish Tanith could see her pet statues now. What would you think of Pavan's sacred protectors bowing to my will, High Sorceress?" Thinking of the expression on the woman's face made him erupt once more in spiteful laughter.

*****

Tyrel's heart almost leapt into his throat as the floor shook beneath him, jolting him from the light slumber that had overcome him. The quaking disappeared as suddenly as it had come and the boy breathed a sigh of relief. "Only a small earthquake," he whispered to himself. Eyeing the ceiling in trepidation, he was glad that it had not collapsed on top of him and his cellmate.

The heavy metal door swung open with a creak and the man he had come to know as Burak stuck his head into the cell. He was holding a torch and regarded the boy coolly. "Is everything alright?" he asked gruffly.

A bit confused by the soldier's unusual behavior, Tyrel nodded hesitatingly. He wondered why the man had shown up.

Burak's gaze traveled to the shackled woman. "What about her?"

"I… I d-don't know," the boy stuttered. "S-she has not stirred yet."

"She will soon enough," Burak snarled and entered the cell. He placed a tablet that contained two bowls with cold porridge and two cups of water in front of the boy. "Eat. When she wakes up, tell her to eat too." With that Burak turned on his heel and was about to leave the cell.

"Could you please leave the torch?" Tyrel asked in a small voice.

The man thought about it. It wouldn't be a big deal.

"Please," the boy begged again.

The scared plea struck a chord in Burak's cold heart. Looking around, he found a small iron ring on the wall next to the door. It would do well as a torch holder and it was clearly out of the boy's or the woman's reach. It probably would have long extinguished, before the sorceress gained consciousness.

Sliding the wooden handle into the iron ring, Burak fixed a glare on the boy, who looked at him. "Don't make me regret it. Am I clear?"

Subdued, Tyrel nodded and choked out words of gratitude.

"Don't thank me," the general grumbled annoyed. "It doesn't mean I like you or anything."

The prince of Ashkyhra lowered his head.

Satisfied that he had successfully intimidated him again, Burak strode from the cell and locked it. Outside, doubts about his action raised their heads. "What have I done?" he muttered under his breath while he walked to his quarters, the look in the boy's eyes haunting him. "Am I getting weak?" He shook his head softly. "No. There are just a few things that the Lord does that I can't agree with."

Glad for the light that had been left behind, Tyrel scrutinized his cellmate after he had eaten. Again, he couldn't shake the thought that he knew her from somewhere.

There was a thin, red line running around her neck as if something had been ripped off her throat with great force. He had no way of telling from which country she came, because she didn't wear a pendant.

His hand, which had been wrapped around her slack one, was suddenly squeezed as the woman stirred.

The shackles around her wrists rattled with each movement and Tanith groaned. Slowly, dark blonde eyelashes opened and she blinked her eyes, trying to get them to focus. Reaching back to rub her stiff neck, Tanith winced. Her sight was very blurry at first, but it cleared eventually.

"Don't be scared," said a voice beside her.

The face of a 10-year old boy came into view. She couldn't believe it and for a moment she thought it was a delusion. "Tyrel?" she inquired carefully.

He was taken aback. "How do you know my name? I didn't introduce myself yet," the boy said, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"By the Spirits! It is you!" Tanith exclaimed, reaching forward with her bound hands to pull him into an embrace.

Tyrel's mind was racing. Perhaps this woman had been sent to rescue him?

After the first feelings of surprise and relief had settled, the sorceress let go of him. "I know, you probably don't remember me…"

"I'm sorry, I don't," he replied. "You seem familiar though. I know that I have seen your robes before."

"It has been a few years since your parents visited me. You were very young then. I'm Tanith, High Sorceress of Pavan. Or rather, I was the High Sorceress… Pavan is no more," she closed, sadness heavy in her voice.

"Did he come to you too? The masked sorcerer from the prophecy, did he come to conquer Pavan?"

"Yes and he took what doesn't belong to him," she hissed through clenched teeth. "He will pay for everything he did, I swear by the Spirits."

"He killed my father," Tyrel said, tears welling up in his eyes. "He just killed him and I don't know what happened to my mother. I was locked up here and every day the dark wizard comes to question me about the stone…" His breath hitched and he couldn't contain the sobs anymore that so desperately wanted to break from his chest.

Tanith pulled him into her arms. "Shh," she soothed the crying boy, who had been brave and strong for a long time, but was now emotionally exhausted. "Everything will be alright." That sentence was for his benefit as well as hers. "We may be imprisoned, but I promise, we will find a way out of here."

"I was praying to our Spirit Axana to come to my rescue, to send someone to save me," Tyrel continued. "He tried to read my mind to get the whereabouts of our jewel but I didn't tell him."

Tanith remembered her conversation that she had with the group of refugees that had fled from Ashkyhra's castle and had found their way to her, asking for help. "Tyrel, do you know what happened to your sister? Do you have any idea where she is?"

He shook his head, the tears slowly drying on his cheeks. "I don't know where she is. When the Shadow Warriors and soldiers came, Mother sent Terrulli off through a secret tunnel. I was supposed to follow, we all wanted to flee, but we didn't have enough time before he came. My sister is brilliant and she can already transform into a tiger. I don't think they caught her or he would stop asking where the stone is."

"Terrulli has the stone?"

"Yes, but she herself doesn't know it. Mother slipped it into a pocket on her dress, I saw her do it," Tyrel explained.

Despite the situation, Tanith had to smile. "I have to give it to Rovannah. That was the smartest way to keep it safe." The smile fell quickly as another tremor made the floor shake. "I wish, I had thought of something like that to keep Pavan's jewel safe."

Tyrel looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Again the cell shook.

"He has unlocked the powers of the golden gem and is taking control of them."

The quaking subsided only to return a bit stronger the next time.

"The earthquakes? He can cause them?"

Tanith nodded, leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes, tortured. "I fear so. And he will use them to get his hands on the other pieces of Asram's Stone of Creation. We have to get out of here!"

"Can you wield magic? These shackles are special ones that robbed you off your powers," Tyrel said.

Her eyes flew open and scanned the interior of the confined quarters. "We will find a way out of here, with or without magic!" Tanith swore fiercely. "Before the bastard came to seize Pavan, I was able to send out a message to the greatest wizard of our time. By now they will know that something is amiss. I firmly believe that more people escaped the battle and got to Livos or so. Our countries will unite against this threat that the so-called 'Deliverer of Peace' poses." She sneered as she thought about this further. "Yeah, all of Yuron will be united. But not under the rule of a masked dictator with a magic twig."

*****

"This just doesn't add up," Ranya said, thinking about everything she had been told. "We must be missing something."

Shortly after her arrival, King Zaylan had ushered them all into the throne room to discuss their next steps, concerning the attack on Ashkyhra. They sat at a round table and each was given the chance to state what information they had.

Ranya rubbed her temples, breathing deeply. She could feel a headache coming.

Seeing this, Loreen excused herself and left the throne room to brew a tea for the High Sorceress.

The tall woman rose from her chair and began to pace, her head lowered and her arms crossed behind her back.

Seven pairs of expectant eyes followed her every move through the room.

"The attack happened at nightfall. The enemy and his army appeared out of nowhere. Everything was destroyed and now the land is deserted," Ranya repeated out loud. "We suspect a magic-user to be the head of this." She paused, rubbing her chin. "What we don't know is who, how and why it was done."

Impatiently, Terrulli started to drum her fingers over the table. Leaning over to Leigh, she whispered through clenched teeth, "This is a waste of time. We are getting nowhere with discussing everything over and over and over again. We have looked at the matter in every possible way. There just is no more information!"

"I know, please calm down," the knight responded, though her patience was running thin too.

Loud knocking interrupted them. It made the High Sorceress stop pacing and all heads turned towards the high double doors.

"Come in," Zaylan called out, straightening up in his chair.

A guard entered. On his right arm sat a small, white dove. "I'm sorry to disturb you, my liege. This just arrived for you."

"That's Goldbeak, Tanith's messenger," Ranya said, recognizing the bird.

The dove jumped off the guard's arm, skittered over the table and stopped in front of the king. Flapping her wings a bit, she held up her leg, gesturing with her beak to the miniature scroll that was tied to it.

Zaylan reached forward, loosening the silky threads and the message fell on the table.

Goldbeak retreated, not taking her black eyes of the man because she still was waiting to be rewarded for her delivery.

The king held his right palm above it and mumbled the words that would break the magical seal. The tiny letter unfolded before him. He picked it up, his eyes immediately moving over the lines of Tanith's tiny handwriting. His face grew slack. "By the Spirits," he gasped.

"What is it, Father?" Alannah, who was sitting closest to him inquired.

"I had hoped I was wrong," he answered. Passing on the scroll to Ranya, he looked compassionately at the Animorph. "I am so sorry."

"What is it?" Terrulli asked, anxiously.

"Your father is dead."

Disbelieving, the girl stared at the king. "No."

"I really am so very sorry."

"No," Terrulli said again, shaking her head in denial. Her lower lip began to quiver and she felt hot tears burn in her eyes. "No, it can't be."

"Tanith says that a group of people from your country that survived the attack came to her, telling her what they had seen," Ranya explained.

Terrulli rose and stormed out of the hall.

Alannah wanted to follow her but Zaylan held her back. "Give her some time."

"What else is the message saying?" Leigh asked.

"We were right about suspecting a magic-user being in on this. The people told Tanith that there also was a troop of Shadow Warriors."

"So we know that it is a wizard, who studied the dark rituals of magic," Zaylan interrupted Ranya.

"And quite a powerful one, if he can raise the souls of dead warriors and bend them to do his bidding," Commander Leander added.

"Queen Rovannah and Prince Tyrel are missing," the sorceress continued reading Tanith's message. "Other survivors tried to escape to Livos."

Zaylan nodded grimly. "We have to get in contact with King Nirios."

Ranya took the seat that Terrulli had left vacant. "I think we should set up a meeting with the High Council of Shircon."

"It would be wise to have all leaders of each country present there. I will send out messages immediately," Zaylan decided and rose.

*****

Continued...