The Suvan Expedition: Departure

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde had not been expecting much when he synchronized to the womans aura. He expected djed traces, maybe some proof of her being a wizard, but was so caught off guard by what he saw, he flinched for a moment. He barely kept from falling out of his seat, and teetered on the edge of it. At first he saw the telltale djed residues, showing the long term magic usage of a personal mage. But then he realized something else, something foriegn. Her aura read as a pale yellow color, recalling him of a flower. And he did see the bits of residue, which he had seen on himself, which was left upon exuding res. Which almost assuredly meant she was a reimancer. But this was pale, and faded. No what so distracted him, was the white hot energy streaking through her, swirling within her aura. It was certainly not something he often saw, and it was with such force that he could not even look directly at it. It was definitely foreign, which would most likely mean gnosis... But it had to be at least more than one mark, for it to be so strong... He had to cancel the flow of djed, could certainly look no further... Though he wondered, if all of that was so evident, what might he have seen by looking closer? Something was coming? A powerful storm, one which even brought fear into this powerful woman? And how could it possibly hit the entire world? What storm could be so strong as to do that? And tomorrow? So soon? She had also known were they were located... And had said that if they stayed there, they would all die... Clyde considered for a moment taking her offer, and hiding out here... But he had to at least head back and warn them... If they did not believe him, he could take the few who did, and hide out here as she offered... "High ground?... What could cause such a storm, as to do that?" Her last comment did make him think... Did he believe her? She seemed honest enough, and did not seem to have lied... And she seemed to want him no harm... If she was wrong, what would it hurt to seek shelter? And if she was right, they could not afford to not listen... Clyde took one more sip of his tea, and then stood up. "Thank you for this warning... You did not have to do so... If what you say is true, as I fear it is, we need to move now... I will go and warn my colleagues, and hopefully they will listen when I tell them of your news." Clyde got up, and moved closer to the door, trying to recall all of the facts he had been given. "I will return once I have. Hopefully with news that they believed me. If not... I will return with those who do... I might be able to help you shelter from the storm, if only a little... And if nothing else, not be alone when this tragedy sweeps the land..."

[Elianos]

Like any good nuit from Sahova would know, people are stupid and the stupider they are the easier they are to exploit. Like Elianos knows, they never get as stupid as the ones who trust. This man probably trusted his savior, his doctor, the first person he met after his recovery with very important information without ascertaining who he was telling it to. Nuits probably easily forget and never bother to discover again those lost feelings and Elianos was one of them. Which was why it was easier for him to do what he did next.

The only question he had to ask himself was how he was going to do it. How far did he want to go? Would he be willing to risk another person taking away his new commodity? After some thinking Elianos made his decision and looked outside the tent. Checking if there is anyone else that might have overheard what was said or see what is coming next. When he was sure that he was as safe as he would ever be, the nuit made his way to the resting man and placed his hand on the body as if he was examining him. He was a doctor after all.

"Just...rest..." he said and started to absorb djed into himself. His hand being a bridge to connect the flow between the two individuals. Watching as the expression on his patient turned from restful to uncomfortable to disturbed, Elianos stopped after a while. While he leeched only to make this man rest longer than normal, maybe a day or two if he was able to quantify it, he hoped that his current state of health would not provide too much complications.

But that did not mean that Elianos had none. He had the ill gotten djed in himself and he knew that he had to get rid of it, and fast before he met with Simian to give his findings. Elianos could feel it in his hand which he used. Revitalized if he could put it in words and in a while it would not be any longer. What a pity. Concentrating as he did earlier, Elianos focused his attempts into pushing instead of pulling. The excess djed going stronger and stronger until "pop!" he felt his hand going forward and floating about.

While it was just using djed by being in that state, Elianos believed that it would go faster if he did things with it. Again looking at his patient on the ground some ideas came to mind. This is going to be one of those rare opportunities where there would be a living, breathing person with a missing limb right in front of him. The projected hand floated over until it was right above the severed leg. As always any doctor knew that there was only one proper test to do at this point with visible effects.

Gradually it went thud...Thud...Thud!...THUD...THUD!...THUD!! as Elianos looked at the reflexes. Curious to see whether the lack of the rest of the leg would have less of a jolt or not. Curious if the mass meant any difference to the speed of the leg kicking up or not. Working off all the extra djed, Elianos was done and started fixing his hand back and walked out of the tent as if he did not do anything out of the ordinary to look for Simian at the place where he left him last.

Once he found Simian, Elianos would say with a sad face that is rare on any nuit that "according to John Doe there is a boy out there. Vulnerable thanks to those ziths..." to see whether or not Simian cared. Maybe he would care if "the boy is the son of a knight?" To Elianos this was of course important because like he had the chance to think it through as he walked, he knew that this expedition was trying to avoid the knights and "I wouldn't be surprised if they have their own expedition as a search party." Hopefully Simian would come to the same conclusion as he did as well.

[Clandestine Duplais]

There was much to do for the young laborer. His attempts at socializing were not met as much. The attempts to chat with the good doctor had not happen, not on a fault of his own creation, the zith's that bloody and gouged the mission at hand vanquished that. The man who had aided in hoisting that large beam said very little, but instead grunted from the force. Perhaps his young state made other believe he had little to offer in conversation. But as he was handed the heavy pouch of squared spikes and a hammer he thought to himself, "maybe I don't have much to offer to this group." This realization made him feel inferior to the rest. It was debatable, however he felt to be the youngest in the entire group. What was he doing here, away from the nurture of Rhysol? The hammer was heavy in his hand as he began to walk toward the task assigned to him. His arms felt tingly, not from magic but from the exertion of hoisting such a heavy piece of wood high into the air. Another of the laborers had already laid the heavy, tan, wood, boards onto a frame. It took him a moment to realize what they were doing as they drove the nails into the wood. He set the pouch down on the wooden floor and aligned the nail before he brought the hammer down onto the flat, squared head. The first hit was soft, as he tested his aim with an unfamiliar instrument. "Well that wasn't to bad," he talked to himself under his breath, "lets try that again." Gallo drew the hammer back and brought the heavy head back down. "Ouch!" He yelped suddenly as the hammer head slipped off the nail and pinched the flesh of his thumb. The pale flesh soon turned bright red and then shortly after dark black as the blood blister formed before his eyes. He choked up on his grip of the hammer, to gain more control, as he hesitantly brought his injured hand back to the nail shaft. He swung the hammer this time with a bit of frustration and anger. It struck firmly as the sound of wood as it snapped and yielded to the pressure. The wooden plank had split, but not to the point that it would do much damage to the structural integrity. Gallo soon found that he could let go of nail after some time and drive the spike the rest of the way into the board. He moved to the next area and began to drive the next bit of nail into the board. His pace did not compare to the others around him, but after fifteen or so nails he had become swifter. The rhythmic pings of metal on metal, metal on wood, began to ring in Gallo's head. It began to annoy him, but soon it turned to mild amusement. His hands were beaten and calloused as he reached the half-way mark. Every now and then, a blood drop pooled into the wooden surface around the nail. Gallo's hand split open from the harsh edges and pinches caused by the rough surface of the iron. His arms shook from the strenuous task and repetitive motion. However, it didn't phase him as the sounds of the hammer's almost brought him into a trance like state. "Clack, clack, ting, ting." Gallo began to mutter to himself in rhythm to his hammer strikes. "Don't worry about a thing." Gallo continued to draw random words from his head as he hammered away. "Clink, ting, tack, clack. If you worry you'll get a smack." Gallo continued with his work as he lent a hand on the manufacturing of the gate. It was all a blur to Gallo as soon the sun had set on the nearly mirrored surface of the ocean. His arms felt like jello, he had not stopped during the day to clean the blood from his hands. Some coagulated and others still bled as he sat on the surface of the gate. He looked at the clean surface and couldn't help himself from an urge to leave his mark. He took one of the discarded and bent nails from earlier and brought its point to the wood. After a moment he began to scribble a few symbols that only himself and possibly his family could decipher, the key was not written however it lay in the hearts of the entire Duplais family. Satisfied, he stood back up and looked around to find one of the two doctors. He didn't know how to treat his own wounds. It was one thing that Vermsinthe, his father, never got around to teaching him. He wandered around until he found the familiar face of Elianos. Certainly the strange man would help him tend to his minor injuries and prepare Gallo for whatever lay ahead. oocDUDE, I apologize greatly that I haven't posted. I forgot all about this thread. I hope me jumping back in will not hurt any story you have going on so far. I again apologize.

[Verilian]

Elianos Whether it was due to the missing limb or the fact that his djed had just been leached from him, weakening his body, his reflexes were much slower than they should have been. Elianos didn't really have any way of knowing which one it was, but either way, the man was slower for it. It took the Nuit a while to find Simian, but eventually he would come across the man overseeing the work on one of the sections of the wall. And by overseeing, that really meant he was sitting sipping away at a glass of wine while all his hired men did all the work.. but that's just how things were. When Elianos approached he barely registered him at first, that was until he recognized the Nuit for who he was. And there was only one reason he could think of that the good doctor would come calling after Simian had already dropped in to check on things. "Ah, has our patient awakened then?" When Elianos told him what the man had said Simian frowned, his hand stroking his chin lightly. He was lost in thoughts for a few moments before nodding his head. "Right then.. thank you for the news. Make sure he lives, will you? And there will be a bonus for you when we get home." Elianos was dismissed while Simian hurried away to do whatever it was he planned to do. The Nuit wouldn't see or hear from the man again until later that evening. Elianos & Gallo Duplais There was much to do throughout the day, and by its end Gallo and his fellow workers had nearly completed the gate. The walls were almost up all the way around as well, and things were moving along swiftly. He wasn't the only one who had bloodied himself working, but he was the first to find the Nuit, Elianos. The sun was nearly set when he came upon the Nuit, but neither would have time to see to his wounds, or say even more than a few words to one another. A loud bell rung, calling for everyone's attention. It was usually used to signal dinner, but that was still at least another bell away. Simian Nitrozian stood atop his wagon in the center of what would soon be the Ravokian-Suvan Trade hub for the entire sea. "Everyone, gather round! No, dinner isn't ready yet, but it will be soon! Before we start, I have an announcement for you all." Two of the guards, both large men in leather armor, appeared and shoved a man forward. He only had one leg and was far too weak to even try stay upright, seeming barely able to remain conscious on top of things. It was Elianos patient. "You all remember our guest, the man we found during the Zith attack? Well, it seems he is a Syliran Knight!!" Elianos knew it wasn't quite true, the man had only claimed to be a servant of the knight's family, but it likely wouldn't be wise to jump to the man's defense considering the reaction of the crowd, many who began whispering curses and calling for the man's death. "Now, now! We all know the penalty for being one of the knights, but let's not get too hasty. Apparently, this man was just one of a party of knights sent to destroy us! They didn't want us to build this outpost that you've all been working so hard. They didn't want Ravok to expand, to spread the word of Rhysol across this great sea you see behind us! I think death would be too swift an end to this man, don't you think!?" Everyone After he finished his tea, Clyde and his dog quickly made their way back to camp. Even in their rush, it was still nearly sunset before they made it back. Clyde returned just as the Nitrozian was wrapping up his speech. The crowd around the wagon made it difficult to see what exactly was going on, but that problem was soon alleviated. The injured man was lifted off the ground and up onto a wagon, where somebody had erected a wooden post behind it. They raised his arms and tied him to the post, then spurned the horses forward, dragging the wagon out from under him. The man cried out as he fell and dangled by his arms, his one leg kicking weakly trying to reach the ground. The Agent of the Black Sun, whose name still eluded most of the party, walked up to the hanging man and carried with him a stone. When he was close enough he threw it, pegging the man in the knee. At the same time, three other men came up wheeling three very large kegs. "Tonight," shouted the Agent, "We celebrate the expansion of Ravok! Tonight we execute this man! Drink! Throw your stones, and be merry! The food will be ready soon. When the sun rises in the morning this wretched knight will die, if he hasn't already succumbed to the stones. Celebrate in Rhysol's name, for this is his will!" A cheer went up, the kegs were tapped, and all around the party began.

[Clyde Sullins]

As Clyde made his way back to town, he saw something had occurred in his absence... What had he missed? He was not sure... But he needed to get his message out... He would do his best to make his way to Nitrozian... To tell him of what he had been told, to convince him of the urgency of his message... But he had no way of knowing if he would listen... Telling him of the coming storm that could destroy them all... Of the lady with the blonde hair, shimmering skin, and the flower tattoo... What he did next depended on Nitrozian... If worst came to worst, and he did not believe him, he would try to take along those who would listen... Well maybe not all who would listen... There was not room for everyone... But at least those who would likely prove useful... And Nitrozian of course, he would want to take him along if possible... Perhaps it was due to his long stay in Ravok... But Clyde was not in a hurry to tell everyone the news he had been given... Better to use the distraction of the celebration to do what needed to be done... He could not help thinking this... But regardless, he would do what was needed to stay alive... And he was fairly certain the woman had told the truth... And since he was committed to believing... He would do the woman's story being true required for him to live...

[Clandestine Duplais]

His minor injuries were quickly forgotten, much like any young boy who scrapes his knee, as Simian drew in his attention. He stood next to Elianos quietly the man he had aided the doctors to help during that traumatic experience of Ziths. The images of his own people being taken out by the beast still plagued him in his sleep. He wondered back for a moment why the Zith had acted so strangely while he attempted to do combat with the monsters. He knew he hadn't done anything to the Zith, perhaps it had a nail loose in the skull? Regardless, his heart beat off the regular rhythm within his chest as the identity, or at least the allegiance, of the man was revealed. He suppressed the urge to turn toward Elianos and mock him. But he was older and more mature then that. Instead he only gave the nuit a slight glance over with a smug smirk plastered across his olive skin. His brownish-green eyes told the entire story of what he had in his head. Only to add a little salt to his already soured attitude by passively stating, "thanks is in order comrade, you helped keep the rat alive long enough for us to kill him." Gallo began to walk away as he joined the collective in a cheer before venturing off among the soon to be strong standing out post. He moved around and only briefly noticed Clyde as he returned from wherever he had wandered to. The man Gallo only recognized as an acquaintance, seemed to look deep in thought. Perhaps even worry, Gallo wanted to know why. He did his best to act nonchalant as he zig zagged his way closer to Clyde. When he was finally near enough, he turned his head and smiled brightly. "Hello there. I don't think I've met you before," Gallo remembered where he had seen that face. Who could forget when that Zith bursted into flames. "How'd you get that Zith to suck in lamp oil?" Gallo seemed inquisitive as he spoke to Clyde off the cuff. It was apparent that the young teen didn't know much about magic or even the flux that he had used frequently was a form of it.

[Elianos]

All Elianos wanted to do was give some good advice. As a doctor (for the expedition anyway) it was his professional interest to make sure that his patient's wellbeing was ensured. As a selfish, ambitious nuit on the other hand, it was in his personal interest that he gave Simian what he wanted along with some advise so that he would live a little bit longer and move up in the Ravok social hierarchy a little bit more. By the looks of it both were ignored during the evening when the man his patient was made the centre of attention. It was all the nuit could do to hope that he would not end up like that when the knights caught up with him, until he was safely back in Ravok.

Only after he returned to Ravok he would turn his hopes into Simian not forgetting about his services as promised. After all he did do what the leader asked even if his efforts was wasted. As soon as Elianos returned back to the tent he started to search for something that would make sure that his patient lives as long as possible but with the more important period time passed he could only make sure that the man was more energetic. Curse his nature to leech the man just to ensure that he had the advantage. Going through the herbs that were foraged and comparing them with the book he had, Elianos finally made some sort of drink.

Being a nuit, the telltale characteristics of the thorns would not hurt him in its preparation although it was annoying when he got the cuts just to see if they were the right one. Elianos with all the time to look forward to will never waste it on trivial things for his works such as colours the way Caiyha has. Grinding down the blue, thorned flower he had into powder and stirring it into the water, Elianos hoped that he had made the drink properly but with no proper test subject around only time would tell.

Yes, not long enough even for the announcement but from what Elianos could see the drink would only do to help him enjoy his treatment at the hands of the brutal Ravokians. It was misleading when all someone would know about them was their beautiful city. And the lies, and the vain attitude from Simian and that lowly grunt by him. His parting words was the limit. He would know, no Elianos himself will show that lowly human the next time he needed help whether in a medical emergency or fight but for now he would just let him off knowing he did not matter because that was in fact, the truth.

It was not too long before another one of those worthless individuals roped the nuit into one of their useless activities. Putting one of those stones into his hand while rambling on about the glory of Rhysol and the atrocities of the knights. Elianos had no time for this...better if he used their bodies in the name of...science but there were too many of them and he had to keep up appearances.

Holding the stone up he had one hand pushing from the back and the other holding from the front. Acting like he was thinking on how to make the throw, Elianos concentrated on the hand in front. The man who urged him on earlier was slowly getting impatient as the nuit worked his djed into unscrewing the hand, the projected limb getting a hold on the stone. While he was doing so, the parting words of the grunt echoed in his mind. Elianos was then sure what he had to do. He being the doctor was held responsible to his patient's life and death. He might as well see the job through well.

When the stone left his hand, propelled forward by whatever strength his weakened undead body could muster, the projected limb picked up and increased the stone's speed. Going faster. Faster still. There was no end to Elianos exerting his concentration in pushing the rock forward right until it hit his target on the head he aimed for, hopefully. Where it will give the man a swift death. Professional courtesy and all that but how long can the nuit use that excuse?

[Verilian]

Several of the men had already thrown their stones, and the "knight" was already bleeding and covered in bruises by the time Elianos had his turn. His stone flew through the air, speeding up as the projected hand guided it along. It flew true, hitting the man square between the eyes. The stone imbedded into his skull, killing him straightaway, but not passing all the way through. Elianos wasn't that strong, but his throw was enough, and even more so, it was enough to elicit a cheer from all those who saw him do it. There were a few disgruntled remarks at the fact that he had ended the fun so quickly, and some people threw their stones anyway, perhaps not realizing the man was dead, but by and large most of the men just cheered and raised their glasses. The keg was already tapped and none would care that Elianos had cut the fun short, there was plenty more to be had. As for Gallo, it was likely that Clyde would be too distracted to stop and chat. The mage was a man on a mission and he quickly weaved his way through the crowd, followed by his loyal dog and the curious construction worker. Simian was not hard to find. He was in his usual place, the large luxurious tent next to the man's wagon. There was a guard posted outside, but he easily recognized Clyde and let him through. Inside the tent Simian and the Agent conversed quietly. A map was on the table between them, and the room had the air of a military meeting about it. "We send one squad here, and the other one south to this point," the Agent said in a calm tone. "This is most likely the area they will be in, so the larger squad will go there." Simian nodded in agreement before looking up at the entrance of the tent. When Clyde entered the man frowned and both of them turned his way. "Yes? What is it," Simian inquired of the young mage. OOCOnly two or three posts left to this thread. I hope to wrap it up by the end of the month, if not sooner.

[Clandestine Duplais]

Alone. Gallo at least half expected a nod from the man named Clyde. But as the busy man continued on his path Gallo for the first time felt alone. Surrounded by the celebration of fellow Ravokians, he didn't join them. His own childish arrogance and naivety of the world outside of Ravok alienated him from the diverse group of people. The brew which was given to them to celebrate the capture and subsequent stoning of the sylirian knight he turned down. Vermsinthe, his father, always told him not to drink, it clouds the mind. Faithful to his father's requests he decided to find a spot away from the festivities to sit and spectate. “Just a dog,” Gallo muttered to himself, “someone to do labor when needed. When will I be of more use to you Ravok?” The boy, only just a teen, sat in silent thought as he played with a blade of grass. When he grew bored he plucked the grass and brought it to his face. The piece of grass, now dead, was splayed over the palm of his hand. But it was only his breath that disturbed it when he blew it off and into the air. It drifted carefree and settled down someone where nearby. “I couldn't even defend a doctor from those Ziths. Has everything you taught me been for nothing father?” Self doubt crawled up his spine like spiders in the bedding. A nuisance, but sometimes a painful reminder of their existence. Emotions flooded the young body; it disturbed him. He had begun to notice changes in his body, as well as the way he interacted with his father. But he didn't know why? He could still remember the argument he had before he left. “Gallo Dupalis!” Vermsinthe's voice echoed in his head, “why haven't you kept up with your tasks? You're slacking! A loose rope is useless to hold a vessel to the dock, why are you being a loose rope?” Gallo laid back where he sat and gazed at the darkened sky. The stars were voluminous as he reached an outstretched hand toward them. His hand closed into a loose fist as he brought it toward his face. His fingers opened slowly and revealed nothing. “I failed again.” He spoke with a sigh, almost as if he expected to have captured a star from the sky. Gallo brought that hand down to find the small pendent his sister had made out of twine and twig. The rough surface gently scraped his fingers. “Your sister is gaining attention from the Black Sun, why aren't you?” Vermsinthe's voice returned as Gallo's heart began to pump faster. Anger began to grow at the pit of his chest. “I know the reason. You haven't been to the temple in days. Why can't you be like your sister?” Gallos breath began to hasten as he remembered the last line. He hated to be compared to his sister. His heart even now, began to race with fury. “I am not my sister, why do you keep comparing us?” Gallo's own voice chimed in like a ghost from the past. “I'm my own person, why can't you respect that? I always do what you want, but never what I want.” Gallo's heart raced, but not like it did during the argument. No, rage wasn't the cause of his anxiety. It was an emotion much more complex, “I bet we're just trophies to you. Things that you can show off to the rest of the city and be proud of. I bet you don't even love us.” Now as Gallo sat in reflection, the slap to the face hurt less than the guilt he felt. Once more loneliness, and now even guilt, crushed down on his spiritual body and caused a tear to fall from his face and onto the ground. He didn't know why he felt the way he did. But he did know that he hated it, “I'm sorry dad.” He muttered and continued to lay in rest in wait of the next time he was needed. Alone. Gallo remained in solitude for a bit longer, but time began to work it's magic. Time healed all wounds, some slower than others, but soon young Gallo felt well enough to stand back up and rejoin the festivities going on about the new Suvan trade post. Gallo began to mingle and listen to the crowd around him as they recounted stories of their adventures in the name of Ravok, The Voice, and even Rhysol himself. He listened and learned from many a men, perhaps children were indeed meant to be seen but not heard. But Gallo soon came to peace that he was indeed naive and still had much to learn. Perhaps a different approach should be taken when he spoke with any of them. He continued to pass the white, wood, keg which many drank from in celebration. He still didn't partake, however as he shifted from one group to the other he felt more and more in the same celebratory state as the rest of them. But much like the sheep they were, he was blissfully ignorant to what lay in the near future. He passed the dead knight as his body continued to hang stoned to death. He had heard the irritated grumbles from some of the men as they spoke of Elianos but quickly moved to other happier conversations. Indeed Gallo felt the death was much to quick for the man; an accidental act of mercy. He stood before the dead knight, sent to prevent them from the achievement of something truly great for Ravok. "I have news for you knight. I may be nothing but a boy in your eyes, but I am a citizen of the ones that will never be broken." Gallo reflected again as his confident, arrogance began to form and rebuild itself. "I personally vow to our watcher, our protector, our father, to protect the city I love so dearly. Those like you who appose the collected views shall be destroyed without any mercy. Ravok stands shoulder to shoulder, prepared to defend this great city. As long as I have my family and the city to fall on, this vow will never leave." Gallo felt stronger than ever as he began to see clearer as to why his father had pushed him so hard since boyhood. He only wanted Gallo to be prepared to stand up to those who appose Rhysol, to be able to fight for what is right. Gallo unwrapped one of his fingers and scraped off any scab that had formed under the minor wound. He winced in pain, but he didn't mind at all. To fueled with an epiphany of his own creation to care about the pain. He brought his finger that wept crimson down to the top of the cooling corpse's foot. He drew a capital G within a capital D as a symbol to himself that it was time to be serious, long gone are the times of hide and seek among Ravok. It was time to be reborn.

[Clyde Sullins]

And now it was time for Clyde to tell his tale... And the warning he had recieved... He quickly launched into it, telling the man the majority of the essentials of the encounter, though glossing over more tedious things, like stopping for tea. "I was out on my search, when I ran into a blonde woman, with a odd tattoo of flowers. I ended up in her house not to far from here, which seems to be carved right out of the rock, perhaps by magic. And she gave me a dire warning, one which I fear is true." "Her grave warning was of a powerful storm, one that would strike the entire world! She warned it would strike tomorrow, and if we do not find shelter, we will all surely die..." Then Clyde took on a different face, as he looked around to make sure no one was listening... Once he was certain enough, he went on... "She said high ground would protect us from flooding, but that alone will not protect us from all dangers... But a few people, could come back with me to her house, and shelter the storm there, were we would be relatively safe... I can lead them to it... But not everyone will fit or be able to come..." He paused here, his words making it clear that he was saying they would likely have to abandon the expedition, and most of the people with it... "You can believe me or not, it is up to you. But I am going back there to weather the storm... If you are wise, you will not risk dying and will come along also..." He stopped here, waiting for the mans response... To call him crazy, or shout at him... All he could think of was that strong foreign magic within her body, such as he had not seen before... Magic that she was surely not the source of... It had to come from somewhere... But what had it been, or meant?