Lore: Upon The Heels of War

Post by **Emora Deen** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:51 pm

Rai screamed in terror, holding her eyes shut and covering her head, couching down with her mother couching over her. She peeked out through half closed eyes at the massive black cloud of crows and couldn't help but think that it was all her fault. If she wouldn't have called the bird silly, maybe it wouldn't have been so mad!

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 11:05 pm

The crows were massing together thickly, and Soran was thrown back to the floor. Blade rushed to help his father up and saw how thickly the crows were circling around his mother and Rai. It was almost like they weren't even crows anymore. Blobby was at his shoulder, and squeaking like mad. Blade understood it, they were dark magic.

"Dad," Blade warned, "It's dark magic!" A vicious cackle sounded, a woman's voice. It cause those paralyzed with fear to finally run out yelling. Blade's pupils were pinpoints and a cold sweat form on his brow and back as he watched a woman... no, it couldn't be a woman. More like a woman's corpse. She seemed to walk right out of the mass of dark magic crows that were circling Mizuki and Rai, who were screaming unheard, inside.

"Good eye boy," cackled the deranged woman, standing languidly in front of the chaos. She dressed like she was the Queen of Arken. A long, blood red skirt split all the way up to her hip on one side. A crimson bustier bordered with black lace was tight on her torso, pressing against the gray bosom. Jet black hair streamed around her shoulders like a dark halo. She could be the Witch Queen's half sister if it weren't for the obvious pallor of her skin. This woman, was dead. "And yet you still lack the ability to even control what you have in your veins." Her stare, it was like a black void.

"I'll be taking them now," her smile was twisted, like she knew some secret joke. "My Queen has an... interest in your dear mother."

"Don't you harm her! I'll kill you!" Blade yelled.

"Then why don't you?"

Blade hesitated, finding himself immobile. The sorceress cackled again saying, "You're a fly. Don't move and I wont swat you."

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 11:02 pm

Soran tried to sit back up too fast, and found he'd landed harder than he thought as his back protested. He had to roll sideways to stoop back to his feet and stare at the woman who was attacking Mizuki. The conversation between she and Blade was like white noise as he edged around the swarm of crows, trying to spot Mizuki and Rai amidst the rush of feathers. He didn't see a good way in, and it was obviously a waste of energy to break through as he'd tried before.

"What do you want?" he demanded, interrupting her conversation with Blade.

About that time the doors to the throne room burst open. Sinead stormed out into the hall, closely followed by several guards and protective wizards who seemed to be coaxing her not to do anything rash. When enraged, Sinead could be a difficult woman to protect. "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded, and it was like her voice was louder than the crows, louder than the entire building. Her eyes flared a brilliant blue, shining with power. She met the eyes of the sorceress, fierce and challenging. "You dare work dark magic uninvited within these walls," she said, walking to Blade's side, and her quiet voice held enormous threat behind it.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 2:41 pm

The sorceress smiled wickedly and causally waved her hand at Sinead. "My Queen sends her regards, and apologizes for the fact it is not you she sent me for." She twisted her fingers around in a pattern and the circling of crows became a black, diminishing, cylinder.

"Bye bye. I'd tell you they'll be fine but... oh! They wont be." She laughed, backed into the black cylinder before it completely vanished, and then suddenly it was gone. Mizuki and Rai were gone with the sorceress.

Blade's anguished cry sounded more like a hollow roar from a zephyr. He had fallen to his knees and crouched over into a ball.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 11:35 pm

Soran's eyes grew dark with rage as the stranger disappeared and his family was taken with her. "Hey! Wait, HEY!" he roared, drawing his blades from their inconspicuous bangles and running to the edge of the balcony window as if they might still be out there nearby. "GET BACK HERE!" he hollered furiously, his voice fading out over the tree-lined coast that bordered this side of the palace. A hand touched his shoulder, and he whirled around, fierce enough to kill.

Sinead just frowned and watched the rogue register her, slowly lowering the arm that was about to strike her. "They can't hear you," she said. The feral look in his eyes told her he wasn't especially grateful for that piece of information, but he turned his attention away from the window and looked at her quietly. If he spoke a word to her, he didn't trust himself not to ssay something that would get him thrown in with Sid.

The queen turned from him to Blade, kneeling beside his huddled form and touching his back gently. "Do you understand this, prince?" she asked him quietly, as if any louder and she might break him.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 8:55 am

Blade managed to nod numbly into the ground. He needed to get his mother back... somehow. But where were they? What did they want--Oh, no. 'Mom's a seer,' he thought with devastation, 'She could predict their movements, their going to make sure she doesn't. But what do they want with Rai?'

Where there was once anguish and tears, he lifted his head for all to see that there was now a dark rage to match his father's. Maybe even more. His wings arched, like an animal trying to make itself bigger to ward of predators.

"I need to get them back." he said with a flat, dangerous tone.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 9:46 pm

Soran made his way over to blade, ignoring the queen's attentive gaze. She stood and stepped back as he crouched across from blade and the two made eye contact. The energy that passed between them was real enough to taste in the room. The two men were sharing the same thoughts, and they knew it. "Do you know where to find them?" Soran asked.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 9:54 pm

"I can find out," Blade said, getting up to his feet. His wings were still arched out, and his back was straight. His dark hair fell over his eyes adding more danger to his glare. He held out his hand and the little black blob of dark magic slithered onto his open palm. It shivered and suddenly went flat on Blade's hand. Slithering out around his hand, making a glove of black magic on the prince's hand and shinning with light, like they were looking through a dark window. Blobby, made it easier for Blade to track people.

It was like a black mirror in his hand as Blade gazed down into it. He concentrated on his mother and Rai, they were found instantly, since they had departed not too long ago. He saw the camp near the border, in Arken...

"Darkwood," Blade said in a harsh whisper.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:53 pm

Soran pressed his fingers to his temples, trying to cool his racing thoughts. Darkwood...damn, that was far. A week's travel on good mounts just to the Border, and crossing those peaks would be a perilous task that no mount would tolerate. He felt the beginnings of a scream starting up his throat, and bit down hard on the walls of his mouth to drive it back down. He hated not knowing what was going on, and he hated how vulnerable his love made him right now.

It had taken a long time to let himself care enough to hurt this much. His family was gone. Everything he gave half a shit about, just taken away in front of him, and he couldn't think of another soul in the world he could scream to that would make him feel any better. Mizuki was the only one he could do that in front of. His throat closed again, and he spoke quickly and clearly to prevent whatever was welling up behind it. "We can't go on foot," he said, knowing that Blade would have reached the same conclusion already.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:59 pm

"Nor can I outright fly there. Too long, and they spot me easily." Blade said, watching with distant eyes as the blob of dark magic receded back into its normal form and disappeared back up his arm. His mind rapidly thought of ways to get there quicker. Many came to mind but it was all dangerous with his sorcery not being perfect. Could they even get someone else to teleport them?

"Queen Sinead," he started, voice low and jaw set tightly. "Do you have anyone who can send us to Darkwood by magic?" Another thought passed through his mind as he asked her; they would need someone who knew Arken military at its present state.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 11:15 pm

Sinead observed Soran and Blade, and thought about Blade's question. "My mages can create a portal within the area my own magic controls, but their magic is blocked by Arken's own power. I could arrange for you to get as far as the Border, but the only one who could take you beyond it...just left to rescue my maiden.

Soran's eyes shot up at her skeptically. "That fool of a vampire?"

"He is much more than a vampire," Sinead said coldly, the pity she'd felt for Soran's situation slowly trickliing away.

"When does he return?" Soran asked, hating the thought of asking that creature for help. His question made something in Sinead's expression falter, and Soran realized that Sinead was feeling the same thing they were; she didn't know if she'd see the vampire or her maiden again.

He shook his head tightly. He couldn't handle any sympathy for the queen of Ighten right now, and she didn't look like she needed any, at least not from them. He looked back at Blade. "How much control do you have over your magic?" he asked the boy. The very idea was nightmarish, but losing everything was a good motivator for rash decisions.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 11:22 pm

Blade lowered his head, weighing the options they head. "My magic is chaotic. It could be fine one moment, and a disaster the next." he said, recalling one of the elders saying that is the curse of having mixed blood. "But with enough focus... I could manage something." He had enough focus, getting his family back. He glanced at the Queen and the guards who had followed to protect her, then to his father.

His father used to be an Arken soldier, but he wasn't enough. He had older information. Arken soldiers and tactics could've changed now, they couldn't take the risk. Therefore...

"I have an idea..." and without another word he stalked off from the room, gesturing with a stiff twitch of his hand for his father to follow. He was headed for the dungeons, and whether or not the Queen approved was now out of the question. He didn't need a Queen's approval to save his mother and sister.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:25 am

Soran's eyes followed the young half-angel. He had no idea what the boy was doing, but rose to his feet and prepared to follow.

Sinead, however, had a guess. "Mr. Nightblade has already pleaded for that prisoner's freedom, and failed. If you expect to take him out of my dungeon, I require a good reason," she said firmly. "Do not forget that this is my palace, and my kingdom, dark angel." There was nothing unkind in her words, but Sid was an enemy soldier, and she was growing a little tired of Blade's headstrong 'diplomacy'.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:26 pm

Blade's wing's ruffled and shuddered with annoyance, but with dignity and pride, he turned to face the Queen and bowed stiffly.

"I mean no offense, but I wish to question the prisoner for information on where we are headed. And if needed, take him with us." Blade's voice was monotoned.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:45 pm

"If that is the case, can I depend on you to ensure the prisoner's safe return?" she asked.