Original: To Fire It Shall Return

Chapter 9

Kelden stirred and awoke. He didn't immediately remember where he was, but he knew it was soft, and comfortable. The warm breath of someone beside him tickled his ear and suddenly he remembered and opened his eyes with a start. The first thing that he registered was that everything was black - even though moonlight was streaming in through a window, set high up in the wall. He tried to creep out of the bed without awakening Karanis, but the springs creaked and she opened her eyes. Immediately, guilt assailed him, though he didn't know why. She stretched luxuriously, resembling a cat in her self-satisfaction.

"Thank you," she said, her voice low and seductive. Despite his horror at what he had allowed her to do, he felt a thrill race up and down his spine.

"My pleasure," he managed, though his tongue seemed to be attached to the roof of his mouth. A wave of dizziness swept over him and he identified the feeling as the result of an energy-sapping spell, though he had never felt it before, or inflicted it on others. "Look, uh," he stopped, but she continued to look at him innocently, wide-eyed. "Don't mention this to the others. They… they wouldn't understand." She smiled mischievously.

"Oh? You after the mortal girl? I don't think you're her type." Kelden flushed in irritation, though he knew that she hadn't guessed rightly.

"No. And besides, she's not mortal. She's a sorceress too, or didn't you notice?" He said this with a faint air of contempt. She flinched.

"I noticed," she said hotly, "I just didn't know if you had, and don't change the topic. Why don't you want the White Sorceress and the girl to know?"

He sighed. "I told you, they wouldn't understand. You've discovered that I use black magic--"

"Why is that, by the way?" she broke in.

Kelden shrugged. "I don't know. I have a white familiar, and I was trained White, but somehow my magic keeps turning out black. No one can understand it. Anyway, Lelahn's already testy about it and if she discovers I slept with you…"

"All right, I'll try not to embarrass you. But I would think you would be more worried about what Alainna would think than some pseudo-sorceress with a hang-up." Kelden didn't bother to ask why, he knew what she was thinking, and didn't want to be caught concealing it. It would be much better if she thought he didn't care enough to pursue it.

Desperate to escape the oppressive black room, he suddenly jerked his head up.

"Oh, Karim's waking up. I'd better go." He didn't give her a chance to needle him again as he walked purposefully - but not so quickly that she would know his true feelings - toward the door. He greeted the white room with extreme gratitude. He gazed fondly at the shadow on the bed that must have been Alainna with a smile and then carefully got into the bed. She shifted a bit, but didn't wake up. Grateful, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall into an exhausted sleep.

A few hours later, he and Alainna awoke again to the smell of bacon frying. She didn't ask him where he had been, but strangely, that made him feel worse than if she had accused him of something. They regarded each other for a long time, then, without a word they got up and went into the kitchen to see what Karanis was doing.

After breakfast - seemingly the first good meal they'd had since leaving on this journey - they all stood up from the table and announced their intention to leave.

"But, you can't leave now, it's not safe." Karanis protested. Surprisingly, it was Lelahn who spoke up. She seemed well-rested for the first time and glared at the woman with heated contempt.

"We are going to leave, and you can't stop us. We are on a mission, and we are going to fulfill it, no matter what people like you try to do to us. Do you want to face the power of three, including that of the White Sorceress, or do you want to let us go?" Karanis flushed, and capitulated.

"I'm not trying to keep you from doing anything. I'm only trying to warn you of the dangers."

"I'm sure we can handle it," said Alainna icily, her White righteousness fueled by Lelahn's support. "Let's go." They retrieved their packs and left the house. Not once did Karanis try to stop them.

They left the clearing with the sun shining hotly on the backs of their heads. This was the first time they had traveled by day since the Horses had been killed and it felt strange to see the sun again. They left the house behind and entered the forest, welcomingly cool after the southerly warmth of the sun. No sooner had they been enveloped by the soft greenery then Lelahn began to hear rustling in the underbrush. What had once been bare ground with thin, stunted trees had slowly evolved to thick underbrush and tall, majestic palms as they had crossed from the Badlands into Mecco. They gave little thought to the rustling - they weren't in the Badlands now, it was probably just a squirrel or a similarly innocuous creature. Fifteen minutes later, Lelahn heard a harsh growl behind them. She whirled, seeing the others out of the corner of her eye doing the same.

Standing behind them was a single creature of the same variety as the creatures they had fought outside of Kaladar. It grinned at them gap-toothily and brandished its knife. Lelahn tried not to laugh as it charged. Kelden stepped forward and quickly disemboweled it. The creature collapsed and expired with a grating scream. He casually wiped the blood off his sword on a tree trunk that was covered in furry grey moss. They contemplated the crumpled thing on the ground for a moment, then about-faced to continue their journey - and froze in mid-step.

A virtual army of creatures faced them. Row upon row of round, yellow eyes stared at them, thousands of unblinking orbs. When the attack came, Lelahn found herself fighting for her life. She slashed and parried wildly, trying to keep the forest of knives at bay. She dispatched seemingly hundreds of creatures, but still they kept coming. Despite her every effort, she was being forced back, step by excruciating step. After several eternities, she found herself back in the clearing, and suddenly had nothing to fight. The three blood- and sweat-soaked travelers stared incredulously as the creatures milled about at the point where the trees stopped and then vanished like elves into the underbrush, as if they had never been there. Karanis stood behind them with her arms folded, an arrogant smile on her face.

"Back so soon?" she asked innocently.

Kelden struggled to keep his eyes open and his mind focused despite the distraction of Karanis' long, delicate fingers curling through the soft, pale hair on his chest.

"Karanis," he began. She raised her head off the pillow and looked at him. For a moment he was amazed that she was so wide awake when he felt so drained. Then he remembered that her energy was the reason he was so tired in the first place and another wave of guilt hit him. He pushed it back angrily, he had waited for three-hundred-years for Alainna, he wasn't going to wait another three-hundred. Karanis was still looking at him expectantly and he struggled to remember what he had been about to say. "You arranged that, didn't you?" he accused. She shook her head.

"If you are referring to the leather-backs, then I don't know what would make you say that."

He grinned bitterly. "We've fought them before, and this time it was different. Last time they were actively trying to kill us, and they were less organized. This time it was as if they were simply herding us, not trying to hurt us at all."

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't know, that's what I'm asking you. Furthermore, why did they stop at the border of the clearing like that, if you weren't controlling them?"

"That I can answer, at least. I have a spell that protects this area. As you can see, the leather-backs can be quite a nuisance, especially to a lone traveler."

"If they can't come in here, then why would they herd us here?" he demanded.

Karanis shrugged. "Who can know their minds? I certainly never professed to. Now," she said, her voice falling to a softer tone, "go to sleep, darling." He tried to protest, but then her lips were on his, and even as he felt the fire rise in him again, he felt himself drifting off into a deep dreamless sleep.

When they woke up the next morning, Alainna had had a lot of time to stew over what had happened the day before. Her reputation as the White Sorceress had prevented her from saying anything then, but now she couldn't contain her indignation. She moved in on Karanis the moment she saw her, at breakfast.

"How dare you keep us captive?" she demanded.

"I have done no such thing. You are free to leave any time you like." Karanis replied calmly.

"You are keeping us here against our will, and I warn you not to."

"Oh? And if I were doing what you accuse me of, just what would you do about it?"

"You don't want to know." Alainna's voice was quiet, menacing, but Karanis laughed.

"Why, how fiery of you Sorceress. I'm surprised," she teased. Then the smile vanished, replaced by a hard, sober look. "In any case, you can't hurt me, and certainly can't kill me. If you do, the leather-backs will overrun this area - and believe me, there are a lot more of them than you saw yesterday. Only this time, they won't just try to drive you away."

"You dare incur the wrath of the White Sorceress?" Alainna nearly shouted.

"Yes, I dare." Karanis folded her arms arrogantly, "I dare because if you value your life, you won't do anything about it. I'm not going to kill you, just keep you here until I'm absolutely sure that you can't interfere with the Black Wizard. It shouldn't be more than three or four days." Alainna's face reddened, like a volcano ready to erupt, but Kelden put a steadying hand on her shoulder.

"Be cool Alainna. It's all right," he said quietly and she felt her anger subside. Now they had a time limit. In three days it would be too late to stop the Black Wizard from doing whatever it was he was doing. At least now they knew that he was doing something. They had to escape from this gingerbread-house before then.

Hours later, Karanis was busy making dinner for the three now-unwilling guests - she was a determined cook, with enough enthusiasm for her goal of making her prison attractive for the three travelers, to make up for her lack of skill. She was so consumed by her efforts that it allowed them to meet in the white bedroom while she was cooking. Alainna smiled at Lelahn who, for the first time, smiled back broadly. Then Alainna looked at Kelden, her heart rising in her throat. He was stroking Karim's back, totally absorbed in this activity. She knew what he had been doing with Karanis for the last two nights, and every time she thought of it, her skin grew cold. She knew it wasn't her business, but she was rapidly coming to the conclusion that she didn't care. If she was making him a regular victim - and considering the dark circles under his gorgeous eyes, she certainly was - then it would slowly become harder and harder for him to resist. Eventually he wouldn't want to leave at all. A part of her mind tried to convince her that it was only jealousy that prompted her thoughts but she ignored it. As his friend, she had a duty to protect him.

Finally she opened her mouth.

"Anyone have any ideas on getting out of here?" she asked. Lelahn shook her head.

"We can't just leave. She's determined to keep us here. Even if we try to go home, she'll still get those creatures to attack us, in case we decide to circle around and get at the Black Wizard from another direction, and there's too many of them." Kelden looked up, blinking as if waking up from a deep sleep.

"Maybe we should try anyway. We're ready for them this time and maybe if we kill enough of them, we'll eventually get through, even if we have to just keep going back into the forest."

"That sounds as if it will take an awfully long time," said Alainna apologetically.

"What about Karanis' Horse?" Lelahn spoke up suddenly. Alainna thought for a moment.

"That sounds good, except Koldar may see us with his magic and then he'd know who we were."

"We could steal Karanis' clothes, then we wouldn't be drawing attention to ourselves. If we're lucky, he won't notice our auras."

"It's worth a shot," said Kelden suddenly. His eyes focused and the light burst back into being within them. He finally looked himself again. Alainna nodded.

"Very well then. First we have to figure out where she keeps her clothes."

"There's a closet in the black bedroom. I think I saw black clothing in there," Kelden volunteered.

Alainna tried not to wince. "Go and look then," he said. He nodded, smiling, and left the room. Alainna gazed after his retreating back until the door closed behind him. Then she looked back at Lelahn. She was staring at her, an inscrutable expression on her face.

"What is it? Are you all right?" Alainna asked.

"I should be asking you that," she answered.

"What do you mean?" she protested, "Of course I'm worried about him, but he's my friend-" Lelahn cut her off.

"You know, for the White Sorceress, you sure lie a lot." Alainna drew back in indignation.

"What do you-"

"Don't try to argue. I know how you really feel about him, even if he doesn't. It's not as if you've been very subtle." Alainna said nothing, glancing down at the floor and then back at the amusement in Lelahn's eyes. She felt herself growing hostile,

"What's your point?"

"Only to ask if you're okay," Lelahn said quietly, "I don't have to tell you that he's sleeping with another woman, and a black sorceress at that. Don't I have as much a right to worry about you as you do me?" This was said in an almost plaintive tone and Alainna immediately softened.

"Of course you do, dear. I'm sorry. I didn't want to burden you further."

"It's not a burden," she protested, then her words grew softer. "Besides, it gives me something else to think about. I can almost feel him, we're so close."

Alainna smiled encouragingly. "Thank you, Lelahn." The women embraced, their auras mingling and causing an electric tingle to flicker across their skin. Alainna pressed her lips against Lelahn's cheek and stepped back, keeping her hands on the girls shoulders. "Thank you. And I will be all right." She dropped her hands as Kelden opened the door, carrying a bundle of clothes. He had already changed - the black clothes suited him with a perfection that made Alainna shiver involuntarily. Except for the silver amulet hanging around his neck, rather than a gold one, he looked exactly like Koldar. Lelahn stared at him, naked panic on her face and Alainna had to grasp her arm and shake her slightly before she would take the dress that he offered. He turned away to put his white clothes in a pack while they changed quickly. Lelahn's hands were shaking, but she managed.

"We don't have much time, so let's get going," he said.

They crept quietly past the kitchen, not allowing Karanis to see them as they left the house, closing the door noiselessly. Lelahn felt restricted and self-conscious in the short, tight-fitting dress. They nearly ran across the grassy lawn to the stable. Kelden reached the small building first. He slowed to step over the threshold… and there was a bright flash. Kelden flew backwards and landed on the ground, unmoving. Alainna let out a soft cry and knelt at his side, laying a hand on his forehead and closing her eyes. Lelahn approached the stable more carefully and put out a hand. When it met the doorway it stopped suddenly. She felt a strange tingling feeling on her palm. There was nothing here, but try as she might, she couldn't push her hand further in. Alainna looked up.

"He's fine. The spell just knocked him unconscious," she said, with the tone of someone who doesn't care if anyone is listening, but just needs to hear the words said.

"It's like an invisible wall. My hand just stops and I can't move it any further forward, but there's nothing there." Reluctantly Alainna left Kelden's side and walked over to Lelahn. She reached out with one hand until it stopped. She tested it, pushed against the invisible barrier with the flat of her hand, then frowned. She closed her eyes, and her hand began to glow, not brightly, but from within. Whatever she was doing, it hadn't been among those spells that she had told Lelahn about; it must be one of those special White Sorceress spells, Lelahn concluded. Alainna opened her eyes as the blue light faded in her hand and pursed her lips pensively.

"It's a simple spell. If I was at home, I would have no problem defeating it. Unfortunately I have no resources besides what I brought with me, and that won't do." Kelden groaned, opened his eyes. Alainna dashed to his side, but he waved her off, standing up painfully.

"Why don't you try to find Karanis' spell room? The door is probably in her room somewhere."

"She'll notice me searching her room Kelden, I'm sure," she protested, with the easy teasing air of one talking to a close friend. He shook his head.

"I'll distract her, don't worry." I'll bet you will, thought Lelahn. She stifled the sardonic smile and said,

"We should return, Karanis will be finished making supper soon." They snuck back and changed quickly, barely managing to compose themselves before Karanis came looking for them for supper.

Kelden entered Karanis' bedroom quietly and closed the door. The sorceress was lying with her back to him, the position of her legs, the curve of her back, all a personification of sexual desire. Despite himself, he felt the desire rise up inside him, like a warm fire that rushed outward from his centre toward the tips of his fingers so that he was lit from inside like a glowing coal. He sat down beside her on the black coverlet and laid a hand on her shoulder, caressing the soft flesh and delicate bone through the cloth. She rolled over to look at him, smiling. For a moment he was exquisitely fascinated by her full, reddened lips. Their fleshy tone provided the perfect balance for the virginal milkiness of her face. The lips parted, forming words exactly and showing brief flashes of perfect white teeth.

"My angel prince, you have come to me again." She reached up with one bare arm and caressed his cheek. His skin tingled electrically at the touch, and he shivered.

"Of course," he whispered. He leaned down over her and kissed those perfect, soft lips. After a minute or two, he forced himself to draw away. "Alainna is outside, she will probably not come in again. Perhaps we could spend the night in my room," he whispered, then he grimaced. "I don't like the colour of this room." She pouted mockingly.

"This room is black, so am I. Do you dislike me as well?"

"Of course not, but can I not pretend that you are truly the angel that you resemble? It's not easy in here," he said, desperately searching for a plausible reason to get her out of the room. To his surprise, she bought it.

"I wouldn't dare deprive you of your fantasy life, my love," she teased. She stood up and took hold of his hands, pulling him to his feet. This sent him momentarily off balance and she pressed against him, drawing his face down into another kiss.

Eventually they managed to make their way to the white bedroom.

In the kitchen, Alainna sat at the kitchen table and listened to their progress - which she could only describe as haphazard - until she heard the door to her bedroom open and close. She stood up, mentally calling Sharra as she crept into Karanis' bedroom. This was the only room she had never been in. She closed her eyes and turned slowly, trying to sense the pull of Worked magic that would accompany a spell room. She found herself facing the closet and immediately moved to open the door. The row of clothes that greeted her did not surprise her. She felt along the back wall until her fingers encountered a smooth indentation in the wood and pressed there. The wall obediently slid aside and she was hit by a blast of warm air. She dove into the black hole, running noiselessly down the stone steps, her white skirt flying. She hoped she would have the time she needed to defeat the spell.

Kelden struggled to stay awake, despite the crushing fatigue that hung like smoke around him. He was about to lose the battle with himself when he heard Alainna's step outside the door. She passed the room without stopping and he heard low mutters in Lelahn's room. He felt his heart freeze as the reality of what he had been doing hit him again with a force that brought tears to his eyes. He pushed the misery away angrily and forced himself to be objective. Alainna was his friend, nothing more. His own feeling toward her were not shared, so he had no allegiance to her. He was breaking no loyalties and Alainna had not passed by his room because she was angry, she had passed because she didn't want to wake Karanis up.

He got to his feet as carefully as he could. Karanis didn't react. He pulled his black clothes on, tucking Karim into the loose breast pocket against which his white hide gleamed like snow on black coals.

Have I been an idiot? Karim looked up at him, his green eyes glowing out of the pocket.

Yes, you have.

I thought so. Why didn't you say anything?

Would it have made any difference? You were in thrall. I think you should stick with Alainna, though. She's more our type.

You're right. I hope I haven't destroyed any chance I might have with her.

I doubt it, she's very understanding. Now, we should go.

Right, answered Kelden. He gathered up Alainna and Lelahn's dresses. He left the room noiselessly and headed for the grey bedroom.

Alainna came out of the trance, sighing like an angel descending from heaven, as she experienced the intense satisfaction of a spell coming together as it should. The spell room was brightly lit with candles, a natural cavern with a small vision pool in one corner that seemed to be fed by a hot spring. The water steamed slightly and was the reason for the intense heat of the room. This pool was a staple of any sorceress or wizard's home. The still waters could be Worked to communicate with people near other vision pools or simply to see things. This one had been tuned to follow Alainna, Kelden, and Lelahn's progress - which was probably why Karanis knew so much about them. She could have been watching them from the moment they left the protective magic shelter of Alainna's stronghold. The prospect made Alainna shiver. Now the clear waters showed the outside of Karanis' house.

Now, hurry love. The Black Wizard is waiting, echoed Sharra's voice in Alainna's mind. She picked up the small lump of gold that she had infused with the spell she had Worked. She had found it on the table and had no idea what Karanis had been going to use it for, but frankly, she didn't care. She went up the stairs and walked toward Kelden's room. As she neared the door, however, she realized that Karanis may still be awake and would investigate if she knocked. The thought brought a fresh pain to her heart that she quickly quashed. He was her friend, nothing more. Her feelings for him were not mutual, that was certainly proven by his actions. She forced herself not to slow down as she passed the door, vowing to figure out how to get Kelden out of there when she reached Lelahn's room. He arrived only moments after her, negating the need for a rescue - to Alainna's infinite relief. They put the black clothes on, which Kelden had retrieved from the room. The packs had been moved into Lelahn's room hours before, and they picked them up, escaping from Karanis' house for the third time.

A few minutes later, Karanis watched her 'prisoners' depart on the Horse from the doorway of her house.

Alainna had held up the rock that Karanis had so generously provided for her. The lump of Worked metal had shot out a beam of light that played over the doorway, then it seemed to catch ahold of the repulsion spell and pull it towards itself. Alainna had immediately dropped it as though it jumped right out of her hand, which suggested that the stone had incorporated the spell into itself. Ingenious. The three had left quickly, with Alainna sitting in between Lelahn and Kelden, of course. The arrangement had nearly made Karanis laugh out loud, and ruin the effect of the Shadow spell she had cast. At least Kelden was probably enjoying himself - with Alainna sitting in front of him.

She followed the majestic black shape of the Horse as it rose above the trees with a smile on her face. This was the best way she could have done it. If she had let them go willingly, they would have suspected her. This way they would leave and forget about her, leaving her in peace. Though they had left considerably earlier then Karanis had intended, she was almost certain that they would arrive too late to catch Koldar. Besides, even if they didn't, they wouldn't be able to stop him anyway. Furthermore, they would send her Horse back so that Koldar wouldn't have anything familiar to fix on if he were looking for them, so she wouldn't even lose her Horse.

Smiling, she went into her room to prepare to meet Koldar at his fortress.

Kelden swung off of the Horse, then turned to help Alainna down - an offer she refused with grace. He then patted the unburdened Horse and watched it fly away. For a moment he hoped that the Horse was trained to go back to Karanis' house, then promptly decided he didn't care. As long as it went far away so the Black Wizard couldn't track them, he would be relieved.

They quickly changed into their normal clothing, abandoning Karanis' black clothes. The bundles of fabric lay in the grass, hopefully diverting the Black Wizard's attention long enough to allow them to escape his watch. If he failed to follow their progress for long enough, he might lose them altogether, allowing them to approach his fortress unnoticed.

They set a punishing pace, wanting to escape any creatures that Karanis may have sent after them and to reach Koldar's fortress before it was too late. The forest had given way to lush jungle. The sounds of life surrounded them. Their feet sunk into the earth and warm water dripped on them from the leaves of the monstrous trees that struggled toward the sun above them. It struck Kelden as odd that Mecco, the land that the Black Order had controlled for millennia would be so much more filled with life than Anata, his beloved homeland. Of course, life followed warmth, and it was fitting that the Black Order was in a warm place. During the grueling trek, Lelahn grew quieter and more withdrawn with each step. She never smiled and hardly talked. It was as if the humanity that she had begun to rediscover - slowly, as the Black Wizard had lost his sway over her - had begun to recede back into its hiding place. She had banished it into some dark corner for those five terrible years and it had only recently begun to venture out into the light of day. Now, however, as Koldar drew nearer with each minute, it retreated again. Kelden longed to comfort her, take away the pain, but he knew that he couldn't, and that any gesture on his part would only be met by cold distrust and hatred.

Within an hour, they burst out of the line of trees onto the dry, cracked sand that would have surrounded the fortress - if it had still been there. Nothing but a small hole with stairs - probably leading down into the dungeons - remained of the huge block of obsidian that had stood since Koldar had become the Black Wizard, two-hundred years before.

Lelahn stood at the edge of the pit, staring down into the blackness. Her eyes were wide and she was still breathing hard, though Kelden couldn't tell whether it was from exertion or fear. He carefully kept his distance but Alainna walked over and put her arm around the other woman's shoulders.

"I have to touch it," said Lelahn clearly.

"Touch what, dear?" asked Alainna soothingly.

"The top stair. It might know what happened." She didn't wait for Alainna's perplexed reply. She knelt down in the dust and reached out with her shaking hands to touch the stone of the staircase. She was prepared this time and tried to sort through the images that besieged her and control them--

--thousands of Horses, like a black cloud around the castle, all tied by ropes to every part of the fortress. In the middle, a woman, in the central courtyard. She wears a flowing grey dress, her wispy brown hair in a cloud around her head. She raises her arms and her dress is whipped by the wind. The Horses strain on their ropes and a column of blue flame reaches out from her. It stretches into the sky and down under the fortress. Slowly the massive structure lifts into the air, buoyed by the magic pushing underneath and the efforts of the sleek, muscular animals. It begins to move over the ground, floating just above the trees, a gargantuan boulder, heading for the Promised Land--

--Lelahn looked up. She had been much better able to control the ideas and images she saw this time and had not been overwhelmed. Alainna and Kelden stood over her, a question in their faces.

"He's gone, across the Great Ocean. I don't think he's coming back." At that moment, three white Horses appeared over the trees and angled down toward them. Sharra had seen that the fortress was gone and was coming to rescue them. The solemn look on Lelahn's face melted into a smile and she looked into the sky. "He's gone."

Karanis landed in the courtyard of the Black Wizard's fortress and passed her Horse to one of the wizards standing nearby, so that it could be added to the plethora of animals already tethered to every available surface in the building. She looked around and saw Koldar emerge from one of the corridors that led into the courtyard.

She walked over to him, trying to be nonchalant, despite the fact that she hadn't seen him in a hundred years. She put her arms around him.

"Hello, my love. It's wonderful to see you again," she said, kissing him.

"I've missed you," he answered, his face buried against her black hair. For a moment, Karanis thought she heard the tremor of tears in his voice, but when he pulled his face away, there was no evidence that he had been crying.

"You should have let me come here before now," she teased. His tender face grew solemn.

"I didn't want you to see me." She traced the scar on his cheek, a ridge of hard flesh that should have been smooth and warm under her touch.

"Nothing could mar your beauty," she said and embraced him again, covering his lips with hers so he couldn't argue. When they parted, Karanis looked away from him, leaning against him as he encircled her protectively with his strong arms. There would be time for that later. Chiara, wearing a flowing, grey dress, entered the courtyard. Karanis looked at her with interest, she had been picked up by the Black Guild a few years before, but had been unable to complete her training because she had already had powers of her own. She was completely loyal, however, and an active member of the Guild.

The girl raised her arms into the air and Karanis felt the wind whip up. The journey was beginning, and Alainna was far too late.

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