The Trees

[CriDFU]

Calet walked calmly through the crowded streets of the Royal City, his right hand raised to his belt while his left hung lazily by his side; his eyes shifting between the numerous faces that flowed by him. Sometimes looking down to check the placement of his feet as to not step on anybodies toes, a trivial action that wouldn't matter to any one else but him. His teacher had told him of kindness, and that even the smallest acts of generosity and mercy can be recognized as much as the big ones. He remembered his days as an apprentice fondly, often reminiscing of the events of his youth. Although his youth hadn't been wild and interesting it was memorable all the same.

He kept his careful pace, not wanting to bump anybody. His feet placed carefully on the stone street. He kept to the middle of the road regardless of his regard to the state of the populations toes; such as protocol required, to keep to the center so that nothing is not in sight. Had he been in uniform he would not need to worry about the crowded state of the street, people seemed to give him space when he clad in his deep blue undershirt and leather overcoat (which was fit nicely with a green armor under the shirt). He did not pay heed to this small detail however.

A feeling of unease set over him, a feeling that overwhelmed his other thoughts and stopped him dead in his tracks. The crowd flowing around him like a stone in a stream. He looked around him twice, checking both sides of the area to make sure everything was calm. Besides the noise of the city and the cry of merchants the city was at ease. So why did this feeling come over him so rapidly? It wasn't the first time he had felt this unease but it was a many years ago that he last felt this. He moved again, this time without the regard of toes or the convenience of not being bumped. He moved quickly, twisting his body to dodge the on coming masses. He entered a plaza and stopped again; checking his surroundings for what ever may have caused this alert. He looked behind him in suspicion of the source lying in a demented man standing behind him; yet no such man was there and the reason remained a mystery.

Calet moved again, this time to a fountain placed magnificently in the middle of the plaza. He walked sixty feet along the radius of the plaza to the fountain and raised his leg onto the three foot raise of the walls containing the reused water; he took a second step onto the wall and gazed around the plaza from his elevated situation. He gazed around, any suspicious activity that would catch his attention; he would take relief in the smallest of activity if it meant the lose of this feeling. His hard face frowned as he scanned the crowd. Nothing, the only activity that caught his attention was the people staring at him, surely he attracted some attention in his placement.  He sighed as he moved back down to the same level as the masses surrounding him. The life of the city producing the most irritating inconvenience he had dealt with in a while.

He began his trek through the crowds again, both hands stuffed in his pockets; his destination remained the Castle. What ever this feeling was perhaps it was nothing that a simple mage could not decipher. He never had much trust in magic since he witnessed an amateur blow himself up with a spell. According to the investigation the reason of this combustion was a slur, that was all;  a slur.

Calet, still feeling this uneasy sense of danger, continued to the Castle. Perhaps some sleep was all he needed.  

[Woo]

(Is S'kendra ever coming back? I'm really starting to worry now. I don't know what to do! I'd hate to have to introduce a new character and lose all the relationships and character she's built up. I loved watching her develop. Though a lot more of her past has come up now than ever before. I just miss her. )

[CriDFU]

(I'm sure something will come up soon enough. Relym seems to be cooking something up.)

[Woo]

(Halowood? I think you mean Relym! Halo doesn't play The Trees.)

[CriDFU]

(I fix'd it. Thanks)

[Woo]

"All High mages, to the Royal Chamber, NOW!" The tiger's voice thundered through the underground chamber, sounding in the heads of all who stood in the expansive cavern. His message was taken and carried throughout the palace, to every chamber. As well as the magicians, tigers from all over the grounds detected the order and came to investigate. Soon, the chamber began to fill with robed men and women, gathering around the family tree as S'kendra's Vita Potios began to shine brightly. Henry was pushed back against the far wall, only able to see the bright light and the silhouette of a terrifying medley of people and beasts taking over the room.

Nothing made any sense. All the light, the sound, the heat of bodies and the tingle of so much magic. And the tigers scream of "Revive her! REVIVE HER!" cutting through it all like the sound of nails down a chalk board.

What have I done?

~Elsewhere~

"Sir, the scout has detected something!" A young Cadette barked nervously as he saluted his general. "He thinks it's headed for the Palace, sir! Shou-"

"Very good Cadette, but let's have the lad speak for himself." Smiled the General, who was the sort to pride himself on his affable disposition.

A nervous scout was pushed forward. These where specialist scouts, the king's scouts. But this young boy was still in training, his curious armored tunic hung loosely about his shoulders and his enchanted bow and dagger had clearly never seen battle. He was there to detect magical auras, as was the order of the day.

"S-sir, I think there is something b-b-bad, I sensed it just across the edge of my perceptive field, but I'm sure it's headed to the palace... I think it has something to do with the crows... It exudes... unrest." The lad swallowed nervously. He was pale, drawn. He had been scouting for energies all morning, and it was wearing him down.

The General gave him a hearty slap on the back, "Good work, lad. We'll have to head back right away. Make sure everything's alright."

[Relym]

It went dark in the chamber, or perhaps only for Henry. All he knew was that he did not feel. "He's never been exposed to that much power before," said an unfamiliar female voice. "He might not be responsive for a few hours.

"Hell, I haven't been exposed to that kind of magic, and I work for the King." This voice was male, and very deep. It seemed soothing. Henry fell back into unconsciousness. He dreamed of tigers, all jumping on top of each other, trying to reach a floating orange sphere...

"Henry," the voice was familiar to Henry, though it seemed impossible to be hearing it. "Henry, why did you do that?" The voice definitely belonged to S'kendra, and she was not happy. "You almost destroyed me! If we weren't surrounded by magicians at the time," Henry sat up, and was immediately knocked back down.

"Ow!" He had hit his head on something hard. "S'kendra? Am I still dreaming?" Henry's voice didn't feel like it was coming from himself. Almost like he was hearing the echo from through a mountain range. His eyes were adjusting now, and someone was definitely near him.

"No, this is real. But then again, if this were a dream, I wouldn't say so, would I?" S'kendra said pensively. "Are you awake?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't say so, would I?" Henry rubbed his forehead, making a point of avoiding whatever was directly above him. He found no way around it. When he could see properly again, he realized he was standing in a very narrow hallway, and he was feeling all around the opposite wall. He was severely disoriented by this.

"Touche," S'kendra chuckled, a few feet to Henry's right. He turned to face her, still not quite sure that he was awake. Her presence was convincing enough; she stood in the same proud fashion that she always did, her slightly amused face tilted at an angle. "How do you fe-?" She didn't finish her sentence, because Henry pounced on her. "Waah!" S'kendra cried, the embrace taking her off guard.

"I thought I'd killed you," Henry said, on the verge of tears. "In the chamber, I... I didn't think..." S'kendra seemed to relax a little, and returned the hug. "What does it feel like? You know, to die."

"You just witnessed someone being resurrected, and the first thing you ask is what it feels like?" S'kendra pulled back, grabbing Henry's shoulders. "Nothing's changed." She chuckled. "Besides, I think you already know the answer to that question."

Before Henry could reply, a door near them was flung open, and Ulysses came striding out. "You, boy. What are you doing? I thought I left you in bed." Henry was grabbed by his tunic and dragged backwards and into a small room. Ulysses seemed to realize after a few seconds that it was a broom cupboard, then dragged him across the hall into the opposite door. S'kendra giggled uncharacteristically.

This time, Henry and Ulysess found themselves in a small room where the tiger that Henry had met the day before (or was it a year?) was standing across it, behind a table. On the table was a pile of shattered glass. "You are dangerously foolish, you know." He hissed bitterly.

[CriDFU]

Rest would be the solution to his emotional ailment. He continued to make his way to the Palace, hand in his pockets and eyes looking forward. He walked at a slow pace, mind concentrated on the feeling. What was the cause of this sensation? Fir the past ten minutes he scanned his thoughts, searching his memories to see if a previous scenario may have caused it. Yet he found nothing. He thought all the way back to his early childhood, to the days of him and his father; walking through the markets. He thoughts back to the war, the most probable of the situations to give him post-traumatic stress later in his life. Perhaps that was the problem, post traumatic stress. He remembered the flash of his pistol as it sent a bullet into the high ranked general. He remembered the look of pride in the mans eyes before his life was ended. A good life indeed.

He rubbed the band of short brown facial hair running along the bottom if his face.

Perhaps.

He raised his eyes again, watching where he walked to avoid the toes. He began to grow annoyed with the amount of people on the streets today. What was happening today? Some sort of sale in the forums? No matter, one he neared the castle the people would grow less dense as more and more guards watched the roads. That area drew closer now. We sighed in relief that he would soon be laying in a bed, thinking the source of the problematic feeling under the mask of his dreams.

His dreams.

He scanned his memory again, was it a dream that gave him this sense of paranoia? No matter.

He grew closer to the Palace, it;s white walls visible past the glorious stone wall. Guards watching over the streets much like the gods must have in the early days. Their bows ready for anything that may cause disruption. Bows Calet thought. What a barbaric way to kill someone, yet so glorious and graceful. Calet then compared the flying arrows to a bird soaring through the sky.

The streets grew less crowded now, the people all going home. The hour was late and the sun was positioning itself for the final decline of the day, to rest such as Calet longed for.

Calet felt relaxed now that the masses have dissipated. The feeling was gone now. Perhaps it was claustrophobia.

He continued his stroll, hand now growing sweaty within his pockets. His eyes glancing at the faces that paced him, there were few enough people now the smile at each of them and they would acknowledge it. He passed through the gates of the outer Palace walls, now the streets were barren. Such as the law stated that no one other then military or police personnel should be on the property after this time.

That's why the man caught his eye. He noticed an elderly man walking slowly down the road towards the castle. He upped his pace a bit to catch up with the man. His footsteps growing louder against the stone street. In a matter of seconds he had caught up to the man; he took his hand out of his pockets and hooked his left thumb on his belt.

"Sir, you aren't allowed here at this time."

The man gave no answer but simply stopped. Something was not right about this man, any other old hag strolling about would have instantly spun around at the sound of his very footsteps.

"I cry your pardon, Elder. But you must have not heard the bell ring. I can gladly escort you back to your ho-"

He stopped dead in his breath when the man spun around, his eyes. Those eyes, how they pierced him. Calet took a step back and reached his trembling right hand to his belt, yet no gun lay in it's holster. He tried hard to avoid eye contact with the man put it was inevitable. Cold sweat ran down the back of his neck. Here lay the source of his paranoid thoughts.

[CriDFU]

( Lol, I accidentally pressed "quote" instead of edit". My bad.)

[Snowman]

Causaldeir knew he had been delayed, and this guard was certainly a threat to his mission. He stared into the guard's eyes, and tried to penetrate his thoughts to persuade Causaldeir to pass, but this mind was too great for his ability. The attempt seemed to have an effect on the guard however, as a look of sheer terror came to his face. A sinister idea came to mind as Causaldeir stared at the man, his thumbs casually rubbing the top of his walking stick.

"Realize that I mean you no harm," Causaldeir whispered, glancing at the guard's attempt to retrieve his weapon. He focused deeply, and began chewing the end of his own tongue until blood stained his teeth and dripped from his lips. "There is a small child I've passed on the streets. The child is eating itself. You must hurry." His voice remained a haunting whisper.

"The...but.." Calet was clearly confused, and still very much in fear. A horrific scream for help echoed from down the road and a crowd's chatter began growing louder and louder. Calet knew that he should investigate the old man further, but the commotion and an unnerving feeling suggested to Calet, in the recesses of his thought, that he had to see what was really happening. Without further delay, Calet ran from the elder to the crowd. He politely nudged his way through the bystanders, who he suddenly realized were all in shock. At the center of the crowd a child lay unconscious, a pool of blood surrounding her. Tooth marks that had chewed into both of the child's arms and through several fingers were evident enough. Calet shot a glance back to where the old man had been, but he was gone.

Causaldeir released the child from his control and continued to the palace, taking a more concealed approach. His stomach turned as he walked on. What I did to that child had to happen. Although Causaldeir didn't believe the lie he told himself.
The incident would bring much more attention than he wanted, and may even heighten the guards awareness at the palace wall. But he knew that he could find some way to get inside. He had no choice.

[CriDFU]

Calet crouched next to the little girl, who was unconscious. The bite marks on her arms drawing blood at an alarming rate. He looked around at the crowd that had gathered around the event, each one of them seeing the terror in Calet's eyes. He was lucky he was not in his uniform or else this would cause more of a panic then it should have, something that would terrify an Honour Guard would surely cause panic.

He looked back down at the girl, her eyes closed and her breathing slowing. His heart raced, his thoughts clamped together all at once. He had dealt with a problem such as a civilian injuring themselves before but never like this; and never with a child. But he knew that this girl was the not the reason he was so terrified, it was the man; the one who made this poor girl do this.

His eye darted back toward the crowd, women held their hands to their mouths, eagerly looking back and forth between the people in the crowd. Husbands holding their wives who held their children. Many people turned their heads out of disgust, he heard a few people vomiting and the reactions of the near-by's who had the good luck to stand in the resulting pool. No body did anything to Help Calet. Bystander apathy. Calet had learned about this in his training, people who don't want to get involved yet can't look away. They don't help because they feel someone else will do it anyways.

"I need a cloth! Some someones clothes or if they just have anything else that will help!" Calet yelled to them. He needed to keep his thoughts clear such as his teachings taught him. If no one will help then they have forgotten their god. A man did step forth, short red curly hair hung just above his ears. He was an older man, a large bald spot produced in the middle of his scalp.

"Here, my sleeve." He said as he hastily tore his sleeves right off his tunic, exposing lean muscles underneath.

Calet took it and tapped his own left shoulder with his right hand twice, a sign of thanks amongst the people of the city, and took both sleeves. He tied the white sleeves tightly over the wounds on bother her arms, the fingers were not an issue. He picked up the unconscious girl and staggered through the crowd. Nodding to the old man as he left.

Calet left the group, the girl hanging in her arms, and ran toward the castle. He ran as fast as he could,the wind seeming to soar past his ears and sting his eyes. Which would have made his eyes water had they not already been glossy. His breathing was irregular, his lungs gasped for precious air. Calet didn't want to stop, he was afraid that if he did he might not arrive to the healers in time.

Five minutes he ran, five long minutes. Minutes that seemed to stretch out into hours, whether he had adrenaline or not time went slowly. Within that span he looked down at the girl at least a hundred times. Her face growing pale and the bandages loose. God he wished he concentrated more on tightening the bandages.

The last minute he thought about the man, the son of a bitch who made this poor girl do this. Where were her parents? Did they witness this? Had he ran off before they could say anything? He turned into the gardens, the acolytes going about their business maintaining the grass. He paid no attention to them, he couldn't. not with the girl.

He stopped for a moment, gasping for air, his chest burned, tears ran down his face. It had been a while since he had cried, at least seventeen years. This situation, this girl, what this man had done was enough to make a man as hardened as the the Honour Guards cry. He needed to find a place to lay her down, someone who could heal her. The acolytes surely would not help. They are just the same as the crowd who stood around him in the street; they would not help him because they didn't want to get involved. Bystander apathy.

He saw a door, a door he recognized as a back door the the Great Hall. Certainly there was something happening on the other end but he did not care, events meant people and time was of the essence. He ran at the door, laid the girl gently down on the ground, and tackled the door with his shoulder.

Once

The door cracked.

Twice

The door cracked a second time and the hinges creaked.

Thrice

The door blew off it's hinges.

Calet grabbed the girl and picked her up gently and ran in. So long as the room has light he knew people were in there. He charged into the room, the girl in her arms and cried for assistance.

"I need a healer!" Was what he said before he dropped to his knees and lay the girl on the ground.

(I hope I didn't screw up anybodies planes with this.)

[Tobias116]

"There's something about, there's something about!!!" Thanatos exclaimed with a jittering tone of excitement, whilst hopping from one leg to the other down street with Zentara after him.

The stone beneath his feet sung as he excitedly jumped between his legs. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. Zentara had a very blank expression.

"You're making us look like idiots." Zentara pointed out. "No I'm not. I'm happy, there's magic in the air, more so than ever here." Thanatos answered very excitedly.

The seemingly bi-polar couple went up a road. Thanatos stopped on the cobblestone and sniffed the air. "He's close!" Thanatos said like a kid on christmas morning.

"Then what?" Zentara asked.

"He'll probably die." Thanatos said with glee and continued walking. The cobblestone passed beneath their feet and strange nobleman houses passed. "There he is!" Thanatos said, pointing towards an old man with a walkingstick. "You have got kidding me." Zentara said whilst facepalming. "Don't you sense it?" Thanatos said with a tinge of seriousity. "I do, but it's negligible." Zentara answered with an almost flat tone.

"Soon it won't" Thanatos said, opening his christmas present. In other words, sending a roaring firebolt down the lane towards the old man with the walkingstick.

[Relym]

Causeldeir saw the leaping shadows from the flame before he sensed the magic. Raising his walking stick, he spun around, creating a temporary barrier around himself. After the smoke and sound had dissipated, he shouted, "Why do you assault me, gentlemen?"

"I have no part in this." Zentara said, raising his hands in a mock surrender.

"Did you not just conjure a shield? I would think you answered your own question, old man." Thanatos explained.

"Surely, you aren't prosecuting me for being a magician?"

"It's much more than that, and you know very well." Thanatos growled.

***

"It's not as though I intended to cause... whatever happened in there!" Henry shouted. He was tired of the tiger's constant superiority. He didn't even know the thing's name, and he commanded Henry like any of the common servants in the palace.

"It's Kharaz Masha, if you must know." The tiger said over the desk. "My name? You just complained about not knowing it. Now you do." Henry forgot that he was constantly surrounded by magicians. He set up a stronger barrier on his mind. "Raz is also acceptable. I understand how difficult it is for you to speak."

"You have my sincere thanks, Kharaz Masha," Henry seethed. These cocky remarks would drive him mad if they kept coming for much longer. "Now can I go? My friend is out there, and there are so many questi-"

"Your friend, Mr. Quail, has been taken almost all the way across the premises for a different kind of questioning." Raz droned, lying down on a cushion. His muscles stretched and rippled as he did. "I believe I have sufficiently explained the reason why."

"Can I go anyway? The room is beginning to spin."

"Suit yourself. Don't break anything."

***

Sam and Jaggery sat in a moonlit chamber, one wall of which was completely comprised of clear windows. From there, they could both see to the farthest expanses of the city. They thought this was odd, because they hadn't seen any windows from the outside. They began to discuss possible reasons for this, when there was a knock at the door.

Sam rose to answer it. "Henry, what were you doing for so long? We've been waiting for hours!" Sam said, ushering Henry inside.

"By the gods, lad. You look like you've got a fashia-worm in you!" Jaggery said as he noticed Henry's pale complexion and weak posture.

"What?" Henry asked, caught off guard by this strange statement.

"Parasite from the homeland. They feed on blood and adrenaline. You get weak, and you have no energy to flee or fight it. Nevermind that, though. What in bloody hell have you been doing?" Henry took a deep breath and explained everything.

"S'kendra's back?" Sam said, his face lighting up. "Really? She's alive?"

"Oi, we've got to go see her now!" Jaggery said, springing to his feet.

"We can't. The magicians suspect she's either a dangerous rogue or a missing link in the royal lines." Henry said. Before the other two could pose a question, they saw a little burst of red light from outside of the window. "Was that... fire?" Henry asked incredulously. Shouts, incomprehensible from that distance, carried from the same direction.

[Woo]

The interrogation had dragged on for some time. No sooner had Henry been bustled into the room with the tiger than a whole consort of guards, magicians and three nervous chambermaids arrived to "escort" S'kendra to a separate room. None of them seemed entirely sure how to approach her, each undecided on whether to bow or attempt to restrain her. She decided to allow them to forgo either option, simply smiling and saying "Lead the way."

They walked what felt the distance of three immense, voluptuous palaces before reaching their destination. The room they entered was like a drawing room of sorts, dimly lit and smoky. It became mildly claustrophobic as everyone filed in after S'kendra, who was instructed to take a seat by a harsh looking man sat across a heavy desk from her. With a demure smile, she settled herself on the hard wooden chair provided and stared across the empty desk at the man opposite.

"I hope this shan't take too long," She said lightly "it's been quite the ordeal, and I shall be glad to see my friends again." Her bright smile and jovial tones had little effect on the interrogator, who scarcely twitched a muscle in his grim-set face.

"It will take as long as it takes." He droned in a deep, menacing monotone.

Hours passed by it seemed in the dim and windowless room. S'kendra was interrogated, tested for numerous magical abilities, she had blood drawn and sent away to several departments in the palace to be checked. After relentless questioning and cross-examinations she was reaching the limit of her patience. What was more, she still wasn't sure what they wanted her for. Surely, they wouldn't go to these lengths to root out a petty thief? Then again, how many petty thieves could revive the dead, or create a Vita Potios?

"What is it you're trying to find, exactly?" She gasped in exasperation, slumping against the arm rest of her chair. "I've told you all I can! I wish to leave now!"

"You'll not leave until we know where you came from and who you are." The man rumbled out once more.

At this, S'kendra's final nerve snapped. In an unusual outburst, she stood and slammed her hands on the desk, looming over the man and barking "Well, good luck to you! And if you should find out, I beg you, tell me! For you'll have a better idea on the matter than I myself!" The interrogator merely smiled at her snarling tones and fierce, flashing eyes. But a small gasp came from the back of the room. One of the maids was staring at S'kendra with wide eyes, her hands clasped to her mouth.

"Sire, the Royal mark!" she whispered into the dark, silent room, pointing to the back of S'kendra's right leg. "She has the Royal mark!"

Before another word could be uttered, the charged atmosphere in the room was penetrated by a catastrophic sound in the hallway. Splintering wood could be heard, two heavy thumps before the sound of a door giving way. There was a brief second of silence before the next sound was heard. A voice echoed through the hall and into the room.

"I need a healer!"

A mans voice, full of urgency. S'kendra shoved a heavy guard from the doorway and shot through into the hall like a cannon ball. The rest of the guards in the room had scarcely started to move, and she had already arrived on the scene. A man, late twenties or early thirties, was knelt beside the body of a young girl. The child had blood coating her mouth and seeping through the bandages on her arms. S'kendra knelt and inspected the girl, noting the toothmarks and missing flesh. Despite her strong stomach, this was a truly harrowing sight.

"You! Girl, what are you doing? I said I need a healer, go get a healer!" The man was gesturing wildly, clearly panic stricken. And who would not be? S'kendra merely gave him a silencing glance, before muttering a few short spells.

"Lamons le Lloura recou Lamons le Tessou" she breathed gently onto the girls wounds, and the skin began to knit itself back together, the muscle and flesh grew back, and the child's breathing calmed and became regular once more. By the time the guards, maids, and interrogator had reached them, the girls wounds had all healed, and S'kendra was cradling the sleeping child in her arms while the mysterious Honour Guard looked on in amazement.

[Relym]

(Your spells sound much like French.)


"I assure you, whatever interest you have in me can be discussed much more calmly," Causeldeir said calmly, waving away lightning bolts that Thanatos was hurling. "If you'll just stop attacking me, this foolishness can end and a compromise can be met."

"Go to hell, old man." Thanatos snarled as his thunderbolts became a continuous electrostatic connection between the fingertips of both magicians.

"Go to bed, Thanatos," whined Zentara from a rooftop.

"This will just continue until you decide to stop, you know." Causeldeir advised, sounding bored. This only angered Thanatos further.

"Tell me how I know you!" Thanatos demanded loudly.

"Shush, you'll wake everyone in the city!" Zentara warned, becoming aware of the lights cast from several windows. They were still criminals here, and being seen was something best avoided.

"I don't believe that we've ever met, young man." Causeldeir was now frustrated.

Thanatos dropped the blue connection very suddenly, "You... you killed my parents."

(Lame, I know, but there had to be some sort of stinger conclusion.)