Spirits of the Earth

Tags to @Incognus

It was said that nothing worth attaining was found in the nadir of a gully.  Crossing the mountains between Connlaoth and Serendipity mean facing the malicious bite of wintry cold, one Corvus couldn't say he was accustomed to. It was a risk he was willing to take, however, to find a treasure worth fighting for, worth bleeding for. Nevermind the last part; yet it didn't dilute the determination he'd set within himself.

Nothing was eternal save the soul, and even then the love of Time had been cruel and demanding, giving little of what it promised. Corvus had seen ages gone by, watched his family wither away and turn to dust. Time was a fickle mistress, but Death, death was always wanting, waiting. Of the lives he had lived, this curse fallen upon him, he remembered them as if they were a flicker of light in the darkness, a candle the was ignited for a second before being doused by a droplet on a rainy night.

He hunted further north, to reach the mountains far north of Connlaoth in search of a legend. His companions told him he was a fool, chasing a legend. And entering into a war torn land no less. A ship of fools, and now it was sinking. 

The wagon lurched as he sat in the back of it and when it suddenly stopped, he threw the hood of his cloak off his head and crawled over the sacks and baggage to see what was the matter.  "Why did we stop?" he demanded.  He growled softly and looked out from the edge of the tarp that kept the good dry from the rain.

The wagon driver's hood was soaked with rain and the murky sky was reflected in the puddles that dipped here and there in the muddy road. He grunted and saw there was discoloration in the ground ahead of them.  "I'll go no further," he murmured and looked to Corvus.

"I gave you a hefty sum, you'll venture on if you have the mind for it," Corvus replied.

"I will not," he said.  "This is as far as I'm willin' t'go."  The driver pulled out the sack of gold Corvus had given him to take him up the road and his dirty fingers dug out a few coins, before wrapping tight the intertwined thread that closed the leather pouch. With a grunt he shoved the coin purse into his passenger's hand. "That land is death up there. And if'n y'wanna tread upon it, won't be no worry o' mine."  He nodded and watched as Corvus moved to the front seat.

He growled in frustration. It'd be easy to kill the man and take the wagon for himself. There was no one else to look, but for now, he would let this one go. He shifted his already muddy boots over the side and jumped down to the bottom, flipping his hood back over his damn hair.  Corvus glared at the driver and the wagon as he gave the horse a yip and directed it to turn around.

Corvus pulled the cloak tighter around him following the road up further, and seeing the discolorations that had given the driver pause. The ground here was muddled with dilutions of crimson red. There was  a smell wafting in the air that Corvus was familiar with: rot.  The rain only encouraged the odor to waft up further into the air.

He pressed onward and stepped over the broken musket and ignored the hand that lay in the grass, missing fingers. It was a long way to go, and despite him being frustrated, he forced himself to swallow it down. The road had to lead somewhere after all.

Evelyn huddled closer to her brother, Boreas, as the two sat in an abandoned building to avoid the rain. The dying flames before them flickered in a makeshift fire pit, casting shadows along the walls of the broken home they had chosen as camp. The fire was of Evelyn's doing, who took extra precaution to ensure no one was around when she cast the spell. Small things like that were dangerous in Connlaoth, especially these days. The civil war was reaching its peak, or so it seemed, but every confrontation between the opposing forces seemed to only catapult it higher, and Evelyn wondered if the conflict would ever begin to wane. The two sat there on the floor while Evelyn gazed out of the gaping hole in the brick wall, watching the sky's tears splash against the uneven cobble street.

The pair had found themselves in a town called Flughan, and it was currently on the front lines of the civil war, leaving the city around them bleeding and scarred. Although it was a medium sized town, Flughan might have well been a tiny rural village. The warfare had forced most residents from their homes causing the district to become near empty; this cast an eerie, somber mood over the surrounding area, a feeling the current weather only enhanced. Only the hardened and the stupid stayed behind in the town they called home. Some were attempting to hold the place together as it fell apart, other folk believed the war would move elsewhere soon and buckled down waiting for the storm to pass, and then there were those that simply had nowhere else to go. This was the case for Evelyn and Boreas, although Flughan may not have been their home before, it was for the time being as they trudged along on their journey.

The siblings were making their way across Connlaoth, looking for the magical resistance, but it seemed they were always one step behind the fleeting forces. Whether or not they would eventually catch up was one of the questions currently running through Evelyn's mind, jumbled together in a tangled mess of a thousand others she couldn't answer. Right now, the rebels were their only hope. Evelyn needed to find somewhere safe that she and, more importantly, Boreas could reside. If they could just find them. No more running from the soldiers and the Mordecai that seemed to always be hot on their trail, no more hiding from the posters of their faces nailed up in seemingly every town, no more freezing and starving during the cold nights when they couldn't find shelter or food. That was the goal. The hope that held them steady.

"You need to get some rest," Evelyn whispered to her Brother, who turned to look at her.

"What? No you took last watch," Boreas replied.

Evelyn hugged her legs, resting her chin on her knees. "That was barely an hour before we had to take off, you know you didn't get any sleep," Evelyn's eyes flicked to her brother, "And I can tell from looking at you that you're exhausted," Boreas opened his mouth in protest. "No discussion. Go lay down," Evelyn stared at him sternly until his shoulders sagged and he got up, walking over to the bed in the corner. Evelyn's gaze returned to the fire. She was exhausted too, but her brother's well being was more important to Evelyn than her own. She listened to the soft pattering of the rain on the rooftop and let out a weary sigh. It's going to be a long night, she thought.

"You sure you saw them in the area?" Captain Izaak murmured to the private that saluted him and pulled down the hood further over his head.  The rain forced him to look up at the taller dark haired man, and he nodded again.

"Y'sir.  Folks past Flughan Farm saw they saw them in the area just a few days ago," the soldier said. Water was getting in the man's eyes, and he blinked away the droplets.

"Well, it's not much, but at least we're on the right track," Izaak replied. He'd been on the trail of that goddamn mage for a while now, and despite the war, his platoon was charged with scraping through the wilds for rebel stragglers.  He didn't care if she actually had anything to do with the rebellion. He had a duty to uphold. "Thanks, Briggs. Take an extra ration from my stores. You did well."

Izaak moved out his men after their brief respite was over, taking their time in approaching the small broken town. He'd remembered it well months before, when he first passed through here. Now it was a sickly image of its former self, many buildings abandoned or dilapidated, some burned. The rain only made it sag further into depression. An unfortunate side effect, but necessary collateral damage.

They separated into pairs,  five groups of two, and each taking note of one another. No man would be left alone. They weren't necessarily out of place in a small town like this, for their clothing was rather plain and dirty. Their faces scarred and hair unkempt. However, they were alert and kept their guard up. The posters were noticeably torn down, one ripped and crumbled at his feet, sloshed over with mud and filth.

They were getting closer, and Izaak took watch nearer a small batch of dilapidated buildings, one with a roof caved in.  He waited, seemingly holding his breath when he thought he saw movement in one of them.  The flicker of a light. He blinked and he whistled sharply.

It was time to close in.

[Hope this is okay. Let me know if I need to change/add anything.]

The faint sound of a whistle made Evelyn snap upright. To anyone else, the noise would have been lost in the rain or mistaken for wind blowing through the cracking foundation. But she knew that sound, she had heard it before. FUCK. They couldn't have been here more than a few hours, looks like Boreas wasn't getting much sleep after all.

Evelyn quickly blew out the remaining flames and bolted over to the bedside, shaking her Brother violently. He jolted awake. The young man grabbed her arm, prepared to fight the silhouette until he recognized his sister's voice. "They're coming!" she squeaked. That was all he needed to hear. Boreas jumped out of the bed and grabbed his staff from the corner, hustling to a nearby window.

"Where?" He whispered hoarsely, his sagging eyes scanned the street through broken glass. His sister approached him cautiously, keeping her eyes alert for any movement outside.

"Not sure, I heard a whistle," she stated. "We need to move. They'll find us if we just sit here." she saw his head nod in response. Reaching down, Evelyn pulled a bronze dagger from one of her tall rain boots, gripping the cold handle tightly in her left hand. "Follow me," she stated moving to the back entrance.

Evelyn wrapped her fingers around the brass knob and slowly cracked open the door, cringing as its rusty hinges squeaked in protest. She quickly but carefully scanned the surrounding area for anyone in sight. Nothing. Pushing the creaky door open further, the two siblings slipped out into night hugging the wall and keeping low. The muddy ground splashed up with each step they took, peppering their legs with mud droplets while the rain fell steadily from the clouds. Soft squishing was the only sound to be heard by the two as they made their way around the house's crumbling corner.

Suddenly a hand grabbed Evelyn forcing her against the wall. She suppressed a scream when she realized it was her brothers. He peaked back around the corner they had just rounded, eyeing two soldiers with muskets that had narrowly missed the pair of fugitives. They trudged forward and peered into the window of the building he and Evelyn had just left.  "That was damn close" Boreas whispered, but he spoke too soon. Two more soldiers jogged down the street into their view. They were carrying muskets as well and donned similar uniforms, coated with dirt and grime. Evelyn and Boreas were in caught out in plain sight, and the hunters were quick to notice the suspicious pair against the wall.

"Halt!" One of the men yelled, aiming his rifle at them. Evelyn reacted and tackled her brother to the ground, mud splattering on their bodies' impact. The gunshot reported and the musket ball whizzed over their heads, hitting the brick where they had previously stood. Scrambling to their feet, the two took off down the road as a second gunshot rang out, the bullet splashing into a puddle before them. Evelyn concentrated, calling magical energy to coalesce at her finger tips. Only, there was nothing. She couldn't feel the familiar buzz that should have been radiating from her hands and forearms. She instantly knew what this meant. Mordecai. They're close.

Brown droplets were thrown into the air behind them as the duo raced down the cobble street putting some distance between the groups. Evelyn turned her head to find four pursuers chasing after them. At a closer inspection she recognized the iconic white, or in this case muddy brown, garments of the Mordecai. She had found one of them, the question now was if there were any more. Evelyn called upon her magic once again, surprised to find it functioning. She ignited a thick fireball in her palm and spun around, hurling it at the group of pursuers. The ball of flame sizzling in the rain as it flew towards the Mordecai He has a short range, she thought, I'll just have to keep out of it.

He honestly thought it would be days before he found any real sign of life. The walk up the road had been a long one, tenuous and exhausting to the bones that bore him. He wondered if other vampiric creatures had similar sensations, if they would ever know or remember the feeling of physical exhaustion of being alive. The heart inside his chest still beat, pushing blood through his body, a fluid that sometimes burned when the hunger ached inside of him.

Corvus pushed that thought from his mind, it wouldn't do to dwell on it lest it come at an inopportune moment such as this. He continued onward until he began to see traces of a town, some bricks here, te raised posts that closed off some parts of the muddy road. Some of them were plucked and broken from the rest of the chain, strew across the road in makeshift sections of dugout. Their ends were sharpened as spikes in the bulwarks. Corvus carefully navigated around them.

His path brought him to the outskirts of dilapidated houses, the skeletal remains of some dwellings torn apart by the war.  He kept going until he heard it.  The crack.  A crack followed by a few more cracks that sounded as if they were stones smashing against each other in random succession.

His alarm raised considerably and he saw a pair running across his path.  Ducking behind the wall of a small house, he spied their pursuers and he saw the muskets drawn. One of them fired and the ball cracked against the wood, splintering out beside his head. And spears of it flew into his face. He hissed, the three in splinters poking and sticking out of his cheek. He pulled them out with some protest threw them down on the ground.

Whoever these men were, it was clear their intent was to kill, and perhaps they didn't care who got in their way. The smell of fire drew his attention and he saw the ball of flame hurtle through the air, slamming into the flesh of one of the attackers.  The man screamed in agony as he was knocked from his feet and the hungry fire took hold of him, the temperature intense even for a short time.

Corvus ran after the fleeing pair, just to get away from the chasing soldiers, and it seemed ahead of the pair, there was another set of soldiers coming their way, one with a sword drawn and intent on skewering them.  Corvus felt his magic coming forth and he felt the violet fire drawn out against his palms, warm and sizzling from the rain. He blew out and the fire distracted the soldier long enough...until it suddenly sputtered out, retracting back to him and refusing to obey

"Fuck!" he cried, unsure what happened.  Except perhaps he'd forgotten that here in Connlaoth, magic wasn't exactly that easy to use.

Evelyn heard the scream and knew she had hit a mark, although whether it was the Mordecai she was aiming for or not was unknown. Her attention had switched to a group of guards ahead of them, who were currently blocking their path and advancing. She called on her flames again while running forward to avoid the Mordecai's field behind her, just in case he was still with them.

Her right hand ignited in flame while her left squeezed the hilt of the large bronze knife she was holding. She reached the first soldier, ducking and rolling under his sword she quickly got up and punched the guard in the chest, dumping magical energy into her fist when she made contact. The result was a large explosion that knocked both parties into the air. Evelyn landed on her back, then sat up and looked around wide eyed. She didn't know she could do that. Boreas had managed to stay on his feet being farther back from the explosion, the concussion still knocked him back a few paces though. "You alright?" he called out to Evelyn. Parts of her clothing were on fire, but she responded encouragingly, using her magic to douse the flames.

The four guards in front of them were on the ground, all stirring except for the one she hit directly, who was still as a rock. She spun around and saw their pursuers closing in, and then she noticed someone new. A third party's joined the fight. she wondered why but didn't care, he looked to be facing off against those behind them, which meant he was on their side. For now at least. "Boreas-?" she started but her brother cut her off.

"Yeah I see him," he replied. Turning back around, Boreas realized the three guards in front of them were on their feet again. He swished his staff through the rain filled air in challenge, spinning it around him in an almost expert fashion. When Evelyn tried to use her magic again she realized it was cut off, and quickly noticed the Mordecai pursuer was still with them.

"Fuck!" she cursed, drawing her other knife. She was without magic until that Mordecai was taken care of. She looked back at her brother, who nodded at her in acknowledgement. She would go help the mysterious figure while Boreas would handle the other three guards. He can handle them, she thought, I hope.

It was hope worth leaning on. And now that Corvus had been caught in the middle of this conflict, he'd have to lean on it too. What little choice did he have at a time like this?  With his magic no longer under his control, and being surrounded on all sides, the real fear of death was starting to seep into him now, and it came like a cold crashing wave crushing him against sea rocks.  He gasped, inhaled deeply when his magic retracted and the guard in front of him rushed him with his blade.

He stepped back and grabbed the blade of it, forcing the direction away form him and pushed his whole body hard against his shoulder. The guard was turned around and tried to keep his footing, pushing back on Corvus. Corvus lost footing, tripping and stumbling with his back against the ground as the soldier regained control of the knife and tried to sink it into him.  With a primal cry, he felt his strength press forward and he shoved his hands away, and turned the blade, sinking it deep into his neck.

They had to move or whoever remained would be upon them and with or without magic, being outnumbered wasn't really Corvus' idea for a good time.  "Run!" he called out.  "Run you fools! They're closing in!"

Rolling the corpse off of him, Corvus got to his feet and saw one of them that seemed to stand out from the rest. He was taller and his musket had yet to be fired.  He raised it up, taking keen aim toward the girl, kneeling just so so that he was partitioned just behind a section of fallen wall.  And the musket fired, sending the ball hurtling between his men.  Corvus aimed to shove away the odd young woman, standing in her place, and feeling the bite of the ball take hold of his side.

Captain Izaak raised the musket for a reload, hands fumbling in an attempt to do it expertly, meanwhile calling out: "Capture them alive!"

Evelyn was shoved to the ground as she heard the shot fire. She noticed her savior lurch, and assumed he had gotten hit. This man may have very well saved her life, but there wasn't time for a proper thank you. The mage scrambled to her feet and heeded his warning, turning around to run. What was she thinking in the first place? There was no way three of them could take out the seven remaining guards in a standoff. Especially without her magic. But that was the thing, she hadn't been thinking. Evelyn had blindly rushed in to save this man because he was in danger. She scolded herself for it in her head. Think before you act!

Boreas spun his staff around to block an incoming blade, the edge of the sword making solid contact with the wood. It didn't pierce the surface, however, the enchanted staff caused the sword to bounce off as if it had struck metal. He countered and slammed the tip of the the pole into his attacker's neck, causing him to fall down and gasp for breath. The two other soldiers took this opportunity and swung their swords at Boreas. He was able to dodge the first, tripping the him to the ground, but was thrown off balance doing so; this left him completely open to the second attack.

Boreas staggered back and tried to block the blow, but he knew it wouldn't succeed. He heard a light whooshing sound and then suddenly a bronze knife impaled itself into the soldier's throat. Blood spurted from the would and splattered Boreas, but he was spared from the strike as the man fell over dead. The brother turned and scowled at his sister, who was running towards him with the new arrival close behind. He quickly returned his attention to the remaining two men, who had both gotten back on their feet. We need to be quick with these two if we have a chance at booking it he thought.

Corvus might not have been able to use his magic but he was still capable in a fight.  His strength and resilience remained, even with the pain surging up his side from the musket ball.  With a push, he forced himself up and grasped the woman when she came to help him.  He stood and felt the rush of adrenaline take hold, the blood coming out from his side and the avarice slowly coming to a simmer.

With the two soldiers blocking their way, Corvus bent to take the knife he'd jammed into a neck and threw it forward just as he rose to his feet.  The soldier closest to him maneuvered out of the way just in time, yet it was distraction enough for Corvus to close the distance between them and grab for his throat.  His fingers dug hard into his neck and he squeezed hard, dropping him to the ground, and crushing his throat.

"What's the matter!?" Corvus growled, both to Boreas and the soldier. "Don't just take it!"  The man beneath him felt the pressure rising in his head, pressing up against his shoulders, trying to throw Corvus off but everything seemed heavier when it felt like his head was expanding like a balloon, blood soon splurting up past his lips.

As their ally choked out the man on the ground, Evelyn and Boreas took on the last solider. The mage lunged forward at him with her remaining knife. Dropping his shoulder, the man hit Evelyn hard in the gut, knocking her to the ground. whoosh! The guard turned his head to the sound. Boreas's staff caught the soldier's lower chin and jerked it to the side sharply. The man collapsed, the blow knocking him out cold.

The way was clear for the group and Evelyn yelled to get moving. She retrieved her knife and stowed both of them away, one in her boot, the other behind her at the waistline. She took off, followed quickly by Boreas and then their mysterious friend. The three guards behind them chased after the trio while the Mordecai captain scrambled to finish reloading his musket.

Evelyn called on her power and once again and found that she was outside Captain Izaak's range. She stopped and let the other two comrades pass her, reaching a hand out towards the ground. Vines grew from the cracks in the cobblestone street and stretched between two houses. The soldiers tried running through the newly grown foliage only to find the vines grab at their feet and wrap around their legs. The plants snapped up and pulled the three men to the ground, entangling and pinning them in place. Evelyn smiled at her work. BANG! she flinched at the gunshot, hearing the swish as the bullet whistled by her ear. The girl jumped into action, spinning around to follow the others away from their pursuers while thanking the gods the shot had not been a little more to the right.

At the sensation of life being drained from him, that was enough to pull it out of Corvus' momentary blood thirst. He resisted the urge to tear open that fragile throat and instead all that was left on the soldier beneath him was the imprint of a hand and a crushed trachea and the wide-eyed gaze staring up at the sky. Corvus quickly got to his feet as he saw they began to run now that the way was clear.

He felt the pain in his side begin to take hold. His hand shot back, bracing hard against his wound to stave off the bleeding. He turned momentarily, eyes watching the magic she now cast. The manner in which she cast in and the obedience given because of it was remarkable, one that even he had never seen quite like it in decades. The close call came when the snap of the musket ball narrowly missed her head.

He blinked and began running again once the fascination had left him. Temporarily that was.

"Fucking Mordecai," Corvus cursed as they continued down the path and turned when the first opportunity came to do so. "We need to do something to block the road.  You...woman, do you think you can manage to knock down some of these houses with your magic?" Corvus asked, momentarily turning to Evelyn.

She nodded to him and turned towards a nearby house. "It's Evelyn, and that's Boreas," she motioned to her brother. Approaching the home, she inspected it closely. The majority of the building was made of brick, wooden beams seeming to create the supports. The dead wood she couldn't do much about, but the bricks were made of earth, and that was an element she could work with. Hope nobody is in this thing, she thought while crouching down near the base. Slapping her hands on the ground and pushing downwards, she willed the foundation to sink. Concentrating hard, the building began to tilt over the street.

"Get back!" she yelled. After a moment, she swept her hands towards the road and the bricks at the house's base exploded outwards into the street. Evelyn jumped backwards as it's structure gave out. Wood cracked and splintered and the brick building split in half at an angle, the freed portion falling into the street with a crash. Pieces tumbled down the mound while dust and debris billowed up for a moment before the rain could wash it from the air. The path was effectively cut off, and along with the plant roadblock she had left earlier, following the group would be a challenge.

"We should get going," Boreas announced. "I don't think I caught your name by the way sir." he said to the man.

Corvus stripped an end of his cloak with a strong quick tear, producing a length of cloth he wrapped around his waist to put pressure on the wound.  He grunted with some discomfort, ignoring the pain that was radiating up his ribs and back. He'd be okay for now, but he had to get the ball out soon.

He stood back with Boreas, a fitting name now that he thought about it, watching Evelyn work her magic. Again the awe manifested, even if it was gradual as the building, however stout, had enough remaining to block the way from further pursuit for the time being. The wildnerness was still nearby to provide cover. As the building came crashing into the street, Corvus braced himself, kneeling against the mud.  He wanted to ask her how she did that, but perhaps that was a question best reserved for when they weren't being chased.

He cut his eyes to Boreas, looking him over then to the staff in hand.  "Corvus," he said with a nod. "A pleasure I'm sure."  He gave them both a conciliatory wink before getting up and running ahead of what road remained. 

"You steal some rations from those chaps back there or something?  They seem really fucking mad." 

"Not exactly," Evelyn responded eyeing his waist as they ran to the treeline. She had forgotten he was shot and made a mental note to look at it when they got to a stopping point. It would be the least she could do considering he possibly saved her life and kept the siblings from getting arrested. "It's kinda a long story," she continued glancing at Boreas, "But they're after us because we used magic."

Corvus managed to bark out a laugh at the pointing out of the obvious.  Sure she used magic, that was putting it lightly.  "I hope you at least hit them where it hurt," he said, sobering just a bit as he grinned at her.  He looked her over, then to her brother.

"I've seen her in action, but what about you? Are you a mage as well?" he asked.  Although he supposed it didn't really matter with the Mordecai pretty intent on killing all three of them if they were caught.

"Nah," he replied, "Are you?" The party slowed when they reached the trees, twisting an ankle now might prove detrimental. They moved forward in an attempt to disappear in the woody darkness, but other that that simple objective, neither Boreas or Evelyn had any idea where to go. They had planned to hide out in town until a troop of rebels passed through, but that obviously didn't work out.

"Something to that effect," Corvus said, although he really didn't think now was the time to elaborate. Or if there ever would be a time for that. But for now they were out of immediate danger and needed to find cover to allow them a place to rest and recover.  Stepping into the trees, Corvus crossed the lowered embankment and helped them cross as needed.  His side was beginning to throb harder now, and he gripped it, just underneath his cloak.

"Fuck," he cursed and looked at his hand, now coated in red.  "If we get far enough from the road, we should have a chance to hide out. Although I can't say I know these woods very well.  I'm not from around here.  Do you think you can navigate well enough through these trees?"

Corvus helped Evelyn down the slope while Boreas made due on his own. She looked around the woodland and sighed. "I can't really say I know the area, Boreas and I just got to this town before we were attacked," she stated and continued walking, "We'll have to make due with whatever we can find."

The group trudged on through the woods, pushing aside the shrubbery and stepping over roots while rain dripped through the tree leaves onto the sodden floor. Mud squished under their feet and Evelyn quickly realized the trio was leaving a trail of footprints for their pursuers. She called for the group to hold up as the mage erased the evidence with her magic. Her hand swept through the air as if she were smoothing the top of a clay piece, the mud below and behind them following its movements. Once the ground was flat they continued, taking a sharp turn, and Evelyn began to do this periodically as they walked. Eventually, the rain slowly began to lessen, and the group found a campsite.

"Hey, Evelyn," Boreas called out, "Will this do?" He pointed to what looked like a dip in the landscape. A fallen tree rested between the area and the direction of the road, offering shelter from prying eyes, while some dense shrubbery helped to conceal the place further from the other directions.

Evelyn nodded, "I think this will do fine." She took a nervous glance at Corvus, hoping he was doing ok with his injury. "I can take a look at that if you like," she offered quietly.

Watching her magic brought a look of wonder to his eyes and Corvus tried not to stare overlong. Surely there were plentiful mages in Serendipity and even a few in Adela, and while magic was more commonplace there, there was a certain degree of majesty they did not possess. Corvus had seen many different types of conjurations, few of which came as naturally as this Evelyn's did to hers. 

He didn't speak of it further, noting Boreas' direction and seeing the remains that were left in the circle. Though the rain was letting up, the dirt around them was still soft. Corvus hated the sound of his feet squishing in the mud, and he grimaced at pulling his feet from one soggy puddle to another.

He had momentarily forgotten his injury, although turning to Evelyn quickly reminded him. "Oh...yes, that would probably be best," he said, grunting with discomfort and moving to sit beneath a tree that still stood. Behind the shrubbery, he unwrapped the makeshift bandage and he winced as he saw the wound, no longer bleeding as much but he could feel the bulb.  He turned, lifting his shirt and he looked to her with a frown. "I've never taken a musket ball before....  Fucking hurts like hell!"

Evelyn knelt down and held his shirt up to get a better look at the wound. She smirked at his comment and glanced up at Corvus, making brief eye contact. "I've only been shot once before," she said inspecting the wound, "but yeah it hurt like hell. I can try to work the ball out through the hole but.. well I'm pretty awful at controlling metal with my magic," she admitted.

Boreas took a seat on the downed log and watched closely, keeping most of his attention on Corvus. There was something about him, his demeanor maybe, Boreas wasn't sure but it made him uncomfortable. "I'll keep watch," he stated, "Once you're finished, you two should try to get some sleep while you can. There's not much time left until sun up."

"No Boreas," Evelyn's head shot around, "I told you back there I had watch tonight, you barely had time to get rest-"

"But I did get some rest. You haven't had any. I'm taking watch this time and that's final," Boreas gave Evelyn a stern look.

"Fine," She scowled at him but then returned her attention to Corvus's wound. "You ready?" she asked him.

There wasn't any point in wasting any more time when it came to the wound leaking from his side. If it had been any lower it would have punctured his ass, and he already had enough things trying to ride him these days. Little excusions like this kept his mind off the troubles that had been carried with the young man he used to be.  And the old man he now was, only brought on a whole lot more.

"I'm ready," he said, leaning over and bracing himself. "Believe me, I've felt worse things in my time...  At least I'm trying to convince myself that it's true."  He looked over to Boreas then back to the state of his hands, pale and thirsty for a kill.  He hadn't realized he'd been trembling, and forced himself to still, inhaling deep. 

"Alright, hold still now, raise your left arm over your head please.." Evelyn put her left hand just below Corvus's left pectoral to keep his shirt out of the way. She knelt beside him and leaned down to get closer to the bullet. Concentrating hard, she pinched the air with her thumb and index, as if she were grabbing the bullet itself, and started to slowly pull her hand outwards. She could feel the bullet's presence slowly getting worked out of the wound, and a couple times it 'slipped from her grasp', and she lost hold on its position. After a while, she was able to move the musket ball to just below the skin, but from there she couldn't pull it out any farther.

"Your wound is coagulated with dried blood. It's good for the cut to heal, but I need to open it again if you want the bullet out," she looked up at him and pulled a bronze knife from her waist line behind her. "This will just be a pinch." Evelyn looked back down at the injury and slowly worked her knife into the flesh opening, breaking the forming scab and twisting the blade to part the flesh. Blood began draining out once again and the mage worked quickly to finish pulling the bullet from Corvus's body. When it finally popped out, she grabbed the bandaging Corvus was previously using and started wrapping it around him again to staunch the bleeding. "You good?" she asked looking up at the man.

He did as she instructed and braced himself. Feeling the bullet moving through his body was equally unpleasant, and even when he lied to himself. He grimaced and grunted with great discomfort. He wanted to cry out, but he refused and closed his eyes tightly as she worked the bulb out, and he didn't let himself focus on the pain.

"Fuck!" he hissed, when the blade cut him open even more.  "Damn!"  Although she had warned him so it wasn't entirely her fault.  He just leaned and made no further complaints, he just wanted the damn thing out of him.  "Fuck, this must be how expectant mothers feel."

When it was finally over he felt like he was going to faint, and the blood had drained from his face.  He felt the pressure of the bandage around his waist.  "Gods be damned," he mumbled and looked at her handiwork.  "If I'm still alive, then yeah, I'm good. You've got a steadier hand than most."  He smirked at her and looked at the blood on her hands.

Evelyn nodded gave a quick smile, wiping his blood off on the nearby grass as best she could. "I don't think we've had a chance to thank you for helping us back there sir," Evelyn said to him, getting up off the muddy ground, "What are you doing around here anyway? If you don't mind me asking that is."

After the throbbing subsided mildly, he adjusted himself on the log and shifted his clothes back down. It was nice to have the opportunity to rest after that bout of foolishness.  No doubt it would start up again at some point, but it was his very hope to not have to deal with Mordecai again.

"Thanking me is moot, my life was in an equal amount of danger. But I...would likely do it again if I had the chance, preferably not getting shot in the process."  He chuckled and looked over to Boreas.  It was rather clear he probably didn't like him. Perhaps it was for the best. "I was coming into Connlaoth at a bad time I suppose. But I guess I thought the war would distract the nuisance that is the Mordecai. You'd think they'd have enough problems chasing real rebels."

"Hmh" Boreas grunted, "And you think we're not cut out to be real rebels?" He asked with a somewhat sharp tone. "I noticed you skirted the question my sister asked you, what is someone like you doing in Connlaoth and why would you need the Mordecai distracted for it?"

"Boreas please stop it. This man helped us, he doesn't need to be interrogated right now." Evelyn turned toward her Brother and gave him a look that told him to drop it. "I'm sure you wouldn't like it if he were to pry into our affairs." He stayed silent in response.

Evelyn walked to the driest spot in their campsite and squatted, waving her hand through the air to grow a think moss on the ground. Hopefully this keeps us from getting too wet, she thought. "We're going to get some sleep now, wake me if you get too tired. Alright?" She gave her brother a concerned look.

"Sure," he said, although he knew no such thing would happen, even if he was exhausted. Boreas turned his head and began scanning the tree line.

Corvus watched Boreas with narrowed eyes. It was easy to decide whether or not he liked someone right away. And he could tell that this Boreas was not going to make this going easy. The girl on the other hand was more amicable, and her skill...could prove useful. He didn't bother giving the young man's statement any justification. He hadn't dodged any question, he just hadn't been given any opportunity to extrapolate.

So he just laughed and shook his head.  He stood and patted Boreas a patronizing slap on the shoulder before moving toward the mossy spot.  It would provide some comfort, and frankly, he wasn't tired enough to sleep, but he could lay and pretend he was.

And he could feel the other's eyes on him the entire time.  "Is he always like that?" he quietly whispered to Evelyn.

Evelyn gave a soft sigh, "No he's just, oh I don't know, cautious I suppose. Don't worry about him and just get some rest, he'll lighten up," she said. Hopefully.

Boreas glared at Corvus's back after he slapped him on his shoulder, tearing his attention away from the man after a few moments. Boreas decided he definitely didn't like the guy. The way he held himself, as if he were above everyone. Boreas had seen that attitude before in others, mostly from his masters when he was a slave, and they weren't good people. His mind drifted back to the skirmish they had just escaped. Evelyn may not have noticed it, but he had caught the look on Corvus's face while he strangled the man. It was a look of savagery, of bloodlust. And it told Boreas several things about Corvus, one of them was that he couldn't be trusted. He sat on the log looking out past the trees and taking occasional glaces at the two on the moss. He didn't know how long Corvus would stay around, but the sooner he left the better.

He closed his eyes long enough to let himself rest but sleep did not come. It couldn't come when he was training his ears to hear all around them. The sounds the forest made were easily differentiated from sounds men made when passing through, especially those that were looking for tracks.  Approximately two hours passed before Corvus opened his eyes and looked up to Boreas.

"It's time to move, man," he murmured and gently turned to shake Evelyn by her shoulder.  "Perhaps it's best if we traveled alongside the main road, keep touch with it. But you know this land better than I Boreas. Perhaps you should lead."

Boreas turned towards Corvus. He was about to tell him to let Evelyn get more rest, but his logic prevailed in showing him the man was correct. They had just escaped several soldiers and it wasn't good to dwell in the same place too long when people were looking for you. He turned towards the horizon and saw the faintest sign of light peeking between the foliage. Looks like the sun will be up in an hour or so. "Alright," he said, "lets get moving. We'll find a road and stay off the path." Boreas stood from the log and stretched, his sister Evelyn sitting up and doing the same. Those soldiers could be getting close, Boreas thought.

Captain Izaak and his four remaining men had just begun to enter the tree line when the sun's first few rays barely began to lighten the dark sky. He was angry, the three fugitives had managed to kill off five of his men. FIVE. And the captain himself was the only one to get a half proper lick in, a bullet wound in a man's backside.

Stepping into the woods, he quickly found footprints in the mud. Idiots, he thought, they usually took more care to cover their tracks. As they followed, he began to wander if in fact they left the muddy trail on purpose, then he found the point where the indentations abruptly stopped. All three pairs of them in that exact place. Izaak raised his hand in a silent order for the men to halt, squatting at the strange occurrence. Those fuckers used magic to start covering their trail. He looked around the surrounding area. But they were in a rush because they didn't notice this until just now.

Izaak told his men to follow again and they walked in the trail's previous direction, but this time at a much slower pace. His keen eyes swept the surrounding area for any sign of the three, and he soon found one. A small branch on a plant was broken at it's fork, on further inspection he noticed the inside was still very green, meaning the break was fresh. The group had made a sharp turn right here, to try and throw his men off the trail. Not so fast now, I'm better than that. He thought, moving in the path's new direction. I'll catch up with you lot eventually, just you wait...

They couldn't afford to wait.  And with the few hours that had passed by, it had given time enough for the soil to dry in some respect. There was less mud to track their steps and slow them down. It gave Corvus the opportunity to drop the hood of cloak and better survey the area they were in. His hearing was less distracted by the rain, although the birds chirping in trees could have been left out and he wouldn't have minded either way.

"How long have they been following you two?" he asked with interest. "And how long have you managed to avoid them until now? I ask only because I'm currently calculating our chances of diversion and escape.  If it will help, I have an idea, might buy us some more time."

Boreas chose a direction he guessed would intersect with a main road and started walking, Evelyn and Corvus following right behind. "I'm not sure exactly," Evelyn yawned, "I think the first encounter we had with this group was about a week ago. Then they found us again two days back and then just tonight. There were others. We've been on the run ever since Boreas and I found each other again..." She trailed off.

"So let's hear this idea of yours," Boreas asked turning back to Corvus.

"You go on and keep covering your tracks as you have been.  I'll divert them," Corvus said matter-of-factly. "They won't be on our trail for long.  Now go."  He didn't wait long to hear any comments or protest should there be any before he took off between the trees, going back the way they came.  There was some time between them and Izaak, but it wasn't a lot. Much of it was wasted resting, and Corvus intended to make up for it.

He ran quickly, running around where they crossed  the campsite and topped here, hands working quickly to scavenge what he could from the forest floor. He had simple tools with him, a blade, some spare thread, and other objects to fashion the traps that would linger around the camp. A pit would be a much better option, however, it would take up more time than he was willing to give, not to mention the effort involved.

So instead, Corvus created several snares around the camp, and areas where a branch would snap across the diameter of the clearing if the way he suspected they were coming would loose the string he settled between two rocks. The other traps were disguised with foliage collected from around the camp, color to color, shade to shade, branch with bush. 

Perhaps traps of a magical variety would do just as well, but he figured Mordecai were rather skilled in finding ways to dismantle those as well.

Once the traps were set up, he moved on, following back the way he had come, careful of the trees, always listening...

-

Izaak was getting sick of this game of cat and mouse.  When were they going to realize that escape was futile?  Better to give in now than to suffer the fate all rebels were to face. Whether they were actual rebels was irrelevant, they were mages and they would die like the vermin they were.

His men were dogged but careful, scouting and scanning ahead.  They couldn't be more than an hour ahead of them, perhaps less if his calculations regarding the freshly snapped branch was correct. "We're getting close, men, keep looking," he hissed, scowling between the trees.  The remnants of smoke briefly touched his nostrils...

Evelyn turned around, about to call out to Corvus before Boreas put a hand on his shoulder. "He'll be fine, let's keep moving," he said. Boreas was pretty confident about this, he figured it was going to take more than that to get rid of the man. Whatever he was doing to get the soldiers off of their trail would help them, although he didn't want to think about what Corvus's methods might be. Those soldiers don't deserve to die. They're just doing their jobs, Boreas thought. He wanted to follow Corvus and keep bloodshed to a minimum but he knew Evelyn and his own safety was more important at the moment. Whatever happens, either the soldiers will be off our backs, or Corvus will be gone. Either way a problem gets solved. The two continued moving towards what would hopefully be a main road, with Evelyn covering their tracks as they went.

She did well in doing so, and when he found where they previously were he had a hard time finding them as they went further on. He sniffed the air, following their trail that way and he could feel the negative traces of energy Boreas left behind. It was not to be unexpected, the young man had his sister to protect after all and not being caught to consider

Corvus was certain his traps would work, or at least make short work of a few of them, fewer to track and trace, all that much in their favor.  He saw shapes in the trees ahead, although he didn't call out, and ran as far up as he could. The bullet was gone from his side, but the aching prevailed however.

He found a break in the trees, their thickness generally unwavering, and soon saw them as they crossed.  "Thought you could take off without me huh?" he asked, somewhat out of breath.

"Well its not like your told us what you were doing or anything, thought you'd be done sooner," Boreas turned around and replied. "Plus, if you had gotten caught, were we just supposed to sit around waiting for the soldiers?" Evelyn gave her brother an exasperated look, wishing he would stop being so short with the man that might have saved their lives. She put a hand on his shoulder but didn't say anything, he got the message.

"I'm sorry Corvus, I figured you'd be able catch up with us though." Evelyn said to the man. "What'd you do back there by the way? Did it work?"

Of course he wasn't expecting a real welcome back. And Boreas' biting comments were amusing. The boy really did have a chip on his shoulder didn't he? He concealed his amusement, and just audibly sighed. "I set up traps around the camp we were at, just snares, nothing more than to distract and mildly wound them."

Nothing more than necessary, but even if Corvus had no qualms about killing them, he didn't need to leave a troublesome trail of bodies.

Evelyn nodded and gave Corvus a small smile. "Thank you," she said. the three continued forward and soon found themselves at a roadway carved through the forest. Boreas had the others wait as he peeked his head around the area, returning shortly.

"To the left, I think the road leads into town. The one we just came from," he informed them, "So we'll need to head to the right and stay in the trees. Hopefully we'll find a town before long." He lead the way and the group continued their journey through the woods.

Swish! ziiippp! One moment the man was in front of him and the next he was yelling and dangling in the air. The soldier's foot was caught in a snare trap that pulled him high up into the tree. Another one of Izaak's men rushed over to the victim from the right. "Wai-" the captain tried to call out, but it was too late. Another whip of a branch and a falling counterweight were set in motion, dragging his second man up into the leaves. "HALT!" Izaak called out.

The pursuit party was in the middle of the fugitives' campsite, and anywhere they stepped could easily cause another chain reaction to ensue. Gods blast these little fuckers. Izaak looked around his surrounding area. I should have seen this coming, he thought. "Careful where you step now gentlemen. This place is obviously rigged." The captain's eye caught the rope attached to one of the counterweights a few meters to his left. It was currently holding of one of his men aloft.

"Get me outta here capn!" A voice yelled from above.

"Quiet!" Izaak yelled back, "What do you think we're working on?!" He nodded at one of the soldiers to his left. "Ey, Davis! Make your way over to that rope and cut the man down," he instructed, "But let him down soft, a fall from that height could be serious." Davis began slowly moving towards the counter, poking at the bushes in front of him with his rifle. This would set them back, Izaak knew, and he scolded himself for falling prey to the trap so easily. I wont let this happen again. All they could do for now is get the two men down from the branches as quickly as possible. And try to avoid getting caught in another trap themselves.

With the traps buying them much needed time, it was up to them to use that time wisely, Corvus thought passively. However there was a quiet desperation growing inside of him. This was an unprecedented set back and perhaps it was his own fault for falling in with two travelers, yet he couldn't ignore the fact that he now had extra weight he did not need.  Granted, he could leave if he wished, they could go their own separate ways and no one would be any the wiser - certainly this Boreas would look upon this favorably.

The terrain was torn apart the further up the road they went, even traveling along the side of it as they did. The traces of war made the air even more foul, although the lack of rain was a plus. Corvus cut his eyes to Evelyn, then Boreas, remaining silent as they traveled along, each step growing more weary than the next.

Being a foreigner in this place wasn't exactly ideal, and made him all that much more aware of how out of water he was. While he could handle himself just fine, the case of navigating and finding a way to cope with the tensions of both sides of this war was going to be trying. He would need someone that might be more of an asset than a hindrance. And with that in mind he found himself staring overlong at Evelyn, as they trod a small overgrown path that was just thirty yards from the road.

"Belwind," he murmured. "That's the town I saw on the map on my way up here. It's where I was headed on that road before, well, y'know."

"Belwind," Boreas repeated quietly, he had heard the name mentioned before, but knew little about the town other than it was small. "What are you visiting Belwind for?" he asked. "Not many right minded people would stick around with this damn war..." He said it in a melancholy tone, not as an attack on Corvus, as if he were thinking back to sad times. Evelyn squeezed his shoulder in comfort. The war had effected everyone in the country in terrible ways, and there wasn't anyone still around without a reason to be.

"You berated me earlier for seeming to dodge Evelyn's question here," he said with a sigh. "Allow me to elaborate before you jump to further conclusions my willfully ignorant traveling companion. I am here in this war torn land because I am a seeker of ancient treasures. Admittedly, I am also a fool since I seemed to stumble in at the worst possible moment. Nevertheless, I won't let that hinder me more than it has to. If the soldiers and the rebels are preoccupied enough that'll be enough for me."

Corvus looked back to Boreas. "I'm headed to Belwind because it's central and rather small size make it a nice spot to avoid prowling warriors for a little while. And they have a chapel there that might be of some use. Might be good to read up on what I'm looking for in a place where it was last seen."

He didn't mention it just yet, just in case there were any more questions or snide remarks from this boring fellow.

Boreas's eyes narrowed and he lowered his voice, "You don't have to be an asshole, I-"

"Stop! Both of you quit. I'm tired of listening to you bicker, please. I don't know what it is with you two, but can you just try and get along?" Evelyn shook her head as she continued following the road. "Let's just focus on getting to this town Ok?"

Boreas clamped his mouth shut and grunted, giving Corvus a nasty look before following behind his sister silently. Evelyn was right, and he didn't want to waste the breath to argue with Corvus more. The three trudged through the woods following the dirt road that would lead them to their destination.

His men on the ground had helped get the trapped soldiers down safely with only a few bumps and bruises, although it had taken a considerable amount of time and set the party back. They carefully exited the area, avoiding and safely setting off several more traps on their way. There's quite a few of them. It might have taken those fugitives a while to set it up. He started following the sparse trail again as it led away from the campsite. He needed to make up the time lost if he was ever going to catch them. They were doing a good job covering their route and tracking the group was getting harder. Izaak and his men walked along a little ways farther before an idea popped into his head. He called for a halt and stood there thinking.

If they continue on this same course they're going to run into a road. He knew the geography well enough as he had been through this town before. At that point they have three options. They could cross the road and continue walking, but to where? Where would that take them? He didn't know the destination the group was headed to, but he had been tracking them long enough to infer they didn't know themselves. Their behavior had been erratic, and they didn't seem to be moving in one particular direction. They were going town to town looking for something. They could also follow the road. If they go left they'll arrive in the town we just came from. The group may not know where they were going, but they certainly weren't lost. They wouldn't accidentally head back into a town they just left. Unless they did so to throw us off. But they've never doubled back before, he reasoned, If, however, they don't go left, they will turn to the right, attempting to follow the road to a nearby town...

"Orders Captain?" One of the men asked, standing there and looking at Izaak like the other three men.

Izaak turned to the soldier. It was a gamble, but if it payed off he might have the element of surprise. "We're going to try and head them off," he replied. The captain turned 45 degrees to the right and began walking. If he was correct, and logic showed this to be their most likely action, he would travel in a diagonal while the three traitors took a longer, corner shaped route. They would have to walk to the road, and then turn and walk to the right. Whether this would put him in front, behind, or cause the the two parties to intersect, he did not know. But there was only one way to find out, and Izaak hoped he was correct in placing himself in their shoes.

Oh, who was arguing!?  Corvus was curious when this little man was going to make things interesting. So far all he proved was that he was good in a fight, but so were the soldier they handled back in town. He was decent form of extra blood if Corvus felt himself getting thirsty, but he had a feeling that sinking teeth into Boreas while Evelyn was around might not put himself in the best of lights. Not if he intended on sticking around the young woman.

He didn't say anything, although an apology lingered on his lips and he just looked to Boreas and gave the man a respectful bow of his head.  Going along now, Corvus picked up the pace, walking more quickly until it felt like his feet were going to give out. Maybe he wasn't an expert this far north, but when the dirt was given way from greenery it meant some signs of life.

The village of Belwind was small, small enough to be ignored on most maps of the area, and it seemed since the start of the war, the people didn't care whether or not the brush around it made it visible to travelers. Corvus could see the faint smoking coming up from the church chimney.  He smiled and looked to the pair. "Well, don't just stand there, lovelies, I'm sure there's a beer I can buy for the two of you.  Or each if you prefer," he chuckled.

Corvus sighed, and couldn't ignore the odd looks that came the trio's way when they made their presence known. The villagers looked troubled, and although they weren't immediately hostile, it was clear in their movements they were distrustful of strangers.  And maybe they had every reason to be. Corvus drew himself in, his smile fading. Perhaps it was as best to be wary here as it was back in the previous town. 

The Bull Pup Tavern was a fire-scrawled name into a worn sign above them near the center of the village, and looked as if it hadn't seen life in months. "Fuck," Corvus murmured. "It's a wonder why anyone even bothers sticking around." The comment was idle, and meant in no offense, but as a young woman passed in front of him, a basket under one arm, she spit at his feet and scurried quickly on by.

Evelyn stared up at the dirty sign. "Well. I'll take you up on your earlier offer for a beer," Evelyn said, giving Corvus a quick smile, then mentioned under her breath, "If they even have any that is." She took the lead and opened the door to the tavern, followed quickly by Boreas and then Corvus. It was a smaller one, sporting only two tables and a small tabletop bar towards the back. A gruffly looking man sat behind it reading a book. His gray scraggly beard unkempt and unwashed. He raised his head at the group's entry, and gave them a suspicious look over. "Passing though here? What is it I can do for you folks?"

Izaak and his men stopped when they reached the road. The captain had his men fan out and search for any possible trace of the outlaws. They soon found it, and were able to pick up the trail once more. His gamble had paid, and although he didn't get to head them off and set up an ambush, they had made up valuable time. The crew headed in the direction of the town and, after a considerable more amount of walking, Izaak saw the light smoke from a fireplace above the trees. He hadn't heard of this town's name, but he knew it was a very small one. This would play to their advantage, less places to hide and easier to find someone. Here I come...

"We're looking for some rest and respite, if that's available here, good sir," Corvus murmured. "A round of beers for me and my companions, please."

He slapped a gold coin on the counter and slid it toward the man, and he just stared up at the trio for a long second.  Something sinister flickered in his eyes, their green of greed, but he took the coin carefully and placed it beneath the counter.  "Sure thing, friend," he sneered, trying to smile, although it slowly faded when Corvus turned away. He took three mugs, tin and rusted around the outside of it. With a bit of fuss, he produced frothy drinks, although the froth was greatly evaporated.

He laid them out on the table, and bowed his head to Corvus. "Let me know if there's anything I can do for ya folks," he said and waddled his way back to the counter. He tilted his head as if he were distracted by his book once more, but he occasionally flickered his gaze back to the trio of visitors. It was hard not to considering they were the only visitors in there, and had been for some time.

The beer was cool, but clearly watered down. Corvus didn't complain. Beer wasn't necessarily his poison, but it would do to quench what thirst had manifested in their traveling.

"It's good," he lied, although they would likely tell he was only trying to comment the beverage. "Boreas, I apologize for earlier. But I can respect your instincts."

Boreas looked over to him an gave a nod. "I'm sorry for any my actions too. Probably best to try and put what happened past us." If we can, he thought. Boreas had seen a look in his eyes back at the skirmish, but who was to say he didn't mistake it for more than it actually was. They were in the heat of battle, and he really shouldn't have judged the man off of one encounter he knew. As long as it doesn't happen again.

Evelyn took a sip from her metal cup and set it back on the counter, turning it and staring. "Thank you for the beer, Corvus." She looked up at the man sitting beside her. It's nice to have a break and drink for once." She sighed and glanced over at the bartender, catching brief eye contact with him before he flicked his gaze back to the book. It was obvious he was eyeing them, the townsfolk didn't seem kind to strangers and it was probably best not to give away any hints to listening ears.

She took another drink and then ran her hand through the long and tangled brown hair. Trying to smooth it was futile however, and her bangs quickly fell back to the sides of her face. Evelyn turned her head and quietly gazed out of the nearby window. The silence was almost soothing. Trees rustled in a passing breeze and the warm sun cast golden light on the grass and flowers. The sound of pages turning and the metal clinks on the counter was all to be heard for a while. She wished she had more time for things like this. Peace. No running, no hiding, no war... That was the dream she hoped to find one day.

Corvus remained as quiet, and listened to the gentle sounds around them. There was a quaint serenity to places like these, where it didn't seem as if time passed by here any faster than it should. If one got over the watered flavor of the beer, one might even say it was as if the war never occurred in this area, in the forest abroad. Corvus frowned inside, feeling somehow saddened by it all, that there were places like this that still existed amidst the chaos.

"People still cling to that ideal. Finding any way to survive they can," he found himself saying out loud although he was caught off guard by the fact that that sentiment was expressed. Immediately he felt his face burning, ashamed he'd said it aloud, and he just ducked his head into his beer, downing a large gulp.  He gazed side ways to the bartender and met his eyes, the glaze of them momentarily stern.

"You folks are welcomed to the beer, and any real food we might find in this place, although I can't imagine it's very much. You two look as if you've been traveling across the country for some time. Avoiding your, erm, friends," Corvus said softly, trying to avoid looking at older man.  The old man cleared his throat and turned a page in his book.  "I admit I'm out of my element here, but I wouldn't object to some company on the road if you two don't have prior plans."

"That might be good, Corvus," Evelyn responded quickly. "We could use any extra help on the road that we can get." She glanced over at her brother, who stayed silent. He didn't voice any eagerness to have Corvus stick around, but he didn't express any opposition either. Evelyn grinned, "Gods know I can only handle my brother for so long before imploding."

"Oh shut up," Boreas looked over and smiled back, "You would be lost without me."

She looked back out the window. "Yeah, I would," she muttered. Her smile slowly faded as she stared out at the scenery. It was as if she could forget the war in this place, forget their troubles. She wished it would last forever but she knew it wouldn't, that it couldn't. And it didn't.

She saw a shadow. Just a shadow at first growing across the grass; a figure walking along the building wall. Then it stopped, seemingly just before the window, and then she realized the person must be hugging the wall. Strange. She turned around toward the door, and saw through it's small pane a mother. The lady scooped up her young child and ran away from the tavern, glancing back in fear. Evelyn's eyes grew wide and she quickly turned to look back out the window, just catching half of a person's face peeking around the corner. It immediately snapped back out of view to avoid being seen. She looked closer at the silhouette projected on the grass and there it was. What looked like the shadow of a musket being held up by a man. No. Gods no how are they already here?! It can't be them. She looked down at the hand in her lap and willed magical energy into it, imagining a small flame growing in her palm. But instead she felt the energy dissipate and fizzle out. That settled it. They are here.

Evelyn sat up rigidly and and spoke, "Don't look now, but our friends are surrounding this building." She no longer cared if the bartender heard anything suspicious, they were already found out. "We need to act now, what's the plan?"

Oh, he was her brother.

That revelation for some reason seemed to ease something on Corvus' mind. Not that he would have cared either which way whether he was her lover or her brother - or both if that was their thing (he wasn't worhty to judge). It certainly explained Boreas' over protectiveness, and clear distrust of his presence. Perhaps he saw him as more than a nuisance and a serious threat. Corvus watched their exchange, unable to help his smirk.

It was amusing to say the least. He never had someone close enough to bicker with, it was almost quaint.

Until something unsettled in Evelyn's expression. His eyes cut to the windows as well, watching the scene unfold outside.  Corvus could feel it to. A change in the atmosphere, and he held his breath, feeling that even as Evelyn said the words, time was slowing down and he could hear the distant crack of a musket ball hurtling through the air. There was a crack of glass, smashing everywhere, and the shot zipped straight toward Boreas.

"Looks like we gotta think on our feet again!" Corvus griped and threw himself to the ground, pulling the pair with them. He pushed the table up onto its side until the flattened edge served as some kind of barrier. "I say we end this now," Corvus growled. "They'll hound you forever until you put them into the ground!"

Evelyn put her back to the table and contracted her muscles, instinctively trying to shrink her size. The bartender was so thrown off by the instant explosion of violence that he froze, the book dropped from his hand and his saucer sized eyes flicked around wildly; his brain trying to comprehend the situation. Four more bullets whizzed into the room in quick succession, each from slightly different angles, and pink-red mist suddenly exploded from from the bartender. A stray bullet tore through the fleshy part of his shoulder and the man collapsed to the ground in a yell, clutching the would as hot red blood seeped between his fingers.

Lucky for the trio, the thick table was in the perfect position, shielding their bodies from the windows for the most part. A few thuds signaled that a couple bullets had lodged themselves in the wood. After all five shots had gone off, there was an eerie silence, time seemed to stop for a few moments. Evelyn pulled out both of her daggers and Boreas looked to the edge of the room. His staff had been knocked across the floor when Corvus flipped the table.

Boreas turned to Corvus and yelled in frustration, "I thought you said you would slow them down!" He peeked his head around the side of the table. "They're reloading," Boreas stated, and darted across the room to grab his weapon. Evelyn jumped up to get a view of the situation, holding her knives ready. Her eyes fell on the Mordecai, who stepped through the door and into the room.

For fuck's sake, couldn't they get just a few moments of real respite. Corvus was getting really tired of all this running for their lives nonsense. He'd never to had to perform so much exercise in his life! But at least the body he possessed was as young and athletic enough to deal with the demand all this escapism suddenly made necessary. It didn't change the fact that they were going to die if they didn't kill these soldiers here and now.

"Don't waste any time," Corvus growled as he turned over from the cover of the table. This was their chance and the only opportunity they would get to close the distance. He saw the Mordecai enter the tavern proper. The heels of his boots clicked decisively and the shining edge of his sword flickered briefly in the candle light.

Corvus pulled a knife from his belt. Although he was more at home using his hands it wasn't enough against a volley of musket fire. Even the dagger was likely a bad idea. But it was better than nothing at all.   When a soldier came in from behind Izaak, Corvus stood as quickly as he could, intending on aiming for the Mordecai but the soldier stepped into the knife's path, lodging itself into his throat.

The one soldier was the only one to follow Izaak into the room, the rest were at the windows and doorway pouring powder into their rifle's barrels.

Boreas quickly grabbed his staff and spun to swing it at the Mordecai. The captain was ready however and deflected the blow with his sword.

The men put the musket ball in next, and then a small wad of paper to keep the bullet and gunpowder lodged inside.

Boreas blocked a counter attack from Izaak, the steel bouncing off the magically protected wood. The young man swung low but the soldier side stepped and brought his sword hand around in a fluid motion. The butt of the blade caught Boreas in the side of his head. He hit the floor, stars spinning in his vision.

The men plunged the ramrods into their rifles, packing the powder into the back of the muskets with one quick motion.

Evelyn had already begun running towards the captain when the blow struck her brother. She gripped the bronze knives and slashed with her right. Izaak blocked her arm with his and turned to swing.

The men at the windows pulled the ramrods from their muskets, dropping fine powder into the weapons' pan.

Izaak's blow would have connected if the kid on the ground hadn't lashed out with his foot. He felt his right leg give a little and had to adjust his balance to avoid falling. It was all the time Evelyn needed.

The soldiers on the perimeter each snapped the rammer shut and swiftly brought the rifle to their shoulders. They aimed their barrels, ready to fire.

Evelyn, however, was able to duck under Izaak's swing and around his body. She reached up and grabbed the man from behind. "STOP!" she yelled.

Silence. No bangs, no whistling bullets, nothing. Everything came to a halt.

Within less than a minute of fighting, Evelyn had Izaak in her grip. One arm around his waist with the other pressing sharp bronze into his neck. Her knife didn't draw blood, but it pushed the skin in at his jugular, threatening to break the surface with any sudden movement. "Drop it." she commanded, and Izaak's sword was released from his grasp.

Boreas picked himself off the ground, a hand on his bruised head. He looked at the three soldiers, each of their weapons pointing a separate enemy, and instantly slowed his movement. At this range, all it would take was a twitch of the finger, and the shot was almost guaranteed to hit. But the soldiers were kept at bay because of Evelyn's hostage, and the 3 fugitives were welded in place by gunpoint; their deaths gazing at them down the barrel. They were in a standoff.

Corvus stared at the three gunners, scowling down at the musket balls hidden deep within the bore. He could kill them all quickly and be done with it if he threw himself out this window. Or they could savagely wound him and kill the rest of everyone else inside this dingy tavern. Corvus kept still, however, amidst the rising tension that was making his blood boil.

They were pinned but Evelyn, with the force of the blade in her hand, she had the advantage.  Any sudden movement and there would be a volley of fire. Any twitch of the wrist and Izaak would be a dead man on the floor.  Which, it seemed, would be the key to getting them out of here.

He turned to the young woman, keeping his hands visible. "Kill him and be done with it!" he growled. "He'll only keep hounding you until he's dead where he stands."

"You do it and I'll blow your head off!" The soldier aiming the gun at Evelyn yelled. Evelyn's eyes flicked to Corvus and then back to the muzzle pointed at her. The soldier that spoke took a step through the broken window so he was standing inside.

"Don't move!" Evelyn called out, but her voice was slightly higher than she would have liked.

"Listen, Evelyn-" Izaak began before the mage cut him off.

"No, you can't talk." She pushed the knife higher on his neck causing the captain to lean back farther.

"Actually," he continued slowly, "I think I can." He paused gauging the woman's reaction before proceeding. "Think about it. You kill me, sure, I'm dead, but so are you. Now what does that solve?" Another soldier took a step towards Evelyn.

She took a step back to keep him from possibly getting a better shot. "I said stay there!" There was that higher pitched voice again. She was nervous, panicked, and the soldiers knew it.

"If you let me go... I can guarantee you and your friends will not be harmed. You'll come with us peacefully, and you'll each get a fair trial." Izaak went silent letting the words sink in.

Evelyn's gaze switched over to her brother's. Boreas caught it, and the two seemed to have a silent conversation. It ended with Boreas's eyes growing wider. He knew what she was thinking. "Evelyn." He growled, "Evelyn don't, please. You don't have to."

The soldier trained on Boreas narrowed his eyes. "Release the captain NOW. Or I fire on your brother." He finalized the statement by readjusting his aim on the young man.

Evelyn's breathing was rapid, her gaze broke from her brothers and rested on the soldier that threatened him. She then turned and looked back at Corvus, searching for an answer on what to do. But she already knew what Corvus wanted her to do. And she already knew what Boreas wanted her to do. And she knew deep down what she had to do. She took a deep breath as two of the soldiers took another step in advance. "It's the only way." she breathed, and the realization washed over Izaak's face as shoved the blade up into his chin.

"DROP!" she yelled. Blood spurted from Izaak's lips as the knife pierced his brain. He was dead almost instantly and fell backwards with Evelyn towards the floor. She had built as much focus on her hands as she could and the instant the captain died she felt magic surge through the open pathways. Flame exploded violently in front of her half a second later, in sync with three gunshots. The heat was so intense it dried her eyes and she had to close them. The mage continued blindly funneling fire magic in front of her, hoping the other two had heeded her and that the three soldiers had taken the blast. She hit the floor two seconds later.

It seemed everything happened all at once. And if this was going to be the end, it sure happened faster than even Corvus might register. He felt himself go out of body, or sensed that he was, and watching the scene play out below him. There Izaak was spilling out blood from his throat and landed hard on the ground with a thud. As the thud echoed across the tavern, and blood puddled around that body suddenly the area was white, blinding him.

He shut his eyes and felt heat abruptly escalating around him. Somewhere he felt the hairs on his head somehow get singed, he winced and there were screams and suddenly the licking sounds of flames swallowing everything about them.

Corvus roused from the ground, opening his eyes as he came back into his own body and saw Evelyn on the floor. The fire of her magic swallowed the building whole as well as incinerated the soldiers outside, leaving their bodies roasting on the floor. He moved toward the fallen mage and scooped her up from the ground.

"Boreas!" he shouted.  "If you're still alive, we've got to get out of here! It'll collapse any minute!"

Boreas hit the floor the instant he knew it was too late to stop his sister. A bullet grazed his back mid air and then intense heat filled the room. He felt his arm hair singeing even though he was a decent distance from the flames. And then he heard the screams. Before Boreas could fully comprehend the situation, he saw Corvus take Evelyn into his arms and dash from the building, calling for Boreas as he did so. Gods damnit! Inwardly he was fuming almost as much as the blaze that surrounded him. He picked himself up off the floor and prepared to leave.

*Gurgle* Boreas stopped at the sound and turned. It was the man, the innkeeper who had been shot through the neck. He was still alive. Boreas couldn't leave him, he was innocent. Running deeper into the flaming building, he put his arms under the innkeeper's shoulders and hoisted him up as well as he could. He then proceeded to drag the man out of the fire as flames licked his skin. It was painful, his leg hair was all but gone by now and he could feel the flesh boiling from the intense heat. But eventually, he dragged the man to safety and fell to the dirt, watching as the fire ate away at the former inn.

As the flames were engulfing the building, Corvus managed to carry Evelyn out of there before the flames blocked their path completely. He turned back, glancing and briefly wondering what the hell was keeping Boreas. All he had to do was run out! What difference did one other life make?  Every else was already dead!

Finally he saw him as a beam soon collapsed over the exit, blocking any further passage and Boreas and the bloodied innkeeper lingering at the base of the flaming inn.  Three bodies remained outside of the tavern, flaming and smoking as was their way when coming into contact with incineration. The smell of flesh was strong in the air and Corvus coughed abruptly as he knelt and gently settled Evelyn on the grass.

He concerned himself with her over Boreas considering the man was conscious and in otherwise decent condition. Leaning in beside her and checked to see if there remained a pulse and felt the pull of blood there, the call to it. He stilled himself before leaning in close and feeling his magic finally begin to revive underneath his fingertips.

But it didn't manifest from his hands, instead he leaned and pressed his lips gently over hers, breathing out from slightly parted lips, reaching out with his psyche to hers, in an attempt to revive her back to consciousness.

Boreas sat staring at the fire for a minute, seeing a beam collapse only a few moments after they exited. The heat was still intense where he was at, although it was nothing compared to before. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand, sweat beginning to form instead of immediately evaporating from the previous heat. He glanced down at the innkeeper and scrambled back to action. Ripping the shirt off of his body, he pressed the cloth onto his wound in an effort to stop the bleeding. The man coughed under him, blood came out, and Boreas realized the bullet must have caused some sort of rupture in his throat. The man was choking on his own blood, and it wasn't but a few moments later that he fell deathly still.

No. Cmon! he thought, but the man was dead. Boreas closed his eyes for a moment before opening them. There was nothing he could do, he knew that, but the mans death still weighed heavily on him. Evelyn. he remembered. He needed to make sure Corvus had gotten her to safety. Turning around, he found Evelyn laying on her back in the grass, and Corvus was - kissing her?!


Evelyn felt a presence. She awoke and tried to look around, but there was only darkness. She could feel something, like another person was calling out to her, but she heard nothing, saw nothing, only felt it for a moment. The last thing she remembered was hitting the floor. Pain shot through the back of her skull and then... this. Am I dreaming? she wondered. Then she felt that presence again, calling her forward. She followed it's urgings and she started to feel lighter. The feeling in her limbs returned, her fingers, her toes, and she felt a small breeze brush the hairs on her head. Her eyes opened. She was staring up at the blue sky, only a few light clouds were in view. Then she looked down.

Evelyn sucked in a breath and pushed Corvus's chest away from her. She abruptly sat up and turned her head to him. Lips were parted and a confused expression lay on her face. Not angry, confused.

"HEY!" Boreas yelled as he stomped over. "What do you think you're doing?!" His eyes burned through Corvus's skull and his tense neck muscles bulged slightly. His muscular frame straightened itself to full height.

"Boreas-" she held up a hand, silencing her brother for the moment, and got to her feet. Turning to Corvus she asked, "Was that you?" Was he the one I felt?

"What?! Yes it was him! You're the one that shoved him off!" Boreas yelled at Evelyn incredulously .

"No- Boreas. I felt him. He brought me back?" she said uncertainly. Evelyn wasn't sure what exactly happened. Had he brought her back? Did that mean she was dead, or was she just unconscious? Her head swiveled back to Corvus, searching for answers.

Corvus grunted out a yelp when he felt hands against his chest. It was surprising to say the least that the call worked that fast. But when she shoved him back, he didn't brace himself in time and he rolled back onto his haunches.  He supposed he should have expected worse, and the fact that she didn't strike him was a blessing in disguise. Maybe in the sheer anticipation that he was going to be wailed on by her overprotective brother.

Corvus stayed quiet, staring at the pair of them, eyes flickering back and forth until she peered at him with stark incredulity. "I suppose I did.  It was hard to tell if you were dead or not, but I felt your blood still moving, so I figured it was worth a try," he said.  And he stood up to dust himself off, pointing to Boreas.

"You have another head trying to burst out of your neck. You might want to take care of that," he chuckled, clearly not at all minding the bodies that seemed to have piled up around them.  "As for you, milady, it was a necessary invasion of privacy. I have certain special abilities myself, among them a projection of my persona if you will. I apologize."

Boreas stared between Evelyn and Corvus open mouthed. He didn't know what to say to the fact that Corvus had clearly just kissed her, and that his sister had brushed it off as if it didn't matter. Then, a cracking sound filled his ears as the building behind him collapsed. Boreas turned and shielded his eyes as a cloud of heat and ash swept past them. He gazed at the destruction the fire had caused. His eyes swept down to the charred bodies of the soldiers, and then to the innkeeper, who had died as Boreas tried to save him.

"Gods... What have you done." Boreas said.

"Wha-" Evelyn paused, looking at the back of her brothers skull wondering if he was serious or she had just heard him worng. "Excuse me?"
..
Boreas turned back around to face her. "You killed them. You just- .. You can't just murder people like that!"

Evelyn stared at Boreas as if he had just slapped her. "Don't you dare put this on me-"

"You didn't have to kill them! He surrendered. The captain surrendered and you just killed him!"

"What ELSE was I supposed to do Boreas?!"

"You didn't HAVE to kill them! They were just following orders! We could have figured something out"

Evelyn's eyes began to tear up. "You can't save everyone Boreas. People die-"

"I know I can't! I know people die. Don't you think I realize that? Don't you remember what I had to do in that arena! They made me kill Evelyn. And I obeyed them, I stooped down to that and I should have never done it! I killed people who shouldn't have died. Their death held no purpose but to entertain. People shouldn't die for no reason, not if there's another way!"

"I know but. That's not on you. What we had to do in slavery, that's not on you, that's not on me! We didn't have a choice!"

"There's always a choice." Boreas spat, and Evelyn fell silent. Did she need to kill him? She thought it was the only way, but could there have been an alternative? Did she murder that captain in cold blood? Evelyn choked back a sob, and Boreas's expression began to soften. He took a step toward her.

"Get away!" Evelyn shoved him back with both hands. Her mind traveled back in time. All those buried memories coming back to life. The ones she didn't want to think about. Because they hurt. Boreas said there was always a choice. All those things her masters made her do, some of them were horrid. But did she really have to obey? She could have taken the punishment, or tried to run away, but she hadn't. Had she chosen to do them?

"Evelyn-" Boreas started, but his sister cut him off.

"Just STOP." The first few tears slid down her cheeks and the girl turned away from him. She set off towards the woods, she didn't know where she was going, but she needed to get away. She needed to think.

Boreas stared after her, he didn't mean to hurt his sister so badly, he was just angry. And he just wanted her to understand. To get where he was coming from, and to try harder not to kill. She had done it several times since they were reunited, and he hated it. giving a defeated groan, Boreas let her walk away. And he turned to Corvus.

"Now you listen. She is off limits to you, I don't want to see anything else like what you did to save her. You may have her convinced but not me so you just stay away. In fact, why don't you just leave now. We can handle ourselves."

The exchange between them was nauseating.  However Corvus kept himself level and watched the pair go back and forth until Evelyn turned away. The minute revelations were trifling, and yet somehow opened up Corvus' mind regarding Boreas. No wonder the man was so touchy.  Slavery....  Hrm, it certainly explained all the jumpiness, and the running, and the paranoia.  It wouldn't do for him to jump to too many conclusions however.

"Whatever you're implying, keep that to yourself. It seems someone had to help your sister after she just saved your life mind you. And you were busy helping that scag that died anyway. What you call murder, I call survival. People die, and there's nothing you can do to change that. Convincing her that what she did was wrong is wrong. You're not the reason you're alive, she is.  Apparently she can handle herself and you just fine," Corvus replied coolly.

He moved passed Boreas, carefully stepping around him, even if he wanted to toss the brute to the ground. Screaming at her like that?  Who did he think he was?!  The bastard should be grateful his sister had the patience to put up with his foolery. 

He looked up to Evelyn, although he tried not to step any closer than he had to. "You alright?"

"Just watch your step," Boreas muttered as Corvus walked past him. He turned away, fuming, and walked back over towards the dead innkeeper. He needed to think too. Evelyn needed space and Boreas was not in the mood to deal with that damned Corvus character. He felt bad for what he had said to Evelyn. It wasn't often he got that angry, but when he did there was just no filter with him. In the back of his mind, Boreas knew Corvus was right. Evelyn was the reason he was alive. She had saved him on several occasions, and he could recall numerous times that his old companion Jasper had done so as well. He let out a sigh, I miss her. Boreas had been a burden to Jasper as well, he knew that, but even so he could not disregard the values he had set forth. Even though it was a harder lifestyle, it was a just one, and Boreas believed morality and righteousness was extremely important. He couldn't live with himself otherwise. Stopping at the man's body, he looked down. His shirt was useless to him now, but he didn't care about that, he could always get another. What bothered him was that this man likely had a family, and they would be distraught to learn that he died. He need to find them, to apologize and do anything he could to try to make it right. It was their fault he was shot after all.


Evelyn didn't stop walking when she heard Corvus's question. "I'm fine, it's just-" she paused mid sentence. Evelyn wanted to be out of earshot of her brother before continuing. She didn't turn around to look at Corvus, not wanting him to see her crying, although she was pretty certain that fact was obvious as she wiped her eyes every so often. She moved a little further into the woods, the sound of Corvus's footsteps behind her, before finally turning to face him. Her eyes were a little red from the few tears she'd shed, but she'd steeled herself and brushed it off. Her brother loved her, Evelyn knew, he was just angry and confused.

"I'm sorry you had to hear all that," she apologized, "Boreas can be, well.. you saw. He just doesn't understand. He's still young. He may look older but he's only 17. And he's generally level headed and all but when it come to killing it's something else. I mean I know it's wrong, I hate it too but-" Evelyn stopped, she was rambling.

Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair. Thoughts ran through her head and her eyes kept looking back and forth at their surroundings instead of staying locked on Corvus. "I'm terrible person Corvus. I've killed- I- ... But I do it because I want to stop. I want Boreas and I to, oh I don't know. I just want to stop running, I want us to have our normal life back, before it was taken-" Her words caught in her throat and a dampness returned to her eyes.

Oh, she was crying. That wasn't comforting to him, but she had a right to her emotions, one it seemed Boreas wasn't fond of.  Perhaps he didn't understand their bond, and it was likely he wouldn't. But from what he could gauge their closeness was rife with gullies and ramparts, trying though they may be.  As it was with all family bonds.

He found himself reaching out, just enough to put a gentle hand on her shoulder, but he didn't let it linger lest her brother come stomping in like the tough guy he was.  Corvus made his expression firm but gentle and looked directly at her.  "You have nothing to apologize for. What you're trying to do, is all anyone wants in this world. Don't punish yourself for wanting that.  And letting your brother convince you otherwise isn't doing either of you any good."

He sighed and stepped back a little, tilting his head. "Those soldiers didn't seem to care whether or not you lived or died. This is a war, do you not believe that the people that have suffered because of it wouldn't rather have someone else die in the place of their loved ones.  Boreas should be glad he has you still, and should appreciate you as such."

Corvus looked on to the fire of the tavern as the fire consumed it whole.  "You're not a terrible person. Do you really believe that when it comes between you and them, that you'd prefer they live and you don't?  It isn't about wanton killing, it's about making a decision and learning to live with it. I'm no saint myself...  I-I."

He stopped himself and pushed back those haunting years. Taking lives, inhabiting empty shells, every experience they lived, every memory they held passing through him until they were part of him. Corvus was alone. He didn't have anyone like Evelyn had Boreas. Even with their squabbling, they still were not alone. He was eternal, cursed to wander in damnation. 

"I'm sorry.  But I stand by my opinion. Although...this fire does seem rather large. I'd hate to see the whole village go up with it."

Evelyn blinked away the tears before they could start to flow again. "Thank you Corvus..." she sighed and looked over his shoulder in the direction they had came. "Boreas, he's just naive, he's still young. Sort of. He just doesn't understand that sometimes you have to do something bad to do something good." She looked to the ground and shook her head. "He's all I have left Corvus. There isn't anything I wouldn't do if it helped him in the end."

When Corvus mentioned the fire Evelyn's eyes grew wide. Shit. How could I not have thought about that. It's my fault if the whole town burns down! she took off past Corvus back towards the small village.

Corvus turned back with her after a few seconds and went off in a casual jog. The fire was swallowing up the inn in an intense hunger. It wouldn't relent and threatened some of the smaller buildings around it. There wasn't much he could do magically speaking about the fire.  It likely could be seen for miles, and if the other villagers hadn't vacated the area, it was soon going to be too late.

He ventured forth to see people looking out of their windows, and some of them standing and watching the blaze consume the structure.

"Can you put this out?" Corvus asked Evelyn.

Evelyn shook her head, "Maybe. I don't know. Fire's my best element but..." She trailed off staring at the massive flames. The heat was so intense it had charred the smaller surrounding plants, and the larger ones were begining to smolder.

The villagers were in a state of shock, and some were standing around and watching the blaze... but where was Boreas? She didn't see him among the few onlookers. Then she realized the Innkeeper's body was gone. Boreas had moved him, it was something he would do.

She didn't have time to worry about where her brother was though, there were more pressing issues. She stepped up to the fire, and Evelyn raised her hands as if warming them. She pushed the fire inward towards the building, keeping the flames from catching with the wind. The heat was intense, even to the mage who was used to it's lick, but she didn't step back.

"I can't douse it!" She called back to Corvus, "But I can contain it! I can let it burn down!" The cracking was fairly loud and she forced another outburst of flame back into the structure when it shifted again.

"You!" One of the men yelled when he saw her, "YOU did this didn't you! A filthy mage!" The older man snarled and turned to his companion. "Get the others. We have a WITCH!" And the second man turned and ran off.

Of course this couldn't work out quite as planned. Here they were trying to keep this village from burning into complete ash and of course the villagers are more hellbent on trying to savagely string up their potential heroine by the threads of her hamstrings.  Or just throw her into the burning inn, whichever would give them more satisfaction. Corvus, however, wasn't about to let that happen.

As the second man dashed off to form the beginnings of a mob, Corvus quickly turned to Evelyn.  "Let's get out of here now! This building can't be saved.  And neither can you if those folks get a hold of you."  He took her gently by the arm and led her off.  He looked around, head swiveling to see if he could find Boreas, but he couldn't spot the poor sod anywhere. 

"We've got to get your brother!  Either that or leave him to the mob. I'd rather not succumb to the latter myself, but I will help you if necessary.  Come on!"

Evelyn physically shoved the air to push a gust of flames back into the burning skeleton. She barely heard the old man yelling at her and then Corvus pulled her away from the building. The mage let him lead her and watched the blazing inn return to anarchy. Flames licked the side of a nearby home and the first trails of smoke told of its impending doom.

Boreas! she remembered, Oh Gods he had better be alright. Her eyes swept the area before turning to Corvus. "We can't leave him!" And as she spoke she felt a different hand grip her other arm.

"Where ya think yer goin?" A gruffy voice spoke. The old man had come over and grabbed Evelyn's arm as they passed by. She quickly noted the knife that lay in his other hand. His teeth were sparse, many had fallen out over the years and frown lines stood etched into his sagging skin.

Evelyn leaned into Corvus and flailed in an attempt to escape. "Get off!" She yelled at the angry villager.


Boreas hefted the body next to a nearby tree and looked over the small flat area dotted with graves. This looks like the right place, he thought. Turning around, he grabbed a shovel that had been 'borrowed' from an open tool shed. His head angled up towards the bright blue sky, split in half by a tall pillar of dark smoke. He had told a few villagers in the street to grab water, that the inn was burning, and they had ran off to try and help. I hope they can douse it in time...

The grassy dirt crunched under the metal spade as Boreas drove the shovel into the earth. His bare muscles bulged slightly and he pulled up with enough strength to break the abundance of grassy roots before dumping the pile to the side. He stomped the shovel into the earth again and repeated the process as his mind wandered. Boreas didn't know where to find this man's family, if he had one, and he would likely have to ask around. Explaining what exactly happened at the inn would be difficult, and it wasn't something he looked forward to doing.

After a few more hauls Boreas glanced up at the town church and suddenly remembered why they were here in the first place. Corvus. That man had wanted something from the church, and Boreas's curiosity was immediately sparked. What exactly was it? He didn't know because Corvus hadn't said, but he would definitely be taking a peek inside after the body was safely in the ground. Boreas looked down and plunged the spade deep into the earth once again.

Corvus wasted no time in lunging at the old man, feeling the strength surging through his body and slamming hard into him. The knife in his hand was gripped firmly however and even as Corvus grabbed him with one hand by the scruff and the other against the wrist holding the blade, the old man gripped it. 

"Back off her!" Corvus hissed and he couldn't hide the rage any longer. His threw himself forward, fangs out and sinking into the flesh of his cheek. The old man stumbled backwards, dropping to the ground to stop the seeping wound from his face that gaped and poured out blood.

The man was made inert and he turned to Evelyn, taking her arm gently.  "Let's go find Boreas," he said firmly.  "I needed the Church, but that won't be much help to either of us if we're dead.  Except maybe to give last rites."  He smiled at her, but pressed himself off to where he last saw Boreas go.

"If we don't find him though, as soon as we see the mob, we run, got it?"  Corvus wiped at the blood on his face, although he just seemed to smear it.

Evelyn looked back at the man's bloody face lying on the dirt as Corvus led her away. He had reacted so fast and violently, tearing into the man's cheek with his teeth. She didn't notice the fangs. Evelyn didn't know he was capable of doing that, and it was a little frightening, but at the same time she was glad he was there.

She nodded when Corvus said they would run at the sight of the mob, but she really hoped it didn't happen. She wasn't sure if she could just abandon her brother like that. Then we just have to find him.

"Boreas. He took the Innkeeper's body," she pointed out as they moved, "If I know him, he's probably trying to bury it."


Boreas dumped the final shovel full and set the tool on the ground. He heaved the man's body towards the hole. It was finally large enough to fit him, although he wondered if he had dug the grave too shallow. Setting the body on his back in the pit, he positioned the hands and legs so they were below the ground as well. He stood and looked down at the innkeeper.

Maybe he doesn't have a family... That would certainly make things easier. He partially blamed himself for the man's death, he was one of the people who brought the soldiers to his doorstep, and he was dreading more and more the thought for finding his family. Boreas stooped down and grabbed the shovel.

"You're the one that led them here!" said a voice behind Boreas.  "You brought that fucking witch and her dog!  Get out of our village!"

It was a man and a trio of others behind him.  They looked at the grave freshly dug and the man's breath hitched. His face was covered with the soot from the burning inn and he stepped forward to try and shove Boreas away from his dead friend.  "You killed him!  Men!  Get this fucking cunt to that inn! We burn the witch and her dog too!"

They all stepped forward to surround Boreas, with whatever farming tools they had in hand to serve as weapons.

As they ran toward the sound of growing voices, Corvus's stomach sank further into his gut and he only pressed them to move faster.

Boreas spun around at the sudden outcries. It was the townsfolk, and it appeared that they had formed a mob. He looked over to his staff on the ground, a few meters away. He would need to get to that. "No, please." Boreas responded cautiously and held up a hand, "It wasn't our intention!"

But the mob only drew nearer and Boreas found himself taking a defensive stance with a tight grip on the shovel. It seemed like it wasn't possible to finish burying the man's body anymore. He needed to get his staff and run to the church, before the brewing fight got out of hand.

A shovel might take out two or tree of those men, but the more they shouted and advanced, a few more joined their number. They quickly drew in on Boreas and as they got closer so did Corvus and Evelyn. Corvus tried to shout over the din.  "Boreas!" he cried at the top of this lungs.

While the mob turned to look. Corvus paused for a brief second, thrusting out hands to the intensity of heat that was growing in them. Violet fire burst forth and a ball of flame raged for the man wielding a pitchfork in front.

Oh it wouldn't be a proper mob without one of those.

Boreas scowled and shielded his face as the man was hit by the purple fire before him. He screamed as flames wrapped around him. Corvus, you bastard, Boreas raged in his mind, but he took the opportunity to lunge for his staff. As his hand wrapped around the smooth wood, a hoe came down on his back. Boreas hit the ground with a yell as the metal split his skin, and he rolled over to block a second swing with the shovel in hand. He got to his feet and swung on the attacker with the shovel, bashing his head and knocking the farmer unconscious.

"Boreas!" Evelyn yelled when she saw him go down. But she watched him swiftly get back up and return the favor. He dropped the shovel and turned to her voice. "Run!" She yelled. And he did, taking off towards the church. The mob was on her and Corvus now for the most part, after one of their men fell to cursed flames, and it was time for them to run too.

"We need to go!" Evelyn frantically told Corvus, not that he didn't already realize, but because she was panicked. This had all gone so bad so fast. She took the lead, running along the streets towards the church doors as Boreas took the graveyard route. She didn't know what would happen once they were inside. Barricade the door perhaps? She could always give her magic a go. But realistically, it would only be a temporary solution, a place for them to regroup. This town was no longer safe for them to stay.

[Oh, I am so sorry for the long delay! D:  Working all the time is not ideal for posting.]

Where Boreas saw unnecessary savagery, Corvus saw a means to an end. Whether that end was a permanent one, he didn't know and he didn't care. The man was a roadblock, a temporary impasse on their road to sanctuary - which so far had been wrought with troughs, dips, and debris. Corvus kept his eyes trained on the crowd as they went for the pair.

He saw Boreas bolt toward the church from the corner of his eye, and as the crowd suddenly gained speed, he was on Evelyn's heels with dutiful steadiness. Corvus panted lightly as the mob tried to gather what other brethren in the village would take up arms against them. "Your magic!" he hissed as they neared the side doors of the church.  "Could you uproot the trees!  Make them block the doors!"

A they came up to the wooden edifices, he threw the door open and slammed it hard behind once he and Evelyn were threw. He looked around, searching for anything that might help barricade the door.  He kicked over a lamp, the long golden stem breaking off from the four-pronged base and shoved it between the handles on the inside.

"Okay!" Evelyn yelled back to Corvus. Boreas reached the church doors before they did and held them open for his two companions. Evelyn slowed slightly allowing Corvus to get in front of her. While running, she sifted her fingers through the air as one would do with wet sand. The tinglings of magic helped her feel the roots of the small trees that stood near the church entrance. Reaching the door, she turned and stopped, jerking her hands upwards. A shower of dirt followed as tree roots burst from the ground. She wove her hands back and forth and dumped energy into her movements. The roots grew. They fed off of the magical nutrients and twisted through the air, becoming thicker while interlocking with each other. The result was a growing woven wall of wood that blocked the doorway to the cathedral.  Like vines they climbed the walls and Evelyn extended her hands in a circle around her, so they began to cover the windows too. By the time she was finished, the mage was panting and the mob had started hacking at the barrier. All the magic she'd used recently was really starting to take it's toll.

Boreas closed the doors for good measure and leaned up against the wall. He slid to the ground in a sitting position, a look of pain on his face, and one of his hands held his back. The blow from the farmer was starting to make his spine feel stiff, now that adrenaline was starting to wane. "Are you ok?" Evelyn asked her brother, looking over at him with her hands on her knees.

"I'm alright," he replied wincing. "You should sit down. I can tell you're drained." Evelyn nodded slowly, taking a seat on a nearby bench. She looked over to Corvus, about to ask how he was doing.

"Y- You- ... You can't b- be here.." Evelyn's head whipped around to the front of the room, where a lone priest was cowering behind the pier. They must not have noticed him in all the commotion.

The barrier would hold for now. Even if they didn't have all the time they wished they had. Corvus cursed those bloody soldiers! Only because they couldn't just let a few mages slip their grasp, let them go and move on to bigger and better prey. Well, one mage. Boreas was just dead weight as far as Corvus was concerned. However as he turned away, he saw Evelyn panting and frowned. It seemed she was getting exhausted from the use of her gift; working such wonder tended to go that way.

The priest, was completely unexpected.

"Why?" Corvus asked, although he realized it was a moot question. Taking refuge in a house of a deity, even on such as Ansgar, was typical for the urchins and the wretched - which they seemed to be very much so now -  and now had an angry mob at their backs.  "Father, please. Will you grant us sanctuary here for a short time? I realize that's asking much, but we're in need."

"No-no!" he stammered, reaching up to hold his hands out in front of him.  As if that might ward away the evil of their presence.  "You bring danger and evil to these hallowed grounds!  That is sheer blasphemy! I can't allow it!  Please, this is a house of God!"

"Gods-" Boreas started, he let his head fall back and knock against the wall. Of course someone is trying to kick us out. He was getting rather fed up with all the running. The hiding and the hatred directed at him and his sister. JUST because she was a mage. JUST because she happened to have been blessed with an extraordinary gift. It was awful, all of this hatred constantly directed at mages, most of whom would never hurt a fly unless forced to. Like Evelyn.

"No." He said, staring over at the priest sternly. "We aren't leaving, and you can't kick us out. I am so damn tired of you people putting us into a bad category! Like mages and their friends are inherently evil or something. No! They aren't. I'll tell you what's inherently evil, it's the sword and the gun the unmagical have forged. Their only purpose is to kill and maim others! Mages are more than that. They can do beautiful things and you idiots are blind to it!" Boreas paused after his rant, breathing slowly to calm himself down. "Screw Asangar. And screw you too." He crossed his arms and turned his head away from the priest, who stood in silent shock, obviously sweating with anxiety.

Evelyn just sort of looked at Boreas, surprised at his sudden outburst, not that it was uncalled for. She was fed up too. She smiled weakly towards him but her brother didn't see. As angry of a rant as it was, it was also sweet. She turned her head to the priest. "We're staying here." She stated, and leaned back to lie on the bench. Her head and vision was starting to swim and she was afraid she'd pass out.

He wouldn't try anything, Evelyn highly doubted, and if he did it was three against one anyway. She needed this break, however temporary it may be, and the lull in the chaos would give Corvus time to do whatever he needed to here. She didn't care what it was. As far a she was concerned he was one of them, here to help and protect, and if his task happened to hurt or go against the townfolk, well, these kind of people had caused her considerable pain over the last few years. She was willing to look the other way.

If the sudden quiet outside alerted Corvus any, he didn't show it. Oh he knew they didn't suddenly make peace with the fact that a mage just slaughtered a platoon of soldiers, and burned down their inn and killed one of their own in the process. No, he knew they must be preparing something, either to break down this chapel, or burn it up from the outside in.  Even the look on the priest's face was all he needed to see to confirm his suspicions.

Corvus looked at the stone of the church. It was old, probably much older than village itself. Even the inn that had crumbled must have been built shortly after this small chapel had been erected. The stone was darkened with age and thin slivers of algae growing between the stones. The pews were browned and worn over from excessive use. The people here were obviously very devout.  Maybe that would sway their need for destruction in just the time needed to get out of here.

"Father, where do you keep your texts and writings?" he asked, overlooking Boreas' rant. As much as he agreed with the overall aspect of it's intent, he didn't have enough experience in that department to be a judge in their current situation. The only thing he could comment on was the here and now. And they were still very much in danger.

The priest, seemingly caught off guard from Boreas, shakily turned to Corvus.  "The....writings!?  I-I...don't..  Um, I mean, they're in the cellar!  Down behind the pulpit.  B-but you can't go down there!  Only men of the cloth may venture there."

"I am in need of scanning your library, father. Now really isn't the time, considering the angry mob outside," he pressed.  He gave the priest a hard look.  The man gulped harshly and tripped over his robes as he fumbled down the steps and moved toward the door on the right of the pulpit.  He pulled a key from the chain around his neck and unlocked the door after some struggle.

"The rust makes it hard to get through.  Don't be long!  The books down there are very old, already wrought with mildew and moisture!  They were stored here after this chapel was constructed."

"Don't worry. No harm will come to them.  I know that you're more worried about the state of your books than the needful flock outside. So please, don't hesitate to be more hospitable," Corvus said bitingly.  He scowled at the priest before ventured down into the dark.

Boreas eyed Corvus and the priest as they walked away and down to the cellar. He too noticed the commotion lessening outside, but the thick roots covering the windows meant that their actions would stay unknown. Boreas stiffly walked over to Evelyn. His legs felt sluggish, and he assumed it was just fatigue. "Are you ok?" he asked her.

"I'll be alright." Evelyn replied. She brought her arm up and put the crook of her elbow over her eyes, to block out the light. "I just need break..."

"Sure thing," Boreas stated. "I'll keep an eye on things, don't worry about it." Taking a seat on the bench behind Evelyn's, he looked around at the old church. He was curious why Corvus was interested in the writings, but he had no energy to investigate. It was his job to watch Evelyn right now anyway. So he leaned back and waited for something to happen. For Corvus to return, or for the mob to retaliate. And for the first time during the journey, Boreas realized he would rather have Corvus.

While Corvus purveyed the old cellar, holding out a candle-light lantern ahead of him, he avoided the small collections of water that puddled in the center of the floor and as the priest followed him, he made sure to stay just at the foot of the stairs.  Corvus furrowed his brows in the dim lighting as he tread onward.

"How old is this place, Father?"

"Pratchett," the man on the stairs said, causing Corvus to look back at him.

"Father Pratchett.

"Approximately 800 years. Although...our collection of texts has diminished over the years. So the ones we do keep, are locked away in... HEY!  Do not touch that!"

What the father had protested to was Corvus breaking the lock on a trunk that was elevated over a set of casks. And when he opened it there were a set of books and folios.  The smelled a little of mildew and age and he set the lantern down on the lip of the lid.  He was quiet as he rifled through them, knowing the priest would do nothing to stop him.  He didn't know for sure if what he was looking for would be here, but copies of the text were so few and far between, placing it in a place like this.

And something as ordinary and unobscured as the folio at the very bottom, he knew he'd found it.  The Illuminations, Confessori de Magi as told by Sigurd Delverio he read and found it was a lot thicker than he thought it would be, bound together by sinew and written on a thickened vellum.  He rolled it up and shoved it into his coat and raised the lamp to find a loosened grate beneath casks in the cellar floor.

"Father Pratchett, get the others!  I know where the water is going," he said loudly.

The priest trudged up the stairs and into the main room. "The man. H-he want's you." Pratchett eyed Boreas, wary of another outburst from him.

Evelyn sighed. Of course there was no time for a break. Sitting up she looked over to her brother, who was silent. He had a contorted look on his face and twisted his back to crack it. "Whats wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing. My lower back and legs are just stiff. Probably from all the running. And the hoe probably didn't help."

"Huh?"

"One of the farmers," he answered standing up, "He sliced me in the back with his hoe."

She hadn't noticed the line of blood along his lower mid back before and stared at it in shock. There was a fair amount of blood soaked into the fabric. "Borea-!"

"I'm fine! I'm fine..." he said. Thumps sounded from outside of the front door. The sound of chopping. They had found some sharp tools to get in with, and through the window Boreas saw the first root get pulled away. "We've got to find a way out of here." He stated urgently.

Evelyn pushed herself warily off of the bench. "We need to tell Corvus."

The two sibling made their way down into the cellar, while the preacher followed behind.

"Corvus!" Evelyn yelled, "They're breaking in!"

"There's a grate here, loosened. We'll find our way out through here," Corvus said as he shifted around and pulled the slimy piece of metal out of the way, the hinges coiling up angrily from grime and poor maintenance. Once he saw the pair coming closer, he gestured for them to come closer, seeing there was a rusted ladder leading down to the bottom.

Water was flowing outward, but the stream was manageable.  He carried the lantern toward the edge and gestured for Evelyn to go first.

Then to Boreas and the wetness along his back that wasn't exactly water.  "You're wounded," he said plainly as if the man didn't know already.  "I'll carry you if you can't manage the climb. There isn't any time to argue, so make a decision."