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Sam smiled gratefully at Dorothea as she voiced her confidence that she would get home.She had determination of her own but at the same time she could't help but feel that getting home successfully was a long shot. Sam had never been much of an optimist. Still she was glad for her friend's confidence. It gave her hope when she desperately needed it. "Thanks, Dorothea." She smiled at the thought of Dorothea actually getting a good look at her home, rather than sprinting through it as a cat to escape soldiers. She supposed when Dorothea took this tour of her world she would be human again. She tried to imagine it but it was difficult to when she had no idea what Dorothea really looked like. "I'd be honored to give you this tour. I could take you to the top of the Empire State Building. And Time's Square. They'd blow your mind."
Laughing a bit she looked ahead and raised an eyebrow. "Where'd the Marshal go?" He immediately reappeared, calling to her and beckoning her to follow. Sam quickened her pace, trying not to stumble on rocks and falled branches. "Um, Dorothea?" she said, looking a bit guilty as she considered her question. "I was wondering about your mom. You mentioned her before, but, um, what was she like? And...I don't want to sound...inconsiderate, but how long ago did she die?" She winced a little after asking the question. "If you don't want to talk about it that's fine. I was just...wondering."
She stepped out of the trees and glanced around. She may have never seen a road like this one before but she knew a road when she saw it. She looked over at August. "This is the road the prince will be traveling on, yeah? Which way to Verinia's capitol?" She thought of the three dwarves, Alphonse, Coralie, and Florian. She wondered if they had made it to the horse farm without them and if they were currently looking for them. She looked up the road again, brow furrowed. "Do you think the company's passed this way already?"
- Last Seen: 7 mos ago
- Old Guild Username: carsgovroom
- Joined: 11 yrs ago
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Username history
- carsgovroom 11 yrs ago
Status
Recent Statuses
7 yrs ago
Current
Day dreamin’ of summer vacation ☀️
10 yrs ago
Super sick. Not sure when it will pass.
10 yrs ago
Last day of Spring Break. Back to school and work tomorrow. :(
Bio
Call me cars. Or vroom. Or carsgovroom. Just another 20-something girl on the World Wide Web. I suppose I'd be considered a veteran RPer with probably a decade of RPing experience whose looking to have a bit of fun.
Most Recent Posts
I'm trying to be as evil as possible and I'm getting inspiration from every evil stepmother/queen that I can think of. Ha. Hopefully it's effective?
Evie didn't have time to prepare, didn't have time for anything, before she was pinned to the ground beneath the larger, bulkier man. She opened her mouth to scream, her eyes wide with fright, before a cloth was pressed over her mouth. She inhaled the same sickly sweet smelling drug that Nora had hours ago and the effects were just as instantaneous. Her blue eyes went hazy, her eyelids drooped, and the limbs that were kicking and pushing against the man on top of her in protest went limp.
Nora had shot up to her feet when she saw the man burst in and pin her sister to the ground. She watched as he drugged her sister like the other man (or maybe this was the same guy) had only a couple of hours previous and she knew that he would just get up and carry Evie off like she had been. Evie would wake up in a dark room, alone and scared. Or Nora herself would be waking up along side her after getting kidnapped again. No way. Either way it wasn't going to happen.
As far as she could tell the man wasn't paying attention to her, or even knew she was in the room. She acted quickly and on instict. She picked up a large and rather beautiful lamp from the bedside table. It was rather heavy. Good. She ripped the plug from the wall and ran forward, lifting the thing as high as she could. When she reached where the man was chocking her sister with drug she swung the lamp down with all of her might until it smashed against it's head. The lamp shattered and Nora stumbled back, away from the man and shards of lamps. Her eyes were wide, as though she just now realized what she had done, The Doctor, where was the Doctor? She should be here...
Nora had shot up to her feet when she saw the man burst in and pin her sister to the ground. She watched as he drugged her sister like the other man (or maybe this was the same guy) had only a couple of hours previous and she knew that he would just get up and carry Evie off like she had been. Evie would wake up in a dark room, alone and scared. Or Nora herself would be waking up along side her after getting kidnapped again. No way. Either way it wasn't going to happen.
As far as she could tell the man wasn't paying attention to her, or even knew she was in the room. She acted quickly and on instict. She picked up a large and rather beautiful lamp from the bedside table. It was rather heavy. Good. She ripped the plug from the wall and ran forward, lifting the thing as high as she could. When she reached where the man was chocking her sister with drug she swung the lamp down with all of her might until it smashed against it's head. The lamp shattered and Nora stumbled back, away from the man and shards of lamps. Her eyes were wide, as though she just now realized what she had done, The Doctor, where was the Doctor? She should be here...
"My world?" Sam asked, looking over at the cat with a raised eyebrow. Her lips spread into a small smile. "Hey, the sun comes up during the day and the moon at night there, too. We can tell the difference." Sam wondered where she could possibly begin. "My world is different. So, so different. In just about every way. Like I'm not sure how to begin to explain it to you..." She bit her lip as she thought about it for a minute then laughed softly. "There's no...at least where I live we don't have kings or castles. People don't ride horses except for, like, recreation? There's aren't any fairies or monsters or Prince Charmings where I live." She looked back over at Dorothea and shrugged. "There's no magic in my world. Until yesterday I always thought that magic was just something out of a fictional story. A fairy tale."
Sam took a breath before continuing. "My world's so big. There are all of these different continents separated by oceans and on each continent there are all of these other countries that I've never been to and each of them are different. But where I live, it's called New York. That's my home. And it's really fast? And noisy and crowded and huge. It's a little bit like the forest, except there are skyscrapers instead of trees. It's easy to get lost in if you don't know your way around. And it's always...alive. Things are happening in the city all of the time and there are so many things to do and place to go, even at night. That's why there are so many lights." Sam smiled fondly, and also with a hint of sadness. "It's a loud and busy place at any time of the day, but I like it. And I miss it. I'm just afraid that I'll never get back home. And if I never get back home then everyone I care about on the other side, my family and friends, they'll have no idea what happened to me. I'll just have disappeared. Gone without a trace. I can't put my parents through that."
~~~
Narissa's eyes were fixed upon the image of Marshal Derrick and her expression had turned dark and almost hideous. She could feel the livid rage welling up inside of her as he spoke. Not that she had any reason to doubt him. She was just tired of all of these delays. When she spoke her voice was soft, yet tense as she held back anger. "I've grown weary of these surprises, Derrick. No more. No more hiccups, no more delays, no more surprises. No more excuses. Complete the task that I have given you. Without further flaw. If you do not join the caravan within the hour I will know. I will be watching." Narissa smiled through her steely glare. "No more surprises. Do not let the girl slip though your clumsy fingers again. One more mistake, August, and I will retire you from my services." She felt like threatening him, telling him what would happen to him if he should fail. But he knew already. She regained her composure instead and give him a final look. "One last chance, Marshal Derrick. Do not be a fool and waste it." She shoved the mirror back into the drawer and closed it. She turned her back and leaned against the table, trying to take deep calming breaths. She could not fail, now. But if she did she took comfort in the fact that she would drag August Derrick down with her.
Sam took a breath before continuing. "My world's so big. There are all of these different continents separated by oceans and on each continent there are all of these other countries that I've never been to and each of them are different. But where I live, it's called New York. That's my home. And it's really fast? And noisy and crowded and huge. It's a little bit like the forest, except there are skyscrapers instead of trees. It's easy to get lost in if you don't know your way around. And it's always...alive. Things are happening in the city all of the time and there are so many things to do and place to go, even at night. That's why there are so many lights." Sam smiled fondly, and also with a hint of sadness. "It's a loud and busy place at any time of the day, but I like it. And I miss it. I'm just afraid that I'll never get back home. And if I never get back home then everyone I care about on the other side, my family and friends, they'll have no idea what happened to me. I'll just have disappeared. Gone without a trace. I can't put my parents through that."
~~~
Narissa's eyes were fixed upon the image of Marshal Derrick and her expression had turned dark and almost hideous. She could feel the livid rage welling up inside of her as he spoke. Not that she had any reason to doubt him. She was just tired of all of these delays. When she spoke her voice was soft, yet tense as she held back anger. "I've grown weary of these surprises, Derrick. No more. No more hiccups, no more delays, no more surprises. No more excuses. Complete the task that I have given you. Without further flaw. If you do not join the caravan within the hour I will know. I will be watching." Narissa smiled through her steely glare. "No more surprises. Do not let the girl slip though your clumsy fingers again. One more mistake, August, and I will retire you from my services." She felt like threatening him, telling him what would happen to him if he should fail. But he knew already. She regained her composure instead and give him a final look. "One last chance, Marshal Derrick. Do not be a fool and waste it." She shoved the mirror back into the drawer and closed it. She turned her back and leaned against the table, trying to take deep calming breaths. She could not fail, now. But if she did she took comfort in the fact that she would drag August Derrick down with her.
Bumping this. I think I can handle one more~
Sam started following the Marshal, keeping a bit of a distance but not enough to loose him. She knew that she probably hadn't had much of a choice in letting him walk with his hands free. She couldn't have fought with him and tried to take the sword away from him herself. She didn't try to fool herself into thinking that it could have been a battle that she could have won. But he was free now and the part of her that didn't trust him remained wary, ready to attempt an escape if it became necessary. It had been so much easier to think he wouldn't betray her when the two of them hadn't been alone with him and when he was at least a little secured... Fear nipped at her, making her stomach ache a little. What if he had taken her for a fool? What if she had let him get into her head?
She felt something light land on her shoulder and she knew if she glanced over she would see Dorothea there once again. Sam was becoming used to having the princess perched there. Dorothea whispered to her and she could hear the fear in her voice and Sam bit her lip, uneasy and a bit guilty. She looked over and met the princess's yellow cat eyes before looking away, back at where the Marshal was walking in front of them. Sam thought about telling her what August had confided to her the previous night, and the words were on her tongue before she swallowed them back.
There were a few more moments of silence as Sam considered her response. She opened her mouth as though to respond a couple of times before closing it again, as though she had decided that wasn't the best thing to say. She finally let out a sigh and looked back at Dorothea. "Look...what I know is that there are things out there. Things that I can't protect myself from, let alone you. He could. Maybe." Sam shook her head, obviously uneasy about it. "To be honest I don't have a very good reason. I know it's a risk. And it'll probably blow up in my face. But he could have taken you and had left me behind with the Shades and the Jockal? And he didn't? I don' know..." She sighed again. "We need his sword in this forest, and I don't have the skill to use it. But be prepared if we have to make a run for it." Sam doubted if her words provided any comfort to the other girl at all.
~~~
Narissa;s eyes were closed but she could see. Looking through Darius's eyes all she saw was treetops. The forest stretched on and on for miles like a giant blanket at covered the eastern portion of the land. All she could see were trees, trees, and more trees. Past Eldonia and into Verinia. Eventually Darius flew over the King's road and she could make out the shapes of Prince Liam's caravan as the journeyed deeper into the woods and father away from Eldonia's capital. Narissa willed her familiar to continue the search before opening her eyes, leaving the raven's mind and returning to her own.
The queen swept down the stairs and back into the front room and she knelt beside a cabinet and eased a drawer open. She searched the contents before producing another hand held mirror and held it gently by the silver handle. Beyond the handle and it's larger size it was identical to the one she had given the Marshal. These mirrors had come from her home, her childhood in Verinia. Narissa remembered a time long ago when she would use the mirrors to contact Isabel in the middle of the night. But much had changed since them.
She gazed down at her reflection and swiped her hand down the smooth surface. It did not leave a streak and the reflection was replaced by darkness. Wherever Derrick's mirror was it was dark... Perhaps he had lost it or he was being held somewhere by whoever had broken into her hollow, in a cave or underground. Or perhaps the mirror was in the man's pocket. 'Derrick?" she whispered furiously, taking care not to speak too loudly in case there were any others present, if Derrick still had the thing at all.
She felt something light land on her shoulder and she knew if she glanced over she would see Dorothea there once again. Sam was becoming used to having the princess perched there. Dorothea whispered to her and she could hear the fear in her voice and Sam bit her lip, uneasy and a bit guilty. She looked over and met the princess's yellow cat eyes before looking away, back at where the Marshal was walking in front of them. Sam thought about telling her what August had confided to her the previous night, and the words were on her tongue before she swallowed them back.
There were a few more moments of silence as Sam considered her response. She opened her mouth as though to respond a couple of times before closing it again, as though she had decided that wasn't the best thing to say. She finally let out a sigh and looked back at Dorothea. "Look...what I know is that there are things out there. Things that I can't protect myself from, let alone you. He could. Maybe." Sam shook her head, obviously uneasy about it. "To be honest I don't have a very good reason. I know it's a risk. And it'll probably blow up in my face. But he could have taken you and had left me behind with the Shades and the Jockal? And he didn't? I don' know..." She sighed again. "We need his sword in this forest, and I don't have the skill to use it. But be prepared if we have to make a run for it." Sam doubted if her words provided any comfort to the other girl at all.
~~~
Narissa;s eyes were closed but she could see. Looking through Darius's eyes all she saw was treetops. The forest stretched on and on for miles like a giant blanket at covered the eastern portion of the land. All she could see were trees, trees, and more trees. Past Eldonia and into Verinia. Eventually Darius flew over the King's road and she could make out the shapes of Prince Liam's caravan as the journeyed deeper into the woods and father away from Eldonia's capital. Narissa willed her familiar to continue the search before opening her eyes, leaving the raven's mind and returning to her own.
The queen swept down the stairs and back into the front room and she knelt beside a cabinet and eased a drawer open. She searched the contents before producing another hand held mirror and held it gently by the silver handle. Beyond the handle and it's larger size it was identical to the one she had given the Marshal. These mirrors had come from her home, her childhood in Verinia. Narissa remembered a time long ago when she would use the mirrors to contact Isabel in the middle of the night. But much had changed since them.
She gazed down at her reflection and swiped her hand down the smooth surface. It did not leave a streak and the reflection was replaced by darkness. Wherever Derrick's mirror was it was dark... Perhaps he had lost it or he was being held somewhere by whoever had broken into her hollow, in a cave or underground. Or perhaps the mirror was in the man's pocket. 'Derrick?" she whispered furiously, taking care not to speak too loudly in case there were any others present, if Derrick still had the thing at all.
Nora's hair was half damp and she could barely hear anything over the sound of the hairdryer in Evie's hands. But both sisters could hear the knock at the door and looked up at it with surprised expressions. "Maybe it's Mum," Evie said, switching the hairdryer off and rising to her feet.
"Away from her masterpiece of a ballroom? Unlikely." The deep voice spoke out from the other side of the door and Nora looked up to see Evie's head turned to gaze back at her. The brunette sister's eyebrows furrowed a bit. "Free room service for the bride? Is that a thing?"
"Apparently?" Evie said, shrugging her shoulders and smiling. "I wasn't told anything about it but that's nice of them."
"Very fancy," Nora said with a little smirk as she leaned back on the bed. "Maybe I need to get married soon and get treated like a queen." For a few brief moments she thought nothing of the knock on the door, then right as Evie reached for the door handle the Doctor's warning to be careful seemed to replay in her mind. Nora sat back up again. "Evie, wait..."
She was too late. Evie turned the doorknob and opened the door to peer out at the man in the hallway.
"Away from her masterpiece of a ballroom? Unlikely." The deep voice spoke out from the other side of the door and Nora looked up to see Evie's head turned to gaze back at her. The brunette sister's eyebrows furrowed a bit. "Free room service for the bride? Is that a thing?"
"Apparently?" Evie said, shrugging her shoulders and smiling. "I wasn't told anything about it but that's nice of them."
"Very fancy," Nora said with a little smirk as she leaned back on the bed. "Maybe I need to get married soon and get treated like a queen." For a few brief moments she thought nothing of the knock on the door, then right as Evie reached for the door handle the Doctor's warning to be careful seemed to replay in her mind. Nora sat back up again. "Evie, wait..."
She was too late. Evie turned the doorknob and opened the door to peer out at the man in the hallway.
Nora reached out and took the sticky note, looking briefly down at the number before looking back up. A corner of her mouth twitched up into a sort of half smile and she nodded. "Thank you, Doctor. For helping her. And me. When you don't even really know me." She looked at her curiously as she said that. It had been the first time she had thought that but it was true. The Doctor didn't know her and she was going through all of this trouble to help. Nora watched the woman vanish down the hall and made a mental note to ask her about it the next time she saw her.
Evie opened the door for her sister when she knocked and she was smiling as she started brushing dirt off of Nora's clothes. "You're filthy," she commented with an affectionate tone.
"Yeah, well, I'll tell you about it when the whole wedding thing is over," Nora said as she shrugged off her jacket, leaving her in a gray t-shirt and jeans. She had the sticky note clenched in one hand and she was now touching her hair with the other, looking at Evie a bit guiltily. "Do you think we can save it without a shower?"
"Mmmm don't think so. Rinse off really quickly and I'll do it for you." Evie had always been better at those sort of things so Nora went into the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes in her arm without much argument and stood under the warm water for a few minutes, letting the dirt slip from her skin and hair. She was out and wrapped in a towel in record time and was quickly dried and dressed in the jeans and sweater Evie had lent her. As an afterthought she slipped the sticky note into her jeans pocket before going back outside.
The brown haired girl plopped down onto the bed and her blonde haired sister crawled beside her, armed with a hairbrush, and began pulling it through Nora's long hair, smoothing any tangles with gentle strokes. Nora closed her eyes and smiled a little. "Did Mum see you like that?" she heard Evie ask and she laughed softly.
"Yeah, unfortunately. What a shame. She probably expected me to arrive looking like a beautiful butterfly or something."
"Well when I'm finished you'll be the most beautiful butterfly on them all. Except for me of course." Nora nudged her sister, and then Evie pushed back and soon there was less hair brushing and more giggling.
Evie opened the door for her sister when she knocked and she was smiling as she started brushing dirt off of Nora's clothes. "You're filthy," she commented with an affectionate tone.
"Yeah, well, I'll tell you about it when the whole wedding thing is over," Nora said as she shrugged off her jacket, leaving her in a gray t-shirt and jeans. She had the sticky note clenched in one hand and she was now touching her hair with the other, looking at Evie a bit guiltily. "Do you think we can save it without a shower?"
"Mmmm don't think so. Rinse off really quickly and I'll do it for you." Evie had always been better at those sort of things so Nora went into the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes in her arm without much argument and stood under the warm water for a few minutes, letting the dirt slip from her skin and hair. She was out and wrapped in a towel in record time and was quickly dried and dressed in the jeans and sweater Evie had lent her. As an afterthought she slipped the sticky note into her jeans pocket before going back outside.
The brown haired girl plopped down onto the bed and her blonde haired sister crawled beside her, armed with a hairbrush, and began pulling it through Nora's long hair, smoothing any tangles with gentle strokes. Nora closed her eyes and smiled a little. "Did Mum see you like that?" she heard Evie ask and she laughed softly.
"Yeah, unfortunately. What a shame. She probably expected me to arrive looking like a beautiful butterfly or something."
"Well when I'm finished you'll be the most beautiful butterfly on them all. Except for me of course." Nora nudged her sister, and then Evie pushed back and soon there was less hair brushing and more giggling.
"Who is them?" Evie asked, her tone containing a hint of annoyance. She looked at the Doctor, almost mistrustfully, before looking back at her sister. Nora looked like she was avoiding eye contact with her and Evie pursed her lips. "Nora? What is going on?"
Nora let out a slight sigh before turning her head to meet her sister's gaze. "It's a long story. I don't have time to explain it right now, and besides I don't understand all of it myself. Look I'm here now and it's your wedding day and let's just focus on that right now. Can we? Let's just be cheerful and celebrating and when you're back from your honeymoon I'll probably be able to explain everything. But for right now everything's fine and can we just be happy?"
Evie's eyes had narrowed a bit in consideration. She spared the Doctor another glance before looking back at her sister. "It is my wedding day. And it is hard to be mad right now when I'm so deliriously happy and excited." Her lips spread into a smile. "Alright. But we're not done talking about this." She slung her arm over her sister's shoulder and pulled her closer, then looked back at the Doctor. "Thanks for bringing her...Doctor." She said the name a bit uncertainly, but she moved past it. "Let's see if we can't salvage your hair," Evie said to Nora as she started to turn to go back into the room.
"Please and thank you about the bags," Nora said to the Doctor, and Evie nodded in thanks for the congratulations. Nora paused when the Doctor asked for a moment and that stopped her sister from pulling her into the hotel room. Nora looked over at the Doctor before looking to Evie. "I'll be in in a moment," she told her, smiling reassuringly. Evie gave the Doctor one last uncertain look before nodding and going back into the room. Nora turned away from the door and moved closer to the other woman. "What do you need?" she asked curiously.
Nora let out a slight sigh before turning her head to meet her sister's gaze. "It's a long story. I don't have time to explain it right now, and besides I don't understand all of it myself. Look I'm here now and it's your wedding day and let's just focus on that right now. Can we? Let's just be cheerful and celebrating and when you're back from your honeymoon I'll probably be able to explain everything. But for right now everything's fine and can we just be happy?"
Evie's eyes had narrowed a bit in consideration. She spared the Doctor another glance before looking back at her sister. "It is my wedding day. And it is hard to be mad right now when I'm so deliriously happy and excited." Her lips spread into a smile. "Alright. But we're not done talking about this." She slung her arm over her sister's shoulder and pulled her closer, then looked back at the Doctor. "Thanks for bringing her...Doctor." She said the name a bit uncertainly, but she moved past it. "Let's see if we can't salvage your hair," Evie said to Nora as she started to turn to go back into the room.
"Please and thank you about the bags," Nora said to the Doctor, and Evie nodded in thanks for the congratulations. Nora paused when the Doctor asked for a moment and that stopped her sister from pulling her into the hotel room. Nora looked over at the Doctor before looking to Evie. "I'll be in in a moment," she told her, smiling reassuringly. Evie gave the Doctor one last uncertain look before nodding and going back into the room. Nora turned away from the door and moved closer to the other woman. "What do you need?" she asked curiously.
Sam had very little to say on whether or not the Shades had been Dorothea's father's former soldiers and August's former comrades. She had never even seen the King of Eldonia, so for all she knew he had declared war on fairies. She decided to take no side on that debate. She took that time to finish getting her breath back. Her hand rubbed her side lightly, the stitch that was there fading with each breath until she could breath without that stabbing pain.
When she did look up it was when August started speaking about the dwarves. She nodded, feeling slight relief at the thought that the Shades had not bothered with them. That they might be alright. She just hoped they hadn't gone back to look for them. At the suggestion that they keep moving Sam nodded again. "Yeah. Give me a minute." She was rubbing her legs now, as they were aching from all the running she was doing on uneven ground in inappropriate shoes. She glared pointlessly at the black boots for a moment before shaking her head. How could she have predicted this when she had slipped them onto her feet, anyway?
Dorothea demanded that August give up his sword again. That made Sam's head lift and peer up at him once again. He made a rather good point, that he could protect them from being eaten, before meeting her gaze. She was silent for a moment, looking at him, considering him. She had trusted him so far... And there was something in that gaze that told her if she wanted him to be unarmed she would have to take the sword from him herself. She didn't think she was up for that. Sam looked down at Dorothea and shrugged. "You can't expect me to be able to wield that thing. I'm good at a lot of things but sword fighting isn't one of them."
She finally pushed herself up and onto her feet. Sam stretched her arms for a moment, grateful for the moment of respite, then looked back at August. She was prepared to follow. "Do you know the way? Or have a good idea of what the way is?"
~~~
Narissa was livid. When Marshal Derrick hadn't returned during the night she had told herself to remain calm, but in the morning he had still been no where to be found. And the prince's company was gone. Derrick should have been with them, she had instructed him to go with them. She didn't think he would have been so foolish as to disobey her. About this.
Thankfully the caravan wasn't entirely empty. Raquellle had gone with them, at least. But still...
The queen stormed through the secret archway and into her hollow. She was greeted by disaster. There was a gaping hole where the door should have been and debris covered the floor. She could tell that it had been blasted open at some point during the night. The Marshal was no where to be seen, and she couldn't sense a living soul anywhere in the old fortress. Except for some rats in the dungeon and her cages of ravens upstairs, including Darius, her familiar.
She quickly swept through the place, not leaving a single room unsearched before returning to the front room. Her face was pale and she was seething. Someone had gotten in. Someone foolish. The worst part wasn't the hole in the wall, either. It was the cage on the table. The empty cage. Dorothea was missing again.
Unable to bite back a shriek, Queen Narissa seized an empty glass vial and threw it against a stone wall. It shattered into tiny pieces, but that still wasn't good enough. screaming with rage, and looking quite hideous while she did so, Narissa threw more things at the wall. Books, vials, ingredients for spells. She faced the large mirror and hard up a stone orb to throw and shatter the thing. But she stopped herself. Even in her rage she could not bring herself to destroy such a rare and powerful thing. The consequences might be most severe. And the sight of the mirror made her remember the mirror she had given Derrick. She could communicate with him if he still had it. Or use it to see where he was, or had been. But there was still the matter of Dorothea, as well...
She stormed up the winding stairs to the top room of the old fortress. Her gaze softened a little as she looked at her beautiful black birds, but she had eyes for only one at the moment. The biggest of the ravens, the most intelligent, and the only one in a cage of its own. Her familiar. They shared a link. He could understand her perfectly and she him. She opened the cage door and Darius stepped lightly onto the edge of her hand. She stroked her feathers for a moment, a very affectionate gesture, before whispering to him. "Find her." She did not need to specify who.
Darius took flight with a flap of his back wings, and Narissa watched the large raven soar out of the open window and above the trees like a shadow.
When she did look up it was when August started speaking about the dwarves. She nodded, feeling slight relief at the thought that the Shades had not bothered with them. That they might be alright. She just hoped they hadn't gone back to look for them. At the suggestion that they keep moving Sam nodded again. "Yeah. Give me a minute." She was rubbing her legs now, as they were aching from all the running she was doing on uneven ground in inappropriate shoes. She glared pointlessly at the black boots for a moment before shaking her head. How could she have predicted this when she had slipped them onto her feet, anyway?
Dorothea demanded that August give up his sword again. That made Sam's head lift and peer up at him once again. He made a rather good point, that he could protect them from being eaten, before meeting her gaze. She was silent for a moment, looking at him, considering him. She had trusted him so far... And there was something in that gaze that told her if she wanted him to be unarmed she would have to take the sword from him herself. She didn't think she was up for that. Sam looked down at Dorothea and shrugged. "You can't expect me to be able to wield that thing. I'm good at a lot of things but sword fighting isn't one of them."
She finally pushed herself up and onto her feet. Sam stretched her arms for a moment, grateful for the moment of respite, then looked back at August. She was prepared to follow. "Do you know the way? Or have a good idea of what the way is?"
~~~
Narissa was livid. When Marshal Derrick hadn't returned during the night she had told herself to remain calm, but in the morning he had still been no where to be found. And the prince's company was gone. Derrick should have been with them, she had instructed him to go with them. She didn't think he would have been so foolish as to disobey her. About this.
Thankfully the caravan wasn't entirely empty. Raquellle had gone with them, at least. But still...
The queen stormed through the secret archway and into her hollow. She was greeted by disaster. There was a gaping hole where the door should have been and debris covered the floor. She could tell that it had been blasted open at some point during the night. The Marshal was no where to be seen, and she couldn't sense a living soul anywhere in the old fortress. Except for some rats in the dungeon and her cages of ravens upstairs, including Darius, her familiar.
She quickly swept through the place, not leaving a single room unsearched before returning to the front room. Her face was pale and she was seething. Someone had gotten in. Someone foolish. The worst part wasn't the hole in the wall, either. It was the cage on the table. The empty cage. Dorothea was missing again.
Unable to bite back a shriek, Queen Narissa seized an empty glass vial and threw it against a stone wall. It shattered into tiny pieces, but that still wasn't good enough. screaming with rage, and looking quite hideous while she did so, Narissa threw more things at the wall. Books, vials, ingredients for spells. She faced the large mirror and hard up a stone orb to throw and shatter the thing. But she stopped herself. Even in her rage she could not bring herself to destroy such a rare and powerful thing. The consequences might be most severe. And the sight of the mirror made her remember the mirror she had given Derrick. She could communicate with him if he still had it. Or use it to see where he was, or had been. But there was still the matter of Dorothea, as well...
She stormed up the winding stairs to the top room of the old fortress. Her gaze softened a little as she looked at her beautiful black birds, but she had eyes for only one at the moment. The biggest of the ravens, the most intelligent, and the only one in a cage of its own. Her familiar. They shared a link. He could understand her perfectly and she him. She opened the cage door and Darius stepped lightly onto the edge of her hand. She stroked her feathers for a moment, a very affectionate gesture, before whispering to him. "Find her." She did not need to specify who.
Darius took flight with a flap of his back wings, and Narissa watched the large raven soar out of the open window and above the trees like a shadow.
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