Prisoners. 6

As Tayor stepped from the transport stone into his study, he reached out enraged and knocked everything from his desk. He looked at the globe of Keanna next to his desk and sent a bolt of energy at it blowing it to bits. As his anger flailed he blasted all the books from the shelves then tore down the shelves too. Looking at his destroyed study and bellowed out his anger. Once done, he sat in his chair livid from the way he had been treated by Insa. He knew Insa was wise to him now. That Testa brat surely would have told him all about the ring by now. That was probably what was behind his anger in the council chamber. But what was that threat all about? Who the hell was missing? This had to be more of Tabor's doing.
From up in his room, Tabor heard the noise from his fathers study. Zarin or one of his friends must have broken in he thought. He got up from his desk formulating an attack and hurried downstairs to catch them. They would be sorry he thought. Then again, this might be just what he needed to force them to turn over the ring to him. His father would be please. Tabor readied himself as he stood and listened at the door. There was silence. Could they have gotten away? He reached for the door and pushed it open and rushed in. There he found his father sitting in the middle of the destroyed room staring at him.
"Shut the door." Tayor said. Tabor knew somehow he was in trouble. He shut the door and went and sat before his father.
"You have something to tell me." Tabor could see his father knew something he didn't. He thought for a moment before answering.
"Father." Tabor said. "We searched the whole city, but we haven't found anything."
"Have you?" He said. "It's here in this city somewhere, so you haven't searched everywhere. But that's not it. What have you done to that boy and his friends?"
"Nothing, father!" Tabor looked at him in shock. "I haven't seen any of them since we came back from the mines, I swear!"
"Then maybe you should go find them since they have the ring." Tayor stood from his chair. He looked around and waved his hand in the air casting a spell. All around him items began to fly through the room righting themselves. Broken objects fixed themselves, books and scrolls torn apart came back together and returned to the shelves they belonged on. Tayor turned to his son.
"Your Professor said someone was missing." Tayor sat on the edge of his desk. "If one of his little bastards is missing, it has to have something to do with the ring. You better go find out who's missing. If its one of them, find out who took them. AND GET MY RING BACK!!"
"Yes father!" Tabor jumped from his chair and ran from the room. He had a job to do, and he'd better get all his crew together or there would be hell to pay.

Still under his cot, Trip woke from a nightmare. He dreamed he was alone running from a dark hooded man. He didn't know who it was, but for some reason he felt his pursuer was familiar. Running as fast as he could, he shifted to raven to get away, but he was swapped back to the ground. Just as the hooded man bent to grab him he woke shivering in his cell. He sighed his relief that it was just a dream and realized he could see. There was light in his cell now. Trip peeked out to see if the hooded man was still there. He didn't see anything so he crawled out from under the cot and looked around. The light was coming from a window high in the wall above his cot. Trip climbed up on the cot to try and look out but it was to high. Shifting was his next thought but the wards on the cell kept him from using magic. He sat back down sadly wishing Reno and Zarin were there to help him. Where were they he wondered. They had to be out there looking for him. Thalia and Reno were worried to death he was sure. And Professor Insa, as his guardian he had to be tearing up Winterhaven looking for him.
Suddenly he heard something. He looked around again. It was sobbing. Someone was crying. Trip stood and walked to the bars of his cell. The crying was coming from the cell across from him. He looked in and saw a young blond boy. A gypsy dressed in warm cotton pants, a light dirty white shirt and a colorful gypsy vest huddled in the corner crying.
"Hello?" He called hoping he would answer.
The crying stopped and the boy got up and walked to the cell door..
"Who are you?" The boy asked.
"My name is Trip." He said. "Who are you?"
"My names Rese." He sobbed. "Rese Padescu. I have to get out of here. Can you help me?"
"Sorry Rese. I'm a prisoner too." Trip told him. "How did you end up here?"
"I was traveling with my family to Winterhaven to study healing magic." Rese slumped down at his cell bar while he told Trip what happened to him. "My family was attacked by this huge dog thing on our way in. My family was killed!!"
Rese began sobbing again. Trip could hear the pain pouring out from him. He didn't know what to say. He remembered the day Reno's family was slaughtered, and his was turned to stone. He missed them so much. That was one of the reasons he had agreed to come to Winterhaven. He hoped to find a spell that would restore them. But Insa had explain, ever if he could turn them back, their stone bodies now had cracks in them. They would die in horrible pain the minute they were restored. He cried his heart out that day in his best friends arms. So now his friends were his family. Hopefully they would find him soon.
"I'm so sorry Rese." Trip told him. "I know how you feel. My families gone too. But we're not. We have to survive. Tell me how you got here. It might help get us out."
"I ran into the forest running from that thing." He said. "I didn't know where I was going until I saw a man carrying something. I followed him hoping he was going into Winterhaven. But he wasn't. He was coming here, to this place. He saw me and used his magic on me. When I woke up, I was in here."
"Did you see this place from outside." Trip asked getting a little excited.
"Yes."
"Where are we?" He asked. "And you sound pretty young. How old are you?"
"In some kind of private estate I think." Rese's crying had stopped. This was good Trip thought. He had gotten his mind off what happened to his parents. "And I'm thirteen on my last birthday. Old enough for the academy now."
"What did it look like out there?" Trip just wanted to keep him talking and his mind occupied.
"Well." He said. "It's a run down villa behind a tall wall. It looked like it would have been beautiful in its day. Now the walls falling in places and parts of the building is crumbling. I could see it once had a tower, but it fell some time ago. The place just looked old and run down."
"Did you see the face of who put you in here?" This was the most important question Trip could ask. Who's keeping them here. Was it Tabor's father?
"No. I didn't see the mans face at all." He said. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright." Trip tried to reassure him. "My friends are looking for me. They'll save us. I promise you that."
"It doesn't matter." Rese whimpered. "I have no where to go now."
"You can come with us." Trip didn't want him to start crying again. He had to keep his mind from giving up. " Me and most of my friends are orphans to. We take care of each other. We'll take care of you too. Just don't give up Rese. Please don't."

It was the middle of the day as Tabor walked down the halls of the Academy looking for Aron and Elan. He had work to do and he needed help. This was the time of day when they would usually be in the one class they hated most. Magical history. They didn't care much about how things happened in the past. They found it useless. He hurried to the second floor and looked into Professor Edgar's class. There they were in the back looking bored. He opened the door and went in. The class all looked up at him.
"Professor." He said. "Elan and Aron are needed by Professor Shyer in ancient languages. He sent me to get them."
Professor Edgar didn't trust Tabor. He knew these were his two friends. But to call him a liar would offend his father and he didn't dare do that.
"Take them." He said. "They're failing anyway."
The two elves grabbed their things smiling and followed him out sneering at the class. Once in the hall they stopped him.
"Professor Syn doesn't want us. Does he?" Aron asked.
"Of course not idiot." He said. " Have you seen Zarin today?"
"No." Elan shook his head. "I haven't seen any of them all day and Aron is not an idiot."
"We have to find them." Tabor said ignoring Elan's outburst. "Somethings up."
"What?" Elan asked annoyed. "And why would you care if they dropped off the planet?"
"I don't but they have the ring!" Tabor shouted at them. "And we still need it!"
"You know, I haven't seen Craven today either." Aron started for the transport stone to begin their search. Tabor reached out and grabbed him.
"What?"
"Craven." He said. "He didn't show up for class. We thought maybe he was with you."
"I haven't seen him since we left the harbor." Tabor thought for a moment. "You know, he told me he had some kind of plan."
"Craven?" Elan laughed. "A plan? That idiot?"
"Craven's not as dumb at you think he is." Tabor narrowed his eyes at them. "He's passing his classes. Are you? Either of you?"
"Some of them." Aron looked smugly at him.
"Not the important ones." Aron started to say something, but Tabor stopped him. "We have to find him and Zarin. And we have to find them now. Come on."
"What about the ring?" Elan asked following Tabor to the exit stone.
"It's here in this city. My father wants it, so I want it." Tabor stepped up to the stone. "Find me someone that can find what we need. Either the ring or Zarin."
With a wave of his hand he activated the stone and disappeared. Elan and Aron walked over to the stone to leave.
"I don't like him." Aron said. "And I'm sick of him treating me like an idiot."
"I don't like it either." Elan said. "But we won't have to take it to much longer."
"We need someone that can track them." Aron told his friend.
"Or someone sensitive enough with magic to find the ring." Elan nodded. "But then the ring would have to be so powerful, a lot of people here would feel it. We should try and find Zarin or one of the others."
"But how?" Aron asked. "How do we find them?"
" How about a vampire hunter." Elan's eyes brightened. " Thalia's a vampire. Maybe we could track her. It's worth trying."
"Do we really want to get involved in this?" Aron asked. "Can't we just get away from Tabor and his father?"
"Just help me for now please."

Dressed in his dark hooded robe, Craven paced back and forth in the old study of the villa. He had done the first part of his plan and captured Trip. He knew Trip had to be the one that had the ring. Now all he had to do was get him to tell him where it was. That would be the hard part. He just might have to torture him for the information. Could he do it? He wasn't sure he could. Yes, he had been a bully at school. But he only did it to fit in with Tabor. He hated being cruel like that to anyone.
He remember how it had been back in Leban his old home before his parents moved them to Winterhaven. Magic was frowned on there. And when his abilities began to manifest he tried his best to hide them.
One day at school he was in the library studying Leban history. He had to write a short essay on one of the kings of Leban and he had been assigned King Turo. Hundreds of years ago, King Turo hated magic because of a curse placed on him by a mage he had crossed. Everyone in Leban thought Turo was doing right by burning the mage. But Craven learned he had actually cheated the mage. He had asked the mage for his help in defeating his enemies to acquiring the kingdom. The mage agreed to help and gave Turo a sword that was impossible to beat. After a long battle when Turo and his blade killed all his opposition. Turo won. But he never had any intentions on fulfilling his promise to the mage. Instead he had him arrested as a heretic and sentenced him to burn to quiet him. Unfortunately for Turo, It didn't quiet him at all. Instead it gave him the chance to cast his strongest spell ever. It was a curse cast on Turo and all his descendants. Since then Leban housed a curse. It was in the royal family and not many knew about. But they did know about the murders that happened every ten years. Turo killed ten men that opposed his reign. Ten enemies. Every ten years since the mage died. Ten men died a horrible death. There was never any evidence as to who was committing these murders and nobody really looked that close into them. But Craven knew who the killer was, and it scared him. The mages curse turned Turo and one of his male descendants into murderers.
This was knowledge only the royal family knew. So how did Craven know? It wasn't in any books. No one had ever written anything about this. So how did Craven know? The mage was Mica Tasco, Craven's great descendant. And sometimes he talked to his grand descendant. He told him his father would be next to die. Just as Turo talked to his descendant. He advised him whispering in his ear at night. He told him a name. Tasco.
So the Tasco's ran, for they knew what would happen if they stayed in Leban. But that changed Craven. For the first time in his life he was scared. He knew there was a chance they might be discovered one day and he wanted to protect his family. So in Winterhaven he studied magic. He wasn't brilliant but he learned as best he could. Then he met Tabor who promised him power. Just what he needed to protect them. Even though grandfather had told him of the Larin's evil, something made Craven ignored him and became one of Tabor's crew of bullies. Now here he was a kidnapper about to torture someone to help someone as evil as those he hid from. Craven sank into his chair with his head in his hand.
[Grand father.] He called in his mind. [What have I done?]
[You let your fear and anger consume you my son.] Mica answered. [And that was all they needed to use you. Tayor and Tabor have spelled you to follow them. Your crime has broken the spell at last.]
[But I'm responsible for this. Not Tabor.] Craven stood from his chair and walked around. [How do I fix this?]
[Not true. They're responsible too, you just can't see it. You have to free them and get them home.] His long gone ancestor told him. [And help stop the Larin's from taking over Winterhaven.]
Craven stopped and thought about what he had just been told. He knew his forefather was right. He had to get Trip back home to his friends and hope he could forgive him for his crime.

Unknown to Craven, there was a problem. He was not alone at the villa. A group of Orcs, members of Polan Dressak's Black Armors had been hiding out in the villa just happen to be coming back from hunting when Craven brought his captives to their prison. They saw them and thought they would make a much better meal then the two wolves the had caught. From the forest edge they watched the villa waiting to see if more men would make their way there. Once they felt it was safe, the three Orcs crept closer. There were four warriors in the group and one Orc mage. All four warriors still in Polan's black armor and the mage in black robes. Yes, Orcs had magic too. Not many could yield it, but a few did have the gift. As Orcs they all had long canines that extended over their upper lips and hairless heads. they stood as tall as men and were broad in the chest except Gorak who was much smaller then his companions.
Slowly they moved forward readying their weapons. Their mouths watered at the thought of the meal waiting in the old place.
Suddenly, Gorak held his hand up to stop them. He felt something strange. Strange, but familiar.
His two companions tried to push past him but Gorak's hand radiated with power that burned them.
"Are you mad?" Skang asked as he huffed himself up. "Can't you smell the meat in there?"
"Meats not all I sense." Gorak moved his hand in front of him in the air. "There's magic in there."
"There was always magic in there, damn you!" Zark walked around him and started for the hole in the wall. Gorak stopped him.
"That is not what I mean." He told them. "Whoever is in there has magic. Powerful magic. So if you want to just storm in, go ahead. You will be the meat in our pot."
Zark stopped and turned back to them. He knew better then to doubt Gorak's magic. He had kept them hidden this long, and as much as Zark hated him, he still needed him to get them back to Ardia. Then he could killed the fool.
"What do you suggest?" He asked.
"I've studied the runes that make up the magic in there." Gorak told them. "The spells are to inhibit magic use. If I can make amulets or some kind of collars. We can catch them."
"Then we eat." Skang smiled his savage grin and rubbed his hands together.
"No, were not eating them." Gorak readied a spell in his mind to cast in case his companions decided to attack him. He saw Zark's hand go to his sword and Skang tense himself for an attack. "I have a better use for them."
"You think to much." Zark said. "If we are not going to eat them, then what"
"We use them to get home." Gorak said. "They could make good hostages. Then we eat them. Have the others watch the forest. We could have company any minute"
With that, all three Orcs started laughing.