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A Rose In The Wind: A Saga of the Halmae -- Updated June 19, 2014
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<blockquote data-quote="ellinor" data-source="post: 5309040" data-attributes="member: 14561"><p><strong>14x03</strong></p><p></p><p>To Twiggy, it seemed like everything happened at once.</p><p></p><p>Arden—who had somehow managed to sneak around everyone—ducked behind one of the guards and, with the pommel of her dagger, clocked Mariela in the head. Mariela squawked with pain and vanished, re-appearing a few feet away, her attention still focused on Tavi. Twiggy saw an opening, and cast <em>illusory ambush</em> at Mariela, sending images of stones and arrows flying at her head. As Mariela ducked and dodged, Tavi’s sword whipped from his hand and flew, end over end, at Mariela. The butt of the sword struck her square in the chest, and she grunted as Tavi’s sword returned to his hand. </p><p></p><p>Twiggy felt a swell of pride at the group’s impressive, yet non-lethal, show of force. <em>See? I bet you thought we’d be afraid of you. A month ago, we might have been. </em> For a moment, it seemed as if one of Mariela’s guards was going to attack Arden, but Savina leveled her staff at him and called out: “You! Stop that!” Her voice echoed with the power of Alirria behind it. With a look of fear, he turned and ran, nearly tripping on the embankment as he dashed toward the trees beyond. <em>Well done,</em> thought Twiggy. </p><p></p><p>Kormick charged a second guard and slammed one of his warhammers into the man's gut. “You. Spotty. You were in my class at the Sorcerer’s Academy,” Kormick said conversationally. </p><p></p><p>“Jan Kormick--?” the guard gasped, as the Justicar’s second warhammer landed right in his gut. </p><p></p><p>Kormick raised his hammers again. “Remember that thing I didn’t know how to do back then?” Kormick asked. He whispered something, and a burst of energy shot from between his hammers, arcing into the guard’s face. </p><p></p><p>The guard ran toward the trees, following his companion. “If you keep that up, you’ll just die tired!” Kormick called after him, strolling toward the trees. </p><p></p><p>Then a magic missile from one of the remaining guards struck Kormick between the shoulder blades. “You should know better,” he sighed, and dashed back across the street. With a swift motion, he whacked his new attacker in the back and then the kneecaps. The guard fell, unconscious. <em>That’s three guards we don’t have to worry about,</em> Twiggy thought. Mena growled at another guard and brandished her sword. <em>Hopefully four.</em></p><p> </p><p>But Twiggy’s moment of pride ended as, without warning, pain rang out from her shins—it was the shaft of one of the guards’ halberds—and she flipped forward, landing prone on the hard road. Then, just as suddenly, Twiggy felt a thunderous force—from one of the spell-casting guards—shake her whole body. As she struggled to rise, she saw that several of her companions had also been toppled by the spell. Mariela recovered her balance and cast something new at Tavi just as he began to stand. He gripped his head and fell, unconscious.</p><p></p><p>The group retaliated with well-calibrated force. Arden threw her new magic dagger and its butt end struck Mariela in the head before returning to Arden’s hand. Nyoko’s arrows grazed Mariela’s arms, drawing blood but not crippling her. Savina called out to Alirria. “Help us carry out your will!” A ray of energy flew from Savina’s staff, shooting toward Mariela. Mariela tried to shield her face, without success. Blood from her arms smeared on her dress. She cried out in pain and snarled “I’ve had about enough of your—“</p><p></p><p><em>Not nearly enough,</em> thought Twiggy. <em>Your nephew is lying on the ground. He has dedicated his life to protecting the family. Your daughter is bruised and hurt. She has dedicated her life to keeping <strong>your</strong> secret safe. You think hurting us is good for the family’s honor? You have the nerve to speak of familial disrespect? </em> “You just. Don’t. Get it.” said Twiggy, calmly, and ignited her fireball.</p><p></p><p>Mariela’s dress erupted in flames, and she flailed wildly, trying to put out the fire. Twiggy moved the fireball away a few inches. Mariela staggered… and fell, unconscious. Twiggy let the fire wink out.</p><p></p><p>Savina ran to Tavi’s side and healed his wounds. “<strong>Now</strong> can we put a stop to this?” she asked, her voice still strong. </p><p></p><p>Mena stared down the remaining guards, each of whom knew her well. “Now would be a good time to put down your weapons,” she said, softly. They all did, except one, who paused, his eye on Mariela. Mena gave him a grim, knowing wink. He gulped, and put down his halberd. The only guard who didn’t surrender was the one whom Savina had frightened—he was still running deeper into the forest.</p><p></p><p>As Kormick and Nyoko bound Mariela, and Savina healed her, Mena pulled Twiggy aside. “Breathe,” Mena suggested. </p><p></p><p>Twiggy gulped air, and stared into the distance. <em>Breathe. Good idea. Mena always has good advice.</em></p><p></p><p>“I just . . . I never realized,” Twiggy said, after a while. “I knew I was angry, but . . . I have always envied Rose and Tavi. Their futures were free and mine was decided. I will always be a servant. Now I realize . . . Rose and Tavi don’t have that choice either. Between Sedellus and Dona Giovanna—their futures are no more free than Arden’s.” She paused for another breath, following Mena’s advice. “But at least they aren’t walking, talking risks to their family’s honor.”</p><p></p><p>“You are ten times the honorable woman your mother is,” said Mena. </p><p></p><p>###</p><p></p><p>Tavi knew his mother would be angry. Nor was he surprised that she had sent people to follow them. What surprised him was that she thought Tavi would choose <strong>anything</strong> over helping Rose. Or, frankly, that she thought being trapped back at the Estate would do anything to keep Rose safe. Maybe sending Mariela packing back to Pol Henna would impress upon their mother the seriousness of their mission. <em>Who am I kidding,</em> he thought. This wasn’t the last they’d hear from their mother. But at least now she’d know they were alive and well, and—as a tinge of vindictiveness crept into his mind—he couldn’t imagine that creating an international incident by attacking a team of Inquisitors and an Adept would do anything for Mariela’s standing in the family.</p><p></p><p>They brought Mariela—kicking and screaming, but well-contained by their Inquisitors’ manacles—back to the Hall of the Inquisitors. </p><p></p><p>Nyoko recounted the day’s events. Lord Ono stared at her as she did so. Then held his head in his hands. “You know what I don’t need?” he asked, gesturing to the piles of paper on his desk and floor, which seemed, somehow, to have grown. “This. This is what I don’t need.”</p><p></p><p>After some discussion, it was agreed that the di Raprezzi household guards would not be punished—they did not act with malice against the Inquisition—and Mariela’s case would be addressed by Lord Ono’s clerks. Although Mariela had intentionally attacked the Inquisition, it was decided that she had done so without knowledge of Sovereign laws, and therefore would not be subject to the traditional penalty of execution. The fact that executing a scion of House di Raprezzi might jeopardize the Sovereignty’s access to the Teleport Network—to say nothing of potentially risking war with Pol Henna—played no small part in the Inquisition’s lenience.</p><p></p><p>Whatever the reason, Tavi heaved a sigh of relief.</p><p></p><p>As they rode out the Cauldron gates for the second time, Savina was angrily writing a letter to her father. <em>Whatever’s in there,</em> Tavi thought, <em>it can’t be good.</em></p><p></p><p>“Is your Aunt usually so . . . abrasive?” asked Savina, looking up from her letter. </p><p></p><p>“She has never been my favorite relative,” Tavi replied, “but in her way, she is a good and honorable member of the family di Raprezzi.”</p><p></p><p>Savina smiled at his return to Hennan decorum. “And Twiggy,” she added, “are you all right? It seemed there was something . . . personal between you and Signora Mariela.”</p><p></p><p>Tavi focused on Twiggy so hard that he thought he might bore a hole in her head. “We do have some history,” Twiggy understated, “but that is no excuse for my losing control of my emotions.”</p><p></p><p><em>Well done,</em> Tavi thought. </p><p> </p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ellinor, post: 5309040, member: 14561"] [b]14x03[/b] To Twiggy, it seemed like everything happened at once. Arden—who had somehow managed to sneak around everyone—ducked behind one of the guards and, with the pommel of her dagger, clocked Mariela in the head. Mariela squawked with pain and vanished, re-appearing a few feet away, her attention still focused on Tavi. Twiggy saw an opening, and cast [i]illusory ambush[/i] at Mariela, sending images of stones and arrows flying at her head. As Mariela ducked and dodged, Tavi’s sword whipped from his hand and flew, end over end, at Mariela. The butt of the sword struck her square in the chest, and she grunted as Tavi’s sword returned to his hand. Twiggy felt a swell of pride at the group’s impressive, yet non-lethal, show of force. [i]See? I bet you thought we’d be afraid of you. A month ago, we might have been. [/i] For a moment, it seemed as if one of Mariela’s guards was going to attack Arden, but Savina leveled her staff at him and called out: “You! Stop that!” Her voice echoed with the power of Alirria behind it. With a look of fear, he turned and ran, nearly tripping on the embankment as he dashed toward the trees beyond. [i]Well done,[/i] thought Twiggy. Kormick charged a second guard and slammed one of his warhammers into the man's gut. “You. Spotty. You were in my class at the Sorcerer’s Academy,” Kormick said conversationally. “Jan Kormick--?” the guard gasped, as the Justicar’s second warhammer landed right in his gut. Kormick raised his hammers again. “Remember that thing I didn’t know how to do back then?” Kormick asked. He whispered something, and a burst of energy shot from between his hammers, arcing into the guard’s face. The guard ran toward the trees, following his companion. “If you keep that up, you’ll just die tired!” Kormick called after him, strolling toward the trees. Then a magic missile from one of the remaining guards struck Kormick between the shoulder blades. “You should know better,” he sighed, and dashed back across the street. With a swift motion, he whacked his new attacker in the back and then the kneecaps. The guard fell, unconscious. [i]That’s three guards we don’t have to worry about,[/i] Twiggy thought. Mena growled at another guard and brandished her sword. [i]Hopefully four.[/i] But Twiggy’s moment of pride ended as, without warning, pain rang out from her shins—it was the shaft of one of the guards’ halberds—and she flipped forward, landing prone on the hard road. Then, just as suddenly, Twiggy felt a thunderous force—from one of the spell-casting guards—shake her whole body. As she struggled to rise, she saw that several of her companions had also been toppled by the spell. Mariela recovered her balance and cast something new at Tavi just as he began to stand. He gripped his head and fell, unconscious. The group retaliated with well-calibrated force. Arden threw her new magic dagger and its butt end struck Mariela in the head before returning to Arden’s hand. Nyoko’s arrows grazed Mariela’s arms, drawing blood but not crippling her. Savina called out to Alirria. “Help us carry out your will!” A ray of energy flew from Savina’s staff, shooting toward Mariela. Mariela tried to shield her face, without success. Blood from her arms smeared on her dress. She cried out in pain and snarled “I’ve had about enough of your—“ [i]Not nearly enough,[/i] thought Twiggy. [i]Your nephew is lying on the ground. He has dedicated his life to protecting the family. Your daughter is bruised and hurt. She has dedicated her life to keeping [b]your[/b] secret safe. You think hurting us is good for the family’s honor? You have the nerve to speak of familial disrespect? [/i] “You just. Don’t. Get it.” said Twiggy, calmly, and ignited her fireball. Mariela’s dress erupted in flames, and she flailed wildly, trying to put out the fire. Twiggy moved the fireball away a few inches. Mariela staggered… and fell, unconscious. Twiggy let the fire wink out. Savina ran to Tavi’s side and healed his wounds. “[b]Now[/b] can we put a stop to this?” she asked, her voice still strong. Mena stared down the remaining guards, each of whom knew her well. “Now would be a good time to put down your weapons,” she said, softly. They all did, except one, who paused, his eye on Mariela. Mena gave him a grim, knowing wink. He gulped, and put down his halberd. The only guard who didn’t surrender was the one whom Savina had frightened—he was still running deeper into the forest. As Kormick and Nyoko bound Mariela, and Savina healed her, Mena pulled Twiggy aside. “Breathe,” Mena suggested. Twiggy gulped air, and stared into the distance. [i]Breathe. Good idea. Mena always has good advice.[/i] “I just . . . I never realized,” Twiggy said, after a while. “I knew I was angry, but . . . I have always envied Rose and Tavi. Their futures were free and mine was decided. I will always be a servant. Now I realize . . . Rose and Tavi don’t have that choice either. Between Sedellus and Dona Giovanna—their futures are no more free than Arden’s.” She paused for another breath, following Mena’s advice. “But at least they aren’t walking, talking risks to their family’s honor.” “You are ten times the honorable woman your mother is,” said Mena. ### Tavi knew his mother would be angry. Nor was he surprised that she had sent people to follow them. What surprised him was that she thought Tavi would choose [b]anything[/b] over helping Rose. Or, frankly, that she thought being trapped back at the Estate would do anything to keep Rose safe. Maybe sending Mariela packing back to Pol Henna would impress upon their mother the seriousness of their mission. [i]Who am I kidding,[/i] he thought. This wasn’t the last they’d hear from their mother. But at least now she’d know they were alive and well, and—as a tinge of vindictiveness crept into his mind—he couldn’t imagine that creating an international incident by attacking a team of Inquisitors and an Adept would do anything for Mariela’s standing in the family. They brought Mariela—kicking and screaming, but well-contained by their Inquisitors’ manacles—back to the Hall of the Inquisitors. Nyoko recounted the day’s events. Lord Ono stared at her as she did so. Then held his head in his hands. “You know what I don’t need?” he asked, gesturing to the piles of paper on his desk and floor, which seemed, somehow, to have grown. “This. This is what I don’t need.” After some discussion, it was agreed that the di Raprezzi household guards would not be punished—they did not act with malice against the Inquisition—and Mariela’s case would be addressed by Lord Ono’s clerks. Although Mariela had intentionally attacked the Inquisition, it was decided that she had done so without knowledge of Sovereign laws, and therefore would not be subject to the traditional penalty of execution. The fact that executing a scion of House di Raprezzi might jeopardize the Sovereignty’s access to the Teleport Network—to say nothing of potentially risking war with Pol Henna—played no small part in the Inquisition’s lenience. Whatever the reason, Tavi heaved a sigh of relief. As they rode out the Cauldron gates for the second time, Savina was angrily writing a letter to her father. [i]Whatever’s in there,[/i] Tavi thought, [i]it can’t be good.[/i] “Is your Aunt usually so . . . abrasive?” asked Savina, looking up from her letter. “She has never been my favorite relative,” Tavi replied, “but in her way, she is a good and honorable member of the family di Raprezzi.” Savina smiled at his return to Hennan decorum. “And Twiggy,” she added, “are you all right? It seemed there was something . . . personal between you and Signora Mariela.” Tavi focused on Twiggy so hard that he thought he might bore a hole in her head. “We do have some history,” Twiggy understated, “but that is no excuse for my losing control of my emotions.” [i]Well done,[/i] Tavi thought. [/QUOTE]
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