The Blood Chain

[monique_minx]

[Closed for LoganDarkHolme and Minx - please PM feedback to either writer]

ELARIS

***​

The Citadel of Varyn Hold was ancient - a fortress carved into the spine of a mountain, overlooking a city built on fear and hierarchy. Its towers cut the sky like black spears and its walls hummed with the muted presence of elemental wards. The inky darkness of night made it seem even more ominous against its mountainous background.

No one saw her slip inside. She was filthy by a city dweller's standards in her tattered dress. Perhaps they all simply mistook her for a servant? She was thin and she was starving. Mara Deyne hadn't had a decent meal in over a week. If she didn't manage to steal some food or money soon, the entire situation would lead her to either die...or worse, actually approach someone and hope they wouldn't learn her dark little secret.

Her bare feet padded across the stone silently, she was well practised at being stealthy. She found a bedroom and held her breath as she turned the handle. Success! It wasn't locked.

'Cocky mages.' She thought to herself gleefully as she pushed the door open.

Once Mara had closed the door, the search began and fortunately it didn't take her very long. Mages were so sure of themselves that they never thought to lock up their belongings and Mara found the mage's wallet merely sitting on the desk.

She didn’t know who owned it.
She didn’t care.

Money meant food and that meant survival. She made for the window, having learned never to retrace her steps lest she be stopped by anyone who might have initially had doubts about her. It was open just enough to squeeze through. Her leg was over the ledge and a hand braced her against the frame.

And then, she heard a voice. A male voice and her head swivelled as the door to the room opened. Their eyes met and Mara was torn between her own cockiness and utter fear that she was caught this time.

"Nope." She whispered and grinned at the man as she slipped out of the window victoriously with his wallet in hand and she jumped.

Her feet slammed into the cobblestones below, her heart in her throat as she took off at a run. If she didn't get food, she'd pay for this exertion tenfold later but right now she had her prize in hand and refused to let it go.

Mara didn't realise that the adrenaline surge had caused her to glow. Her entire being lit up with a silvery blue hue and it most unfortunately drew the attention of a handful of men playing cards in the street as she ran by.

One of them whistled, "Now that's something you don't see everyday."

They all got up from where they sat around a barrel they'd been using as a table and ditched their game. They began to move in the direction Mara had run.

"What do you think Drew?" One of them asked the other.

Drew flicked his cigarette, "She looks like a hybrid."

"Did anyone see a Chain? Because that's fucking impossible ain't it?!" The third man asked.

"No Chain. She’s on the lam. And if we catch her, I can get a helluva price for a prize like that. 'Course I'll have to test her to make sure." Drew said.

"You have your flare rune?" The first man asked Drew.

Drew produced a shiny stone hanging from a chain with a sigil carved into it to show them, "Never leave home without it."

Drew grinned and put it back in his pocket, the others smirked and they took off at a faster pace behind Mara.

Mara made a mistake. She thought she'd been so careful mapping out Varyn Hold but in her haste, she knew she’d taken a wrong turn because she was hopelessly lost. It was a dead-end alley, it required her to break her cardinal rule and retrace her steps. She turned to do just that and was confronted with four men all fanned out across the narrow alley's walkway.

"You should know that you're glowing at your age, girl." One of them admonished her, waving his finger, "tsk tsk."

"Yeah, no Chain. She's a free bird." Another commented, eying her biceps and throat.

"Our lucky day." Drew chuckled.

Mara backed up nervously and looked at her wrist, "Oh fuck." She breathed when she saw that she was glowing.

She was 20 years old, she did know better but she hadn’t been desperate enough to rob a mage in years.

Drew pulled the strange little stone from his pocket again, "wonder what you are, sweet thing."

"No! Don't!" Mara warned and backed up against the wall.

But it didn’t deter Drew at all and the ground began to quake beneath Mara's feet because she knew, she fucking knew once he got within a few metres, the rune would react to her.

But there was nowhere to go. Drew wasn't willing to get any closer to this devilish little prize than he needed to in order to test her so he slowed his pace as he closed the distance.

The rune trembled.
Two more steps.

CRACK!

The sound split the air and the rune exploded all over Drew, absolutely disintegrating. Drew was stunned, eying the now devastated chain where it hung from his outstretched hand.

"Wildmage." One of the others breathed and in the silence of the alley, all of them heard it.

"Fuck." Mara muttered.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

Dear Malric ValDrakken,


We are pleased to announce your acceptance to the Elaris Prime Academy of Mechanical Sciences, having reviewed your academic records and letters of recommendation we are pleased to be able to add such a keen and powerful Mage into the ranks of our science and development teams. We look forward to seeing what you can achieve in the future, We will be forwarding the Acceptance package with all the information you will need as Class Schedule, maps and Curriculum layout within the following week and Classes are set to begin after the Fall solstice


Signed,

The Academy Board of Directors



Well, that was one load off his mind, Malric set the letter down on his kitchen counter top as he took of sip of his tea, even with his family name, it wasn’t every day someone was awarded entrance to the most prestigious Academy’s, and while his family name carried some weight. The fact he was a Wind Mage, born into a family of all fire mages, he’d been all but quietly disowned. To his family, and to most of the older mage family’s, power was everything, bloodlines going back thousands of years, some family’s considered themselves “pure bloods” choosing to wed and have children with only what they considered the strongest family’s, it was a prestige thing. He never cared for it, too much pomp and circumstance for his tastes. He had 4 brothers of his own, all 4 manifested as Fire mages when they hit puberty and their parents couldn’t have been prouder. Then, Malric turned 14 and his powers awoke. Wind magic…...oh the scandal of it, the fight his parents had damn near leveled the house, accusations of infidelity.



Shaking himself out of his memories he rinsed out his cup and stuck it in the drying rack beside the sink. Well he had errands he needed to run and he needed to start packing what little he had. He lived in the The city of Varyn Hold, in the Wind mage portion of the Citadel where he’d attended school the last past 8 years after having been all but exiled from his home town of Atherbridge upon his Magic revealing itself. and the Academy of science was centered in Elaris Prime, the largest city on the continent. He had just turned to head up to his bedroom when there was a change in the air of his suite. The slightest change in pressure that told him someone was in his home and he took the stairs two at a time, to the second floor, the security wards he’d place ringing like a bell in the back of his mind that someone had indeed entered his domain.



Hearing movement in his room he shouted “Who are you?” as he rounded the corner into his room. His eyes flitting around quickly, they landed on a dirty looking woman and it brought him up short as their eyes locked. His eyebrows raising he heard her softly mutter “nope” and she was out the window in a flash. Moving to his desk he grabbed his keys intent on pursuing the woman, and only then he realized his wallet was gone, scrubbing a hand over his face he sighed in annoyance. Theft was so rare, even in their society this was a shock to him, especially in the Citadel of all places.



Knowing he had to move if he wanted to catch up, he stuffed his keys in his pocket and took a running leap over the second story banister, a motion with his hand as he began to decend, he summoned a cushion of air beneath him to slow his fall and hit the ground running. Another hand motion his front door swings open and he runs through, the door closing and locking behind him. He gave a small exhale then uttered a softly spoken word “Venato pera” the tracking spell he’d placed on his wallet activating, a flutter of air around him gave him a direction that the girl had run and he followed, weaving his fingers he summoned a disc of air and cloud beneath his feet and took to the sky.


Every element had their perks, Magic users had their specialties, wind mages? Youd be amazed what you can accomplish when the air itself was at your beck and call. Within minute he’d caught up to the little thief as she ran like hell itself was after her. He watched her, wanting to follow her back to wherever she lived. He wasnt one for confrontation…...usually…… but cornering her in public seemed like a bad idea. As he hovered above the rooftops, floating along he watched a group he knew all too well give chase and he let his head fall back with an annoyed sigh. The Mage familys weren’t “enemies” in the usual sense. But every family thought they were better then the others which has lead to a more unofficial sort of hierarchy that exists especially among the various kids, bully’s are bully’s no matter the race or power.


Malric watched as the girl found herself in a dead end ally, his arms crossed as he contemplated what to do. Drew and his cronies, Dillian, Adrian, Mark and Tomas, were also fire mages, in direct competition with his own family as the best weapon enchanters and creators in the world. Malric floated over and landed on the roof of a nearby house watching. Whle nothing was ever proven, Drew and his flunkys had a reputation around town as womanizer’s, and quiet whispers Drew had forced himself on a girl at a party his family had thrown last winter solstice. But nothing was ever proven, go figure. But the loud CRACK that snapped through the air shook him out of his musings


“Wildmage?!?!” Drew muttered, shock laced through his words and they all stopped talking, Malric could see the fear on the girls face as all color drained from her already pale skin.



“Seriously?!?! we could NOT be that lucky boys” Drew all but cackled, “moms been bitching at me to take a Font, looks like I found her”



“Oh Fuck you dude, I saw her first!” Tomas snapped “Besides im older then you, she should be mine, im stronger then you anyway!”



Malric rolled his eyes as the idiots all started talking over each other until drew launched a fireball at the ground, between them, the explosion once more causing them all to shut up and glare at Drew.



“IM binding her, end of discussion, you know why! After the party last winter, “ Drew trailed off



Malric rolled his eyes again, well I guess that rumor was true. He eyed the girl as she backed herself against the wall, saw the panic, her eyes searching, for an escape or a weapon he didn’t know, with a sigh he took a step off the edge of the roof, “SHES MINE” he bellowed, the air charged with his voice as his magic swirled, amplified his voice, floating to the ground between the girl and the Guys, his hands tucked his the pockets of his jeans he stared down drew “She stole from me, as rights, I have first claim, so back the fuck off”



Drew snorted “Yea right, you have no rights here Mal-dick, Your disowned, remember?”



Malric shook his head at the dumbass and overused boring insult “Walk away drew, you know how this is going to end, how every fight has ended before” his voice remained flat, almost seeming uninterested, his body posture relaxed



“There is 5of us, and 1 of you, you cant sneak up on me like last time” Drew shot back



Malric laughed “I didn’t sneak up on you, youre just fucking stupid” he tosses back. And like every time before Drew’s face mottles red, a fireball forming in his hand



Malric looked over his shoulder at the girl, getting his first good look at her, beneath all the dirt she was pretty. He jerked his chin up at her, a push of air shoving her back away from the battlezone just as he felt the hum of the fireball flying at him. Snapping his head back around he raised his hand and made a fist, the fireball sizzling out of existence as he suffocated the fireball of its air supply. Snuffing it out, Malric raised an eyebrow at Drew “Fireball? Really? You didn’t learn the last 4 times?” he sighed exasperated



Not in the mood to play around, Malric felt his anger rise, This was the same, time and time again, Drew had a god complex and everytime he and Drew battled, it always ended with Drew getting his ass kicked. Not even bothering to toss any more threats, a golden glow began to shine across Malric’s skin as he called his magic forth. A Fog beginning to form around them all, obscuring any watchers from seeing what was happening Ice began to form on the ground around Drew and his posse, the temperature of the air around them plummeted into near Arctic levels, Malric raised his hand palm up and slowly began to roll his fingers closed into a fist. Drew, Tomas, Dillian, Adrian and Mark suddenly grasped at their throats gasping for breath, as Malric began to siphon the air away, suffocating them all slowly, the added arctic chill only making it harder for them to breath. The anger in Drew’s face said it all, he knew they lost…..again…. And backed away, the fire in drews eyes telling Malric this wasnt over as they finally turned tail and ran.


Malric sighed as he released the power, the glow fading from his skin he spun on his heel, turning to look at the girl “Hand it over, then youre coming with me”

 

[monique_minx]

[Collaboration of Minx & LoganDarkHolme]

Mara watched the interplay between the five men as they argued over her as she knew they would. This was not her first rodeo but she watched the glow fade from her skin and the earth tremor simmered to nothing.

Mara breathed, "I'm fucked."

Her power wouldn't respond to her panic which meant she was weaker than she'd thought. Little sleep and starvation will do that to any mage. Worse still for Mara because she'd never been trained. Wildmages were anathema to society, they were feared beyond all measure and were never trained. They were always taken for Fonts regardless of their bloodline.

Mara had managed to teach herself simple tricks which allowed her to keep warm and always have shelter or a supply of water but food and sleep were something she had to get for herself and that was never easy. She usually scavenged in the forests but whenever it got cooler or the Wardens of the Concord got closer to her, food vanished and there was nothing to find. Such was the case when Mara ventured in to Varyn Hold and out of Lowlin Hollow's vast woodland.

Then there was an entirely new party who yelled and made Mara flinch, she knew she was surrounded by mages and at least one was a fire mage. The newcomer was clearly an air mage. Mara could feel the change in the air as he touched down. It was his claim that she stole from him that made her recognise who he was. She glanced briefly at the wallet still clutched in her hand.

She felt the whoosh of air push her backwards into the wall moments later and she was winded. Mara panted and looked up in time to see a fireball sizzle into nothing. Mara watched as fog crawled in next and the air grew colder, she shivered against the wall and clutched her arms with a soft groan. She wasn't paying attention when the others turned tail and ran for it. It was his voice that drew her eyes back up and the air had stopped getting colder though she was still shaking.

"The hell I am!" Mara snapped and rubbed the chill from her biceps vigorously.

"Hey look, I don't know what your deal is, but you are obviously hungry and about to keel over, " Malric pointed out.

"I ain't stepping foot in the Citadel!"

An irritated sigh escaped Malric, "We don't have to go back to my suite, but you clearly need a sandwich or something, if you pass out i'm going to have to carry you and I'm just not in the mood."

Mara snorted, "Yeah, as if I don't know what you want. Even if I give your damn wallet back." Which was still clutched in her hand.

Malric crossed his arms over his chest, arching an eyebrow, "Drew and his pack of idiots are still probably in the area, whether you like it or not, in your condition, you leave here without me, and he'll make good on his threat, so it's me, or slavery, your choice".

"As if that's different anyhow." Mara muttered and kicked a stone on the ground, "take stupid risks, win stupid prizes. Fine." She held his wallet out to him.

Malric growled in irritation "except...I don't want to bind you, I have no interest in taking a Font at the current moment, regardless of what you are" he reached out to take the wallet back "Thank you."

Mara rolled her eyes, "Bet you say that to all the Wildmages. Lead the way then."

"Well, you're the first, so that would be moot" he quipped back, opening his wallet to ensure he actually still had everything "There is a small Bistro around the corner," he eyed her up and down "But you could really use a shower and fresh clothes, you tried to steal from me and I shouldn't care, but, look, I'm not an asshole like most of the other pompous fucks around here."

"Not at the Citadel." She deadpanned at him, speaking slowly. Mara turned over the idea she might be able to get away from him and Varyn Hold after getting some of the things she needed from him.

"All mages are pompous fucks." Mara snorted, "Watched and met enough of them. Maybe you're just young but you'll be like the rest soon enough."

"Fine, we'll find one of the Inns, most of them have a kitchen and a common room " Malric deadpanned in return.

"And I don't disagree with you on the state of the magehood, " he looked around, checking the area as the fog he summoned finally dissipated, "come on" he muttered in irritation.

Mara rolled her eyes, not believing him in the slightest. Mara trusted no one but she followed him nonetheless. They walked a few blocks before Malric led her into an Inn and walked up to the desk, Mara was very seriously questioning the wisdom of her plan to take what she needed as there were still a few people milling about in the otherwise silent Inn. Mara overheard Malric give his name to the man behind the reception counter. She also heard him order a single room and folded her arms as he returned to her.

"ValDrakken? And he can't afford two rooms?" Mara arched a brow.

He arched a brow right back "Slavery?" he shot back "we were watched on our walk here, but I couldn't identify who."

"Oh right, out of the kindness of your heart and blah blah blah." Mara rolled her eyes as her stomach growled.

His eyes fell to her stomach then back to her face, he didn't need to say anything to make his point "Come on, I'll have food sent up to the room stubborn girl, you need a shower and I need to figure out how to get you out of this city before we both have bigger issues" Malric turned, holding his hand out, motioning her towards the stairs to the room.

Mara followed him up to the room and waited for him to open it before they could both step inside.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

"ValDrakken? And he can't afford two rooms?" Malric caught Mara’s hiss and the implications in her voice, and he glared at her over his shoulder as they made their way up the stairs to the private suites. As they reach the upper floor he takes the keycard he was given and locates their room. Laying the card to the Number on the door there is a flare of magic as the locks “click” and he pushes it open. Stepping inside Malric moves aside and lets Mara into the sprawling 3 room suite, the main room was a large sitting area with plush luxury chairs, two windows that looked out over the town center on the far wall a Hearth with Fire place, a fire already lit with a Magic powered fire that required little wood to keep it burning and warm, off to the left of the Hearth sat a small table and 2 chairs, a tea pot and several clean cups in the center of the table ready for use along with a kettle to heat the water.



“Bathroom is the far room” Malric motions to the partially closed door on the other side of the room, every bit as luxurious, with a deep wall claw foot soaking tub in one corner, and a shower set beside it several different choices of hair care and body wash scrubs, Removing his overcoat he lays it over the back of the nearest chair as he unbuttons and rolls up the sleeves of his shirt before resting his hands on his hips



“As for not affording two rooms?” he turns his glare on her back “One: you don’t trust me, and I don’t trust you, but until you eat and rest, don’t think I didn’t feel that paltry attempt at magic in the ally, if you could defend yourself, you’d be on your own in a heart beat, and not following my lead here. so No, its not out of the kindness of my heart, lets just say I have a …………..unique….perspective on the Mage families, and Drew and his family, are one of the worst out there, with a god complex and we’re better then everyone on the planet attitude”



He takes the Kettle off the table and moves to the small sink, filling it he moves to the hearth, setting the kettle on the hook over the fire to boil



“And two, IF we were followed, or IF something happens and Drew decides to try and push his luck again yet tonight, One room is easier to defend, then trying to get to you before something happens, “ he turns to face her “This room has a King size bed, so we can sleep comfortably on either end and not have to squish in close, I figured you’d appreciate some breathing room”



Turning away from her he moves to the windows, raising his hand to the glass his skin begins to glow gold, as he raises and lowers his hand up and down the length and width of the glass, setting a protection spell over it to warn him if the glass is tampered with, he would ward the door once the food was delivered and they could seal themselves in for the night

 

[monique_minx]

Mara slunk into the room and did her best to hide the awe she felt in such a large, opulently appointed room. Her eyes glanced towards the bathroom when Malric told her where it was and she looked down at herself, at her filthy dress and dirty legs. Her sandals were clinging for dear life and she shuddered to imagine her hair and face. It had been years since Mara had experienced a hot bath or shower, years of running left her bathing in streams or lakes wherever she could. Often or not, it was too cold to bathe at all in the winters and she stuck to heating water and cleaning herself with a rag then. So she could easily imagine how she must offend Malric's senses.

He commented on her magic and the trust issues between them, summarising Drew and his friends along with their families. Then he finished with them sleeping head and tail in the large bed which made her snort derisively and spin on her heel to find him enchanting the window. She canted her head to the side, puzzled as to what he was doing but she felt a change in the room as if he'd left his mark upon the frame.

"I would think ValDrakkens aren't far from the most snobby mages so you'll forgive me if I find you hard to believe." She said sarcastically, "And you're right, I didn't think I was that weak, I guess I have to be a desperate sort of fool to rob a mage in the Citadel inside Varyn Hold. I never usually step foot here. Stupid." She finished, muttering, talking more to herself than to Malric.

"I'll be in the bathroom then I suppose and leave you to..." She gestured an 'S' shape, "...well, whatever that is."

She spun and marched off to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Once inside, she caught herself in the mirror almost instantly and wrinkled her nose, it had been a long time since she'd seen her reflection in anything other than a distorted body of water.

"Fucking yikes Mara." She muttered, eying the dirt on her face. The colour of her dress had disappeared beneath the grime as well so she immediately stripped it off and started the shower, slipping off her sandals.

She threw her dress beneath it and used a sweet smelling bar of soap to clean it, rubbing it together in her hands as dirty water ran down the drain and the dress slowly changed colour back to the soft blue it had once been. She'd stolen it of course, off some poor woman's washing line without an inkling of remorse. Once it was clean, she wrung it out and hung it on the towel rack to dry before putting herself beneath the warm water with a loud sigh of satisfaction.

"Just need food and sleep, it'll be alright." She mumbled under the warm water.

Mara had spent her entire life avoiding detection, avoiding what inevitably became of her entire race because there wasn't a soul in the world who dreamed of some day becoming a Font. It was a life sentence and a cruel one. At some point in history, the bloodlines had diverged and gone from merely humans and mages to humans, mages and fonts. No one really knew why but there were many theories running the gamut of 'magical accidents', 'curse contamination', 'experimentation by the Sanguis cults' (the Blood mages felt this part of history was quite the blight on them), 'exposure to magical essence' and even 'selective breeding'. No matter the reason for it, some mages were born as fonts - full of essence fractures that meant they could neither contain nor direct their magic. They'd leak constantly and affect the very environment around them. It also shortened their lives to have their magic leak so heavily - the more essence fractures, the shorter their lives.

Mages were the 'containers'. The Channels. Fonts were the Conduits. The Blood Chain would link the Font to the Mage allowing the Mage to siphon the Font's power off safely and direct it, prolonging the Font's life and keeping everyone around them safe. Such was the danger of an unbound Font that they were detected at birth by flare runes. They were biologically different but a social construct grew from it. The Blood Chain granted the Mage power over their Font beyond merely siphoning their magic, should a Mage wish it, they could read the thoughts and feelings of their Font. A side effect of the link. The link was unbreakable by anything other than death so once a Font was bound, they were bound for life. Fonts became akin to livestock, little better than slaves and they were treated as such. It was a terrible existence for most Fonts who were poorly treated by their Mages. It was considered unthinkable to marry a Font though many were raped or ravaged.

The link worked one way and the Font had no access to their own power or the Mage's once bound. Many Mages exploited this, using power siphoned from the Font to punish them or bend them to their will. Most Fonts were standard Elemental Fonts and embodied only one element like all Mages did. Of course finding a Font with their own element gave a stronger boost to the Mage than one that didn't share their element. Then there were Hybrids who were rarer, those that embodied two elements. No Mage could claim that. For reasons unknown, only Fonts could possibly be Hybrids. Then there was Mara - a Wildmage. She had the potential to be the strongest mage who ever lived but like all other Wildmages, she'd never live to see that potential. She embodied all of the elements - Light & Shadow, Fire & Water, Air & Earth, Metal & Blood. No one would ever train Mara and she would need a Mage of every element to do so. Finding one Mage who either wasn't scared of her or didn't want to take her for a Font was difficult let alone eight of them!

Mara sighed and washed out her hair before finally stepping out of the shower. She found a fluffy white robe in a large cupboard adorned with the Inn's insignia and put it on so that her dress might dry overnight. She brushed her wet hair through before finally exiting the bathroom.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

“"I would think ValDrakkens aren't far from the most snobby mages so you'll forgive me if I find you hard to believe." He turns from the window at her words, his hand dropping to his side as she stares at him, and he can see the banked rage in her eyes, and honestly, after having been all but disowned by his parents because he presented as an Air mage, an Air mage in a long history of Powerful Fire mages, and seeing how much their “status” and their powers mattered more then their love for their children he couldn’t even bring himself to be mad at her statement, inhaling his eyebrows lifted as he nodded



“You and I can definitely agree on that front, they are most assuredly Snobby as fuck” Malric replied, managing to keep his tone even, but he couldn’t keep all the bitterness out of his voice.



His gaze turned thoughtful as she continued to rant about being weak and desperate, but he sensed that at the current moment, if he were to open his mouth to disagree with her about some of her points, it would probably set her off even more then she already was, and currently he needed to keep her calm. His lips twitching as she imitates him spell casting before she storms off. When the bathroom door slams he lets go a long exhale.



“Well, this is going to be fun……...i pray Drew gets the hint and we can just part ways in the morning” Malric mutters to himself. Moving to the phone by the bed he rings the front desk, requesting a spread of various foods, some wine, and bread. As well as fetching a runner to acquire some basic clothing items. He had a feeling that his guest would probably be a while soaking, the look of awe on her face when she entered the room had told him she wasnt used to the finer things, and while it shouldn’t bother him. He at least wanted her temporary stay, a good one.



A knock on the door dragged him from his musings, and the darker thoughts that had started to play through his mind and he moved to the door, he laid his hand to the door for a moment, his hand beginning to glow gold as he sensed the air around the door, no signs of aggression, or malice tinged the air and he pulled back, opening the door slowly he peaked through, Finding room service had the cart of food and the items he’d requested. Allowing them in, he paid them well for their hardwork and fast timing, Hearing the water shut off he took the clothing he’d ordered for her, Tshirt, sweater, new shoes, having had to make a guess on her shoe size based on her height, and sweat pants, and laid them on the table beside the bathroom door and began setting out the food.



“I have clothing for you” Malric stated as the bathroom door opened, motioning to the neatly folded bundle at the door “I know that your dress has seen better days and I wasnt sure how well it would stand up to washing, I tried to get you something I thought would at least be semi comfortable for the time being” He looked up at her as she stood frozen in the door “I………..wasnt sure what you liked, so I ordered a little of everything from the kitchen” he waved his hand over the various covered dishes “Do you like wine?” he looked down at the cart as he began removing lids, pasta’s, breads, cheeses, fruits and meats were laid out across about a dozen various dishes “Also have bottled water or soda?” Grabbing a wine glass and the bottle from the ice bucket he moves to the small table beside the bed, leaving it open for her to join him, or find her own seat

 

[monique_minx]

Mara was frozen in the doorway, surveying the scene before her while still towel drying her hair. Malric appeared to have gone far beyond a simple sandwich and had even acquired clothes and shoes that actually looking like they might fit. It was the growl of her stomach that made her move at last.

"I, uh, I-I don't know. I think I had wine once. I stole a very dusty bottle from a cellar...it was hard to read, the label was faded." She mumbled, still in disbelief of the spread of the food.

She ignored the clothing, the robe was adequate and she was starving as she sat at the table laden with delicious smelling dishes. She hadn't had cheese since she was a small child but there were other things such as fruits and fish that made up a good portion of her diet so she opted for the things she'd not tasted for years. She helped herself to a good deal of pasta and cheese at first and then the bread soon followed. She moaned in satisfaction at the taste and tried to pace herself, ignoring Malric to sate some of her hunger as soon as possible.

After a good few minutes, she washed some of it down with the wine and screwed up her nose, "Well...it tastes better than that other stuff I had."

She hadn't used any pretty manners or much cutlery really, such was her need but she was slow enough to ensure she didn't give herself a stomach ache. Mara wasn't accustomed to the company of others anymore, she'd been running since she was 15.

"The longer I stay here, the more likely the Wardens will come." Mara told him, "You have no Fonts. You can't protect me against everyone."

She eyed his wrist meaningfully where his control bands would be if he did have Fonts.

"I'm surprised a ValDrakken would rebel against the idea of Fonts." She said plainly, "Your family is wealthy enough to afford so many...well, maybe not a Wildmage."

If Mara's existence were made public, perhaps only royalty would be able to afford her. One of Mara was worth over a dozen Elemental Fonts after all. The idea of being bought and sold like cattle made a shiver run up her spine.

"You're studying here." It wasn't a question, "And you know nothing about me, such an interesting risk you're taking, Malric."

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

Malric watched her as she froze in the door way, and for a moment he thought something might be wrong. His eyes scanned the room quickly before he looked back at her face, then followed her gaze to the food, and he swore he heard her stomach rumble. He knew that she had to have been starving, and living on the streets for a good long while based on the state of her clothing. Using magic burned a lot of energy and a lot of calories, every body needed fuel, athletes had to eat a lot to play sports, same for casters. As he pulled the plate of porkchops infront of him, and grabbed his fork and knife, he watched her through lowered lashes, thinking she’d grab the clothing and go change. But he was surprised when she opted to stay in the fluffy robe and move to the cart.


“I, uh, I-I don't know. I think I had wine once. I stole a very dusty bottle from a cellar...it was hard to read, the label was faded” she commented as she looked over her choices of plates.


And well, he honestly couldn’t argue or fault that. It was clear she’d had a rough life, She wasnt bonded, as he’d noticed earlier she’d glanced at his wrists where his own bond mark would be, and he did feel bad. Knowing just how unforgiving their society as it was right now could be, especially when it came to the disparity between Mages and fonts. Traded like cattle, abused, seen by the majority of the major families as nothing but “pretty trinkets”


Malric concentrated on his food, watching as she chose some pasta and cheeses, It at least made him feel better then she didn’t argue about the food and at least could have a full belly tonight. He personally hated Disparity between the mages, and the fonts. He believed things needed to change. He didn’t at first, growing up as he had, in the family he had. But a year after his awakening, having seen how the “beloved son” was treated after he didn’t live up to expectations. Now that he was on the other side of the isle, on the outside looking in. It had been an awakening, showing him just how wrong he and the other families had been. He had just taken a drink of wine but he heard her set his utensils down


“The longer I stay here, the more likely the Wardens will come. You have no Fonts. You can't protect me against everyone." Mara started, plainly, and well, he couldn’t disagree with her at the moment.



“Yea, You're right, I cant, but you need rest, you're not any good to me, or yourself completely tapped out., or at least im going to try to get you out of town. I know you have no reason to trust me, but have I tried to force a bond on you? I could have let Drew have you” he stated plainly, hoping she at least was able to hear the truth in his words. He finished his glass of wine, and poured another, raising the bottle in her direction silently asking if she wanted more.



“"I'm surprised a ValDrakken would rebel against the idea of Fonts. Your family is wealthy enough to afford so many...well, maybe not a Wildmage." she was observant, he would give her that and he sighed, picking up his napkin he wiped his mouth clean and tossed it on his plate sitting back. Contemplating, but honestly, it would only harm what he was trying to build with her.



“Normally, you would be right, I was raised as all great family’s are raised, better then anyone, better then everyone, my great great great, however many greats, fought in the Mage wars, the ValDrakkens were renowned weapons chanters and crafters, the most powerful fire mages on the continent” his voice had taken on a sardonic, taunting tone laced with bitterness “and then…….” his shoulders slumped “At 14, I presented as an Air mage………….. an Air mage, in a bloodline and family of pure fire mages” his lips twisted in anger as his gaze rose to meet hers, “Well, news couldn’t get out that a ValDrakken presented as an Air mage, the scandal would bring down the family line, or so I was chastised, beaten, castigated, whatever word you want to use for it. So I was shipped away, the official story, studying abroad to strengthen my magic”



Malric took up his glass of wine and downed its entire contents before he launched the glass across the room “I was quietly disowned, but on paper, still one of the family, so they pay me to stay away, pay for my schooling, as long as I don’t cause trouble. So, for the last 8 years, ive been where youve been, had my eyes opened to the real world, and not the sugar coated version we are taught in private schools, so you could say, I understand you better then you think”

 

[monique_minx]

Mara snorted softly, "You think we're in the same place but you still have so many privileges afforded to you by a family. Mine are dead."

Mara inhaled and took a sip of the wine to keep herself from getting emotional as she shared more with him in that single sentence than she'd ever told anyone. He was right though, even if he didn't want a Font - he didn't have to protect one. He could have let Drew have her, even though it was clear the pair had some kind of history Mara wasn't privy to. Mara didn't have friends, she didn't have family or a home or anything. She had only enemies, she'd never met a soul who didn't want something from her and usually that something - was everything.

What did it hurt to tell him anyway? The past was of no consequence to what was occurring now, she wouldn't give him locations she stayed at or anything like that of course. The Wardens knew her name, the ones who'd survived encounters with her in the past had shared that.

"I'm Mara." She set the wine glass down, "Only fair to tell you since I know your name. Mara Deyne. I killed my parents when I was 15."

She paused, wondering if that would surprise him and then she continued, "Wildmages are hard to hide since we're born with our powers. I almost killed this snotty little boy in our village when I was 8, felled a tree and nearly crushed him. They didn't know it was me but you know how rumours start with little things? There was no storm, no flood to blame it on...so it was a big thing I suppose. My parents still tried to say there was a storm anyway..."

She wrung her hands and looked at her lap, "When I was 15, the Wardens came for me. My parents protected me that long, they weren't going to stop so they took me and ran into the woods."

She did not say which woods, she spoke carefully, "We were surrounded, my parents were humans you see. And you know Wardens aren't."

Mara lifted her head to give Malric a meaningful look, "I don't know if you've ever met any Wardens, they're collective of all the elements and most of their teams aim to include a mage from all of them. The team that came for me was so because I wasn't too young and I wasn't so weak. They made promises to my parents, payment and protection and that no harm would come to me."

She looked down at her lap again, "My father didn't believe them and my mother was terrified."

Mara swallowed, "When they realised my parents would not be reasoned with, they surrounded us. The Blood mage slowed my parents' hearts, he couldn't slow mine...and I lost control...I, uh, one of the fire mages aimed to block any retreat and I, I-"

She took a deep breath, "-I spread the fire without meaning to, I panicked and the wind spread it more and then...I felt an earthquake which I probably caused, I know that. Then I got knocked out. I woke up and...the trees were flattened, I think I caused a shockwave, I remember the mages yelling at me to calm down and my mother telling me it was alright..."

Mara picked up the wine glass and drained the remainder of it, she placed it down on the table with a 'clink', "I killed everyone Malric. I killed the Wardens and my parents indiscriminately."

She was looking at his face now, "I almost handed myself over then and there. I still think about doing that everyday. But...my parents didn't want that so I keep running. Like they wanted."

She let that sink in for him and the silence stretch for a moment, "...so we are not the same."

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

As she began to speak, Malric slowly put down his utensils, his brows slowly lowering, a frown marring his features. He had no words, none. He listened because she deserved to be heard, because he’d learned the dark side of the mage world, had been thrown head long into it. But she was right, he knew nothing, compared to her pain, betrayal, they weren’t the same. He took a sip of his wine, but his appetite had vanished under the pain of her story. And that also solidified what he’d been thinking about since he saved her in that alley. He was going to get her out of this town, He had money, and some influence, but he was loathe to try and use his family name, lest it get back to his parents and bring even more heat down on them.



“I’m sorry, Mara” he says quietly his voice was sombre, sorrowful “I know it means nothing coming from me, you don’t know me, but…..i am……...sorry…...that that happened to you” he shakes his head, his fingers toying with his wine glass, his gaze going far away as he contemplates things, rising from his seat he begins pacing, a stress habit he formed as a child, as he paced to the window he paused, looking out over the city to the valley beyond, just breathing for a bit.



“As for your question” he stated after a few minutes, he turns, pacing back towards the bed “Yes, I was studying here, but I finished my courses and was accepted to the Science academy of Elaris Prime, so I will be moving out within the next few weeks.” He pauses as he considers his next words, his gaze rising to meet hers “You are welcome to join me, It’s clear you need an escape as much as I do, I can hide you, then once we reach Prime, you can go wherever you want, I can give you money, but I don’t think staying here is a wise choice given the current climate” he states matter of factly “Im not going to force you, but I cant see any other option” He sits on the end of the bed, and unlaces his shoes, toeing them off and setting them aside



“I am going to shower, please, help yourself to whatever food or drink you want, rest and recover your strength tonight." he motions to the TV on the stand across from the bed “Watch TV, whatever you want, I will be out in a bit” Knowing she needed time, and hoping she didn’t see this as an opportunity to run and would at least for tonight, trust him to protect her, he grabbed another bundle of clothing and moved to the bathroom, closing the door but not locking it, again, as a sign he trusted her.



Setting the clothing on the counter of the sink, he strips down, moving to the shower he turns the water on full blast, checking to make sure the temp was were he liked it, Hellfire hot, a heavy shudder races down his body as the first splash of water sears down his skin. Closing his eyes he takes a few deep breaths. Mara’s story hit him far harder then he expected. But really? Nothing could have prepared him for the level of misery she endured, as the steam and humidity built around him, steaming the glass and turning the shower into a sauna, he let his raging emotions free, his magic swirling, as he often liked to do, turning the sturdy glass enclosure into a vortex of hot water and steam, he closed his eyes and tilted his head back, imagining he was at the center of the storm, even in its fury, he found them beautiful, could sense the currents of air as they whipped and danced and swirled, and even in a storms fury he could find peace and center himself. and he needed that now for what was to come

 

[monique_minx]

Mara listened to Malric and pushed back her cuticles, examining her cleaner but still jagged nails. She snorted softly at his naïve suggestion that she travel with him to Elaris Prime, as if positioning herself even closer to the Council of the Concord or the Wardens was, in any way, safe. She couldn't reasonably return to the woods of Lowlin Hollow now that she'd been sighted in Varyn Hold, the Wardens would narrow her position down and she'd already considered that. She decided to make it through the pass and head into Wraithfen. It was a notorious training ground for Shadow mages and that alone usually kept the masses from venturing into the dark wood but Mara had far worse things to fear than the odd Shadow mage whose power she shared in.

Mara nodded as he made for the bathroom and disappeared. She stood up and stretched before grabbing the clothing he'd provided her. Mara left the shoes behind, turned on her heel and made for the bedroom. Mara closed the door and stripped off the robe. She had no underwear but that was fine, she'd not been able to get any for so long that she was rather used to going without. She donned the sweatpants and T shirt and decided to leave the sweater by the bedside as the temperature in the room was comfortable.

She slung the robe over the back of an armchair at the bottom of the bed and wandered over to the window overlooking Varyn Hold. It was dark for the most part as the city was settling at last with only a straggler in the street here or there. A few lanterns gave light to the laneways stretching throughout the city and in the distance she could see the dark of the woods of Lowlin Hollow which had been her home for so long. Mara sighed wistfully and turned away, she'd always known she couldn't hide there forever but it was still a blow to have to make for more foreign parts of the continent.

Mara decided to lie on the bed and groaned as soon as her head hit the pillow. She'd forgotten how soft and luxurious a real bed felt after so many years of leaf litter, stone and straw beds. She let her eyes flutter to a close, soaking it all in while she had it. She was so full and tired that even her mistrust of Malric couldn't stop her from falling asleep.

The field was dark and Mara was turning in circles searching for something...

Bodies littered the ground around her, the grass flattened and charred. Trees were broken, snapped outward from where she stood as if they had bowed beneath monstrous force.

"Mara." The voice called her and she spun to look at him.

Malric.

"No! You need to go! I'll hurt you!" Mara begged him, stepping backwards from him.

He kept walking towards her, his hand dripping blood which made Mara think she'd already hurt him. As he reached her there was a flash of silver and Mara looked down at her own hand which was now bleeding. Malric grabbed her bloodied palm in his own.

“Catena sanguinis invoco.” He murmured.

"You'll control me..." Mara choked and watched black iron chains snake up from their hands, crawling over her, wrapping her throat and squeezing life from her.

Malric embraced her like a lover might and whispered over the hum of the chains, his breath warm as it washed her ear, "No...I'll hold you."

"Ha!" Mara gasped and sat bolt upright in the bed, the sun streaming in through the window.

"Just a...just a dream..." She whispered to herself, rubbing her eyes and drawing her knees up shakily.

She knew her Blood Chain wouldn't be black, she'd seen the ritual enough to know it would reflect the Font's element. The black chains weren't prophecy, they were fear. The black of the chain reflected how Mara thought she'd feel if it happened to her - lost, trapped, in the dark forever.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

Malric lost track of time as the shower pounded down on him. But soon enough he knew that he needed to get out, and get some rest. Releasing the hold on his magic, the swirling vortex he’d surrounded himself with dropped and the water returned to a normal flow before he shut it off. Reaching for the towel he took time drying himself off, exhaustion finally settling in, but his thoughts were still a jumble of “what if’s” and “what next” stuffing his feet into his sweatpants, he tossed his shirt back on and moved to the door. Reaching out, he felt his wards still in place. Good, she hadn’t tried to run, that shouldn’t have made him as happy as it did. Stepping into the room he found the lights had been turned down and it took a second for his eyes to adjust, but as they did he found that she had curled up in bed and her breathing was slow and even.




“Good, she was able to fall asleep” he spoke quietly to no one, he’d been expecting her to still be awake, ready to fight? He didn’t know, as worked up as she was he’d been ready for a fight. So the fact that she ate and trusted him enough, at least tonight, to sleep in peace and not be on guard. He moved around the room, finishing the cup of tea he’d had and stuffed one more muffin into his mouth he returned to the bathroom to brush his teeth then turned everything off. Removing his shirt he slid into the bed opposite her, the blanket tucked around his waist, leaving his upper body uncovered he stared at the ceiling, his hands folded across his stomach. He sighed gently, knowing that continually playing the “what If” game was not going to serve him very well he closed his eyes, consciously working to slow his breathing he felt his heartrate begin to settle and exhaustion finally wash over him.



******Morning******


Malric roused slowly, his brow furrowing, his senses were tingling, a warning bell in the back of his mind that he couldn’t make sense of. He kept his eyes closed as he listened for any sounds, any signs of an intruder. He heard quiet muttering, not able to make much out, he turned his head, his eyes cracking open, then widening as he took in Mara’s glowing form and he sat up, he had started to reach out to her when a gentle mutter stopped him “You'll control me..." he blinked at the softly spoken word, his mouth opening to ask her a question when her head turned towards him, she was still asleep, the blue/silver glow only faint now that he could see her clearly. But the way her body jerked, he could tell whatever nightmare she was having was not a pleasant one.




“Mara” he crooned gently, his hand still hovering in the air in indecision, not sure if he should touch her and try to wake her, or if whatever nightmare she was having would trigger a surge in her magic unconsciously. Which would be bad…….. “MARA” he said again a little louder, only to jerk back as she suddenly sat bolt upright, shaking violent, the glow to her skin fading "Just a...just a dream..." he heard her whisper, more to herself he thought as she pulled her knees up to her chest.




“Hey” he said quietly, not wanting to startle her anymore then she already appeared to be “Hey its alright, youre ok” he whispered softly, not sure if she was hearing him, and not wanting to make any sudden movements that might spook her “Youre ok, shhhhhhhhh, everythings ok, youre safe, Would you like some breakfast?” He asked, his voice low, soothing, like you would a startled animal

 

[monique_minx]

[Collaboration of Minx & LoganDarkHolme]

Mara didn't immediately realise Malric was there until he broke into her thoughts about the dream telling her she was okay and asking about breakfast. Mara blinked and looked up at him a little confused at first. The previous night's events took a moment to recall and then she nodded slowly.

"Oh, um, yes...that'd be great." She mumbled, not really accustomed to more than a single meal a day - if she was lucky enough to get that.

She got out of bed and stretched, frowning as she looked out at the woods of Lowlin Hollow. Somewhere in there, her bag and everything she owned was in a little camp that she wouldn't see again. She turned away from the window and followed Malric into the little sitting room thinking she'd need to get hold of a knapsack or satchel to carry her things all over again. That was annoying.

Malric ordered food which didn't take long to arrive and they both sat down to eat. He'd gone overboard again but Mara wasn't complaining as she helped herself to eggs and bacon and croissants. Breakfast foods were a scarcity especially for Mara. She couldn't recall the last time she'd had any of this food.

"Do you think you could find me a bag or something to carry my stuff in?" She asked him quietly between bites.

Malric saw the look on Mara's face, his brows furrowing some as he considered what she might be thinking about, but just had a feeling talking about it right now would be more a detrimental than a help. So when the food arrived he set about laying everything out, not really knowing what she'd like, same as last night, he ordered a little of everything, as they began to eat he'd remained quiet, his thoughts going to what he needed to get done today. Mara's quiet question roused him and he looked to her.

"Ahh, yeah". Malric paused, then nodded "yeah that shouldn't be a problem, I need to return to my suite..." His voice trailed off remembering her previous objections to returning to the Citadel "umm, yeah we can swing down to market row and get you something suitable, that ok?" Malric asked quietly as he took a drink of his juice.

Mara nodded slowly, "Okay."

Malric's gaze seemed to grow distant as his thoughts trailed off his brow furrowing again "what are your intentions Mara?". He looked at her, his expression serious, "I'm getting you out of here, and you've made it abundantly clear you want nothing to do with me or anyone really. How do we get you out of here fast and quiet?" He asked.

"If I tell you where I'm going then I put you in the path of the Wardens...which I probably already have, Malric. You can't tell them anything you do not know. I intend to head out of the city and you should leave me well before then." Mara replied earnestly, "This is the only way I can repay your kindness. You don't want a Light mage in your head, trust me."

"I may be disgraced, but I still carry the ValDrakken name, the Wardens wouldn't dare touch me" he said with conviction, his eyes growing heated as he listened to her speak, "and I give you my word I would never speak a word to anyone of you" he reached out a hand to gently rest it on hers where she still held her cup but he nodded at what she said "well then we can hit the market, get you some supplies and part ways in a dark alley somewhere."

Mara was glad he didn't argue with her about it further. As far as she was concerned, the less anyone knew, the better. The Council of Concord were only scrupulous if you were an upstanding member of society and she'd never been one. She was accustomed to insane tactics and tricks they'd never tell the public.

Mara got up from the table with him as they finished and ran to grab the new sweater he'd given her, her now dry dress on the towel rack and her worn sandals and threw them in her arms.

She shrugged, "Doesn't look like much but that's what I've got now."

He watched her move around the room, then picked up her dress, seeing how tattered and torn it was he counted in his head what she would need aside from the pack "I'm sorry" he said "we will get you more clothing for your trip."

Malric got up from the table wiping his mouth he moved to the bed and sat down to put his boots on. Mara put the sneakers on that Malric had gotten her, pleasantly surprised to find they almost fit and were only a little big on her.

"You don't have to do that." Mara mumbled as Malric gathered his things also and they made to exit the room.

"You're right, I don't have to" Malric confirmed, nodding as he stood up "but I want to" he stated with finality. Moving to the door, he waved his hand over it, dispelling the ward he'd placed and opened it, without thinking, he moved aside to let her leave first, his hand resting gently on her lower back for a second before he caught himself "sorry, habit" he mumbled quietly.

"It's fine." Mara told him uncomfortably as she headed out, she resisted the urge to tell him she hadn't had much by way of human contact in years and it felt foreign. It was unnecessary to make him as uncomfortable as she was.

She waited in the foyer as Malric handed back the key to their room at the front desk of the little Inn.

Malric paid for the room and slipped his wallet into his pocket as he slipped his coat on and headed for the door. "Did you get enough to eat?" He asked quietly as they stepped outside. Mara never answered.

They didn't make it 20 steps into the street before the air was warmer. Not metaphorically. Literally. It tasted of ash. Mara felt it on the back of her neck, like the stone beneath her was whispering of how hot it was. Unnaturally so. Mara stopped and felt Malric slow just behind her. Her eyes flickered upwards and she saw them.

They stood across the narrow street in a loose half-circle, blocking the way down toward the lower wards. Eight figures behind them stood silent and still, bare-armed despite the chill, collars of faintly glowing Chain-bands circling their throats and biceps.

Fonts.

Their glow was unmistakable. Some burned orange, one was silver, another was white and shiny and two more glowed green. At the centre of all of them was Drew and he smiled in a way that turned her stomach when he saw her.

“Well,” he drawled with his hands loose at his sides. “If it isn’t our lucky little bird.”

Every instinct inside of Mara told her this was so very bad, that she should run. Then two older figures stepped forward flanking Drew.

His parents.

'So that's who the Fonts belong to.' She thought immediately.

They were both glowing and certain - more powerful than Drew, she was sure. They were confident and seasoned mages, unlikely to be as reckless as their son. His father's hair was shot with grey and his mother looked at Mara with cold calculation in her steel blue eyes.

She glanced at Mara's exposed forearms, "Oh, that's not common."

Mara was glowing because she felt threatened. Rightly so. They weren't here to chit chat with her.

Drew's grin widened, "Told you she was something special."

Mara's fingers curled inwards reflexively. Thanks to Malric, she had her strength back and panic was licking the edges of her control.

Drew's eyes gleamed, "She still unbound and running loose, ValDrakken?"

His father's smile was thin, "That's a liability."

"And a fortune." His mother added.

Behind them one of the Fonts swayed slightly and the Chain at their throat tightened and glowed a little brighter. None of them spoke a word the entire time. All dressed with Drew's family crest stamped on their chests, uniformly.

Mara swallowed hard. This-this-was what she'd been running from. Eight lives reduced to fuel. Eight people who'd never leave their owners shadows.

And they were all talking about her already and not to her.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

Malric sensed the spark of magic in the air before the wave of heat hit them, his brows furrowing in concern he moved to step in front of Mara, his hand resting on her stomach to anchor her behind him, as they stop walking, he spots the small group across the street and breaths a soft curse quickly recognizing Drew, then his father, mother and a handful of what he figured was their fonts. Figures, cocky fucks decided they couldn’t face him alone and needed backup. Typical, fucking Drew was a chickenshit motherfucker, always had been, but now, it would seem Drew had finally learned from his mistakes of trying to take him on alone.




“Well, If it isn’t our lucky little bird.” Drew practically cackled and Malric’s hand gripped Mara’s shirt where It'd been resting on her stomach and tugged her tighter to his back, his eyes moving over the small group of fonts, who already were showing signs that their powers were being drained, the strain evident on their faces, if not also the light glowing of their bindings. Fucking pricks. Malric’s eyes went to Drew’s parents as they too stepped forward, Malric quickly begin to run through various scenarios in his mind of what he could do to try and get them out of this. But he knew, and he suspected Mara did too, that they were in a world of trouble. Against drew and maybe one or two of his buddies, Malric knew he could take him. But his mother and father were on a whole other level and already siphoning power, there was no way he’d last long in a straight up battle.




"Oh, that's not common." Malric’s thoughts were interrupted by a soft feminine voice and his attention snapped to Drew’s Mother, Sophia Devereaux, and then to his Father, Victor Devereaux, as they crossed the street and approached them. He felt Mara tense behind him and he prayed she wouldn't run, at least not yet. “What's not common Mrs. Devereaux? That you're wasting your time harassing me because your sons an idiot?” Malric quipped back, satisfaction at seeing her painted on fake smile falter at the insult “I would most certainly agree with you at that, he is an idiot” Malric continued, Victor’s face also turning a particularly interesting shade of purple.




Of course it was that moment said idiot decided to open his mouth "Told you she was something special Mom. and She’s still unbound and running loose, ValDrakken? “ Drew crooned in delight, and Malric wanted to wipe that predatory glint off the fuckers face. The comments by Victor and Sophia did not go unnoticed by Malric either but right now, Drew was the peacock strutting around and making his way closer to them both and he needed to figure out an exit strategy fast, he would not let Mara fall to these fucking pricks.




“Ya know” Malric started “what I truly find funny? That you are sooooooo weak, that you needed to bring this many Fonts with you, for just me. And not only that, we’re not even fighting and you are already drawing powers from them? You know how pathetic that makes you look? So scared of what I can do, not counting what Mara could do to you?” Malric musters up the haughtiest tone he could, squaring his shoulders as his back straightens, his eyebrow arched with such an imperious look of distain he would have actually made his parents proud of him for something. “Why don’t you just walk away Drew, this isnt a fight you want, and if you think attacking me here, will stop my Family from calling for blood over it, well, history will repeat itself again wont it?”

 

[monique_minx]

[Collaboration]

Mara watched Malric physically place himself between her and Drew's family. When his hand graced her stomach, she coldly flashed back to her dream like ice formed in her gut and she saw the wreckage she caused all over again.

Drew was still grinning but Sophia was stern, in command and she spoke calmly, almost matronly.

"All the posturing in the world won't change what this is, ValDrakken." Sophia said, her hand raised to still her son by her side.

"You're interfering," Victor told Malric, "She's unbound, unregistered and 20 years to look at her. That's negligence on someone's part." His gaze meaningful and grave.

Drew snorted, "Or luck, depends on who gets her first."

Mara's fingers curled at her sides and she spoke past the tightening in her throat, "I'm not yours."

Drew's grin sharpened, "Not yet."

His excitement made the air several degrees warmer.

"Stop." Mara said suddenly.

Mara's heart was hammering so loudly that she could hear the blood in her ears. The silvery-blue glow under her skin brightened instinctively, rippling along her forearms like light beneath ice. The air temperature dropped around her and Malric with it. Protection. The kind she never really thought about.

"There she is." Drew breathed, "Gods, she's perfect."

Sophia's smile vanished.

"That's enough!" She snapped at Drew, "You're pushing her."

She turned back to Mara, looking past Malric, "Listen to me, no one here wants bloodshed. But what you are is dangerous, and unchained Wildmages don't stay free. You know that."

Mara laughed just once, a brittle and humourless sound, "I know exactly what happens to us."

Victor exhaled slowly while everyone else remained silent, "Then you know we can't let you walk away."

Mara stepped in closer to Malric without thinking. Her breathing quickened in the face of this deadlock situation.

Her voice shook as she spoke, "And if you try to take me," her eyes locked on Sophia, "I promise you won't like how much of me you have to burn through first."

Her chin tilted defiantly and Drew grinned like he'd just been offered a gift.

Sophia took a different tact, offering her hands palm up towards her, "Containment isn't cruelty. It's order and protection, sweet girl. You don't want to hurt anyone, you don't want to lose control again."

Sophia didn't ask her, she spoke with certainty but not accusation.

"And you won't," Drew piped up, "Not once you're chained."

Mara never wanted to slap the face of a grinning man so much in her life as she wanted to slap Drew in that moment.

Her voice remained low though, "I know what chains mean."

Sophia didn't deny it, "they mean you live," she said gently, "They mean you wake up tomorrow. They mean you stop running."

Her gaze seemed to flicker from Mara to Malric, assessing them both.

"And you won't be alone," she continued, "Not like this."

Sophia extended one of her upturned hands, "Come with us...before this gets ugly."

Drew chuckled under his breath, "before someone gets burned."

Mara gripped Malric's bicep for safety and the ground beneath her feet began to tremble. Despite Sophia's motherly attempt to plead with Mara, there wasn't a chance Mara wanted to be chained to Drew of all people.

Ice began to spread from her toes, the white hot pavers sizzled in protest.

Sophia slowly withdrew her hand with a sigh, "By force then, girl."

Malric's anger spiked listening to the exchange of words between Mara and the Devereux's, Mara gripped his arm tighter and that actually helped to keep him calm for the most part, she wasn't running and she was, at least for now, trusting him to continue protecting her. He felt the air behind growing colder, he could feel the slight tremble in her hand where she gripped him and knew if he looked that she'd be glowing faintly.

Immediately the temperature rose rapidly around Mara and Malric like a suffocating cage. The answering heat in front of Malric made him smile as the two forces began to collide.

"You need to leave me, Malric." She whispered, looking at her sneakers now encased in thick ice.

Malric's head turned, keeping Drew in his peripheral vision as he looked at Mara, "I'm not going anywhere." His voice had an edge to it.

Mara continued, "I don't want to hurt you...this isn't your fight."

Malric just shook his head, his shoulders growing tighter, "This fight has been coming for awhile hun, you are just the excuse they needed to actually make a move, they're cowards." He said, much louder so that they would hear it. Their vanity wouldn't allow the insults to fly much longer.

Malric returned his attention to Drew and Sophia as the air around them seemed to suddenly become sweltering, he took a deep breath, a deep golden glow lit his own skin as he formed a barrier around them using the cold air Mara was generating to keep them cool. Only Mara would see the lightning that was beginning to crackle over his hand, feel the tiny shocks of it as it ran up his arm under his clothing but didn't hurt her.

"It doesn't have to be force Mrs. Devereux, but you brought this on yourself," his voice was as cold as the artic air behind him, "perhaps you should have studied weather phenomenon, like what happens when cold moist air mixes with dry hot air."

There was a rumble of thunder even in the clear sky, the golden glow of Malric's skin grew brighter before Malric raised his fist, the air suddenly super charged. A flash blinded everyone as a powerful bolt of lightning cracked the air between them. The impact shattered the cobblestones of the street and threw the Devereux's back forcefully. A deafening sonic boom shattered the windows of the surrounding buildings but Malric held his ground, the wall of air he'd erected in front of him acted as a forcefield to protect him and Mara from the backwash of magic.

Malric turned his head to look at Mara, "Run! I'm right behind you."

Mara gasped and felt the ice at her feet shatter while the Devereux's collected themselves from the ground which was still shaking. She turned on her heel to run and got two feet before Sophia's irritated voice called, "Victor."

Mara ran headlong into an invisible wall, it was searing. She jumped backwards from it, her glowing forearms scalded momentarily and then healed. She turned back and instantly hit another wall of searing heat as Victor worked to encase her in a thermal cage.

Malric cursed, fucking Victor was faster than he'd expected and they'd barely made it 3 steps before they were encased in a cube of oppressive heat that had him instantly sweating and struggling to breathe. It took him a few moments to concentrate enough to summon a shield of cooler air to envelope his skin, giving him some breathing room. Sophia's voice shifted his attention.

"You're just collateral damage, ValDrakken." Sophia told him coldly.

Cracks in the ground spiked hard and formed outward from Mara's feet then. Her glow lit so brightly that she was almost blinding to look at directly. She was splitting the earth and the Devereux's had to jump between pavers and spread their stance to stay upright. Even Malric was having a hard time trying to keep his feet.

"This needs to end! You're already destabilising the street, girl!" Sophia warned her.

"You don't want to be responsible for what happens next." Sophia murmured, "And you don't want to hurt him."

Her eyes flickered meaningfully to Malric encased in the suffocating heat with her.

Mara wavered slightly at that because Sophia was right. But if anything, it worsened her control at the same time. The few trees in the street burned in the heat and the suffocating thermal cage started to close on them. It burned any skin it contacted, and Mara's power worked in opposition to it, water started to flow through the street, sizzling in contact with the heat. It rose higher and grew colder until everyone was up to their knees in it.

'Good girl.' Malric thought as the water sloshed around him, he could use this.

The pavers started to shake, and stone clawed up in bulges out of the earth. Mara's Blood mage power knocked two of the Devereux's Fonts unconscious moments later. She began to cry as the panic overtook her and shadows descended on Varyn Hold.

 

[monique_minx]

[Collaboration Part Two]

Their cage weakened slightly as two of the Fonts were unconscious. Malric knew what he had to do and he was going to drain himself, but they needed to escape. He knew Mara was struggling to contain her powers, he could see the fight on her face, the fear, the rage, she was glowing like a bonfire and even he couldn't look at her long without his eyes tearing up.

With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and called on every ounce of willpower he possessed, lightning crackled down his arms once more. The battle of hot and cold was helping, although he didn't have a Font, being an Air mage - air currents, weather, it all worked to bolster him to a degree. Gathering himself, he closed his eyes, this would either kill him or buy them time. And he didn't like the decision he'd made but the alternative was worse.

His eyebrows drew down and the glow around him intensified. Victor and Sophia were focused on Mara and Drew was too dumbstruck with power lust to pay any attention at all. Malric coaxed the air around him to spin up, quickly, swirling the water into a vortex which crashed against the blinding heat of the cage he was trapped in. It cooled the heat quickly enough to form a thick cloud of steam, a vortex he continued to build. He drew up the water with the air and forced himself through the steam, it was still scalding hot and he felt his skin sizzle but he freed himself.

The stunt had already taken its toll and he felt the exhaustion hit him hard. The skies started to darken as Mara's power became unstable. Sophia and Victor were still solely focused on her.

"I'm coming Mara." He whispered to the winds, carrying his voice to her alone - he hoped she'd hear him.

His chest was heaving with exertion but the glow around his skin intensified just as the vortex of water seemed to shrink. It grew again and sweat formed on Malric's brow as he concentrated intensely to force the water to form a wave. He launched the tall wave hard at the Devereux's, catching them off guard, it swept them up in a raging torrent. Malric ran at Mara, the air around her was artic as he dove for her, wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm sorry," Malric whispered in her ear, "I'm so gods damned sorry."

He panted, already feeling the cage reforming. Malric let her go, pulling a knife from his pocket. He cut his hand and then quickly swiped it across hers before sealing their palms together, clutching her fingers between his where they half sat, half laid in the street.

He could barely hear Sophia's outraged scream. A look of utter devastation on his face as he looked into Mara's eyes, "Vinculum sanguinis invoco. Corpus et anima: liga mihi. Tibi praesidium." Malric chanted the phrase and their joined hands glowed brightly.

Mara couldn't breathe and she couldn't pull her hand back. An invisible force held her locked to Malric. She stared at him in utter shock. From their glowing joined hands came chains made of light responding to Malric's spell. Chains of silvery-blue light sprung forth and ran up Mara's arm where she sat, she was panting harder as they climbed higher. She held still as they encircled her throat, her chest, her breasts, her rib cage and her biceps. They hurt as if cutting into her, suffocating her, her eyes wept in silent pain as Mara refused to scream.

Malric's golden chain was finer, almost like a vine as it crawled over his forearm and encircled his wrist in a snakelike manner. The glow faded from them both slowly but left its mark. On Malric - a thin golden band of chain circled his wrist and remained after the glow faded, a control band. On Mara - three thick links of silvery blue remained on each of her biceps. A single band of the same thick chain remained around her throat, the bindmarks.

When the glow faded, Mara was able to snatch her injured hand back from him. At some point, the street had stopped shaking and the water had dissipated. The unusual shadows darkening the sky had cleared. Mara looked at Malric like a wounded animal he had betrayed. She looked at her injured hand, the cut on it that would usually heal itself in moments remained there.

Her breath caught, "Oh gods...you bound me." She whispered, absolutely horrified.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

Malric hissed as the binding invocation took hold, and he gritted his teeth as pain seared his wrists, and up his forearms as the control binds burned into his skin. His pain was mirrored on Mara’s face as their eyes met, and he knew the regret showed on his face as she gasped "Oh gods...you bound me” it took a few minutes as the invocation settled and their mutual binds cooled, for Malric to become aware of their surroundings again, and the oppressive heat once more encircling them and a deep seated rage began to boil in his blood, and a euphoria he’d never before experienced surged through him, the golden glow around his skin brightened to near blinding, and the crackling pop/hiss as dome of lightning formed around him and Mara. His gaze turned to Sophia, Drew and Victor,




“This is over, I have claimed the Wild mage Mara as my own” He called, raising his arms to show the golden bands that glowed brightly on his skin, but it was as Malric dropped his arm his magic surged and the dome around them exploded outward, the oppressive heat that Sophia had been trying to wrap them in shattered and vanished as all 3 where struck by the power and thrown back, the few remaining Font’s that Sophia had been draining power from screamed as they were over whelmed but the back surge and dropped to the ground, their own powers exhausted, leaving Sophia and Victor barely standing, and Malric stepped towards them, the glow around him pulsing “Leave now, you no longer have any reason to continue this fight, leave now and I wont kill you for the insults” Malric’s voice was low and dangerous, as Sophia and Victor cursed him.




“This isnt over you insufferable little shit” Sophia called, his eyes flashing venom and hatred “we will be going to the council for this!!!! Your parents are going to hear about what you’ve done!!!” Sophia Screeched, but she knew she’d lost this round. Once a Font was claimed and bound, nothing could break it, Mara belonged to him and none of them had grounds to challenge him. At least not that he was aware. Malric turned his back on the Devereux’s, no longer concerned about them, he kneeled down to Mara, gently taking her hand, his face twisted in pain and apology, but she stared at him in horror, her eyes wide and tear stained and it just about killed him when she whispered again “you bound me”




“I’ll protect you” he spoke low, helping her to her feet as sounds and shouts and siren’s wailed, Breaking the weird battle fog he’d been in, and reminding him they were in public, just had a VERY Public confrontation, he looked around at the damage that had been wrought to the surrounding area, “Come on Mara, lets get back to my Suite, we need to leave now, before the constable and even the Warden’s arrive” he spoke quietly, offering her his hand “Ill Hold you” he said gently

 

[monique_minx]

Malric seemed to glow brighter and Mara couldn't look at him anymore. She watched from where she still sat dejected on the floor, trying to process what had happened as Malric built a lightning dome around them. Something she knew he wouldn't have had the strength to conjure only moments earlier. Then he twisted that invisible knife he'd buried in her back by loudly announcing he had 'claimed her'. She winced, it hurt. Gods, it hurt. She'd been so focused on the Devereux's that she never suspected Malric would be the one who'd...

She swallowed.
She couldn't even finish the thought.

The lightning dome expanded outwards instantly and threw the Devereux's backwards, making Mara flinch. She didn't really care as Malric and Sophia exchanged heated words. Mara was busy staring at her cut hand again in wonder, she ran a finger over it with her other hand as if she needed to check it was real. Her eyes tightened in pain - both physical and psychological, as she did. Yes, it was certainly real.

She looked up as Malric knelt down to her at last, she could only repeat herself.
She felt numb.

She let him help her up from the ground, she was covered in dust and the clothes Malric had given her which were brand new that morning were now singed and a little worse for wear with a few tears in the fabric of the sweatpants.

She looked around at the devastation of the street when he spoke. Mara was also reminded of their very public battle. There wasn't an intact window to any of the surrounding buildings. The street was in various sorts of upheaval with bulged chunks of stone and cracked earth lining all four sprawling lanes. Some of the trees were still on fire. Some of the water had stayed in puddles here and there - the only sign the street had been filled with water not too long ago. The buildings were scarred and pockmarked as if war-torn.

"The Arcane Watch..." She murmured in reply, there was no way they hadn't caught the attention of the resident Mage police force.

The City Watch dealt in human crime which was miniscule - petty theft and perhaps the occasional murder but Mages outnumbered humans in Varyn Hold and a good many other major cities so there was a need for them to have their own police force. How could a human be expected to arrest a Mage who did not wish to go? Impossible. So the Arcane Watch was resident in every major city so Mages policed Mages.

"I'll hold you."

Mara's eyes grew big then. She looked into Malric's, stunned. She'd dismissed her dream as not having been prophetic at all until now. That was a power she wouldn't have thought she possessed and she'd have ignored it if he hadn't said that. Now she was searching her memory vainly, wondering what the hell else she could have missed as Malric led her from the scene.

'This is fruitless! Pointless! It may not be a coincidence but it doesn't matter! I'm powerless...' Her thoughts were tumultuous and desperately trying to bring her back to the present.

She'd not even realised that they'd made it so many blocks as to have the Citadel loom over them. Last night, the thought of stepping back into this building full of Mages had been terrifying. Now she was safe...

'Gods but I do not feel safe. I feel...human...' That thought nearly cracked her again, she refused to be reduced to tears by this. Not this. Not now!

They made it to his room and Mara started laughing suddenly, surely Malric would think she'd hit her head or cracked at last, "Oh gods, we're right back where we started!"

She shook her head and wiped the tears that formed in her eyes from the laughter, "Guess you got what you wanted after all. I told you that you'd become just the same as the rest." She told him dryly.

"The worst part was I fucking bought the whole act. I'm so damn stupid." She shook her head and shrugged, "You got me, you really did. I thought I was a good actor. I didn't watch you once, I never thought you were the threat, Malric. You played me." She nodded in short motions, both acceding his victory and mystified by it all at the same time.