A bit of a shorter part today, but I didn't want to dump 5000 words on
you all at once.
-LurkingWolf
___
Lucy was finishing her careful line work when, with a quiet knock on the
doorframe to announce his return, Alex stepped back through the door
into the room.Lucy looked up just long enough to give him a smile and a
nod, acknowledging his presence.Julian, who was just replacing the fuel
for the fire in the wood-burning stove that heated the room, finished
the task and dusted off his hands before turning to see Alex in the
doorway. His demeanor remained generally cold as was his custom, but he
acknowledged his commander's presence with a nod as well.
"I may have found some help," the lynx replied quietly.Lucy did not look
up from her work, but Julian favored him with an inquisitive
glance."Another patrol commander arrived to speak with the commander of
Hareford immediately after I had spoken with him.Evidently he had
received word that someone was in need of help within these walls, and
came to see what was needed.He has gone to fetch the mage under his
command, and should be here before very long."
"When did we send out a request for aid?" Julian asked quietly.
Alex sighed.To say that he had not considered the same question himself
would have been untrue.It had caused some hesitation when the wolf had
announced his purpose as well."We did not," Alex confirmed with a
sigh."I do not know; perhaps after our arrival last night someone saw
fit to send out a call for help."
The moondog shook his head."That makes no sense.It is one man, a man
whose life is not even particularly endangered by his situation.With the
threat of plague within the Keep's walls, there is no reason that such a
request would have been sent."
Alex had to agree."We are in no position to turn down help," he stated
regardless."We can ask them what they heard when they arrive.Be prepared
to fight, but let's be certain that we do not make the first move in
aggression and then live to regret it."
The moondog responded by adjusting the sword that hung at his hip.He was
the only one of the three to still be wearing his primary weapon,
although Alex would have little use for his bow indoors, and Lucy was
far more capable with magic than with any weapon.Alex's paw went to the
dagger that he kept as a sidearm, hoping that he would not need it in
the near future.
Lucy finished her work with the chalk, spinning it about her fingers
before storing it somewhere with such effortless grace that it simply
seemed to vanish.Leaning close to the tabletop, she began to collect
every small fragment of chalk that dared to stray from her meticulous
piece of magical artwork.Finally satisfied, she replaced her supplies in
their pack and placed it back underneath the table.
"Now, let's see if this helps reveal anything," she whispered.By
themselves, the chalk lines did nothing, but Lucy activated the
enchantment with barely any additional effort.The lines glowed visibly,
even to the magically inept commander of the patrol.She immediately
resumed her examination, leaving Alex to walk in ignorance.
"I am not familiar with the function of these lines," Julian admitted,
watching her work from a distance.
Lucy chuckled quietly as she again opened her eyes to the magical
world.The ermine within the cage was looking at the glowing lines of
magic with apprehension, but with nowhere to run it simply stared at the
strange sight without understanding."It would be somewhat difficult to
determine exactly what this spell does without already knowing," she
explained."In fact, the spell itself has almost no function."
"If it has no function, then why spend so long to build it?" Alex asked,
sounding annoyed.
Lucy held up a hand."The spell itself has very little function.However,
in the presence of other magic it will react in different ways depending
on what sort of spell is present.In this case, the way it reacts should
tell me if there are any hidden spells or traps on Lois.I could proceed
without it, perhaps, but I am understandably uninterested in triggering
any traps that might leave me in a similar state to his."
"Wouldn't hiding the spell have required some time?" Julian asked.Lucy
looked at him for a moment with a grim expression before shaking her head.
"Yes, it would, and that confuses me.It seemed that the spell was cast
from a distance, and whatever preparation was done would have had to
take place in Lois' absence.There should not be any traps, but by the
same logic, Lois should not be under this spell.Clearly the latter of
those two does not apply, so we cannot assume the former."
Julian nodded soberly, and then joined Alex to watch the young mage
work.He could detect the slight changes in the weave of Lucy's
enchantment more easily than Alex could, but he did not know what they
might mean, or whether they might simply be part of the spell's natural
function.Lucy did not offer any insight into the process, so he was
forced to guess at her progress on his own.
What progress she was making was interrupted briefly after it started.A
knock on the door drew her attention away.Alex took a deep breath,
nodding towards the portal as he moved to answer the knock.Julian
gripped the sheath of his sword in his left paw, but remained relaxed
enough to avoid seeming threatening.The lynx wondered how often he had
been forced to tread that thin line while in the company of his
enemies.Whatever the answer might have been, he was glad to have him by
his side.
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