Connection

[Aazarah]

She didnt wait to be told again, jumping onto the platform beside the wizard. As they rose quickly she felt the dark energy already surging towards them, a stream of hatred pouring out from the forest.

With all the magic she could pull, Aazarah sent it out in a protective barrier around them - watching the earth itself shift into a hard circular wall that followed them high into the sky. Her entire body shook with the force it took.

[Kaden]

Kaden sensed the darkness too. It was still tempting, but he was in no danger of succumbing. There was an overwhelming hate radiating all around them as well. He sped their transport up considerably. There was more magic in his body than there was about two minutes ago, but it still wasn't enough to keep up this speed for long.

[Aazarah]

Aazarah felt the falter in Kadens magic, ever so slightly, move through her body. Her eyes met his in one knowing instant. She could feel her own hold on the earth strain beneath her and forced the rising panic away. Slowly they began to slow, sucked into the vortex of dark magic that was pounding their shields.

A sudden rush of energy hit the platform, full of power. With a deep breath, Aazarah fought the dizziness that ate away at her, struggling against the massive magical hit. But this was different, her mind sought to understand its familiar origins, and came up with only one answer. She turned to Kaden "This is not the Oporans magic. This is my brothers. And many many more...". They were helping them.

[Kaden]

His balance shook as the magic flowed into the ice board and propelled them faster. Catching himself quickly, he found a center between gliding on the coast of strange magic and his own manipulations. This let him balance out how much energy he himself had to use. "How would they be able to do this?" Kaden asked, not really expecting an answer. "I wonder...Are they - ?" This was him thinking it through out loud.

They were getting close to their destination. The swarming hatred behind them was falling behind, but Kaden didn't let himself be lulled into security. The demons knew where to go as well, the two mages had to beat them there. "Your brother's not dead, is he?"

[Aazarah]

"No", she swallowed hard, concentrating on flowing her energy now fully into the wizard.

"Jaira was with us before, she told me of him, there are many down there... in some sort of wierd state - but they are not dead. She asked for us to wait before we return, something about building their strength. She was the one who guided you back into the tree, Kaden".

[Kaden]

"She was inside you? So she's not dead either." Kaden's words were hushed. "It would explain why her body wasn't there when I went inside, the blood was though." It also explained why her hands on him felt oddly familiar even though they were Aazarah's hands. "But she wants us to wait? I'm not sure we have the time to. The demon saw the same thing I saw, and being in my head, he knows where it is. Unless...unless he doesn't actually have a physical form?"

[Aazarah]

"I dont think any of them do, any longer", she clicked her tongue in thought, "Jaira seemed to need my body to interact with you, and whatever it was inside you seemed desperate to hold on. It was like I could feel Jaira rejoicing in having form again." The feeling of having her body taken over was not one she cared to do again.

Something else stood out that Kaden had mentioned, "What did you see?"

[Kaden]

The memory flashed in his head once again at her mention of it. "The symbol. Mayste's symbol. I saw it again in my memories. I guess my subconscious picked up on it, but I had seen it earlier in these catacombs under Night World."

[Jaira]

Jaira awoke in shock, her body taking a deep, shuddering breath and felt herself be swept up in the energy crash of the dark wave. Someone beside her was squeezing her hand, and the wolf took it gratefully. All around them the land burned with an unnatural blaze of fire - consuming the forest quickly around them. She could not see the person who had awoken her from damnation, but she was aware of their movements - which seemed, for the moment, much more sure then her own. So she allowed herself to be dragged from the carnage by her silent companion.

The Oporans were angry, their magic swirled around the rebels, brutally whipping those caught in the midst. This was the first time she had seen them retaliate with such force, taking their energy from the group too fast for most to survive. Jaira gritted her teeth and allowed herself to be led further away. They would stop soon, if they took everybodys life force there would be none for them to survive on to make the trip to Night World.

Her head throbbed as she grappled with what had just happened. Months of secret energy reserves, given in one quick moment to save the wizard and witch. "If only they had waited a little longer to come, we would have been ready, we could have used them ...". She shook her head - how would they have had any idea what was happening here?

"They will return, Jaira. And we will next time be ready".

Fitting, she thought, that it should be Nykos that had led her away from her certain death. His voice was an instant confirmation that she had chosen the right escape route, Nykos attention to detail was almost eery. She looked at him as she spoke, ready to shoot back with questions on how he could even know this, and instead decided to hold her tongue. It was rare for the newest rebel to speak. He nodded, as if he could read every thought that played behind her eyes. "There will be a way for us to get information to them. Aazarah and I have methods that we have been taught. Now that she has been touched by the Oporan magic... there may be hope for us to warn Night World".

[Aazarah]

"Then I suggest we get straight to the catacombs", her mind was drowing in magic and images of what she had seen.

Underneath it all lurched the sickening feeling she had always felt for her younger brother when he was in trouble. He would have been there when the wave crashed down, Jaira had basically told her as much. She couldnt help but wish the wolf had been a little more informative during the possession. Aazarah had tried to search for her brothers magical imprint and come up short. All she could hope for at the moment was that he was still alive. If he was, she promised herself, she would never again call him silly for following up old ghost stories.

"Do you have enough strength to get back to Night World?", she pulled herself from her thoughts.

[Kaden]

Kaden was already breathing a bit raggedly. It was much more energy than he'd had to expend at all recently, and then he had to expend it twice. It was testing, but he wasn't going to give up now. He nodded firmly. "Yeah, definitely. No problem." He answered, trying to keep his focus on the current speed of the board and the direction it was traveling. With the new information on Jaira however, that was proving impossible.

"The last time I was in those catacombs, Jaira was with me." He added suddenly.

[Aazarah]

"Maybe thats what led her there also?", she spoke her thoughts carefully, sure there was much more to the story between the werewolf and wizard then was polite to question. "Did you see the symbol when you were with her?"

[Kaden]

"I..." He searched his memory thoroughly. "I...think I did. On the back wall. I didn't know what it was at the time so I didn't pay too much attention to it. We had other priorities at the time." Kaden noted. Maybe it was the Oporan's intervention, but the wizard could see the symbol clearly now, like it was at the forefront of his mind; like he was just in those catacombs yesterday.

[Aazarah]

Aazarah nodded in silence as she thought over the entire days events and pieced the accumulating information together. It was a strange thing, and she was unsure of whether it was exhaustion or pure wanting, but she felt as if she could see the symbol of Mayste through Kadens eyes herself. She knew there was still much dark magic at play - and she had major doubts that it was about to subside any time soon. Quite possibly, strange things would be happening to them for a long time yet.

Something was clawing at her from the scene they had just escaped - and she was damn sure not going to let any connection form with them again just now.

"Can you still feel that?", she asked the wizard as another particulary strong energy hook took hold of her again.

[Jaira]

"So, can you connect to her?", Jaira`s eyes focused intently upon the man before her. They were running short on time, the demons had already finished with their energy feast and were now searching the forest for survivors. The two of them were sitting ducks with the amount of Oporan energy pulsing within them. They were their property now, and the thought made her sick.

"She will not answer me, each time I get closer she walls me out", Nykos did not drop his efforts for a moment, even as he returned her answer. "She must believe us the demons..."

"Not that I would blame her.", Jaira began to pace with agitation. Everything had happened so quickly - she knew she was at fault for not speaking more to the Earth Witch, but there had seemed so little time. Months of knowledge could not have been transferred in so short a time.

"Jaira", Nykos voice came in warning, "... the more you move, the more energy you will emit". He fell back into silence. The wolf envied his apparent calm. With a deep breath she sat before him again and attempted to emulate his actions.