Night Falls

[Kratos Cage]

Kratos, laying on the floor. He couldnt move. He was aware of all that was happening around him. But he could feel his life draining away. Melachams' curse was drawing the life out of Kratos.

Struggling to speak, "Cass, help me!"

[Eli]

Eli knocked a few guards out, blue steel whirling furiously and accurately. He was ready for whatever his name was.

[lilyrose]

Lily could see that Cassandra was torn between helping her brother and waiting for the sorceror to make his play.
" I'll go," she offered and started to make her way to Kratos. She felt a hand on her arm and turned to see Narym shaking her head.

[narym]

" It could be a trap," Narym said softly. " I'll go." She smiled at her friend and moved cautiously down the corridor to where Kratos lay. Looking back over her shoulder she could see Lilys anxious face and was moved by her concern. Silently she strengthened the globes' protection around Lily and opened her link to Fallow.
' Can you sense where the sorceror is?'
' Only that he is still in the area. Be careful.'
She reached Kratos and knelt down beside him. She put down her sword to open her pouch and lay a hand on his chest.
' Am I not always care......'
A bolt of energy hit her so strongly she was thrown across the room. The pain was excrutiating, radiating throughout her body and causing her to cry out. She arched her back, unable to move from the spot. Her heart rate increased, she could feel it pounding in her chest, threatening to burst. She was aware of nothing but the pain, not even Fallows scream.
She gasped for breath, trying to fight whatever it was hurting her, but it was too strong and darkness overcame her.

[lilyrose]

Lily was too shocked even to cry out. She stood rooted to the spot staring unbelieving at Naryms convulsing body. Then her friend stopped moving.
" Gods!" she breathed. "Gods, what....?"
She went to run to Naryms aid, but someone held her back. She struggled, calling out to Fallow, ' Narym's been attacked!' she screamed to the dragon. ' Help Fallow, Narym's hurt!'

[narym]

Fallow screamed in pain and flew higher until he was out of range of the arrows and bolts of fire being directed at him. He circled, checking his body quickly until he realised that he had not been hit. Narym! He bellowed with rage and fear. Then he heard Lily calling him. Calling to Syn, he flew lower, risking the varied missiles aimed at him and his fellow dragon.
' Get everyone back from the outer wall,' he directed Lily. Quickly locating where Narym was, he began to bombard the wall with bolts of ice. Frantically, he flew by again and again until a gaping hole appeared. He turned, aware that some guards had used his distraction to try to sneak up on him and blasted them where they stood. He hovered, calling to Lily.
' I need you to bring her to the opening, so I can get her out.'

[lilyrose]

At Fallows urging, Lily shouted to the group to move back. Just as they had done so, the dragon began to attack the outer wall of the corridor. The noise was deafening! Gradually cracks began to appear in the wall. Realising that Narym and Kratos were too close, she ran to them, hoping that the protection Narym had put around her would hold for the three of them.
She reached Narym and dragged her to where Kratos lay and threw herself over them.
The noise increased and debris and dust surrounded them. Then the wall gave and a large hole opened up. Coughing but unharmed, Lily got to her feet and dragged Narym to where she could see a huge clawed foot waiting. Fallow pulled away the rubble and reached in for Narym. Gently, he picked up her unconcious body and lifted her out. One huge blue eye regarded Lily for a moment and then he took off, flying away over the castle, carrying Narym urgently to safety.
' Rule number ten,' came softly into Lilys mind. ' Leave no one behind.'
And then he was gone.

[merlin]

Merlin had seen where the energy came from. Raising his hands he flicked his fingers causing a cold mist to fill the room, and it showed the outline of the wizard.

\"Kaden? Hit him with everything you got!\" Merlin yelled as he did the same.

[cassandra]

"NO!" Cassandra screamed, reaching out to grab Kaden's arm to stop him. She didn't have the time to stop Merlin though, and Melacham drank in the magic that had been hurled his way and then hurled it back, striking everyone in the room.....except Kaden and Cassandra!

It didn't touch me because of the amulet, and my touching Kade must have protected him! Cassandra thought to herself. How do I save everyone though? I can't touch them all at once! Then she remembered the library. The ice! When I was encased in the ice his magic couldn't touch me! Turning to Kaden she said, "Kade shield everyone in ice! Yourself as well! Quickly!"

[Kaden]

His personality was bugging him to question it, the wizard didn't see any way his ice would completely shield them all from dark magic. Her voice (and something else that he couldn't put his finger on) stopped him though. Just nodding, he held out his arms and everyone was enshrouded in a bubble-like sphere, followed by a dome of ice. The bubble was to keep the cold away. Kaden purposely kept himself out of one. "What are you going to do?" He asked her.

[melacham]

Melacham was enraged that Cassandra had figured out his magic couldn't penetrate Kaden's ice. "How did the little brat figure it out?" He wondered to himself. His rage and his arrogance got the better of him and he struck out at the one person who wasn't encased in ice....and the one who would hurt Cassandra the most to lose. Letting himself be seen he slowly raised his hands, pointing them straight at Kaden.

"Time to tell your iceman bye bye Cassandra!" As he hurled the most powerful bolt of magic yet, right at Kaden's heart!

[cassandra]

A cold rage came over Cassandra....along with a surge of power unlike any she'd ever felt before. Her focused narrowed and time slowed. Reaching out one hand she placed it on Kaden's arm, reaching out with the other she caught the bolt of magic...caught it and held it in her hand for a moment...smirking at Melacham with her old familiar cat grin. Opening her hand she blew it back at him, as if it were a kiss...and watched the surprise on his face quickly followed by agony as his own magic hit him. Enjoying his pain, indeed a craving to inflict more was overtaking her as she stood there watching him suffer.

"Who are you?" Melacham gasped.

[Kaden]

Already bracing himself for the impact of the blast, he was more than a little surprised as Cassandra basically caught the blast. Now THAT was something he'd never seen. Then his eyes widened as she blew it back at Melacham. It seemed to move faster than when it was originally fired.

Ok, what in the HELL is going on here? Was the prevalent thought going through the wizard's mind. Did his fiancee just catch a blast of pure magic in her bare hands? And what was with that weird look on her face?

Following her gaze to Melacham, he saw the pained look on his face. She was seriously enjoying this, not like he could blame her. But this wasn't her, at least not the her he knew. "Cassandra..." Kaden said softly, not taking his eyes off her.

[cassandra]

Cassandra didn't even hear Kaden. The surge of power that was going through her, the delicious thrill of it, was all that was registering at that moment. The amulet around her neck began to glow with an intensity that almost burned her, and was beginning to shine through her shirt. Never taking her eyes off Melacham, she reached into her shirt and pulled it out, the beauty and glow of it illuminating the room. Again, knowledge that came from outside herself guided her. Holding up her hands towards Melacham palm outward she made a sweeping motion towards herself....and as she did she could feel the magic, the dark magic of the wizard draining off him and filling her.

"Who am I? I am Cassandra! Daughter of Osric! Who am I? I am Cassandra! Princess of Castle Obsidian whose power you drained and fed off of for years!" With every word that came from her mouth she seemed to change a little more. A smile was on her face, but it didn't reach her eyes. Her eyes seemed to have turned into twin orbs of green ice, in fact, everything about her seemed cold and remote.

[melacham]

Melacham's eyes filled with horror as he saw the amulet around Cassandra's neck. "How did she get it? How did she even know to get it?" The wizard wondered to himself, feeling fear for the first time in years. As he felt his power draining, and observed Cassandra's getting stronger his mind searched for a way out. With the amulet she had no weakness....wait...the bitch did have one weakness...Kaden! And the ice wizard hadn't encased himself in ice the way he'd been told to do. Throwing magic at him hadn't worked, but what about a normal weapon? Kaden's attention was riveted on Cassandra, and Cassandra's was on Melacham...but she was expecting him to use magic again...with a lightening quick movement he reached behind him and pulled a throwing dagger...never breaking eye contact with Cassandra he hurled the dagger at Kaden with all his might...again aiming for his heart!