ÐÏࡱáÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿýÿÿÿþÿÿÿþÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿRÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿtorm had started to get up to greet him when he charged. He
ripped up from
the floor and drove her into the wall, knocking the breath from
her body.
Storm looked up at Thorn. Was it really him? The back of his
hand struck her
and the veil of unconsciousness threatened to close on her
again. She
struggled to remain awake.
"Thorn," she cried , "Thistle!! What the hell are ..." Another
slam against
the wall silenced her. This time he pressed her against the wall
using his
body.
""I'm not nothing!", Thorn screeched into the confused Storm's
face, "I'm
not- . . . I'll show- . . .I'll- . . *YOU* are nothing!!! You'll
see- I'll see
it in your eyes… I'll hear you tell me- I'll make you-"
The wildman began pulling at the top of her tunic. Storm's mind
raced. How
could this happen. How could he...Thistel best friend... Stop.
Storm brought
her panic to a halt. She had to end this. She rammed her
forehead into the
bridge of her best-friends nose. She stunned him just enough to
slip free of
him. Storm's steel gray eyes gazed into that of the madman's.
She let any
emotion she held for Thistle fade. This was now a matter of
survival. She
would never kill her friend but she would do whatever it takes
to stop him.
],escaped for the thief. It wasn't because her head felt
like it had
been used as an anvil, nor was it because her hands felt as
though they were
on fire. Her moan was in exasperation with herself for being
unconscious twice
in one day. Her instincts had told her that this was too easy,
but had she
listened?
Storm swallowed her pride and took stock of her situation. She
was sitting
up in some uncomfortable chair of iron. She opened an eye and
both ears. The
room she was in was all smooth gray stone, very clean sterile.
She could hear
muted sounds from the door behind her. She tried to move her
hands but they
were bound to the arms of chair. Looking down to see what bound
her, she saw
that her finger tips were bleeding. Her claws has been torn out.
She opend her
mouth to snarl at her mutilation but as she parted her lips
chill seared her
gums. Gums!? Her four frontmost teeth both top and bottom were
gone. Probably
pulled but whoever took her claws. Her face contorted as she
closed her mouth
and a muffled scream of pain and anger fought its way from her
throat.
"Ah, awake at last." came a rich deep voice from behind the
chair. Storm
craned her neck to see who it's owner. An elf with skin the
color for
varnished wood stepped in to her view. He regarded his prisoner
cooly. Storm
met his gaze defiance burning in her eyes. A flicker of a smirk
tugged at his
face. He had, in his day, stood on the battlefield against the
infamous
Quickning. He'd seen their rage and their courage even when the
odds were
impossible. Here he looked upon one of the last, and the same
fire burned in
her soul. The Quickning had been worthy enemys pushing he and
the other
members of the warrior caste known as the Adge Cuix to their
best and beyond.
It was a shame that they were so few in number and that their
liege-lord had
squandered them. If the beasts could be purified and taught
their place in the
Order, but this was impossible. Their unclean kind must be
cleansed from the
world. When the last of them are gone, he would privately mourn
them as would
any Lyeazic warrior would.
"You are clever, Pirate. To have made it here unnoticed." he
paused and
leered, "Well nearly unnoticed. Of course I discovered this when
you alluded
my little trap."
Storm let a growl slip from deep in her throat and she gave him
a look that
could burn stone. The naphtha and silver bomb that had nearly
finished her, he
had planted it. But he was wrong, it was his miscalculation that
allowed her
to survive.
"Yes, that was my handy work. That failed attempt cost me much.
But not as
much as this failed attempt has cost you it seems. You shed your
Quickning
powers, your birth right so you could sneak into our land. To
come all this
way unnoticed and give yourself away with your mind magic.
"There was a time, not long ago, when you would have gotten
away cleanly but
we had, a guest here whom had exceptional gifts of mind. She was
of the Steel
lineage." He smiled maliciously as he saw the recognition in his
prisoner's
eyes. "But That is a story for another time. I believe you came
here to visit
your friend. That will be arranged."
He pulled his gold and blue bladed sword from its scabbard and
placed it
across storm's neck. He pressed some mechanism on the chair and
the bonds fell
away. He used the edge of the blade to urge Storm to rise, then
twisted one
arm behind her back and lead her out of the room and into an
larger cell. He
shoved her in and slammed the door behind.
Storm waited for hours it seemed. Her body begged for sleep,
and she gave in
to it. The door creaked open, rousing Storm her sleep. A figure
shambled in.
She didn't recognize him at first. His gaunt yet defined form
and clean shaven
face had thrown her off. It was Thorn.
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