Ha! This shall NOT die! I wont let it! I wont i wont i wont! And i am using my precious inspiration (of which i have very little of at the moment, and it comes and goes in tiny spurts), so bear with me here if it gets kinda crummy towards the end.
Nathaniel-
Nathaniel suddenly drew back from Bella's kiss, his wide with fear.
"Nat, what is it?" Bella asked, alarmed. She glanced around uneasily.
Nat didnt answer. Instead, his eyes closed tightly and he creased breathing for a second. Then his eyes flared open and he grabbed Bella wrist and dragged her out of the room. The spectral appeared from seemingly nowhere.
"Stop him!" Nat comanded, and the ghostly figure melted back into the darkness without need of any more information.
"Nat, what is it!?" Bella repeated. Again, Nat didnt answer.
He draged Bella out of his room and into the small living room where Alise and Gerard sat on the couch, talking softly. At the sight of his brother's fear stricken face, Gerard sprang to his feet.
"Nat, what's wrong!?" Gerard asked, grabbing Nat by the shoulders and shaking him. Half mad with terror that was plain to see on his usually unreadable face, Nat would not listen.
"Get out! All of you! Quickly! He's comming!"
"Who? Who's comming!?"
Nat shuddered and sank to his knees, gripping his head as if someone was trying to tear it apart.
"Get...out...!" he gasped.
"How!?" Alise asked. Bella knelt down beside Nat, taking his hands in hers.
"Get out!" Nat snarled. "Teleport! Fly! I dont care! Get out!"
"Oh, no need for that," a calm, smooth voice cut in. "It's already too late."
A figure stepped into the room. Alise gasped. Gerard snarled. Bella took a shaking step back. Nathaniel screamed in pain and held his head harder, shaking it back and forth furiously.
"Damien!" Alise said, anger clear in her voice. "What did you do to Nat!?"
"Oh, him?" Damien gestured vaguely to the young magic user who was still screaming in agony. "Nothing...much."
"What did you do to him!?" Gerard bellowed, unsheathing his sword.
Damien shruged nonchalantly. "I infected him with a..."bug", if you will. It will slowly devour his body and mind, resulting in a slow and painful death," he grinned wickedly, displaying his two razor-sharp K9's. "Can't have a powerful magic user about, now can we?"
*Ok, what i was hoping to do with this is: Alice will continue with Alise getting captured by Damien (or thats what we agreed to) and then the rest of them will have to decide who to help first; Nat or Alise. Nat's condition is too severe that Bella wont be able to help him. they'll have to find somewhere else to take him, or else he dies.* *It shall not die!*
Be the cartoon heart. Light a fire, light a spark. Light a fire, flame in my heart. We'll run wild, we'll be glowing in the dark.
Alise threw herself at Damian, lashing out with her nails and fangs. But he simply laughed and pulled her tighter to him, when she tried to draw back, he wouldn't let her. He looked over her head, "you don't have much time, to save either of them."
Alise screamed as the world swirled around them and they vanished into nothingness.
Gerard watched helplessly as Alise disapeared, But he knew enough about magic that there was nothing more he could do for her, unless they somehow saved Nat. It wasn't looking good.
Gerard bent down next to his twin, who was whimpering in agony; an even worse sound to hear than his screams. Bella gently wrapped her arms around him but he flinched away.
"Nat?"
Nat shook his head furiously, his nails biting into his scalp so hard that thin trails of blood trickled down his face. He whimpered again ad shuddered.
"Bella! Can you help him!?" Gerard asked anxiously.
She bit her lip. "I dont think so. I've never sen anything like this before. I dont know what to do!" she began to sob quietly, burrying her face in Nat's shoulder.
"Nat, you have to tell us what to do if we're going to be able to save you. Where are we supposed to take you?"
Nat's quiet whimperings stopped for a moment, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. Then, with an obvious effort, he managed to gasp out, "Tower...High...Sorcery..."
The strain was too much on the weak young man's body. He crumpled to the floor and lay still, his hands still clutching his head.
"He wants us to take him to the Tower of High Sorcery. Damn it, i promised myself i would never let him or myself take another step into that wretched place." Gerard cursed.
"Gerard, it's the only way to save him...and Alise." Bella said, her cheeks stained with tears.
"It would seem that way." Gerard sighed. "Fine. So be it."
Be the cartoon heart. Light a fire, light a spark. Light a fire, flame in my heart. We'll run wild, we'll be glowing in the dark.
He sighed and smiled, laying his hand on Bella's shoulder. "Of course. Anything to help Nat. I'm glad you're here, Bella. I dont know what i would do without you."
She smiled back at him and lay her hand on his forehead, closing her eyes.
Be the cartoon heart. Light a fire, light a spark. Light a fire, flame in my heart. We'll run wild, we'll be glowing in the dark.
Bella looked around. She had entered one of Gerards darker memories. She was in a forest, dark and eery. The trees around her looked dead, apart from the thick array of leaves that grew on them. Bella began walking, following a hard to see trail.
It wasn't long before Bella came to the tower. It was in what looked to be the very center of hte woods, and didn't look easy to enter. Warlocks guarded the door fiercely, not that they were needed. THe door was large, locked securily with iron. Bella pulled herself out of Gerard's mind...
"Bella, are you okay?" Gerard asked as Bella stepped away from him, stumbling a little.
"Yeah, just a little dizzy. Magic does that to me sometimes. Where was that?"
"That was The Forest of Darkness."
"What an original name," Bella said sarcastically.
"Magicians are known for power, not originality."
"All right. Come on then," Bella grabbed Nat's hand with one of hers, and Gerard's hand with the other.
"What are we doing?"
"Teleporting to the tower...or as close as we can get. It may have magical blocks and such."
Gerard closed his eyes tightly as the world sudenly began to spin and pitch violently. His stomache rose to his throat and he clenched his teeth together.
The spinning stopped suddenly. The three of them were thrown in opposite directions from the force of a magical barrier that, as Bela perdicted, they had run in to.
Gerard landed with an "oof" and immediatly jumped to his feet and looked around. He cursed under his breath.
"I promised myself i would never come here again..." he muttered. He cast another glare into the dark forest surrounding them and went to see if everyone else was alright.
Bella was getting to her feet and brushing herself off, shaking her head to clear out the dizzyness. Gerard went over to Nat.
The young mage had landed on his side. His face was pale and his breathing was shallow and too quick. His eyes were shut tightly, his face set in a grimance of pain.
Gently, Gerard picked his unconscious brother up and turned to Bella. "Follow me," he said, his voice emotionless. His face was blank, betraying nothing of what he was feeling or thinking, of which he was thankful. If Bella knew how frightened he was, of what exactly had hapened here, there was no doubt in his mind she would turn and flee from this horrible place. Excatly what he wanted to do now.
Be the cartoon heart. Light a fire, light a spark. Light a fire, flame in my heart. We'll run wild, we'll be glowing in the dark.
Bella ignored Gerards thoughts, trying not to read his mind automatically. He was foolish, thinking she couldn't just look in if she trully wanted to. Of course she trully wanted to, but she knew it would be bad. She could sense his fear, and was trying to ignore it. There were more important things at hand; fear wouldn't stop her from saving her love.
"Gerard, how do we get in?"
"What do you mean?"
"There are guards...everywhere. Magical guards. How do we get passed them?"
Gerard sighed. "As much as i hate to say it, the mges will let us in."
"What do you mean? Why would they just let us walk in? I mean...it would be a lot more helpful if they would, but would they really...?"
"They cannot refuse one of their own." Gerard replied, glancing down quickly at Nat.
"One of their own?"
"When Nat took his test..." Gerard sighed. "He became one of them, an "official" mage, as he put it. He said it meant a lot to him, and that was the only reason i ever let him take that wretched test. Just be thankful that you never had to take it...and probably never will."
"Why? What happened?"
"I thought he would've told you. When you take the test, it canges from each person who takes it. It is designed to test the abilities of each mage, and teach them of their capibilities. It is also designed to weed out all who are not wiling to give their life to the magic. Failure means death."
Be the cartoon heart. Light a fire, light a spark. Light a fire, flame in my heart. We'll run wild, we'll be glowing in the dark.
"That's horrible!" Bella exclaimed, looking down at Nat's face. Even in unconciousness, his pain was clearly visible.
"I was there with him when he took it," Nat continued. "The test was the worst thing Nat ever did. It meant the world to him when he passed though, so I don't bring it up much." Belle nodded in understanding, not knowing what else she could do. She walked ahead of Nat and Gerard, toward the doors.
A figure materlized out of thin air in front of them. The red robed mage bowed.
"Greetings," the man said, his piercing blue eyes examining the group. His eyes lingered on Gerard and Nat for a moment. "We saw you appear and thought you needed assistance. Master Gerard, it is a pleasure to see you again."
Gerard snorted. "Yeah right," he muttered under his breath. But the mage did not hear him. He had turned to Bella.
"Another mage... and one who has not taken the test..."
"Leave her alone, Saylr. She's not here to take the test." Gerard growled. "Besides, after what you did to my brother, i would never allow her to take the test."
The mage, Saylr, turned back to Gerard. His eyes blazed, but he had soon controlled the fire to only a burning ember. "Very well, Master Gerard. We must respect your wishes and those of your brothers. After all, it is the least we could do. What did you come here for?"
"Nat told us to bring him here."
"Nat...oh, you must mean Master Nathaniel. Yes, he IS in pretty bad shape, isn't he?" Saylr sighed and took two brisk strides towards Gerard. He studied Nat closly for a few moments.
"Tisk, tisk. This won't be easy to fix. What exactly happened?"
"A vampire."
"Oh, dear. Yes, this is bad. Very bad." the mage sighed. "Alright, come with me. We will see what we can do for your brother."
Gerard, quivering from head to toe in anger, followed the mage into the woods. Bella walked next to him, her concerned gaze never leaving Nat.
"Why dont you just teleport us into the tower, instead of having us walk?" Gerard demanded.
"Cant do. Magical barriers and all."
"But my brother is dying. Isnt there a quicker way? You teleported to us!"
"Nope. Sorry. I was only able to because i have permission. I could teleport right now, but i would be unable to take any of you." he paused for a moment. "Well, i suppose i could take Master Nathaniel. After all, he IS one of us" he grinned over his shoulder.
Gerard gripped his brother's inert body tighter. "No, thanks. We'll walk."
Be the cartoon heart. Light a fire, light a spark. Light a fire, flame in my heart. We'll run wild, we'll be glowing in the dark.
Bella was terrified as she walked along side Gerard. She could feel Saylr's thoughts, none of which were pleasant toward her. He thought she ought to take the test. It was actually more of a strong opinion that he planned on pushing on her if ever given the chance. He also believed she was strong, which she wouldn't argue with. He scared her, but he wanted to help Nat, so it was all worth it.
"It would be much appreciated if you kept your mind out of my thoughts," Saylr commented, not bothering to turn around. Bella turned a bright shade of red, turning her gaze to the ground.
Gerard glanced down at Bella, startled. "You can read minds?"
She nodded slowly. "Yes. Just about every mage can."
"Thats pleasant..." He muttered.
The walk to the tower seemed to take forever, but finally it loomed into sight. It's walls were a glossy black, almost silver. An iron gate guarded it all around with dark figures patrolling around the premises. Black spires jutted upward.
"This is the tower?" Bella asked
"Yes," Gerard answered, trying to banish the horrible memories out of his mind so Bella would not be any more frightened than he was sure she already was.
"We will take your brother to the healers. I will summon someone to escort you to a room. Hoepfully, it will not take long for your brother's fate to be determined. But i will not raise your hopes." Saylr said.
"No, we're going with him." Bella and Gerard said at once.
"Suit yoursef," Sylar said, shrugging. "Once we are inside the gates, i can teleport you all."
They walked past the guards guarding the huge iron gates and were instantly inside a huge room filled with robed figures scurying all over the place.
"Put your brother here," Saylr said, indicating a plain white bed in a corner. Gerard gently laid his brother down and looked around.
"A healer will be with you shortly. I must depart. It was nice to see you again, Master Gerard, even if the circumstances were a bit... awkward." Saylr bowed and vanished.
"Can i help you?" a voice behind them asked. Gerard turned to see a kind faced young lady, perhaps a few years older than him, standing on the other sid of Nat's bed. She was already examinging the injured young mage.
"My brother told us to bring him here." Gerard said flatly.
The girl continued examining Nat for a moment before straightening. "Yes, this is serious. But i think we may be able to help him. The virus has not spread to his whole body yet, which is good. I'l only be a moment..." she went runing off to talk to another healer. Moments later she returned with a older man wearing simple brown robes. Gerard waited while he examined Nat too.
"Yes, his case is not as bad as it could be." he looked up. "He will live."
Gerard breathed a sigh of relief as the two healers began talking quietly together. Then, the girl gently laid a hand on Nat's feverish forehead and spoke quietly. The spell took a few minutes but finally she finished and opened her eyes and smiled.
"The virus is gone. He will live, but we will have to let him wake up to see the extent of the damage. You were right to bring him here. We will escort you two, and your brother to a room where you can stay for as long as you want."
*I'll post Nat reganing consciousness because i have a really good idea...so...anything other than that is good. ^.^ if no one posts by tomorrow morning, i'm going to have to post or risk losing my mind. *chuckles**
Be the cartoon heart. Light a fire, light a spark. Light a fire, flame in my heart. We'll run wild, we'll be glowing in the dark.
It's like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story. — Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind
