Autumn's Beginning, Autumn's Breeze

"What the?" Silvin was stunned.

"What have you done with the wizard?" The Demons breath was horrible.

"Took you long enough to figure out he was gone. You guys aren't all that bright."

The Demon looked pissed and pointed it's beast at him, but Silvin already had his bow out and shot it in the chest, but the arrow went right threw, "An illusion?"

The beast scratched at him and Silvin was left with bleeding slash marks on his chest. He knelt down on one knee wincing from the pain, "A dark essence."

The Beast charged at him again, but Silvin reached inside his shirt and pulled out a white pendant. He raised his hand and the beast disappeared.

"Interesting, you have an ancient artifact, give it."

"Fuck you." Silvin lifted his hand and blew the Demon away sending him into a wall.

"Wow, that was amazing Silvin how did you do that?"

Silvin didn't answer, instead he fell to his knees gasping for air, "It sucks away my strength."

Ara quickly knelt next to him looking around quickly, there was now way she would be able to carry him to the house and he didn't look in any shape to be walking. A small chipmunk ran over and she sent it to the house then pulled Slivin out of the path and quickly tried to stop the bleeding. She had never seen a dark essence before in her life.

"How do I stop the bleeding?" She asked, he mumbled something but she couldn't make it out. "Dang it," She glanced around and sighed, there was no way to get him out of here and they were in the worst area of the woods at hunting time for the animals.

"Ara," She heard him mumble and she quickly looked down,

"What, what do I do?" She asked, 'Stupid majic, I knew it would never be of much use to anyone at times like these.' SHe thought.

Gerard

Gerard watched anxiously as Alise tended to Nat, watching his brother's face. Nathaniel's features flinched with pain but otherwise remained still.

"Where are the others?" Gerard asked, noticing how quiet the house was.

"I think they went for a walk." Alise said, finishing wrapping Nat's wound with the gauze.

"How long ago?"

"Ten minutes...maybe."

"We'll give them thirty before we go out searching. Especially if the demons are still looking for Nat, we wouldn't want them getting caught." Gerard said, glancing down at his twin.

"I agree." Bella said. They sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. The silence was finally broken by a weak and faint voice, startling everyone.

"Gerard..."

"Nat!" Gerard exclaimed, turning to see his brother looking at him through glittering eye-slits.

"How do you feel?" Bella asked.

Nathaniel's gaze flickered to her. "Horrible. What...?" then it all came back to him. The demon mage, the tiny prison cell, the tortures and questionings, Alise calling his name...

He tried to move but ended up crying out. His head was throbbing, his back felt like it was on fire, and the pain nearly made him pass out. A sudden thought struck him.

"My staff...?" he asked. Gerard got up and walked out into the other room, returning moments later with Nat's staff. He breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Nathanial," Alise said in a stern voice, "do not strain yourself. You're going to have to lay still for a few days, so this gash," she traced the line of his wound through the air, avoiding touching him, "can close properly. Moving about too much will open it up again. I won't be able to stitch it for another twenty four hours."

There was another long streatch of silence.

"Nat," she said softly, "why did the demons take you?"

"They said they were looking for some stone."

"We need to know the name of the stone, Nat, it could make all the difference."

"I think it was the Baliekn stone."

Alise gasped, tears welling in her eyes, "i'm so sorry Nat, I-I-I know where that stone is."

Nathaniel

"I'm so sorry Nat, I-I-I know where that stone is." Alise said as tears welled up in her eyes.

"It's not your fault." he reassured her. "None of us knew what they wanted."

"But you were tortured because of information I had!" she protested.

"Alise." Nathaniel said, now his turn to be stern. "It was not your fault. And besides, now that i have my staff back i can work more powerful magic and heal myself. Not completely, of course, but enough so that i will be able to get around."

As he said this, Nathaniel gripped his staff and muttered a word. Slowly, his minor wounds began to scab over. After a few minutes even the gashes on his side and back had healed slightly, just enough to stop the bleeding.

"I wish i knew a spell for the pain..." he muttered as he motioned his brother to help him stand. Gerard hesitantly helped his brother to his feet, allowing Nat to lean on him. Nat gasped at the pain and closed his eyes tightly for a moments, before sighing and reopening his eyes slightly, wincing at the intense pain.

"Maybe you shouldn't..." Gerard ventured a small protest. Nathaniel cast him a scathing glance.

"I'll be fine." he insisted.

Alise took a deep breath and wipped the blood red tears from her eyes. After a few more minutes she was able to speek again.

"We need to get the stone," Alise said, "whatever the demon wanted it for...well...lets just say its very bad."

"How bad is 'very bad'?"

"Um...in the wrong hands this stone couldn't destroy the world compleatly, but enough that all civilized life is impossible. It basically could make it a living Hell. Imagine all your friends becoming your enemies, having to constantly watch your back and keep one eye open. That is what will happen if they get a hold of this stone."

"How do you know that thats what they want it for?" Bella asked.

Alise turned to her, "they're demons, its in their nature to want to destroy. Its not a steriotype, its like saying vampires drink blood."

"So where is it?" Gerard asked.

Nathaniel

Nathaniel closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "Now i remember..."

"Remember what?" Gerard, Alise, and Bella all asked at once. A ghost of a smile played upon Nathaniel's lips.

"The stone of Baliekn was made by mages nearly a thousand years ago. Like Alise said, it has the capability to make civilized life impossible and also to drain the life from any living being at the command of it's master. But this can only be used once every five years, though every time this happens the stone grows a little bit stronger. The stone chooses a 'master' according to the power the person holds. If a mere commoner were to walk up and grasp the stone, nothing would happen. But, if a mage or someone with strong powers were to take the stone then the stone would form a 'bond' with that person until it finds someone stronger. When the master of the stone dies, either from murder or natural causes, the stone seemingly dies too. When someone stronger than the stone's previous master happens upon it, the stone comes to life again and does it's master's bidding. If the stone dies and a commoner finds it, the stone will remain dormant." Nathaniel explained.

"So where is the stone now?" Gerard asked again.

"Of that, I'm not sure. It was rumored that the stone's last master dies of natural causes, hiding the stone right before his death, almost three hundred years ago. The stone will do the master's bidding, wether it be for better or worse. Not only does the stone have the power to destroy civilized life, it also has good powers. It cannot create peace and it cannot bring people back from the dead, but it CAN cause...say...the sun to shine, or the rain to start or stop. It all depends on how powerful the master is." Nat said, his gaze abstracted as he thought of the wonders the stone could perform.

"So you JUST remembered this?" Gerard asked, raising an eyebrow. Nathaniel looked at his brother and smiled slyly.

"Oh no, i knew all along." he said. "And i told them the truth of it. They asked me if i knew where the stone is. I answered 'no' for the simple reason that i truly had no idea. They never asked what the stone could do...or its history." he shrugged, cringing and making a mental note not to do that again for a while. The gash on his side and back started burning again.

"The stone's somewhere in the western woods," Alise explained, "Near the center, its still buried with its last master."

"Who was?"

"My maker, and he didn't die of natural causes either," a small, sly smile came across her lips, "he was a jerk and got what he deserved."

"Do you know the exact place?" Nathanial asked.

Alise nodded, "the exact spot."

Nathaniel

"Well then, we have no time to lose." Nathaniel said. He gripped his staff and took a shaking step forward. His brother grabbed his shoulder gently, but nonetheless, Nathaniel flinched in pain.

"You're not going anywhere for a couple of days. Just because you used magic to heal your wounds doesn't mean you're fit for travel or anything of the like." Gerard said sternly.

Nathaniel turned to his brother and snarled in fury. "I go where i please, brother. Who are you to command me? You know what i am capable of." he said, giving his brother a very angry, but purposeful look. Gerard cringed.

"What's he talking about?" Bella asked, looking from one brother to the other.

"He knows. He knows perfectly well, don't you?" Nathaniel asked Gerard in a mocking voice.

"Stop it Nat." Gerard said, his eyes filling with sorrow and remembrance. Nathaniel sneered and shrugged, walking towards the door. His anger seemed to have fed his strength for he walked with only a slight limp and his steps were barley faltering.


Gerard

"What? What was that all about?" Bella demanded, looking at Gerard suspiciously. He turned away.

"Nothing." me mumbled. "It was a long time ago."

"What was a long time ago?" Alise asked.

"I said nothing, ok?" Gerard said, losing patience and rounding on the two of them with a fury much like his brothers...and yet much different. He cringed and hurried off after his brother. He could feel Alise and Bella's stares boring a hole into his back. He opened the door and stepped out into the other room to find Nathaniel sitting on the dusty couch, looking smug and grim at the same time. He continued staring into the flames of the fire when his twin entered.

"Why did you bring that up?" Gerard hissed, glaring at his twin angrily.

"Because," Nat said, "You have to learn, brother, that I go where i please, do what i want, and chose my own path. Just as you chose yours when you became a warrior. Being a mage means a lot more than using casting spells and muttering incitations."

"Oh yeah? What does it mean them?" Gerard asked testily.

Nathaniel turned his head to look at him, his eyes glittering. "Being a mage means not being stopped by our physical bodies. Sure, they may hinder us from time to time, but never can we truly be 'stopped'. Our spiritual bodies will go on, and fight the next battle. We may not be there physically, but out spirits are there, always fighting. Magic is not a thing that you earn, you are born with it, and you will die with it. Magic cannot be destroyed, but neither can it truly be 'created'. Our mother had magic, though she rarely used it, and when i was born, she passed the magic along to me. She still possessed some magic, but in some people, the magic is much stronger. In my case, i am stronger than mother. Yet still some are more powerful than me. Magic is not a calm thing, either. It is a part of us, yes, but it seemingly has a mind of its own. We control it, but sometimes small bits escape us. You remember the stories of the mage that almost lost control of his magic?"

"Yes."

"He did not have complete control of his magic. That is why we go to a special school, to learn how to control the magic, and not the other way around. Do you get it?"

"I think so..."

"So don't you see, Gerard? You cannot stop me from finding the stone. And why i brought that subject up is because i wanted you to be aware of what would happen if you DID try and stop me. The stone of Baliekn is powerful. Just think of the things we could achieve!"

"Nat, I'm just worried about you. If the stone had not been found in three hundred years, what difference will a few days make?"

"Gerard." Nathaniel said, again looking into the flames. "Even a second can make all the difference in the world."

Silvin flinched, but started to stand up. "Should you try to stand up?" Asked Ara.

"Don't, don't worry about me." He breathing was heavy, "The cuts are minor and the weakness is beginning to fade, besides." He took a deep breath, "I wouldn't want you to worry." He smiled.

"You really are a fool aren't you." She smiled back, "I'll help you back."

Ara took Silvin and he leaned on her shoulder. After a bit of walking they made it back to the house, Everyone was shocked, but Nat looked angry.

"Silvin, Ara, where the hell have you been?"

Silvin shrugged, "walking."

"You look hurt, what happened?"

"Run in with a Demon," Ara explained.

Alise looked at Nat and Gerard, "we better leave now."

"But-" Lethero protested, "we're not even close to ready."

Alise put a hand up to silence him, "we'll manage."

Nathaniel

"I agree. We have little to no time." Nathaniel said.

"We'll find food on the way. Come on, we have to go. We can't risk one of us getting captured." Alise said. She grabbed a pack filled with essential supplies Bella had packed earlier, just in case of an emergency like this.

"So where are we going? I need to know so i can teleport." Nathaniel said.

"You're going to teleport? In the condition you're in? I don't know if that's such a good idea, Nat. I mean, i trust your mage skills but..." Alise said, looking uncomfortable but stern.

"I told you all before, I'll be fine." Nathaniel said. "So where are we going?"

Alise, still looking a bit uncomfortable and more hesitant said, "We're going to Laterwatch, about one hundred miles due south of here."

"Alright. Hurry up." Nathaniel said, and before anyone could protest he had grabbed his brother's forearm and both of them disappeared.

(I don't know what to do?)

*whoa you changed it*

*Alright, i give up. Editing my previous post back to what i originally had. hopefully it will be better.*