Twin Mages Book 2: Deception

Chapter 13: Leo and Lily

As Kei and Leo discuss the details of the ongoing battle with Alan and Venus, the four of them hear footsteps approaching. They turn back toward the Cafeteria to see Delilah helping Professor Frost over to them. Alan jogs over, picking the elderly Master up. "You okay, ma'am?"

Frost nods. "Yes, dearie. This isn't the first battle I've been in. I hope it may be the last, though." Delilah runs up to Leo and Kei, embracing the two in a hug. "I'm so glad you two are okay! Did you win?" Leo smiles, pointing over to the hole in the wall. "Yeah, Zeus is right... He's gone?!"

Venus turns quickly at these words, realizing that Zeus escaped somehow. "That can't be good. But I'll be willing to bet that he's not going to come back for more tonight." The group nods, agreeing that the battle will continue another day. Kei looks to the three Masters in front of her. "What do we do now?" Leo moves his hand off of Kei's shoulder, collapsing as he tries to walk. "Damn! We need to get to Lily. If Odji fought Alan, and nobody has seen Fox, he probably went for her." Kei gasps. "You aren't in any condition to fight right now, Leo. You can't expect to beat Fox on a broken leg!"

Leo waves for Delilah, as his pupil helps him get up. "Can you make me a cane, Kei? We need to go!" Kei looks to the battered and bruised boy with tears in her eyes, placing her hands together to fashion a golden walking stick. "Please just promise you'll be safe." Leo nods, smiling. "I can't die tonight. I've got too many people counting on me."

Kei is shot back in time to the night that she fought alongside Alan and Venus, when Alan said the same thing. She looks at the Captain and the Master. The student and his teacher, realizing just how similar those two are. She wipes her eyes, nodding as the four walk through the carnage in the halls, doing their best to reach the dungeons in time.

Lily appears in a cloud of smoke with Fox in a cell that looks just like hers. She looks around, not seeing much in the darkness, but hearing a scraping sound, and a low muttering.

"Fox. Fox. Fox. Fox."

She calls into the dark for her friend, unsure of what to expect. She hasn't seen him in so long. "Dez, it's Lily. I'm here to save you! Come out and I can help you!" Out of a corner, she sees a blur shoot out, being stopped mere inches from her by shackles. "Fox! Fox!"

"D-Dez? Is that you?!" She sees him, his wrists and ankles chained, his eyes bloodshot and tired. His body is scratched and filthy with dust and dirt, his hair a mess of red knots and tangles. "Fox!"

Lily looks to the man, confused and scared. "Why won't he stop saying your name, Fox?" Fox walks over to a black box on a table, just like the one that was holding her necklace, picking it up and smashing it against the wall.

"When you become a Mage, your mind links to the stone to a certain extent. It helps you to increase your speed, strength, durability, stamina, and reaction times. Some even get a healing factor." Fox explains, bending over to grab Dez's gauntlets from the cold dungeon floor.  "When someone is put under emotional distress, the stones can help appease their minds." Lily looks on as Fox slips Dez's gauntlets on his hands, his eyes growing calmer as he collapses to his knees on the dungeon floor.

"Those boxes are made of thin layers of lead and coated with obsidian laced paint, which are the only two substances on the planet that can block mana. When the Masters sealed that box, Dez lost his link to his stone, and began to lose his mind. It's not unheard of, but exceedingly rare." Dez looks up, seeing Lily standing with Fox.

"What's he doing here?!" He shouts. Lily crouches down next to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "He's here to take us away. Everyone abandoned us, Dez. They've had us in this dungeon for months. My father sent Fox to retrieve us." Dez looks to her, puzzled. "Why would your dad send Fox, of all people?" Fox cuts in, trying to not give everything away. "You could say that we're old friends in a way."