The Summoning

Chapter II Caellach I

                Vanessa and Lucia walked out of the door together leaving Caellach Terwilleger once again alone with his thoughts and a depressing letter on the desk. There was no doubt that Vanessa still had plenty of wedding arrangements to take care of. Traditionally, both the bride and the groom would each give one of their closest friends the responsibility of organizing the wedding, but Lucia didn't have a family or any outside friends to consider. That meant the entirety of the wedding was to be put in order by Vanessa and Vanessa alone. It was an uneasy task, but she accepted it gladly.

                Many things plagued Caellach's mind as he sat gazing out of the window with his feet on his desk. Lilly's concern for her brother is well placed. There's no telling what could have happened to him. He tried to reassure himself but it didn't get him very far. Klynt was a talented fighter but he had a tendency to overestimate his abilities against more than one adversary. If more than five foes approached him and Lent at once, Klynt may still consider it a fair fight. What kept Caellach a little at ease was knowing that Klynt made smart decisions. Justin and sometimes even Jaiden might act before assessing the real danger, but Klynt made sensible choices more often than not.

                Caellach had waited too long trusting Klynt would return on his own. It was time to take action. "June." Caellach called.

                Caellach could here June opening his door four doors down the hall and walking to his office. "Sir." June said when he entered. He was wearing Black Guild blacks, his knee-length coat crisp and unbuttoned. June's hair sat in black greasy clumps on his sweaty brow. He was in need of a bath; his smell was unsavory to say the least.

                "Saddle the horses. It's time we searched for Klynt and Lent." Caellach stood from his chair and paced towards the window. "I want Justin and Jaiden to lead a party of six and see what they can find. I suspect they wouldn't have gone farther than Yorkwood, but I'll leave that for their judgment."

                "Yes sir." June said in his screechy voice. The man was at least twenty-three and still had the voice of a twelve year old. He turned away and ran off to do his duty.

                Caellach stood at the window watching the waves roll towards the cliff. Most of the Black Hall was carved into the cliff, keeping the rooms cool and dark. The rooms at the edge of the cliff had windows overlooking the vast sea. Caellach liked to stand as close to the window as he could and look down to glimpse the base of escarpment where the waves meant earth.

                There were too many things troubling Caellach. Klynt was missing, he was farther from locating the Illuminist, his wedding was weeks away, and the next Darkling attack could hit as early as within the month. The only relief in sight was his marriage. A ceremony made Caellach nervous and jittery, but once it was over, Caellach would be bound to the woman of his dreams until the day he dies. Caellach smiled just thinking about her. He should probably check Jamor's progress on Lucia's wedding gift.

                Caellach's eyes met Tarja's as he was shifting towards the door. She wearing a tight black corset cut well above her bellybutton and a pair of black undergarments that she insisted weren't undergarments. Her black cape barely brushed the floor as she stood staring at Caellach from in front of the door. After years of telling her to dress decently, she refused to listen. Caellach never heard her enter but that's because she didn't. Tarja was a dark mage. She teleported to that spot in front of the entry.

                "Going somewhere?" Tarja asked in her voice plagued with false sweetness. Her eyes looked lustfully into Caellach's. For five years Tarja has tried to seduce Caellach and not once has she succeeded. Her straight black hair shined as it rested on her thin shoulders.