The Witching Hour

Ch. 12

Avalonna, outside Doth

"Drow? How can it be you?" Avalonna asked her close friend, still in shock.

"I will explain," he coughed,
"but first, would you mind?" He said with a weak smile as he gestured to his stab wound.

Avalonna nodded quickly, but then stopped.
"I would, but I'm not sure exactly how to cast a heal spell." She said as she cleaned up Drow's wounds and tried to stop the bleeding.

"The word... The word is curare, but when you cast spells don't focus on the word, focus on the meaning." He said, breathing slowly and wincing as he spoke.

Avalonna nodded and did as Drow had suggested. She focused and try to feel the energy from the spell channel through her and into Drow as she placed her hands over his wound.
"Curare." She said, her eyes glowing with a faint green energy. The wound began closing up and the blood dried as the injury started to heal. Avalonna smiled and Drow sat up slowly.

"Thank you, Val." He said and smiled back at her. She hugged him tightly, happy to see him alive after all this time and happy to have been able to keep him that way. This was a man she had spent the majority of her travels with. She knew everything about him, from his parents leaving when he was born, to his favorite foods and his training in the southern kingdom of Pandune before coming back to Aster. She knew all these things about him... except that he was a warlock.

"Drow! How could you not tell me you were a warlock?" Avalonna said, slapping his arm, not too softly.

He smiled and rubbed his arm mockingly.
"You have gotten more violent since we were separated I see." He chuckled softy.
"However, you are slightly wrong. I am not a warlock nor was I ever one. I am a shapeshifter, a mortal with magic in their bloodlines but not enough to be a witch or warlock. I can change the form of myself and whatever I am holding to something similar. I can change a stick to a metal staff, for instance, or myself to Caspian the merchant."

Avalonna frowned and began to look worried. Drow looked at her and quickly began talking again.

"I swear, this is my true form," he said with a smile.
"It is why I reverted to it when I was critically injured, it became too difficult maintaining the disguise." He said as both he and Avalonna rose slowly and got back to their horses. Avalonna smiled, her immediate questions answered, but as she got on to her horse she began to have more questions.

"Drow, we should start heading north again as not to use up more time," She started. He nodded in agreement and mounted his own horse.
"While we ride, would you mind filling me on what happened to you the last year or so?" She said smiling.

"Of course, it should help past the time," He replied as he smiled in return.
"Well, you remember the raids, I assume?" He asked. Avalonna nodded slowly and shuddered. The raids from Pandune were aggressive, but nothing compared to the retaliation of the Red King. He saw the small group of southern cities as already lost to him, so he allowed the Red Guard to burn the villages down, to kill everyone they could and burn any resources so Pandune could not access them. There was so much fire... Avalonna sighed and touched her hand to her necklace.

"I'm sorry for bringing up such horrible memories," Drow added sadly,
"but I had to start somewhere. After we were all separated I traveled to Pandune, thinking it was safer out of the reaches of the Red King. I was right, but by the time I returned to Aster I could find no trace of you or our other friends." He frowned slightly and sighed.
"I assumed you were all dead, and with nothing else to do and nobody to be with, I began to travel again. I used my abilities to learn knowledge and secrets and traded with foreign kingdoms. Eventually, I became quite good at being a merchant so I decided to become one. The first family who took me in when I was young, the man's name was Caspian, so I adopted the name as he adopted me and tried to collect as much magical items as I could. However, the black box I showed you earlier is all that remains. My travels brought me north, and when I remembered that you mentioned you had a family in Eversong, I decided to settle there and keep an eye on them. I had no idea you were a witch until I saw you that day in the marketplace. At first I thought it was a mistake or just my imagination, but when I knew it was you I knew I had to help somehow. Now my story has caught up to us and brings us to about here I assume." He finished and took out a canteen from his robes and drank.

Avalonna sat quietly and tried to take in everything Drow had told her. She had been pleased that he had thought enough about her to watch after her younger brother, however she was also saddened by the fact that if she and Drow could not find their other friends, they were most likely gone. They rode together in silence for a few moments until Drow passed an apple over to her. Avalonna smiled and took a small bite.

"Drow, have you been to the capital?" She asked plainly.

"You mean near Castle Nitehardt?" He said, wrinkling his nose in disgust,
"Of course not. It's not a very safe area for our kind, I believe the Red King has someway of knowing where magical creatures are. I have heard stories of what he has done to non humans... I'm sorry," he shook his head
"I don't need to tell you more sad stories, so why is it you ask"? He said, raising an eyebrow.

Avalonna shrugged and thought to herself. If the Red King did have a way of finding magic, would that be how he found out her mother's secret, and if so, could he find Connor and herself as well?
"It is because," she started,
"After I learn what I can from the witch's circle in the Northern wilderness, Connor, Lydia, and I planned to take the fight to the Red King and Queen. Hopefully our magic can get powerful enough to stop them, to end the murders and the wars." She stated firmly.

Drow seemed to think for a moment then grinned widely.
"You know me, I'm always ready for a fight." He replied.
"And this time I'm not going to be losing you again." He smiled and rode along next to Avalonna.
"Maybe I can show you another item before anymore bandits show up." He said with a smirk. He pulled out his black box and began to search through it carefully.
"When you and your brother develop your powers better and become masters, I have an item for each of you. Hopefully they will help in our future battles, I have no idea what the Circle has in store. For now, I believe you should have this." He said as he pulled out a small colorless statue of a dragon, it's eyes seemed to glow the same faint green that Avalonna's did when using magic.
"These magical statues took up quite a bit of my time and energy to obtain them, however I believe they are worth it. Each one was made by a cleric or priestess, mortals who can practice a small amount of divine spells. They combined their magic with spirit energy' to have them serve as guardians and protectors. They would hide them around a castle or such so in an emergency they could run and activate each one along the way. I only have one or two for you, the rest would be better suited for your brother. You see, I have had all of these wondrous beasts with me for sometime now, even one from before we were separated during the raids, but the only thing is... I could never get them to awaken." He remarked, smiling and slowly placing the dragon statue in Avalonna's palm.