Midnight Rider

Chapter Seven : Pearl of the Orient

A/N : Heyo! I'm writing this story for NaNoWriMo, so wish me luck!

~~~

Lynette watched with dismay as Professor Namsin shook his head. "This is confidential knowledge... And while I hate to withhold it from you... I have to. Knowing it may distract you from your studies, which would be terrible. I will tell you, I due course, but let me just warn you to be very careful..." He lowered his voice ominously. "Your situation is very dangerous."

Flipping open another book on magic, he quickly changed the subject. "Now let's get learning about the Combat Spells shall we?" Lynette groaned inwardly. She had to find out! She knew something was wrong, something about her mother. Could it be...? Her heart seemed to catch in her chest as the thought flashed through her mind. But before she could push it away or further ponder it, Professor Namsin interrupted. "Lynette! Show me the Block rune please! Focus on the lesson." He chided sternly.

As Lynette hastily began casting the rune, Professor Namsin muttered darkly about the impending threat and how important it was that she learnt the fundamentals of magic so she could defend herself. Just as Lynette excuted the Block, a loud shrill alarm burst into the air. The Professor's face immediately changed. Panic covered his features and slammed the books on the table. "How could it happened so soon??" He muttered to himself.

Lynette watched him in a state of shock. What was going on? "Lynette, Kaldrak is under attack!" Professor Namsin shouted. "You have to go take cover!" His tone was flustered and panicked as he drew Protection runes over the classroom's selection of books. "Is it the Lymers?" Lynette's heart pounded in her chest. The Professor answered with a curt nod. "Don't just stand there!" He yelled, more alarmed than angry. "RUN!"

"But I could help, I could --" Lynette insisted. "No." Professor Namsin's voice was filled with certainty that left no room for dispute. Crestfallen, Lynette bounded out of the door, knowing better than to continue arguing during such a volatile time. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted her Professor dashing out of the room too, screaming for her to head to the Shelter. Then, he ran in the direction of the Armory.

She had gone to the Shelter before with Hanara and Cryscent during one of this explorations of Kaldrak. The place was brightly lit and spacious, and every inch of it was locked and protected by charms, spells and runes. A group of talented Riders had devoted their lives to casting the magic on the area. Most of the time they lived like normal Riders, enjoying the facilities in the divie realm of Kaldrak, but every week they would spend some time at the Shelter re-enforcing every spell and safe-guarding the protected sector of the city. Although the room was plain and filled with minimal decorations, it was the most protected and safe area in the entire realm, only second to the grand castle.

As Lynette ran along the paths at top speed, she could hear anguished wails and the sound of combat magic exploding everywhere. Suddenly, the steady rhythm of a Horse's gallop could be heard. Turning her head, she glimpsed a grey dappled Horse catching up with her.

Stardust!

Lynette! You can ride me to the Shelter.

As Stardust caught up with her, she skilfully jumped up, slipping her foot through a stirrup and swinging her other leg over, glad that she had practiced the manoeuvre many times in riding class.

~~~

They arrived at the Shelter after a quick ride, Stardust panting for air. As the Horse caught her breath, Lynette drew out a complicated special communication spell that only Riders knew. It was used especially in combat for proving one's identity. She cast the spell towards the magic-imbuned door of the building. Moments later, the door glimmered, turning slightly translucent, and Stardust quickly walked through it.