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I am cold.  so cold that my limbs seemingly are turned to ice and dont have the power to move.  I open my eyes and see only blackness.  not the warm comfort of shadows, but the empty soulless cold blackness  that pervades every fibre of my being.  Where in the fuck am I? “Are you awake Shae?” I hear a familiar voice ask. Corwvyn? Where is he? “I am in a cell just across from yours”, he replies.  I forget that I have no need to speak aloud, so am a little surprised that he answered me.  I am tired of this damn darkness as well, so I pull myself into a sitting position and stretch out my right hand.  “I sure hope George was right when he made me study all those formularies”, I think to myself.  I concentrate and soon a small blue energy ball is bouncing just above my palm.  It’s enough to work as a small penlight and I move my hand around to see my surroundings.  Fuck!  Maybe I should have just stayed in the dark I think.  I am on a cold floor of a cell in what looks like a dungeon.  Great.  Where in the hell am I and I am so fucked when I get out of here.  “We are in the dungeon of the keep.” Corwvyn tells me.  “Aaryana brought us here”.  Ahh..the red queen who acts as if she is the
Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland.   Wonderful. I realize that my cloak is beside me so I pull it to me and instantly feel warmer.  The heat begins to move through me and I can soon stand and move my feet.  Damn..so that’s what being dead is like..sort of.  I hear Corwvyn laugh.  “I’m sure if you ask nicely, our hostess will accommodate that curiosity”. “Fuck you..was just a random thought”.  He laughs…”and if we get out of here..perhaps I can”….”Ok stop right there…You and I will talk on that later”…”Jebus,” I think to myself”. I move around the perimeter of the cell.  Empty and cold is all there is.  Damn, she could at least have provided some hay or something.  Right…She being the good hostess and all.  I soon come to the front of the cell and see that it is iron bars.  O put my left hand to the bar and find that amazingly enough, it goes right through.  WTF? How is this even possible?  So if the hand goes through..maybe my body as well? Worth a try.  I move forward and voila! I am out into a narrow hallway.  “Corwvyn”, I call softly.  “Where are you?” I ask.  “To your right across from you” he answers.  I find the cell and move through the bars there.  I can see him shackled to the wall, with iron shackles around his neck, wrists and legs.  “Damn”, I say.  “Your sister sure didn’t want you leaving any time soon”.  Corwvyn looks at me a little confused.  “How did you get in here?” he asks.  “I’m not really sure.  George has had me studying formularies, moving energy and changing it to morph..so I visualized myself through the bars and here I am.” He laughs.  “Aaryana worries about the wrong one of us, I think”.  I look at the shackles.  “She used iron”? I ask.  “What a bitch”.  I know that the iron was used to hurt the elves in past wars and is one metal they cannot break.  I shrug and look at the shackles closer.  I reach out and touch it, and feel the vibration of the metal.  “What are you doing”, asks Corwvyn.  “Shh”, I tell him.  “I’m listening”.  I move my hand across it and concentrate , feeling the vibration within me.  I hear a click and the shackle falls off into my hand.  “I am not even going to ask because frankly, you are beginning to freak me out with this new power of yours”.  I smile.  “It’s not new.  It’s just newly remembered”, as I think back to a conversation I have had recently with George.  “Now, let me deal with the rest”.  I move to the remaining shackles and as with the first, they all fall harmlessly to the floor.  I pick them up and toss them in a corner in distaste.  I look and see the burns where the iron had been and reach out to help my friend.  “Hold still” I tell him.  “this may sting”.  I place my hands on his neck and begin the healing process.
Soon it is just a small pink line instead of the horrible burn that had been there.  I move on to his hands and feet doing the same each time.  “That is all I can for now”, I tell him somewhat weakly.  “It takes a lot to heal like that without the herbs”.  He smiles and takes my hands into his, and shakes his head.  “You are an amazing witch” , he says.  Corwvyn pulls himself to his feet.  “Are you all right”? I ask.  “I’m well enough”, he replies.  “Now to see about getting out of here.  He moves to the cell front and rattles the bars.  “I’m afraid that I cannot do as you did and apparate through”.  “Maybe I can find the keys”, I tell him and move through the bars.  I move down the hall and see some others in cells, and there on a peg on the wall just ahead is a set of keys.  I hear a noise that sounds as if someone is coming.  “In here girl”, a voice calls to me.  I move into the cell, and extinguish the light.  A guard comes down and stops just short of the cell.  “I could swear I heard something”, he says.  His companion laughs from the top of the stairs.  “The Queen Bitch has us all on edge.  It was nothing”. The first guard shrugs his shoulders and goes back upstairs.  I breathe a sigh of relief as the door slams shut above my head.  I relight my orb and look around to thank the one who’s cell I had been allowed to seek sanctuary and I see him.  Sitting on a pile of cloth rags.  His hair grown out in a long silver cloud that flowed around his shoulders.  His eyes mere white orbs in his dark face.  I realize that physically he cannot see me, and yet is more than aware of where and who I am.  “Are you all right good sir?” I inquire.  He smiles.  “I have been waiting for you to come girl,” he says.  “You knew I was coming?” I asked.  “I could feel the energy building and smelled your scent”, he said.  I shook my head.  Things work on a faster time frame in the elsewhere.  “My name is Shae”, I tell him.  “I am called Draengile””I am honored to meet you”, I tell him. ” I am going to get the keys and open the cell doors”, I tell him.  He nods and I move through the bars again back into the hall.  I reach the keys and quietly  begin unlocking the doors.  As I do the inhabitants of the cells begin to spill out into the hallways.  Women, men, children…all looking at one another as if they cannot believe what is happening or why a human would be doing so.  Draengile   comes out of his cell. He tells them all quietly to stand still and be quiet as possible so as to not attract attention.  They do so.  I finally reach the cell of my friend and let him out. “Took you long enough” he chuckled.  Sorry, I was busy trying not to get my ass caught”.  He looked at me curiously.  “A guard”, I replied.  “I hid in someone named Draengile’s cell”.  “That is my uncle…head of our clan”, he replied.  “I am glad he has survived, because he has been here for over 10 years.” I give Corwvyn am incredulous look.  “Ten years?” “My sister has been at this awhile”, he replies bitterly.  We move into the hall and make our way to where Draengile waits with the others.  “I am most pleased to greet you Uncle”, Corwvyn tells him as he grasps his forearms.  “I told your witch that she took her sweet time”, laughed Draengile.  “She has other responsibilities, bgan Corwvyn”.  Draengile interrupts.  “It was a bit of a joke boy..I know she cannot come at our every beck and call.  Although I am most grateful that she is here”.  “Now let us leave this place before we are found loose”.  “Which way do we go?” asked a voice from the back.  At the hesitation before me, I allow my senses tell me.  “We go forward, down the hall, then to the left.  It leads outside the keep”.  “Then we do as is suggested”, said Draengile.  “Lead the way girl”, he says.  I move to the front of the group with Corwvyn beside me.  “Are you sure you know where we are going”? he asked.  “She knows”, comes a voice behind us.  I give Corwvyn a wry smile.  “Apparently I do”, I reply.  We move stealthily down the hall and come to a huge iron door.  It was locked of course.  Nothing in this keep seems to be open.  “Wait here while I see what awaits us outside”, I say.  I apparate through the door and see that we are just outside the keep near the grape arbors. I return to the others inside and tell them what I see.  “So how are we to get out”, calls a voice in the back.  “We cannot do as the witch does”.  There is a murmur of agreement.  Corwvyn looks at me and arches an eyebrow as if to say…well? I shrug and place my hands on the door as I did the shackles.  I can feel the hum and the door begin to vibrate under my palms.  Then just as before, I hear the latch click and I push it open.  I hear a collective sigh of relief from the captives and we being to file out one by one, some blinking in the dim sunlight, that while not bright was considerably brighter than the darkness they had been held in.  As I watch the children come out , some with parents, others without, I turn to Corwvyn and his uncle.  “Just what in the hell is wrong with your sister that she harms children?” He shrugged helplessly.  “She has always wanted things that did not belong to her”, he began”the children were  taken with their parents so as to not be left behind.  “She still seeks the one from legend”.   “Okay, I am confused”, I say.  “Is not your niece, Davla the chosen?” At this Draengile starts.  “Is this so nephew”? he asks.  “She is”, says Corwvyn.  “And where is she”? I ask.  “Dav has them hidden well until we can sort this all out”, he says.  We begin to join the others who by now have made their way into the edges of the woods past the arbor.  “Neighbors”calls Draengile.  “Might I suggest that we all move toward the sanctuary secluded within the hills so as to not be discovered when they find us all released.”.  They all nodded their ascent, and he and Corwvyn lead the way with me bringing up the rear looking over my shoulder every so often so as to make sure we are not followed.  We walk a long way, stopping often to allow the children to rest since they have been confined a long while and are not used to the exercise.  At our last rest stop, I am sitting under a tree, leaning back against the trunk, gaining energy from it.  I am joined by Corwvyn who takes my hand.  “I want to thanks you”, he begins.  “It is not many who would risk so much to help those not like themselves”.  “Is this a way of getting me to speak on that other subject”?, I ask wryly without opening my eyes.  He leans his head back and laughs loudly.  “No, was serious, but now that you mention it”…I laugh as well.  Your timing sucks Corwvyn I tell him.  “Indeed”, he agrees smiling all the while.  We get up and join the others who are beginning to walk past us.  And we soon arrive to what appeared to be a tall hill covered in briars.  I look at Corwvyn who brings a small pipe from his pocket and plays a small song , and the briars move back to allow us passage.  “Catchy tune”, I whisper to my friend as I move past him.  He grins and follows me as the briars close behind us.  There below us is a small village with campfires and wagons that house families displaced by the arrogant queen.  Dav moves to greet us and hug his uncle.  He then turns to me.  “We seem to be in your debt once more swamp witch”.  he says seriously.  “I am happy to be of service, ” I tell him.  “No payment is required”.  He looks at me and nods, then moves to direct those we have brought with us to where they will be quartered and can find food and healing services if required.  “I really need to get back on-grid”, I tell Corwvyn.  I am so going to catch hell for removing the protection”.  He nods and escorts me to a bridge that I had not noticed.  “This will direct you to Brin”, he said.  He leans forward and kisses me.  “I thank you for coming to my aid, yet again.  If there is ever a need..just say the word and it shall be.”.  I smile and release his hand and begin my ascent over the bridge.  As I come to the other side, I see Brin patiently waiting for me and on a rock nearby is George and the dog.  I sigh heavily because I think this cannot be a good thing.  And yet as I come closer I see on their faces acceptance that this was something that was required of me because of my allegiance to my friends.  “I’m glad I didnt have to come get you this time”, says George gruffly.  “Nice to see you too George”, I say smiling.  I stroke the black dog’s massive head.  “Been hunting”? I inquire.  “No, was waiting to see if you needed the help”, came the reply.  “I’m glad that I did not”, I say.  I could not be sure, but I think I heard him say “me too”.  “George,” I say”I do want to thank you for making me do those extra lessons.  They came in quite handy, I must say”.  He laughs.  As we come to the edge of elsewhere, just about to come back to our own realm..I hear a massive screech.  “What the hell is that?” I ask.  Brin and George begin to laugh loudly.  “That  Cher, is the sound of a queen who has been witchfucked within her own house, and she is most unhappy”.  “Oh”.  I begin to giggle.  “What I did was little of nothing,” I say.  “Just helped some folks out”.  George laughed.  “Sometimes cher, it is the little things that trip up the most powerful”.  I nod and we return home.  I shower and prepare for bed.  Brin sets the snares and checks the webs.  George checks the perimeter and he and the dog set off for who knows where.  I settle sleepily in bed and think of my friend and smile.  This could be interesting I think and grin.  Off to sleep without dreams..which in itself is a good thing since I am damn tired.