Tracking the Man

[Riley]

Riley smiled at her, shaking his head. "No, I can give you some of the energy for the spell, but I'd have to make the continuous stream of energy to power it come from you. It won't be much, but it will be noticed. You won't feel tired right away, but won't be able to do much until you end the spell. I will give you the words in the ancient language to end the spell." Riley squeezed her hand tightly, his other arm wrapping around her and holding her close. "I just thought it could help hide your wings, so word of us does not reach Cyprian. I could give you one of my shirts to hide your wings for now if you would prefer." He offered, knowing she would feel more comfortable without the spell. He just wanted to be safe.

Riley pulled Ana closer to him, holding her tight and taking a deep breath. "You don't have to do this, it was just a thought. We have other options.. However there is something I want to do." Riley moved his hand up to her head, closing his eyes and gathering his thoughts. "May you be shielded from harm." He said softly, not putting any magic behind it, though knowing it would still have power behind it. "That was not a spell, but it will still have an effect." He translated the words for her, letting her know the meaning behind his intentions as well.

Riley picked Ana up, holding her in his arms. "I really care about you Ana. I don't want anything to happen to you." He said softly, easily lifting her up to the saddle, setting her down and looking up at her. He smiled at her, holding both of her hands in his hands and looking up at her. "I really care about you Ana.." Riley whispered, leaning his head forward and resting it on her stomach before taking a few deep breathes. When he looked up at her he smiled again, his fear seemingly banished.

[Mali]

Ana considered what he said. It was true, if word got to Cyprian, he would be out of there so fast that they’d be days behind his trail once they even found it. She knew that they would have to do something about her wings, but the thought of being helpless against Cyprian scared her. But why should it? He had already ruined her life, what more could he do to her? He could make her paralyzed again. Ana shivered and moved closer to Riley. That thought scared her. Alright, so there was something that he could do to her, but it wouldn’t happen.

As Riley moved his hand up to her forehead, she wondered what he had to say. So it wasn’t a spell but it would still have an effect. So she was safe? So she didn’t have to worry about Cyprian paralyzing her again? That was good. “Thanks,” she smiled to him, brushing her mind gently against his. At least, she thought she was being gentle, when she had actually come stumbling in against his mind instead and shared the thought of, ‘it comforts me’. She had no idea if he would even hear it, but she had tried, right?

Sighing, Ana knew she had to make a decision. Did she want to hide her wings with magic that would drain her, or wear a huge shirt to cover them? There was a problem with each solution here. The shirt idea would work, but it would be really painful to keep her wings in that position for long periods of time. But with the illusion spell, people wouldn’t be able to see her wings, but if they were protruding from her back, would they still be able to bump into the wings and touch them, should they get close enough? She was confused now.

“I think I want to use magic, but I don’t know of how much use I’ll be in that weakened state.” Ana was worried that she wouldn’t be able to help Riley at all if she was that weak from the spell. Hopefully it wouldn’t take too long to find Cyprian.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Riley]

Riley nodded and looked up at her, thinking about the best way to phrase it. "I know some tricks for regaining energy, I'm a weak magician so it helps. And we can end the spell long before we trap Cyprian. Give you time to regain your energy." He squeezed her hands, closing his eyes and gathering the words for the spell, of course that was when he felt her touching his mind. A smile spread across his lips, his mind opening more for her. "I am happy to help darling." He sent to her, letting her feel his pride at her learning to speak with her mind on her own. He raised her hands to his lips, kissing them both softly before shutting his mind out again, he needed to focus.

After a few moments, Riley opened his mind, touching Claudia's and drawing on her energy instead of his own. He then started to chant in the Ancient Language, not bothering to translate the spell. "Light, bend around Ana's wings and render them unable to be seen. Draw the energy from Ana until she utters the word 'release' and then end. If Ana is in danger, or if she is about to be rendered unconscious, end." Riley added several more lines, shaping the spell to his exact preferences, being careful with the amount of energy he was drawing from Claudia. He stretched his mind back, drawing energy from one of the trees as well, lessening the drain on Claudia. After uttering a few more words, he opened his eyes and looked up at Ana again, smiling at her.

"There you are, no wings." Riley drew his sword and held it up, letting it catch Ana's reflection and angled it so she could see herself better. "What do you think? The spell didn't draw too much energy did it? Just say the word 'release' and the spell will end." Riley then translated the single word in the ancient language for her, letting her know she wasn't saying anything outrageous.

[Mali]

Ana couldn’t help but giggle and blush as he called her darling again, this time so only she could hear it. She liked when he called her darling, it made her feel warm inside. And then he kissed the tops of both of her hands, which only caused her blush to darken. She liked being around Riley. Even though he claimed not to know how to be romantic, he did a good job at it.

Ana moved closer to Riley as he started to chant, closing her eyes and taking a firm hold of one of his hands. She may end up distracting him by doing so, but she didn’t care. This was the second time she was going to have magic applied to her, she was a little nervous. Not that she didn’t trust Riley, she trusted him greatly. It was just that he admitted to not being the best magician around.

Ana looked up and to the blade as she saw in the reflection that the wings were gone before she smiled to Riley. Nodding her head, she was about to say the word, practising since she had never spoken the ancient language when she stopped halfway through the word. “Oh, I almost undid it, I was just practising... I should be able to say it right when I need to,” she smiled to Riley before holding out her hand to help him onto Claudia’s saddle.

“Will people be able to touch my wings even though they can’t see them?” Ana was curious as she helped Riley into the saddle. She was tempted to have him sit behind her, but if he were able to touch them even though they were ‘invisible’, then he would end up hurting her by sitting behind her. So she allowed him to sit in front of her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his back. She closed her eyes and revelled in the position. His back and shoulders were broad, strong and protective. She was glad that she had met Riley.

“Now, we have quite a ways to go, we should head out now if we want to catch him before he leaves Ilirea,” Hopefully he hadn’t left already.

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[Riley]

Riley smiled with her as she said she almost undid it, he brushed his mind against hers lightly, pushing the word to her gently. He climbed up into the saddle with her help, loving when she wrapped her arms around him. He actually hadn't planned on riding Claudia, letting her rest a bit without him riding, but would just take things easy on her. Riley put one of his hands on hers, "Yes, it's still possible to touch them, I don't know the magician able to make something untouchable." At least in the sense Ana was thinking. He aimed Claudia toward the road, spurring her into motion. "Yes! We've got something important to do, and then families to visit."

Riley kept Claudia at a constant speed, it was faster than they could walk, but still far from a gallop. It was only a couple hours before Ilirea came into view, he couldn't help but stare at it for a moment. "I spent years there training, learning about magic and the ancient language, and how to fight with my mind." Riley felt a surge of nostalgia, remembering the long days and nights of study and smiling softly. "Another student once lit my hair on fire, a teacher put it out before it hurt me, but still.. she lit my hair on fire." Of course Riley had just covered her face in vomit green dye and said she was now ugly on the outside like she was on the inside. He had kind of earned it.

Riley sighed, hoping that this would be their last meeting with Cyprian. He was already forming a plan to capture the elf in his mind. Of course that's when it hit him, they needed to have a way to communicate, while keeping quite and their minds shielded. He stretched his mind to Ana's connecting their thoughts. "It might be better once we reach the city to leave our minds connected and shielded. We can still talk, and be safe." Of course this meant there were thoughts Riley would have to actively keep hidden and pushed down, like dreams he had about Ana, but he could do that.. He hoped.

[Mali]

Ana held onto Riley, thinking about what her mother might say as soon as they arrived at her house. She would think Ana innocent and naive to find a man so quickly. But she would be happy for her, to have found someone she loved. But did she love Riley? She knew that she liked him a lot more than she had ever liked anyone before. But did she love him? She didn’t love him like she loved her parents, and that was a good thing since he wasn’t her parent. But did that mean that her liking was a different form of love? She had never even had a crush before she met Riley. She was a little confused of her feelings now.

But it wasn’t the right time to think about it as the city neared their vision. Ana listened to what Riley had to say and couldn’t help but laugh as he admitted that a girl had lit his hair on fire. “Why’d she do that?” Ana imagined that there had been a tiff between them during their training sessions, him being a human and she being an elf. That based on the history between the two races; there had always been a tiff between them.

She felt something against her mind and knew that it was Riley immediately. Hiding her thoughts about her feelings, she nodded her head as he spoke. She was still quite new to this and couldn’t say things to great detail. Even the night before, trying to say the word comfort had been hard for her. She hoped that he would understand that she could only speak a little instead of being able to say everything she wanted to.

Opening her mind up more, Ana took a deep breath and tried to respond to him. “I can try.”

[/i] It was hard for her to get even that across. Sighing, she rested her face against Riley’s back and mumbled against the skin. “I’m sorry if I can’t speak completely through mind yet. I hope it is okay that I speak very simply. I’ll still try to speak only with my mind though, don’t worry.” She couldn’t say that to him through mind so she had to tell him aloud. They hadn’t entered the city yet, she continuing to speak with her mouth should be fine.

As they entered the city, Ana looked around nervously and noticed how people weren’t staring at her this time. She felt happy about that and shared the emotion freely through their connected minds. They soon reached a point where they were deep enough into the city that they should start searching for Cyprian, but where? “Start where?”[/i] she asked Riley, making sure to keep a wall up around her mind aside from a cute, wooden gate that was open and led to Riley’s mind.

Ana clung to Riley as she started to feel weak. Would she be able to walk? “Wow, feeling weak,”[/i] Ana’s breathing was getting heavier, but only slightly right now.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Riley]

Riley let Ana cling to him, knowing that having a spell drawing from her energy would be tiring for her, especially since she wasn't used to it yet. Even when you were used to it, it still wasn't easy. "First we find a place to leave Claudia, then we go see someone I know here, he works in the underground." Memories flashed through Riley's mind and he frowned, maybe that was a bad idea after all. "'I' will go see my contact, you'll stay with Claudia. I don't trust this woman with you around. She's.. Well, less than pleasant to be around." His hand moved up to touch Ana's holding her hand lightly, he connected his mind to Claudia's again, trickling energy from Claudia to Ana. He turned in the saddle and kissed Ana's cheek, before climbing down from the saddle.

Riley didn't let Ana climb down from the saddle, making her stay on Claudia to save her energy. He led Claudia to a stable he knew, one that offered shelter to travelers as well as horses. "Ana, stay here for a little while, I'll come back soon. Then we'll know where Cyprian is, and we can try to catch him." Riley led Ana into a stable, the stable housing a small bed and chair in the corner. He turned to Ana and smiled, helping her off Claudia and cupping her cheeks in his hands. "Stay here with Claudia, I'll be back soon." Riley leaned in and kissed her quickly, hiding the thoughts passing through his mind from her. He slowly pulled away, tapping the side of his head before tightening his sword belt and turning and leaving the stable.

Riley returned to the stable a little over an hour later, his left bicep had a broken arrow sticking out of it. He grunted and pulled the arrow out, tossing it aside and tearing his sleeve, wrapping it around his bicep. "Cyprian is in a brothel about twelve streets down." Riley sighed, sitting down on the bed and running his fingers through his hair. Blood dripped from the hidden blades at his wrists, and his sword was missing. "The bounty on my head has grown, I need to do something to lower it or make people never consider coming after me. Especially not with you around Ana.."

Riley sighed and pulled his tunic off, tossing it aside and letting Ana see his scars for the first time. "Ana.. can you get the bandages and a fresh tunic for me from the saddle bags please?" He asked, his mind running over several different plans and courses of action. Riley shook his head slowly, removing his hidden blades and setting them down gently, being very careful with them. "I didn't kill them Ana.. I made sure they couldn't fight me anymore.. but I didn't kill them.." His eyes glanced down to the hidden blades, knowing that he could never kill with them.

[Mali]

Ana nodded her head at first as Riley said that they would go meet someone he knew. But then he changed his mind. She couldn’t see the thoughts that flashed through Riley’s mind, but she saw a blurring of something and it was coming from him. Nodding her head again, Ana was about to climb off the saddle as well when he didn’t let her climb down with him. Guess it would be better for her to rest and not exert herself.

As soon as they reached the stables, Riley helped her off the saddle and into a chair. “Okay, don’t be too long,” She smiled and kissed him back though it was very brief. What would she do until Riley came back? She couldn’t leave the stables, she might get lost. And there was the spell she had to worry about as well. If she became too weak, she might pass out and that wouldn’t be good if she was wandering the streets. Riley would never be able to find her then.

Still sitting on the chair, Ana watched as Claudia lay down on the ground. Maybe she would join in on her idea of sleeping. Climbing off the seat, Ana moved over to the bed before resting her head on the pillow. Mmm, she felt really tired, maybe she could take a nap until Riley came back? And as soon as she thought about it, she decided that she would. There was nothing else to do during the time that he would be gone and besides, it wasn’t like anyone would steal anything. And if they did, everything they had could be easily replaced. So she might as well rest a bit and save her energy.

Ana awoke an hour later as she heard someone approach and address her. At least, she thought they were addressing her, she wasn’t quite sure as she had been sleeping. It had been quiet and then all the sudden there was a loud voice in the room. They had to be addressing her.

Ana sat up in the bed and noticed that it was Riley, and he was bleeding! Her eyes opened wide and she started to move herself out of the bed to go to him, but he was already sitting down before she was able to pull her feet over the side of the bed. Catching only half of what he said, she watched as Riley removed his shirt and asked her for bandages. It was like she was deaf, as she sat there staring at Riley’s bare chest. He was half naked, and he looked amazing. Sure, there were a multitude of scars covering his body, but he was really fit.

Shaking her head, she realised that he had asked for bandages and blushed like wildfire as she moved over to Claudia and searched for the item. “O-okay,” quickly finding the bandages and a clean tunic, she walked over to Riley, her eyes averted as she held them out to him. She didn’t avert her eyes because he was ugly or anything. She was just so embarrassed because she knew that if she looked at him, she would stare and that was embarrassing.

“Do you need help bandaging?” not waiting for an answer, Ana sat down beside Riley and took out the bandages and started to wrap them around the wound in his arm. “Do you know who attacked you?” he said that the bounty on his head had risen, so did that mean that bounty hunters were after him?

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Riley]

Riley was about to ask her to help him wrap his arm when she started doing it on her own, he smiled and let her work. Thinking about her other question carefully and taking his time before he answered it. "Yeah, Morrigan betrayed me and tried to kill me. Apparently, all that's needed to collect the money is my head." He grunted in annoyance, and was suddenly very glad that Ana had stayed here. Riley turned to Ana, setting the tunic aside and staring at her for a few moments. His mind raced through everything that happened, imagining that Ana had been there. He slowly leaned in to Ana and whispered three words in the ancient language in her ear. However, he did not translate them, instead he repeated them, hoping Ana would memorize them.

Riley slowly pulled back, looking at the bandage around his arm, she had done good. He put his hand over hers, squeezing her hand softly. "Thank you Ana." He said softly, knowing that she had helped him when many others would not. He pulled Ana to him, wrapping his arms around her and holding her. Riley felt comfortable here, especially knowing they would have time like this for a while before they had to leave. He didn't even care that they were in a cheap inn that doubled as a stable. He was simply happy being by Ana's side. Riley relaxed as he held her, not wanting to let her go just yet.

Riley slowly started leaning more on Ana, slowly starting to fall asleep. As he realized what was happening, he shifted his weight, falling slightly to the side and landing on the bed, his arms still around Ana. His breathing relaxed, becoming more even, his chest falling and rising slower. Four long scars seemed to dominate his chest, stretching from just under his right shoulder, to a mere inch before his ribs ended. Riley took one more deep breath, then opened his eyes, shifting slightly, his necklace falling in place over another scar on his right shoulder, looking like the tooth would fit perfectly in the hole. Looking closer, it could be seen that there was another scar that matched the tooth, and two more on his back.

Riley smiled at Ana, "Sorry darling, guess I got sleepy for a second." He muttered softly, not realizing he had pulled Ana down with him just yet. "Can we stay here for a little while? Just the two of us.." Riley sighed contentedly and closed his eyes again, moving his head into Ana's chest lightly, slowing his breathing and letting his mind race.

[Mali]

Ana couldn’t help but shiver as Riley said that all that was needed was his head to gain the reward. That was a nasty thought. They would have beheaded him right then and there just to gain a reward? And they were friends of his as well. It only proved that you can’t trust everybody you know. But Ana knew that she could trust Riley. Something told her that no matter what happened in his past that he was a good guy. If she were to judge him based on what he had done, and not the person he was now, then it would be wrong. He didn’t judge her based on her past.

Ana listened to what he said to her, not sure why or what he had said but she tried to remember the words. He seemed tired and she could ask him what they meant later. She was suddenly pulled into his chest as he said a soft thank you for her work. She blushed like a mad man and wondered if Riley would be able to feel how hot her face had gotten.

She remained in his arms though, slowly starting to feel comfortable being against his bare chest before they moved and were lying down on the bed. Ana adjusted herself slightly in his arms so that she was laying with their chests pressed together, her invisible wings pointed high in the air before she folded them against her back. She looked down at Riley’s chest, sitting up slightly while his hands circled around her waist. She had been embarrassed to look at his naked chest before, but now that she was pressed against it, she didn’t feel so embarrassed any more. She traced her fingers over the scars on his chest, going back and forth over his defined body and down to the base of his ribs and back up again. She drew circles on the scar that looked like the large tooth he wore around his neck. She picked up the necklace that was still around his neck and held it next to the scar. It was almost the exact same size.

She looked up at Riley as he spoke. She smiled and nodded her head. “Okay,” She did start to blush again when he moved his head to her chest. No longer able to trace patterns over his scarred body, Ana wrapped her arms around Riley and allowed him to sleep with his head on her chest. She slowly rolled them over so that Riley was lying on top of Ana, his head using her breasts as a pillow as he slept soundly. He wasn’t that heavy that she had to worry about his weight on top of hers. Ana smiled down to Riley, her hand coming up absently and playing with his hair, running through it and gently dragging her nails across his scalp in a soothing manner. He must really be tired to fall asleep like this. It was best to let him sleep.

An hour or two must have passed before Ana started to open her eyes. She hadn’t even realised that she had fallen asleep. It must be the spell on her making her so sleepy; two naps in one day.

She looked down to see Riley still sleeping with his head against her breasts. He looked so peaceful while he slept. But they had to get moving so she slowly started to shake Riley. “Riley, we have to get going soon,” she said gently. Ana wondered if Cyprian was even still at the brothel where Riley had found out he was currently occupying. Would he still be there or would they have to search for his whereabouts again?

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[Riley]

Riley hadn't even realized he fell asleep, not until his dreams hit. He let his dreams flow, not understanding any of them, but noticing that Ana was in all of them. In his sleep he cuddled closer to Ana, sighing happily. Of course, as all things must end, so to did his sleep. It wasn't long before Ana was shaking him and trying to wake him up. He groaned, shaking his head and shifted slightly, his head resting on something soft and comfortable. He slowly opened his eyes, knowing that Ana was right and they had to get moving. After opening his eyes, it only took him seconds to realize why he had slept so well, and what was so soft that his head was resting on.

Riley blinked, looking up at Ana, and not realizing their minds were connected still, his mind flashing through several thoughts. He slowly moved up and kissed Ana's forehead, "Thank you." He whispered before sitting up and stretching, after a brief moment of looking around, he grabbed his tunic and pulled it on, glad to be covering up his scars again. Not that he cared if Ana saw them, he just didn't know how to act very well with them out and in the open. They told more of his story that he had explained to Ana so far. An image of the wolf he fought flashed through his mind, realizing then that the wolf was easily almost the size of Claudia.

Riley turned to Ana and smiled at her, "You know? I could easily get used to waking up like that." He slowly stood and stretched again, then walked over to Claudia and pulled out his short sword, clipping it to his belt in place of his missing longsword. He took his time, making sure he was ready before he started to think about Cyprian and what they could do to catch him this time. They couldn't use the same tricks as before, that was definitely out of the question. Maybe.. That was when a thought struck him, a binding spell placed on the Elf using his own energy as a power source.

Riley turned back to face Ana, "Cyprian always stays at the same brothel when he comes here, and he normally stays for several days. I say, we check to see if he's still here, and if he is, we wait for nightfall. At night, we sneak in and catch him. I'll cast a binding spell on him, making the energy come from his own body rather than mine."

[Mali]

Ana laughed lightly as Riley groaned, shook his head and moved so his hand was on her breast. Soon enough, he lifted his head, and noticed what he had been sleeping on. She expected him to blush or something like that but instead he remained calm and leaned up to kiss her forehead. She did however catch some images that flashed through his head and she had to admit that those made her blush. Had he known that their minds were still connected, he probably would have repressed those thoughts.

Ana giggled as he said that he could get used to waking up like that. “I bet,” she was being playful now. She wouldn’t let him sleep like that every night from now on, only on special occasions. Although, she did have to wonder about those thoughts that Riley had had. She hadn’t had thoughts like that about Riley before. Of course, she had blushed like crazy when she saw him shirtless, and now that she thought about it, she liked seeing him shirtless. He looked really good, even if he did have a lot of scars. She would go as far as to say that he was rather attractive. But wait, their minds were still connected! Turning to face Riley, her face beet red, she couldn’t believe that she had thought all that and he’d heard it all. “I’m so embarrassed now,” Her hands came to her cheeks and she tried to hide her face.

She nodded her head, her blush still evident on her cheeks when she had to ask. “Do we both have to go into the brothel to see if he’s still there?” She didn’t know if she could handle going into a brothel. She had never been inside such an establishment before, she knew what occurred in such a place, but she would be embarrassed should she have to see what they did inside.

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[Riley]

Riley couldn't help but smile as he realized their minds were connected and he heard her thoughts, this time he blushed and started to speak, then remembered the thoughts from earlier. His face made a tomato look pale. "And so am I, I just realized you saw my thoughts earlier.." He cleared his throat and started pushing thoughts down, making sure Ana didn't see anything like that again. "By the way, I think you're attractive too." Riley smiled at her, sitting down on the bed again and stretching slightly. He smiled, and again not realizing that their minds were linked, an image of them cuddling together that first night popped into his mind.

Riley was brought back down to earth when Ana asked if they would both have to go into the brothel. He shook his head, "No, I'll go in and get him, bring him out, then we will go speak with the Riders." He said, already starting to form a plan in his mind. Riley took her hand in his and squeezed, "We've almost got him, this time for sure." He knew he would be able to get Cyprian this time, he wouldn't let the man get away again. He couldn't put Ana through that again. Riley slowly stood, his hand resting on the hilt of the shortsword at his hip, then went to his saddle bags and pulled out several throwing knives, putting them on the right side of his belt.

Riley turned to face Ana, and after a split second's thought, pulled out what appeared to be a well worn dagger. He held it out for her "Hang onto this for me." He wanted to make sure she had something other than her bow to defend herself with if needed, and since he needed to replace his longsword and needed his short sword.. "It's old and has been used many times, but it's reliable." He took a breath and considered their next options. Riley considered several options on getting in the building, before finally deciding on the front door. Getting out however.. "Getting out will be difficult.. I'll find his room, bring Claudia and wait outside his window. I'll drop him out."

Riley smiled at Ana and kissed her temple softly, again remembering their link, and slowly showing her his plan. "Alright, let's get moving, we've got a lot to do and the night is short." He stood, handing Claudia's reigns to Ana and leading the way out of the building. "Wait outside the window, I'll drop him out, then jump down and load him onto Claudia. Then we will go and see the Riders. Stay near Claudia, I'm going to give you some of her energy for now." He started a flow of energy from Claudia to Ana, again, telling Ana to stay close to Claudia with his mind.

It didn't take them long to find the brothel, and by the time they did it was late at night, they still had a few hours. Riley motioned for Ana to go down the alley, and he went inside the brothel. It took him a few minutes to find the right room, on the third floor of course. "Ana, east side, fourth room, third floor." He sent her, giving her some time to move to the right spot. He took a few breaths, then slipped into the room and started chanting softly in the Ancient Language. It took him a full three minutes to finish chanting the spell and anchor the spell so it drew from Cyprian's energy instead of his own. The only part of his body that the elf could move, was his eyes.

Riley crossed to the elf man and stood over him, kicking the bed to wake him up. "Wakey wakey, fake miracle man." He stated in the ancient language, picking the man up and crossing to the window, opening it and leaning him next to it. "I hope you enjoy that buzzing in your ear, and the paralysis, and the random points of pain all over your body. Took me a while to come up with the spell." Without much else, he hung Cyprian out the window, dropping him easily. Riley jumped down a moment later, landing in between Cyprian and Claudia. "Well that was easy." He lifted Cyprian up and laid him over Claudia, before winking at Ana. "Now we go to the Riders." He started out of the alley, making sure Ana was following him and leading the way.

[Mali]

Ana giggled and blushed, her hands making a swatting motion as if to say, stop it. Of course he found her attractive, but she was worried about what she had thought. That she didn’t love him, not like that at least. What if he loved her like that? This time she shielded her thoughts about this topic as best as she could. It would be like a white cotton sheet hanging between her thoughts and Riley’s mind. He would be able to make out shapes from behind the curtain but would easily be able to push the curtains aside so should he choose to.

Nodding her head, she looked down to the dagger he held out to her. She had never used a dagger before but she knew the general use of a blade. “Thanks,” Ana didn’t understand why he would want her to hold onto it for him. It wasn’t like it would be taken from his person to get into a brothel. But maybe that wasn’t the reason he had given it to her after all.

She nodded her head again as he showed her the plan. Sighing in relief as he said that he would give her some energy from Claudia. She was starting to feel very sleepy again. “Okay, stay with Claudia,” she knew her portion of the plan and she would do as he said.

She had been waiting for some time before she heard Riley enter her mind again. She had started to worry that something had happened to him during their time apart and was relieved when she heard him enter her mind again. She began to click her teeth together to get Claudia to move to where Riley directed her.

However, she was surprised to see Cyprian being flung out the window. He hit the floor with a thud and a groan before opening his eyes to see Ana. He gave her a once over before looking shocked. He couldn’t see her wings and that was probably what was what made him shocked. She watched as Riley then jumped out the window, her hands flying to her mouth, worried that he might break something when he landed. Of course, he hadn’t and she sighed again. Ana giggled as he winked to her before she started Claudia trotting off toward the center of Ilirea and toward the riders.

---

Taured had stopped in for his reports. He needed to make his reports to the council, deliver a few items, pick up new orders and anything else they asked of him. It had been a busy day, Varden had been bugging to go visit Ace again and he had a hard time saying no, especially since he was only the backseat driver while Varden flew.

He was sitting on the front step of their house, Varden tucked safely in his housing next to the house. He looked up when there was a commotion just a little ways off. He could hear shouting and accusations of some sort. Standing up, he told Varden mentally that he would check it out.

Walking over to the main gate that led to the riders’ houses, he stood there and watched for a moment as a pair of humans, with a horse and an elf bound up lying over the horse, tried to get through the main gates to the rider’s council. They wouldn’t be able to get in at this time of night, not without written permission. But since he was a leading member of the riders’ council and head of the council of resources, it wouldn’t do him any harm to see them now.

Taured left the housing area and walked over to the guards who were shouting accusations. “What seems to be the problem?” he asked casually, crossing his arms over his chest. The guards turned to him before bowing slightly. “Councilman Taured. Well, we were simply asking their intentions binding up an elf and trying to parade into the council.” Taured looked to the pair, immediately noticing the spell on the woman. Were they hiding something? He should stop the spell and find out, so that they couldn’t be accused of lying and being deceitful.

“I call upon the light, show which be hidden.”

[/i][/color] As soon as he spoke, wings appeared on the woman’s back. Shocked, Taured didn’t sense any magic from the woman. So how had she altered her body to such an extent? And why?

“Don’t worry Francis, Halgar, I shall see to them.” Smiling to the guards, he motioned for the woman and man to follow him into the council area.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Riley]

Riley's eye twitched as he argued with the guard, he was tempted to break into the man's mind and take control. However he knew that would be an abysmally bad idea. "I keep trying to tell you fool, we're not parading, I'm trying to turn in a criminal." He sighed and went to the saddle bags, pulling out the scroll with the spell Cyprian had cast on Ana, of course this was when the Rider undid the spell he had cast on Ana. He looked between the two for several moments, then pulled Cyprian off of Claudia and slung the elf over his shoulder. He stepped forward, motioning for Ana to follow him. Riley followed the Rider into the council hall, a room he had been in a few times before in his life.

Riley slowly put Cyprian down on the ground, not being overly gentle. He then pressed the first and middle fingers of his right hand to his lips, then twisted them over his chest. "Atra esterní ono thelduin." He waited for Taured's reply, then finished it with. "Un du evarínya ono varda." Completing the traditional elvish greeting. With his mind he walked Ana through the same ritual, telling her how to do everything. He should have prepped her better for it before hand, but he hadn't thought that far ahead. No use in fretting over it now however.

"My name is Riley Cypher, I am called Wolfsbane. I ask you forgive my brashness Argetlam, but this elf named Cyprian curses people under the guise of miracles." Riley pulled out the scroll with the spell he had written out on it from Ana's memories. He then switched to speaking the ancient language, translating with his mind for Ana. "I learned of his transgressions through this woman, Ana, and examined her memories on it myself. As you can see from the spell, it was meant to help, but took something away as well. I ask justice be brought upon this elf. And recompense be given to the innocent he has harmed."

[Mali]

Taured was a little shocked as they entered the council room to receive the proper greeting from the man. He hadn’t thought that he would know such a thing. Although shocked, Taured didn’t allow the emotion to show on his features. Instead, he returned the gesture, “ Mor'ranr lífa unin hjarta onr.”

[/b][/i] With that out of the way, Taured propped himself up against a table in the room, crossing his arms over his chest and waiting to hear an explanation as to what they were doing.

Taured had heard the man state that they were trying to turn in a criminal, but had no idea what the elf had done. He was also impressed by the spell cast on the elf. It was a strong one and it appeared to draw energy from the elf in question to continue sustaining the spell. Tricky.

Watching as Riley pulled out a scroll with a spell written on it, Taured looked down to the elf then to the scroll. A miracle provider? What kind of elf would do such a thing? Especially for a human... Then again, he believed everyone to be equal so he had no right to judge whether this elf, Cyprian, was prejudiced or not.

Looking down at the scroll, Taured began to find himself lost in the spell. He followed the main spell as it dipped and wove its way through many other spells but soon found himself confused. The spell didn’t make complete sense. It would start on one spell and that spell would end in something completely different. It was as if the elf didn’t know what he was trying to do, or he did, such as Riley claimed.

“Do you have proof of others who have been ‘harmed’ by this man? One woman may be proof, but it would only help your case should you have more witnesses’ claims to go by.”[/b][/i] It was true that he could see by the spell cast on the woman, that this man had obviously done something wrong. Whether he had done it on purpose or not couldn’t be determined quite yet. However, if he knew of others with the same issues with Cyprian, then it would lead to the conclusion that he had done it intentionally and punishment could be installed.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Riley]

Riley watched as Taured read the spell, wondering if the Rider would know how to fix it. In any case all he could do was wait at this point. He couldn't help but doubt that he was unable to reverse the damage. "Unfortunately, I have been unable to track down any other of his.. victims. I have been betrayed by all of my contacts, the only evidence we can have, is located in his mind." Riley gripped the hilt of the short sword, hoping that maybe this Rider would be able to find some answer. "I can continue looking, however I doubt I will not be betrayed while searching for more evidence."

Riley sighed, gripping the hilt tightly, glancing at Ana. "Please Argetlam, isn't there something we can do to keep this man from hurting others? I would be forever in your debt if justice could be brought upon this one man." Riley took a few steps forward, wishing he was a stronger magician. "I would travel around and try to help those he's hurt myself.. But I am not a strong magician. What spells I have cast, I cast using the energy of others, something I only recently learned was possible." He did wish he didn't have to cast spells like that, but it was the only thing he knew that wouldn't leave him unable to move. If only he could find a way to store energy.

Riley moved back to Ana, reaching over and taking her hand in his. "I decided to yield to the wisdom of the Riders on this matter Argetlam. I have neither the power nor the wisdom to pass judgment on this being." Riley couldn't help but let an image of himself as a rider pop into his mind, before pushing it back down. He doubted he was going to be chosen to be a Rider. He was too old to begin with, then there was the matter of his past. Riley looked back at Taured, taking a deep breath and giving the Rider time to think.

[Mali]

Taured listened as Riley spoke about whether he had found any other victims of this elf’s crimes. So far, it would mean that Taured would have to look into the elf’s mind to hear and know of any other victims that might exist. It was tricky business, going through another’s mind. If he wanted to hide something badly enough, he would be able to place a wall around that part of his mind. However, with the spell that was in place around the elf, it would take a great deal of energy to be able to create a wall around parts of his mind. Even then, he would be left exhausted.

Continuing to listen to what Riley had to say as well as looking at the spell he had been handed, Taured deduced that this elf had intended to cause harm to the woman with wings. His intention wasn’t to completely help her of whatever problem she had faced prior to meeting him. Of course, Taured was still unsure exactly what problem she had faced. The spell had mentioned something about a spine, which led Taured to believe that something to do with her spine wasn’t responding properly. Perhaps she was a cripple or she was paralyzed. Either way, that wasn’t the point at hand right now.

As he was addressed by ‘Argetlam’, Taured looked at Riley again. Why would he be calling him that? Was it simply out of profound respect or was there another reason? Either way, he felt it right to correct the man. “You need not call me by respectful terms. Taured will do just fine.”

[/b][/i] He knew that it was proper to use the respectful terms, but he considered Riley and himself to be equals so there was no need to call him by a higher title other than his name or even councilman.

Thinking things through one last time, he had to consider what he was able to do, The riders didn’t exactly like to keep prisoners or anything like that. As to where this elf would be kept left Taured uncertain. However, from what he had heard and read, it was solid proof that his intentions were not of good will and that was a problem. There was no way to know exactly how many people he had harmed, but the fact that he had been so willing to do it, meant that something had to be done. You couldn’t lie in the ancient language, just mislead. And the spell he had cast, wasn’t misleading but cruel.

“We shall keep the elf in some form of custody until a decision can be made of what crimes he has to atone to,”[/i][/b] Taured hoped this would reassure the human pair. However, there was a problem that he couldn’t figure an answer to.

“However, I am uncertain I am able to reverse the effects of the spell. It is woven with so many spells, most of which are wrong and were not completely spoken before being combined with another spell, that I would not want to attempt to fix what I cannot be certain will help. I fear I might worsen the effects of the spell.”[/i][/b] He felt bad that he wasn’t able to help with the spell that had been cast. Taured was a magical prodigy and that was even before he became a rider. If he couldn’t figure it out without doing more harm, he was fairly certain it would be very difficult.

“Perhaps there is another way to help your friend, Riley Wolfsbane. The use of a true name might help with finding the true nature of your friend’s being. However, the use of the true name might restore her to the way she was created. You must be careful of how a spell is cast while using her true name. Although, discovering her true name will be much harder.”[/i][/b] he hoped so far he was being helpful to the human pair.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Riley]

Riley blinked as he was asked by the rider to call him by his name, then glanced to Ana, still translating everything that was being said between them. "I thank you, I appreciate everything you are doing in keeping this man from hurting others." He gripped the hilt at his waist tighter, his knuckles turning white. He was truly happy that Cyprian could no longer hurt anyone, but he wished that there was more that could be done for Ana. "True name? You are right it will be difficult to figure out her true name when I don't even know mine yet. It is an option however, I thank you for that." Riley looked at Ana again, his mind racing fast over every rule of magic he knew. He was sure Ana could see every bit of it with him.

Riley then looked back at Taured. "I would ask for your help further Taured. I need to gain a better understanding of magic, and I need to either get stronger, or find a way to store energy for later use." He paused, blinking a few times, considering everything he had done when he was here as a child. "Because of my lack of strength, I was not allowed to continue my studies in the art of magic. So the spells I can cast today, are mostly of my own invention, or something half remembered. And they're weak. I can only cast a few small weak spells before I am left to exhausted to do anything. If there is a way for me to become stronger, without always having to use someone else's energy I would accept it without question."

Riley glanced at Ana, "I want this for no other reason than to help protect Ana. If there are oaths you want me to swear in this language of truth, please tell me now." Riley sighed, finished with his speech for the moment, he took a deep breath and waited for Taured's reply. His mind again went over his scant knowledge of magic, wishing further that he had been stronger, more able to continue his studies. Though through his own experimentation, he learned how to tell almost exactly how much energy a spell would take. Riley locked eyes with Taured, taking a step forward and trying to let the man sense his determination. "I know it will be a long and slow road, I'm not asking for guided steps. Just the tool I need."