Avandor's Gift

He shouldn’t have left. It was stupid and dangerous, damn him and his honour! When will he ever learn! Not only honour bound, but he is bound by love. My love. Whispered my unconsciousness.

That warmed me in a way I thought impossible, but it made my worry even greater. Evander, my love. It was quite a shock to me that I had felt him that close. I couldn’t help myself but I had to move to where I had felt him. It was with both horror and joy that I found him and on a ship of all places. This was what the wielder wanted. I shook thinking of the possibilities...

I warned him the only way I could but he didn’t listen. Now he was headed here to save me, not knowing what he was getting himself into. Damn him! I said becoming angry at his disobedience.

“It is annoying Tetyana that you managed to send Gareth back to Gé Addar, that will only delay my plans or rather make them more interesting.” I could feel some sick form of glee rolling off the man that had me trapped here.

He was feeding off the magic I held within me. All the power of Alphandé and none of the side-effects he had said to me once. I felt myself becoming weaker, imperceptibly so. But it was with him siphoning some of the magic that I could even begin to think again.

The power held within Alphandé was all-consuming. It was hard to find myself when I was within its grip. It seemed to want to shred me into pieces in one instance and then mould me into whatever form it wished, so only that it would have a vessel to be contained in.

Then slowly, it lessened. I could tell who I was again, the more magic the wielder used, the more I regained of myself. Unfortunately I felt years of my life slipping through his fingers. I was the Silver Mage for all intents and purposes. Alphandé’s power was already draining me and he was speeding up the process with each spell he wove.

“I am impressed that you even managed to singularly wield magic. I thought it was my hold was tight, but obviously not tight enough.” I opened my eyes and looked for him.

“Opening your eyes now, I am impressed.” His figure loomed over me.

“You!” I wanted to shout, however, my mouth along with the rest of my body was still held fast in the iron grip that both he and Alphandé’s power had over my body.

“Yes, me.” he said having perceived my thoughts and smiled wickedly. “I suppose you want to know how as well.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Not now my silver angel. I will tell you maybe another time, when I have you under my absolute control once more. If you’d managed to free Gareth that means that you can probably soon contact Evander and warn him not to come here and we cannot have that.” he said stroking the planes of my face.

I wanted to recoil from his touch. It was a wonder how one could crave Evander’s and reject his so strongly. I don’t know how I was to contend with these human emotions.

He shifted from evil glee to just plain evil as his features hardened once more. “You defied me and such a crime cannot go without its due punishment.” he said coldly.

I felt the sudden invasion of him into my mind and body until all I could perceive was the feel of him within me. He picked up on the tendrils of magic that lay dormant in my core and he seemed to wrap his will around it. Once roused, it was blindly painful and it was like the first few weeks again where I was losing myself in its hold. The tendrils he coiled tightly around me squeezing all sense of self out of me. Evander! I shouted to ears that would never hear me. It was becoming too much. My headed pounded and my bones ached. The pain was wickedly hot and I could feel naught else.

I tried to regain some control of my body pushing against the pain and hollow. I tried to open my eyes, but even that seemed impossible. I felt him withdrawing from my body.

“Now that is better,” he crooned. “Sleep tight my silver angel.” he laughed and thankfully he left me alone.