Private Tales Read between the lines

[Zana]

Zana returned the smile a little more awkwardly, as if she were copying the movement rather than it coming naturally to her. She patted Zandor's side and did the same as the day before with un-tacking him and leaving him in the yard with the other mounts before following Talus to the training ground. Grey slunk along behind them, brushing up against Zana's knee every now and then when another Guard came a bit too close for for wolfs liking.

A certain uneasy spread through the link.

"A small matter like a mission?" or something more personal? came the impression down the bond, asking what she couldn't out loud. The rate the bond was developing she did wonder if one day they would actually be able to hear one another's thoughts.

Zana paused when they walked through the arch to the training grounds, surprise halting her steps. Quite a few of the guards were already practising with the shield spell she had taught them the day before and quite a few looked as though they were trying to experiment with it further. There seemed to be an odd... energy amongst them. Like... they enjoyed it.

The notion was entirely alien to her; training wasn't fun it was a part of the job.

"They are strange," Zana said faintly, her voice barely above a murmur.

 

[Talus]

Talus nodded his head, though through the bond she would feel an impression that told it was not in fact anything official. "Yes. I believe it will help with matters here."

I would've told you this morning but I didn't want to get your hopes up. Talus thought, more to himself than trying to send it over the bond. It had been a very real concern of his that Feb would outright deny his request. The man was enigmatic, and most of his decisions were based on the small futures that he could see.

There must have benefit to doing this for him, otherwise he would not have accepted.

When they moved through the Archway Talus was of course not at all confounded to see his men already practicing. They were dedicated to this, each and every one. A few of them held stern gazes, but most of them seemed almost giddy at even the small uses of magic they managed.

"They are." He said softly, glancing at her from the side with a slight smile. "A few of them have taken quite well to your lessons. Lola especially. She wasn't...the best soldier before your first meeting."

She'd nearly washed out half a dozen times in fact, yet over the last two days it had been almost night and day. "With this she's better than most of the others."

 

[Zana]

Flashes of medals, a woman on a horse at the front of a charge, sitting behind a desk years later with grey in her hair. Zana nodded.

"She has promise," after a moment she tried something a little different. She pushed the vision she had seen through the bond in a similar fashion to how she had sent through the images and thoughts of their time in bed together to distract him the day before. None of the visions gave anything much else away and so she thought it was safe enough to share; the more people who knew could change the future and not always for the good reasons.

Even as she was doing that her eyes were wandering over the scene in front of them. Not many had seemed to notice the two Dreadlords appear and her lips twisted slightly. How would they deal with a sudden attack of magic?

The impression of the question might have brushed against Talus' mind a second before bolts of purple energy suddenly rained from the sky in deadly arcs. It would be interesting to see how their shields stayed under the sudden pressure of fear.

 

[Talus]

Talus was about to open his mouth and say something when he caught the barest flash of the purple energy through the air. His jaw immediately clamped shut.

There was a tide that rushed from the sky, and then suddenly there was a splash of broken shields and yelps of surprise. Dozens of men and women fell to the ground, more than half of the regiment suddenly tumbling down in surprise as Zana's magic crashed down on them.

It was the other half that surprised Talus.

They remained standing. Their shields remained up, and even more surprising they seemed to band together and strengthen one another. Talus blinked a moment, glancing over towards Zana. "Better than expected."

Talus said, more to himself than Zana.

"Hit them again." The words were spoken tersely, a command instead of a request.

 

[Zana]

"Yes Sir," Zana was equally surprised that half of them had managed to withstand the sudden attack but also pleased. So in the usual Dreadlord fashion she turned it from one to ten in her next attack. The purple energy fizzled away with a snap and a crackle turning into tiny little butterflies that glistened in the sun. They were beautiful really and a stark contrast to the horror of the energy they had just unleashed on half the regiment. Then came the wave of invisible punches. Much like she had done to Talus the day before there was the barest of shimmers as the wall passed through a sunbeam and then they slammed into each Guard in a series of violent punches with enough force behind it to break a bone if their shield faltered.

At the same time from beneath their feet the ground began to crack and move, lumps lifting into the air or disappearing 60ft below turning the field into a jungle gym of pillars and dips and troughs that was a minefield to navigate.

 

[Talus]

One by one they fell as Zana struck them, one by one the shields crumpled and the soldiers behind them went flying or toppled as the earth fell out from beneath them.

Some panicked, others did their best to stand firm, but all of them fell.

Save for five.

Out of three hundred men, only five remained standing after Zana's second assault. All of them looked tired, ragged, the magic having taken its toll. All of them however were still standing, still holding to their pride and staring up at the two Dreadlord with what could only be taken for defiance.

Lola was among them, as were two of Talus' chosen officers. The other two he did not recognize, though he most certainly would from now on. "Enough, I think."

He said softly, wondering if his men would even be in any condition to train for the day.

It was a good thing he and Zana were going to cut out earlier anyway. His lips thinned, and then he let his voice boom out.

"Expect attack at all times. Stand firm. Stand together." He gazed over the field where some of the soldiers were now pushing themselves up from the ground. "You did well."

He smiled, letting the pride shine through his words. "Thirty minutes to get yourselves together. Then we do it again."

With warning this time.

 

[Zana]

Zana was about to try another attack when Talus called for a halt. Her eyes slid to the side to see if he truly meant it and then, with a frown, she let everything drop. It was like shaking off a large blanket; cobbled and bricks sailed back to where they came from, the grass relaid itself as clumps of earth returned to where they had once been. A single, tiny chip of brick which was trapped under one of the Guards' feet wriggled until he lifted his foot and it shot back to its place on the wall.

It looked as good as new.

She turned away from the mouths that hung open and the mutters under breaths and discreetly placed two fingers to the bridge of her nose. Once she was sure she wasn't going to start bleeding she snuck an oat bar out of her pocket and chewed on it to get some of her energy back.

When the thirty minutes were up and not a second more Zana took a breath and launched back into the training. It made the first session look tame. It was as if the ground had birthed a multi limbed beast. Guards were dragged by their ankles, wrists, around the waist. It smashed through shields were concentration was not perfect or snuck around or over it. People screamed as they went hurling through the air though even though it looked as though they hit brick, floor, cobbles, to those used to magic they would see they stopped just shy of hitting the surfaces.

Zana didn't let them die even when several of them should have.

 

[Talus]

The day went by surprisingly quickly, and it was around noontime after the latest round of destruction that Talus reached up a hand and called for a close.

"That's enough for today." Talus said as he sheathed his sword. In this latest round of practice he and Zana had taken to teaming up as distractions. She would use her magic, and he would weave through the spells throwing the soldiers off balance even more.

It had been a surprisingly effective strategy, especially with how they could communicate through the bond. No one had even gotten close to striking Talus, it was almost like he'd had a second set of eyes.

His arms slowly crossed slowly as he called out to one of Lieutenants. One of the five who had withstood Zana's second assault. "Markus. You have an hour break then run through the regular exercises. My fellow Dreadlord and I have something to attend to."

There was a quick nod and a salute before the man walked off shouting orders. Talus watched for a moment, then walked over towards Zana. She looked tired, haggard, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of worry.

Somehow he tried to send his own strength through the bond, a trickle of energy. "Ready?"

He asked.

 

[Zana]

Zana had sat down to catch her breath when Talus had called for a stop to the attacks. She had disguised it as her tending to the sword she had been using, giving it a slow clean though the dragon forged blade barely needed it. She was pretty sure it could cut through a piece of silk if it was draped over the edge. She was quietly admiring the patterns in the metal when Talus' shadow fell over her and she looked up. The flicker of worry reached her down the bond and the odd impression of his own energy.

It was hard not to smile.

I'm fine.

Zana had gone through far worse and then fought battles, led regiments. As long as she could get a few hours of sleep tonight she would be better tomorrow. Of course, what she actually did was nod and stand. running a hand through her sweat soaked hair.

"Where are we going?" she whistled and Grey trotted over to join her as she clambered back onto Zandor's back. The horse pranced sideways and began to throw his head up and down impatiently.

 

[Talus]

Talus briefly wondered if he should get a horse of his own, but ultimately decided against it. *The moors.""

That was or course a rather wide area, but Talus knew exactly where Fen would be waiting for them. His old mentor had a soft spot for a field of wild flowers a few miles in, a place the two of them had nearly destroyed the first time they'd sparred.

"Don't worry, Dreadlord." He smiled up at her. "I won't keep you out past your bedtime."

He teased her with another quick smirk, and then set off out of the gates.

 

[Zana]

What was so important on the Moors?

Zana blinked at the quip and for a moment she merely stared at the spot he had been. Her eyes caught that of another Guards who had seen the exchange; he looked equally confused. She felt her cheeks heating somewhat then clicked her tongue and sent Zandor trotting after him. Grey raced ahead of them both clearly eager to have both of his owners together and alone again. Not for the first time Zana wondered if the wolf seemed to understand their need for secrecy. She of course spoke to him but it was in the way most people spoke to animals with the expectation they didn't understand a word of what you were really saying.

But with Grey...

The further they got from the city the more she relaxed and finally, when she had checked once more to ensure there were no signs of people around, she gently reached down to run her hand through his hair.

"What are we really doing up here?"

 

[Talus]

He took a breath as she asked her question. Talus had been wondering how to broach the subject. It wasn't easy to explain why he'd been keeping Fen's powers a secret, and in truth he felt as though he'd betrayed her by doing it.

But it hadn't been his secret to tell. "Were going to see Fen."

Zana would know the name, would even know who he was. Talus had shared some details of his relationship with the man before, and beyond that Feb had a reputation as a wastrel and vagabond. A Dreadlord who practically disgraced the title and only kept it because he was lucky enough to never have lost a fight somehow.

"There's...something I haven't told you about him." He chewed his lips. "I wanted to...but it wasn't for me to say... I'm only doing it now because he granted me permissions because..."

He was rambling. "I know you don't sleep long at night. Know the visions wake you up and keep you exhausted. I think Fen can maybe help with that."

Talus was really burying the lead.

"He's kept it a secret for a long time, I don't think even his wife knows." Still rambling. "He can do...well not what you do. It's different but, he can see the future."

He glanced up at her quickly. "Not far, a few minutes at most, but that's how he's kept himself alive."

Even a Dreadlord couldn't kill you if you knew exactly what they were about to do.

"I was thinking it might help to talk to him. Took me a bit of convincing but he agreed." He'd practically had to beg, and in the end Talus wasn't entirely sure why Fen relented. He was glad for it though.

 

[Zana]

Zandor came to an abrupt stop.

Another... Dreadlord who could see the future? Zana stared at Talus as if he had suddenly grown another head and for a moment all she could do was sit there. Even her emotions on her side of the bond seemed to quieten as shock rolled through her. Truly, she had thought there had been nobody else with her types of gifts even if they were similar only to an extent. There had been so many times she had wanted to ask someone, anyone, questions. Now the opportunity was presenting itself to her and she didn't know what to say or feel.

Grey came to a stop a little ways ahead of them when he noticed his group weren't keeping up.

"I..." Zana's brows pulled down into a small frown then she shut her eyes and shook her head. "I'm not mad you kept it a secret Talus," for she could feel his worry through the bond. After a moment more she nudged Zandor on again.

"I've dreamed of what I would ask someone for years and now... now I don't know what to say."

 

[Talus]

He breathed a sigh of relief.

It was the only secret that he had kept from her, the only thing he'd not told her about it shared. He reached up and gently placed a hand on her thigh as they continued. "Im not sure how helpful he'll be."

Talus knew that Fen's gift was very different than Zana.

She received visions, saw snippets of what night be. From what he understood, Fen saw...well pretty much everything around him and what was most likely to happen to it all. Some things were unpredictable, and even people could surprise him, but by and large he had learned to pick out the most possible future and work with it.

Just how he did that Talus had no idea.

"But I want you to sleep." He looked up at her. "And he promised to help as best he could."

The field of wildflowers was coming up soon, and within it would be a man dressed in black leathers, looking more like a rogue than any sort of Dreadlord.

 

[Zana]

A small smile tugged at her lips and she ran her knuckles gently down his cheek. Again, the fact he cared for her astounded her. Zana had been dealing with this for so long she barely ever thought anything of it anymore unless it was about how irritating it was.

"I love you," she practically drew Zandor down to a stop as she leaned down to kiss him. Her hand slid behind his neck and pulled him in to meet her half way. "This is what I mean when I say you take care of me," she whispered when they broke apart, ran a thumb across his jaw one last time before sitting up and continuing on their way.

When the figure finally came into view Zana slid off Zandor's back. Nerves filled her and swept down the bond in a rush. She left the horse to put his head down and then slid her hand into Talus'. What she knew about Fen wasn't exactly good, he had a poor reputation and when Talus had chosen the guard most hadn't been surprised to discover his mentor had been Fen.

"I think I would rather be facing down another dragon," she admitted quietly as they began walking to meet him.

 

[Talus]

He chuckled. "Scared of the Wastrel Dreadlord?"

Talus teased quietly, though he slipped his hand into Zana's and gently squeezed to show her that it would be alright. Fen already knew about them, he'd read it on Talus through one of the futures he saw.

"Took you long enough."
​

"We had some training to do." Fen just smiled at the words, glancing at Zana. "Fen this is Zana, Zana this is Fen."

He introduced the two of them with a smile, half steppind to the side

"Alright. I can already see the barrage so I'll just go ahead and get this out of the way."
​

Talus shot his mentor a look as he began to prattle off some answers to questions Zana hadn't even asked.

 

[Zana]

It was like having her mind read.

How did his visions work? How did he sort through them? Could he control them?

Could he make them stop?

Some of his answers she had come to the same conclusion as he had. Emotional trigger points, pain. Sharper visions signified higher probability of happening. Sometimes, more than her.

No, nothing stopped them.

Zana sat down amongst the flowers and set her helmet to the side, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. His answers were both frustrating and comforting. She tried to organised her thoughts into some sort of order but failed for several minutes. Her mind was still reeling from the fact he even existed and hadn't been discovered somehow - though no sooner had she thought to ask did he answer. His gifts were limited to a few seconds at the most. Easier to hide.

She nodded even though he would have foreseen her answer.

"And yours?" Zana plucked a flower from the meadow carpet and twirled it between her fingers. He hadn't agreed to this out of the kindness of his heart, maybe out of some love for Talus, but he clearly had his own agenda. Her eyes raised to his.

 

[Talus]

Talus remembered when Fen had first done this little trick with him. It had been obnoxious, he would think of a question and the answer would come before he could even say anything at all. The mad had a way to make it seem mocking, though with Zana Talus noticed he was far more kind. A frown touched his lips, stand besides his love as Fen also sat himself down in the grass

The youngest of the three Dreadlords couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to have their abilities. He'd seen some of Zana's visions, and Fen had explained at length how it worked for him.

It seemed...intense. the idea made him somewhat uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because he still didn't have full control of even his own magic. New things were still happening. The tendrils, the way he taken Zana to dark dark abyss. It was like he was flexing against some binding he hadn't noticed before, spurned on by the comfort of Zana's love.

"I can't see far. Never could. Except for one time."

Fen glanced to Talus, then looked back at Zana.

"Need you to look for me and confirm something. If you do that. I'll give you something more than just answers to some questions."

​

 

[Zana]

His Death.

Zana wondered if it was the same for everyone who could see the future; the desperate need to know when it would end. She had been young when the visions had shown her her ultimate end and it had been a reoccurring vision ever since. Nothing changed. Her lips pressed into a thin line and then she dropped the flower and held out her hands, palms facing up. Just before he laid his hands on hers she curled them back and fixed him with a peculiar look.

"Are you sure?"

Sometimes Zana wished she didn't but then she also wished she knew more. When he nodded with a stubborn expression on his face she recognised as a similar one to Talus she inclined her head and opened her hands again.

The pain shot through the bond like a lightning rod as her eyes clouded over into the white mists that sometimes took hold when a vision was particularly intense. She didn't flinch though, her eyes elsewhere.

The fire was roaring in the hearth.

A woman was sat nursing a small child, rocking back and forth in a rocking chair. Fen stepped over to place a kiss on her forehead and drape a warm blanket over her lap. His lips moved, the woman smiled and laughed at some secret joke. She asked for something and tried to swat him away. He stood with his hands raised and turned away.

Pain crossed his face and he stumbled, fell to one knee then the other.

The woman was asking - no shouting - his name now. Desperately gathering her feet under her to get up and be by his side. He was flat on the floor by this point, an almost peaceful expression on his face.

The vision ended with the woman screaming for help. It echoed in her ears even as she pulled back and her eyes once more focused on the man opposite her. She could see the tight set of his jaw. She had been about to tell him out loud but then shut her mouth; he no doubt already saw what she was about to say.

"She's beautiful," his daughter.

 

[Talus]

"I've always thought so."
​

There was a pain in his eye, a deep and hurtful pain, but also acceptance. It was clear that he'd seen the vision before, clear that he'd just wanted another glimpse so he could finally confirm it for himself a. His chest filled with a breath, and then he nodded his head as if he pushed all other thoughts away.

"What?" Talus asked, glancing between the two. He had felt Zana's hurt, her pain and worry, but he'd not seen the vision himself.

"No worries, lad. Just something we all have to deal with. I have a gift for you though."​

Talus looked at the man with araised eyebrow.

By his very nature Fen was a secretive man, he didn't tell most people anything, and that was how he'd survived all these years. If no one knew his secret, no one could get him. An easy enough concept really.

"Here."
​

From the satchel on the small of his back he pulled out a wrapped cloth, a slight clink sounding as he offered it to Zana. Inside she would find a pair of manicles crafted of pure silver, dozens upon dozens of tiny intricate runes carved into them.

"I got these years ago in the Falwood. Bindings meant for Dreadlords, crafted by the Elves during the third war. They take away your ability to use magic."
​

Fen glanced between the two of them.

"They would stop the visions. I never used them, too dangerous in case something happened, but..."
​

He shrugged, his implication was clear as he gestured to Talus.

 

[Zana]

Zana couldn't help giving his hands the gentlest of squeezes before he took back his hands and then let her own drop to her lap. There was a troubled look on her face which only deepened when he didn't tell Talus. There was an uneasiness in her but she wouldn't speak of it if he hadn't. If she knew her lover as well as she thought she did she knew he wouldn't be able to sit still and let fate happen how it was meant to. He would also probably worry the same thing would happen to Zana. Her lips pressed into a tight line.

Lost in the thoughts she only half tuned back in to what he said as he passed her the bundle. Slowly she unwrapped it and then flinched when she realised what they were a second before Fen spoke. Her stomach rolled, nausea rose in the back of her throat and her head spun. He wasn't wrong it would stop the visions but she would have to rely on Talus entirely to protect her. Her mind went to the assassins in the cabin; what if she had them on and something like that happened again?

"Thank you," she passed them to Talus so he could inspect them. Grey suddenly trotted back to the little group panting, obviously he had been chasing something and he flopped down now to put his head in Zana's lap and give Fen a cool look.

"You and your wife should come for dinner sometime," it was a spur of the moment offer. Her gaze flicked between the two men, smiling slightly at both of their started expressions.

 

[Talus]

Fen smiled.

"Thank you for the offer, but there's a reason I keep her a hundred miles from this place."
​

Fen's wife was of course Dhalia Lasset, heir the House Lasset. It was a minor noble family that did business in the cultivation of certain flowers that were needed for spells all over the worlds. Their trade was a lucrative one, but the family had never cared to insert itself into politics.

They were largely ignored because of that.

"Besides, she hates Dreadlords. Even the good ones."
​

He smiled at the two of them for a second, then pushed himself off the ground. Talus was holding up the cuffs, frowning as he inspected then with a small amount of interest. Could this actually help Zana sleep? He would have to protect her...but he could do that.

He would always do that. "Fen, thank yo-"

"Didn't do it for free. See you around Kiddos, I got an act to keep up back in the city."
​

With that, the elder Dreadlord turned and walked away. Leaving Talus and Zana in the field.

 

[Zana]

Zana watched him go in silence as she ran her fingers through Greys fur until the wolf began to softly snore in her lap. She could feel her own eyes getting heavy and after a while she let herself fall back into the long grass with a soft sigh. Grey gave a stretch.

"You want me to use them don't you?" she asked after a while. She could feel his curiosity and his hope that it would help her. She couldn't say she blamed him; this morning had been the worst she had woken up with him before no doubt it had been startling. Startling enough he had sought out his old mentor and begged him to reveal a secret that could get him killed or used in the exact same way as Zana was.

Her eyes opened and she looked up at him from her spot in the grass.

 

[Talus]

Talus let out a long sigh. He knew her too well, knew that she would see the danger and push back against it

He couldn't blame her in truth. Even holding the manacles made him nervous. The thought of losing his magic, even temporarily, was...terrifying. Most Dreadlords would have destroyed the manacles as soon as they saw them. It was a dangerous thing to have around.

"Yes." Talus said softly as he sat himself down in the flowers besides her. "I do."

He would not lie to her, not now and now ever. This opportunity was not one he wanted to pass up. Talus had no idea when Zana had had an actual good night's sleep, but this presented an opportunity like no other. He wanted it for her.

"I won't insist or fight you for it if you say no." He wrapped the manacles back in their cloth and slid them into the pouch on his belt.

His hand gently brushed through the hair.

"But I'd like you to try." Talus said softly. "Even if I have to stay awake a whole night to guard you."

 

[Zana]

Zana shifted herself as best as she could with Grey's weight on her stomach to rest her head in his lap. The grass was so tall that if anyone had been looking up at them they probably would have only just seen Talus' head above the flowers. Her eyes closed again as he stroked his hands through her hair.

"Not in the city," she didn't trust the different dangers that lurked here. "Dreadlords live all down my street and if someone like Ashur just turned up or one of my Commanders..." she put her hands over her face and rubbed at her eyes. She couldn't believe she was even entertaining the idea. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she still felt sick at the very thought of it.

"I want to know how I can get them off quickly if I need to as well..." slowly her hands down her face then looked up at him from her position. "I will try it for you."