Book 2 Teaser: Chapter 1: Scars

Welp...end of a journey, beginning of another one, I suppose.  I said this was going to be the last blog post, and it will be.  Below, is a teaser for the second book in my series.  Will it happen?  Well, I intend to keep working on it, but it won't be posted here.  No interest.

This story is set 5 years after the end of my previous one.  Details from the years in-between may be revisited, but it's still up in the air right now.  Either way, Mina has changed and grown, in some ways you may not be expecting.

 It feels a little sad for me, ending this blog.  I had high hopes and now, I kinda have to carry on alone.  Most people I've shown my story to give up and don't get back to me.  Is it boring?  Is it just too long?  Does life get in the way?  I don't know because I never hear back about it.  I like it, so that's why I've written up to this point.  I just hoped that others might as well.  I'm going to keep writing regardless.  Fan fics, essays, and of course, my books and novels.

Mina still has several stories left in her and I intend to write.  For those who've stuck with me and her, I thank you.  I am glad for the few people who have paid any interest in this story.  Now, let's have a new journey begin.  To everyone who reads...see you someday.

Book 2

Chapter 1: Scars

            "Git in der an keep quiet!" Mina grimaced as she was thrown, rather than shoved, into a large metal box with bars on the door.  Casting a venomous glance back at the nine foot tall, beige giant with elongated arms and a squat, bulbous face, Mina bit her tongue and kept quiet until he was out of earshot.

            "Damn troll..." she hissed, brushing herself off as best she could with her hands and legs bound together by a short length of chain.  Gingerly brushing her long, emerald hair out of her eyes and over her shoulders, Mina got a good look at her new clothes.  The cloak and tunic she had been wearing when they'd taken her had been ripped off her body and replaced with a few strips of cloth, barely enough to cover her private areas.

            "Tch, wonder why they even bothered..." Mina snorted, glancing over her lanky body.  Though she had grown taller and a bit more well endowed in the years since her adolescence, she was still very bony and a little on the short side.  The clothes of a slave ill suited her.

            "So...you're the new girl..." Mina glanced over her shoulder when she heard a raspy, hopeless grunt.  Another girl was behind her, likely anywhere from four to six years younger than her.  Her red hair had been tied into a ponytail, but was matted and covered in dirt, and her adolescent body was tucked into a tiny ball.  The girl was curled up in a corner of the cell with her arms around her knees.

            "Something like that," Mina murmured, scooting over to the girl in the low cell.  "My name's Minava Gren," she said, extending her hand.  "What's yours?"

            The girl looked up at her with brown eye glazed over with despair.  "Claire," she croaked, unwilling to take Mina's hand.

            Stifling a sigh, Mina flexed her muscles in the bonds.  Taking a deep breath, she noticed immediately that the air inside the cage felt stagnant and lifeless.  Though she had a small pool of energy swirling around in her stomach, it was clear she would get none from the world around her trapped in the cell.

            "Claire," Mina said, looking over at the red headed girl, "How long have you been here?"

            The girl shrugged, unwilling to uncurl from her ball, "A few weeks...look...don't talk to me," she stammered.  "Making friends won't help here.  You'll just end up sold or...or worse," Claire swallowed, sniffling back tears.

            Mina's heart twisted with pity for the girl.  She gave Claire some space and edged over to the bars keeping them trapped inside.  Sticking her elbow through the bar, she turned towards Claire, who had her head buried in her knees, before looking out for any slavers.  When she saw she was in the clear, Mina carefully guided energy from her stomach, up through her chest, and into her elbow.  Digging through her memories, Mina recalled the black flames that had touched her flesh five years previously.  To her, it was as if the heat was burning all around her elbows.  Using that sensation, she forced the energy she had gathered out of her elbow and it sparked into a tiny gout of flame.

            Satisfied, Mina pulled her arm back into the cell and scooted back over to Claire.  "Clai-"

            "I said shut up!" Claire hissed, tears beginning to bloom in her eyes.  "If they hear us, we get beaten!  If you try and escape, you get beaten!  If we try and make friends, we get beaten!  Just...just leave me-"

            "Do you want to get out of here or not?" Mina said, her tone deathly serious.

            Claire looked up at her and Mina allowed herself a smirk, as those glazed over eyes came alive with the spark of hope, if only for a moment.  Quickly bowing her head, Claire trembled, "You'll get yourself killed, Minava."

            "Claire," Mina touched the girl's arm.  The girl winced and Mina noticed several ugly bruises on her arms and legs that had been hidden by the way she was sitting.  Nevertheless, Mina continued, "I'm not here by accident.  I came here to free everyone."

            A choked laugh escaped Claire's lips.  "Really?!" her tone was less hopeful and more derisive now.  "Someone heard that a farmer's daughter was missing or that a few street urchins were abducted from Umbra or Steadfall and sent out help?  I may be naive, but don't treat me like I'm stupid, Minava!"

            "I'm serious!" Mina grabbed Claire's shoulders as best as she could with her arms bound and the girl looked into Mina's eyes.  "I'm not alone either.  We're here for someone, yeah, but we're not going to leave you all.  We'll save you, but I need your help, okay?"

            Claire was silent for a moment, her eyes momentarily widening in shock at Mina's words.  Then she shuffled in placed, turning her bare back to Mina.  "I...can't..." she whimpered.

            Mina had to suppress a gasp when she saw the ugly black and red gashes on her back.  Claire had been whipped by someone who was an expert at inflicting pain.  She shuddered and began to sob as Mina reached out and gently rubbed her fingers over them.  Closing her eyes, Mina felt anger welling up within her, but pushed it back down and nodded.  "Listen...you can leave the fighting to me, but if I get you the keys, will you let the others out?"

            "Huh?" Claire glanced over her shoulder at Mina, wiping her tears on her bare arm.

            "Stay back.  I've got a plan," Mina winked at her.

            Shuffling over to the bars, Mina waited until she saw the lumbering form of the beige troll who had thrown her into the cage.  He was garbed in a dirty loincloth, with, to Mina's relief, keys dangling from the belt that held his clothing in place. 

            Taking a deep breath, she started screaming at him as loud as she could.  "Hey, ya big dumb piece of shit!" she cursed, smirking when she saw the troll turn in her direction, "Yeah, I'm talking to you!  Is that your natural skin color or did you just roll in crap to complete the look?!  I've seen some ugly bastards during my time, but you're one of the ugliest!"

            "Whatchoo say?!" the troll bellowed and began stomping over to Mina and Claire's cage.

            "Are you crazy?!" Claire let out a manic squawk and dived over to Mina, grabbing hold of her legs, "He'll kill you!"

            Mina winked at her and kept yelling.  "Do you know who I am?!  I've got big connections with the elder council, crap for brains!" she said, even as the troll fumbled with his keys and unlocked the door.  "I'll have you-gccck!" Mina almost bit her tongue as an arm as thick as a small tree snaked in and grabbed her by the throat.

            "Talk big now, girlie!" the troll chuckled, revealing several yellowing and brown teeth in his mouth.  "You tink you better than Scarble?  Without Scarble...you don even breat!" the troll growled.

            "Please, stop!" Claire shrieked, scrambling out of the cage and wrapping an arm around Scarble's leg.  "She's new here!  Please, she doesn't understand!" Claire whimpered, looking up at Mina.

            Despite the lack of air, Mina felt the energy in her stomach pulse with life and, despite her pain, she grinned.  Tucking her legs under her, she guided energy from her stomach into her feet before thrusting them at the troll.  A plume of fire burst out of her heels, hitting Scarble square in the chest.

            "RAGH! Scarble let out a yell and stumbled backwards, kicking Claire off him and dropping Mina as he tried to put out the flames.

            Landing on her feet with practiced grace, Mina took a big gulp of air and felt energy swelling through her lungs and her stomach.  Squatting down, Mina leapt into the air and landed right in front of Scarble.  The earth underneath her feet dropped as a small pillar of stone shot up between Scarble's legs, nailing him in the dead center of his loincloth.

            Scarble's face froze for a moment in surprise and pain before his eyes rolled backwards and he collapsed on the ground.  Hopping over to him, Mina took the keys from his belt and fiddled with a few of them until she found the right ones for her wrist and leg manacles.

            While Mina did this, Claire looked on in wide eyed awe.  "You...you're a mage!"

            "Heh...something like that," Mina nodded, rubbing her chafed wrists and bruised neck before squatting down next to Claire and freeing her of her own restraints.

            Looking down at her bruised and bloodied wrists, free from iron shackles for the first time in weeks, a fresh wave of tears spilled out of Claire's eyes and she wrapped her arms around Mina, squeezing the nineteen year old woman hard.

            "Ugh..." Mina grimaced, holding both of her elbows up to her neck.  Breathing in a slow rhythm, she envisioned her bruises disappearing and her elbows began to glow with a gentle white light.  The ache in her throat slowly dissipated and Mina took a deep breath.  When she was able to breathe easier, she returned Claire's hug.  "When this is over, I can heal those marks on your back, Claire," Mina said.

            Claire looked up at her as if she were the goddess Shanadia herself.  "M-Minava..." she sniffled.

            "Hey," Mina said, patting Claire on the head.  "My friends call me Mina, okay?"

            Claire sniffed back some snot and wiped her tears away before nodding.

            "Good, now come with me," Mina said, taking them over to several large stacks of metal crates not unlike the ones she'd been left in.

            "They...escaped?"

            "Hey, get me out of here!"

            "Oh, goddess, we're done for now!"

            "Lord prophet, have you sent us our salvation?!"

            "By Seran, that was wicked!"

            All around them, people as young as twelve and as old as twenty began to chant and call out to Mina and Claire.  Putting her hand on Claire's shoulder, she handed her the keys she'd taken from Scarble.

            "Try and free as many as you can, okay?" Mina said over the calls of the other prisoners.  "I'll take care of the other slavers and their boss."

            "But-!" Claire started to say but stopped and swallowed hard.  "Mina, their boss...he's a mage, like you and he's...he's more of a monster than the troll!  And they've got a naga with them too!"

            "Don't sweat it," Mina said, flashing her a reassuring smile.  "I told you, I didn't come alone.  I'm gonna signal my friends before I take out the slavers and they'll be here to help you."

            "She's got friends?"

            "A-are we really going to be freed?!"

            "Alright!  Give that bastard Harval what he deserves!"

            "Everyone!" Mina called out to them, "My friend Claire will start to let you out, but please don't run!  We've got reinforcements on their way and we'll get you home!  I promise!"

            "What do your friends look like?" Claire stammered, shivering in the cool night air with only her slave's garb to keep her warm.

            "One of them is a nal-vey with purple skin.  Shaved head, a trimmed black beard, you can't miss him," Mina said aloud so that those around her could hear.  "My other companion is a lich."

            She stopped for a moment and sighed as various wails of despair, shouts of desperate encouragement, and exclamations of ignorance bounced off the cages around them.

            "What's...what's a lich?" Claire mumbled.

            "He looks like a floating skeleton without legs and wears a black cloak," Mina said, "He acts scary, but he's a good guy, trust me."

            Claire still looked a bit uncertain, but nodded nonetheless and headed over to one of the cages.  Using the keys Mina had given her, she began to pull door after door open.

            Nodding at Claire, Mina headed out of the mass of cages.  She saw a fire burning a short distance north of her and walked a few meters towards it before stopping.  Taking a deep breath, she envisioned dancing colors suffused within fire in her mind.  Energy went from her stomach to her arms before multicolored fire began to rise up off her skin.  It crept over her fingers, which felt neither the energy's warmth nor the flame's heat, while still staying connected to her arms.  Raising her hand into the air, she fired a ball of the multicolored flame into the sky.  It looked like a comet, with a flaming tail, for a few seconds before it exploded into a dazzling butterfly of reds, blues, and greens.

            Within seconds, Mina heard heavy wing beats overhead and saw a purple skinned nal-vey and his couatl alight next to her.  The serpentine creature lowered its head so it's master could get off and Mina took the opportunity to pet it.  The couatl hissed gratefully and turned away so that she could scratch it above the eyes.  While she was doing this, the purple skinned rider narrowed his eyes at her and wrinkled his nose.

            "Wretched bastards," the man sneered, pulling a green tunic out of his saddle bag, "Only thing worse'n slavers'sre poachers."

            "What, don't you think I look sexy, Dakon?" Mina raised an eyebrow at him.

            "I ain't Gadius," Dakon let out a snicker and tossed the tunic over to Mina, who giggled as she slipped it on.  "Sure that's all you need?  I got your cloak an dagger here too if you want 'em."

            "I'll be fine, but there's actually a girl named Claire helping the other slaves get freed and...well, she seemed cold, so-"

            "Heh, I gotcha," Dakon nodded, stroking his trimmed black beard.  Glancing over his shoulder, both he and Mina saw several figures coming their way.  "Want me to take care of the small fries?"

            "Nah, I'll do it," Mina said, straightening her tunic which ended just above her knees.  It was a little large, but it allowed her to move freely without being too revealing.  "It's good practice," Mina added, "But there is a troll I downed near the slaves.  He should be out for at least an hour, but you know how trolls are."

            "Sure, I'll take care of him," Dakon said, swinging himself back onto his saddle.  "Give 'em hell for us, okay, Mina?"

            Mina raised her hand to wave goodbye as Dakon and his couatl slithered towards the cages several meters behind her.  When Dakon had left, she stood and waited for the slavers to surround her.

            There were seven in total, all snickering at the nineteen year old woman in front of them with her hands on her hips as if she were about to admonish them for their crimes.  True to Claire's word, there was a naga among the guards.  He had a serpentine body like the coutal, but only below the waist and he wasn't nearly as large.  Above the waist he looked almost human.  He had chiseled muscles and a grim, stark face that was a roadmap of jaded world weariness, all covered in grayish green scales.  There was also a Therian that was hunched over and covered in patchy brown fur.  From his hairless tail and buck teeth, as well as his snout and whispers, Mina assumed he had the blood of some kind of rodent in him.  Aside from those two, the rest of the guards were your standard array of thugs and murders.  Some bore scars, some bore tattoos, but either way, Mina didn't pay too much attention to them.

            "Looks lik we got a runner," one of the human slavers with a scar under his eye snorted.  "Looks lik we need ta edikate er about er new life."

            "So long as you don't kill her," the naga growled.

            "You eard him, boys!" the scarred man howled, raising his sword at Mina.  Two others joined him, with a mace and an club raised by each of them.

            Bending her arms in, Mina envisioned wind shooting out of her elbows.  However, in her minds eye, the wind grew thinner and thinner until it was practically invisible.  The air around Mina's elbows distorted and while it was clear the slavers could not see it, Mina could.  It was thin and sharp, like a curved blade.

            As the men bore down on her, Mina kicked down and wind shot out of her feet.  She spun high into the air before the men could lay a hand on her and glided down to the ground, as the thugs looked up, stupefied.

            "She's a mage!" the scarred man called, raising his sword only to have the blade fall off, shorn through at the hilt.

            "How observant," Mina sneered, allowing her rage to guide her movements for an instant.  Fire bellowed out of her feet and she catapulted towards the scarred man.  Reeling back her fist, Mina guided energy into her elbow and forced it out, causing a small whirlwind to shoot out of her arm, allowing her to punch faster than most people could see.  Mina's fist collided with the scarred man's face and knocked him several meters backwards before he sprawled out on the ground, unconscious.  The other slavers backed off.  Even the naga seemed shocked by her display.

            Cracking her knuckles, Mina glowered at all of them.  "Consider yourself lucky," she said, holding out her elbows once again.  Guiding more energy into her arms, she created another set of thin blades of air out of her elbows which jutted out behind her.  "If you were facing my teacher, you'd probably all be dead."

            Before any of them could respond, Mina dashed forward, through the last two human slavers.  Their armor fell to shreds around them, leaving them clad in only their loin clothes, while their weapons were cleaved in two. 

            While the human slavers looked down at their states of dis-dress, Mina spun around and struck the backs of their necks with her fists, dropping the two men immediately, before twisting around and kicking one of the last two human guards in the face.  He dropped to the ground as she turned to punch the last one.

            "Kekeke!" before she could punch the final human slaver, the rodent-like Therian pounced on her, wielding a hammer that was easily as big as he was with surprising ease.  Squelching the dirt underfoot beneath her toes, Mina raised her hands.  Though she was fast enough to dodge it, she chose to block the hammer with her wrists.  Her body buckled as the impact shot through her.  Though she felt no pain in her hands, Mina's legs wobbled as the ground underneath her sank slightly from the weight of the blow.  "Kekeke..." the Therian chuckled, only to see Mina's skin slowly flaking off of her hands.

            "That's not gonna work," she hissed, grabbing the Therian by his neck and lifting him over her head, with some difficulty due to the weight of his hammer, and slamming him into the last human guard. 

            Brushing a little more of the cracked skin from her hands, revealing blackness underneath, Mina turned to face the naga.  With a sigh, he brushed is thinning black hair back and pulled the spear on his back off.  Hefting it at Mina, he merely nodded.  "Let's go."

            Narrowing her eyes, Mina muttered, "You don't seem worried about your partners."

            The naga shrugged, his scales rustling slightly as he did.  "I cared very little for them.  I care very little for this work, honestly."

            "Then why-?" Mina growled.

            With blinding speed, the naga surged forward and was upon Mina almost immediately.  Though her eyes widened slightly, she managed to dodge his spear just in time, though the edge of his blade tore through her tunic and grazed her side.

            Guiding wind to her arms and feet, Mina flew backwards, her feet gliding over empty air until she was at least two meters away from the naga.

            "Heh...you're fast," he smirked, "Though, you shouldn't just chat...you leave yourself open."

            Mina smirked and rubbed her side.  "Or in the words of my teacher, 'you talk too much.'"

            "To answer your question..." the naga said, lowering his spear again, "I may not like where I am.  But I've got no place to go back to and no place I'm heading towards."  When he finished, he sprang forward, propelled by his tail.

            This time, Mina was ready for him, nimbly dodging the spear as the wind which curled around her arms and legs drastically increased her speed.  She could feel the air around her change and stomped her foot down.  A large shard of rock shot out of the ground and she pressed her elbow against it.  The rock clung to her skin and she twisted around to block the naga's tail, which had circled around her and was coming at her back.  The tail changed course before it hit her shield and skidded along the edge of the rock, allowing the naga to encircle Mina and ensnare her in his coils.

            Mina's arms were pressed against her chest and shoulders as the naga wound tighter and tighter around her, putting more and more pressure on her torso.  Her rock shield was crushed into tiny pieces against her body.  Air billowed out of her body as Mina tried to form a bubble of wind around her to keep from being trapped, but the naga's coils squeezed tighter and tighter until she could feel her breath being forced out of her body.

            "It's nothing personal...I just do what pays," the naga said, half heartedly, aiming his spear at Mina's shoulder, "Now, sleep..." he aimed his spear at her, but Mina opened her mouth and breathed a plume of flames straight at the naga's face.  It caught his thinning hair and the handle of his spear on fire and for a few precious seconds, he loosened his grip on her.

            Air poured out of Mina's feet and she shot up into the air, spinning about as she glided down to the ground, holding her sides.  The naga patted his face and spear out, but glared at her, his ire clearly raised.

            Glaring back, Mina charged towards him, her feet pounding against the damp grass as the naga shot forward, his spear aimed at her heart.  As she ran, Mina swept her hands over the grassy earth and pulled a small amount of water out of it.  Letting it fall to the ground again, she twisted her wind around the water and froze it solid.  She squatted down just as the naga thrust his spear at her and the blade streaked past her right ear.  The naga's body twisted, as he tried to bash her head in with the shaft of his spear, however Mina raised her right arm and blocked the strike, the force of the blow running down her arm, even though her hands felt only the slightest impact.

            Leaping back, Mina allowed herself a smile of grim satisfaction as the naga continued after her.  His scales hit the ice she had created and he immediately lost control, his speed rapidly increasing.  Mina jumped over him and hovered in the air, held aloft by wind coming out of her arms and legs, as the Naga skidded to a halt on the soil, using his spear to brace himself and keep from falling over.

            While he tried to regain his balance, Mina guided energy from her stomach to her foot and imagined it engulfed in the hottest inferno she could conceive.  Flames wrapped around her leg and she used the wind around her to spin like a wheel.  With one final gout of flame from her leg, Mina propelled herself towards the naga.  Though he saw her in time to raise his spear to block, the speed of Mina's attack and the force of her flames allowed her to heel to smash through the spear like a twig and deliver a devastating blow to the naga's shoulder.  There was a crunch and a snap and his arm hung limp as Mina spun backwards in the air, landing on the ground in front of him.

            For an instant, the naga seemed to be in shock as the pieces of his spear fell from his hands.  Then, he clutched his limp, useless shoulder and let out a howl.  "AGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Saliva flicked from his mouth as he fell on the ground, clutching his arm and shrieking in agony, as tiny flames still licked at the scorch mark where Mina had kicked him.

            Panting hard, Mina swallowed and took a deep breath.  Raising her elbows into the sky, she crossed them and crude shackles of rock slid out of the ground.  The stone manacles curled around the naga's tail, waist, arms, and neck before touching the earth again and locking him in place.  The naga squirmed in his new bonds, as his screaming died down, leaving only a look of intense shock and pain on his aging face.

            Sighing to herself, Mina rubbed her stomach and turned to leave, but the naga called out to her.  "Nothing...personal...eh?" he coughed, slowly regaining his wits.

            "You could've left and found another job anywhere," Mina spat, "As far as I'm concerned, you don't have the right to say that."

            "Heh...true enough...I suppose," the naga groaned.  Mina glared at him for a few seconds but it was clear he had nothing else to say. 

            Turning her attention back to the tent several meters away from her, she sighed.  "If the bastard doesn't know I'm here by now, he's either a heavy sleeper or dead,"           she muttered to herself.

            Striding up to the tent, which still flickered with lamplight from within, Mina tensed as the flap was pulled away.  "So, you're the one causing all the noise..." a man stepped out of the tent.  He was taller than Mina and had pointed ears sticking through his short, golden orange hair.  Wearing nothing but a set of blue pants and a vest made of blue and brown fur, the man walked barefoot over the wet grass, his muscled arms and stomach visible for Mina to see.  The belt which held his pants up was empty save for a set of keys.  The man was completely unarmed.

            Narrowing her eyes, Mina spat into the grass.  "Your name's Harval, right?"

            "At your service, milday," the handsome man bowed, batting long eyelashes at her and flashing a suave smile.

            "Cut that crap out," Mina snorted, wrinkling her nose.  "I live with a jela-vey who's more of a man than you, so stop acting all cavalier," she hissed.  "Your people are supposed to be rich and powerful...why even bother with slave trading?"

            The man named Harval shrugged, "Boredom...besides, it gives me plenty of chances to try and conceive an heir," he said with a smirk.

            The skin on Mina's arms rose up in numerous bumps and she shuddered as a chill ran down her spine.  "You're scum."

            "And you're not our usual merchandise...so, who's after my head, eh?" Harval jabbed his thumb at his chest, "One of the rival families, or-" the man turned his head just in time to avoid a fireball Mina threw at him.  It veered to the left of the tent before exploding in a cloud of flames which set the grass behind the two of them on fire.  "Well, I suppose you don't need to tell me now," Harval shrugged, "I can always make you tell me after I take my pleasure from you."

            Again, Mina shuddered as she didn't see any hint of joviality in the mans eyes, nor did she hear any merriment in his voice.  Just playful, self centered desire.

            "It is a pity though...I assume my men are dead?  I'll have to replace them when I get to Constantine...still, more money for me," Harval smirked, lowering his hands to his sides.

            "Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't kill," Mina retorted.

            "Oh?  Well, no matter.  I do."

            Mina felt the wind around her begin to shift and leapt back as Harval catapulted himself at her, carried forward by a small whirlwind.  Harval raised his hands and water pooled around where she was set to land, making the dirt collapse into a pile of mud.  Mina's feet slid on the mud as she tried to land, a gust of wind from her elbow shot her aside as Harval raised his hand again and a spear of earth shot out of the ground, grazing her shoulder.  Flipping onto her hands to regain her balance before righting herself, Mina took a moment to catch her breath as the jela-vey approached, smirking.

            "So, you're a mage...though, your power pales in comparison to mine, obviously," he smirked.

            Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Mina focused on catching her breath as the man knelt down and placed his hands to the ground.  "I had hoped to stop you quickly, but...perhaps we can drag this out a little bit," he licked his lips as he stood back up.  The water which clung to the grass followed Harval's hands, forming two long, thin, whips around his fingers.  Flicking them about expertly, Harval lashed out at Mina's shoulder.

            The emerald haired woman dodged to the left, but halfway up the whip, the water froze and twisted in a new direction.  The tip of the whip froze into a thin blade and raked across Mina's left arm, leaving an ugly, six inch long cut down her arm.

            The second whip came at her, but this time Mina stomped down on the ground and a pillar of earth shot up to block the whip.  Seeing the whip of water crash into the stone pillar and keep going, Mina leapt up as the water twisted into a long, thin sword and cleaved through her defenses.  It swept under her feet, decapitating the grass beneath her.  Immediately, the first whip aimed to hit Mina's left arm again, but she forced wind out of her feet and wove it around herself, flying into the air and hovering out of Harval's range as the whip whistled below her.

            Hanging in the air, Mina panted and wiped sweat from her brow as the jela-vey cast an arrogant smirk in her direction.  "How's that injury treating you?" he called out, lapping his lips.  "Does it hurt?  Come down...let me give you a few more stripes."

            Rather than rise to his jeers, Mina put her hand over her wound.  The blood froze as it came out, momentarily stemming the flow, but she still felt somewhat lightheaded and began to wobble in midair.

            Harval seemed to notice as well, because he clapped his hands together, combining the water from each whip, and lashed out at her.  Mina saw his attack coming and held out her right hand.  No energy flowed from her fingertips, but from further up her arm, flames began to gather along with crimson light.  It crawled up her fingers and formed a shield in front of her.  Harval's whip crashed into the shield of light and flames, evaporating immediately.

            Dropping down to the ground, Mina rubbed at her eyes as the jela-vey continued smirking at her.  "Looks like you're pretty worn down from fighting my men.  Tell you what...why not share my bed with me.  If you're good, I might even take you on as an apprentice."

            Mina held a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.  "Tchh...heh, sorry," she smirked, taking a deep breath and feeling energy flow into her through the air and the ground.  "I've already got a teacher.  And even if I wanted to leave him, I'd never settle for someone as weak as you."

            Harval's smile faded immediately.  "Fine...if that's how you want to play..." he said, clapping both his hands together.  The grass all around them began to die as water trickled out of the green plants and swarmed around Harval's feet.  "You pitiful humans...get a few years of training under your belts and suddenly you think you can rule the world," he wrinkled his nose as the water spun around him, compressing tighter and tighter until it was like a ring around Harval's waist, "Let me show you what true strength is."

            Raising his hand, Harval flicked his fingers at Mina and razor sharp shards of ice shot forth from the ring of water at his waist.  Mina held up her hand and formed her flame shield to block them.  The ice evaporated into steam in the air, as Harval continued his assault.  Feeling a pull on her leg, Mina looked down and noticed too late that water from Harval's ring had slithered through the ground and was coiling around her feet.  She tried to jump away, but water surged out of the ground and enveloped her arms and legs, pulling them taut with strong currents running through them.  Mina hung in midair, suspended within a large mass of water while Harval ambled over to her side.

            "Try and call me weak when you're struggling to breath," Harval said, licking his lips again before pointing his finger at Mina.  The steam from his previous attacks moved at his beckoning and surrounded Mina's head.  Forming a bubble around her face, Mina gasped for air as the hot steam burned her lungs and made breathing difficult.  Sweat blossomed on her face and she felt her head begin to swim.  Swallowing hard, she felt her hair begin to crackle with energy and glowered at Harval, moving energy throughout her body.  Before she could attack, however, a rock nailed Harval in the side of the head.

            "Leave her alone!" The steam around her head dissipated and Mina gasped for air, momentarily stilling the energy which was raging through her limbs.  Both she and Harval glanced over at the path she had come from.  The red headed girl, Claire, was staring at Harval, eyes wide with terror, but her arm was still halfway up in the air, from where she'd thrown her rock.  "Let her go!" she grabbed another stone and hurled it at Harval.  This time the stone stopped inches from Harval's face.  An ugly bruise had formed on his otherwise pristine skin and he snarled at Claire.

            "Learn your place, you piece of meat!" Harval snarled, water shooting forth at her from the ring around his waist.

            "Dammit!" Mina hissed, transforming the energy in her limbs to fire. 

            Heat surged out of her arms and legs, evaporating the water and though the steam burned her skin, Mina pulled it around her with her freed hands and used it to propel herself towards Claire.  She skidded to a halt in front of the fourteen year old girl and wrapped her arms around her.  A shield of light burst out of Mina's back and the water pelted it relentlessly as Mina took Claire's face in her hands.

            "You okay?" Mina grunted, grimacing as the shield of light behind her began to crack.

            "Uh-huh, but-" Claire stammered.

            "The other prisoners?"

            "They're safe.  Your teacher has them," Claire whispered, her eyes widening as she spoke.

            Glancing over her shoulder, Mina saw Harval approach.  Coiling water around his arm, Harval created a massive claw and slashed through her shield, leaving the two girls defenseless.

            He reeled back again and Mina tensed her legs to leap out of the way, but froze when she felt the air around her suddenly drop in temperature.  Harval tried to claw at Mina, but a wave of frost surged forward, curling around Mina and Claire and covering the entire landscape in ice.  Harval and his claw of water were frozen solid, mere inches from Mina's head.

            "Oh, thank the goddess," Claire wept, unable to hold back her tears any longer.

            Stumbling to her feet and wincing from the minor burns on her arms and legs, Mina spied the source of the ice.  Leading a small contingent of men and women in cloaks, who Mina recognized as the slaves she'd met before, was a figure clad in black.  He resembled a skeleton, wrapped in a sable, hooded cloak, however he bore no legs.  The skeleton's body disappeared below his spine, yet he floated in the air at such a height that he was easily a foot taller than Mina.  His bony hands were calmly folded behind his back and a dull green flame burned in his eyes sockets.

            "I could have taken him, Aeon!" Mina snapped at the skeletal figure.

            "No doubt," the voice which greeted her was cold and detached, however Mina wrinkled her nose and glowered at him.

            "I'm serious!  I was about to unleash my specialty, when-"

            "You will get your chance," Aeon cut her off, brushing past her without so much as a glance down.  "I am well aware of your power, Mina.  So, I will leave you to finish your battle in a moment.  I merely wish to secure Master Dezolis's daughter."

            Mina raised an eyebrow as she watched the other slaves walk past Harval's frozen form, some jeering, some in awe, but most staying as close to Aeon as possible.  "Claire, go join the others," Mina said, pushing her friend away from her.

            "But you're hurt!  We need to get you some med-"

            "He's not dead," Mina sighed, jerking her head at Harval.  "Go watch with Aeon.  It'll be safer."

            Claire turned from Mina to Harval, her eyes wide.  Already, cracks were beginning to appear in the ice and Harval's face was twisting into a visage of taut rage.  Slowly, Claire pulled away from her and joined Aeon and the others as they made their way into Harval's tent.

            Mina took a few steps back and focused on gathering energy from the air and the world around her as the ice imprisoning Harval began to chip off and rumble, the man within struggling to break free.

            Fire billowed through the cracks of the ice and Harval tore free, throwing his hands forward as he did.  "You wretched, uppity, bitch!" he screamed, hurling a stream of boiling water at her.

            Rather than dodge away, Mina held up her hands and a shield of white light spread out from her wrists, shielding the rest of her body, save for her hands.  The water crashed against her outstretched hands.  Though the heat was intense, Mina felt no pain run through her hands as she pushed the water to the side.  Even when the speed and force of Harval's attack intensified, Mina was protected by her shield.  Finally, she jerked her arms to the left and managed to divert Harval's attack away from her.

            When the steam from the attack cleared, Mina saw that the jela-vey's hair was in disarray and the bruise on his face had grown larger.  He no longer looked handsome or suave.  Harval's jaw was clenched tight, but his eyes betrayed his surprise at seeing Mina.  The skin on her hands seemed to have torn and ripped, in some places rising up, however Mina seemed unscathed.  Letting her shield fall, Mina grabbed the skin on her hands and tore it off, revealing blackened skin and sinew, pulled taut over her bones.

            Harval said nothing, but charged forward, his water forming a road for him to slide upon.  He reached Mina before she could react and slammed a fist wrapped in flames into her chest.  Mina was thrown back a few feet, grasping her chest, but she stood up seconds later.

            Though she was panting and grimaced in pain, she tore at the burned fabric that Harval had struck.  Underneath was another piece of skin that seemed torn and tattered.  Pulling it off her chest, Mina revealed an ugly black scar over her heart.

            Backing away from her Harval, seemed momentarily taken aback. "I didn't do that..." he murmured.

            "Tcch...you call those flames?" Mina snickered, putting a burned hand over her chest wound, "That's nothing.  I've been touched by far hotter!"

            "What in the Goetian hells are you?!" Harval hissed.

            A satisfied smirk crossed Mina's lips and she channeled what remained of her energy through her arms and legs.  "A survivor," she spat.

            "You...you think you're better than me or something?" Harval growled, rising up off the ground.  Water burst out of the ring around his waist, surrounding him like a suit of armor.  "Before I was exiled, I was known as Harval the River King, you insolent bitch!  I will not be mocked by some pathetic cripple who plays at knowing magic!  Let me show you...let me show you what it's like to have an entire river come down on top of you!" as he spoke, he rose higher and higher into the air, the water forming a humanoid body around him.  He sank deeper and deeper into the water, somehow able to breathe as a behemoth easily ten times Mina's size stood over her, fist raised into the air.

            "Gadius would laugh if he could see you right now," Mina snorted, wind wrapping around her feet as she darted out of the way of the fist.  It slammed into the ground, momentarily flooding the area.  Tendrils of water shot up from the flooded ground, reaching out to catch Mina as she dodged aside, but she was too fast for most of them.  Any which latched onto her were burned away with a plume of flame from her feet or elbows.

            Pulling back, Harval held out his hands and hundreds of hideous claws shot out of the watery armor, freezing over as they swiped at Mina.  Mina's speed increased as Harval's claws searched for her, rending the ground asunder as she dodged, streaking over the soil faster and faster with each second.

            "Stop playing with him."  From the tent, Mina saw Aeon watching her, a purple haired little girl at his side.  "Finish this."

            With a sigh, Mina slowed slightly, allowing Harval's claws to draw close to her.  With a burst of wind and flames from her feet, she managed to avoid one of the claws and clambered onto the surface of it.  Feeling her hair begin to crackle again, Mina envisioned fire and air swirling together in the sky.  The clouds in her mind darkened before light flashed through them.  Electricity danced off the surface of her body as she ran up the water leading back to Harval.  Tendrils tried to reach out and touch her from the other arms of water, but arcs of lighting cascaded off her skin as she passed, swatting the tendrils down.  Harval saw her and held up a hand, the water in front of him firing at her and freezing into spears of ice.

            Moving with the speed of lightning, Mina leapt into the air and flipped over the icy spears.  She landed on one of the watery claws directly in front of the aquatic behemoth's chest, with Harval still in the middle.  "I don't have a name like yours yet...but if you want, you can call me..." Mina said, placing her fingers, which arced with electricity from her arms, against the surface of the water, "Thunder Maiden."

            Harval's eyes widened as blue lighting bounced through his water giant, pouring out of Mina's hand and arm.  The water lit up for a few seconds before it collapsed in on itself and fell to the ground.  Mina slowly descended to the ground, whereas Harval dropped like a stone.  His hair was singed and his face was a mask of pain as crackles of electricity still danced on his wet skin.  Burns smoldered on his flesh as he twitched in abject agony on the ground.

            "I-Is he dead?" Claire stammered, shuffling over to Mina's side.

            Trying to hide the ache in her stomach and her exhaustion, Mina shook her head.  "I held back a little.  When he wakes up, he'll be in a lot of pain...but since he's going to face judgment for his crimes in Telnumbra, I imagine that'll be the least of his worries," she snickered.

            "A wise choice," Aeon said, floating over to Mina's side.  "If you must kill, let it be for someone more worthy than this wretch."

            "So...is that-?"

            "Yes," Aeon nodded, "Lucinda Ocura, Master Dezolis's daughter," Aeon patted the purple haired girl on the head.  Her golden eyes watched Mina with interest, though she clung to Aeon's arm like a lost kitten.

            "Hey there," Mina waved, half heartedly.

            "She can't speak," Claire mumbled, glancing over at Lucinda.  "We've never heard her say anything, even when that...that bastard," she swallowed, "Beat her."

            "She is alive and not permanently damaged.  That is what matters," Aeon said, holding up his hand.  A pentagram held within a circle of red light formed in his palm.  A tiny creature what was little more than a floating eyeball with wings and a horn rose out of it.  Taking hold of the creature, Aeon turned its eye to Lucinda before lifting it towards the sky.  "With the stars to guide him, Master Dezolis should be able to find us.  Take this information to him," Aeon said, before turning it towards the freed slaves.  "Show him them, as well." The creature let out a chirp and sank back into a circle of light in Aeon's palm.

            "So...hey?" one of the cloaked men called out to them.

            "What...what will happen to us?"

            "You said you'd take us home, right?"

            "I ain't wild about traveling with a lich!"

            Claire scooted over to Mina and put her arms around Mina's waist.  "Mina...he said we could all go home, but...what happens now?"

            Raising an eyebrow, Mina patted Claire's head.  "Now you go home.  We'll take some of you and Master Dezolis can take the rest."

            "There he is," Aeon said, pointing towards a beam of light that was shooting through the night sky. 

            The beam of light touched down a short distance from them and disappeared, leaving a man with short purple hair, garbed in a hooded purple robe with an eye emblazoned on the hem.  He carried a staff covered in rings which adorned what looked like a Dragon's claw curled around a purple gemstone at the tip.  The man pulled back his hood to reveal that he was blindfolded with a piece of cloth also bearing an eye upon it.

            Immediately, the purple haired girl, Lucinda, ran over to the man and wrapped an arm around his leg.  "Haha, hello there," the man chuckled, and stroked the girl's hair.  "Good work, Aeon," the man said, raising his head towards the lich.  "I knew I could count on you."

            "Minava did all the hard work, Master Dezolis," Aeon said, gesturing to Mina.

            "Then I have you to thank as well, Mina," Dezolis smiled.  "Now, I believe your messenger also showed me some people looking for a ride home?"

            "By Shanadia...is that..."

            "Our lord!  The Blind Prophet is here!"

            "Heh, even I wouldn't mind an escort from the great Dezolis."  The former slaves talked excitedly as they saw the man approach.

            "One more thing, Master," Aeon said, snapping his bony fingers.  Sixteen skeletons hobbled into view from the direction of the cages that Mina had left behind.  six of them were carrying the thugs and the Therian that Mina had fought, while six were dragging the troll across the ground and another four carried the naga.  All of them had been tied up with chains of ice.  "Please, see to it they are locked up in Umbra for trial, along with this one," Aeon said, pointing to Harval's body.  Immediately, a skeleton rose out of the ground, picked him up, and carried him to the other unconscious men.

            "Of course," Dezolis said, his smile fading, "Slavery is outlawed in all but one kingdom in Telnumbra...I shall see to it these men are punished."  As quickly as his smile had vanished, it returned and he turned, as if he could see, towards the slaves.  "Anyone who lives far away, I shall gladly escort home after these men are locked up.  If you wish to travel with me, please, step forward."

            Roughly half of the men and women tentatively walked over to Dezolis's side.  When no one else was ready to join them, Dezolis nodded to Aeon.

            "Well then.  I must be off now."  Clacking his staff against the ground, a giant circle of light formed around Dezolis, the slaves, and the prisoners held together by Aeon's skeletons and chains.  Runes and numbers, drawings, and forms appeared within the circle, but most prominent among them was a giant six sided star.  When the circle was filled, the edges rose up like giant blue walls and shot into the sky, forming a huge tunnel.  It streaked into the night before disappearing, leaving the spot where Dezolis and the others had stood empty.

            "Heh...guess that means we're taking you home, huh?" Mina said, wincing as she patted Claire's shoulder.

            "Mina, you're..." Claire stammered, finally seeing Mina's burned hands.  Her voice failed her as she touched Mina's charred skin.

            "This?  It's from a long time ago," Mina chuckled, rubbing her fingers together.  "It's a pain because Leyline energy won't flow through these fingers, but I can get around it," she shrugged.

            "Indeed...however your other wounds are fresh," Aeon put his bony hand to Mina's head.  White light poured out of the lich's hand and flowed down Mina's body.  The burns and cuts she'd suffered on her arms and legs began to heal until they were no longer visible on her skin.  "You should be more wary, Minava.  Your recklessness will be your undoing someday."

            "Heh, probably," Mina stuck her tongue out at the lich.  "Anyway, where's Dakon?"

            "Hello down there!"  Mina looked up and saw two couatls gently gliding to the ground.  There were harnesses around the massive, winged serpents and dangling from the bottom was a large pavilion.  The pavilion had a wooden frame which was held together with canvas and wicker, large and sturdy enough to hold more than two dozen people.  The pavilion touched down first, a few meters from Mina and the others, before the serpents came to a rest.  When they were on the ground, Dakon leapt off and waved to them.  "Not sure it will be large enough for everyone, but..." Dakon stopped midsentence and raised an eyebrow, "Did we lose some of our passengers?"

            "Master Dezolis has agreed to take roughly half of them home," Aeon said, floating forward.  He stopped and looked back at the assembled men and women.  "Come with me if you wish to return home quickly," he murmured.  He snapped his fingers and four doors opened up in the pavilion's canvas, forming a solid stairway up.  With the pavilion open, the lich floated up the stairway and disappeared inside.

            Slowly, with some mutterings and whisperings, the freed slaves followed after Aeon, with Mina and Claire bringing up the rear.  "Is that thing really safe?" Claire mumbled.

            "Sure, I've flown in it dozens of times," Mina shrugged, "Besides, if anyone falls, I can catch them."

            "No one's gonna fall," Dakon rolled his eyes and playfully batted Mina on the back of the head.

            "I know...but I still could..." Mina smirked and stuck out her tongue at Dakon, who shrugged and hopped onto one of the couatls.

            When Mina and Claire were inside, Mina pulled up the four pieces of canvas which had been used as a stairwell and held it in place for a moment.  The canvas stairway fused to the walls, enclosing her, Claire, Aeon, and the nearly twenty former slaves inside.

            The smoky scent of the canvas made Mina's shoulders droop and relax as she plopped into a seat which had been carved into the frame.  The leather and canvas inside the pavilion had been treated and was soft on the touch, bulked up behind the seats to form cushions.  Claire dropped down next to Mina and the other former slaves followed suit, resting with audible sighs as outside they could hear the sounds of wings beating.

            Aeon floated into the center of the canvas and snapped his skeletal fingers.  Small holes opened up in the sides of the pavilion, big enough to look out of but not climb through, and above him, a larger hole appeared, with enough space for a person to fit through.  Dakon stuck his head through it and said, "What's our heading?"

            Turning his head towards one of the slaves, a man in his twenties with a shaved head and a scratchy looking brown beard, Aeon called out, "Your name is Kashik, correct?"

            The man jumped when he heard the lich mention his name.  "Y-yes..." he stammered.

            "Your home is Phalan?"

            "Y-yes, sir...I was taken three days ago," the man bobbed his head up and down, clearly uncomfortable.

            "Very well.  Set a heading for the north west, bearing towards the Valkos constellation.  We will start with Phalan and head backwards along the slaver's route," Aeon said, ignoring Kashik and turning to face Dakon.

            "Understood.  Everyone!" Dakon raised his voice and smiled at the former slaves, though his head was upside down so it looked almost like a frown, "Given the number of people here, I'd say we'll be traveling for about three to four hours before everyone's back home!  If you require food, our lovely host, Aeon, can accommodate you.  Otherwise, try to get some rest.  The nightmare is over."

            The lich made no response to Dakon's jeers as the nal-vey disappeared through the hole again, but Mina stifled a giggle and reclined in place.

            She watched with some amusement out the corner of her eye as Claire and a few of the other freed men and women watched through the windows as the couatls rose into the air and the ground started to disappear beneath them.  A few of them stumbled and fell as the solid ground gave way underneath them.  The pavilion was built like a sturdy house, but with no earth under their feet, a few people struggled to keep their balance.  The feeling of weightlessness began to overtake them as they rose higher and higher, a few gasped or shrank away from the windows as Mina felt the air grow thinner.

            "Mina...it's beautiful..." Claire whispered, tugging on her arm.  With a smirk, Mina joined her at the window, as the grasslands and surrounding forests gave way to dark green splotches in their vision.  The Shokudo mountains in the distance were the brightest thing in the sky, still blazing with a telltale sign of volcanic fire.  Claire watched, spellbound as they began to soar through the starry night sky.

            "You'll be able to see your family in time for breakfast," Mina said, patting Claire on the back.  "I know they'll be happy to see you."

            "Eh..." Claire winced from Mina's touch, but smiled nonetheless.  "My mom and dad must be worried sick...I hope they don't think I ran away," Claire said, gingerly rubbing her back.

            Mina looked at where she had patted Claire and saw the ugly red whip marks across her skin.  With a sigh, she shook her head and took Claire in her arms.  "Sorry...forgot about those," Mina whispered, squeezing the girl tightly.  Despite her stomach gurgling in protest, Mina gathered energy into her elbows, which were pressed against Claire's skin.

            "It's okay...I'll be...ooooo..." Claire shivered and looked over her shoulder.  Mina's arms from the wrist up were ablaze with white light, which seemed to seep into Claire's skin.

            "No way!"

            "She's a mage and a cleric?"

            "Don't be stupid, she's Telnumbran...they don't have priests in Telnumbra, right?"

            Some of the nearby men and women gathered around them and watched Mina and Claire.  Though Mina felt a tad faint from the exertions, she could feel Claire's skin smoothing out as it healed itself quicker and quicker with each second.  Soon, the red scars on her back disappeared, leaving her skin unblemished once more.

            "M...Mina...you healed me!" Claire squealed, a few stray tears lingering at the corners of her eyes.

            "Well, I promised I would, right?" Mina chuckled, scratching the back of her head.  "I'm a bit tired, but if anyone else wants to be h-" before she could finish, men and women were throwing off cloaks and swarming around her, putting their scarred backs, bruised arms or legs, or even a few gashed faces to her for healing.

            "Ummm..." Mina stammered, looking about at the wounds, unsure where to begin.

            "Eat first," Aeon called out to her, floating over to her side and handing her a hunk of smoked meat, which she gratefully tore into.  "Take the eight on your right.  The rest of you, come with me.  I can also heal you."

            A few of the men and women looked unsure, but Aeon did not wait for their response and took up a position with his hands folded behind his back on the other side of the pavilion.  While Mina ravenously devoured her food, a few of the less patient men and women sauntered over to Aeon and the lich laid his hands upon them, which glowed bright white, as Mina's arms had done.

            "Okay, now I'm ready," Mina said through a mouthful of meat.  She swallowed hard and pressed her elbows against an ugly purple bruise on a young man's arm.

            "Ahhhh..." the man, who had short blue hair, let out a shiver and nearly wept as the bruise slowly disappeared.  "Th-thank you...it feels good as new!"

            "Next," Mina smirked.

            "Mina..." Claire murmured as a woman with several cuts on her face knelt down in front of Mina, "You're...you're amazing."

            "Nah, not really," Mina shrugged, pressing her forehead against the injured woman's.  Her face radiated with a white light and the cuts soon faded into her skin.  "I'm just a good student."