Nethermost Realm: Prisoner of Arlunn

Chapter 54

Please note: I am updating this draft of The Prisoner of Arlunn. The most important change is that the main character's name has been changed from Philip to Rian.

54

It had been very early in the morning when Arryk and Barris returned to the tower where the Arlunni were holding Rian. Then, Rian had regained consciousness but he didn't seem to recognize Arryk. He broke free and attacked.

Kyran had awoken at the same time, but acted in concert with his brother, as a magic-spawn. Barris, whom Rian hadn't noticed, had cast a simple sleep spell on Rian, subduing him. From there, Master Kaintin managed to render him unconscious.

Shaking from the burns caused by Rian's fire-blast spell, Arryk got to his feet. He spent a moment healing just enough to remove the most of the damage. Rian had definitely grown more powerful.

Together, they got Rian back up on the stone table. He'd broken the chains easily enough, so they didn't bother with those.

Just then, the Matrizar Genesse arrived and surveyed the situation. With her came Ehina and two castle mages.

"I was told that he was awake," she said, looking at Rian's sleeping body.

"He broke free from my containment spell," said Kaintin.

"Broke free, how?"

Arryk and Kaintin exchanged a glance. "He drew power from the Paravescea," said Arryk.

"What?" said Genesse. "Impossible! So, he truly is the necromancer, Molan, now?"

"Not necessarily," said Barris. "Rian was very talented with the Paravescea. He linked the Paravescea towers in the Interstitium; he even looked on the Infinite."

"Using our Paravescea in Arlunn?" Genesse looked disquieted by the thought.

"Yes," said Barris.

"To me, that does sound like Rian," agreed Arryk.

"But we don't know that this person is Rian--and not really Molan."

"He said he was Rian," said Arryk, defensively.

"He didn't seem too sure," countered Kaintin.

"The ability to access our Paravescea is very dangerous," said Genesse, considering this carefully. "We cannot allow that to happen." She went over to the stone table where Rian lay.

"What will you do?" asked Arryk, apprehensive.

She looked down at the sleeping form of Rian. "I must do a mind-scan. We need to separate them. Get ... it ... out of here," she said, nodding to Kyran. "Put it in a permanent containment field. I don't want it breaking out while I'm mind-linked with Rian."

"Yes," said Kaintin. He got Ehina and together, they moved Kyran, who still made no independent moves, to another cell. Barris followed them.

Then Genesse stood behind Rian and cast a restraint spell; magical ropes coiled around his arms and legs and fastened to the iron rings on the sides of the bed. Each of her castle mages stood on either side of her, protecting her: from Rian or from Arryk, it wasn't clear.

"Be careful," said Arryk. "I think he could break through that spell."

"He won't break one of my spells," said Genesse. She laid her hands on the temples of Rian's head and began the mind-link.