Mischief in the Stars

Fighting the Red Storm

Rory sailed down from the air. She landed elegantly on the ground. She grinned a bit in her success. It took her many tries, but now she was able to land with ease. She could stay in the air longer now too. She wasn't able to fly yet fully, but she could tell Caeler wouldn't have her try that today. Rory hated to admit it, but she was glad that she had been able to gain something from his plan. Each time he taught her something new, she not only got a rush of power, but she rose higher in his ranks. Every few minutes, she reminded herself of her mission. She had to continue to remind herself because Caeler made the allure of power very strong. Rory would not side with this man- she would save her friends. At any cost.

"You're improving quickly," Caeler complimented as she composed herself.

"Is that surprise, I hear?" Rory questioned knowingly as she made her way to stand in front of him.

"Quite the contrary. You've mistaken shock for admiration, little star," Caeler corrected pointedly before holding his hand out. She stared at his hand, not moving. Did he really expect her to fall at his feet just because he taught her how to jump?

"Asking for my hand so early? I thought you were a gentleman," Rory mocked breezily, referring to his stretched out hand.

"I thought we established that I am no gentleman when it was revealed that I killed you, Rory," Caeler reminded her in a flat voice. Rory couldn't help but recoil, bewildered that he brought that back up. He had been trying to get her on his side. Examining him closely, she tried to figure out his reason for mentioning it. "I told you. I don't want you to be a feeble, agreeable fool! I want your anger!"

"Trust me, you don't," Rory grunted, letting her tight mask break slightly, anger slipping through the cracks.

"Perhaps, you are right. I don't want your anger taken out on me... I have someone else in mind," he began with an ambiguous half-smile, only confusing her further. He said nothing else as he dropped his hand to his side. Turning around, he left their mat. She hesitantly trotted behind him, trying to keep up with his quick pace. They made their way towards the sparring mat where Tempest was still fighting.

The man she was fighting almost had the upper hand, he pinned her to the ground but then made no other move. He must've thought he had won because he had her pinned. Tempest quickly weaved her leg in between his legs and pushed her hand to his chest. He flew to the other side, and she lit up her hand, holding the electricity dangerously to his throat. "Any more predictable moves you'd like to make?"

"Very good, Ms. La'More," Caeler praised, causing her to grin. She pushed a few blonde strands from her face, smoothing them back in her sleek ponytail. Rory glanced around to see the other people in his army. She recognized Valery, who stood in the front, but other than that, she didn't recognize anyone. In this room alone there were about fifty people, but she assumed this was not all they had in their arsenal. Caeler snapped her out of her thoughts when he addressed her. "Rory, would you like to take a guess at what his mistake was?"

Rory pondered for a few moments, recalling the fight that had just occurred. "He thought the fight was over because he had Tempest pinned."

"And what gave him that idea?"

"I'm guessing that's one of the rules in sparring. But in a real fight, people aren't worried about fighting with honor or worrying about the rules of engagement, they're fighting to win," Rory declared forcefully with a touch of ice in her voice, knowing that the warlock would be pleased with her answer.

"Indeed they are," Caeler agreed smoothly. "Now, as I mentioned a few minutes ago, I am not the one to take your anger out on. I would like you to spar."