The Lost Arcs -Fairy Tail AU-

Omen of the Reaper.

"So Kayra" Delaney watched as Jura questioned the girl. "Can you tell me how these cards work?" 

Kayra was clearly shaken by his interogation. She'd paled significantly since they'd entered the small inn in the next town. Jura had promptly cleared out the inn's tea room and sat the Blue Pegasus mage front and center, even going so far as to keep Eve, Ren, and Hibiki in the lobby while everyone else squeezed inside. 

"I told you. They're just cards with magical seals! I collect them from mage's shops, just like Lucy does her keys" Kayra protested, her fingers toying with the clasp on her card holder. "I don't know why she wants me so badly!" 

"Do you have any cards that might be considered rare? Or even lost?" Erza asked, her voice not much softer than Jura's. 

"Just the atlas blast card. But I that one isn't lost. It's not even very rare. It's just expensive." She shook her head. "You've already sorted through my cards. You've seen them. If I was hiding one I'd tell you" 

"I don't believe her" Sting growled. "I think she's in league with this Gaiza woman. She's probably helping out Maizu too" 

"I am not!" Kayra said. Tears were coming to her eyes now. "I don't understand it anymore than you do" 

"Well don't cry about it" Sting scoffed. "Why'd Blue Pegasus send you anyway if you're such a useless crybaby. If what the fairy says is true, your magic isn't even that impressive." 

"Sting, that's enough" Jura said. "She clearly knows nothing about the attacks. And they are just summoning cards. No different from Lucy's keys" 

"Can we let the Trimens back in now?" Lucy asked. She was standing closest to the doors. 

"Better not. We'll need to search around town so we're all leaving anyway. I want everyone to stick together in pairs. Kayra, you're coming with me." Jura shook his head. 

Delaney frowned as the girl's face dropped. "Jura. The Trimens and Kayra handled themselves quite well. Kayra just has the disability of most holder magics. Her cards are precious." 

"Until I can see that she can keep herself out of the grasp of this Gaiza she stays with me." Jura said, opening the door and motioning toward Kayra. The Blue Pegasus mage shyly trailed after him, still clutching her card holder. 

"God forbid the Trimens go without their little princess" Sting snickered. "Maybe we should give them one of the others as a trade." 

"That's enough." Erza shot him a glare. "Master Bob sent Kayra for a reason. And she's prooved useful in survial environments so far. It isn't fair to question her battle skills" 

"Doesn't change that she's usless" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kayra had to move quickly to keep up with Jura's huge steps. She wasn't exactly shor for her age, even being taller than Eve in the right shoes, but the bigger man's strides were proving too much for her smaller stature. 

"I'm checking the shops along this side. You take the other" Jura motioned toward a market place across the street.

"O-okay" She was glad of the chance to escape the wizard saint. Kayra quickly crossed the street, entering the busy market place. Brightly colored stalls bordered curvy dirt paths. Fish mongers, flourists, and even a stall selling fresh tarts lined it, catering to the people that strolled through. 

"Hello there, m'lady" Kayra spun as a distinct voice called out to her. It belonged to an elderly man, bent over a low stall counter. He smiled at her as she noticed him, beckoning her forward. "You're a mage are you not? I can see your mark" She subconciously touched the place on her colorbone where the white guildmark peeked out under her collar. "You practice magic yes? Ability? Holder?" 

Kayra gave the man a once over. His clothes were dusty and patched, giving him a rugged look. His face was concealed by a hood and a scraggly beard. Under the dust covered sleeve of his shirt she could just barely see a black tail. Dark Guild. Probably Goblin Wing if she remembered the marks correctly. The man might know about the red woman they were after. 

"....holder" She answered, creeping closer. "Cards." 

"Any specific type?" He asked, eyes flashing with malice. 

"No. I'm not a specialized mage" She lied quickly. "Do you have any cards I could see" 

"Show me one of yours to prove it to me, darling. Don't take it personally." He smiled with blackened teeth. 

She withdrew her card soilders card, showing him the face of it. The smile on his face dissapeared as he looked at the c-rank card. 

"Pardon me lady. We're on the lookout for a particular mage with particular cards" He said, grabbing a box from under the counter of his stall. "A girl with big magic cards, see. Cards like dragon prison and sacred arrow" 

"Someone actually has those?" Kayra feigned surprise as she shifted through the cards he was showing her. Most were low level, filling in the D and C ranks. A few B's were mixed in, but none that she had any interest in. She caught a sparkle from the corner of her eye, coming from a card at the very end of the box. "What's this one?" She took it from the holder, nearly gasping at the face she saw. 

"Ah. The reaper. Not a kindly card that one is. But you saw it, girl. That means you've got some of the blackness in you" The man leaned over the counter. "The price is 5,000 Jewel. But I'll give it to you for....let's say 1,000 if you let me reccomend you to my own guild girl. We could use card holders" 

"Sure" She answered, eyes still focused on the card.

"See. We have our lady. And she's looking for these girls. Four of them. They know some weird lost magics that she wants real badly. One that works with evil shadows. One that makes minions appear out of nowhere. One that sucks magic into her own body. And one that brings magic gates out of blank cards. You bring her one of them, she'll let you right in" He sneered, whispering to her over the counter. 

Kayra handed over the jewel, slipping The Reaper into her card holder. She walked away, ignoring the cackle that came from behind her. 

She had a feeling she wasn't the only one in trouble.