"Your what? What is she?" Owen goaded him to reply.
One word came to the forefront, but Tezaro ignored it. "She's...my charge. You know I have to get her to Anthonias. For Larn's sake."
"For all our sakes." Owen's eyes narrowed before he side stepped him and walked to sit by Aurora.
As he turned to walk to Aurora, Eri snatched Tezaro's arm and pulled him back. "She does not know, does she? Admit it to me right now or I'll go and tell her." Eri would be a giant if physical height equaled intimidation.
Denial sprung to his lips, but before he answered the truth escaped. "How did you know?"
"She's wearing your crest. I saw it. Why do you not want to admit your betrothal?" The gaze Eri gave him demanded answers; none of which he was willing to supply.
Tezaro's voice was a low hiss. "Because I have to protect her. Because I know my seal will keep her safe and she'd never accept it if she knew what it meant."
Still he wondered what if Aurora had understood the meaning behind his crest giving? Would she have accepted? Either answer posed a decision he was unable to face.
"It's only a ploy." His hand raked his hair in an angry stroke.
Eri's brows furled and her face wrinkled to a frowned. "You're evading the question. She does not know, does she? Idiot." He should have been prepared for Eri's shoulder punch, instead he returned her frown.
"What if she finds out before then? She will be hurt that you lied, that you betrayed her trust. Or will you honor your word?"
"No one is going to know. Leave it alone, Eri."
"So when you reach Anthonias you will get your crest back and simply let her go? Just like that?" Typical Eri, she'd hit the mark on the first attempt.
Tezaro clenched his fists. "Of course. I told you, this is all just for her safety, that's all. I'll let her go. Why would I not?" He tried to act casual as he turned and walked away from Eri's disapproving stare. Stepping away, he chose to ignore her not so subtle murmur, "jackass."
The scene before him unfolded with Owen and Lucas flanking Aurora. Then he saw Lucas take Aurora's hand and stroke it between his own hands. Yet what froze him in place was the easy smile Aurora gifted to Lucas.
Taking the opportunity to teach, Owen continued his lesson.
"You focus too much of your shield all around you, unnecessary when you know where the attack is coming from. Place your hands before you," he demonstrated and Aurora mimicked him.
"Cast your shield as a wall. Not only will it last longer, but you'll lose strength more slowly. Of course, you will not always know where the attack will be coming from and the energy strikes will get stronger as we practice." He omitted to tell her that there were few who could cast a full shield, a fact Tezaro knew.
Yet Lucas observed all and was alert of what was said. "I've never seen any mage do that before."
Owen's face became stern. "Then you must not know very powerful ones."
"I know you." Lucas retorted gleefully.
Unwilling to comment, Owen continued his explanation, "Nothing but constant practice will help you endure the use of your magic. You must learn to balance your energy and control it. You release too much of it at once. It is probably the reason behind your blackouts. We will start controlling your energy together with simple conjuring."
Uninterested in their lesson and realizing that Aurora was too exhausted to continue riding, the others left to their mounts. Silently, the tension eased out of Tezaro as he felt Eri's eyes watch him and shift to Lucas.
"Is conjuring the same as an illusion?" Aurora had finally managed to steady her breathing.
"Not quite." Owen shook his head patiently. "An illusion has no physical substance. It exists only before the eyes. For example this butterfly." He closed his palms together, and then opened them to reveal an opal butterfly shining in glittery blues, greens, and pinks.
It flexed its wings open and close. Timidly Aurora reached out to touch it but frowned when her finger went right through it.
"See, no physical substance, only the eye is fooled." Owen closed his hands.
"Something conjured not only takes the visual into account but it materializes as well." Owen opened his hands and this time there were several butterflies within. "Go ahead and feel one."
Aurora's fingers glided across a silky wing. "This is how you will learn to balance your energy." Owen lifted his hands causing the various butterflies to take flight. "When we were younger, I used to do this to cheer up my sister until---"
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Four butterflies were impaled against the tree by four small circular blades with jagged edges before they winked out of existence.
"---She began using them as target practice." A snort escaped Tezaro while Owen's hand held his head in defeat.
Eri gave them a wide grin, proud of her skill. "I'm even better than Tezaro."
"One time you beat me and---" In an instant, he drew his sword all playfulness gone. His eyes scanned the forest.
Before anyone else could react, Owen groaned and collapsed on the ground, a dart protruding from his neck. Aurora looked for Lucas, hoping that whatever was wrong Lucas would be able to cure.
Eri and Tezaro ran to her, Lucas loaded his bow. Aurora scrambled to feel a pulse while the others formed a semi-circle facing out. An arrow embedded itself by Lucas's feet followed by a voice that came from high on the trees.
"Drop your weapons." A disembodied voice ordered but none of the trio relinquished their weapons. Tezaro scanned the tree line.
"You are surrounded." Close to twenty elves with loaded bows appeared from the shadows of the trees that had so cunningly concealed them.
They lined the trees at all heights, and yet they made no sound as they moved. "We've been watching you." A few elves at ground level replaced their bows with short swords and drew nearer.
"Show yourself Red Fox." Tezaro shouted his challenge at the forest, bouncing back in echoes.
A laugh boomed from the trees. From behind the sword carrying elves, an elf with ebony skin and broad frame emerged. It was clear that though dressed as the other elves with blue strikes across their eyes, he was a mixed blood, a half elf.
"You will not see the Fox unless he wishes to seen. For the last time, drop your weapons or my men will fire."
Eri and Lucas kept their weapons high, waiting for Tezaro's response. He faced the leader. He did not like their odds; they would be dead after the first volley of arrows.
Unhappy with the decision but knowing it was the wisest; Tezaro returned his sword to its scabbard, and then removed his belt and daggers. Eri and Lucas followed his lead and removed their weapons.
Tezaro took a moment to glance back at Owen and Aurora. There was no way of knowing how long the poison would keep Owen unconscious, but he was certain it was not deadly. It was a typical tactic used to immobilize casters.
His eyes shifted to Aurora, hoping that she could read the meaning behind his poignant stare and not reveal herself as a magic wielder.
The leader stepped closer, "Back up from your weapons. Jarvis, bind their hands."
Lucas eyed him with scorn, "This is why no elvin house will help the Fallen. You steal from anyone, even your own people."
"Well, we do like to think of ourselves as progressive and try not to discriminate." The leader retorted with a mock salute. Several of the elves surrounded them in a make shift circle while Jarvis, an incredibly fair-haired elf, approached to bind Aurora's hands.
It was then Lucas decided to strike. Tezaro knew exactly what he was about to do.
Lucas glanced at Aurora's back where her hidden dagger remained sheathed. He reached for it before the one called Jarvis began tying Aurora's hands and threw a swift punch that felled the fair elf.
Dagger in hand, Lucas faced the leader, bringing the dagger out in a wide slash, hoping to gut him. The punch on Jarvis had been more than enough time to prepare the Fallen leader.
With a grace that seemed to belong to all elves, he quickly hopped out of the way and caught Lucas's armed hand. In two short breaths he twisted Lucas's arm behind him. The dagger fell to the ground. There was a loud bone snapping blow and Lucas hit the ground unconscious.
Tezaro took in the sight of Lucas's collapsed figure, "Idiot."
There was no place to hide fast enough from the rain of arrows that would surely have come if he had chosen to follow Lucas in his outbreak scheme. The risk was too high for him to take. He leaned close to Eri, "Still think the Fox is a hero?"
But she had no time to answer. Tezaro would wait and plan their escape. They'd done it before.
"Now bind their eyes and do not forget these two," the leader pointed out Owen and Lucas before walking away.
Eri whipped around to the leader. "What?"
"Do you think we intent to show you where we are going or how to get there?" The leader's voice remained mocking, but he moved on.
Tezaro had heard rumors of a hidden tree village the Red Fox supposedly used as a base. No one knew its location, but it was said to be very high of the ground.
"What if we fall?" Eri asked right before a thick hood barred her sight.
The leader's voice whispered into her ear, "Then you better not. It's a long drop."