A Price Paid

He stepped away and Sylanna was freed of the forces binding her body. She honestly didn't expect to get anywhere with an attack and it was more that she wondered what would happen as a result of her aiming mage fire at Vale. The energy fell apart as it left her hand and was drawn down as streamers into the glyph. Try as she might, she could not force it to do her bidding. Vale enjoyed the useless display of force. "Problems, Sylanna?"

"Temporary ones to be sure."

It was then that the other woman in the room laughed, "Oh, I remember that. Do you remember that, Deres? Do you remember the arrogance I carried the night we met?"

"Remember it? I still see it daily," he told her with good humor. "But that night, dare I say now that you had no real idea what you'd gotten yourself into."

"I learned." She glared at Sylanna. "So will you."

"You might learn a lesson or two once I break free of the snare."

Deres snickered. "Good luck with that. It draws power from the earth and replenishes itself. So it will die when the planet does. To tell you the truth, it isn't completely unbreakable, but, rest assured, that its beyond your understanding of magic."

The belittling annoyed her, her weight shifting back and forth, "And what do you know of

my

understanding of magic?"

"Oh, not your level specifically, Sylanna. Lovely name, by the way, if you'll allow me that. By 'your' understanding, I mean the understanding of every mage in your world."

She laughed. "So you must have learned in a world not this one."

"I did. Let's say I travel quite a lot." He noticed her shifting body. "Make a run if you like, it hardly matters. You'll only get to the edge of the glyph."

Thinking better of a vault towards him, she took one step forward, and then extended her finger. Once her reach found the edge of it, the gentle sound of chimes were heard again and was joined by the sound of an electrical discharge not unlike mage fire. The area around her finger became semi-opaque and she couldn't push through it or the pain that it created. The energy rippled up her arm and revealed hints of paler skin beneath. When she saw him notice that with some satisfaction she pulled it away quickly.

"You may as well let it go," he told her, circling his forefinger around his face "It's a more passive magic but the glyph will absorb that, too."

"I think I can hang on to it."

He was indifferent on the matter. "Suit yourself."

"Well done, Vale," Bryana told her as she gestured the other forward examining her as she came, "though you look slightly worse for wear. Are you all right?"

Vale blushed slightly at the concern, "I'm fine, Mistress, thank you."

"Should I be insulted that she was who you sent after me?"

Bryana raised her brow. "Why? Because she is young? She's not dead and you're here, so perhaps you should rethink your arrogance."

"She's not dead because I chose not to end her. I chose not to end her because I have no quarrel with her, nor you or your mates for that matter."

Vale cut in, annoyed to state the matter mildly. "You did threaten to kill me."

She dismissed it. "I threaten to kill a lot of people. I don't follow through nearly as often as that. Besides, we were in the midst of a fight. Am I supposed to ask for your friendship in the middle of a disagreement like that?"

Bryana decided to cut right to it, having little tolerance for a time-wasting dance. "Are you one of those responsible for the attempted abduction of Khylen Jaye?"

"I am."

Deres didn't try to hider his surprise, "That was quick."

Sylanna was indifferent, "Why should I lie about it? It is what it is. If you weren't already fairly certain of things you wouldn't have known the kind of trap to set and I wouldn't even be here. Or am I wrong there and this is just complete blind luck?"

He shook his head, not bothering to hide his surprise. "No, no, not at all. I was just expecting a bit more evasion; maybe a bit more anger."

"No reason for that. Like I said, what would be the point? And, in point of fact, I'm quite angry at the associate who set me up to be your guest." There was nowhere Aiken would be able to hide, and, when she found him, he'd beg for death before she granted it.

"No reason for you to take anything out on them," Deres admonished. "We just took a reasoned guess at Rostal and waited to see what would happen. Whoever gave you the invitation to come get your gift believed nothing was amiss."

She saw no prevarication in his eyes and decided that Deres just saved Aiken much pain courtesy of her, though would though, get a dressing down to within an inch of his life, but at least he'd still have one at the end, assuming these two let him live. Sylanna made her calculation quickly. The magics at play were impressive. She could feel it living even now as an angry force all around her. What power she could bring to bear was likely to be absorbed as easily as her fire and its hunger for her magic seemed to grow as time marched. She could feel that force pulling at her, like a tug-of-war from every direction. She now understood what he meant about her not being able to hold her masking spell. It was taking more effort to hold it at this moment than she'd had to expend in years.

As expendable as the magic ultimately was, so, to her, were her compatriots. "I'd be happy to give you the names of my associates and what I know of their locations, though I'm sure you know that outlaws mages move around quite a bit, and I will do so for nothing more than what Vale already offered me: the plant, a modest additional sum, and transportation well away from here. That portal is most impressive. I imagine you could allow me to go literally anywhere?"

Bryana entertained several options. "The middle of an active volcano, the top of a mountain, in front of a dozen arrows. There are many options, but that was if you weren't who we sought." Bryana stepped closer. "But you are, so you go nowhere."

Deres decided to indulge his anger. "What was supposed to happen to her, Sylanna? What was supposed to happen to her after she was taken?"

Her indifference was like a fine art and it angered him that she could cause so much pain and carnage and be as bothered by it as another might be over a cloudy day. "I have no idea. I didn't know and I didn't want to know. I was paid to aid in the creation of the pollen used in the harbor, seduce and corrupt a guard, and see to it that the girl was delivered to a boat in the harbor. I know what I did, and I know what the others were responsible for. I don't even know who the specific client was."

"Etan Strannix."

She didn't hide her surprise at the news, but didn't speak to it either.

No wonder Aiken was willing to do almost anything to continue the relationship.

"So, do we have a deal?"

Bryana laughed, remembering speaking similar words one evening. "If all we wanted was your help in the matter, that would be fine, but if we did that, where's the place in that for righteous vengeance? Where's the punishment for what you've done?"

"So...what, you're just going to kill me? What good does that do? I'm willing to help if we can make an arrangement."

"Who said anything about killing you?"

The words hung there for a time, "Ahh...so is it to be corruption then. Am I to be twisted until I crawl to you and beg to serve your whims?"

Deres looked her up and down. "Does that appeal to you?"

Sylanna groaned and winced at the imagery. "You only wish it did."

"You are going to pay, that I promise you, though on a more casual note, I do admit to curiosity as to what's under the veil."

She knew enough at this point to know that she wouldn't be able to hold it for as long as they could keep her, particularly with the magic around her pulling at her with even more insistence now. She took a breath and let the spell go, finding it a relief like stretching out on a bed after a long day. She heard the young mage gasp, but that didn't surprise or bother. Sylanna had experienced much worse reactions than that.

Her hair was dark, long and straight, combed back simply and it carried a sheen as if it were wet but that was one of the few things about her that was part of the common variations of appearance in people, but even that was marred by the sporadic occurrence of a darkened vein at the hairline. Her eyes were a near luminous shade green with flecks of yellow and sharp brows. Her skin was pale with a dark, natural blush at her cheeks that was a lighter shade than that found at the exposed veins and one that matched her lips and her fingernails. Otherwise her skin was smooth and, overall, she wasn't unappealing and he said so, having met more than one person, who, through happenstance or choice, didn't conform to the physical expectations of the many.

"Exotic. Very pretty. But not exactly a face to be lost in the crowd, so I understand the need for masks."

"Yes, hard to maintain anonymity when you can be picked out of a crowd by a blind man. That said, I would probably use the veil spells anyway. It's comforting in my work to only be recognized when you wish to be."

She clasped her hands before her. "Is this the part where I quake in fear over what magic you will use against me? Is this the part where I beg you not to use some alchemy that I have never seen against me?" She punctuated her statement by pulling another pod from her pocket. Deres's eyes tracked to Vale who became far more attentive in the moment and prepared for action before focusing again on the pod. He didn't have to look in her direction to know that Bryana had taken her cue from Vale and was also prepared for whatever may come. "And what would that be?"

"A not unpleasant little mix, as your young mage can attest." She pinched it until the soft pop and leaned into it, inhaling deeply as though testing a new perfume and healthy dose of melodrama accompanied the action. "Ahhh...refreshing." Her arrogant smile was like a slap in the face. "Do you think I was born this way? I have experimented with toxins and magic my entire life. I was but an apprentice when my guild master already feared what I could learn and banished me because he thought I would endanger his precious guild. The truth is that he saw in me his better and the one that would take his place."

"I kept working, of course. As one can grow immune to a snake's venom if they are bitten enough, so I have with the toxins. I work with, all manner of them. Exposure to some built my tolerance to others, which allowed me to use some of my experiments to improve myself. I have volumes of records I've built regarding what I've done to myself alone, much less general experiments with toxins, toxins upon toxins, and toxins coupled with magic." There was unabashed pride now, "I can see at night as well any of you can in daylight. I can hear better, I'm stronger, and I'm faster, too."

Her back was to Vale so she couldn't see the anger cross her features, "I really could have killed your little friend had I chose to. While my efforts haven't been without cost and pain, I understand the world and magic in ways you never will. I doubt you can poison me, and, while you may be able to manage my undoing with magic, I'm willing to bet I can resist enough to leave you with no victory beyond my corpse. So, kill me, let's come to an agreement, or..." She allowed her voice to trail off.

"Or?"

"Or," she dared, "let's see what you can do."

Deres thought of all she had wrought and how little it seemed to matter to her. He wouldn't make a deal with someone who had tried to harm his family in any case, but it was more than that. People lay dead and wounded, and many more were now faced with rebuilding their lives after being left with nothing. "In my experience, that's usually one's undoing; facing off against what you don't understand." He chose to be honest with himself and admit that he would enjoy what came next. "Prepare for another lesson in the world."

He went to Bryana and Vale followed suit. Vale made her feelings clear enough, "With respect, Mistress, melt her mind, take what you need from it, and leave her husk in the grass somewhere."

Deres looked on approvingly, "I see you gave her a tongue in addition to her guild markings. It wasn't that long ago when it seemed like she asked permission to whisper."

Vale blushed in embarrassment, "Forgive me if I overstepped, but..."

Bryana appraised her, happy with what she saw. "She is just concerned for us, and I want and demand her honest counsel." Bryana couldn't help but pile on a bit. "Though I admit I have rarely heard her so bloodthirsty."

"You know I have no love for violence or harming others unnecessarily." Glaring at Sylanna once again, she added, "but there are people that deserve it and she is one. Take from her and dispose of her. I'm not certain that we should trust that she cannot harm either of you. Who knows what kind of black arts she has practiced on herself? Face her, magic to magic, and I have faith that you will prevail, but there's no reason to play in the field that she wants us to."

He very much appreciated her. He always worried for Bryana as a guild mistress, but he worried less with people around her like this one. "And we're not, Vale. I'm not going to test her. I'm not going to play in her field, she's going to play in mine, and I'm not going to give her any magic to resist or turn back upon me, even if I don't think she's capable of doing it."

"Then what will you do, my love?"

"Use that which she does not know." He was already planning the particulars of that. "She'll get what's coming to her, and at least I'll enjoy it."

Bryana liked the idea because she simply didn't want to melt her. Like Neral, she wanted everyone responsible to pay penance and know that they were. Death was too easy a path out for any of them. "Dare I ask?"

"Do you want to know?"

She gave it honest thought before shaking her head. "No. I think I'd like to be surprised."

"This will take some time, so I leave it to you to keep our guest company."

* * *

An hour passed, and then two and Bryana took satisfaction in watching it take its toll on Sylanna who went from smug, to exasperated, to casually circling the glyph, occasionally testing the field. Bryana seeing the flashes of frustration that came with finding no place of weakness. To stay prepared, she and Vale had taken turns refreshing themselves within the meditative state of a resting spell. It might serve them and, if nothing else, it allowed a potential opening if their prisoner might try something. Better to deal with an attempt now than during some more potentially precarious moment.

Vale paced with her, clear in her movement and her gaze that her desire to simply end the woman and be done with it was still foremost on her mind. Sylanna smiled at her and puckered her lips on occasion and finally asked, "Would you like to come in here and I'll kill you like I could have done when we met? Or you could let me out."

Vale refused to take the bait, not that it was all that enticing to begin with. She didn't often let her emotions truly rule her. "Why should I do either? What's coming for you will be so much more entertaining to me than beating the life out of you, though I would very much enjoy that."

"Are we really going to do this?" She was frustrated more by what she saw as stubbornness than the temporary imprisonment. "I've told you I have no real allegiance to the people I worked with. I've made a reasonable offer and the only reason not to take it is some petty desire for revenge. The child is fine and you're still making it personal. It wasn't personal with me."

Bryana laughed as familiarity reared its head again. "I said that, too. I hear what I used to be in your voice. I see it in the way you stand, as though the world spins because you will it. Do you realize how self-absorbed one has to be to use that to dismiss whatever you do? Some person's livelihood is now gone or some children now orphaned because of the orgy of rage you triggered are just supposed to accept it and move on because, while you caused it, you didn't do it out of anger at them. Your indifference is all the more reason to despise you."

"They take it personally. You attacked my family and

I

take that very personally. I take it so personally that here you are, here you'll stay, and you will pay. We will take you from you, then you will be happy to aid us in any event."

"You should just kill me now as opposed to later when you do it to cover your own embarrassment."

"She has fear. She wants you to kill her, Mistress."

Sylanna turned and her lustrous eyes narrowed, "You can tell that because you know me soooo well."

"I know fear and insecurity. I can see it in your eyes that you say are so much better than mine. Some part of you fears that she can make good on her vow, so you wrap your fear in bluster and apathy while you hope you're strong enough to fight what will happen. But Mistress can make good on her vow."

"You

are

a good little pet, I can tell. Maybe that's why she likes you so."

Vale was unfazed. "And I have no interest in knowing you now." She drew closer to Sylanna, bending inward as though she were examining some caged exotic animal that she'd never seen before. "But perhaps we can be close friends after you are remade. Perhaps you would be made my pet. The pet of someone so beneath you? Wouldn't that be appealing?"

Sylanna snarled and flung herself towards the other, forgetting her confinement just long enough to slam into the barrier that held her. Power ripped through her and she jumped away from it, feeling for a moment that it might literally rip her apart.

Vale shook her head and smiled broadly at getting the response she wanted and then some. "I believe not."

"Pray your mistress kills me, little sow. Pray."

Bryana was equally satisfied with the result. "My guildmate understands people and knows how to read them. That is one of her many gifts." And there was no shortage of mockery that came with, "I hope the nerve she stepped on is all right. We wouldn't want to damage you too much before the real work begins."

Soon after, the door opened and Deres emerged, silver cylinder in hand. Ignoring the others in the room he stepped quickly to Sylanna and just stared at her, into her, and through her, thinking of all she had wrought. He imagined Khylen's fear. He heard the cries of pain from the people he helped in the aftermath of what she'd been a part of. He too heard the cries of anguish that he could do nothing about as someone cradled a loved one now gone from the world. Accepting his own darkness in the moment, he accepted that he would enjoy what was about to happen on many levels. He began by enjoying the look of her fear.

He stretched out his left arm and pulled her into his grasping hand by the neck. Sylanna couldn't hide her shock at the suddenness of it. It was just that quick. There were many things she was prepared for but simply having the life strangled out of her wasn't one. He was tempted, and, driven by the screams reverberating in his mind, he squeezed tightly before jamming the cylinder into her neck just above his thumb. She grunted at the discomfort while he hit the button at the back of the injector and let it work as designed. With the process complete, he stepped back.

She rubbed the spot even though there was no pain to speak of, "And that was?"

"What I can do."

"I told you this was pointless. Whatever poison that was, I suspect the worst I'm going to get out of it is a mild headache and a queasy stomach. You have no idea what I've endured for the sake of my own personal growth."

"I believe you, Sylanna. I took you at your word. There's no poison in what I gave you and there's no magic."

She was curious, and curiously off-balance, which was an unfamiliar sensation for her, but actually somewhat exciting in its own way. It wasn't often that she'd come across a worthy adversary. "Then what?"