Thank you to everybody for the comments and e-mails. I am back from my business trip and won't have another until July.
I am looking for a new editor. McLovin6787 is out hurt and this will be the last part he helped work on. His contribution will be missed.
If anybody wants to be my editor then please e-mail me and I will get back to you shortly.
I welcome your feedback so please leave a comment.
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The Gathering
Escape
In Zilvra's room she was awoken from her reverie by the sound of Shynta talking to Mica about the strange dream they both had and what it meant. She looked around wondering how they got in to her room because she could feel the ward still active, as her eyes focused she didn't see anybody in her room.
She thought, 'Damn link they are talking to Henri and now I can hear them.'
Listening she heard or thought she heard Shynta saying, "How can we both have the same dream?"
Mica replied, "It was a message from Lloth telling us not to kill him and that three us of are chosen to protect him."
She also heard what sounded like Mica but like she was whispering saying, *Why would she want him protected? Does that mean I am to protect him from other Drowess'? What would make him that important? Who are his other protectors?* as the voice faded she started to see a vision of Henri standing with his back to a wall and three giant spiders with their backs to him in front of several Drowess' as one tries to walk past the spiders attack and kill the Drowess.
He vision ends as she hears Shynta ask, "Why would Lloth want him protected? Who will be his protectors?"
Like with Mica again she hears what sounded like Shynta whispering saying, *I am the eldest of this so house I must be one of those protectors and if it is this house then that means Zilvra must be one as well so who is the third, Belar is one choice she has been spending time with him and Zilvra, or would Mica be the other she is a priestess after all.*
Zilvra didn't like the thought of having to protect Henri let alone doing so with either of her sisters, but if she had a choice then she would want Belar, while Shynta was a powerful mage in her own right she couldn't relax around her no matter what.
The thought of Mica was even worse, Mica was very orthodox, and it was a certainty in Zilvra's mind that Mica and Henri would clash, so how could she protect him. For that fact Shynta wouldn't give up her power over him and he most certainly would continue to defy her and that would lead to fight, so she can't be his protector either. As far as she was concerned it would have to be her, Belar and another Drowess, the vision she saw had no males, so she could rule them out.
Zilvra's thoughts are interrupted when she hears Mica saying, "One thing is certain and that is Zilvra is without a doubt one of his protectors. We have both seen how she has a portion of his aura in her. Look at her door, we can feel the ward from here, her magic has never been that strong, we have both tried to break her ward and we can't.
If we had the same dream it might mean we are to protect him with her, but I don't think so, Lloth would have put us in front of him not looking at the huge spiders. However, that doesn't mean we can't help, clearly Lloth has a plan for him and as her servants it is our job to get him ready to serve her.
Let's ask Belar and Zilvra if they had the same vision as we did, if they did then Lloth has not chosen his protectors and if they have had different visions then we are not chosen for that role."
Zilvra's mind was racing, he had done something to her and now her aura was different, she knew she had changed physically but now it seemed part of him was changing her more, and why was she able to hear them so clearly when she can't cast scrying spells at all, so how can she hear them.
Zilvra dressed quickly and headed out hoping to catch her sisters as she let down her ward she heard, "She is coming out let's ask her about her vision."
She opened her door and walked out as she approached she heard Shynta whispering, *her aura is different, not a wild as it was before, what has changed.* Zilvra noticed she didn't see her lips move, yet she clearly heard her whispering, thinking nothing of it she went to walk past her sisters.
Mica asked her, "Zilvra did you have a dream last night about Henri?"
She looked at her sister trying to read her and asked, "Why would I have a dream about him?"
Mica looked at her and asked displeased, "Did you see him with anybody in your dreams?"
Zilvra heard Mica whispering, *She is playing stupid or she is afraid to tell us she is one of his protectors.* Zilvra looked at her sister and again she didn't see her lips move. She wondered if she was reading their minds or if this was Henri's doing and she was picking it up from their link.
Trying not to freak out from what was going on she said, "I saw him standing behind me as I killed Shynta with others watching, next I saw the surface and how noisy it is. Why?" She couldn't hide her smile as she added that to the mix just to fuck with her sister.
As she said that she heard Shynta whispering, *Does Lloth wish me dead? Is that why she gave her that vision, I will have to be on my guard. Why would Lloth want him on the surface?*
Shynta was visibly shaken when she asked, "Did you see any others with you?"
Zilvra could feel the anxiety from them wrapping around her like a blanket, she felt uncomfortable and said, "I was messing with you, Shynta I didn't see myself killing you relax, and I added that as my own dream."
Shynta's eyes flashed red in anger and embarrassment and was about to speak when Mica said, "Let's go see if Belar had the same dream, we need to figure out what is happening. One thing is certain, we cannot kill him, that much is clear and if I were to guess this house is to protect him."
Zilvra sighed in relief that he had been saved by of all people Lloth, and it appeared that she was to protect him. While she knew he wanted out of the darkness just as bad as she did, she wasn't sure she wanted her fate tied to his. If she told the truth that she had no such dream, what would that mean? In truth she hadn't prayed to Lloth in over a century and a half, she blamed the goddess for the short comings of her people, she also knew that Mica would turn her in to Dirzune for inquisition and in all likely hood to the alter as a sacrifice.
As they were heading towards Belar's room they found her heading towards the stairs leading to Henri's cell. Shynta stopped her and started asking her if she had a dream about Henri just like she had with Zilvra.
Zilvra thought quickly and standing behind both Mica and Shynta, she had a clear view without being seen so she signed, *Tell them in your dream you were standing between Henri and them or Mica will have you on the altar.*
Belar told them just that and when they asked if other Drowess' were there she saw Zilvra nod out of the corner of her eye and said yes. Belar demanded to know what was going on and why it was important.
They explained as Zilvra heard that whispering coming from Shynta saying, *did she get chosen because I gave her a fertility draught? And now she is carrying Henri's child.* Zilvra had no idea how to handle this information, she was certain the Belar would not keep Henri's child, most half-breeds were killed long before they were birthed the only ones that were kept were the half-demon males.
The thing that disturbed her even more was that she didn't see Shynta saying anything, Zilvra hopped beyond all hope that this was part of Henri's link and she was just listening to him. If not her very life was in even grater danger. No this must be her link with Henri, like how he understood Drow when she was around. She clinged to that thought and hope like condemned man to a pardon.
They talked about going down and seeing Henri and seeing if Lloth had given him a vision, they all agreed it was unlikely, but they would ask.
What did Mica mean by they had other roles? Would being his protector also protect her from them? Why was she hearing more and more people whispering? Her unwillingness to accept the truth had her believing that Henri's powers that powerful.
As she headed down the stairs to Henri's cell, as they entered the hall where his sword was kept she saw both Shynta and Mica wince in pain but she didn't see Belar wince at all. Was this more proof they were chosen? As they entered the block that Henri's cell was in they could see that he had put the door back on his cell, but he hadn't put a ward back up or put the chains back on the wall.
The sight of the chains pulled off the wall left both Shynta and Mica feeling uncomfortable and was compounded by the look they got when they entered.
When Henri saw Zilvra and Belar walking in with Shynta and Mica he felt betrayed by them. He kind of half expected Belar to betray him at some point but Zilvra he was certain was nothing like those three.
Henri glared at Shynta and said coldly, "What brings you here? Let me guess four of you one of me that means you must have those darts with you." He turned round and pointed to the chains they had kept him chained up to when they wanted to have their way with him and said, "As you can see you won't be able to chain me up and beat me like the other times. I know maybe you want to come in here and we can find out what your death face looks like."
Shynta felt that fire down below every time he challenged her and was about to speak when Mica cut her off saying, "We haven't come here to fight or even to hurt you. We have questions that you might be able to answer, if you answer them then nothing will happen to you, don't and we will have no choice but to use other methods and you have seen some of our methods, so wouldn't answering our questions be easier?"
Henri smirked knowing the first one that came in the door was the first to die and said, "Sure, I'll bite. What do you want to know?"
