Magical Essence

I am glad that the last chapter was received well. My apologies for taking so long. I cannot promise quickness because my schedule does not always permit me to write so freely. I have a few stories that I want to get going but I promise to always put this one at the top of this list. We are not all too far from the end yet.

Oh, and I didn't forget where I am writing. Here is what some of you have been waiting for. I am glad that you enjoyed the series thus far and I thank you for waiting so long for this chapter. The intimacy is alive it just took a bit long to get there.

I hope that you can feel for the characters as much as I do. I purposely set my writing style up like this for a reason. I want you to get to know and love the characters. There is a reason for everything. Their feelings are just as important to the story as the actual events happening to them. Keep that in mind.

I attempt to proof read my work myself. I am my worst critic. If something is not exactly how I want it the story will be held up. I give each story attention and read the over before submitting.

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Magical Essence Chapter Five -- The Perfect Timing

Gavin looked out onto the land that he had so gingerly cared for nearly a year now. He took a few steps out into the cool February night looking into the sky. He was at the point now where he rarely slept for more than an hour or two. It was very frustrating but he was rarely left tired. He accredited it another one of his abilities, but he could still hear the voice echoing through his head. It was the first real thing that has ever scared him before. He felt so weak, useless, and being an ArchMage didn't give him any comfort.

Gavin shook it off. His relationship with Meredith was getting better and better as the days went on. He finally allowed Meredith to give him a formal apology, and the lines of communication had evolved into actual conversations over the past two weeks. He felt himself once again being attracted to Meredith, and allowed her to be closer to him as a result of that. They began training together for the Olympics even though Meredith was not going to be competing. Gavin at least had someone to keep him company during his long sessions with Eliza and Merik. There was a lot more he needed to learn.

After a few minutes of staring into the dark sky he took his familiar position in the fields to start his meditation rituals. In the very beginning the idea of meditation bored him. He did not see any reason to sit silently for long time periods thinking about a particular subject. But it grew on him as it did with most apprentices. Gavin was streamlined into the apprentice program and was learning at a highly accelerated pace. This was partly due to the fact that he was indeed an ArchMage, but also due to the fact that he was being taught by two different people. Eliza knew exactly how the ArchMagi worked as being taught by one herself, and Merik was an incredible professor himself. Gavin cherished his lessons from his mentors but understood that ultimately the burden was being put on his shoulders. He knew he was being called upon for a reason. The ArchMagi existed for a reason. All his predecessors had a purpose. He has a purpose.

Meredith awoke in the middle of the night as she had done so many prior nights before. Once she learned that Gavin was mediating in the early morning hours she quickly attuned her schedule to watching him do so. Over the past months she has watched him evolve from "normal" person to someone of great importance. At first she was jealous of him. He was getting all of the attention from Eliza, and when Merik was not paying attention to Eliza he was helping out Gavin. The whole community knew that Gavin was something special, but they did not know the whole story. There were buzzwords flying around from several directions and Meredith was left in the middle of it all. She had to defend her mentor but also had to defend her apprentice-mate. This was something that she found so hard to do up until a few weeks prior. When she looked down at Gavin's lifeless body on the floor that one morning she saw everything.

It was as if his soul had shot up and revealed itself to her. He was scared. This was something that she never actually had labeled him. Gavin was scared of something that he could not explain and it was enough to break down the walls that he had built up so cautiously between them. At that point she had great respect for him. He was attempting to keep everyone focused on the Olympics and made sure that Eliza did not see what Meredith saw. Merik and Eliza were both so busy with ambassador duties that they did not see the personality change. He was more focused on learning his abilities. There was no more showboating. Something had made him determined to see everything through. This scared her as well.

She looked out at Gavin as he began his meditation. There was something different tonight. She too had noticed that their strained relationship had slowly begin patching itself up and both were more willing to speak with each other. A few days ago they even shared a healthy embrace. Not one of friends or family, but one of lovers. She could not read him though, really, she was never able to read him. But it hurt her even more that he did not want to speak about his troubles. There was something weighing heavy on his heart. With this set in her mind she decided to walk out to where he was preparing to meditate.

Meredith clutched her blanket around her as she walked out into the field. It was the middle of February and with the wind chill the night air was brisk. The moon brilliantly turned the fields from the somber pitch-black into a soft grey hue of which a seemingly glowing pathway emerged from the tall grass. It was almost as if a higher being was calling her to make that trek to Gavin. As she neared him she slowly felt the wind die down and everything seemed to come to a dead stop. The howls ceased and the night froze itself in all of its brilliant moonlit glory.

The scars on Gavin's back shined even brighter tonight. They were glowing a soft yellow against the white hue of the moonlight. Meredith had noticed these scars from the beginning but she never got a straight answer from her mentor. She knew the stories that Gavin had told them and believed them to be half-truths. Indeed they were and but most likely the ten-fold of what he was able to verbally communicate. He was beaten as a child in order to be put in line. This was a form of punishment just as much as a form of control. The scars themselves were formed over years upon years of whippings and beatings. For most people the pain slowly ebbs away, but for Gavin the pain is felt throughout his body each and every day. Exactly like a trickle of water slowly falls down your face the pain inched its way down his back from each and every morsel of dead tissue. The scars on his back represent who he is and where he has come from. Each person has stories about their lives but Gavin's revolve around the scars on his back.

As Meredith reached Gavin she placed her hands on his back. Her gentle fingers traced slowly down the glowing scars. She could feel the warmth emitting from them and followed each one with both of her hands. Her eyes closed and she could almost see his past flooding through her fingers. The pulsations started from her fingertips traveling slowly through the nerve-endings and into her head. The visions were real. The arguments were clear and the end result was apparent. The peril of a young boy was clearly evident. Each and every crack of the whip on Gavin's back caused Meredith to wince herself. Even though the visions were only that the emotion flooded through her.

Meredith opened her eyes and looked around her. She was surrounded by darkness except for a dimly lit oil lamp scattering light just far enough to make out the words on the parchment below. Her eyes fell upon Gavin's recollections. Each and every time a beating had happened he hid under his bed and repeated endlessly his faults. They were written out on the parchments several times in neat fashion. One after another and again after another. The same lines copied to reinforce what he had done wrong in his head. She flipped through some of the pages reading off the cause of each and every beating. Something as insignificant as forgetting to ask to use the bathroom all the way up to eating after what apparently was several days of starvation. A simple request for a drink of water at one point warranted a whipping. Meredith felt her tears well up in her. She began to read more parchment that had been written more recently.

"Never cry. Emotion is a weakness. Be relentless. The time will come. Steadfast."

She reached up to her face to wipe away her tears. Upon opening her eyes again the field had reappeared and Gavin's scars had dimmed from their yellowish color. Meredith reached around and put her arms around him feeling his heartbeat quicken and he slowly awoke from his trance. There was no exchange of words. The touch was enough to answer the deepest of his questions. He turned his head around and met her lips with a warm and long kiss. His whole upper body turned and embraced her. The passion flowed between the two from head to toe of each of them.

Gavin closed his eyes and breathed past his battered face. The blackened burn marks up his arms were enough to warrant immediate medical attention. But tearing himself away from the pain he shifted his attention towards the matter at hand and scorched the ground of the arena encompassing the whole perimeter with twenty-foot tall flames. The figure in front of him turned his head back and forth looking around at the fleeing spectators. The broadest smile Gavin had ever seen was painted across his face. The wicked smile and the laugh of a hyena was the only comparison that could be made. The tournament had gone wrong -- horribly wrong -- and Gavin had to fix the problem that he was faced with. There were thousands of people counting on him. He could not let them down. He could not fail. He will not fail. Remembering this he pushed everything out of his mind and repeated his mantra to himself.

"Never cry. Emotion is a weakness. Be relentless. The time will come. Steadfast."

His hands traveled down her body. Meredith wore very little while sleeping and this proved to be one of the better decisions on her part. He tugged her shirt from under her sleeping bottoms and planted kisses slowly up her abdomen. His tongue traced around her navel and up her front. Both hands hooked around the fabric of her shirt and slid it over her head. Meredith let go a sigh and leaned her head back to enjoy his kissing. Gavin's teeth scratched up to her hardened nipples as he took one into his mouth. His tongue rolled around and gently pulled her between his teeth. Meredith let out moans of joy as she reached to rub him through his pants. The explosion of these emotions had taken both of them fully and the end result had already been dealt.

Gavin focused on massaging her back with the utmost care as he kissed her deeply on the lips. He broke free and looked upon her exquisite body. Through all the clothing and robes it was very hard to judge her frame. As he now laid his eyes upon her with the moon lighting her pale skin he saw her true beauty. His heart was now complete. He loved her and he could see the same feeling in her eyes. Gavin pulled his pants off and kicked them into the grass. He helped Meredith do the same and he feasted his eyes on her neatly trimmed womanhood. Gavin breathed in her scent as his face sunk to suck gently on her budding clit. His hands immediately found themselves rubbing down her swollen pussy lips. Meredith moaned in ecstasy and her eyes shut immediately. She felt the ground under her slowly dissipate as Gavin began eating her. They both slowly lifted off the ground past the grass and into the black night sky.

His eyes focused on the robed figure. He reached up to wipe the blood from his lower lip scanning his surroundings. The five lifeless bodies of the guard bled from every orifice that had a vessel. Gavin shook his head back and forth quickly to push their screams out of his head. The dismembered bodies were writhed and twisted with the explosion of power from the other Mage across from him. Once he was sure that Meredith and Eliza were clear from the warpath he planned to engage this battle. As quickly as his eyes were able to scan for the signs of them one of the bodies was hurled in his direction. Gavin put his hands into the air immediately turning the body into ash.

The darkness that flowed from this Mage was enough to send chills down Gavin's spine. The hooded figure had only spoke a few words before initiating the attack on the others. Gavin had stepped in front of the assault to protect the contenders from harm. He put as much power as he could into deflecting the spells away from the group behind him. Eliza was holding Meredith and Jordan with his cohorts had already taken cover. But he had to take into account the spectators, guards, ambassadors and senate members that were all watching the spectacle. The numbers were against him as he made the decision to channel the energy through himself and into the ground. The power ran through every inch of his body and was channeled into the earth. The upper layer on his skin slowly charred further and further as the exposure lasted longer. He himself started to bleed and fell to his knees but still holding strong. The group behind him scattered out of the arena. Gavin flashed back and sent his attacker sliding across the arena. He stood up igniting the ring around him to keep out any bystanders. Gavin stared down the face of his foe.

He entered her slowly putting his arms around her body. Meredith cried out aloud, her virginity had just been given to him and she wrapped her legs around his body bringing him deeper. At first the motions were awkward to the couple but they soon fell into lovemaking like two rabbits. The grunts and moans filled the air and the sweat trickled down onto the grass below them. Meredith's hands reached behind Gavin's back and dug into his skin as he achieved deep penetration. She could feel herself slowly arriving close to something that she could only imagine being her climax. The primal instincts of both of them had taken over and all civility was out of the question. Gavin sunk his teeth into her shoulder as he shot his seed deep into her. Meredith, almost anticipating this feeling hit her climax shortly before him and closed her eyes in absolute bliss. The couple descended into a soft landing in the cool grass where both slipped off into the best sleep they have had in weeks.

Gavin stood up from his knees breathing out deeply looking into the shadowed eyes of his adversary. The ground around him was dead -- dehydrated -- from taking the channeling of the magic. It cracked beneath his feet as he planted them firmly.

"You came here to kill these people. You killed many already. I cannot allow this," he spoke loud and firmly although knowing it would not be enough for a white flag. "I do not know who or what you are but I was put here for a reason. I am here to stop you. I know this now."

There was that laugh again. A laugh that spoke nothing except evil intentions. The same type of laugh that needed absolutely no explanation about context. The figure stretched and mocked the young man in front of him.

"I came here for you Gavin. You just happen to be around these people. The old man did not tell you about the opposing force, then?" The harsh voice spoke. The same voice that he had heard when he blacked out over a month and a half prior. The figure raised his hands and lifted the hood of his head revealing his identity.

The couple had made their way back into the cabin after the lovemaking session. Eliza looked up at the two of them as they came walking in. They both had the big smiles across their faces. The type of smile that needs no explanation of context. Eliza just shook her head and laughed quietly to herself. Even though her duties often kept her away from her apprentices she was not dumb. She had felt the attraction from day one and knew Meredith better than the girl knew herself.

"You two," she paused formulating her words, "get ready to head on off. We are heading out early for mid-term break. The ride is a long one. I do not wish to arrive too late." She gestured to their rooms in an attempt to tell these two lovebirds what to do. She knew exactly what they planned on doing but the words needed to be said at least one prior to yelling at them.

Meredith and Eliza's hometown were expecting them back for the mid-term break. This break happened just before the Olympics each and every year. All of the ambassadors went back to their respective residences and spoke with their superiors. This was a time of festival and feasting. All across the lands the community gathered together and celebrated as a single unit. Even when common ground could not be found with politics it was found through unity. A unity that was cemented with the Festival of Magic. This festival celebrated the barriers that have been hurdled which brought their community above the normals. The old war stories were told and tales of great epic battles between good and evil. The battles were long and a victor always emerged war-torn but alive. This was something that had always bothered Eliza. There was no glory in war. This is why the political system existed. This is why she puts all of her time in keeping the agenda of the community away from the petty differences that can sometimes cause deep rifts. As a direct representative of the most powerful Mage known to currently live she had more influence than the other ambassadors.

Because of the importance of Eliza's hometown (the last known ArchMagi residing there) and the even more utmost importance of Gavin she wished to travel early. The quicker that she made her departure from Tevrin the quicker that she could get Gavin to speak with Esterme, the ArchMagi and her mentor. The boy needed to speak with someone that could understand him better and guide him through everything that he was dealing with on his own. Eliza could only coach him to a certain extent. The past few weeks Gavin has been taking his training into his own hands. With little help from both her and Merik he was able to accomplish a more focused and attuned training schedule. Meredith had also been working with him where she can. She served as a good sparring partner and, in turn, he was helping her with her own skills. Eliza was grateful that these two had mended and patched their differences. They had both evolved into something that had seen potential in from the beginning.

After much though and speaking with the council Eliza set their departure date for two days in advance. In the best of weather it would take just over three days time to travel by carriage. Even though there was a faster method she could not trust Gavin to apparate the three of them without ever attempting the spell before. It was too risky. Apparition is not exactly a spell either. The magic that is used, even by ArchMagi, can only be utilized to change and shape the physical world in front of them. This was seemingly a law of magic that was first found out to be true in the early days. There have not been any known instances of breaking this law of magic, except for Apparition. But this is precisely why apparition is not considered a magical spell; instead, it is considered to be more of a transfer of power. More specifically, a transfer of one's state being to another place along with anything else in desire. The previous state being is then destroyed. Because of the danger of apparition it is rarely performed with more than the ArchMagi themselves. Even though the transfer of more than one is merely just another order of magnitude it can be dangerous not to just the parties involved but the parties on the receiving end. The carriage ride therefore was a necessity.