Snippet #1800390

Valence and Everen

Everen shifted uncomfortably when the topic of killing mages came up, glancing around the dark-robed Everen. The man watched Jonnovan through unfathomable eyes, impossible to understand...
But his face was smiling.
"You must be quite the warrior, to have killed so many of my kind," he murmured, gazing steadily at Jon through ice-blue eyes. "It takes strength to take lives."

He turned to Everen, not taking the time to wait for a response from the big ranger. His eyes shimmered brilliantly. She gave her head a tiny little shake, and turned her attention to Freah's question.

"We can not be sure that it was a mage," Everen told the group at large. "We only know for sure that it was a magic user. But we do know where it went."

"How?" Valence asked, even before the girl had the chance to tell them where. For some reason, he seemed to think that how they had found the man - or woman - was more important.

Everen's little brow furrowed in confusion, but she answered him. "We did not find him ourselves. Your Conclave said that they followed a trail of magic to the southwest, towards Eagleview and the mountains. They could not follow it all the way..."

"Why?" Valence murmured, pressing the young cleric further. Everen hesitated, staring at him. He looked too fiercely interested... why would he be interested in why they had not been able to follow? Did it matter?

"I do not know," she murmured. "They did not tell my Master and I am not high enough in rank to ask."

Valence blinked slowly and seemed to sink back a step, as though in his intensity he had advanced on the girl. Now, without a word, he turned again and gazed out the window of the Lost Cause, his eyes thoughtful.
"A magical trail," he whispered. "Planear magic would leave the most distinct path. Or perhaps necromancy... but necromancy would do little to help a wizard appear in a room without moving a window or a door."
He bit his lip, absorbed in his thoughts.
"There are not many planear mages in the Eagleview area," he whispered. "But if he traveled past Eagleview, and went into the mountains, he will likely be hidden amongst his own kind. We will need to find a way to identify him."

"I'm sorry," Everen whispered. "I have nothing."

Valence waved his hand almost irritably and looked around at the group.
"We had best start traveling now," he told them. "If we wish to follow this trail of magic even as far as the Conclave followed it, we need to hurry. Most trails will fade in a matter of days and we can not afford to wait until he kills again and leaves another trail for us."

"I agree," Everen whispered, then gave them all a childishly sweet smile. "Thank you all so much for agreeing to help the Council."

"If i had done it to help your Council, I would not be wearing black robes," Valence answered her frigidly, and then he brushed past the gathering of warriors around him and out the door, heading back into the crowds of the Lost Cause, and to the near-abandoned streets beyond them.