As the footsteps grew louder, Kali whipped her head around in panic to follow their sound. No faces just yet, but the sound was drawing nearer. She turned back to face the man again, urgency clear in her expression. He, though, simply looked slowly over her, as though they had all the time in the world, his lips stretching into a smile. She was about to rip away and forget the man when he turned her around, to face the thumping of the approaching guards. Oh God. She immediately thought. He works for them. Panic filled made her insides jump as he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her tightly to him.
He was going to hold her there until they showed up and turn her in. Raven's whole body tensed in anticipation, as she shot her mind out to prod at the man's, just as she had done with the guard, looking for something she could use against him in an illusion that would make him release her. Something that would get her out of here. Oh god. She thought as the seconds ticked, and her panic was making her lose focus. She couldn't get a firm reading on the man.
Rae was just about to give up and go with the illusion of fire for the second time that day when something strange happened. The air around them seemed to grow stale and thin. Things seemed to quiet, as though she was swimming through water, the only clear sound, the urgent running sound of the approaching men.
Just as she knew the guards were going to turn the corner and see them, the air seemed to rush out of her lungs, and she felt as though there was a great weight on her chest, keeping her from breathing. What was happening? Was he trying to kill her before they got there, or just immobilize her? Whatever it was, it was working, for the stillness of the air wasn't allowing her to think right, so she couldn't focus on mentally setting the man on fire.
Then the guards rounded the corner, and she felt the man squeeze her tighter, causing her to tense up even more in fear, panic, and anticipation.
But they didn't see them. The eyes of the three soldiers glazed right past them as though they weren't there, and Raven suddenly felt relief. The man must have weaved his own illusion, making them invisible to the men.
Then she realized they were still heading at them full force. They would crash into them, and it would all come crumbling down! She'd be caught. Dragged in to where Cain was, and, at best, be thrown in the dungeon for the rest of her life. If she could have whimpered, she would have, as she leaned backward into the man, bracing for impact.
But nothing happened. The men passed straight through them and continued on their way as if they were nothing but air. It was amazing, she'd never seen anything like it. She could weave an illusion on a man's mind, making herself invisible to him, but she had to be centered, focused. She had to be within mental reach of the man, and, she may not be visible to him, but she was to everyone else around her, and she was still physically there. If the man were to bump into her, the illusion would be shattered and he'd see her again. This man now, however, had somehow, through the use of magic, allowed the soldiers to pass right through them.
Suddenly, the air seemed to come rushing back to her, as did normal sound and breathing, as it was all over and the man released them from his magic. He let her go, and she turned to face him again, unable to keep the relief from her eyes as she looked at him. He lifted her wrists and a warmth ran through them briefly, and she watched as the dark marks disappeared. "There you go.. a few days worth is enough to heal any lite wound." He said, looking at her, almost expectantly.
It took her a moment to pull her thoughts together for a response, and she looked up at him and nodded with a smile as she gently rubbed her wrists, as though to prove they were really healed. "Thank you." She mouthed, hoping he could read her lips. She gestured to the scar at her throat, that followed her collarbone, then at her lips. "Can't speak." She mouthed again, shaking her head. She wasn't going to use telepathy without his permission, especially not after he'd just saved her. People tended to get wary about a person who could get into their head, and it was a complete invasion of his privacy. The thought, made her think about how she was just about to make him think he was on fire, and she felt a little guilty.
Then Raven remembered something, and reached into the hidden pocket of her cloak to pull out a sketching pen that was resting there, next to her roll, still warm. She didn't have anything to write on, so she simply wrote on the back of her hand. "I'm Raven. Thank you." She showed him the writing, and the used the hand to flick the raven feather dangling from one of her ears as though it was a source of identity.