Jacob Hemlock's Story

Even though he expected it, he shuddered at the latest revelation. They were hunted and devoured like animals, by their own kind. He paused in his task, feeling sick. As a healer, he could handle blood and a variety of devastating injuries, but one thing he could never accept was people intentionally hurting and killing other people.

Also as a healer, he knew they would all need sleep, which is why he started this brew in the first place. Jasper struggled to force his attention back to his task. If he did it right, no one would have any dreams or nightmares, which would make a huge difference in how well they rested. When ready, he stood and passed it around starting with Sylvana. "To help relieve stress, reduce pain, and restore strength," he whispered as he handed it to her.

Not only was she the only woman in their group, but she had dealt with a lot just today. She had been severely injured, and then pushed to tell a hard tale to one that just didn't want to believe it.

Meanwhile, Jacob had nodded his head to the statements about their testing. "That's normal practice. Even witches raised in the Shadow Sage have to show what they can do at some point, including me. The test isn't always in front of the whole panel, though. I only had to prove myself to Raven." He paused and hugged his bag to his chest, looking away from everyone else and no longer paying attention until he heard Raven's name again. His eyes lit up again briefly, and faint color came to his face. Raven had plans for him! Why did he tell Wyatt, an outsider first? Focus!

As the black witch continued, the expression hardened again. "Yes, I know how many missions I went with you, and I knew why." Even before his first mission, Jacob had recognized that Wyatt was stronger than him, but in his innocence at the time, he admired him for it and felt proud to go on a mission with him, outsider or not.

Five years ago, it all changed.

He crossed his arms, waiting for Wyatt to get to the point. He didn't have long to wait, but it didn't improve his mood. "I don't believe it. Wild witches come in for training, because Shadow Sage is the only place that trains them anymore. That's why he had to come in. Only weaklings and traitors die. Without Shadow Sage, what do you expect to do with all of them? Are you going to train them all yourself? How will you handle that one?" In a huff, he jerked his thumb towards Jasper.

The healer, sensing he was being discussed, lifted his head from his cup and was none too happy about it. Jacob spoke about him like an object or some strange creature that needed to be dealt with in a certain way. Even more than the tragic story he heard today, that statement showed him how the enemy thinks and stirred up feelings he didn't know he had: disgust, anger, loathing. Yes, he loathed the Shadow Sage, and what they were doing; what they had done to Jacob, and to others like him. He gritted his teeth, and balled his hands in fists.

Realizing himself again, he paused and took a deep breath and remained silent, until he recalled the general flow of conversation. Wild witches and training, a possible suggestion to train him. "If you are willing to train me, I am pleased to accept, and I will help as long and as well as I am able."

Jacob lifted up his head and turned on a big grin. "Excellent! I'll take these two to the Witches' Fortress, like they want and then you'll come back to the tower with me. We can be family again!"

"No, Jacob, I will never, under any circumstances, do anything to help those criminals who took you away from me in the first place. You are my brother, and I love you. Because I love you, I can't let you go back there. You shall lead all of us to the Witches' Fortress and stay there. Only outside of the criminal agency can we be family again."

Immediately the bright smile turned into anger, "What! You can't do that!"
Jasper raised his eyebrows, "Hmm... Why not? You want a family don't you? A real family. Real family cannot be found in the halls of murderers."

"He's not! They aren't!" Jacob shook his head vigorously. "He called me son... Raven. He won't hurt me. He won't!"
Jasper rubbed his forehead, but there was no use arguing with his confused twin. "If you say so," he answered with a sigh. "I just want you to know one thing. I love you, Jacob my brother, and I promise never to lie to you or abandon you." With a heavy sigh, he returned to his place by the fire.

Sylvana smiled at Jasper lightly as she nodded her head in thanks. “You do too much for us already. I will never be able to thank you for what you have done especially since you didn’t have to do it.” She took the cup from him and held it in her hands thankful for the warmth between her fingers. She hadn’t realized just how cold she had gotten sitting in the cavern. And she wasn’t entirely sure if it was from the cold or not. The fire was doing its job to keep the small space comfortable, so it was more than likely the stress, her lack of strength, or the fact telling a truthful story to someone who didn’t want to believe was taking all of her willpower to just stay through it all.

The white magic user glanced over at Wyatt as he started laughing at something that was said. Her brows furrowed knowing she needed to stay out of her own head more than she was.

Wyatt?

Yes.

What’s so funny?

Jacob seems to think that the Shadow Sage trains the witches we went after.

“Oh…” The words escaped her mouth instead of through the link she had established and she buried her own laughing smile into the cup.

“I expect we’re either going to leave them in peace or find someone neutral to reopen up the Witches Fortress to train them. Because,” Wyatt sat up straighter and leveled his gaze at the gray witch. “Shadow Sage does not train many witches as you think they do. Typically it is only black magic users who have a high enough level. The other witches we brought in were never trained nor were they ever meant to be.”

Sylvana repressed a gulp as she knew what was coming. Judging from the passing looks on Jasper’s face showed that he understood exactly what they had been saying. He knew what the Shadow Sage was doing, but Jacob on the other hand seemed to not either grasp it or refused to accept it.

“They take the witches up to the towers were they torture them until they have pulled out their powers. Do you know what happens to a witch when they’re powers have been stripped? They became husks, dead. I was tasked with taking their bodies to the mass grave where they put all the bodies and to burn them. And yes, I will help train him if I must.”

“But the intention is for one of the greatest gray magic users to train him even though the base magic is like yours and not Jasper’s, my father Ondin.” The female listened to the exchange that followed nodding her head a few times. Jasper was right about it all and the sooner Jacob learned it the better.

Wyatt smirked as he leaned back against the wall of the cave. “So you think. Raven asked me not long after I was officially brought in to train you. He said he had a special project for you since he saw the depth of your power that you couldn’t touch and he wanted it. He planned to train your abilities so that he could strip them away from you and have me put your husk into one of those graves to burn it. I refused to do it. I let the boy go. I left the organization so I wouldn’t have to do it. I wanted no part in it anymore.

You see I learned something in that dungeon which made so many pieces from my past fall into place. Akane has Milla’s powers within himself. How the Shadow Sage managed to put her powers into another person, still allow her to use them as regulated by the other person, and not have her be a shell when they can’t do that with the untrained witches beyond me. But I know the truth even more than before. They will pay for what they have done. One way or another. The whole of the Shadow Sage will pay. I will see it happen. They wanted me for their ultimate weapon, but their actions will cause me to be their destruction.”

"NOOOOO!" Jacob shrieked and charged at Wyatt, flinging his fists. "Don't talk like that!" His voice was hoarse and his face wet, but it didn't matter.

The pain in his head from dealing with Jacob's agitation increased, nearly blinding him. "Stop!" he gasped and struggled to his own feet. Focusing on the torrent, Jasper stole behind his brother and clutched the boy to his chest. The slighter witch snarled against his sudden inability to move, but he didn't realize his brother was holding him.

One of the great weaknesses to his magic or his personality, he wasn't sure which, enabled Jasper to often feel the pain of his patients when he healed them. He never became physically ill himself, but the things he could feel were all the greater: fatigue, hunger, fear, pain. In this moment, with his slighter and possibly weaker brother pressed against him, he felt like he was being torn in two. "Oh, Jacob..." Tears flowed down his own face, even as he softly sang a song his mother sang to him as a child.

The two remained until Jacob stopped struggling and Jasper could actually talk to him. The healer sat up, bruised from the struggle and resulting fall, and handed Jacob his mug again. In his fit, he spilled some of it, and Jasper only hoped there was enough left to retain the effects. He was too tired to start over, and realized that his twin needed it just as much as any of them. "Please, drink this. It will make you feel better."

Numbly Jacob took it and drank a deep draught of the tea before coughing. A weak smile crossed Jasper's face, and he chuckled. "It's still hot. Slowly, please." Jacob responded and even though the healer didn't want to, he allowed distance between them. He was aware of himself again, and he didn't want him to push up his walls against them. "I wish it never happened, just as much as you do, whether you admit it or not. I'm sorry, Jacob," he whispered.

His latest struggle left the healer bone-weary, but he had at least one more thing to do before he would allow himself rest. To achieve it, he gathered his own teacup and moved closer to where Wyatt stood. If he hadn't heard their tragic tale, he would have probably returned to the anger and mistrust he held when they first met. What just transpired showed the terrifying darkness surrounding Wyatt again, but the story answered his own questions about Wyatt that he never asked.

The black user frightened him when the shadows fell on him, but even in that darkness there remained a light. Wyatt's life had hardened him to be the unrelenting soldier the enemy wanted, but he turned his back on them for the sake of others. It was the soldier who spoke to Jacob, unsettling him so badly. He had to keep that in mind to still his own frightened trembling and keep a civil tongue. He had more reason to trust Wyatt than Jacob, but it angered him that Wyatt had upset his twin.

"First, I must say thank you. Thank for telling me your story, for trusting me in these less than ideal circumstances. Thank you also for explaining your plans, either implicitly or explicitly, and offering me a chance to master my magic. I have some of the same goals you do and will work with you to achieve them. I hope to have time to overcome my one greatest liability, or two liabilities." He glanced to Jacob, curled in a corner muttering to himself.

He sighed and turned back. "I'm nervous about one plan though. I'm nervous about training under your father, Sylvana. Things you've said today worry me. Didn't he, with your mother, lock you in the house all the time? Where was he when..." He paused swallowing bile in his throat. "...that other person was hurting you?" Jasper dropped his head embarrassed. "I probably shouldn't be thinking this way. He is your father, and you trust him and love him, and he is a grey magic user, a very powerful grey magic user. I suppose grey magic users would know better how grey magic works." The healer's own face hardened and he continued with more confidence, "No matter what, I must learn to use this power if I am to stand against the enemy and the Gatekeeper. And Jacob, I want Jacob to come with me."

"Uh no! You don't want to go back to the tower with me and I don't want to go to any white witch's house." Stubbornly turning his face away from all of them, Jacob rolled out his blanket and he prepared to sleep. The tea did make him feel better as his brother promised, but not enough to rid him of his sour mood and unwilling involvement in their treachery. "Black traitor, the only question I had left to ask is what have you been doing since you left, but I don't need that answer anymore. You already confessed. May I be damned, I will still take you to the fortress, but don't expect anything beyond that." He huffed and turned his back to them.

Jasper sighed, his confidence deflating. "Ondin probably won't trust him anyway, just like you still don't trust him. I know he makes it difficult, but just like I learned much more about you, I learned more of him also. In just one brutal moment, I learned that he is wounded already, though he still breathes and his heart beats. Pray, deal gently with him." The healer's voice faded out and he watched Jacob sleep until he finished his own tea. He rolled out his blanket next to his brother, but not close enough to set the boy on the defensive. "It doesn't seem right to sleep after hearing and telling a painful tale, but the night is well on and we all need rest for the next step on our journey."

Wyatt held his ground and hadn’t moved in inch when Jacob had jumped to his feet. He had expected nothing less from the other witch. He had had a hard enough time accepting the truth himself back then, but after everything he had seen in the real world, the things with Tomas and Gemina he believed it. There had been nothing but to accept it as truth. He allowed Jasper to handle his brother, but was fully prepared to take care of the threat if necessary.

The black magic user glanced up at Jasper with a single arched brow. He didn’t say anything at first. He could sense something was going to come from the other male. He had his ideas, but without asking or waiting to hear what might be coming there was no way to be sure of anything. He could feel Sylvana shifting by his side. Jacob’s anger at the truth was what she had feared from the get go, but at least for now it had passed.

Nodding his head, he took what Jasper was saying and said nothing. There wasn’t really anything to say. He had half expected to get a lash back for how he had presented the blunt truth, but hey, he would take what they got in this time.

It was Sylvana that hadn’t expected something to be addressed to her. She frowned at his words before she managed a weak smile. “I love my father dearly. And I understand why my parents did what they did. All to protect me because they feared what Milla and Akane would do to us. I don’t fault them for it now. You will get along wonderfully with Ondin. He hates the Shadow Sage as much as you do. Although, my mother does believe that he might have been the reason why Milla left the group as they never trusted each other.” But that was an even older tale, one she didn’t know very well.

Wyatt briefly nodded his head. “We’re taking him with us even if we have to hog tie him the whole way. You can count on that.” He was almost amused at the other gray witch’s behavior. Spending time with Soren and Ondin was going to be less of a pain on all of them then going back to the Shadow Sage. Jacob would soon learn that. Sooner was going to be a lot better and easier on all of them.

There wasn’t much left to say. Their history had been told. The truth was completely in the open. All that was left was to travel further north, get to the fortress, hopefully find something they could use, and then head to Sylvana’s family. The black magic user shook his head at it all. He never thought they would be where they were now. He glanced around the ice cavern and then wrapped an arm around the white witch, pulling her closer. He knew what she wanted even if she never said a word.

Sylvana glanced up at Wyatt for a brief second and closed her eyes again as she buried her head in his chest. She was finally relaxing. It wouldn’t be long until she was asleep. Wyatt would only rest his eyes, knowing that he could never sleep well, but he would still recover his own strength, but it was his mind still seeing what had happened that kept him awake. His arm tightened instinctively around the young woman and he had to force himself to relax. She was alive and tomorrow was another day. They would get through it and save Jacob.

It was cold. So cold; but in truth it was no where near as cold as it could have been. The fire within the small cavern managed to heat the ice walls around them nicely. It still didn’t change the fact they were completely surround by ice on all sides. The thing that made it the hardest to keep warm was that they depended on Jacob’s magic to get them out. Sure, they could probably transport themselves out of the place, but it would take a decent amount of magic to do so.

Sylvana shivered slightly underneath of the cloak wrapped around her shoulders. She shouldn’t have been cold. Physically she was close to the fire. She was leaning against Wyatt and he was normally a space heater for her. Obviously it wasn’t the physical cold that had her shaking. It was fear. Sure since both she and Wyatt had fled the Shadow Sage they had been living moment to moment not knowing if another member was going to be right around the corner or not, but this time it was completely different. The white witch had never trusted Jacob and now they had to put their faith into him to lead them to the Witches’ Fortress without any issues. He could betray them at any time.

Wyatt rubbed her arm as she looked up at him. She could still see the hurt behind beneath the darkness of his orbs. He was good at hiding it, but she could still see it. The black magic user blamed himself for what happened back in the dungeon. She didn’t. And there was no way she was going to be able to convince him that it wasn’t his fault. He had always had control over his magic, but having the magical restraints that kept him from accessing it had allowed the beast within to take control. She would never blame him for any of it, but she knew he always would.

The door to the ice cavern opened up with Jasper standing nearly nose to nose with his twin. Both of the former Shadow Sage members glanced up. They were fully awake now especially as the only member of their group still loyal to the Shadow Sage started speaking. Wyatt huffed at Jacob being in charge. Sure, he was the best suited to lead them to their destination, but that didn’t mean he was going to follow orders blatantly. There were just some things he didn’t do anymore.

As the conversation turned to her, Sylvana frowned as she glared at the gray magic user. “I am fully able to take care of myself. I don’t need a babysitter. I am more than fully capable of taking care of myself even over the likes of you.” To say she couldn’t stand nor trust Jacob was an understatement. They had been captured because of him even if she had done a stupid move trying to protect Wyatt.

“Sylvana, enough. Be thankful he seems to care at all even if it is faked. He is the best person for this part of the journey.” Wyatt inclined his head to his old friend. He had said it as much as for her as Jacob to keep a fight from starting. “Handle the supplies after he makes something to eat and be ready to go as soon as he says.” The white magic user didn’t seem to like it, but she accepted the orders. They would be leaving very shortly, but the time wasn’t coming fast enough.

With eating, checking supplies, repacking and bundling up for the journey out of the way, the small group of mismatched individual witches were on their way up the mountain. It was getting colder the higher they climbed, but it was getting them closer to their destination with every step they took. Sylvana could finally see just how hard this trip was going to be especially after the beating she’d taken at the hands of the elders. The healing had helped and she was determined not to slow them down at all as they climbed the mountain for the Witches’ Fortress.

Jasper rubbed the back of his neck as Sylvana joined the argument. "I'm sure it isn't personal. I am a healer and you were injured. If I didn't look after you, I wouldn't be doing my job." He also nodded a little towards Wyatt who tried to defuse the situation, in his own blunt way.

Jacob gritted his teeth, but he didn't argue any further with either of them. It was true that he didn't really care about the white witch, but he would never say that out loud. She was a means to an end. Protecting or even pretending to protect her was supposed to get the other two on his side, but Wyatt did know him better than his brother. "We'll leave as soon as the meal's eaten and the fire out, and each of you will carry your own bags. So gather all your things together while it's cooking." He stopped and glared towards Jasper. "You, do any last minute checks or medicine distribution now."

The healer gritted his own teeth, but he kept his mouth shut, and just did what he needed to do. "I have an ointment that's supposed to help prevent frostbite."

"So do I, but I also have something else you're going to need. Stay still." Jacob lifted up his right hand over his brother's eyes, without touching him, and set his veiling spell, the spell he always used to prevent snow blindness out on the tundra. "The middle of the day is warmest, but it's also when the sun is brightest. You can go blind without eye protection." He squirmed further when he finished the job on his brother and himself and then turned to the other two. "Do you know the right spell? If you do, use it." If they didn't, he'd have to do it himself. That's what made him squirm; casting a protection spell on a traitor and an inferior witch made him even more uncomfortable with his standing at the tower if they ever found out.

Once everything was finally settled, they set out. Because Jacob's magic was the only thing to open the door, he opened it and held the spell until everyone was out of the cave. The door slammed shut behind him and once again the cliffside was perfectly solid. No one would suspect anything behind it.

It was easy to see that Sylvana didn’t like the situation they had found themselves in. Only a few weeks ago she had still been traveling by herself. She never would have thought she would run back into Wyatt again, let alone get captured by the Shadow Sage, and now be at the mercy of Jacob as he led them through the snow covered mountains.

The hours seemed to stretch by so slowly and the snow just kept going up and up. If someone had told her it was never going to end, she would have believed them. The white magic user wasn’t even sure exactly how much time had passed. All she knew was that Jacob said tomorrow would be the last leg of the journey. They would be at the Witches’ Fortress.

The small group was now sitting in around one of the gray magic user’s many ice caverns. If she never saw another one, saw anymore snow she would live out the rest of her days happy. Her stomach growled at the smell of cooking food. She couldn’t wait until she could eat. The young woman had gone through a lot during her life, but she never would have thought traveling up a snow covered mountain would be this hard.

She had to give Jacob his due. If he did this very often by the pacing he was setting then he deserved the credit. She never wanted to make this trip again. And she wouldn’t. Once they had been to the Fortress once, they could just transport all the next times. And transporting is exactly what she would do.

“Sylvana.” Wyatt’s voice yanked her out of her thoughts. She glanced over at her friend as he handed her a bowl of food. She must have dozed off. She readily accepted it and started chowing down. One more night of hard journey and they would finally be at their destination. Just one more day and they would see if it was all worth it.

The trek through the snow covered mountains was taking more of a toll than he had ever believed it would. He had to give Jacob credit. While he didn’t look like much and was weaker than most of the people he knew physically, his endurance for stuff like this was uncanning. It made sense given the fact that this is where he had been “found.” It certainly had been where he was raised his entire life.

But in a way it also worried him. While both he and Sylvana could defeat him on a physical level and magically level, when both of their heads were clear; out here being worn out left them at a great disadvantage. One in which Jacob had the upper hand in every category. Needless it say it was disturbing having to put so much trust in a person who wanted them dead, especially him.

The black magic user watched and listened to the exchange between brothers. Again while he didn’t much trust Jacob anymore most of the things he said about being out here were correct. He, himself, had been raised in the woods. He’d learned to live off the land from the cradle. But out here was completely different. The hunter in him said to store as much as they could, which included wood, so likely he was going to be the pack mule. He wasn’t going to complain about it. It was just going to leave him at more of a disadvantage. Of course, once they reached the Witches’ Fortress, any of them could just teleport to someplace where there was wood and come back. A relief on not having to travel back down and back up over and over again. Being a witch had its advances sometimes. At least when one wasn’t being hunted for having been born different.

“When we’re done eating I’ll go out and hunt as well as bring more wood back for the journey.”



Sylvana listened to Wyatt’s words knowing they were more than what they were. He was telling her to be careful when he stepped out. Jacob could try anything to the two left here. Or he could simply not allow the black witch back into the cave and let him die. But it was a risk they had to take if they wanted to survive the rest of the journey.

She didn’t have to like it and she didn’t. But she would suffer it in silence because she had to. She took a deep breath to settle her stomach. She really didn’t want to be left alone with the gray witch. Jasper was one thing. Jacob was a whole other monster.

A few minutes later she realized that she was being spoken to and she turned to the healer with a small smile on her face. He didn’t need to worry about where her thoughts traveled to. He had enough on his plate to deal with. Being blood related to Jacob was hard enough. Having shared a womb was another story entirely.

The young woman nodded her head. No need to make life any more difficult. “I’m good. Really. Just tired. More than I should be. Once we get to the Fortress I’ll get lots of sleep, but until then I’m good. Stop worrying so much. You’re a good healer. I’m going to live.”

The traitor's voice broke through Jacob's unpleasant and confused thoughts, but did nothing for his attitude. He put his dish down and stood up. "Didn't you hear what I said about being out after dark?" he snapped.

At the same time, it sounded like the perfect solution to his problem. If he goes out there, gets lost and freezes, or is attacked by wild beasts, all of Jacob's problems would be solved. No one can blame him for Wyatt dying from the elements. He made the choice to leave when he knew it was dangerous. Hmmf!

He dropped his head and his mouth twisted in a grimace. His superiors would still want to see the body before letting him back. Jacob reached his limit for mistakes by now. Isn't that what his mother meant, he'd be dead if he failed? A knot twisted in his stomach and he sat down again. "If you want to get killed, so be it!" He leaned against the wall near the door, ready for when the traitor wanted to leave. There he sat, and drew up his knees to his chest. He picked up the dish and stabbed at his food. Even though he didn't meet any eyes, he saw all that happened within the cave, but didn't protest any further.

Jasper sighed at the new argument going on over his head, or more like Wyatt making a simple statement, and Jacob getting agitated for unknown reasons. He rubbed his head. "Do you have to complain about everything? You just said you don't think our supplies will last very long, yet when someone offers to replenish them you protest. What is it you want?" Jacob grumbled but didn't answer the question, and the healer huffed.

When Sylvana answered his previous question, he gave her a weak smile. "Because it's been a rough day, I just want to make sure you haven't been reinjured. Such an injury on top of what you've already..."He paused and swallowed, shivering against the memory of what she looked like when he found her. He placed his medicine bag on the ground and opened it, rifling through to get himself back together. "An injury on top of what you had already will be harder to heal."

For now, he was grateful, she was unconscious and can't remember it. Well, he didn't think she remembered. He shook his head. Not now. He can't act like this now.

To say that Jacob was being even more volatile with the suggestion to go get more wood. Sure, he understood that it was dangerous and went against what the gray magic user had just said, but the fact was that they needed to make sure they had enough supplies for the rest of the trip. While Jacob would be much more qualified to go out in the terrain he knew best and leaving both Sylvana and Jasper alone with me, it was still something that needed to be done. His magic could carry the most wood back. He was more worried about leaving the two unprotected than the danger of the wilderness for himself.

Wyatt pulled himself to his feet. He made sure his cloak was secured around his neck before glancing back at the other two members of the little, rag tag group. When the white witch caught his gaze, he nodded his head to her. They could make a link to each other if they needed it, but he had to trust that Jacob wouldn't try and kill them while he was gone. Because once he was outside of the cavern there would be no way back in without the gray magic user letting him back in. It was a risk he had to take if any of them were going to survive any longer.

With nothing more to be said, the black magic user waited until he was allowed outside and headed to grab more wood. If he happened to come across anything they could eat, he was going to grab it too. Hunting was one thing he was extremely good at. Milla had made sure of it. Thinking of his mother, now that he was alone gave him time to think about the situation he'd uncovered about Akane and his mother. All these years... now everything made perfect sense. When they were done with this, he was going to fix everything - starting with getting Milla back in control of her own magic and then killing the man who had been forced to sire him.

Slyvana watched as Wyatt walked back out into the freezing cold. While she understood what he was doing, didn't mean she liked the idea at all. She was alone in the same room with Jacob nearly by herself. They both hated each other. If anything was going to happen she felt like it would be now. So all she could do was hold her breath and hope he didn't try to betray them.

The young woman turned her attention back to Jasper as he started speaking. She gave a small sigh and then smiled lightly. "I guess this won't come as much of a shock, but I've had a lot worse. My brother, Eth... when he tried to kill me all those years ago and I actually had a heart problem... Things were much more difficult. I didn't have the ability o fully use my magic like I do now. And please, don't blame Wyatt for what happened in there. That wasn't him. That was... his magic. Pure, raw, uncontrolled. It's why he has to stay in control of it at all times. It's constantly fighting him for dominance. And with every full koon when his power levels rise... it only gets worse. I am a creature of light and him of darkness... the magic saw the light as a threat. Please, don't blame him."

Wyatt stood up and met Jacob the door guard. The black magic user looked over his shoulder and nodded toward Sylvana. Jasper assumed they conversed mentally and made no comment. Jacob let him go without another word and seemed to simply resume his door guarding. The healer sighed. He doesn't know how to relax, does he? Though Jasper hadn't been very relaxed over this trip either. Fears and stress hounded every move.

Still he never denied his own concern. Why didn't Jacob go out or at least join him? Jasper paused with that thought. Considering their anger toward each other, it might be best Jacob remained. The smaller grey user didn't know how to control himself very well, as was obvious almost since they met him, just like a small child. Jasper mused on that. An adult with great power acting like a child is a bad combination. He shuddered and returned to sorting his medicines.

Sylvana spoke again, and the healer looked up. Of all things, the patient comforting the doctor. Initially, he didn't know what she referred to, since he distracted himself with other musings. The connection returned easily nonetheless. She did see him watching Wyatt leave. "I... I..." he paused to make sense of what he knew. He stopped and dropped his head. "I admit, I'm afraid of him and for him, but I don't want to fear." He lifted his head with a sigh, and added, "I also find it hard to believe that anything could be worse than what I saw in that room..." He opened his mouth to say more and then shook his head. "I don't want to frighten you, so I won't talk about it further."

Jacob heard that part and decided to comment finally. "A minute or two more and you would have been another body to clean up." he said bitterly. "Half the dozen guards and the elders were all among the casualties. Crazy traitor bastard!" He spat at his feet.

"Jacob, please don't start," Jasper pleaded. The unrepentant response already turned the healer's skin pale. His hands shook as he sorted through his medicine bag again.

Sylvana glared over at Jacob. There were so many things running through her mind that she wanted to say to him. All of the things that should have been said so long ago. Now they fell on even deafer ears than they would have then. So she did her best to compose herself before she began to speak.

"Let me explain something. I've died before. Ask me if I am afraid to die again." Only instead of it being Eth who killed her out of jealousy, it would have been Wyatt. The black magic user would have been hit the hardest from killing her. He loved her. She knew it. She loved him. He knew it. There was nothing either one of them could do about it until the overall threat was taken care of. They'd spent so many years apart from each other that she had started to forget up until she had been slammed into the tree. Memories had come flooding back and hadn't stopped.

"Xin isn't crazy. Nor is he a traitor. Not in the way you think, but if you want to go on believing and calling him that then by all means go ahead. But if you value your powers more than your life listen to me," the white magic user was standing by this point. One fist was clenched into the side of her skirt. "They are taking witches like you and draining them of their powers so they can have more for themselves. Raven choose you. He wants your powers for himself. He knows what potential you have. Don't you see they're using you. All those witches we hunted down met the same fate. I can show you the mass graves for the husks if you want."

A few tears slipped down her cheeks as she fought to control herself. Now wasn't the time to get into an argument with the only person who could get them out of the cave. So for now she was going to have to reign herself in. Later when they were at the fortress they could have at each other, but not until then. They had to survive this ordeal first.

"Now enough. We can just sit here in peace until Wyatt gets back and then be on our way when you deem fit."

Jasper stopped his ritualistic, repetitive sorting of items and put aside his medicine bag. He thought he'd have to be a mediator, but he didn't expect it between Sylvana and Jacob.

He should know better with two sisters of his own. Women and girls can be just as and sometimes more stubborn and vindictive as men and boys. This woman in particular had been through hell and back, which made it worse. The boy she argued with was still living in hell and couldn't see heaven through the fog. Just listening to it wore him down.

"I already said I don't believe that fantasy horror story." Jacob growled back to the angry woman and clenched his own fists. "I listened to it, because I didn't have a choice." He pulled back to an offensive battle stance. "I have a choice now though." He snarled. Opening one hand slowly, he revealed a grey fireball and pulled back to toss it at the girl, when Jasper grabbed his arm. He turned his blotchy angry face to the other grey witch, and hissed. Damn! he forgot the guy was there!

"She may not be afraid of dying, but I am. I am also afraid that we can't trust you now." Jasper waited until Jacob's fireball disappeared, and than tied his hands together with a scrap of rope from an empty packet of meat. "It may not be as effective as the chains in the tower, but it should remind you of your new place as my prisoner."

"I don't need my hands to use magic," he growled back.
The healer shrugged, "It doesn't matter to me whether you can use magic or not. I just can't allow you to harm my patient and friends."

He took a deep breath and turned to Sylvana, speaking in a gentle tone, "Because you are my patient, I must insist you lay on the other side of the fire out of harm's way. I'll stay here until this boy calms down or Wyatt returns, whichever comes first." He did realize that could be a long night, but by the time they arrived at the Fortress, he hoped to have more than enough time to sleep as well as a real bed. If it was a school before, it should still have dorm rooms, because the location doesn't really allow for a lot of traveling back and forth. Even though they haven't arrived yet, he was certain of that. He sighed as he waited, still holding Jacob's arm. "You may not know it but I'd be a more merciful warden than the one whom you left to me."

(Decided to rewrite instead of delete)

Jasper stopped his ritualistic, repetitive sorting of items and put aside his medicine bag. He thought he'd have to be a mediator, but he didn't expect it between Sylvana and Jacob.

He should know better with two sisters of his own, and he also should have known better from his own experience with her when they first met. Sylvana was a fighter when she felt something needed to be corrected, not unlike certain other women and girls he's met in his life. On top of that, she'd been through hell and back, which would definitely make that tendency worse. The problem is the boy she argued with still lived in hell and didn't know any better. He couldn't see heaven for the fog of pain and confused anger.

"I already said I don't believe that fantasy horror story." Jacob growled back to the angry woman and clenched his own fists. "I listened to it, because I didn't have a choice." He pulled back to an offensive battle stance. "I have a choice now though." He snarled. Opening one hand slowly, he revealed a grey fireball and pulled back to toss it at the girl, when Jasper grabbed his arm. He turned his blotchy angry face to the other grey witch, and hissed. Damn! he forgot the guy was there!

"She may not be afraid of dying, but I am the healer on this mission. As such, it's my job to make sure no one dies." He said the last with a sideways glance to Sylvana herself and a hint of warning to both of them. He paused while Jacob flexed his fingers. To be sure of him, the healer directed his stubborn brother's firing hand away from Sylvana. "Unfortunately after that episode, you can't be trusted."

Without turning away from his brother or releasing the boy's hand he removed one of the empty wrappers for their food and tied the rope holding it tight around Jacob's wrists. The fireball dispersed as Jasper, the 'weak' healer, took charge of the situation. Even if the boy didn't want to be around his brother, he knew his master wanted him alive. He growled and resisted, but again his twin was stronger.

Jasper sighed and tested the knots. He didn't want to hurt Jacob, but this was getting too much. "It won't be as effective as the chains in the tower, but it is a reminder that from now on you'll be my prisoner. I can't leave you loose with murderous intent, but we still need a guide. You weren't lying when you said you knew the territory." Jacob growled again, and Jasper tugged the rope. "Don't worry, I'll be a more merciful warden than the one you left me."

Though the smaller grey witch still bristled, his twin turned his attention to Sylvana. "For now the situation is under control, so please get some rest. I'll stay with the boy until Wyatt returns."