The Maze

[Iesha (In east shade house at...)]

(I'm going to wait until the two finish so Raze is standing by being quiet watching and listening)

[Lura, Dean]

((Yeah. Of course. That's why I changed it.))

I knew it wouldn't last, Tarii thought as he spoke again. "I just need blood. Then I should be fine." She sighed deeply. "I told you already, I attacked him." She pointed at Raze with her free hand.

"My reasons are a bit fuzzy now, but I think I believed he had kidnapped the girl. As it turns out, she's his mate. I was... not remotely myself at the time.

"Your mother brought me here... to the College of Magic," she glanced at Sam for confirmation, continuing to speak when he nodded, "... however long ago. I was to be trapped in my hellhound form in the maze as punishment for... Well, I don't remember what. She said you had chosen this as my punishment. I take it she lied about that."

Why though? Did she suspect how I felt - feel - about him? Did she think he would actually deign to touch me some day, to take me to his bed?

~*~*~*~*~*~

Briea had opened her mouth to correct the man when Tarii started to speak. She decided to let her deal with him as she had more experience at it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sam crossed his arms as he watched the two talk. Huh. So he was looking for her? Interesting...

[『ᴡɪᴄᴋʟɪɴɢ ᴛʀᴀsʜ ● ɢᴏᴏᴅʙʏᴇ』]

Lura wrote: "((Yeah. Of course. That's why I changed it.))

I knew it wouldn't last, Tarii thought as he spoke again. "I just need blood. Then I should be fine." She sighed deeply. "I told you already, I attack..."

((May I ask how she ended up stuck as hellhound?))

"Yes, she did lie. I wonder why." He scowled, "So, uh...what will you do now?" He asked. He looked around, a hedge maze? Gods, he hated these things. "So...shall I carry you or...?" He wondered how far away was the nearest Gateway to the Faerie, hopefully some lake or mound was nearby.

[Lura, Dean]

((Magic. ^_- Not sure who cast the magic or even what kind of magic it was, but yeah...))

Tarii shrugged. "Thanks, but that's not necessary. Just help me stand up. My head isn't spinning as much now. I do need to find a human, though, so I can feed.

"Then I'll go back to being your bodyguard. Unless you'd rather stay here? We could enroll as students. I've always wanted to learn more about magic." She blushed ferociously at her own daring. Fifty years ago, she would never have dared speak so plain to him. But he seemed different now. Nicer. It likely wouldn't last. Maybe it would, though. Maybe. That would be nice.

[『ᴡɪᴄᴋʟɪɴɢ ᴛʀᴀsʜ ● ɢᴏᴏᴅʙʏᴇ』]

Lura wrote: "((Magic. ^_- Not sure who cast the magic or even what kind of magic it was, but yeah...))

Tarii shrugged. "Thanks, but that's not necessary. Just help me stand up. My head isn't spinning as much n..."

He smiled weakly, "Aren't we a bit too old for school?" was all he said. He looked to the others, "We should find our way out of here first, please? I utterly despise these things." He looked over Sam, Briea and Raze.

[Lura, Dean]

"Maybe," Tarii said as she shrugged. "But you're never too old to learn. Where better to learn than a college?" She smiled.

"I'm fairly certain there is an exit nearby. I tried to stay near an entrance once I found one. Something wouldn't let me leave the maze, but I could look out of it once in a while." She slowly stood up, having to grasp the Prince's hand or arm harder several times. "Once my head stops spinning again, we can get out of here."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"She's right. About the entrance being close I mean," Briea said. "It's just around that corner," she said, pointing behind Sam. "Turn right and go a few yards and you'll be out. Easy." She smiled, hoping they would all leave - Tarii, the Prince, and the man who'd come to heal Tarii - so she and Raze could get back to their hunting trip.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I'm leaving now since as this young lady," Sam began, nodding towards Tarii, "doesn't need any healing. Nor any help I can give. You're welcome to follow me out if you need to.

"Should you decide to enroll here, I'm certain the Dean would be happy to help speed up the process. She seemed kind when I spoke to her on the phone yesterday morning." Exceptionally kind for a dark elf.

[『ᴡɪᴄᴋʟɪɴɢ ᴛʀᴀsʜ ● ɢᴏᴏᴅʙʏᴇ』]

Lura wrote: ""Maybe," Tarii said as she shrugged. "But you're never too old to learn. Where better to learn than a college?" She smiled.

"I'm fairly certain there is an exit nearby. I tried to stay near an ent..."

Marick nods, "Thank you, shall we?" He gestures to Tarii to go first. "I guess enrolling her could be a nice change of pace..." And we'd be together, so that would be a plus..... He smiled at the thought. He smiled and thanked Briea and Sam.

[Lura, Dean]

Sam nodded to Briea and Raze. "See you two around." He started to add something facetious about not doing anything he wouldn't do, but he didn't know them that well so it would sound odd. Plus, she was apparently already pregnant with the boy's child, so there wasn't much more they could do. That he could think of at least.

He turned and headed out of the maze.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Just a second," Tarii murmured. She was still a bit dizzy. Blood would fix it. Or sleep. But blood would be faster. And she did need to feed; she wasn't sure how long it had been since she did so. Days? A week? Longer?

"Okay. I think I'm ready now." She took a slow step forward, sighing with relief when her head didn't spin again. She had to lean heavily on the Prince's arm, but she managed to walk out of the maze.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Briea watched them leave. "Finally," she murmured. She put her arm around Raze's waist. "Now we need to find a way through this maze." The forest - and therefore dinner - lay on the other side.

[『ᴡɪᴄᴋʟɪɴɢ ᴛʀᴀsʜ ● ɢᴏᴏᴅʙʏᴇ』]

Lura wrote: "Sam nodded to Briea and Raze. "See you two around." He started to add something facetious about not doing anything he wouldn't do, but he didn't know them that well so it would sound odd. Plus, she..."

((Whose with whose child?))

Marick smiled and walked out from the Maze with Tarii on his arm. He nodded, "You need to....feed?" He asked. He was somewhat hesitant to see her feed from a human....but if it would help her get better...

[Lura, Dean]

((Briea is preggers with Raze's baby. Tarii could smell the pregnancy in her hellhound form.

I'll post for Tarii in the Courtyard.))

[『ᴡɪᴄᴋʟɪɴɢ ᴛʀᴀsʜ ● ɢᴏᴏᴅʙʏᴇ』]

Lura wrote: "((Briea is preggers with Raze's baby. Tarii could smell the pregnancy in her hellhound form.

I'll post for Tarii in the Courtyard.))"

((okay. I'll be slow to reply because I'm working on two characters.))

[Lura, Dean]

((No problem. I likely won't be on much longer. And I'm working on two characters as well.

Posted in the courtyard: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... ))

[Iesha (In east shade house at...)]

Raze watched Sam and, not soon after, Tarii and Marick leave out in search of an exit from the maze. He hoped everything went well for the couple, and he really didn't care about what the Professor Sam next activity was. Turning to Briea when she wrapped her arms around him, he nodded his head in agreement. "Yea. I think I'll hunt down two deers. Tarii knows how to fight I'll give her that much. " Raze placed hand around her waist and he turned with her to walk slowly. " I like being together just you and me. I don't think I like other people around-just not use to it. I guess"

[Lura, Dean]

Briea smiled up at him. "I like it when it's just the two of us, too." She looked around them and couldn't tell any differences between the tall hedges all around. There were a few spots of blood where Raze had fought Tarii, but other that those, no differences.

"Now. How do we get out of here?" she asked as she walked with Raze. "You do know where you're going, right?"

[Iesha (In east shade house at...)]

At the question, Raze looks from side to side and came to a stop in their walking. "I think we go that way... Or is it that way" He glanced in several different directions as he tried to figure out where to go. "Forget this" Raze steps away from Briea. Closing his eyes and snuffing the air, he concentrates on his prime instincts: hungry.

A small, distance smell of an deer's scent came to Raze's nose. "This way" He wrapped his arm around Briae side and continued their way toward the forest.

(Are they going to run into anything else?)

[Iesha (In east shade house at...)]

Raze walked with Briea. Listening to the small noises of the maze, Raze stayed on alert. Unfortunately, the his hungry had increased by than causing his senses to be off just slightly. They took a turn which lead them to a dead end. "Who puts a maze in a school anyway" He muttered more to himself as he turned, pulling Briea behind him as he now held he hand. They took several more turns which lead them to the same looking dead end. By now Raze was becoming annoyed and angry.

[Lura, Dean]

((So sorry for the delay. I don't know why Briea's been uncooperative.

Nah, I don't think they'll run into anything else. In fact, I think Briea's going to solve that problem shortly. ^_^))

Briea followed Raze around through the maze, her hand resting in his. At one point, she thought he'd figured out how to get out of the maze. Now, however, they were hopelessly lost.

I'm pretty sure the maze is part of what protects the school, she thought but chose not to say. Probably a smart decision.

"Can you smell the forest? My nose is too confused by the scent of the maze to smell it." She brought up her free hand and muttered a word, her hand quickly becoming surrounded by a thin coating of flame. "Just tell me which way to aim," she said, grinning up at him.

[Iesha (In east shade house at...)]

(It's fine. I understand this takes times)

[Iesha (In east shade house at...)]

Aim? Intrigued, Raze turned his nose to the air. Inhaling deeply for a few minutes, the watery order of the large forest spring to his nostrils quickly. The scent was strong, overpowering the dry, leafy scent of the maze. Turning his head to his mate, Raze seeks her eyes, gazing. "The forest is all around us. Any direction will be fine, but if you're going for a short distance, the opening on your left is where the strongest scent is from. What are you going to do?" The wolf within him have him an uneasy feeling, like something dangerous was about to happen. He could feel something stirring within his mate yet he couldn't quite place what it was. However, he did release her hand and took a step to the side away from her, on an impulse.

[Lura, Dean]

"Fireball," Briea answered, still grinning. She turned towards her left, and concentrated on her hands, making the fireball grow. Once it was an appropriate size, she released it, shooting it through the hedge. She let the fire around her hand go out before climbing through the smoking hole in the maze.

"Come on. It'll regrow soon," she said, turning back to look at Raze.

[Iesha (In east shade house at...)]

Eyes wide when the fire free bigger and bigger in just the palm of her hand. He watched the fire formed into a ball, almost a perfect circle. The intensity from the newly made fireball caused the werewolf to stand back further. Eyes widen slightly, he watched the demonic being aims the energy and released it, causing a hole through at least five hedges. He voice free him from his hypnotic stare "Coming" Quickly, he.moved forward. Following her through the hole. Finally they stood at the Forest of Dreams. The hedges quickly closed and repaired themselves. Raze looks at the forest with an dreamy look in his eyes. "Let's hunt"

[Lura, Dean]

((Continued here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... ))