Sean lurked in the shadows behind a pile of boxes, waiting anxiously for Anneka to appear. She was just a bit late; normally, that wouldn't worry him, but tonight seemed - different somehow. Stop fussing, Sean, he told himself. You're acting like Mother.
*I see her!* Gavia's cheerful cry dispelled his anxiety. *About fifty paces in front of you, and to the left.*
Sean grinned. ^Bet I can scare her good!^
*You evil boy,* the gull said, trying to sound disapproving. Despite her efforts, laughter leaked through into her mindvoice.
Moving with the careless ease of one accustomed to walking on the wet, oil-slicked planks of the piers, Sean crept up behind the younger girl. Reaching out, he clapped his hand down on her shoulder. Score!
Anneka spun around, her hood falling back. "Sean!" she hissed, throwing her arms around him. "Don't you ever do that 'gain!"
Fighting laughter, Sean caught her wrist and dragged her behind a pile of crates. "Ye almos' jumped as high as the top o' the ship's mast!" he teased, squeezing her gently.
His laughter turned to confusion as she jerked away and looked around nervously. "Quiet," she whispered, her voice harsh with worry. "The watchman might hear us!" Sean frowned; the watchman had never worried her before.
*He's unusually twitchy tonight,* Gavia reported, *but then, Lord Ackermann's silk shipment is stuck in one of the warehouses overnight. He'll lose his job for sure if it's stolen.*
^I hope that's all that's up,^ Sean said nervously. Anneka's paranoia was beginning to affect him. "Ye've ne'er been worried 'bout the watchman 'fore...." he began, but Anneka's only response was a sigh. "Ann'ka? Is there somethin' I should know 'bout?"
"No." Sean could tell she was lying; they'd been friends for four years, in love for two. At this point, he could read her like an open book.
Gavia had apparently been following his thoughts. *You can't read,* she pointed out smugly.
^I can read Anneka.^ The seagull had no response to that.
After a few more seconds, Sean grasped Anneka by the shoulders and spun her around. Looking her in the eye, he said seriously, "Well, there's somethin' wrong with you."
"There's no-" Sean felt a sharp pang of dismay as she once again began to refute his statement. Is there someone else? he thought, and then tried in vain to dismiss the thought. It was unworthy of his Anneka.
She stopped mid-sentence, seeming to realize his hurt. Raising her hands in defeat, she began again. "You're right." Her voice was cold and her tone sharp. Sean winced, then paled at her next words.
"I've been forbidden to disgrace m'self with your presence again, courtesy of m'father."
For a single, shocked instant, the words refused to sink in. They might as well have been in Kyrian, for all they made sense to Sean. Then they hit him with all the force of a rampaging dragon. "Ye cain't be serious!" he cried.
"Have I e'er lied to you?" Anneka's sharp words brought him to his senses.
"No, but-" Before he could finish, she cut him off.
I'm not lyin' to you now either!" she exploded. "I cain't e'er see you 'gain, or else he'll kill you!"
*Kill you?* Gavia cried in alarm. *Sean, I want the whole story, and I want it now!*
^So do I, Gavia,^ Sean replied soothingly. Patting Anneka's shoulder, he spoke in his calmest, quietest voice. "Easy there, Ann'ka... Ye're gettin' upset. Why would yer father wanna kill me anyways?"
"Well, 'member that arrogant lord's son? The one you gave a bloody nose 'cause he slapped me after I wouldn't kiss 'is feet?" Sean nodded grimly. Jhian had gotten more then just a bloody nose from that incident - but Anneka didn't need to know that. "Well, m'father betrothed me to 'im."
"Why in the bloody 'ell would 'e do that?!" Sean demanded, fury igniting within him. "Bloody hell. He betrothed you to that ass?"
Anneka nodded.
A mischevious glint entered Sean's eye. "Well then... We'll jus' hafta think o' a way to make 'im change 'is mind."
*Can I help?* Gavia asked hopefully.
^Help away.^
"Ye could always pr'tend to be an idiot," Sean offered, grinning. "E'en Jhian won' marry a mindless-" Anneka tensed, and he broke off in mid-sentence. "What's wrong?"
"What was that?" she whispered, barely loud enough to hear. Sean strained his ears, but detected nothing. ^Gavia?^ He got the sleepy haze that indicated she was slumbering.
"'Twas prolly a rat... Don' worry, Ann'ka; it'll be fine." Anneka just sighed.
"Now why don't you just...." Sean was in his element, regardless of Anneka's unenthusiasm.
"...Ye could act like an abs'lute country bum'kin, or ye could always jus' be a perra to 'im 'till 'e decides he don't wanna marry ye," Sean finished with a slightly faded grin.
Anneka sighed for the fifth time that sentence. "That wouldn't work either! Then he'd disown me!"
Sean rolled his eyes. I don't think that would be such a bad thing.... "Well, in yer opinion, nothin's gonna work! C'mon, help me think o' somethin'!" he snapped.
"Well, nothing will work, especially now that we've caught both of you." Sean jumped and spun sideways, shocked to hear the night watchman's familiar voice. ^Gavia!^ he shouted to his analog. ^What happened to keeping watch?^
*Hmm... Mumph? Wha?*
A chill ran down his spine as the man's hard brown eyes settled on his face. "You. The merchant has wanted to speak with you for an extremely long time. I assure you, he will be happy to know that you've been caught." Sean twitched as the man turned towards Anneka. "As for you, young lady, I believe your father will have a talk with you too."
Sean finally summoned up the courage to speak. "I won't let ye get 'er," he said firmly, stepping in front of Anneka. "Don' even think 'bout touchin' 'er either, or I-"
The watchman chuckled nastily. "Or you'll do what? I assure you, I have reinforcements with me." He nodded, and more guards stepped forward. "You see," the watchman said cheerfully, as if he was talking to a good friend, "I've got you surrounded. One move from you or the girl will result in an extremely painful death." He motioned to a guard.
The guard grabbed Anneka's arm, dragging her forward. "Let go of me!" she shrieked, stomping on his foot.
"You perra!" the guard snarled, slapping her. She fell back and clutched her wrist, screaming again.
Sean flung himself at the guard, infuriated. The guard grabbed his collar, flinging him into a wall.
As he hit the wall, something inside Sean's mind seemed to snap. Images of fire danced before his eyes, and the deck around him burst into flames. The last thing he heard before he passed out was two voices, Anneka's and Gavia's, screaming his name in unison. *"SEAN!"*
"Oooh... Yarrgh!" Sean shrieked in pain as he regained conciousness. His entire body seemed to be on fire, his skin crawling with a sharp, stinging pain. Suddenly, a mental shield seemed to slip over his mind, seperating his consciousness from his body. He was still in pain, but in a way it seemed to be happening to somebody else.
Gavia's mindvoice filled his mind, tinged with alarm. *Get out of the water now, Sean. I can't hold back the pain for long.*
Sean realized abruptly that he was in the shallow water below the pier, surrounded by bits of wooden wreckage. The pier itself was gone, and the sun beat down on his tender skin. Leaping to his feet, he pulled himself up the steep bank onto the dock.
The dock was covered with ash. Ash, charred wood, and scorched earth covered the ground as far as he could see. A huge cloud of ash hovered over the dark, obscuring everything beyond twenty feet. "What happened here?" he demanded. In his shock, he even managed to half-ignore the burning pain that still screamed through his flesh.
"Ye happ'ned, ye bloody little Mage," a gruff voice snarled. Sean turned to see a bulky, furious-looking man eyeing him with anger. "Burned down the 'ole 'arbor district, ye did. E'en killed yer own mother - an' that girl ye started this for in the firs' place."
Anneka dead? No. And Mother?
*It wasn't your fault, Sean.* Gavia's gentle assurance did nothing to help him.
"No," he whispered.
The man stepped menacingly forward. "I foun' 'im, boys!" he yelled. Sean heard shouting and the sound of many people moving towards him. In seconds, he was surrounded by a mob of agitated townsfolk.
"What 're ye gonna do to me?" he whispered, shrinking back. The mob didn't answer, but several men stepped closer. He found suddenly that he didn't really want an answer to that question.
*Run, Sean!* Gavia cried urgently. *The only thing holding them back is they're afraid you'll call fire again! I'll dive and distract them, and you can make a run for it!*
Sean nodded dumbly. Seconds later, Gavia dove from the sky, crying loudly. Most heads turned to look at her, and Sean bolted towards the thinnest part of the the circle. Forcing his way through the angry crowd, he made it out and broke for the town gates.
Ignoring his burned and blistered flesh and pounding head, Sean raced towards the gates and freedom. Gavia flew ahead, leading him through the thick cloud of ash. It was something of a miracle that they beat the townsfolk to the gate, and another that they made it clear into the hills.
Huddled in a cave, Sean finally succumbed to his injuries. Without even laying all the way down, he sank into the mercy of sleep.