Across the field, thousands of damp tents were lit with the dim oil lamps of the soldiers. Hearty laughter was heard breathing its way up into the crisp night as Cira crept across the mud-slicked plain. The sheer vastness of this land was incomprehensible, almost impossible it seemed. Cira couldn't pry her eyes from the night sky above her, now cleared of its melancholy clouds and dotted with tiny sparkles of magic. She wondered if this is what Mistress Anne had told her an ocean was… and endless sea of blue. And the stars, were they the waves? And of the land, was this the everlasting plain of lush, green life?

So many questions lingered in her mind. So many answers were left hanging out in the night air.

Cira was almost positive that eventually, the wizard would explain this war to her. It was such a foreign concept, as she had only known the pacifism of the Mistresses she stayed with. Anne had explained to her that war was what tore away at the seams of unity in the quilt of the world. She pointed out that they were not to be compared to scissors, for they were even and distinct in cutting, while war was reckless, random, and ultimately hideous.

And so she walked on, beginning to contemplate the ways of this new world she was suddenly thrown into while the wizard's heart sounded in his ears in fear. Li felt that his heart could give out at any second from exhaustion. The laughter of the soldiers frightened him so, and he wondered if they had taken one of the Mistresses to their bed, torturing her in inhumane ways. Cringing, he wished a hellish death upon them if they had.

He had lost his home to these people. He had lost Clarice to these people. She was all he truly had left of this chaotic universe that reminded him of serenity. And now… now she was the true angel Li knew she always was. Maybe her wings would be made of gold.

***

Trenton knew that his army had made quite a victory. Aryne had said that those in the Palace of Varulami would be at a disadvantage, but at no time did the lieutenant believe that there would be this much of a disability for the other side. The entire palace was defenseless. Completely defenseless.

When the army first arrived, the commanding officers thought it must have been a trap. There was no way that a palace filled with wizards and 'Mistresses', as they called them, could miss the forces of Erole. It was almost as if they wanted to be expunged from the earth. It was just too easy.

The tent was rancid with the stench of sin as soldiers clattered their mugs of beer together. Splashes of the alcohol settled against the earthen floor as slurred songs made their way into the night air. The tent seemed to be smothering and the heat was so extreme that it was nothing but an oven in Trenton's eyes. Silently, he lifted up the flap of cloth leading out of the tent and leaned against one of the supply carts parked just outside it.

The palace was in a superb location. A minute brook ran across a lush field into a collection of forests. The field itself was open, one had little chance of remaining hidden during war time, but the forest was ultimately dense, and remaining elusive was not that great a task. The brook's cracks and gurgles provided just enough noise to cloak any footstep if one was careful enough. Yes, the palace was indeed ideal.

Trenton had to admit that these green fields possessed their own beauty. His soldiers tainted the tranquility that remained here though the second they set their armored boot on this land. It was a pity that something like this could be destroyed in an instant with the draw of a sword.

He was relieved that there were stars in the sky tonight. For it being so warm in the tent, Trenton was surprised that the air was chilled outside. Wisps of breath rose up into the sky along with the gray smoke leaping from the oil lamps in the tents. Trenton's eyes rested on the stars once more. They had just dimmed for him.

Except one. There was still a flickering fire that remained in the darkened sky. It laughed, it mocked him it seemed.

From the dense collection of trees, emerged a private. His armor jingled in the night as he jogged across the field to the lieutenant. It was Rohl, one of the more experienced soldiers in the fight.

He gave a quick salute, "Lieutenant Mars, sir. We found two of them. One male, one female. The male is a wizard, sir."

"And the female?"

"She's too young to be a Mistress. We feel that she might be a daughter of one. She's shadowed though, the wizard is protecting her."

"And you're sure she's not…"

"Sir, we cannot confirm that she is. She's invisible, only our best wizard can see her. The shadowing spell is wearing off."

"Alright then, Rohl. Go and gather some of the men in your rank. I'm going to find Officer Bail and then we'll be off. We're going after them."

The soldier ran off to one of the tents in the distance. Creeping back inside, Trenton walked over to the man in corner of his tent, smiling at the drunken fools. He stood as he saw the approach.

"Ah, Mars, come to see me my good friend?" The man's hand gave Trenton a hard slap on the back. His voice was quite jolly as he towered over the lieutenant.

"Xander, we have a situation. We've found two of them."

The officer's expression darkened, "Sir, we'll catch them. Alexander Bail never looses a target."

"Glad to hear it, Officer. Let's be off then, I sent Rohl to gather some men. They should be back now."

As the two men swept out of the tent, the number of soldiers that stood outside of their tent caught them off guard. Rohl was placed at the front of the group, his bow in hand. There were at least 100 men behind him, much more than they would need for such a small manhunt. Trenton figured that it couldn't hurt to have them around though.

Rohl lead the way through the thick brush of the forest. It was surprising to see the vast men move through the woods so soundlessly. They looked like giant, black elephants in their leather armor, but they moved like small butterflies. Watching large men such as these tiptoe through a forest was quite an amusing sight.

But the hunt had begun.

***

He could feel their footsteps before he heard them. Half of them had magic. Which half, Li didn't know. What he did know was that he had to find Cira. Quickly.

Li could have sworn that the beat of his heart was the only noise in the area. It sounded in his ears like a siren, blaring. He wasn't even aware that he was running until his feet became tangled in the gnarled roots of the forest below. He fell with a hollow thump that seemed to be absorbed by the soil. They would find him now, for sure.

When he looked up from the dampened ground, he saw the ethereal shimmer. Cira stood not too far ahead of him, unaware of the danger that lay so close. She was glancing, touching, smelling the things around her. As much as Li wanted her to experience this world, now was not the time.

Trying his hardest not to stir up any noise whatsoever, Li took a small stone and threw it towards the girl's feet. The translucent form of her glowing body looked at the wizard with a hallow look, Cira looked like a spirit. The white glow that had absorbed into her body was so faint, yet, to him, it stood out so clearly. Would the men find her?

Cira's eyes crept to the stone that lay at her bare feet. The look in her eyes was not one of joy, of confusion, even rage. Her eyes were completely enclosed in some sort of unknown force that iced Li's breath. They both knew that Cira's spirit was long departed.

Li gaped at what he saw until he felt the heavy arms of Erole soldiers clasp his shoulder.

"It's a wizard! Make sure we gather his magic!"

Cira just stood, staring at the old man. He looked so familiar…

"Hurry up with the chains, Rohl! He's planning on calling his magic!"

Clatters rung through the air as hard, metal shackles were placed on Li's wrists, ankles, and neck. He was completely helpless in this state, he had no intention of calling his magic. He couldn't call his magic on these men.

Cira's body remained still the entire time. It was nothing but a vessel now for the spirit that housed itself inside of her figure. It stood there, watching Li, watching the soldiers, scrutinizing every inch of skin and bone that stood before her. Like she didn't even know she was human. Like she was not of flesh and blood. Like she was dead.

"Cira! Run!"

In half of a moment, Cira's eyes sprang back to life, as if she was suddenly pumped with the breath of life in that one period of time. Horror reflected in her face, and in that instant, she dashed away into the thick brush just before the forest. Thorns penetrated through her callused skin that lined the ground. Gnarled branches, creeping their way around her like the cold fingers of the dead, scratched through the fringes of her white dress that was trailing behind her.

The muffled cries of the wizard were still audible as Cira continued on. Leather creaked into the cold night while the sound of metal sprang through the air. She was letting the only man she trusted fall to these soldiers. She was a coward.

Without hesitation, Cira flung herself around back towards the malicious soldiers. Her body moved in rhythm with her breath, like a perfected machine. Muscles she barely knew she had moved in synchronized motion as trickles of sweat ran down her face and upon her lips. There was nothing living that was as fast as she.

She could barely make out the figures of the males before her when she arrived. Li's head was hung as heavy iron shackles burdened his ankles and wrists. A linked chain ran from a collar around his neck to the grip of one of the largely built men. An innumerable amount of men stood behind, talking in drunken slurs. But regardless of their benign actions at the moment, it did not matter, they still had Li.

With a sudden rush, Cira was upon the man whose hand held Li's chain. Rage was filling in her eyes as she forcefully bit the leather-clad arm that so wrongfully held the chain. With a clatter, it fell to the earthen ground followed by the soldier himself. A cry leapt from the man's lips as trickles of blood made their way through his armor in the pattern of Cira's jaw. With the fling of his shoulder, Cira was sprawled on the ground, lying on her back.

She immediately felt the leather hands upon her as she was heaved up on her feet. Some of the younger looking soldiers promptly placed the same iron shackles upon her in the same fashion as Li's were. It was much too dark to see the faces of these men, but somehow, Cira could feel each one's expression upon her. Lust.

Lowering her own head as to not see the fools before her, Cira noticed the palace in her peripheral vision. Flames snapped out of each window while gray smoke billowed up into the air. The view of more soldiers dancing around the castle sent Cira into an unquenchable rage. She would burn their homes and see how they liked it.

One of the rough hands of a shoulder lifted her head up to his. Shadows covered his face as he brought hers closer.

"Looks like we've got the two escapees. Good job men."

Cira was no biting her lips together harshly. She could not cry.

"Thank you Lieutenant Mars for your honorable congratulations. We will return now to our posts if you permit it."

"Ah, men, that is perfectly acceptable. No problems. Officer Bail, would you mind escorting our two prisoners to the camp?" The smug in his voice made Cira want to destroy him at that instant.

"Oh, Lieutenant, can't we play with her first? It's been a long night!"

Another hand reached up and grabbed her face, this time, touching it with the coarse surface of his tongue. Laughter sounded in her ears. In a fit of rage, Cira spat the blood left in her mouth from the previous soldier into the eyes of the one before her. Taken back by surprise, the man backhanded her, leaving her sprawled on the ground.

"This one will do fine in our beds, eh men?"

As their rough hands began tearing away at her dress it was then that a trickle of blood dripped from Cira's lips.