The Master Mage was thankful that he had endured the boring presentation and demonstrations regarding etiquette and formal dining.  He had to help the poor Eilis with proper utilization of the silverware and how to eat the various courses that were presented.  As expected, the food was quite delectable and of high quality.  The hosts made small talk and the lady of the house fussed over everybody.  

Yet, despite their place at the table, the mage still felt like an outcast amongst them.  The family discussed and talked of things that the pair of outsiders could only experience from an external point of view.

Soon, the meal was over and had been ushered into a parlor to have after dinner wine or cigars.  Eilis had wanted to retire and Arn had immediately offered to escort  her.  Not only was she his protegee and his honor would not allow him to leave her alone in a new environment, but the mage also wanted to have what little time he could with her. 

They had traversed the house following the servant who had been sent to show them their accommodations.  Arn had sighed in relief when the servant left them.  This much etiquette and pageantry was more than he was used to.  He smiled at her as she stood in the doorway of her room.  

He gently lifted her hands to his lips and kissed them softly. [color=0054a6] “Well my Lady Eilis.  I bid you good night.  I hope that that magnificent looking bed allows you to rest better than the hospital ship gurneys.” [/color] He smiled teasing her.  He looked into her eyes, his own dark ones seemed to reflect her image like a mirror.  They were true in the fact that all they could retain was her. 

The master mage had waited a few seconds after she closed the door being unable to move.  Indeed, he could only go as far as the edge of the hall where a lounge chair sat no doubt a place that ladies shared secrets in confidence. 

His mind was able to think logically about the day and their current circumstance.  It all seemed to be so detached from reality.  As Uilles had pointed out, a war was coming.  The capital would soon become engulfed in fire and death.  Yet, all he could think about was his lovely charge.  He even wondered if distancing himself was better.  She occupied so much of his thinking that his usually analytical mind had taken a back seat to his active appreciation of her. 

Even as he thought about it, the idea did not appeal to him.  Since his encounter with Eilis he had opened a new dimension to his magic.  He had felt it more than seen it.  When he was with her, he felt energized beyond the obvious experience of being dazzled by her.  It was something deeper.  Something that seemed to allow him to feel her presence even when she was not with him. 

The master mage began to stand up.  It would not do to have the Venray family believe that the [i]“fiancés”[/i] were spending so much time alone.  Arn shuddered at the images that might be going through the appalled mind of the lady of the house and the scolding he would get for being inappropriate.  

A sudden surge went through his body and he was moving before the first crash of glass was heard.   He felt more than heard it actually almost as if he has been in the room when it happened.  No doubt a side effect of his mind meld and connection to his lady.  The image had felt like an echo in his mind as if the distance between them had acted like a pond and her emotions were the ever expanding ripple. 

His body tried to complain, the wounds still fresh but the man ignored them.  Only one thought governed his current thinking and that was Eilis. He covered the distance quickly and was soon standing in front of the bedroom door.  His eyes glowed and the air around him distorted as he tapped into the Aether.  

Despite his urgency and the hair raising situation, Arn could not help but notice how much more in contact with the Aether threads he was.  The flow of magic was easier.  The magic itself was pure.  Almost as if he had been drinking from a fountain all his life and how he was able to drink form a virgin spring.  

One string in particular seemed to have strengthened.  This connection with Eilis was even more highlighted when Arn was tapped into the Aether.  The light was as pure as lightning.  He could even see an outline of the girl through the wall.  On the opposite side of the coin, he could see a shadow over her.  The light clashed against this shadow like waves upon a rocky cliff. 

The mage needed to act fast.  Anybody with decent magical aptitude inside the room would feel the pull of magic as he gathered it in his hands and with an exhale, propelled a powerful blast of air forward.  The thick wooden door exploded forward and would throw shrapnel at anything not lower than knee height.  The sound would be loud enough to alert anybody within a few hundred yards.  

Arn followed quickly, flames beginning to engulf his hands.  His eyes traced flames too like eager tongues licking the air.  The mage was truly a sight to behold as the magic distortion around him became enhanced by his fiery red aura.

His voice was deep and booming.  [color=0054a6]“GET OFF OF HER!”[/color]  The command was highlighted by a flare up of his fire covered hands.  The heat was that of an oven as the broken window pulled the heat towards the attacker and out to the street.