Arn awoke.  The image of the man, or the flame being, whatever it was still fresh in his mind.  The image lingering as if he had gazed into the sun and looked away.  He had felt power and while his stomach had tightened at the appraisal, he had not felt fear.  Danger yes, but no more than when faced with a powerful storm.  He looked down at the sleeping form of his lovely protegee.  There were many questions that needed answering. 

A knock at the door reminded him that those answers  would be required by others.  Namely, the ex Knight of the Venray family.  Arn knew the man meant no harm.  He knew that both he and Eilis owed explanations after the altercations of the night before.  Even still, he hated that his charge would be placed on the witness stand. 

The battlemage knew enough about Eilis to know she would feel at fault somehow.  He had brushed back her hair and gently said in a calm voice.  [color=0054a6]“Eilis, I fear the dawn has come.  I hate to wake you from your dreams, especially if they were good ones.  However, I believe we have people waiting for us.”[/color]  As if on cue, the elder maid slowly opened the door.  A second, younger maid also entered carrying a change of clothes for the young lady. 

Both gave Arn a curtsy as he walked past.  The battle mage was reluctant to leave but he knew that she would be relatively safe.  Do doubt, measures had been taken.  He felt a bit drained, not only from physical lack of sleep, but somehow, his Thread Diving or contact with the flame shadow had drained him too.  

Outside the door, he had found one of the footmen.  He directed Arn to his room where a change of clothes was also waiting for him.  The fine fabric that had been lent to him, charred and ripped.  The battlemage could only guess as to how much the fine garment had been worth.  He dressed quickly and was led to the library.

Being a man that appreciates reading, the scent of books and the look of the leather bound spines brought memories to him.  He wondered if perhaps in these pages he could find an answer or a way to help Eilis escape her prison.  Not long after Tyrhallan and Uilles appeared.  

The Master Mage had bowed his greetings and given the Knight Captain a quick evaluation to make sure that there was not obvious damage from the attack the night before.  The Elder Venray motioned for them to sit.  

Questions were asked but there was not much to tell.  Nothing that would betray Arn’s promise to his charge.  He did not hide the strong connection that existed between them.  He even offered and explanation of why he felt so protective of her.  He made it quite clear that she was very important to him but expressed that  why that was so was unclear even to him. When Uilles promised he would be gentle, there was no reason for Arn to doubt though he still felt irritated by having to put his protegee in that situation. 

 He felt it in his being when she was close.  Validating this feeling, a knock was heard and the young girl entered. The battle mage gave the fair girl an encouraging smile.  He reached to her via the Thread but decided to tone it back.  After all, he was unsure how much in the surface the shadow being would be.  He dove just enough to let her know he was with her.  

The Master Mage shared her nervousness but years of military training allowed him to sit rigid and as expressionless as he was able to.  He had been a part of very stressful meetings and even been captured by the enemy ones, yet nothing compared to the way the pit in his stomach felt in this situation.  He heard her story and tried to stay stoic to prevent her from thinking she had said something wrong.

However, his eyes betrayed his true feelings.  There was a sadness to dark pupils of his eyes.  Slight changes in his brow from concern, helplessness to anger were the only things visible.  Via the Aether however, he was much more active.  The undulations of his emotions could be felt by anyone sensitive enough.

Especially when she started to retell her story.  Somehow, perhaps due to his slight connection he was keeping with her, but it almost felt like another mind meld.  Through her eyes, he saw the events unfolding.  The air around him changed drastically at the part of her branding.  He could not help but begin to flare up.  However, he regained enough control that only the temperature change slightly around him.

[color=9e0b0f][i]How much had he actually known? Had Eilis told him anything of this?[/i][/color]

Arn had not known much.  Yet, as he discovered the truth he was angry.  Angry at himself for not having been able to help her.  Angry that a gentle soul such as Eilis had gone through this.  Angry that as powerful as he was, he was still helpless like that little boy sitting outside his mother’s room as drunk an vile men ravaged her.  

His desire to rid her of the bonds that marred her lovely person burned into his mind and heart like a brand.  There was an unspeakable need to free her.  It was a way to atone for his inadequacy in protecting his mother, in protecting Eilis and in protecting all those other poor girls who suffered the same fate. 

By the time the telling was done he felt exhausted.  He had spent his time listening and forcing himself to remain calm and keep himself from burning the place down.  As it was, his fingers had been interlocked and so tight was his grip that indentions could actually be seen. 

Hate it as he did, he could not help but agree with Uilles regarding how special Eilis was.  Not only because he was biased towards her but because her pursuers had been willing to attack her deep inside their enemy’s territory. 

When she smiled at him there was nothing but admiration in his eyes.  She had gone through so much, her powers were immeasurable and her courage admirable.  His body almost moved by instinct.  He required to be next to her.  As if pulled by gravity, he moved and stood behind her placing encouraging and protective hands on her shoulders.  He looked at the two Venray gentlemen.  He searched their faces.  

The battle mage would not fault them if they required them to leave.  After all, harboring such a priceless asset as Eilis is bound to attract the wrong kind of attention.  Whether it be the enemy or their own leadership. And so, he awaited their decision.  After all, it mattered little.  He would still lay down his life to protect her and his ardent goal was to free her.