Here's my next part! ______________________________________ Lucy was still thoroughly exhausted when she and Alex were authorized to leave for Metamor. She would have resisted, but Alex wouldn't be daunted. He had a resolute, yet glazed look in his eyes. He certainly knew what he meant to do, but there was still a pain that he pushed back and tried to hide, but Lucy knew him too well. They had been patrol mates for a year now, and friends since long before that. She had long since learned to read the feline gaze that made many others avoid eye contact. She trudged along behind, thankful at least that they were not moving quickly. Although she had had some time to rest, she had been unable to gather any magic from the lines that crisscrossed this region. It was a common problem she often encountered after fully exhausting her magic supply, and one of the reasons that she spent so much time gathering her magic every day while on the road. She hoped that she would be able to harness the natural wellspring of magic that Metamor sat on, but couldn't guarantee anything. Being ready to regain her magical charge was something she couldn't decide, it simply happened when her body was ready again. The return to the Keep was silent. Lucy venture to ask about the search parties that could be sent, but Alex wouldn't answer. He simply kept pushing forward, and Lucy knew that silence was never a good answer for her question. She had known that getting a search party together would be hard with the increased patrol activity, but she had assumed that, if anyone could convince Nestorius to do it, it would be Alex. Apparently even he could not move the lion, though. They arrived at the gates before sundown, quickly moving through the streets of Euper before arriving at the gates to the Keep proper. The guards asked for identification, and Alex took care of the matters at the gate quickly. He told Lucy that he would handle to debriefing himself, and gave her leave to go find a place to stay for the night. Lucy was on the move so much, and besides spent so much time helping her father, that she had never taken permanent residence at the Keep. Instead she spent her time in the inns, resting there before going somewhere a little more stable while she waited for the next patrol. She didn't even pay attention to the name of the inn she stayed in. She dropped some coins on the counter as soon as she heard the price, and let an employee guide her up the staircase to a small, unassuming room at the top. The bed was well furnished, though, and that made it well more than good enough for Lucy. The child mage sat down, sighing a bit as she tried to relax stiff limbs. Weeks in the field always left her a little worse for wear, but this one had taken her to her limits, and the added loss of two people she would readily call friends made it all the more draining. She focused herself, trying to find the natural streams of magic that always flowed through the Keep. She finally began to feel them after a few moments. Normally she would be able to use the magic she already had to find a reliable source, but after burning herself out she was reduced to trying to recognize the natural sources of magic around her by their familiar feel. She drew this one in, trying to draw some of it out, quietly focusing on her task. She couldn't bring it in for a while, but kept trying, just hoping that she would be able to capture some of it and get closer to being able to cast again. Finally she felt the flow of mana begin to flow through her, leaving behind magic that she would be able to us. She breathed out quietly, relaxing much more easily now that the strands of magic were within her grasp, and she could manipulate them. Luc sat there for several hours, time passing in a meaningless march as she sat there. She was perhaps, not sleeping in the most technical sense of the idea, but her body and mind were both resting, and as her reserves of magic started to increase, she began to feel completely refreshed. It was not light out when next she stirred, and she intended only to do so for a few moments. As her eyes flickered, she saw a figure standing before her, a familiar form that took the appearance of a young woman. She had only heard about this apparition by reputation, but her appearance alone made Lucy stand with a start, somehow coming from a legs-folded posture to a standing position in a matter of moments. "M'lady Kyia!" she cried. Realizing who it was she was addressing, she quickly dropped, nearly prone in a bow. "Beware, Lucy. One should not draw from a stream whose origins they cannot see," a soft voice echoed in her ears. Lucy realized what she meant immediately, and quickly tried to trace the source of the stream she had just been using. Oddly, it seemed to be a natural stream, with no strange draws that seemed to indicate dangerous activity. "Milady, what--" She stopped as she raised her eyes, meeting nothing but the wall of the inn. She started. The wall did not move, and the apparition made no further appearance. The words of warning seemed to echo in her mind, but still the image did not show itself again. Lucy stood, thinking perhaps she had been in the middle of a dream due to her sleeplike state. It seemed somewhat confirmed by the fact that the stream had proven innocent of any visible evil, but Lucy was hesitant to dismiss the apparent warning. She wiped the sleep from her eyes for a moment, still staring at the wall before her, until at long last she turned away. Perhaps it had been a phantom or a dream, but it may also have been a warning, and she kept it in the back of her mind. Perhaps it would come into play at a later date; if so, she needed to be sure that she did not forget it. There was little chance of that, though, she mused. The start it had given her, dream or no, was real enough to jerk her awake and sear itself in her memory. There was nothing that could be done for it now, though, and so she turned to the matters of the day. Now that she was refreshed, she realized that her haste had caused her to take a room without ever stowing her equipment, or even visiting the baths. She made it her morning's goal to do just that. Vague warnings would wait for later, now she had to return to her life, tired or not. !DSPAM:4e868e50108781804284693!