<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000"> A bit of a shorter part today, but I didn't want to dump 5000 words on you all at once. -LurkingWolf ___ <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"> Lucy was finishing her careful line work when, with a quiet knock on the doorframe to announce his return, Alex stepped back through the door into the room. Lucy looked up just long enough to give him a smile and a nod, acknowledging his presence. Julian, who was just replacing the fuel for the fire in the wood-burning stove that heated the room, finished the task and dusted off his hands before turning to see Alex in the doorway. His demeanor remained generally cold as was his custom, but he acknowledged his commander’s presence with a nod as well.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “I may have found some help,” the lynx replied quietly. Lucy did not look up from her work, but Julian favored him with an inquisitive glance. “Another patrol commander arrived to speak with the commander of Hareford immediately after I had spoken with him. Evidently he had received word that someone was in need of help within these walls, and came to see what was needed. He has gone to fetch the mage under his command, and should be here before very long.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “When did we send out a request for aid?” Julian asked quietly.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Alex sighed. To say that he had not considered the same question himself would have been untrue. It had caused some hesitation when the wolf had announced his purpose as well. “We did not,” Alex confirmed with a sigh. “I do not know; perhaps after our arrival last night someone saw fit to send out a call for help.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The moondog shook his head. “That makes no sense. It is one man, a man whose life is not even particularly endangered by his situation. With the threat of plague within the Keep’s walls, there is no reason that such a request would have been sent.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Alex had to agree. “We are in no position to turn down help,” he stated regardless. “We can ask them what they heard when they arrive. Be prepared to fight, but let’s be certain that we do not make the first move in aggression and then live to regret it.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The moondog responded by adjusting the sword that hung at his hip. He was the only one of the three to still be wearing his primary weapon, although Alex would have little use for his bow indoors, and Lucy was far more capable with magic than with any weapon. Alex’s paw went to the dagger that he kept as a sidearm, hoping that he would not need it in the near future.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Lucy finished her work with the chalk, spinning it about her fingers before storing it somewhere with such effortless grace that it simply seemed to vanish. Leaning close to the tabletop, she began to collect every small fragment of chalk that dared to stray from her meticulous piece of magical artwork. Finally satisfied, she replaced her supplies in their pack and placed it back underneath the table.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “Now, let’s see if this helps reveal anything,” she whispered. By themselves, the chalk lines did nothing, but Lucy activated the enchantment with barely any additional effort. The lines glowed visibly, even to the magically inept commander of the patrol. She immediately resumed her examination, leaving Alex to walk in ignorance.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “I am not familiar with the function of these lines,” Julian admitted, watching her work from a distance.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Lucy chuckled quietly as she again opened her eyes to the magical world. The ermine within the cage was looking at the glowing lines of magic with apprehension, but with nowhere to run it simply stared at the strange sight without understanding. “It would be somewhat difficult to determine exactly what this spell does without already knowing,” she explained. “In fact, the spell itself has almost no function.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “If it has no function, then why spend so long to build it?” Alex asked, sounding annoyed.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Lucy held up a hand. “The spell itself has very little function. However, in the presence of other magic it will react in different ways depending on what sort of spell is present. In this case, the way it reacts should tell me if there are any hidden spells or traps on Lois. I could proceed without it, perhaps, but I am understandably uninterested in triggering any traps that might leave me in a similar state to his.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “Wouldn’t hiding the spell have required some time?” Julian asked. Lucy looked at him for a moment with a grim expression before shaking her head.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “Yes, it would, and that confuses me. It seemed that the spell was cast from a distance, and whatever preparation was done would have had to take place in Lois’ absence. There should not be any traps, but by the same logic, Lois should not be under this spell. Clearly the latter of those two does not apply, so we cannot assume the former.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Julian nodded soberly, and then joined Alex to watch the young mage work. He could detect the slight changes in the weave of Lucy’s enchantment more easily than Alex could, but he did not know what they might mean, or whether they might simply be part of the spell’s natural function. Lucy did not offer any insight into the process, so he was forced to guess at her progress on his own.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">What progress she was making was interrupted briefly after it started. A knock on the door drew her attention away. Alex took a deep breath, nodding towards the portal as he moved to answer the knock. Julian gripped the sheath of his sword in his left paw, but remained relaxed enough to avoid seeming threatening. The lynx wondered how often he had been forced to tread that thin line while in the company of his enemies. 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