A New Beginning >Plot Thread:Search for Evil<

[Cynthia]

A large ship from Tortall docks at the pier. People prepare to disembark the ship and file onto the docks, into the arms of loved ones. All but one person. Glittering ice blue eyes looked out from under long lashes, while once gleaming golden blond hair was now brown strands of hair which were wound around her head, some left to dangle down. Her clothes were made of the finest ice blue satin that money could afford. A sparkling sapphire pendent (actually a spelled ruby) hung around her neck.

The former Lady Cynthia of Longlake, stepped onto the dock. Having fled Tortall after the war at Masbolle to escape probable death, she was looking for a new beginning. Actually, she was just looking for a place to work more magic to bring her dead husband back to life, but no one needed to no that.

Cynthia's titles and land had been taken from her right before she'd fled. She was hoping to find refuge with Carthak's necromatic university, but had taken a slight detour along the way. She eyed the docks with distaste.

Scum. she thought, her lip curled in a sneer. She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and began walking towards the hustling market place of the capital city. More than likely the monarchs of Tortall would send their knights and mages to take her back, and she didn't want to be caught.

[Cynthia]

Cynthia walked from the docks and deeper into the marketplace. Every small movement she noticed, and she tried learning more about the people who roamed. She noticed their skin color, their hair, even their eyes. Dark chocolate brown eyes framed by long lashes. Which reminded her of something. Her ice blue eyes were unique in a way. Even in Tortall she hadn't noticed many people with her color eyes. She'd have to set a glamor spell on them later. As she walked deeper, talk began to reach her ears.

"Didn' ya hear? Aly Homewood's returned to Tanair Estates. 'Tis getting to that season ya know...she's much to do."

"A Tortallan Delegation's been sent to the Yamani Islands...and apparently they're also looking for a criminal. A lady named Cynthia. Ther' even offerin' a reward for 'er. They have signs all o'er the place. Ther' e'en some people here for her right now...some lady with eyes the color of amethysts...she's a knight by the look of it...I saw 'er shield!...and others are with 'er. She was lookin' for Aly."

Cynthia winced inwardly. Aly Homewood? Wasn't she also known as Alianne of Pirate's Swoop...the Lioness's daughter? Spymaster of the Copper Isles? And a woman with Amethyst eyes...that had to be Roseanna of Castlemaine. Curse her. More than likely her friends Jasminai of Carmine Tower and Claw of Meron were with her also...and she was requesting an audience with Aly...not good. That'd mean there were spies out looking for her...she'd have to be extra careful. She cast her eyes down, hopefully no one would notice her until she got a chance to change the color of them temporarily.

[Jazz]

Camaria pushed her way through the market crowds, once again neglecting to remove the indigo robe that marked her as a mage of the second-highest level. She wasn't showing off - pure forgetfulness was her vice. Ah, to travel! She'd been here a week, and the Copper Isles hadn't yet lost their appeal. Sending away a hopeful street vendor, she proceeded along. The sea wind blew out her hair, and she was grateful for the cool draught. It was nice to be free, without duties to attend to. She was starting to adapt nicely, the language becoming more familiar by each conversation. The difference in magic was very interesting, and the old books were simply astounding!

Lost in her thoughts, Cam was brought back to the present when she knocked into someone. This happened startlingly often, but it didn't make her any less suprised. She apologized in Kyprish, but translated into common when she saw that the woman didn't look like a local. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, offering a hand to help the woman up. "I wasn't concentrating. Are you okay?"

[Cynthia]

Cynthia continued to walk away from the group, her eyes cast down to the ground so that hopefully no one would notice their unusual icy blue color. Her now brown locks hung out of their position on her head. Her mind was a whirl now. She HAD to find a safe place to be before those people began searching for her, which would probably be soon.

Her thought process was suddenly interrupted when someone bumped into her, pushing her to the dusty ground. Her eyes narrowed as a young voice quickly said something hastily in Kyprish, apologizing for knocking her over. The lady offered Cynthia her hand.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I wasn't concentrating. Are you okay?"

The woman wore the robe of a Tortallan mage, and her accent showed it to. Cynthia quickly bit down a retort of rage and took the offered hand. She had to keep her temper down until she got to safety!

"Thank You." she said quietly, coming to her feet and brushing the dust off the satin gown. She was going to have to change, this was to fine for the outdoors. She glanced over at the lady and sighed, she may as well say something else.

"I'm Catherine de Bourgh. And you are?" she asked inquisitively.

[Jazz]

"Thank You."

"It's the least I could do," Cam answered in equal politeness. The lady had replied in common, and her accent, clothing and stature screamed highborn - a noble if there ever was one. How intriguiging. She seemed to be Tortallan as well, but she seemed guarded. She was also a mage. Camaria could usually tell immediately, and this time was no different - she was extremely strong. perhaps as powerful as, or even more than Cam herself. The face seemed familiar. There was something nagging at the back of her mind...

"I'm Catherine de Bourgh. And you are?"

She nodded in acknowledgement, replying, "Camaria Alevi, at your service." She smiled goodnaturedly, tilting her head to the side. "Excuse me if I'm intruding, but are you from Tortall? Only I get the feeling I've seen you before..." she asked hesitantly, pushing her glasses up. They were always sliding down the bridge of her nose, it was a wonder they never fell off.

[Gah, apologies for shortness]

[Cynthia]

"It's the least I could do."

Cynthia nodded. Indeed it is. she thought. She looked the lady over some more, examing her magic discreetly. She was powerful...and perhaps could be as powerful as Cynthia once she had more training. She'd be a good aly if she could be swayed.

"Camaria Alevi, at your service. Excuse me if I'm intruding, but are you from Tortall? Only I get the feeling I've seen you before..."

Cynthia heart thudded in her chest. She really had to mask her features, if this lady could have the feeling of seeing her before, then who knows who else could?

"Yes, I'm from Tortall, though I hardly leave my estates," she said. "And as it is, I don't think we've ever met. Tell me, what brings you to the Copper Isles Camaria?"

[Jazz]

"Yes, I'm from Tortall, though I hardly leave my estates. And as it is, I don't think we've ever met. Tell me, what brings you to the Copper Isles Camaria?"

Catherine's ice blue eyes were slightly unnerving. Camaria regarded her through her own storm-grey ones, thinking before speaking as she always did. She tugged on an earring, a habit she ha acquired over the years. The sleeve of her indigo robe slid down, revealing the large burn mark that spreads over her elbow. She'd gotten it when she was but a child. "I'm a mage and scholar," Cam told her, "I work over at the university. I'm travelling, making maps mostly. I'm also having a look at the mage's university over here. It isn't as advanced as the Carthaki University, of course, but Tortall and the Copper Isles can benifit by alliance. we have much to learn from each other."

Camaria sounded like a veteran mage, and the young woman she was. The twenty-four year old had no problem dealing with things above her years, and she seemed very mature for one so young. "And, if I may ask, what brings you here, Lady de Bourgh?" she asked, interested. Her insatiable curiosity was infamous throughout her friends ad peers, though she wasn't a hindrance - she just liked getting answers, she wasn't going to bother people if they didn't want to give them. That is, unless it's very important information.

[Cynthia]

"I'm a mage and scholar. I work over at the university. I'm travelling, making maps mostly. I'm also having a look at the mage's university over here. It isn't as advanced as the Carthaki University, of course, but Tortall and the Copper Isles can benifit by alliance. we have much to learn from each other."

Cynthia watched as Camaria tugged at an earring, and as she did so the sleeve of her indigo robe slid down, revealing a burn mark.

"Sounds like you have an interesting life," Cynthia said lightly. "And I'm sure that Tortall and the Copper Isles could benefit, though I think that if Tortall was to be allianced with the Carthaki university more so, we'd be even more...powerful." she said, her eyes sparkling.

"And, if I may ask, what brings you here, Lady de Bourgh?"

Cynthia's eyes, which had been wandering over the marketplace looking for anything suspicious, snapped back over to Camaria. This girl was way to curious for her own good.

"A get away vacation. I myself am a powerful mage, and sometimes I need to get away from my estates so that those mages who are less powerful will be unable to badger me with questions about spells and such. One does need a vacation from time to time." she said.

From nosy knights, Kings Champions, and Monarchs. she thought malovently.

[Jazz]

"Sounds like you have an interesting life. And I'm sure that Tortall and the Copper Isles could benefit, though I think that if Tortall was to be allianced with the Carthaki university more so, we'd be even more...powerful."

Camaria bowed extravagantly. "Why thank you, milady." She had been told that, as a foreign dignitary and a mage of the high rank, she need not refer to nobles as 'milady' all the time. But she was just a commoner girl, and old habits die hard. "A worthwhile point, milady, but we don't neccessaryily need to be. We are one of the most powerful countries, in magic and other things, milday. We only need to defend ourselves against Scanra , who are weak and too full of their own problems, and bandits - who we are perfectly adept at taking care of ourselves." While she couldn't refrain from 'milday-ing' her companion, she had never had a problem with speaking her mind. It was a funny thing.

"A get away vacation. I myself am a powerful mage, and sometimes I need to get away from my estates so that those mages who are less powerful will be unable to badger me with questions about spells and such. One does need a vacation from time to time."

She smiled, shaking out her long, ebony braids. "A perfectly fine reason in my opinion, Lady de Bourgh. I teach a class of teenage mages in Tortall, they are quite a bother." Camaria peered through her glasses at Catherine. her gaze was intent, she was certain there was something wrong about the woman, she just couldn't put her finger on it.

[Cynthia]

"Why thank you, milady. A worthwhile point, milady, but we don't neccessaryily need to be. We are one of the most powerful countries, in magic and other things, milday. We only need to defend ourselves against Scanra , who are weak and too full of their own problems, and bandits - who we are perfectly adept at taking care of ourselves."

Cynthia surpressed an unladylike snort. This girl chattered on about magic constantly. It was as if there was nothing else in the world. Though it didn't bother Cynthia in the least. The way she saw it, the more magic one had, the better one was. And that was exactly how she was going to bring her husband back.

"A perfectly fine reason in my opinion, Lady de Bourgh. I teach a class of teenage mages in Tortall, they are quite a bother."

"Please, Camaria," she said, holding up her hand to cease Camaria's chatter, "It is very...nice..." she said, forcing the word nice out, "...nice of you to volunteer to teach the teenagers to control their magic. But I'd rather that we talk about something else...I'm here to get away from magic, not use it or talk about it." Which was exactly the opposite of what she was going to do.

[Jazz]

[Sorry for delay]

Camaria nodded, biting her bottom lip absent-mindedly. She didn't like the woman. In any other circumstance, she would have made her excuses and walked away. Now, however, she felt that she needed to keep this Catherine talking. There was something importants, and she was missing it... "Why, of course, Mi'lady," she said, her smile seemed genuine. "May I invite you for a cup of tea? 'Tis been quite a while since I've talked with a fellow Tortallan."

She gestured vaguely towards the posh area of town, where the cafes that lined the street were painfully expensive. She normally didn't set foot in the rich district, but this lady looked like the type. Once again, Cam tugged on one of her sleeve, an indicator to those who knew her that she was deep in thought.

[Cynthia]

[Sorry!!]

"Why, of course, Mi'lady, may I invite you for a cup of tea? 'Tis been quite a while since I've talked with a fellow Tortallan."

Cynthia glanced over at the young mage. She was starting to get on her nerves, and something in the back of her head was nagging her to not go, to go somewhere and change out of the ice blue satin gown that threatened to give her away. To go somewhere and change the color of her icy blue eyes, eyes that were extremely uncommon. She needed to get started on the spell that would bring Bael back to her.

"Well...if it's just a quick cup of tea. I need to be somewhere shortly, and it wouldn't look good if I were to be late now, would it?"

[Jazz]

"Well...if it's just a quick cup of tea. I need to be somewhere shortly, and it wouldn't look good if I were to be late now, would it?"

If Camaria didn't have common sense, her eyes would have narrowed. Liar, she thought. There was something esentially wrong with the woman. Ice blue eyes... magic... names that Cam had never heard of... nobility... Subtly, in such a way that the woman could not possibly have felt it, Camaria probed 'Catherine's' magic. Suddenly, as things were prone to do, Camaria remembered a talk she'd had with the University Headmistress. the memory was triggered by the magic, the essence of which she'd felt before - in a University briefing room, when mage's had been dispatched to search for the traitor.

Since you're off the the Isles, the Headmistress had said, Keep an eye out. A maical eye out, for this Cynthia. She's trouble, the government's looking for her. A mage like you'd be most useful. Alianne of Pirate's Swoop is already there, as well as the King's Champion.

But Camaria was a woman of sense. She didn't let the discovery shake her, or her calm exterior. "Of course not, Mi'lday," she answered, internally positively screaming for the chance to contact a mage. "Of you're to be late, don't let me keep you - though it would be most wonderful for some news from up North. I'm sure i won't take much of your time."

[Cynthia]

Cynthia played with a straying lock of hair. She didn't like the way how Camaria was subtly looking at her. It didn't feel right, like she could discover her secret any second. She had to make an exit, quickly.

"Of course not, Mi'lday. If you're to be late, don't let me keep you - though it would be most wonderful for some news from up North. I'm sure i won't take much of your time."

"Yes, I know it would be wonderful for some news. Unfortunatley my dear girl, you'll have to hear it from another Tortallan, I'm afraid I still have a ways to go to get to my destination, and I don't want to be dreadfully rude." she said, lying through her teeth. This girl was starting to make her uneasy.

[Jazz]

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Thread closed. Plot continued here.