The distant rumble of thunder murmured through the town as Reginald and Triss made their way through the empty streets. Triss hardly noticed, mind fixated on the witch's words. Pack well? Don't trust her? What could it mean? She wasn't planning to go anywhere. Percival had left, but she wasn't quite sure where he was going or why. He'd suddenly claimed he had something important to do and would be leaving for a few months. He wouldn't tell Triss anything more, though she suspected Reginald knew at least more of the story.

  "We should hurry up." Reginald broke the silence. "That storm looks like a bad one." He was glancing over his shoulder as he walked, looking at the dark thunderclouds in the distance.

  "It's a long way off still." Triss pointed out. "We have plenty of time."

  "I'm not sure about that." Reginald replied. "Something about that storm seems...off."

  "Afraid of getting wet?" Triss joked. She picked up her pace anyways.

  The thunder grew louder as they neared the town gate, each rolling wave becoming more distinct. Reginald opened the wooden door in the gate for triss, letting her out, then closing the door behind them. The occasional rain drop fell on them, large fat drops that burst on their clothes. Triss looked back towards the storm and could see the telltale haze of distant rain far behind them. She pulled up her hood and began to jog up the grassy hill towards the dark forest that hid the castle from view, Reginald keeping pace beside her.

  "Stop!" A woman's voice rang out ahead, sharp and commanding. Triss slowed to a walk, pushing back her hood to see who was speaking. A figure in a dark grey robe stood at the entrance to the forest, face obscured in the deep shadow of her hood. Her arms were folded across her chest, tucked into the sleeves of her robes.

  "Don't have time for this." Reginald growled under his breath. He continued marching forward, and Triss had to step faster to keep up.

  "I said stop!" The woman called again, a hint of anger in her tone now. Reginald plowed on, closing the distance. The figure took a step back when the distance shrank to about fifty feet, pulling her arms out of her sleeves. A pale brown wand with blue lines running up and down its length was leveled at Reginald. "Last warning." She declared.

  When Reginald didn't slow, the dark figure began to draw a symbol in the air, bright orange lines forming into a spell shape with practiced ease. Triss recognized it as a stunning spell. She pulled her own wand, readying the same spell. "No. I've got this." Reginald said as he walked.

  The dark figure completed their spell, the runes pulsing brightly as they shrank quickly down into a bright orange ball. The ball hurtled towards Reginald like a bullet, streaks of orange light hanging in the air behind it. The spell collided with a bright blue flash that ruined Triss's vision for a half second. She half stumbled on the uneven grass and had to stop.

  When her vision returned, she saw Reginald had just reached the dark figure. The figure tried to point her wand at Reginald, but he snatched it out of her hand. The figure retreated, slipping on the wet grass and falling backwards. Reginald held the wand between two clawed hands and bent, the blue lines glinting as the wood resisted. It finally snapped with bright flash and a puff of green smoke.

  The figure raised her hands towards Reginald, bright orange rune lines appearing in the air. Triss acted without thinking. She couldn't let Reginald get hurt by whatever spell the dark figure was casting.

  The figure's spell form suddenly flew apart, bright lines spinning off like an exploding ball of yarn. The figure gasped in pain, clutching her hands to her chest. "I'd recommend not trying that again." Reginald said to the figure, a dangerous tone filling his words.

  "You dare?" The figure replied defiantly. "I am a council wizard of the third - argh!" The figure started flailing at the hem of her robe, swatting at the flames that had suddenly appeared there. Triss was surprised the fire started so quickly, changing from dull smoke to open flame far quicker than Elder Horst's boat had.

  As the figure beat desperately at the flames, her hood fell back, revealing a girl around Triss's age with flowing golden curls that fell into her face. Reginald cracked a smile as he watched the council wizard flail at the stubborn fire. He moved his hand through the air, a runic construct appearing almost instantly. The spell flew towards the fire, dousing it with a wave of icy air.

  The young woman glared at Reginald. "I had it under control." She said flatly. She stood and pushed her hair out of her face, then smoothed down her robe, the blackened edge now several inches from the ground.

  "Yes, I can see that." Reginald said sarcastically. "It seems the council training is as good as ever." He moved to step past the woman, but she shot an arm out, blocking him.

  "I'm not finished with you." She hissed.

  "I am." Reginald pushed her arm aside and strode into the forest, Triss hot on his heels.

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  "Are you mad? I am a council wizard of the third order!" The woman yelled at their departing backs. "I demand you stop this instant!"

  Reginald followed the trail through the woods easily, the path worn by their repetitive passage. The rain overhead pattered through the leaves, filling the forest with sound and the smell of damp earth. "The council will hear of this." The woman muttered. Triss looked back to see the young woman was following them, stomping angrily down the path a few feet behind.

  Triss rolled her eyes. The woman was a council wizard alright, arrogant beyond belief. "Stay in our footsteps." Triss warned her. "If you step off the path you'll die." She didn't care for the woman at all, but didn't feel like watching someone be eaten by a monster today.

  "I am a third order wizard." The woman snapped. "I'm not going to get lost in a pathetic forest like this."

  Triss didn't bother responding, instead leaning down and grabbing a loose branch from the trail. She inspected the woods for a moment, then tossed the branch off the trail into the woods. It landed in a pile of loose leaves, sending a few scattering across the forest floor. The woman crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to pro-"

  The branch vanished in a flurry of wet leaves, several being thrown across the trail and one slapping the woman in the cheek. It stuck there for a second, then fell to to path. The young wizard's eyes went wide. "What was that?" She asked, her voice hoarse.

  "Redback vanisher." Triss replied with a smirk. "I named that one Jeffrey. Because he likes to eat people." Triss turned on her heels and hurried to catch up to Reginald.

  The rain was falling steadily by the time they made it out of the forest, and the sky rumbled unceasingly, the sound of thunder a constant presence. Flashes of lighting lit the dark skies, and the grass rolled like ocean waves in the wind. "Hurry!" Reginald called over his shoulder as he broke into a run. The words were hard to hear over the howling wind screaming through the trees. Triss picked up the hem of her cloak and ran as fast as she could, the rain plastering her hair to her head and running down into her eyes. The sound of heavy footsteps told her the young woman was still following.

  Reginald reached the small wooden door beside the main gate and pulled it open, struggling against the wind. "Inside!" Triss ran straight through, the council wizard right on her heels. Triss collapsed against the stone wall inside, trying to catch her breath. Reginald pulled the door shut behind him as he entered, the heavy door slamming against the frame with an echoing boom.

  The young woman also sat against the wall, a puddle forming under her almost immediately. Reginald glared at her. "I'm tempted to send you back out into that. Especially since you're a council wizard."

  "How dare you?" The young woman shot to her feet. "I have the full authority of the council behind me. Any actions taken against me are actions taken against the council itself." Her words had a tone of warning in them.

  "Stuff your council." Reginald said. "They are welcome to come try me any time they like."

  The woman narrowed her eyes. "About what I would expect from a dark wizard. I will see to it that this castle is torn down, stone by stone. No one will ever remember the name of Percival Arcanus."

  "Oh, knock it off." Triss said, standing. "No one here is afraid of the council, and you're just embarrassing yourself now." She turned to Reginald. "Coffee?"

  "An excellent suggestion." He replied, and the two turned and headed down the hall, leaving the young woman to splutter and curse.

  They made their way to the kitchens with the young woman following behind. Reginald quickly set some wood in one of the large soot stained fireplaces, and Triss lit it with a thought. The young woman pulled a stool up to the fireplace, then pulled her robe over head head and hung it on a hook near the growing flames. She wore all black beneath, a silk shirt and pants with black leather armor over her chest. She sat, back to the fire, and glared at Triss and Reginald as they set up a pot of water over the fire.

  "That's illegal." She complained fifteen minutes later as Reginald ladled hot water into a kettle filled with rich brown coffe grounds.

  "Further evidence that the council is insane." Triss replied.

  The young woman jumped to her feet. "How dare you!"

  "Oh. My. Word!" Triss snapped, biting off each word. "If you don't settle down and act like a normal human being I'm going to set your robes on fire again."

  "You wouldn't."

  Triss smiled sweetly at the woman, holding the smile until the robe began to smoke. The woman yelped in surprise and grabbed the robe off the hook, tearing the hood in her haste. She threw it to the floor and stomped on it with her black leather boots. When the smoke finally faded, she picked up the robe and held it up. The robe was ruined, the hood torn and the body full of holes where her boots had torn the cloth. She threw it aside in disgust, then plopped back onto the stool and folded her arms.

  Reginald poured two hot cups of coffee, handing one to Triss and taking the other for himself. "Do you have any pastries left?" Triss asked, sipping on the hot brew.

  "I do. I was going to save them for breakfast, but I think we deserve a little treat after all that." He indicated up towards the ceiling, where thunder from the storm still roared and occasionally shook dust from the walls. He retrieved a white paper bag from a cupboard and poured the contents onto a silver tray.

  Triss grabbed one of the pastries and bit into it, moaning in delight. She finished it quickly and grabbed another, then paused. She turned to the woman on the stool. "Would you like one?" She asked, holding the pastry out.

  "I wouldn't eat your food." She snapped. "It's probably poisoned, filled with coffee or something."

  "That's a good idea." Triss said, turning to Reginald. "Do you think they could make us coffee flavored ones?"

  "Coffee flavored jam?" Reginald asked skeptically.

  "No, not jam. You'd have to make it a cream based filling. It would be like an eclair." She replied.

  "Heresy!" The woman snapped.

  "No, coffee flavored jam would be a heresy." Triss replied without looking. "Coffee flavored whipped cream would be... transcendent. We need to talk to the baker."

  They finished their pastries, then Reginald added some wood to the fire. Triss hung up her robe to dry, ignoring the glares the woman gave her. Reginald poured them each a second cup. The thunder overhead grew louder, sharp cracks echoing through the castle. A deep resounding thud sounded, then another and another. "Is that thunder?" Triss asked.

  Reginald frowned. "There is thunder, but there's something else. Maybe the door blew open?"

  A loud, splintering crack came next. "I guess it was the door." Triss replied.

  "Percival Arcanus!" A deep voice resounded through the hallways, seeming to come from everywhere at once. "Show yourself you worm!"