Anika walked as quickly as she could down a dusty dirt pathway. She did not know where it would lead her, but it did not matter. She had recently made her escape from a diabolical mage that had seemed to be plotting dark deeds. She had been running from the Arena in the temple of chaos, wishing all the chaos that plagued her short existence to be gone.

After what seemed like a never ending journey, Anika had found herself standing on the outskirts of a small rural community. There would likely be little to no guards in the small town. It was the perfect place to rest up, restock, and swindle the little farmers out of whatever money they had.

She took one final look back the way she came, taking in a deep breath. She could only hope that nobody had followed her. She then set her gaze on the little unsuspecting village once more and made her way in.

The simple townsfolk had immediately began to whisper and gossip about the exotic girl that had found her way to their village. Estolad had always been a great place for information as the town was on the road that led to the grasslands and Lómëdor. They were always getting new travels and learning the news they brought with them. Anika was not one to reveal her information without a price however.

After she secured a room at the large inn, she moved on to the little town square. That was the area that catered to the most people. It was the perfect place to set up a stall and attract some fools.

The gypsy sold many charms, most fake, and potions. She also did a bit of dancing for extra coins. Once her makeshift stall was set up she began to weave her siren song, trying to allure some bored housewives with promises of exotic treasures. She definitely needed some money, after having to run for so long.

But fortune was not to be hers. Not this day, at any rate. A few people came just out of curiosity more than anything else, but they bought nothing and eventually moved away. Jaxon, however, saw none of this. Not at first. All he heard from his hotel room was the faint singing of a girl. The voice seemed somehow - familiar...but he couldn't place it. He went to the window and looked out as he rested his hands upon the sill. He couldn't see who the girl was at first, as her back was to him, but then Jaxon caught a glimpse of her face as the women came to see her wares. He cursed, and badly. It would have been fit to make a sailor's toes curl.

He rushed without rushing, headed out of the room and down the stairs, through the lobby and across the stree, and then turned into the square. He kept quiet tabs on the girl from there, not letting himself be known just yet. He watched her for some time before making his move. She seemed to be tired, and dirty from the travels of the road. Not exceedingly dirty, of course - just enough to have a little dust on her boots and some spots of rain on her clothes. Almost a week, and he'd finally tracked the little tramp down. Well, he wasn't about to let her get away so easily. Not this time. This time, he was ready for her.

Or was he? That holy blast of light seemed to have severely dampened his memory, tampering with the spells he remembered. There was much he could not remember, now. But it didn't matter. He might only have been a Mage's Apprentice, but he was still resourceful enough to deal with one petty wench.

He made his move.

Silently, yet casually so as not to attract even the slightest bit of attention to himself - which he did anyway, considering his garb, but he'd been here for four days and people had pretty much stopped paying attention to him now, especially with someone new to gawk at - he stalked across the rear of the square, until he finally came within striking distance of the loathed woman. He drew his dagger - a small, shiny thing, but very, very sharp - and pressed it roughly into the small of her back as he went to stand beside her, not hard enough to penetrate but certainly hard enough to get a painful message across.

"Well, well, aren't we the clever little escapee? Fool girl," he said in a hushed whisper, "You should know better than to try to run from a Mage. Let's go to that alleyway over there, where we won't be disturbed. Don't think of running - my magic won't be pleasant, and that alley's a dead end besides. Get up and let's go. Now."

His dagger pressed slightly harder into her back for just an instant, clearly showing her that he wasn't taking no for an answer and that he definitely wasn't joking around. He was deadly serious.

Anika had been too busy trying to lure people into buying her wares that she had not seen Jaxon coming up to her. His attack seemed to be all in one fluent motion, and Anika could do nothing, for she had not seen it coming. She clenched her teeth as she felt the cool metal of a blade press against her smooth skin.

The the sound of his voice, Anika knew exactly who it was " Had I not helped you already my ill willed friend? I found the location of your gem. The power I felt while doing so still gives me chills!" She talked in a hushed voice. She was scared, but her voice was not shaky and did not hold the least bit of fright.

The girl jerked a bit, but it was to no avail. The mage had her in his grasp. Usually mages were weak, relying on magic to live and forgetting their body, their own physical prowess. This was not the case with this man.

She grudgingly began to step forward, finding her way to the alley. Every step she wished for anyone to see him holding her against her will. They would most likely not be able to stop him, for she had seen how he handled trained bounty hunters. If they confronted him she could get away though, and that was all that mattered.

Finally the two were hidden behind the walls of the alley. She managed to slip out of his grasp, but he blocked the only exit. Anika folded her arms and looked at Jaxon, annoyance in her eyes " What do you need from me now Jaxon?" She knew this man to be evil and powerful. Who knew what scheme this crazy little mage was coming up with. It was not hard to find out why he wanted Anika to be a part of whatever the plan was however.

A small incantation, hastily whispered, was all it took to ward the alleyway. No one could enter it now without Jaxon knowing - without everyone knowing, unfortunately, but the panic instilled by the incredibly loud bells that would go off would be more than ample distraction. Jaxon then listened with his own ears to ensure that no one was listening in on them.

"Yes, you did help me. But I need insurance, and you attacked me besides. I don't like being attacked. Whatever that light was that you used, you would do well not to use it again. I won't give you the chance this time. You're going to personally lead me to where you saw that gem. When that is done, then - and only then - shall I release you. Understood, girly?"

The sneer on his face was menacing and cruel. Clearly, he saw this woman as belonging to him until he was through with her. And he would have at least one bit of fun with her before the end. Her ability to 'see' other times and places was not the only benefit this lovely young lady could offer a lonely Mage's Apprentice, after all. Yes, he would have his fun with her, and she would lead him to the gem, and he would then release her - permanently. But for right now, he had to make sure she wasn't going to use that light on him again. Whatever it was, it had fogged his mind. There were bits and pieces missing from his memory now - he could only remember half of what he was supposed to, and usually it was the most important half. This fool girl would not do that again. Not ever. He would personally make certain of that.

Anika could taste the magic in the air. She watched as he began to weave the magic so effortlessly. She could not help but snicker when he told her not to use the light against him again. She had not done that, but she would not reveal that information to him. If he thought she could sling that magic around, she would let him go on thinking so. It definitely made her look less helpless.

Anika stuck her tongue out at the mage's threats. He was intimidating yes, but she hid the fact well. She held to much pride to show fear. " Fine I will try and lead you to the place I seen in my vision. I do not come without a price however. You are going to have to fend off the beasts that attack me, which includes the bounty hunters. Sadly my eyes don't work when I am dead."

The girl put on a bored expression and stepped forward, almost walking past him " Can we leave now?" On the inside she was far from bored. She was about to burst with excitement. She would get to travel to knew places and not have to worry about being followed. That was one of the perks with traveling with a powerful person. Anika knew that Jaxon was the type to show his power without care. She would be happy to find those leeches dead. It only meant that their would be fewer people hunting her as if she were buried treasure.

The gypsy did not know how long the two would be able to work together though. They had very conflicting personalities. Jaxon was a very possessive man, thinking anything or one weaker then him were his too use as he felt necessary. Anika did not like being thought of as a toy. She had been an object for too long, and would not let it happen again. It will definitely interesting to see just how this little match unfolds.

Jaxon sneered. The girl was hiding something. He knew she was scared. She looked it, whatever her actions. But she also looked...excited, almost. To the untrained eye, she would have appeared bored and impatient, but Jaxon had dealt with far too many of her kind to mistake her emotions. Oh, not with her gift, of course - but certainly rogues of a far-less-than-savory nature, and some far more dangerous than she could ever dream of. He had even dealt with Drow, and they were like gods unto themselves compared to the oh-so-lowly humans. Even other Elves feared Drow. They had skills most Elves didn't even have, and magic to trump that of any human sorcerer. So little-miss-princess didn't concern him all that much. Still, she was an annoyance. He wondered how long he would be able to stand her before slitting her throat and forgetting about insurance. So he'd have to start all over again. It didn't matter. His master's library could always prove very useful indeed. Of course, with his Master now gone...that Wraith had really done its job, and then some. He hadn't been able to find it since it had entered the Ered Annon Mountains, unfortunately, and the last sign of its existence had been a foul taint to the air and a hint of angelic magic. A hint of almost Draconic magic, too. That could only mean that it had been destroyed. But by whom...or what?

But that was neither here nor there. Right now, there was only the girl to worry about.

"Lead the way, girly."

He sheathed his dagger, but he kept it well within reach and had more than a few spells ready for quick casting. He wasn't going to let this swine get the better of him. Damned wench.

((OUT))