He had escaped, woken up and finaly managed to get his legs under him, he had no idea how but somehow he had managed to stumble upon a weak point in the wall, a loose plank that he landed against after triping from trying to walk. From there for some reason the witch had not been on time, and he hadnt waited, merely broken up a big enough hole in the wall to get out. Everything there after had been a blur as he stumbled through the foul city, he had found his pocket to still contain his coins and been able to buy a meal.

 

The next thing Owial remembered was being outside the city, he had been looking for a place to hide while he slept when he heard the clomping sound of horseshooes on the road. The next moment something stung him in the shoulder, and he had barely managed to see someone, her, yet not, before passing out. He had awoken in a shed, and learned more lies, a sister, she had kids, he wouldnt hear it. The next few days passed in the shed, at first he wouldnt eat what he was fed, then he realised he needed the strength. He remembed looking into her eyes as she opened the door, his so called mother as she named herself. That had been, well he had lost count, he just knew he had moved many times since then, always in witch ways.

 

For some reason she didnt make sence, at first he would refuse the training she aranged, but then boredom overcame him, and he realised that the better he got the higher his chanse of figthing his way out if she made a mistace. He recognised the look in her eyes now too, it was time to move on, always moving, every few months. He had given up resisting, her foul skills made it imposible, and if tied up he would not have a chanse of escape, though he knew she didnt trust him, didnt belive his lies. She haunted his dreams, though he wasnt sure wheter to belive her or if it was only nigthmares. He hated her.

 

Owial walked through the gate into the other world, the world who wasnt real, always like this. She followed, a hand landed on his shoulder, and the world was spining around him, they where in a new place, he knew not where, he never did recognise the places. A new gate, silently he walked through, his eyes darting to the sides to look for potential help or escapes. "This way"

 

He let her stear him, always to thorough, he had managed to almost escape a couple times, but never with her, and so far her foul friends had managed to find him before he could get clear of them and find some of his own. A farm came into view, nothing new about it, there had been plenty of farms. "You'll be able to learn more here, your progress is promising I hear."

 

As always she talked like it was a casual coment, it didnt mather what he wanted, all it was what she wanted, her plans for him. But he wouldnt budge, his father had thougth him the rigth way, he would stay true to the Creator, and one day he would return to kill them all. He looked at the woman aproatching, his througths and anger roaring in his mind making him uncapable to hear what they said. He felt the hand let go, he knew she was going, he didnt look back. It didnt mather, his fait for the next weeks and maybe even months would be in this new persona hands, always the same, he knew the routine by now. His dark eyes sparked with hatred as he turned his head, some of them would fear him, he could see it in their eyes, but they feared her more, that was the problem. The look of the eyes who met him though was a shock, no fear, no dull ignorance, it was a look of alertness that made a shiver go down his spine, one he so far only had come near to see in his mothers eyes. All of a suden he felt vary, who was this, another witch?

Cari watched as the woman left.  Cari didn't like channelers and only showed respect so as not to have their eyes turn to her as prey.  Carmen had done the damange and every other channeler now bared the price of it.  It was not your typcial former warders reaction but it was all Cari could to do keep her fingers still, her hidden daggers were her comfort and she didn't want to reveal how nervous the woman had made her, but she had her orders.  Watch the boy till she came back.

 

Cari waited until she was gone from sight before speaking.  "I am Cari.  I will tell you now, I cannot channel but I can kill you if you try to run away from me." Cari flashed her dagger quickly unfolding it from its sheath and returning it back.  "You have two options.  You can walk free or you can stay in a the little hole we've made specifically for you.  The choice is yours but if you run, you will find yourself at the worse end of my anger.  Your mother says to keep you locked up.  Keep you in the hole, but you are of no use to me in that hole.  We need help around here and I cannot babysit the hole."

 

Cari grabbed the boys shoulder and pushed him in front of her.  She didn't grib so hard to leave any marks but she did let him know who was boss here.  She removed her hand as they continued their walk.  Cari took him first to her house.  "You can stay here with my family and behave yourself."  Cari then started to walk the other direction towards the main house.  She went in the back door, she put a blind fold on the boys eyes and then lead him around the inside of the ranch house.  She opened the secret door and lead him down the long narrow passage.  Cari removed the blind fold and in front of them stood an empty room with no light.  "Or you can stay here."

 

Cari turned to him.  "What's your choice?"

 

Cari

It took all his strength not to shout in frustration, but he was learning, they all took her word not his, his didnt mather. Silently he listened and observed, the woman made him nervous, but the choise given was obvious. Out there he would have better chanses of geting away, somehow sometime she still migth slip up, and all he needed was to get away, find people, find his own kind and they could burn the place down. Plans of revenge filtered through his mind as always, truth be told he had no idea where half the places he had visited was.

 

Other then that, he had mucked stables before, his father had not spoiled him. "I know how to muck a stable" it was as far as he could answer without showing disrespect to the woman they all took for his mother, and that never had aided his cause so he had learned to watch his word. Besides even better, if he could off a horse he migth have a realistic chanse of geting away, he thougth about his father with a jolt of pain. No one way one day he would get back to his people, back to the children, it was what he lived for. Untill then he would just have to trust the Creator be with him, and this all was a test of his will and faitfullness.

 

Who knew, maybe he could get to the children, they migth still be savable, just as his father had saved him to a life in the ligth. Either way he would let the Creator guide him, and show him the way out of the dark. Till such a time he would have to try and hide his feelings, and be carefull, very carefull, he eyed the womans back as he followed her.

Cari nodded.  she moved to the end of the hall and then put the blind fold back on the boy.  "You are not allowed to see this place, It will be the last time you may need this fabric."  Cari pulled the boy through the Ranch house and repeated corridors to insure he couldn't find his way back to those rooms. 

 

Once out of the house Cari removed the blindfold.  "The watch on you is totally up to you.  If you are good you might find that the others here are ammendable to allowing you some free time.  We all know your history of trying to escape."  Cari turned to him with her mother I will kill you look the children were so fond of.  "If you try you will regret every thought you have ever had of escaping me.  Unlike your other captors I will grant you your space your life and if you impress me enough even breathing room to plan your revenge.  But if you cross me, you will find yourself at the very wrong end of my patience.  You are not my child, you are not my friend, I have no qualms about making you hurt for your transgressions.  Your life is meaningless if you cross me.  And the only thing that will keep you alive is your mother's wrath.  So step wisely.  Escape and you will be the end of both of our lives I will see to it!"

 

Cari hoped the threat would work.  She wanted him afraid of her.  She didn't want to see the wrath of his mother.  She hated channelers and dreadlords in particular.  Cari lead the boy to her house.  She set up a spar room for him out of the pantry, he'd have to live with out doors and with the shelves stocked around him but he had few things and a sheet to cover the door if he proved worthy of privacy was easy to attach.

 

"We eat as a family.  You will help as part of this family.  I will treat you like family as long as you stay on good behavior.  You will be staying here.  Give me a reason to give you privacy and I will grant it, but until you've proven you can have that privilege you will stay within sight at all times." 

 

"Unpack your things and then we will start working for your supper."

 

Cari

Owial looked around the pantry, then droped his bag on the bed, it was not worth unpacking it, he did not have many things he liked to keep, all gifts offered he had refused, save for the lathes that he had come to depend upon as the only tool of figthing insane boredom. Not that they were much use to him in his escape plans, he put them up against the wall and turned around. "Not much to unpack, between what I wanted, and what I was allowed to keep of the little I had with me, there aint many items among my belongings."

 

The pantry for some reason was depresing, at least before he had always had cells who looked like what they were, this was an illusion, and in way he found it even more depresing. Her treaths still mauled around the back of his head, he for sure would need to be carefull, but the sooner he got out working, the sooner he could gain oversigth. One thing was for sure, escape wouldnt be overnight.

 

"So where to first?" as he thougth about it, working was tempting, it would be a break in the rutine that had been his life, he knew not for how long.

Cari figured he would be put to best use with wherever she was working. Today was stalls.  Cari lead the boy to the first barn, closest to her house.  "Cleaning today."  Cari tossed the boy a pitch fork.  "Know how to use this?  In the clean stalls put hay in them and don't scare the horses or you'll be doing the dirty work, with your bare hands."

 

Cari started mucking out the first stall.  "So do you have a name?  Your mother may have mentioned it but I don't remember.  It wasn't important at the time."  Cari continued to clean out the stalls and kept herself aware of the boy's position through the void.  It wasn't something she enjoyed doing but it was the safest way to keep a potential attacker under eye.

 

Cari

Owial grabed the fork and turned to the closest stable, a brown mare, he put his hand out patting her mule, at least some creatures in here didnt follow the shadow, at least he thougth they didnt. One up point was he wouldnt have to listened it seemed to the foul name that witch had put on him, yet he wasnt to easy about giving out his true name, besides he wasnt sure he wanted to open for conversation "Nothing for you to care about" he bit his tounge to not add a rant about how the light would punish her one day as he stabed the fork into a bunch of old hay.

 

He felt the horses mule against his back and scowled at the back of his captor, if only he could ride off on the horse, but not now, he refocused on the dirt in the box, imagining it to be  the woman or any other captor he had in his time as he stabed the fork into it. He'd kill them all if he could but find them, an unlikely task though because he had no idea where he was or had been, he was sure someone had to knew though, anger was flaring inside him untill he didnt notice he had stoped with his fork dug into a piece of dirt staring emptily on the wall as his mind wandered through plans of how to get back on all that he hated.

 

Not realising his eyes being darker pools of hatred and darkness to come from it then his mothers ever had, but it was something he was unlikely to see or even admit if faced with it. He served the light he was in the right and never could he imagined he had inherited anything from the wretched woman calling herself his mother.

Cari nodded and fought back the urge to kill the boy for his insulence. "Fine then, Boy it shall be until you find, but until I get a name you eat with the dogs, like a dog."  Cari would not have nameless people in her house hold, prisoner or no.

 

They worked in silence and the job finished sooner rather than later.  Two hands worked faster. The chores were done for the day and the children would be home soon.  Their sword lesson would begin.  It might do them some good to have a practice partner for a while. 

 

Cari called. "Come Boy, we've lessons to attend to now."  Cari walked over to her house only casually glancing back to see if he had followed, he had. Cari nodded towards the door step.  "Sit there boy and watch."

 

Aiden and Kate ran to the house and hugged their mother.  "I will spar with you today.  Go get your lathes."  Aiden and Kate broke the hug and ran to get four lathes. 

 

Aiden smiled  "Just in case."  Cari nodded. 

 

"We are ready."  Aiden and Kate attacked and Cari blocked neither child waited for a turn they attacked like one unit, working to get into their mothers defenses, but none made the cut. 

 

Cari and the children sparred, she looked over and saw the boy sitting watching with interest. "Give me your name, I don't care if it's fake or not and you can join in the games.  Or you can just sit and watch like the prisoner you are."

 

Cari

Owial looked at the woman for a long time, this one was anoying, "Volor" he spit it out, it was his midlename and would serve well enough. One thing he at least could do was learning while he was stuck here anyway as it seemed she did know what she was dooing, way to much, which was something he noted behind his ear. But if he could learn his chanses increased as well, and the usage of sword was something he would have to learn anyway, at least this would help when he found his way back, that and collected the years he needed.

 

He scowled at his sleve, all his clothes was dark now, as if she, his mother, wanted to rub it in his face. Filty worthless crap they were, the Creator was the only one worthy of service, anything else was imensly bad. He couldnt wait to scrub down and get into the ligth clothing he prefered to slide in with those he knew as family. He grabed the lathe offered, though it soon became aparent that he was not on the level of the rest, he kept loosing his rythm, and knew he would be sporting a good amount of bruises in the days to come, but he was not a quiter. He bit his teeth and tried to watch out for the worst hits coming his way.