Chapter 10

"Galen? Galen? Yes I know of him. He's one of those mages who seated themselves on their useless council. Don't you know that his meeting you was no accident? He was assigned to watch you. He also wanted to make sure that you didn't go power mad and crazy. While you may be stronger he's always hidden his true strength from you.

"And you do know the reason that he took so long to help your son and his wife when her powers truly activated was because the council really didn't want to help them at all, don't you?" smiled Wolfgang.

Looking at their shocked faces he continued.

"Mages could take and rule any kingdom, heck the world if they chose too, but only if they could ever quit fighting among themselves over such petty things. It was the same when I was younger and it's the same now. Only their selfish self interest for what they can get out of others is their primary driving factor.

"And yes, they debated for weeks and eventually they were helped, but they could have tried what he did weeks before it seems. But they weren't worried about what damage waiting might do to either of them mentally. What worried them was," looking down as he used his finger, "Darla. They were only concerned that she might turn into another me if they helped her," smiled Wolfgang.

Aric was still in shock but something entirely different crossed Brianna's face as she sat and listened. You could see the color drain from her face.

"But ... but ... that's not possible! Galen was my teacher! He was like a father to Brianna! He was like the grandfather the kids never had!" said Aric heatedly.

"True, but he is a mage council Archmage first and they only look out for their own interest before others. Where as I'm willing to admit my mistakes and take steps to make them right, they are only interested in making sure they maintain the status quo.

"You have to ask yourself if he's known you far longer than I, why hasn't he said something before now to make it right with you, hmmm?

"Look I am willing to help you as much as I can to make up for my part, and I have the power to do it. I know you don't believe me in everything I've said, that my reason for speaking up now is that I only have your best interested at heart, but in the past I was the only thing standing before the threats of the other Battlemages, and I was the only one left to stop them from taking over the world.

"That very same council he is now a part of left me to do that time after time by myself. They wouldn't lift a finger to truly help anyone other than themselves. And as a Battlemage I always thought you were similar to every one of those before you, but you and your family has proven me wrong time after time," said Wolfgang as he tried to smile warmly.

But as he spoke Aric was still getting angrier and angrier.

"If he is to be believed he played with my life and my happiness. He destroyed the lives of all those good people under the guise of protecting the world. While I can see he believed them threats to the public, but to manipulate all those people like he did was unbelievable and not to mention unpardonable," thought Aric as his temper rose.

While lost in thought, Aric failed to notice that Brianna was lost in thought herself.

"Galen played a part in manipulating our lives too? Galen also betrayed us. That can't be! He almost hurt the boys? I can't believe that, I just CAN'T. He was like a father to me he gave me away at my wedding. He was always like the children's grandfather. He watched over our children. He wouldn't betray us! He wouldn't leave Caelan like that! He wouldn't! No. NO! It can't be true!

"But on top of it my life with Aric and his love for me was a lie?! Wolfgang was the one who destroyed his life with Andrea? If he hadn't messed with his life and destroyed him like he did Aric would be with Andrea now? Wolfgang said that Aric loved her more than he could ever love me?! My life with him was a fluke because he couldn't be with her?

"I wasn't seen as important enough to be a threat to this man but Andrea was? Aric was willing to do things for her that he wouldn't ever consider doing for me? Does that really mean that he still loves her and loved her more than me?

"And he has proof that Galen deeply betrayed us? He wouldn't! I was an orphan and was raised by the sisters and he was the closest thing I had to a father! And that was a lie?

"B ... b ... but Aric is still in love with her? H ... he is? I ... I ... I can't believe that, but I could hear it in his voice when he questioned him. He still has feelings for her. He still does! He still loves her! But, but, what about me?! Doesn't he love me more than he ever loved her? Is it really true that his feelings were never that great for me and he just settled for me rather than chance hurt again?!

"That can't be!! No matter what I'm sure that Aric loves me more than her, and, and, and he will make it better! I'm more than that to him! I love him too much to be wrong! His love for me can't be a LIE! IT CAN'T BE!" thought Brianna mind.

She started to whirl all those various thoughts around and around, tumbling from one thought process to the next, seemingly starting them over and over again at different points, but ending with the same thoughts each time and desperately feeling deep despair no matter where she started in her thoughts.

Without her realizing it, Brianna's mind started to shut down from an overload of betrayals and revelations today and she started staring at the carpet in front of her as she lost her mental hold on herself.

She was so lost that she slowly felt her mind disengage itself from everything around her as her vision started to go black. Everything and everyone she deeply believed in was just knocked off center and she felt too overwhelmed to deal with it all any longer, she couldn't handle all the grief.

While still very angry as he glared at Wolfgang, Aric was getting ready to speak again as he suddenly felt something that felt off. He didn't know why he had the impression that it was imperative that he look over at Brianna.

A cold chill ran up his spine as he slowly turned and looked over at her.

Wolfgang had stopped speaking after his last statement as he waited for them. He knew that they were still processing what he just told them. He wanted them to understand that only he would work towards their best interest from now on. He was watching as Aric slowly looked at his wife.

But as Aric looked over at her, slowly Brianna looked up into Aric's eyes from where she had been focusing on the floor.

Aric was shocked at her appearance.

Her face had taken on a blank look about it. It was completely and entirely devoid of any and all expression. She had tears slowly falling from her eyes onto the floor as she looked up and faced him.

Brianna's eyes looked dead and gave him the impression that she was now peering through him as she gazed into some far off distance place, as if she could now see through the very walls of the house. And as he continued to look at her face he felt his blood suddenly run very cold. Something wasn't right.

Suddenly Brianna's tears started streaming faster and faster as they quickly made their way down her face, but her facial expression still hadn't changed. It was still a blank look that didn't match what her face was doing.

The expression was creepy and he felt eerie as he observed it. Aric was trying to quickly figure out what was wrong and somehow had the impression that it felt to him as if someone had switched off her mind.

In the blink of an eye, somewhere in between heartbeats, the tears stopped and Brianna's green eyes flashed into a red so bright it seemed as if they were now their own light source. They were now far brighter than they had ever been before.

But her blank expression never changed. She still looked as if she wasn't seeing him any longer.

As he looked at her he tried to call out as he reached for her. But then he found couldn't. Her spell was so powerful that it prevented him from even speaking. Then as he struggled he found that he could no longer even move!

Aric was sitting with his hand outstretched like he was reaching for her, but was frozen and held in that spot.

All while she continued to look at him as if she didn't even know him!

Processing all this quickly, Aric suddenly started to panic as he then realized that her spell had stopped his breathing as well! Aric couldn't now draw a breath to keep himself alive. He was in danger of suffocating if she didn't quickly stop!

Aric sat there desperately trying to figure something out, some way to reach out to her, he felt his body starting to crave oxygen! He was starting to see spots swimming in his vision. His vision was locked on her blankly staring face, and he could see that she didn't, or couldn't, acknowledge his danger.

After a few moments passed, Wolfgang was surprised to still see them both frozen like that, but he could tell that something was off by it. He had no idea what was going on, but it felt like he was missing something.

"I know this is a shock to you both. But I still haven't gotten to the Dragon you must have apparently saved her from. But why are you sitting there like..." started Wolfgang.

He was going to cover his involvement there as well, but he suddenly found himself unable to speak, because he too had fallen under her spell as he looked into Brianna's eyes as she turned to face him.

Wolfgang was now sharing Aric's former fate.

For as she slowly turned and looked at Wolfgang, it was then that he found that he had lost all ability to speak as well. As he took stock, he also found that he couldn't tear away from her eyes no matter how hard he tried. The look on her face was truly terrifying.

Having Brianna's eyes unlocked from his gave Aric's the freedom to now move. Gasping loudly, he was able to suddenly take in the air he so desperately needed once again. He felt light headed and dizzy from the lack of it.

He hadn't ever seen her give anyone a look like that before.

As Wolfgang struggled, the blank expression and those demon red eyes of Brianna's face held him there.

He fought it and was now growing desperate! He couldn't breath! And he had no data on this to combat it with either. When did she get this ability! Had she always had it or was it something that was recent! The reports never gave the impression that it was something she could ever do.

As she sat there blankly staring at Wolfgang, Aric was slowly coming to his senses, but he was sure that his vision was still off. It looked like the men behind Wolfgang became sharper somehow to his vision for a split second.

Suddenly one of the mages close by called out "Stop that! Stop it! What are you doing to Master Wolfgang!" as he threw out a spell to blanket the room.

Aric felt himself stuck fast, but he knew given time he could free himself. While it was a powerful spell he was sure he could figure out a way to free himself from it.

But while he was thinking on this Brianna, without uttering a word or changing her expression, slowly rose from her seat on the couch and turned to fully look at the man who spoke.

Once her gaze fell off Wolfgang he too gasped out and seemed to be trying to get the much need air back into his lungs that his body was starving for. The look of shock and terror could be seen etched on his face as he watched her move.

The man she focused on shivered, and again something looked strange about him, but he then looked over at the other man, and the other one lifted his hands as well to try and stop her from moving.

They were surprised that she could even move at all during the first spell, but once the second man joined in the spell they couldn't believe that it still had no effect on her.

While still moving slowly at them, Brianna's hands were hanging loosely by her sides.

Both men slowly moved and took up a position in front of Wolfgang and kept their hands out in front of them, but Brianna showed no signs of stopping.

Suddenly Aric heard a very short, but very familiar, eerie whistle and both guards seemed to crumple to the ground with blood spewing everywhere. As they died the spell holding Aric dissipated.

As Aric looked on, while he noticed that the guard seemed to fall the same way, what really got his attention was that he realized that Brianna must have used her swords at her sides, but they were still in the scabbards! He hadn't seen her draw, use, or even when she must have returned them back to her sides!

And the way the men fell in concert with each other, she must have killed them both at the same time.

Now that the guards were dispatched, Aric could see that the chair that was formally occupied by Wolfgang was now empty and Wolfgang was floating several feet above their heads, but he was looking only at Aric.

"I can't look her in the eyes can I? I noticed that you were held like I was while she was facing you, so I believe long as I don't look..." started Wolfgang, but he never finished.

Right then men started to spill in the room trying to surround Aric and Brianna. They were a mixture of both Mages and Warriors.

Looking as if she was taking a stroll she headed for them, and while still having the eerie blank look on her face, Brianna made not a single sound as she seemed almost as if she was dancing as she moved around and in between the men.

The one's who could screamed as they died, but most never saw the death coming as she approached them. Short staccato whistling sounds could be heard all around the room, almost as if the room was full of angry mosquitoes.

Still in shock Aric looked on as she worked her death magic. He realized that since everyone here knew who he was it didn't matter if he used magic or not and he decided to use Blue to see what she was doing. Maybe something would click and he could help her.

He just barely could see her draw and return the swords. It was almost the quickest draw he could he have imagined. He wasn't really sure that he could ever match that speed. She really was walking death for anyone who crossed her right then.

"My GOD, how is she doing this? What is she?!" asked Wolfgang wonder as he watched the slaughter below him.

It was only then that he realized he may have pushed her past a point with all of his relations and that she might not recover from it. Of all the people he fought over the seasons she might be the biggest danger to him yet, and she wasn't even a Battlemage!

And he had no way to stop her it seemed if magic didn't work and martial weapons couldn't stop her. She killed anyone who stepped in front of her. He needed more time to plan how to bring her under control, but that was time he didn't have at present.

"She is what your interfering actions made her! If you had never screwed with my life or my family as much as you had, she wouldn't be like this," said Aric as harshly as he could as he tried to yell at him over the sounds in the room.

"For what it's worth I am still truly sorry. But I believe all the men that she is killing now will somehow make us even, don't you? She's snuffing out lives as if they mean nothing. She'll eventually kill everyone if she's not stopped. So how do you stop her?" asked Wolfgang disapprovingly as he noticed that Aric was staring at her and wasn't making any move to stop her.

He had noticed that Aric did not appear to be as worried as he was about the situation.

"Stopping her never was an issue before, but I won't let her go on killing. I can't allow her to murder innocent people if she gets away from here. I have a way to stop her if only for her sake and not yours," said Aric as he looked up at Wolfgang with distaste.