Chapter 3

Rosalyn watched as her life as she knew it fell apart in moments. The Senate discussed in the open forum what to do next. Reannon slyly pointed out that if Chris and Tamantha had been brainwashed, there was a good chance that their captors had gained knowledge from them. The Mage teared up visibly at a lifelong friend's mother proclaiming that Chris was a "lost cause." The audacity of these people to give up on her so easily!

Then something dawned on her. Reannon had been openly getting into disputes with Chris for months. Chris just thought the woman was a cunt, but something more sinister is going on perhaps. Friends from childhood had suddenly turned on them, and influential members of the Senate were seen openly being hostile. Reannon could have been spoiling them for months. She wants to take the throne! Perhaps this related to their planet's potential entry into the Empire?

After the hearing was adjourned, Rosalyn was taken away by two of the Royal Guards, who privately vowed to stand by Chris. She thanked them for their service and obedience, asking to be left alone for now. In her quarters, the White Mage paced back and forth, finally dropping onto the bed in disgust. Now what? She had a trick or two up her sleeve, but she needed to contact—

Just before she could voice Circe's name in her mind, there was a knock at her door. The Holy White Wizard entered the room before Rosalyn could even look up. The Mage ran over to her mentor and hugged her tightly.

"It's going to be fine, child," the elder began, "Reannon is a fool. When we recover Chris, there will be hell to pay for this." Rosalyn buried her head in the woman's robes. The normally emotional Mage sobbed for a few minutes, letting out the emotions of the past few days.

When she quieted down, Circe pulled away and considered her momentarily before speaking. "We need to work fast on a counter to the collars. From your description, they combine technology with some kind of magical enhancement, conditioning the wearer to the whims of the owner." She pulled a few books out of her robes. "We can begin with these and I can send my servants for more if needed. The technology is something I'm not sure where we can begin on, however."

Rosalyn smiled and slipped something out of the her inner robe pocket. "Oh, well, I kind of lied during testimony about what was left for me in my cell when I escaped." Quickly, the Mage put a pile of microchips on the table. "Do you think these chips will help figure out a counter spell?"

Circe looked at one in her hand for a moment and then hugged Rosalyn tightly. "Yes! I can analyze the chips for any magical enhancements and then begin a counter spell." She held the girl for a moment again. "You have done well to hide this from the others. We will save Chris with this."

Immediately, Circe began calling for various books off of Rosalyn's shelves. Rosalyn quickly moved to obey. It felt good to be useful to someone. For the first time, she began to feel real hope that they would save Chris and the others.