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Darrin smiled wide when she said yes. For some reason, it truly made him happy to know that Zarina would be joining the crew of the White Hawk. Maybe it had to do with them both being trained by the same woman. Maybe that had caused him to sense a closeness to her that he had never felt towards a complete stranger before. All of a sudden, he heard his com-link buzz. "If you'll excuse me, I must take this. If you will get your things ready Zarina, we will leave when I am done with this call," he said as he bowed and turned away, walking about twenty feet away. "I hope its good Zain. I haven't been gone for over an hour, and here you call me. What?"

"Well, Darrin. You remember the blind man we found flying around and helped nurse him back? He's gotten out."

"How did he go about doing that?"

"He stole your bike. He woke up, took a book and hit it along the walls, and found the hanger. Then he tricked the machanics, and took your bike."

"Which bike, Zain? Was it the Zephyr 3000? Because that one can go."

"No, sir. It isn't."

"Well I have.............SON OF A BI.........Big big ape man. Almost got angry. So he took Charlotte. Damn. I'll have to get her back. Thanks Zain. But I've got to get back to the White Hawk." He turned around to look at Zarina. "Are you ready to go?"

Zarina nodded. "Yea. Let's go." she said, another bag slung over her back. She looked upwards towards the sky and looked at the clouds. She sighed and smiled again. Today, she seemed to be smiling more than she usually would. All of a sudden, Rosalie walked in front of Zarina. "Before you leave, take this." said Rosalie as she clipped a sparkly clear blue pendant around Zarina's neck. She gasped. "Thank you so much..." she said as she gave Rosalie a hug. When they pulled apart, Rosalie nodded and Zarina turned around, in the direction of the White Hawk.

Zarina followed suite and hopped on the bike also. she waited for something to happen, since she wasn't familiar with such contraptions. "And...what exactly is this? I'm sorry..i've never actually seen anything besides my surroundings here on lower earth." she said rather sheepishly.

Corves felt the free air rush past his ears and ruffle his cloths with cool fast currents. This was the first real feeling of freedom since the whispering cell that had greeted him with utter darkness before. He glided effortlessly for five minutes when the bike jerked almost bucking him off. It drove him to the right and he realized what was happening. The bike was taking it wherever a remote controller wanted him to go shattering his thoughts of freedom. He didn’t know where he was going but he knew it wasn’t back meaning the owner was somewhere else. He heard the echoes from the rumbles of the bike and knew he was approaching a large ship. Gently balancing his body and leaning into the wind he stood up on the seat of the bike getting ready to jump and land on the foreign ship. He may have to fight and he wanted to be ready and not sitting on a bike. Slowly he stepped forward with his eyes closed listening closely for the echoes bouncing off of what may be people.

Eventually he was standing on the handlebars of the bike and he pulled the sharp object from his belt. The red bike sped forward and he felt the distance from the ship. Without fear or thinking he leaped forward and landed on a solid surface. Behind him were two people, he sensed, and he turned waiting. It was a woman and a man. He waited for something and gripped his makeshift blade.

Corves could hear the gun when he heard him pull it out. The man was right, he couldn’t dodge bullets no matter how fast he was now. He knew the man wasn’t going to take his life unless Corves tried anything aggressive so he had to be careful. If the man decided to just injure him to ‘teach him a lesson’ it was possible Corves could take his life. He had to calm the man.

Corves grinned and raised his hands not showing the make shift dull gray knife prepared to throw if necessary. “Well it was a good ride while it lasted. I wish I had had time to tear out that override switch of yours inside the bike but…” Corves sighed, “I didn’t want to scratch the exterior.” Corves smiled wider to show his teeth. His body didn’t shake, it’s hard to be afraid after all he had been through

In Duat, Court of the High Mage Osiris…

Sanura ignored the High Mage as he spoke, the flaming beast at her fingertips far more interesting than that of the magically intimidating figure of the High Mage Osiris. She loathed these father daughter meetings with every fiber of her being, only tolerating them because she had no choice if she wanted to remain above the haze that terrified her. But of course, it was never enough for him, never enough that she had submitted to his will at last, had proven to the fools of the Vizierate that she could ‘behave herself’. She rolled her eyes as his voice grew louder under the influence of his magic, a childish ploy to regain her attention. Twisting in the cushion seat she turned to look at him, her silver eyes ablaze with a cold hatred for the man who was both her king and father.

"Girl, daughter, why must you challenge me so?” his voice sighed, heavy with supposed exhaustion from the current events of the past few days. “I fight the encroaching evils of our technological foes, why must I fight my own blood, my own daughter and heir, as well? I need you daughter.” she smirked wickedly as he leaned his head wearily on his hand.

“I was led to believe the High Mage Osiris was omnipotent and all powerful, unless I was misled perchance?” she paused, examining her fingernails in the flickering light, their delicate blazing suns and shimmering moons danced as their silver and gold forms were cast in the shadows of the flickering flame. “Do it out yourself!” she spat, turning away once again in her seat as she caught the flicker of anger in his eyes, the dark look that spread across his face. She examined her nails once again. “Unless of course that too is a lie in my life. There are so many I’ve lost all sense of truth these days.”

“You’re not being fair to me girl…” Sanura burst out of her chair, the small flame beast erupting violently into a massive burning lioness.

“Life isn’t fair, High Mage! I’ve learned that a thousand times over since my mother was killed and it still plagues me!” the blaze intensified, burning white hot, “If life were fair I’d be free of it, free of YOU!” her shoulder’s heaved as she glared up at him, but he didn’t so much as flinch away from her stare. Slowly, deliberately he rose from his throne and approached her despite the heat that surrounded her. Tenderly he reached out his hand to stroke her cheek and she tried to pull away despite her rooted stance. The heat faltered, and the beast faded as her own power was suppressed.

Without looking up she spoke softly, putting as much venom into her near silent whisper as she could, “What would you ask of me,” she paused, almost unable to stomach her last words, “My…father.” She didn’t have to look up to see the sickening, triumphant smile on his face as he replied.

“There is a mage, daughter, a son of the trees. Our nation’s future rests on his shoulder’s, depends on his magic and powerful divinations. Only he can find it. Only he can find the Yagunan, the ancient bow of earth and seed. Seek him child, as you seek the secrets of the Dark Fortress; guide him down the right path, the path to our nation’s glory. Let his power divine the future, let his sight recall the past.” He smoothed a wild stand of red-gold hair behind her ear before stepping away, “You may go now, my child. May the flame burn bright and the path be clear in these shadowed times.”

With his back turned she was dismissed, spinning on her heels in a flurry of flame, a trail of fire in her wake like that of a comet. She stormed past a young water mage, startling him into dropping his reports. She was already halfway down the corridor when he gathered them up, muttering to himself as he straightened.

“Heaven help the poor soul who seeks to tame the lioness and quench the flame.” He shook his head. “However did she earn such favor with the High Mage? Even his own children wouldn’t be treated so well with tempers such as hers if they existed…”

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In the cockpit of the HieroSphinx Sanura sighed heavily as she piloted the small, sleek craft, its smooth, silvery hull reminiscent of its feline namesake. Her silver eyes flashed over the controls and monitors, checking for any sign of the other aircraft. Blast him; blast him for doing this to me, for making me a pawn in his silly games. If it weren’t for…for…I wouldn’t be doing this right now if it weren’t for that! She fumed in silence, resisting the urge to send her magic flowing through the Sphinx to vent her frustration. She couldn’t afford to waste the energy or alarm anyone nearby if anything were to happen.

On her long-range monitors for scanning lower earth a small light flashed. Sanura glared at the screen. “Bah,” she growled, “Just my luck that they’re in a thick region of haze on lower earth.” She tapped in commands on the control panel pulling up a new image, a map of the area. Her teeth ground as she examined the expanse of blue. “And they’re in the middle of the ocean, how quaint. This is SO not worth it!” Hissed the young fire mage as she gripped the Sphinx’s steering apparatus and sent her precious ship into a wild freefalling dive.

The feeling was exhilarating as she plunged on toward the lower earth. The Sphinx’s design, perfect for the maneuver, sparkled in the light of the sun as it pierced through a thick cloud of haze. Through the window panel she could now see the quick approach of the blue expanse and her nimble fingers flew to work once again, this time extending the large, sturdy wing sails to slow her descent and change direction. They caught the air smoothly, gradually easing close openings in the sails to prevent the abrupt, gut-wrenching change common to such fast maneuvers.

The hull of the Sphinx skimmed the surface of the water as it surged forward toward the island. She could see the repair work being done on the ship she recognized as the White Hawk, as well as other wreckage, probably from a battle above. She eased up, slowing down the Sphinx on her approach, a plan already running through her mind about how to approach these people. She flipped a small switch, opening a comm. channel just in case she needed it, though from the Hawk’s appearance she doubted she would. Better safe than sorry though I suppose…

Gabriel leaned over his bike and tried to see the glint of the snipers scope with his own eyes. He caught the spark of light and drew his pistol and his sword. "Remember" he said to himself "Breathe." He raised his sword so it was parallel to the pistol's barrel. The sword slowly bent around the pistol and elongated.

Gabriel raised his new rifle and checked his bike's monitor again. The sniper hadn't moved. Gabriel smiled and attached an eyepiece to his ear. The was the slight humming as the eyepiece folded around his head and covered his right eye. The screen of the eyepiece showed the same view as the bike's monitor the only difference being a range and set of cross-hairs.

"Damn" the mechanic mumbled "Even if i pull a Valhalla I won't have a good enough shot." Even if the Captain didn't blow himself up first, the sniper was going to put a bullet in his head. And Gabriel still hadn't been payed.

A plan surfaced in Gabriel's mind as he grabbed for the radio. He hit the button down. "Excuse me sir" he said over the radio "I'm going to um.." Gabriel tried to think of some way to say that he was going to hopefully stop the sniper that wouldn't give away his plans the,by the captains reaction, hostile new arrival. "I'm going to shut down the upper gun for some repairs. So don't try anything that might cause it to overload"

He hoped the captain would understand but he didn't have time to find out. Gabriel hopped on his bike and gunned the engine. The bike and rider shot into the air. He circled around and looked for a place to land close enough to the sniper to the sniper so he was in range but far enough away so he wouldn't be noticed. The mechanic finally settled on a clearing a kilometre or so away from where he assumed the sniper was. He didn't have an exact location because he had kept wide of the sniper so he could stay out of their range.

He landed as quietly as he could and started his slow trek through the forest tho the sniper's perch.

hiya!