FINE!!!

[Kaden]

He had no idea what this letter was about, but if it came from who he realized it had to come from, there was no way it could be good. And on top of that, both Dyona (who couldn't even really be blamed for anything if she had been possessed) and Leo were in that darkness. But none of this made sense! "I thought I made sure he couldn't come back, but...I suppose I need to just deal with the fact that he's always gonna be in my life." Kaden said solemnly, before pointing at the door.

"Your orb's powered by powerful light magic, I'm assuming. Light's not gonna exist in there, and neither is life for too long if he doesn't want it to. It's like a poison that can cut you off from this plane. We need to get them out quick. Where's Cody at now?" He was aware that last question seemed random, but there was a reason for it.

[narym]

" Cody is with Cass," Narym replied. Kaden looked worried. And if Kaden was worried, then so was she! She caught on to why he had asked, other than concern for his son.
" Do you think Cody can help us Kaden?" she asked. She was worried to death for her son and for Dyona, but she didn't want to risk the lad unless there was no other way. " Cass won't like it!"

[Caedyona]

(LOL! Learning from me, my foot! You're just unleashing your creativity!)

Dyona was vaguely aware of the fact that she hadn't stopped screaming, but the help that she had hoped for seemed not to be coming, so she was trying in vain to stop. The thing that had wrapped around her foot had released her only after she had pried herself away, and she wasn't sure how exactly she had done that. It had come to her in a moment of pure panic, and she was suddenly free, well, free enough to drag herself back onto the bed.

Slowly, she realized that somehow she could breathe while screaming, and that brought a strange smile to her lips. Her scream ended...it wasn't helping the situation any, and she didn't want to make it worse by attracting the wrong kind of attention to her. The silence was unnerving, as was the total lack of sight...it felt...like she was somehow adrift, from everything, and completely helpless...which she instantly hated. The whispers that surrounded her were now voices that she could clearly distinguish, although she truly wished that she couldn't. They offered no hope. Suddenly, she was infuriated. She wasn't helpless. She wasn't a child, and she wouldn't go without a fight. She pulled her small sword from her belt, more of a dagger, truly, but she took comfort in it's cool handle and sharp blade. Instead, she listened, closely, trying to hear something other than the crude voices that seemed never to tire of speaking.

There...to the left...was that a sound. She leaned into it, trying to hear it over everything else around her...

[Kaden]

Patting his jacket pocket which contained the amulet Blaine had given him earlier, Kaden didn't take his eyes off the darkened room. "I know Cody can help us. It'll take a special kind of magic reversal to dissipate this darkness. There is a spell that can do it, but I don't know it. This amulet though - With it, either Cody or Cassandra would be able to pull it off."

The wizard shook his head. "I can't really tap into the powers of it myself though."

[narym]

" Have you ever tried?" Naryn asked curiously. " If Cody has half your power and half Cass's and is growing more powerful every day, why can't your half have some effect on the amulet? You have power, why not that power?"
She stared again into the darkness. " What do you want me to do?"

[leonyr]

Leo was getting annoyed with the complete sensory blackout. His senses were a large part of who and what he was and it was difficult to function without them. The blackness seemed to have a life of it's own, it swirled around him so thick he could almost taste it. He cursed fluently and inventively.
" Dyona, a ghra! If you can hear me, give me a sign!" Well at least he could still hear his own voice. He couldn't even connect to Brynd. That was a first and it sparked a tiny fear in the back of his mind. What if something had happened to the dragon?
Dyona didn't respond. He continued to move slowly forward, completely blind, one hand out in front of him.
Slowly he became aware of a tiny whisper. A voice! No, wait, more than one. Where were they coming from? Then he sensed a presence. He gripped his sword tighter and made ready to contact it.


((This should be entitled " Things that go bump in the night!"))

[Kaden]

To be honest, he really didn't want to have to bring Cody or Cassandra into this, it was way too dangerous. But...What else could he - It was right then a light bulb went off. "The orb!" Kaden said excitedly, pulling the amulet from his pocket. It started to energize him already. "Just hold the orb up for me. In front of the door. I'm not part of the amulet's destined bloodline, not being related to Kane by blood at all. So all I can do is use the raw power inside this amulet, not any of it's other powers. But what I can use it for is to amplify the light of your orb. That should be able to break through this darkness."

[narym]

Narym called up her orb again. She held out her hand palm upwards, the light hovering just above it.
" Ok," she said softly. " I don't know if it will let you control it, I've not tried it before. I'll help all I can."
She held her breath and waited.

[Kaden]

"I'm not gonna be the one controlling it. You are. All I'm doing is making it stronger." Kaden explained, already channeling some of his own magic energy as well as the amulet's into the orb. The faint glow it emitted all the time became a more intense pulse, even without any direct control of it.

"Alright Narym, your turn. Um...just uh...turn it on or whatever it is you do to it. Light it up, I guess...and carry it into the darkness. It should burn through it. We need to get rid of it all."

[narym]

Narym could feel the orb increase in strength. The energy contained within it thrummed, causing the hairs on her arms to stand on end. She sent it up, where it began to grow in size. Then she stepped to the door of the room and sent it before her. This time the orb continued past the doorframe and into the room, lighting up the way as it progressed. Narym stepped in after it. The room gradually became less dark, altho shadows still remained. The orb was struggling to dispel them and she looked at Kaden for more power.

[Kaden]

It was taking more energy than he'd expected, but he had more than enough for it. Benefits of his heritage, the wizard assumed. He kept it charged and lit, and looked on as the thick darkness slowly faded into nothing wherever the orb's light shone. They walked slowly. "Just stay behind it...and be careful to stay in the light."

[narym]

Listening to his words, Narym made sure she kept within the growing pool of light. She sent the orb to the right, where Dyonas bed should have been and followed it.
" It's strange, I don't remember her bedroom being this large," she commented softly. " Where's her bed?"
She looked around. The far wall seemed miles away, still in the gloom, along with the bed she supposed.
" I mislike this, Kaden. Can this power increase space as well as darkness? Or is this an hallucination?"
She stopped moving, aware of the comforting presence of the ice wizard close behind her.

[Kaden]

"As far as I know, the darkness can't increase space...So this has to be an illusion. The problem there is that the bed should still be here, whether we can see it or not. Illusions, mainly, can only fool your senses of sight and sound. Not touch. This is bad." Kaden said. The worry was evident in his voice. Forcing himself, he pushed even more energy through the amulet into the orb. This expanded the light even more. More than anything, the wizard wanted to see more of the room.

[narym]

" An illusion then," Narym said, half to herself, not wanting to believe anything else. She put her strength with Kaden's into the orb and it flared brightly. " Ok, if it's an illusion, I should be able to feel Dyona's bed, even if I can't see it here." She reached out. Nothing. She moved closer, arm outstretched. Nothing. " This is......." She bumped into a solid object, tall and upright. " Leo? Ah, thank the gods, Leo!" As she spoke, he suddenly appeared before her eyes, blinking in the bright light.

[leonyr]

" Mother?" Leo was completely disoriented. He had lost track of time and place. It felt like he had been wandering in the darkness for years. " What happened? Where......... Dyona!" He looked around quickly. "Where is she?"