<div align="center">Aryia (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=88798.msg3898535#msg3898535)<br/></div><br/>Logan ? Was this a trick ? Had logan control over his brother, perhaps had his own witch cast turn-coat on him all this time ? Nothing made sense, if he was a puppet why reveal so now ?  The answer likely was something more complicated but brother or not chances shouldn't be taken. Not with so much to loose. Everything. Faith in the king yes, but not without cautionary measures ... and now certainly seemed the time.<br/><br/>Akara's seeming faith didn't match Aryia's own by a long shot, still her warriors were capable, they could read trouble instinctively, warriors could, witches had to be prepared .. always.<br/><br/>A flurry of hand gestures from Aryia prompted the five Mistpeak witches looking onwards beside the newly erected tent into a humming chant.<br/><br/>It was one that helped them focus sustaining a will ring, but will rings were new, they had only practiced them for a few months no more, and an impromptu one like this wasn't something any of them had experienced during a battle but despite Aryia's poor diplomatic efforts in the past she had seen to those learning the strange skill to release the ring in a manner that didnt leave any confused, such that all could act independently and in unison if it was broken without warning. But that was in practice sessions, real warfare was another matter.<br/><br/>Still the witches were disciples in their art if nothing else, all should be for they were the main power her locale had.<br/><br/>The gestures included default tactics all would adopt if the will ring failed .. namely to cast beneficial spells on the hero warriors close-by. It wasn't long afterward that the crowd grew as suspicious as Aryia's and her witches were.<br/><br/><strong>"Child Slaver !"</strong>one cried out in the throng.<strong>" Doomed charade !! "</strong>.. yet another.<br/><br/>Aryia started to feel the buildup of channeled power of the will user's ring coursing into her but The king didn't seem to be under the influence of the turncoat spell, those who did had blank expressions .. perhaps Logan held a loved one of the kings captive ? Blackmail ? Worse ?<br/><br/>Akara didn't seem to be signaling tactics to her warriors. Although royalty had privileges, it was common for disgraced family members to disappear if it could cause a dark cloud over the next reign. Something didn't make sense. Well nothing made sense. Best option seemed to be to readying to cast turncoat on Logan himself.<br/><br/>While some had tattoos or charms that could resist some magic, turncoat was one of the three spells Aryia had truly mastered and with a will ring empowering her she couldn't know anything that could possibly resist, perhaps an artifact of legend maybe and even if it failed she could move the energies into another while the ring held, and even if the ring dropped, her witches would be formidable, Akara's warriors perhaps more so in other ways ... and together ? With other heroes also ?<br/><br/>Arrghh it felt wrong not to strike now.. but still Akara's warriors had not pressed an assault. No arrows had been shot, no guns fired. Worse Aryia HAD promised to trust the king.... and if it wasn't a trick she wouldn't want herself or the witches with her to start what could be have been avoidable, complicating a delicate matter ... or having blood shed over a misunderstanding.<br/><br/><strong>"My Dear King Arex, loyalty to you I have pledged but to you ... but your not you if your a puppet to Logan blood kin or nay so, the merest signal from you would move us into action to control him in turn ... one nod is all that is needed anything. <br/>If this isn't a trick what on this world is this about ?"</strong>- It wasn't a demand, Aryia was scared herself and wasnt sure if catastrophe was to be prevented by action or inaction. Although her magics held firmly the weight of meaning of what could be fatefully wrong decision .. or fateful indecision this moment  made her lips tremble.<br/><br/>Aryia waited on the direction of her king, but it wasn't easy. Now could Akara and her warriors be seemingly so calm ?<br/>But they had seen more battles than the witches had, perhaps Akara knew something Aryia didn't ? Thoughts of a horrible betrayal flicked into a fire and ended just as quickly ... it didnt make sense for her to. Not after what she put herself through. But embers of something felt very present and the crowd also murmured uncomfortably.<br/><br/>Aryia couldn't blame them. Homeless, lost .. confused, these people didn't need more reason to be afraid,  her face racked with confusion made all the more difficult by the reports of what she had heard logan do. Unforgivable. Some things just were. Some souls were bad seeds through and through.<br/>