Maeve stopped speaking as Sinbad and Doubar came down the stairs from topside; they were discussing landing at an Island they were coming up on.

"Sinbad, it would do the crew good to have a night of down time; we could fill up with supplies too. There is bound to be excellent game hunting in the forest, and we need food."

Sinbad shook his head. "Doubar, we are supposed to meet Omar in three days, we are already behind thanks to that storm of two nights ago. Omar spoke of an incredibly important task he needs us to perform, and I’d hate like anything to let him down."

"I understand that, but we need food."

Maeve nodded as she tried to recover from her storytelling. "Doubar is right, Sinbad. There is very little food in the hold. A stop for the night would not put us too far behind schedule, and it is the best plan."

Sinbad sighed. "Firouz, you too?"

Firouz nodded as his stomach growled. "We can’t wait three more days to take on supplies, Sinbad, there is not enough food to get us past tomorrow, much less three days."

"All right, fine. Doubar, set the tiller to land at that island. Firouz, go topside with your maps and find out just exactly what Island that is... I’ve never seen it before." The crew nodded as they moved to do as Sinbad requested. Sinbad stayed with Maeve. "Are you going to tell me what the problem is yet?"

Maeve shook her head. "Sinbad, I'm trying to work this out, you’re just going to have to trust me for a little while."

"Always, you know I trust you."

"Aye."

The two also headed topside, and Maeve wrapped her cloak around her as her body filled with a chill. She glanced over at Dermott who seemed very pleased with himself, so she went to speak with him. "Dermott? What are you hiding?"

The bird answered her not as he ruffled his feathers, and sent a wave of peace into her heart. Shrugging, Maeve moved to help the crew bring the Nomad to a stop, and lower the long boat. It was time to go ashore.

The sun was setting by the time they finished filling the long boat with the food and water they had gathered from the tiny island, and the crew was just preparing to return to the Nomad when a terrific sound met their ears.

Turning on their heels the crew was met with the sight of a herd of winged lions flying towards them; the creatures did not look impressed. The crew didn’t move until the lead of the lions began blowing fire in their direction, catching on a tree near the shoreline, sending the men and Maeve scattering for cover.

Maeve stood up, and formed a fireball. "Hey, hairy! Turn around is fair play!" Hurling the fireball at the lion, it exploded on it’s nose. The creature roared out in anger and redoubled it’s efforts.

"Well, that was great." Sinbad muttered. "We just made it angrier."

Maeve glared at him. "Well I didn’t see you doing anything to help us."

Doubar, and Firouz drew their swords, while watching to see what Sinbad ordered them to do. Rongar pulled out two of his dirks, and prepared himself for battle.

"Maeve, you keep trying with your fireballs, Rongar, you’ve got the idea, fight them with your dirks.. guys, follow me." Sinbad drew his sword, and began to climb a tall, very leaf covered tree. Doubar and Firouz looked at each other and shrugged; they each picked a similar tree to climb into.

Maeve dropped her cloak to the ground, and with her brilliant red hair flowing free, with her skirt and vest blowing at her legs, she stood to take on the leader of the pack.

*************************

None of the crew had noticed the long form stretched out along the rocks on the other end of the beach. She had been sunning herself there for hours that afternoon, watching carefully as the crew hunted game, and collected fruits and berries.

Now as the evening grew chillier with the setting of the sun, she watched in good humor as the crew defended itself against the attack of the Ariels, the pride of winged lions. They had been created by her old friend, Bronaugh, for the defense of the island. They would not give up until either each of the crew was dead, or each of the pride was. She shook her head; they were blood thirst animals; Bronaugh had made a mistake creating them. She would watch the activities for a while, and then perhaps step in and finish cleaning up the mess Bronaugh had started.

She drew her cloak around her, and proped her head up on her elbow. Where she was laying was fine to watch from for now. Her gaze returned to the beautiful sorceress flinging wild fireballs at the Ariel, and she laughed.

***************************

Maeve was beginning to weaken as yet another fireball had no effect upon the creatures that kept swarming towards her. Rongar had peirced several with his dirks, but the weapons were so tiny, and the animals so huge, the dirks had little effect. It was all up to Sinbad now.

Speaking of Sinbad: Maeve raised her eyes to the tree line trying to figure out what Sinbad was planning, she was not dissapointed. Just as one of the Ariel flew under the tree, Sinbad leapt out of the branches and onto the creatures back.

Starting in surprise, the lion attempted to buck Sinbad off, hurtling itself through the air at unmentionable speeds. Sinbad held on for dear life, wondering if indeed this had been that good of an idea after all. Attempting to slay the creature, Sinbad’s sword caught on it’s mane, and Sinbad dropped it to the ground. At the sound of his curses, every eye was turned to him, and the entire crew watched as Sinbad was pitched from the creature's back.

Falling the twenty feet to the ground, Sinbad ungracefully landed on his back in a heap, with the breath knocked out of him. He was their last hope, and he had failed. Doubar and Firouz came rushing out of the trees and moved to cover Sinbad, but it was too late for all of them. They looked up to see the swarm of lions move into final attack formation and begin to decend upon them. The men and Maeve looked at each other before taking a deep breath to face their deaths.

***************************

She raised an eyebrow as the Ariel moved in for the kill; that the crew had been defeated that easily actually surprised her, she had thought Maeve to be a much stronger sorceress that what she had displayed here today.

With a sigh, she brought up the hand that was not supporting her head, pointed it towards the Ariel, and as she lay there casually watching the lions decend upon the crew, she spoke one simple word.

"Valorki."

The lions all howled in pain and suffering as a burst of white magic surrounded them and began ripping their forms to shreds. Since the creatures had been created by magic, they were being systematically deprived of the ingrediants of the spell. The sorceress was indeed reversing Bronaugh’s hard incantation with little more than a thought. She smiled as the final Ariel dissapeared for good, and the island was free once more.

As she glanced back to the crew, she found five sets of eyes turned in her direction, and the sorceress sat up upon her rock. Now to wait.

***************************

Maeve had seen the aura of the spell being used to destroy the creatures, and she knew the source of the magic; but why was she feeling no presence in her mind?

"There!"

She heard Firouz declare the position of the spell caster, and hesitated before turning to peer at the figure laying in the shadows upon a rock down the beach. The figure sat up, and Maeve knew. She knew that shape, the movements, the very essence of that being, for they were her own.

"Oh gods!" She cried, and took off running down the beach. Dermott followed over head, knowing that the sorceress was here, but saying nothing at her request. The bird reached the figure first, and landed gracefully on her arm.

"Hello, sweet Dermott. How have you been?"

The bird chirped and cooed in answer, but it was the voice in her mind the sorceress was listening to.

"How has she been? Really? I can’t see missing me that much.. Ah.. then the captain is her... Really? Are they that ignorant of each other? Wow, I never had her pegged for being stupid." The bird laughed and conversed away with the sorceress happy to be back with her. It was only minutes however, before Maeve arrived close to them.

She stopped twelve feet in front of her sister, staring at the identical face peering back at her from the shadows of her cloak’s hood. Maeve sighed.

"Maura." She whispered.

Maura smiled. "Hello, sister."

The crew was mere seconds behind their sorceress, running to try and find out what had put such wind in her sails. Sinbad came up behind Maeve quickly, stepping slightly in front of her in a gesture of protection.

"Maeve, what is going on?"

"I think I can answer that."

It was Maeve’s voice, but she never spoke. Sinbad glanced at the other sorceress, and watched in shock as she drew back the cloak hood to reaveal Maeve’s face. Sinbad gasped. "What trickery?!"

"No trickery, Sinbad," Maeve said with a smile as she moved past him to hug her sister close. "This is my sister, Maura."

Sinbad moved forward to touch the strange woman with Maeve’s face and body, but she shuddered and pulled back suddenly. He raised his eyebrows. She breathed deeply as she tried to calm herself, caressing the spot on her arm that he had come in contact with.

"I’m sorry, I don’t like to be touched by anyone." Maura’s voice burned with loathing, of herself and of her fear, but she could not help her reaction.

Sinbad watched as Maeve shook her head, warning him not to push the subject. So instead he decided upon the most direct approach. "Well, Maeve, I think it’s time you told us the whole story."

Maeve smiled. "Aye, it is." She looked over to her sister, and sat down with her upon the rocky perch. Dermott moved in between them, cuddling up closely to Maura who smiled gently. "Maura and I are twins, Sinbad. We grew up together, learned magic together, shared everything. We haven’t seen each other in almost four years, but it was life’s events up until that moment which caused our seperation." So for the second time that day, Maeve took her story back to the beginning, and she and Maura began to relive their lives once more.

************************************************************** Okay... end of Chapter one... Two is up to Talia, and I'll see y'all back in three!!! Enjoy!! **************************************************************

Continued in Sorcerer's Blood: Part 2

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