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Post by Mosrael//Ranna on Aug 24, 2011 4:56:12 GMT -5
Built atop a rocky cliff, the castle had been designed by its creators to watch over the land from its high perch. Below the thick forest was constantly working to climb up the slope and swallow the ruins. Broken and weathered from time and the elements, the castle was now being consumed by the land. Vines crawled all over it, trees crept in, and moss silently blanketed the stone.
One section of the castle remained intact, including a wide tower. In the highest room of the tower, Max had been deposited by the men who had snatched him from his home, tore him away from all that he knew. Now he was in a strange place, but if he had expected dungeons and rats, Mosrael had other plans.
The room was lavishly decorated, the moss and vines swept clear, a single window letting in light. There was a bed, chairs, and other furniture. A thick red rug covered the floor. The room was warmed and lit by spells hanging in the air and set in the walls. Overall, it was a pleasant setting. Or at least it would be, if he wasn't in the clutches of the rising Dark Lady.
The door opened, admitting two men. One remained by the door to guard it, the other placed a tray with steaming hot food on it: crisp salad, buttery rolls, juicy slices of turkey with cranberry and gravy ladled over it.
"Eat up boy, Mosrael wants to speak to you in a bit. Don't try to escape either. This place is spelled against things like apparition and floo network."
With that the men were gone, leaving the boy in an empty room, the single door to freedom locked and guarded on the outside.
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Post by Max Kameren on Aug 24, 2011 11:44:28 GMT -5
Max sat in the room, knees to his chest and back to the bedpost. He refused to sit in the chairs in the well-furnished room, refused to take any hospitality from the woman who took him from his family. The Masked Lady wouldn't fool him, just as she didn't fool his father. He quickly wiped the tear tracts from his face as he heard footsteps at the door.
Two men came in, one guarding the door while another brought him supper.
"Eat up boy, Mosrael wants to speak to you in a bit. Don't try to escape either. This place is spelled against things like apparition and floo network."
Max glared at the man, his round green eyes falling down toward the tray. With a blink, the tray of delicious food burst into flames from the boy's Incendio spell. He would not co-operate. He refused. Max didn't move, just looked up at the man, daring him to say something. If they touched him or hurt him in any way, he knew their Dark Lady would punish them for it. So he would make their lives as difficult as he could in the meantime.
If Mosrael wanted to talk to him, she'd better do it fast. Curse Kameren would be coming for him soon, and then she'd be sorry. So would these men, when his father came. Curse wouldn't let them hurt him.
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Post by Mosrael//Ranna on Aug 25, 2011 22:43:46 GMT -5
Mosrael stood on the top of the tower, uncaring of the sheer drop on all sides. The parapets had all crumbled, so there was nothing interrupting her view of the land on all sides. Perched deep in the Scottish highlands, it was virtually isolated and long-forgotten. That was why she had chosen it.
The woman's face was bare, her porcelain features calm, almost as if she was simply listening to the forlorn breeze that swept over the tower with eyes closed. Instead, the powerful witch was casting her mind far into the distance, in the middle of a discussion with someone still at the Kameren's house.
Finally her dark eyes opened, and Mosrael smiled. It was a cold, predatory smile. The one she had talked to had gotten her message, now the distant person was a player on the chessboard at last.
"Mistress?" A voice called hesitantly behind her, uncertain of his place to interrupt her.
She swept a hand over her face and the red mask appeared, cloaking her face in stillness. Then she turned gracefully, her black gaze bearing down on the man. "Is the boy settled in?"
"Y-yes Mistress." He bowed jerkily, nervous around the strange masked witch. He had seen what she was capable of. "The boy refuses to eat."
A faint laugh escaped her lips. "Yes, he's a Kameren, after all. Leave him be."
"As you wish...we're ready for the next stage of your plans."
She waved a pale, slender hand dismissively. "Then why are you standing here? You're to follow my plan for this mission exactly. Don't leave anything out. Report in when you're done. And if you're followed...?"
He inclined his head. "Go to the other site, not here." She nodded and the man left. After several more minutes Mosrael followed with a swish of silks.
The door to Max's room opened, admitting the dark-dressed woman with the blood-red mask. When the door closed behind her, she did not move, merely stood there, black eyes studying the boy standing before her with a baleful look on his face.
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Post by Max Kameren on Aug 25, 2011 23:48:05 GMT -5
Max could finally breathe when the guards momentarily left. Truth be told, he was terrified. When the guards weren't in his room, he was curled up, crying and waiting for someone to rescue him. Curse would rescue him, he knew, but in the meantime he was in the hands of monsters. The Masked Lady, though she feigned keeping Max comfortable, must be lying. She was waiting for the moment to strike, he knew it. Was now the time?
The door opened, and Max's breath held in his lungs once again as a dark-clad witch entered the room. He kept his face steady, willing himself not to show fear. He was big and strong, like his father and his uncle. Like Aunt Ari and Ralin and even his mum. He could stay confident because he knew these people would keep him safe.
Her dark red mask stared down at him, and his green eyes glared straight back. He squared his shoulders, channeling his father as he attempted to defy the Dark Lady.
"My dad's going to come soon and take me back home. Then you'll be sorry."
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Post by Mosrael//Ranna on Aug 26, 2011 0:54:58 GMT -5
Mosrael glided into the room until she reached the wide window. Turning around, the woman conjured an armchair with a high back and sat in it as if it were a throne. Then Mosrael reached up, and took off her mask.
A cold snake-like smile stretched her pale face, her black eyes glittering. "My dear boy...that is exactly what I am planning on."
Without her mask on, it seemed as though she wore another one underneath. Her skin was smooth and unblemished, almost as if it were made of painted glass. She was beautiful, but her beauty was like a flower hiding poisoned thorns. Deadly.
"You see, I'm depending on your father to be the noble father, to track me down and come rescue you." She held out her hand with the mask resting on her palm. The mask rose up from her hand and floated above it, staring with empty eyes at the boy before her. A reflection of the pale face behind it.
"A simple thing, this mask. Yet it can hide so much behind its eyes. It brings fear to those who don't understand it. But you," she twisted her hand closed and the mask vanished. "You don't fear it. That's good. You're a strong boy, like your family. Like your friends."
She leaned back in the chair, black eyes studying him, boring into him as her words whispered silkily in his ears. "So I'm hoping they're all strong enough. Smart enough to solve my little riddle. Because I've got something prepared for them all."
Gather all of the strongest minds and wands in one place. All of those most likely to stand against her. And then get rid of them. However, if she had the Mirrormask...she could do even more. With those minds at her beck and call, she would have new shock troops for her end game.
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Post by Max Kameren on Aug 27, 2011 9:55:15 GMT -5
"My dad's going to come soon and take me back home. Then you'll be sorry."
Mosrael took off her mask. Max couldn't help but look a little surprised as she did it, his round eyes examining her face a bit hesitantly. He was surprised she was pretty; in the stories his mum and dad told him, the bad guy was always ugly. The evil witch was a stooped, warty old hag. Mosrael just wore her ugliness on the inside, instead. "My dear boy...that is exactly what I am planning on. You see, I'm depending on your father to be the noble father, to track me down and come rescue you."
A dark scowl showed on Max's face, glaring at Mosrael past her floating mask. Part of him wanted to start the mask on fire, but his magic wasn't going to cooperate. He was too afraid, despite his rigid stance against her. He tried to channel his father, take the same stance of a seasoned auror, like his family. On someone so small, though, it looked a bit silly.
"A simple thing, this mask. Yet it can hide so much behind its eyes. It brings fear to those who don't understand it. But you," she twisted her hand closed and the mask vanished. "You don't fear it. That's good. You're a strong boy, like your family. Like your friends."
"My friends and family are more powerful than you and will find you and set me free!" Max exclaimed, emerald eyes blazing. "My dad broke your spell on him and now he's more powerful than ever. Now he has power over you!" Max didn't want to specifically mention Curse's studies, but he had once been told the name:
"Dad? Daaad, what are you doooing?" "I'm looking for someone." "Who are you looking for in a library book?" "Daniel."
It was a simple enough answer, but Max knew there was weight behind that name. He couldn't play his only card, though. What if the name made Mosrael angry, and she attacked him? He wouldn't have a chance. His mum would be so mad at his dad if he didn't make it back home safe.
"So I'm hoping they're all strong enough. Smart enough to solve my little riddle. Because I've got something prepared for them all."
Max's fists tightened, growing angry with her. She was talking about his friends and family as if they were playthings, game pieces. She should be afraid. But perhaps it was better that she wasn't? That way, they would have the edge. Bullies like Mosrael would always fall eventually, and it was good guys like Curse Kameren who stood up to them. Max knew he would be rescued, and this wretched woman would be vanquished. He just knew it.
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Post by Mosrael//Ranna on Aug 28, 2011 3:11:48 GMT -5
Within the twisted reaches of her mind, Mosrael knew there was the faintest spark of light. Try as she might to trap it, quench it in the fierce blackness of her soul, that ember remained. It was almost just the skeleton of a memory; a memory of Ranna before the incident. Before she lost the only one she'd ever truly cared for. And it was her fault.
The guilt and sorrow for losing her brother was too much for her mind. She was driven to finding him, solving the riddle of his absence. Ranna refused to believe he was dead. Couldn't be dead. Because if he was, she knew the guilt would break her entirely. But as her quest stretched through years, she felt the path she was on start to twist and bend, drawing her further into darkness, shadow clawing its way into her, seeping into her mind. Until all that remained of the true Ranna - not the costume and face she put on for the Ministry - was that single ember.
And it was the ember that saved Max from Mosrael's insidious designs. Were he an Auror, hit wizard or local citizen, she would have sunken her claws into his mind, tearing through thought and memory until all of his secrets lay bare before her. She couldn't put him under the Parasite Curse, since it could only exist in one place at a time.
But he was a boy, and too much like Daniel. He would remain unharmed, his mind sealed away from her.
"Oh yes, they are powerful. And thirsty for my blood, I should say. One of the many results from my games in Hogsmeade and Godric's Hollow. A weak opponent is defeated in only a couple moves, and where's the intrigue in that?"
Mosrael rose from her chair, her long black hair swaying in the breeze that whispered into the room. Looking out the window for a moment, the woman turned and smiled that cold smile again. A smile that summoned cold ice to trickle down the spine, the shudder of fear at that smile. It did not reach her black eyes.
"They must be strong, fierce, and determined in order to survive until the surprise I have in store for them. And let me assure you, Max Kameren, there are greater things to fear than your father's wrath. He'll come to save you, and he will fall. Because I have fear on my side. I will show him what he fears most, and all of the others too."
"And then they will drown in their own fears."
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Post by Max Kameren on Sept 1, 2011 10:26:23 GMT -5
Through Mosrael's monologue, Max stayed silent. She was insane, like his father on his bad days. There would be no reasoning with her, not telling her off. Arguing with a mad woman would only hurt him, this he saw from St. Mungo's. Mosrael could think what she liked, but his father wouldn't let him be kept here long. Curse would set him free, bring him back home to his family. They would be together and happy again soon.
Curse Kameren wasn't afraid of anything. Well, he was afraid for Max, he was sure. But that would only encourage him to get here sooner. Mosrael wouldn't hurt him. If she was planning to, why wouldn't she have done it already? Or why wouldn't she have hurt him in Godric's Hollow, where she killed Lucy and hurt Ralin? If she wasn't going to hurt Max, then Curse had nothing to fear.
A frustrated question bubbled to the surface of Max's mind, causing him to blurt it out towards the Dark Lady by the window. "What do you want from us, anyway? We haven't done anything, we just want to be a family. Just because you don't have a family doesn't mean you have to destroy others..."
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Post by Mosrael//Ranna on Sept 4, 2011 0:34:00 GMT -5
"Family..."
Her voice was the barest whisper, and for a moment her gaze was lost far beyond the window. Mosrael turned to look at Max, and for the briefest flutter of a second, the anguish inside her was bared in black eyes. But the moment passed and she repeated the word again, her gaze hardening with resolve.
"Clever boy. You remind me of someone. His name was Daniel. I'll tell you all about it sometime." The curve of her smile was mocking. "But now I can't be late to my own party. Your father's come for you, your friends are close behind."
She rose gracefully, like a black swan with a red mask, and started towards the door. But before the witch departed, Mosrael turned to look at the young boy.
"Why am I doing this, Max? Why? ...Family..."
Then she was gone, the door locking shut behind her, the window growing bars across it, shutting him in, with only flickering candlelight as his companions.
[[Exit Mosrael]]
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