A Land of Flowers and Fae

Captured

Lavan came to when they reached the entrance of his hall. He recognized the dry air of his lands, then the familiar coolness of his own entryway. Dahlia really had taken over his house. It seemed she'd turned his home into her lair for trapping the Guardians and running her campaign to conquer Fairytopia.

Rude.

The pain in his temples got especially strong as they went up the stairs. Dahlia could have gotten some of the dryad guards to drag him inside. She must be feeling especially petty to have the fungi drag him in along the ground. Up what seemed like every single stair in the house. They finally stopped and tossed him to the floor. Making pain lance through his head and chest.

"Ow" he said dully.

A powerful enchantment flared to life, a barrier spell if his scrambled senses could be believed. They were containing him.

"Lavan!" A familiar female voice exclaimed. He cracked an eye open to see that he was in Dahlia's private workshop. She'd asked for her own space a few years back. A request that hadn't made him bat an eye. Now there were a line of chairs assembled on one side the room. All seven Guardians were seated there. Barrier spells keeping them seated in the narrow confines of the chairs.

Azura was on the right side of the line. Halfway to standing. Her barrier spell rippled in her attempts to rise and move towards him. Ruby was on the far left. His face drawn up in an expression of outrage.

"You!" The Red Guardian pointed a finger accusingly "This is all your doing isnt it! Let us out of here you evil toad!"

Lavan rolled flat onto his back and groaned. He was in far too much pain to deal with Ruby of all people.

"Yes Ruby, you unraveled my master plan" he said dully "Get beaten within an inch of my life and trapped inside a barrier spell. You really found me out" he rolled his head over to spit out a gob of blood, not really caring about looking dignified. His head was still spinning slightly. He figured if he tried to stand he'd probably throw up. Best not.

"Ruby" Topaz said in her tremulous voice "he was obviously captured as well"

"We have one working brain in the room" Lavan muttered. swirling in his head was steadily slowing down. His sputtering magic got to work setting his head right. But he didn't have much to spare with the toxins swimming in his system.

"Lavan, are you alright? Is anyone with you?" Azura asked. Her implied question about Elina obvious.

He rolled his head sideways to meet her gaze. He shook his head once, fighting to get his eyes to focus on hers. She straightened and settled back in her chair. Elina wasn't here. That was good. It meant that he'd done what he meant to and protected her. It also meant that Dahlia had one less piece of the puzzle in her grasp.

Th dryad in question fluttered into the room. Her staff twirling in her hand. It was a useful tool, helping her increase and amplify the amount of magic she could use at a given time. In this instance it was likely also a weapon.

"Master! Im surprised you didn't die from that poison. I thought I had undone my own plan when you flew off with that arrow in your gut. Didn't expect you to last a day. Then, amazing! My scouts said you'd survived! I was simply overjoyed. You are a hard one to kill, which works in everyone's benefit today!"

Lavan scrunched his eyes closed. He thought he hadn't had enough energy to deal with Ruby. He definitely didn't have much fight in him to contend with Dahlia.

"How exactly does draining the Guardian charms help anyone aside from you?" He groaned. Not bothering to look at her. She hadn't earned the right.

"Well! I found I might be able to use the Guardians themselves to form the union point. But that would yank all of the energy out of their bodies. Killing them. Which would be such a waste!" She said brightly, spouting her asinine ideas as if it was the topic of discussion over a brunch "But now that youre here I can do the spell under my original design. With you as the conduit. To transfer the power to me"