Chapter 18 - Wren

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A wall of sand fell on Tide Cascade but it crashed with a wave of rock that rose up from the ground and curled around him

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A wall of sand fell on Tide Cascade but it crashed with a wave of rock that rose up from the ground and curled around him. Shan and Forest facing off was always earth shattering, one harnessing sand and the other earth. What was the rock around here but packed particles of sand anyway, and Forest's hold on his shield broke as sand wound it's way through the rock and broke it away in a shower of boulder that Tide had already slipped out from under.

Talamayas was behind Tide and didn't even cast a spell as the mage bumped into his abrupt departure. The man pat Tide on the head and grabbed his hair in a vise grip that had the man shuddering and nearly begging for mercy as Tala dropped him face first into the sand. Tala was a monster in size compare to that skinny water mage general, and the man knew it as he pressed his entire body to his. It gave Wren tremors as Tala did that to him on the bed occasionally too, always with no reason but an urge to be all over him.

It was also only something Tala would do to someone he liked.

Shan stopped his assault and dropped the sand as he parked himself by Forest, and both of them groaned as Tide tried to get Tala off with water magic. That only served to drench them as Tala refused to let go. Out of the two mages, Wren had not pegged Tide as the one Tala would like better, but they'd developed a healthy rivalry over the last year. Oh they spit shit in each other's faces but Tala loved him, and Tide had no intentions of harming Tala, though Wren doubted he liked him.

"We never win without Neil," Forest grumbled, as he headed to the bottom of the dunes they'd been fighting in and landed on solid rock as Tide finally shoved Tala off and growled profanities as Tala laughed.

"That is true. When Tala isn't distracted by the man, he is quite brutal," Shan said, stretching and eyeing Wren where he was relaxing on one of the low walls that surrounded the outer doors. They had many anti-magic walls of varying heights to warp and repel spells' trajectories. This one was only a few feet off the ground and comfortable to lounge on, as comfortable as sitting under the dessert sun and soaking his robes in sweat was.

"Well, you don't have to put anyone back together today," Shan said to Wren, and he nodded but closed his eyes to enjoy the breeze as it flowed by.

"Please tell me that means I can go to the baths," Wren begged, and Shan chuckled but it tapered off as Neil Arc headed out toward them.

"Tala, we need to talk," Neil said, and Forest and Tide seemed to know what it was about and flanked the man as he went back into the castle.

The bath would have to wait, and Wren hoped he didn't offend anyone's nose as they slipped into the drawing room and sat down. All except for Shan, who stood sentry near the walls, and Wren, who was sluggishly following.

"You can't be serious." Tala's low growl drew Wren's attention as he sat in a chair a ways from them, as the coffee table only seated four.

"Dead serious, Tala. I'm too close to the Zehir territory and my people are in danger," Neil said as Wren tried to understand the gist.

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