Author's Note:

Guess who fell asleep really early instead of doing her regularly scheduled update last night?

Whoops!

Thanks for reading! <3

* * * * *

Anya spotted the tower nestled among the trees even before Sabin started to descend.  "Is this it?" she called loudly.

Sabin cawed back to her.  She followed him down through the trees.

Thorne appeared from the trees.  He appeared surprised to see her before his face took on a smug expression.  "You know, this is what I appreciate about you Anya.  You are so resourceful."

"Don't kill them, please Thorne," she asked with a lowered head.

Thorne ignored her plea.  "Do you know why all this has happened, Anya?"

Anya tried not to sound resentful.  "Because you forced me to try to kill Lord Wildwood."

Thorne smiled in his superior way.  "No, Anya.  This happened because the king is weak.  The king lacks the power to control the country.  His weak rule invites powerful lords to lend money at unfair rates, or others to take advantage of isolated orphans like yourself.  His weakness invites abuse."

"From people like you," Anya said, not managing to hide her bitterness.

Thorne smiled wickedly.  "The end will justify my means.  You simply don't understand my motives, Anya.  I want a new world order.  I want a strong king on the throne instead of the insipid fool that sits there now.  And I will have power under a better ruler."

"And what king would you replace him with?" Anya asked in a casual voice.  She wanted to distract him from the twins.

Thorne smiled mockingly.  "I do wish that I could trust you enough to tell you, but sadly you have already proven yourself a liar."

"I'm only what you made me," she said angrily.

Thorne laughed.  "You can believe that if you wish, but everything came from inside you.  You lied to me the first night we met, did you not?  This is who you are.  You even lie to yourself."

"No," Anya said in horror.  He could not be right.

Sabin let loose a shrieking caw and he flew straight towards Thorne's face.  There was a sickening slap of claws on flesh and Sabin flew into the air and towards the trees.

There were wide gashes across Thorne's cheek.  "Damn bird!" he growled, and he blasted magic at Sabin.

Anya did not have time to react.  "Sabin!" she cried as she watched her dear familiar fall into the trees like a stone dropped from a great height.

"Why?" she cried.  Pain flooded through her.  Poor devoted Sabin.  There was nothing that she could do for him now.  She had to think of the Damani and Kallie.

"Why not?  The creature attacked me, Anya.  That's what happens to creatures who betray my trust."

"Then don't hurt the twins!  They've done nothing to you.  Take your anger out on me if you have to," Anya begged.

"Nothing?  They're little rebels.  The new king would only take care of them if I do not.  That wretched boy watches me with quiet hatred, and the girl prays for my death.  They should be grateful they have lived so long as they have."  Thorne's voice was full of cold irritation.  He stepped closer to Anya.  She forced herself not to shrink backwards.  Could she beat him in a wizard's duel?  She was so new to using her powers in such a way, and her magic still felt weak from her imprisonment.

"And you, pretty little Anya.  You would betray me too, would you not?  You hate me.  Perhaps it is natural.  Women are inconsistent as the wind, aren't they?  I guess that it does not matter if they are noble or peasant.  Just ask my dear mother."

Anya tried to think of how to calm him.  "Your mother?"

"You would like her, Anya.  She was as faithless as you.  But don't fear.  She met a just end."

"Did you kill her?" Anya asked in an attempt to keep him distracted.

Thorne simply laughed.  Then he stopped suddenly.  "What?  I killed that bloody bird!" he snapped.

Anya whirled around, her heart full of hope.  "Sabin?"

It was a crow, but Anya knew with instant disappointment that it was not Sabin.

Thorne was looking at the crow with malice.

"That's not Sabin," she said.  Why should some poor wild crow die because it was in the wrong place at the wrong time and bore a superficial resemblance to her lost familiar?

Thorne chuckled.  "Then you won't care if I kill it."

"No," Anya said and she did not even know if she meant she did not care or that he should not do it.

But then the crow began to move and change and quite suddenly a familiar human was in the place of the unfamiliar crow.

Jim jumped to his feet.  "Is this where your siblings are?" he asked.

"I think so," Anya said shakily.  What was he doing here?  And how had he been a crow a moment before?

Thorne looked surprised.  "How did you manage that?  You don't have the power for such a transformation," Thorne said to Jim.

Jim shook his head.  "I have more than enough power.  But I don't know the spell.  Lord Wildwood, however, has a great deal of practice with transformations."

"Damn that Keaton."  Thorne threw a wide blast at Jim.  Anya thought that he had meant to hit her too, but Jim's shield covered her.  She watched the two warily.

"Get back, Anya," Jim ordered.  She did what he said.

"How noble.  I suppose he wants to take you back alive."

"I'll take you back as well, David.  You should face the king for your crimes," Jim said, and he slammed at Thorne with his magic shield.

Thorne staggered back.  "You dare to hit me? Dog!"

Thorne gathered a great ball of red magic in his hands.  Jim watched as if unconcerned.  Thorne released it.  It headed straight for Anya.

Anya watched the light coming.  She had to throw up a shield, but her magic had been disconnected for so long that she could not summon it to her quickly enough.  It was going to hit her.  She instinctively folded her wings in front of her to protect her face.

Jim threw a shield in front of her and the magic moved harmlessly off.

It was the distraction Thorne had needed.  He slammed Jim again with magic, and pushed him to the ground.  Anya watched in horror as Jim struggled to free himself.

Thorne laughed.  "Did you really think you could defeat me, dog?"

Jim obviously was still fighting.  Anya wrung her hands together.  She wanted to kill Thorne so badly, but she was no match for him.

A wicked smile slid across Thorne's face and he looked at Anya.  "Anya.  An idea has come to me.  I will give you your freedom as well as Damani and Kallie for one last task."

"What?" Anya asked nervously, her mind racing.  If she blasted him with all her magic, could she at least knock him out?  If she could render him immobile, she could certainly kill him.  If only she had one of her potions...

"This man here would take you back to the king and your own doom.  He doesn't care about you, does he?  He's nothing but a sniveling wretch and his existence disgusts me, lowly dog.  All that I want you to do is to kill him.  I can see that your magic is not being repressed any longer.  You can simply do what you attempted on Lord Wildwood.  It will be so easy.  Draw out his magic.  I have him captive and there is no one to stop you.  There is no room for error."

Anya remembered the feeling of power when she had done that to Lord Wildwood.  A part of her truly wanted to do it again.

But not to Jim.  She could not.  "Don't hurt the twins."

Thorne smiled his wicked smile again and spoke, his words ringing in the still air.  "Then destroy him, Anya, and freedom will be yours.  You will be free to take your brother and sister anywhere and find the happiness that you deserve.  Only one small task," Thorne promised.  He pulled out a heavy looking key and held it out to her.  "Here is the key to the tower, Anya.  Freedom awaits.  Do it."

"Yes," Anya agreed, and closed her eyes so she would not have to look at Jim lying there prone.  She did not want to see his face when he experienced the terrible things that she could do.

Anya knelt down and stretched out her magic and found the magic that belonged to Jim.  In spite of her understanding that he intentionally hid his abilities, she had not expected there to be so much.  She drew it from him ruthlessly.  Once again she did the unforgiveable, and this time no one would stop her.

The magic that she drew was far greater than Jim had ever suggested with his usual self effacing attitude.  He might not have as much magic as Lord Wildwood, but it was only to a degree.  She wove her magic through Jim's and held it together.  It was so much power, and she felt as if she could do anything.  Anya dissolved the remaining magic in her wings and added it to the free magic in her hands.

Thorne was laughing as he watched what she had done to Jim, the better man and the better wizard.  He was enjoying it with same inherent cruelty he used to torment Anya with the twin's safety.  Anya opened her eyes and looked at the bane of her existence.  Anya felt her rage towards him return with a vengeance, but it was not the impotent, helpless rage of the past.  She took her anger and all the magic, both stolen and inherent and struck Thorne through as if it were a spear.

Blood gushed out and sprayed Anya.  He stood suspended for a moment and a look of uncomprehending astonishment crossed his wicked features before he slipped to the ground.

Anya moved to him slowly.  Was he truly dead?  She did not know.  She hoped that he was.  She felt nothing.  Even if he was alive he would not be moving for a time.  She could not quite hope he survived to face the king.

She turned to Jim.  He was unconscious, but she could see the rise and fall of his chest.  Finally she felt something like relief.  She did not care what happened next to her, but Jim would be fine and so would Kallie and Damani.

Anya picked up the key from where it had fallen and ran to the tower door.  She had trouble getting the key in the lock because her hands were shaking so badly, but finally she managed to force the ancient key to turn in the lock.

Anya pushed open the door slowly, wondering what she would find.  What if Thorne had already been inside the room?  What if..?

The bottom of the tower was deserted but for two men sitting at a table.  They glanced up, and Anya bashed them with her magic before they could so much as move.  Both lay senseless, one sprawled in an awkward upright position and the other with his head on the table.

Anya found stairs, and she went up them quickly.  There was another door, but the key fit the lock perfectly.  Anya shoved the door open.