The Mysterious Curse

He would nod at their reasoning for not attempting to stand up so instead of walking he would move onto his hands and knees to crawl finding it easier to keep his balance this way to give Arasinya and Morwen some relief. The progress is slow getting to a spot at the campfire, but they wouldn't have to do much more due to his balance wasn't effected by the drain. He would eat the soup slowly taking their advice as the food helps him recover some of his energy after the grueling battles he was in then the backlash from the curse. He will say " I will have to agree because I doubt I could resist any of their magic they would use on me to bring me to their mother which I can't figure out why they didn't return to take me after the curse took hold on me?" The others could figure that because the Aunts were the ones that put that curse while it was dormant on their sister they needed to be the ones who controlled the flow of stolen strength.

Both Morwen and Arasinya kept a close eye on Xerxan as they ate their meal. When Xerxan asked why they didn't return to take him after cursing him, no definite answer could be thought out from either of them. Arasinya would say, "I'm not sure. Perhaps they had other plans for you other than simply taking you in. They are definitely pushing for you to confront them and we probably aren't supposed to know what those plans might be."

Morwen would add, "As soon as we're finished, we may need to move on. There's no telling how long that curse will affect you, Xerxan, without finding them." Once the trio are finished and well rested, they can proceed to hurry on as quickly as they could to the Aunts location in hopes of removing the curse and also rescuing the sisters.

He would seem stronger as they ate their meal then say " I wonder if they had to be in position to monitor the curse when it was inflicted upon me." He would also ask " does teleportation magic require a really weakened target in order for it to be used on a unwilling victim?" When they finished he would try to help clean up even though he knew they would try to stop him as he tries to show them he has adapted to the situation and could walk pretty steady.

The sisters were busy going through tests from other members of the house till it was told to them they weren't going to be worth the effort to train them in the use of divine or arcane magic, but they would be useful in breeding their physical strength into a new generation of warrior mages. When they were left alone it dawns on them that the fate they are going to experience was the same that they were planning for their little brother. They would begin ploting their escape they wondered if they could use the energy siphoned from their brother to augment their own strength.

The cousin who did the testing would say to the Matron Mother" the girls don't show enough skill to warrant any attempts to teach them the art of magic, but using their bodies for breeding could grant our house some nice perks."

Xerxan sure had a lot of questions that were very similar to what both Morwen and Arasinya were thinking. There were certain things about these kinds of curses that recommend more comprehension. Morwen would answer, "Well, not necessarily. I'm sure teleportation can work no matter the condition of the user or the victim." Then the three took the time to clean up after their meal and rest before continuing on their journey. The two elves were still worried for the boy and they kept a close eye on him, but if he wants to show that he can handle this amount of pressure and pain mounted on him, then he is allowed to do so. And carrying light is of the utmost importance if Xerxan is going to have enough strength to face the Grandmother and the aunts.

As they continued to trek and get closer, Morwen would have a strange feeling on her skin as if it is coming from the sisters themselves. She didn't know what it meant, but she didn't dare to observe without getting caught.

They reach the cave described by the grandmother before the sun even began to set for the evening which didn't take that long even with the occasional stops for rest breaks which mostly were enforced by the pair which beat his defiance. He seems to be a lot stronger as he unconsciously adapted to maintain his strength without triggering the curse to drain him. When they set up camp to cook their evening meal he looks in the direction of the cave while he does his part in setting up for the meal which probably took some arguing to get them to allow him to help. Both women would get a tingling feeling of magic from the cave which was their destination if investigated they find a magic way gate that the grandmother mentioned that would take them close to their destination without alerting other houses.

Their proximity to the portal system alerted them giving them quite the surprise because they were not expecting them for at least a week, but planes could easily change to adapt to the situation they find themselves in. The sisters mind wipe was going pretty smooth except there was a side effect that was increasing how ruthless they would be in gaining power in the house. The girls assigned to the ritual would be increased to finish turning the sisters into loyal members of the house through sneaky means to prevent them from fighting it.

The minor connection Morwen would of made with the sisters was fading slow at first, but as they neared the cave it would fade even faster as their memory of their old lives changes to as if they were raised in the house they occupied currently all their life.

Finally, the three managed to set up camp and start preparing their evening meal. They were still worried for Xerxan, but he was willing to push through his pain and become stronger. So, the elves allowed him to help out in hopes of the curse not having so strong of an effect on him. While all this was happening, Morwen would continue feeling the magic connection from the sisters, even from the portal that they found.

When Arasinya saw how worried Morwen is, she would tell Xerxan that she'll be right back. She headed over to the dark elf and asked, "Morwen, what's wrong?"

Morwen immediately answered, "It's the sisters! I can feel their magic from here!"

Morwen allowed Arasinya to see what the magic she detected was telling her and it didn't look good at all. Even Arasinya's eyes were widened in shock. "Oh no, the aunts are trying to wipe away their memories and replace them with false ones that claim that they have worked in the household all their life!"

Morwen did her best to swallow her fear as she defiantly said, "We can't let that happen! Come on!" With no further time to waste, both light and dark elf used their magic to try and counter the mind erasing magic. Every attack from the memory wipe, they did their best to shield off.

If this can work (and they hope it does), then the elves can help the sisters retain their memories of what the aunts and grandmother's plans are and assist in their escape from the household for good. Their combined magic has to work or they'll lose their chance.

Arasinya continued to help Morwen as she added, "Hopefully, we can help the sisters retain their old memories that show them the real truth of the horrendous things that the household will do to them."

Xerxan doesn't attempt to push his limits too much figuring the trip will take many days which after collecting a good pile of tinder he worked on maintaining the fire while getting it ready to cook their meal. He would wonder where they there going because he remembered they were rivals with times as enemies which worries him what will happen once they leave the house with the mission finished.

The priestess working on the ritual smirk while they work when they feel the outside magic trying to counter their ritual which they allow it slow the progress while they start their own counter measure. Two of the ten priestess start to redirect the rituals power to travel along the new magical pathway to the pairs minds to mess with them even though they couldn't control what is effected if either of them become effected by the spell.

The sisters don't even bother resisting the spell as the promises of power and possible rank they could attain serving their grandmother even though they don't realize what they will have to do.

Morwen and Arasinya kept on trying to work their magic against the priestesses, but Morwen felt that it's not going very far or worse not doing anything at all to help! She cried out in grunts, "Oh, I don't know if it's working! The other's magic is very strong!"

But Arasinya said to her, "Keep trying! We can at least have some progress!" And they kept plowing on no matter what it takes to get to the sisters.

Then Morwen thought that perhaps the sisters need a glimpse to reveal what the Grandmother would truly do to them if they chose the life of servitude. So, she would try to block out the enemy's magic to send in the possible future that the sisters would experience. To put it all mildly, no matter what the sisters would do, they would never truly please their Grandmother and would be forced to continue serving her to gain nothing.

The priestess and mages handling the mind wiping relax as they hold off for a few minutes then release a major burst of energy along the special connection Morwen and Arasinya set up at them to disrupt them as if they were a pair of pesky flys. They wouldn't know that slowing the process was causing the sisters major pain which somehow they both rechannel it back out at everyone, but the two of them surprising them. A runner is sent to the Grandmother to report this new development to her which could be investigated. Xerxan would get thrown back even though he was some distance away from them looking around afraid of what caused that huge burst of magic. The sisters pass out while the others relax to await further orders knowing what just happened could be the start of something that would make the sisters quite powerful.

When the priestess and mages released that major burst of energy, it came as unexpected for both Arasinya and Morwen. They both grunted as they flew backwards and landed on the ground with a rolling thud. They remained there for a few moments to catch their breath and regain their energy. Arasinya would ask, "Ugh...what happened?"

Morwen answered, "I think the priestess and mages completed their spell.

"What does that mean for the sisters?"

"It would mean that their memories may have been altered whether minimally or majorly. They may not even remember me as their honorary sister." Morwen hung her head in despair in realization of this.

Arasinya would've wanted to comfort her, but she didn't know the right words to speak to do so.