From: Sarah Pearson 
Subject: [AM] Off to the rescue!

Sarah had just exitted the stables when she saw another woman slip
quietly into the stables. She frowned; hadn't that been Brandi?
Intrigued, she headed back to the stables, following her wayward
sibling. She'd noticed a distinct lack of guards; obviously Brandi had
managed to elude them somehow.

She was shocked, however, when she saw Mikal inside the stables with
both Tovarich and Rainpuddle saddled, and accompanied by another guard.
There was a tenseness in the air; it only intensified when Brandi looked
at her and stated, "Be ready for anything" and mounted.

Sarah looked to Mikal for answers, but he was handling the horses,
speaking in low tones to calm them. They seemed about as nervous as the
people felt, shuffling a bit. She looked over at the guard, who was at a
definite defensive stance; she was rewarded with a glance that said
'Your guess is as good as mine.' Glancing at Brandi, an unspoken
plea/command seemed to go through the air, and Sarah vaulted into
Tovarich's saddle. The horses seemed uncomfortable with her up there,
and Sarah remembered he was Laura's horse; they'd obviously formed a
bond of sorts. She just sat still until the horse quieted.

Brandi was muttering to herself, her eyes closed in concentration.
Sarah, guessing that a spell was being woven, cursed herself. She knew
she needed to learn some spells of her own, or to at least see if that
was her talent. She'd read about talents in several of the books; but
she'd only just walked the pattern and had no clue as to how to go about
seeking her talent.

A boot crunched on gravel, and all eyes turned to see Orbus standing
partially in the shadows. "Hell of a way to be under house arrest."

"Laura's in trouble," Brandi replied, obviously frustrated. "I can't
reach her anywhere."

"Anywhere?" Orbus' eyebrows shot up. "Not counting one of the Powers,
there's only one place I know of where that can happen. Let's go look."
He pulled himself up on Moonghost behind the redhead, and they began to
gallop towards the gates, Sarah right behind them.