Much to Valaur's dismay,  Jezz would wish to gleem her first experience of battle in the most dangerous of situations - the Blight Border. After long discussions of tactics on how they can work together.. and what Jezz was fully capable of, Aes Sedai and her warder ventured out together along the Blight border in assistance to Kandor.

 

Jezz moves up near Valaur as she pulls her burgundy cloak tighter about her with one hand and the other on the reins. "Seems like a peaceful night..." She comments idly with a glance over the modest building and the surrounding area with a sweep of her gaze.

 

The clatter of shod hooves comes off in audible monotony above the pair's idle conversation as the warder responds in kind,"Peace is only a lull in the time of war, especially in the borderlands, seia'miere." Valaur shifts his gaze first towards Jezz, noting her slight chill even though it is not truely apparent upon the woman's lissom figure. The warder urges Eternal onward, working both himself and Jezz towards the open corral off to the side of the barn, apparently with the intention of bringing the animals nearby before they dismount.  [Valaur]

 

Jezz frowns slightly towards Valaur, not at all accustomed to being out and about from Chachin after dark. She steers De'sara alongside her bondmate, supressing a shudder after his words. "Then it has been quiet lately. Peace before the storm.." If she only knew how ominous her words really sound.

 

"From what I've heard since we were back, as quiet as it can be. Though there is always raiding here and there. But no large pushes, Light preserve," the warder's tone avidly given, as is the oath at the end of his words. Valaur shifts about in the saddle, checking the nearby area with that calculating gaze just from regular wariness he has nearly always exhibited...though it is an additional blessing considering his life sworn occupation.  [Valaur]

 

 

About to speak, Jezz frowns slightly and supresses another shudder. Her gaze shifts about the area again, "Light perserve." she utters the same oath as she pulls her cloak tighter around her with one hand. A frown touching her features as they near the corral.   [Jezz]

 

A tingling wave of near tangible 'replusion' touches across the whole of Valaur suddenly, as though there were some tripwire triggered across the bond. The sensation seems to be growing stronger, like a softly annoying buzz within his bones and it sends a surge of readiness and alarm throughout the blademaster. His head whips about quickly, his eyes squiting against the darkness in the direction of the northwest, which just happens to have a clear path between the barn, corral, and the farmstead. "Seia'miere...is that you doing that?" Uncertainty thrust across their bond even as Eternal prances in closer to Jezz's filly.   [Valaur]

 

Jezz gives a quick shake of her head as she reads the emotions flowing through the bond from Valaur, "No.. " Is all she replies, when she pulls in Saidar, allowing the sweet taste of the One Power flow through her. Her emerald gaze narrows towards the direction Valaur is looking her fingers already beginning to twitch in anticipation of a nasty weave. She glances behind her for a moment, "I wonder how many..."

 

"I see nothing," and suddenly the extended hilt of that heron mark blade has fitted itself within the folds of his right hand's gauntlet. The warder wheels the prancing animal about once more, a blasting snort given from the dune colored stallion even as it side steps into the direction of the incoming threat at its master's heeled command. "But it comes closer...Shadow ilk?" The questioning tone within Valaur's words given already with some assurity, as though it were a retorical question as he releases his grip on the beast's reins in lieu of drawing the short sword on his right hip as well.  [Valaur]

 

In the distance the faint sounds of horses echo on the hardpacked ground. It is hard to make out but it is there and with each passing breath the sound grows stronger as does the sour feeling in your body. Nothing is visible at the moment, the dark, moonless night making it ever harder to know what is there by sight.

 

Jezz pushes her cloak off her shoulders to lay against the back of the filly she rides. One hand on the reigns, though a light touch, as the beast prances next to the other. "Must be." Her fingers twitch as she weave flows of Fire mixed with a matrix of Air, "Shade your eyes.." She sends the weave above them about ten feet and slightly forward, with a pull of the thread, a bright burst of light suddenly illuminates the surrounding area, like a large glowing nimbus that would equal the sun in this dark night, were it suddenly overhead. Jezz shades her eyes just before it brightens the sky.

 

The passing moments before this apparent clash sends adrenline and its kind rushing through the warder's body, heightening senses and increasing strength. The fight or flight reaction that nearly always accompanies combat, yet Valaur uses it to his advantage, dipping effortlessly within the void even as he wheels Eternal about at a half prancing leap...the beast apparently keyed to the incoming combat as well, and the pair make a deadly combination. "Seia'miere, if they fight coordinated, then there is a fade amoung them. It must be the first to die, it will take them all down. If they are loose and more like animals, then keep them in a line before us. They must not get around from behind. The nearby farmsteads...." The warder perhaps pressing the limits of his oaths, but it seems the man is used to leading, and to shadowspawn.  [Valaur]

 

The echoing pounds of hooves on the ground stop suddenly as dark shadows seem to take life about forty yards to the north. Suddenly a gutteral roar pierces the otherwise vow of silence that had taken hold of the creatures. With that the sounds of the hooves grow stronger with the faint sounds of boots on the ground now becomming somewhat apparent but faintly in the background. Other beasts take up the cheer with the first as the shadows, each growing larger pound towards the pair on the ground. One seems to linger back for a moment, not coming into the light as of yet but it would seem to not be much of a bother with a small wave of creatures coming ever closer with their weapons glinting off the Aes Sedai's light.

 

With a bare nod of towards her warder, Jezz keeps a hold of the reins, knowing full well that he is more used to these situations then herself. Her gaze shifts over the dark shadows pounding closer to them, trying to pick out anything lingering behind the rest of the hordes. "There.." She points out with a gloved hand towards the shadow lingering behind. She pulls on Saidar to form another weave, again, that of pure Fire as it forms a interlacing sphere. With a flick of her finger, she sends the weave flying past them, pulls the weave together before it can fly to far when a fireball suddenly forms in what seems to be midair over the heads of the other shadows, aimed for that dark shape.  [Jezz]

 

"Sora sa ji, Mordero sa ji," comes the sepulchral tones of the warder's spoken creed. Still he holds back, his mount dancing in sweet anticipation of the incoming hoards, as though it has a personal vengence against Shadowspawn...and perhaps it has been trained as such. "Bar the path after me with fire," comes his call just as Eternal leaps forward with a surge from those powerful hindquarters. Blades gleaming within each hand the Kandori battlemaster charges forward towards the growing hoard of trolloc cries, a single spear meaning to thrust straight through the incoming black wave in order to by more time for the Aes Sedai's efforts.  [Valaur]

 

The shape in the background seems to disappear as the fire nears, but by the movements of the oncoming beasts it still lives more than likely. The trollocs meet with the blademaster head to head, their various humanlike faces all snarling as one as they reach for the mounted man.  The first two lose arms to the blademaster, his blades cutting clean through above the elbow but still being a nuisance as they fall near the horses feet in pained moans and screams. Their comrades, if you can even call them that, fighting over them and trampling them for a piece of the blademaster's steel.

 

Steel shod hooves and a viscious bite mark the way forward with the warhorses frontal charge through the wave, never stopping...for Valaur knows the moment he stops is the moment he dies from the overwhelming numbers against him. Steel whirls in a finely spun concert of deaths dirge, and the warder's mind floats within the pristine valley of the void. His motions are both calculating and a tapestry of elegant zeal, even more slashes landing although he does not go for wounds alone if possible, instead working to both deflect incoming blows from landing upon his person or upon Eternal, his efforts meant to break the trolloc charge and give them a target other than the Aes Sedai.  [Valaur]

 

Jezz watches Valaur rush forward with his steed with a scowl, "Bloody!.. Gavriella's weave.. she ... I could have sliced them in two.." she mutters out towards her warrior. Da'sara prances in place as the Aes Sedai on her back scans the line, a scowl still painted on her features that the aimed for target moved. That ball of light shifts and speeds forward, growing in intensity when she feeds another lace of Fire into the mix. Already forming another weave of Fire mixed with a pinch of Earth, she interlaces the two somewhere between herself and her warder. The weave braids out along the ground in a horizonatal manner, with a twist of her finger, the wall of flame suddenly shoots up seven feet high.

 

The trollocs reel backwards at the sight of the flame, their eyes unadjusted to the bright light. They don't seem to push onwards for a brief period of time as the warder and horse pair easily make do with those closest at hand. Two of the beasts stray from the group, charging the  wall of flame as a wall of four trollocs make to surround the warder, one to each of the cardinal positions. The rest just seem to be trying to fight their way through for a piece of the man, driven by something far more fearsome than the two blades that are sending them back to the Blasted Lands.

 

Eternal wheels about to his right, and the warder strikes outward in anticipation of the beast's qued motion. It's head is tossed out towards its right side as the left hindquarter hoof strikes outward towards its nearest aggressor. Valaur wheels the animal around using only his knees and keen sense of battle training to remain aloft the borderland saddle and keep the mount moving. The heron blade aims to score a mark across the closest trolloc face, a large twisted porcine snout manuevering in towards him while the shortsword ends up half deflecting a blow that would have scored deeply into the warhorses left shoulder.  [Valaur]

 

Maintaining two weaves thus far, Jezz scans the area with a bead of perperation upon her brow. She shifts up in her saddle to overlook the wall of flame that spans twenty feet in each direction. The ball of light overhead weakens, as though the sun was coming upon dusk suddenly, lengthing shadows from its zenith. From the gained use of the One Power from shifting her weave around, she pulls on Saidar almost to the point of hurting, then eases back on the One Power flowing through her. Standing up in the stirups, she forms smaller versioned spheres of Fire, one directly after the other. As soon as one is formed, released and pulled tight towards a target, another comes soon after, each aimed at the various trollocs. Especially the two trying to break through her wall of Fire. Her eyes continue to scan in between for the dark figure.  [Jezz]

 

In the distance a voice crys out, it's tone harsh and the words raspy. The words it speaks were never meant for a human's tongue. At the sound of it the Trollocs move, that is those that still stand and all begin to rush the Aes Sedai as if on order. The two already attacking going down to the fireballs but the rest, near twenty strong move to overtake her and her wall. The bearer of the voice though moves in hard on the now lone warder. It seems a man in all black, charging hard on a black steed towards the man. He holds a black sword in his hand, pointing it as if it were a lance but the cloak about his shoulders never stirs despite the hard charge.

 

The sphere of light, though only a flickering like torch, is positioned directly behind Valaur and ten feet above, Jezz pauses from flinging her fireballs long enough for herself to become used to the shadows once again. The sphere suddenly expands as she threads Fire and Air into the matrix, the sky brightening twice then that of before. The sphere would rival that of the sun on a summer day. She shields her eyes while still scanning the area for that dark figure, taking note of the charge of trollocs and the fade, she makes a calculated risk. After the eyes of the trollocs are used to the well lit area, she completely releases the sphere of light, sending the entire area into darkness. The gained use of the One Power opened up for other uses....  [Jezz]

 

"No!," Valaur crys outward, those blades scythying outwards towards the last vestiges of those trollocs whom had remained about him, meaning to strike them down even as they turn to seemingly move through those gyser's of flame. In an instant Eternal is moving again, but it is not towards the lurk, not even as the distance begins to close between the two...no, the warder has a decidely different game plan in mind, and with the harsh orders given to those Shadowspawn, Valaur apparently means to charge through the lines meaning to move away from him and towards the woman. The heron blade drips already with dark stains but it seems to hunger for more...the bright flaring of light where he and the mount had been moments earlier hopefully allowing him even more time to wittle at the trolloc numbers.  [Valaur]

 

 

Using fist thick of Fire, a bit less of Air and a sliver of Spirit, the matrix is formed into a tight braid, her fingers twitch which fling the weave about twenty-five feet above the fighting, another twithc and its pulled tight. The sky suddenly brightens with the flashes of a lightning, chained in effect and aimed for the Fade and various trollocs...  [Jezz]

 

The pained sounds of the Trollocs seem to resonate throughout the countryside as the Trollocs begin to push through the flames. Most come out charred and a few even meet their fate to the hands of the flames. Those that do make it continue on towards the Sedai while the tattered bits of clothing they were wearing now caught afire. Those pained screams seem to double as the backs of the farthest Trollocs are opened by the kiss of the blademaster's steel, falling to the ground and giving him room to fight towards the wall of fire. Once the lightning starts it is all a few of the trollocs can take as they move to run off, only making it a few feet before coming face to face with Valaur. The myrddraal in the rear continues to charge forward, his horse dancing on the grasses to avoid the lightning that rains down about him.

 

 

Several more backs are openned up, trolloc's screaming in gutteral and animalistic tones as they fall to writhe against the blood smeared grass. Valaur's blade knows no end to the kiss of death as licks outward with veloce finite manuevers even as the shortsword seems only a trailing speed behind, having to wait a half heartbeat for the beasts to be closer due to the shorter length of blade. The fade continues to close upon the warder's sprinting mount, yet still the blademaster leaves it within his 'blind spot' in efforts to dispatch all that comes between him and the Aes Sedai...eventually nearing the flaming gysers which Jezz had conjured in his earlier wake.  [Valaur]

 

As the chains of lightning are spent, having gained her warder some time to dispose of the trollocs on his side of the wall of fire before the myrradael would reach him. Jezz purses her lips towards the five that have come across tsking softly to herself. Da'sara prances in place as Jezz shifts her gaze first to the wall of Fire, with a positioning of the weave, the wall of Fire drops directly in the middle where she can see Valaur, giving him a five foot space to come through if need be. Her emerald gaze narrows between the five trollocs, with a flicker of her finger, a thread of Air forms branching out from one end to form that of a cone, she interlaces this with Fire to give it a burning sensation. Flinging the firey cone, she sends it towards the first of the trollocs, pulling tight right before contact to give it an added punch. She repeats this four more times.  [Jezz]

 

The arrival of the fade is delayed momentarily, the lightning stopping it's advance for but a moment, giving both the warder and the Aes Sedai enough time to extinguish the lives of a few more of his consorts. They fall equally quick to steel and fire, the last two on the warder's side of the wall turning to fight the man though rather than the fire. Those on the other side pushing their comrades down to catch the fire instead of themselves having two more of them die and three left still scrambling, smouldering towards the Aes Sedai. The Fade itself though reigns in his horse, near stumbling over a falling trolloc as it swings somewhat off balance for the Warder's neck, making to alleviate the man from any headaches forever.

 

 

Valaur had ever intent of running Eternal directly through those Saidar indused blazes, and the beast showed no hesistancy even in the face of what it would naturally have veered from by instinct alone. A fine breed of Kandori warhorse, and indeed a true loss as the animal speeds like an arrow shot from a Two-River's bow, but as it comes up towards one of the few remaining trollocs on his side of the blaze a sickening snap sounds..shuddering up through the whole animal's body as one of the wounded trolloc's had managed to stave on death long enough to strike at the vaulting animal as it passed by. Valaur is thrown forward, through that openned respite Jezz had conjured earlier, and the whole of his body goes limp as the ground races upward towards him. The acrid lurk's blade misses the warder's body due to the sudden lack of a horse beneath Valaur, though it may do little good to be saved from one death only to be taken by another on foot.

 

 

Jezz's eyes grow wide as she watches her warder catapolted from his horse, "No!!" she screams out. The wall of Fire suddenly winks out of exsistance as she uses the whole of the One Power that she is able to handle without burn out. Two weaves jet out, both of Fire, a pinch of Earth and a little added suprise of Spirit. Each are burrowed beneath the ground. The first speeds its way towards the Fade, flinging dirt clods in its wake like a jetskier on a lakes' surface. Upon reaching the Fade, a hiss issues forth as the ground directly beneath the Fade and its horse are surrounded by a wall of Fire that immediatly caves in upon the shadowspawn. The second heads directly for the remaining three trollocs, weeker in strength, the branch of Fire, splits in three. A fraction of a moment passes between each as she controls each, her eyes narrowing and sweat beads sliding down her temples from her hairline, three points of focus as Fire erupts under each trolloc, one right after the other.

 

The fade spits in utter disgust, his words crying out in the harsh tongue of trollocs but before he can move to follow the falling warder he meets with Jezz's weaves, the flames opening up beneath the creature and dropping it with the nasty hisses of burning flesh. The trollocs fare no different as they fall from the link severed between themselves and the fade but before they continue through on their death throws the flames reach up to take them to their deaths. All that remains now are the Aes Sedai and her dehorsed warder surrounded by scorched earth and charred remains of the shadowspawn.

 

Valaur's head lulls for a lingering moment as the void swims before tunneled vision, yet his limp form gave over broken bones and perhaps even a neck in lieu of obvious bruising and soreness that will result in the fall that he's taken and the subsequent rolling manuevers afterward. Still, it takes him only a passing breath to be back onto his feet, intent upon making a stride towards Jezz only to end up slipping back to the ground, his shortsword lost within the whole rush of movement. The hard soil beneath him seems to waver and then grow larger as he once more falls down only to rise back upward again...the man's bearings slowly growing back into unison as his vision clears from its double and triple mirrors of the area into one singular clarity to which he will soon be reacting once more.

 

Jezz's eyes dart between each of the blazes as she heels her horse towards Valaur, using her filly and herself to be his shield while he is down. Readying another weave of Fire should any rise up from their death throes to come towards the pair. Her breathing is quickened as though she had been running, as she lets her filly prance near Valaur. Her emerald gaze continues to shift towards the dying fade. "Can you stand.. ? And lean against the horse..? I dont think my weight can carry you..." her eyes drift down towards her warrior with a concerned look.

 

Jezz will be able to make out the fact that there is no broken bones within her warder, though the bruising which seems to litter his proud frame will certainly take a good deal of time to heal normally. Once more he attempts to stand, shaking out the dazed sensation as the void once more solidifies within his mind and Valaur...sore body and all...swings himself about, grasping the extended hilt of the heron blade within both hands as if still unsure of whether or not there were more enemies to fight. "I am alright, Aes Sedai," he says, though his voice still carries something of a dazed quality to it...and he spins slowly once more eventually coming to rest at the site of his mount still flailing forward as if in valiant effort to rise and come to its master's aid.  [Valaur]

 

 

Jezz's eyes drift towards the flailing steed with a slight frown to her features. "They're all dead, love.. Come.. lean against Da'sara.. I'll take her up to the door.. we both need rest.." She frowns towards the horse, knowing the animal needs to be put out of its misery or Healed. But her own capabilities beyond that of a trolloc's poisoned blade.

 

Valaur tilts his head up towards the mounted lady then, watching her for a lingering moment as his bearings still realign themselves each passing moment. "You can not heal him," he says, though the tone is still iced over..a product of the void,"...can you." Slowly he pulls himself a step towards Eternal, stabbing into several Trolloc corpses along the way as if to ensure they would not be causing anymore troubles. "I will be there in a moment, Aes Sedai. Take her to the barn, and do not worry of the lurk if it still stirs, they do not truely die until dawn after."

 

An almost dull ache from holding so much settles over Jezz when she suddenly releases the Source, letting it rush out of her in a woosh. Perhaps too quickly, as what was keeping her upright is now gone. She slumps visibly in the saddle. Any thoughts of Healing the beast gone. Even Valaur's bruises will have to go unaided for the time being. Jezz shakes her head wearily, "No.. I cannot even light a candle..." Her eyes watch Valaur as he moves towards his horse, then reigns her own towards the barn, not wishing to see what he has to do. She pushes a strand of her sweat drenched golden hair from her face to see where she is leading the filly.  [Jezz]

 

Valaur only gives the barest nod of his head, even as he makes his way slowly trailing through the chared remanants of the Shadow's creation and eventually making it to Eternal. He pauses briefly, sinking the heron blade into the earth just next to him and using it to aid in remaining at a stand. The warder kneels down, and lays a gauntleted hand against the horse's thick neck, pulling back the dune hued mane and strokes the animal's neck slowly. "Shain, Eternal. Peace favor your sword, your work here is done," the void still grasped throughout, as though the warder needed it for his own stability. Finally he draws the blade back out of the ground, and lays it against the side of the horse's throat, right along the line of its jugular. His efforts only take several moments, and then Eternal's twitching slows...and then stops.

 

Jezz closes her eyes as if sensing the moment of the end of the dream for Eternal. Da'sara wickers out, almost in a forlorn cry for her passing companion as she swings her head towards the dying animal. Jezz leans over and strokes the filly's neck in reassurance, or perhaps sympathy as she nudges the animal forward again and on towards the barn. Jezz remains leaning against her horse's neck for long passing moments, as if gathering strength to pull her leg over the side and drop to the ground.

 

Valaur slowly draws himself back to his full height, casting a bronzed gaze out across the scattered field of destruction. His eyes veil briefly before the warder reaches down wiping away the blood which has scored across the blade before sheathing its finery at his left hip. He reaches down and then begins to pull the tack free from his mount, eventually ending up with the saddle, bridle, saddlebags, and the rest of the leathers up over his shoulders. The next Jezz sees of her warder, he enters the warmed barn, a single lantern lit...and he deposits all of the tack just inside of the door before sealing it closed and then leaning back against the wall as if needing the rest.

 

Jezz has not bothered to leave the back of the filly during the time it takes for Valaur to do whats needed with his own steed. Only until she hears him enter and close the barn door does she finally slide off De'sara's back. She leans against the filly who nudges Jezz with a soft nose and a light huffing. Jezz whispers softly to the animal, reassurances and a promise of an apple later as she slowly guides the animal to one of the stalls. Not worrying about the tact for the moment, Jezz leans against the wall of the stall to look towards her bondmate, feeling across the bond of all the newly aquired bruises while her gaze drifts over his form noting the splattered blood and dirt caked to him from the fall.

 

Valaur's eyes slit openned, looking about the barn for somewhere to bed down for the evening, or at least rest for a while until his head stops ringing. "You did well, seia'miere, very well," Valaur says, though his voice wavers tiredly even as he pushes off of the wall, and takes several staggered steps closer to where Jezz is leaning against de'sara's stall. It seems that the next stall over is quite clean, and full of straw...as if the farmer and his son had been expecting their return and already set places for both animals.

 

"As did you, mia'shan.." she whispers as she pushes off the stall wall wearily and moves slowly to meet her warder part way, an expression of concern touching upon her features as well as across the bond. Her eyes close breifly during which her form wavers slightly, as thought a slim tree being battered by the elements yet still has a hold firmly upon the ground, for now. She rests her hand upon the other wall lining De'sara's stall, her other beckoning Valaur towards her.  [Jezz]

 

Valaur finally reaches Jezz after what seems to be a much to long time staggering towards the open stall. His hands first brush along her figure before slipping around behind her and against the wooden side of the stall. His form still works to shelter the exhausted Aes Sedai, even with the last vestiges of strength which reside in his powerful frame. "Come, seia'miere, you need sleep....you pushed yourself to hard earlier. I can feel how it stretched your hold," the warder's voice softly given as he suddenly releases the void and the whole of his frame quivers as though a toddler whom had suddenly lost the helping hands to keep them standing.

 

Jezz gazes up into Valaur's bronzed eyes with a weary smile, "Do you mean to keep watch in your state?" she asks softly, almost a teasing quality to it, as though trying to make light of a rather grim situation, "I only need a couple hours sleep.. then we can travel back to the Palace. You need your sleep too.."

 

Valaur's eyes veil slowly closed as those hands upon the stall wall are the only thing that keep him standing as it is,"Aye, seia'miere, one of us needs to remain awake, and I can't transport us back." Yet, it may sound ludicris that he will be able to remain awake after all of the battering and bruising that he's endured. "Here, lay down..." he says, swallowing slightly as he takes a step back by will alone and means to aid Jezz in sitting down within the straw before he makes effort to follow just after.

 

Jezz slips down into the straw and lays back into the sweet smell. Her eyes flutter slowly as she watched her bondmate, "No, I suppose not.." her voice a near murmer, her eyes closing shut as she feels the sinking feeling of sleep begin to wash over her. She bolts her eyes open, trying to remain awake for just a bit longer to make sure Valaur hsa seated and is comfortable. "We worked well together.. all those discussions paid off.."

 

Valaur lays into the straw, just aside Jezz, giving her something to draw in against for comfort though he removes the dark coat with a lingering slowness that speaks of all of those black and blue marks across the whole of his body. Apparently he didn't want Jezz to have to draw up against the dirt, blood, and other things that have torn and marred his once fine coat. The warder falls into the straw then, allowing for Jezz to lay in against him and draw comfort from the warmth and hold of his strength. "Yes, seia'miere. We did very well, and we will get even better with practice," he releases a pent up moan...a hint of pain released within that tone as Jezz snuggles up closer to him.

 

Jezz gives a faint nod of her head as her eyes close of their own accord, "I'll Heal your bruises later, mia'shan.. after we're back in the palace.. if you want me too.. I dislike seeing you in pa..." the last word an almost inaudible murmer as she drift on the fringes of sleep. The feel of Valaur's heartbeat a lulling her to sleep as the darkness once again washes over her.