bethen avilla ; the circle mage (bethe) wrote in thedas,
With all of her focus on the woman ahead of her, Bethen had hardly noticed the approach of something else to the side of her. She raised her staff in alarm; while she hadn't completely believed the wilder's claims of others being present, she wasn't going to take any chance that she was lying. The mage took two swift steps backwards to position herself away from the Witch and her possible ally, uncertain what was joining them in the clearing until it made itself completely visible. Her tension eased when she recognized the figure, a halo of moonlight outlining his lean form. Ah, so she was the one with the upper hand here now -- or so it seemed. If their party was in impending danger, Beth no longer had to make a choice between informing them and standing her ground. He didn't need to guard her. She could hold the woman off here while he returned to the group, surely.
The Warden began to give out a command, "Wolf, go ba--" But her voice caught in her throat when she heard the other woman speak again, though she wasn't addressing her. Garrett? What was this woman talking about? It took a moment to register completely, but the other mage's head was inclined downwards, locking eyes with the lupine creature at her feet. Beth followed her stare, and felt immediately like an utter fool. She'd been tricked. All of them had, save perhaps their lead Templar. His suspicions of a wolf far too clever to simply be a wolf were absolutely on point. On top of idiocy, and a burning sense of betrayal, she felt horribly guilty for ever doubting her truest friend.
But that would have to be dealt with later. She was now alone again, and outnumbered. The lights in her opponent's hand died out, leaving them in a darkness that her eyes, unused to natural lighting, took far longer to adjust to. Her fear rose again, seizing her throat and choking her ability to speak. Bravery seemed a fleeting, abstract concept in the face of this surmounting challenge. He was no wolf, he was Garrett, and if she spoke to him as if he were a man, did that mean he was a man in wolf's clothing? Shapeshifters were rare, but not unheard of. Then she was surrounded by two magi, one powerful enough to sustain an illusion for a long time, and the other clearly willing to fight to the end. And if they knew one another, was his fateful arrival in their company all part of an elaborate trap of some sort? If so, then she had to defend the rest of her company.
"Who are you? Both of you?" she demanded, retreating even further back the way she'd come. Bethen raised her staff in front of herself, preparing for a battle. It was a risky move to fight here, in the open, when they could have been drawing further unwanted attention from all sorts of other native life, but if she had to fight her way out, she would. The ruby orb at the crest of her staff was alight with arcane power as she channeled a spell through it, and began to summon an ice spell to her other hand. A chilled undercurrent swept between the foliage and gathered in her open palm. At the very least, she could try to impede their movement. Turning away only for a second, Bethen shouted as loud as she could, "Alderic! HELP!"