A story by Aletessa and a Picture by Sara-Quinn

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by Sara Quinn -- http://deviantart.com/sara-quinn

Karen in the Tower of Rallain

by Aletessa -- http:deviantart.com/aletessa  (And check out her brand new blog at https://aletessawrites.blogspot.com/

KAREN IN THE TOWER OF RALLAIN PART 1:

Rallain's tower was three days' walk from the nearest village, but Karen the Summoner was an experienced traveller and the journey daunted her not at all.  If she was worried about anything, it was what she would find when she got there; the wizard Rallain was a protector of Etreiste, along with his apprentices, but none of them had been seen for many weeks.  Enough weeks that the nobles of the region wanted someone to investigate the tower and determine if all was well.  But few wanted to make the journey themselves; instead they had turned to Karen who was travelling through Etreiste at the time.

Which had now brought the elven summoner to the secluded hill where the circular white stone tower stood.  The exterior of the structure was her first obstacle:  it was featureless, with neither door nor window showing; however its inhabitants got in, it was either via or concealed by magic.  Karen unfurled her whip, trailing the end along the stone as she circled the tower; she sent a spell down the length of the leather, to sense whether the magical character of the stone changed at any point.  She was a third of the way round when she found it; a section of the wall that coexisted with an archway, each able to be manifested in the other's place.  Most mages would have missed it, but the magic was similar to summoning and stood out clearly to Karen's senses; and the same similarity allowed Karen to conjure the archway.

The room within was large and bare, decorated around the edge with scupltures and statues of magical creatures; Karen smiled as she caught sight of one that could have been of Viper.  The lower floor would probably be guest rooms, nothing of Rallain's personal possessions or magical work, and likely nothing that would tell Karen if anything was amiss here; even so, she looked around to see if there was anything, but her prediction had proved correct.  But the time it had taken to search had itself provided the first clue that there was indeed something amiss, with Karen's presence apparently having raised no kind of alarm.

The summoner proceeded to the next floor up, the first room was comfortably if impersonally furnished, but richly decorated with artworks, a few of which had slight enchantments on them; a reception room Karen decided, designed to impress.  This floor was probably for business, and the next one up Raillain's own apartments.  But for the first time since entering the tower, Karen had the sense she wasn't alone here. Her heart sped up slightly as she made for one of the two doors out of the room.  In the circular hallway beyond, her suspicions were confirmed; a scent lingered in the air, probably too slight for any but an elf to detect, but several people had been here only a short time past.  Karen gripped her whip as she ventured down the hall.  Along its length, doorways opened outward to rooms around the rim the tower; Karen opened the first, to reveal a more spartan version of the reception room.  On to the second; despite her sense of danger, she was still shocked for a second at the sight of a robed figure within.

In that second, the figure raised an arm, and a bright bolt of magic shot toward Karen; just in time, she raised her whip absorbing the spell's energy into the leather.  She turned the movement into an attack, aiming the whip at her attacker, loosing her own magical bolt at the moment it cracked.  The figure raised its other hand, tracing a sigil of protection, but even without the aid of her whip's enchantment Karen's spell was stronger, knocking her attacker to the floor.  The hood of the robe fell back, revealing a youngish human face.

"Who are you?" Karen asked.  "Are you Rallain?"
"I'm not Rallain," the human snarled as he got to his feet.
"Then who?  Why are you here?  Where is he?"
"You ask many questions," he said.  "But you're the intruder here."
"I'm seeking the owner of this tower."
"I am the owner of this tower.  And everything in it!"

With that, the human raised his hands again, launching another spell at Karen.  A binding this time; but she traced her own defence, deflecting the magic harmlessly.  At the same moment, she cracked her whip again; no magic, just a lash against his hand that made him cry out in pain and back up against the wall.  Karen approached, cornering him, her hands ready to ward another attack.
"What are you doing here?" she asked again.
"Stalling," the human replied with a smirk.

Behind Karen, other humans were coming though the door, mercenaries this time by their dress and arms, six of them.  They quickly moved to surround the summoner, drawing their swords.  She waited, trying to keep her attention in all directions; would the next attack be from them or the mage?
Them.
As the mercenaries stepped in toward Karen, she cracked her whip in a circle around her head, summoning a flock of igne... tiny fire spirits that plunged into the blades of the swords, momentarily heating them; it only lasted a moment, but the mercenaries stumbled away from her cursing, some dropping their weapons.

In the same second, the mage acted again; not with magic, but throwing something.  Karen registered it was a dagger even as she dodged it.  But her action had put her close to two of the mercenaries, and one had recovered enough to grab hold of her arm, the one not holding the whip; she swung her free arm around, pressing the leather of the whip against him and whispered the word that released the magical bolt it had absorbed.  The man screamed and fell as the energy burst into him, but it was too late; more of them had closed the distance and more hands were grabbing her.

Karen opened her mouth to call on one of her allies, but yet another hand went across her mouth, stifling the name before she could utter it. She flicked her wrist, enough to crack her enchanted whip again; reaching once more into the element of fire, she conjured a wreath of fire above the melee.  Several of hands holding her loosened their grip, but the vital one, the one over mouth, did not.  She cracked the whip backward, letting it snake round and strike him; this time he hissed in pain and released her.

But occupied with the mercenaries, she realised too late that the mage had sent another magical bolt at her; this one struck her, the shock of it driving her to her knees.  Before she could recover, the remaining mercenaries were on her again, bearing her to the ground and pinning her; her whip was pulled out of her hand, while something was forced into her mouth and held there.  Karen struggled as hard as she could, but held down like this she couldn't call on her magic, and the mercenaries were too strong.  Her wrists were bound behind her, and the thing in her mouth was buckled around her head, holding her lips apart; a ring gag, she realised.

Finally, the helpless elf was pulled back to her feet and pushed face to face with the mage.  "You're powerful," he said.  "More than me, at the moment.  But my allies don't need magic to call on.  Still.  You wanted to know what I'm doing here.  I'll show you."  Taking Karen by her bound arm, he dragged her from the room and around the tower hallway until they reached the stairs up to the next floor.  He led the captive summoner up, and further up into the floors where Rallain must conduct his magical workings.  And there he showed her what must be Rallain himself, semi-conscious, chained to some kind of magical apparatus.

Instinctively, Karen tried to ask what was happening, though only a gurgle escaped through the ring gag.  Her captor seemed to realise the meaning; "My father refused to train me."  Karen's eyes widened; his father?  "Exactly," he continued.  "I inherited his magical gift, but he said I was unworthy of it; he preferred to have no heir at all than have me.  But then I found this..." he reached out, caressing the apparatus Rallain was bound to.  "If I can't have training, I will have power; and this drains off his power and channels it to me."  He sighed.  "But it's a slow process.  A very slow process.  More than a month, and I'm not even a quarter of the way done."

Karen wondered if that said more about the apparatus or Rallain's level of power, but the thought was quenched when her captor turned her to face him.  "It's been unbearably dull for me, and the prospect of a bedmate is a welcome one."  At his words, Karen tried to back away from him, but in her bonds she was no match for him.  He pulled her close, wrapping one arm around her in false intimacy, while he held her head still with the other; he planted a kiss on her gagged mouth, his lips crushing against hers, his tongue entering her through the ring.

Then he dragged her back down to the apartment floor, and to a rich bedchamber.  Turning her away from him, he untied her hands.  "Remove your clothes," he said.
Karen hesitated.
"I know you're thinking of reaching for that gag.  You won't be able to undo it before I stop you.  Or run far enough before I catch you."
Karen knew that was true... she slowly stripped, feeling her vulnerability grow with every garment that hit the floor; until she was naked in front of him, her last defence gone.  She didn't bother resisting when he tied her wrists behind her once more.

Putting his hand on her back, he guided her to the bed, playing out the intimate gestures as if to mock her... or to...?  He couldn't know her greatest weakness, the feelings that being bound and helpless stirred in her; but it was a weakness that he couldn't fail to discover as he laid her down and began to caress her... to kiss her again through the gag... to knead her breasts, and pinch and lick her nipples... to cup and spank her ass... to tease at her mound and clit, drawing moans of pleasure she could no longer hide... and finally to slide himself into her...

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KAREN IN THE TOWER OF RALLAIN PART 2:

Karen's first sensasion when she awoke was how comfortable a bed she was lying on; the second was the ache in her arms and jaw.  And the third a rush of humiliation as she remembered her captivity, and how she'd surrended to the pleasure of the mage who'd taken her.  They were lying in bed together like lovers, but her hands were still bound behind her and the ring gag in her mouth prevented her calling on either magic or allies; she tried to remember she was a prisoner here, but her treacherous body warmed at the thought, her nipples hardening.

Her captor chose that moment to stir, looking over at her.  "A lovely sight for a morning," he said.  Karen tried to squirm away from him, but there was nothing she could do to prevent him reaching for her and pulling her back.  He idly tweaked one of her nipples.  To show her that he knew he aroused her, or bring home that she was helpless in his power; or maybe both?  "But we can't stay here all day," he went on. "Things to do."

He pulled Karen to her feet and led her back downstairs to a large open room.  The surviving mercenaries were there too, their eyes travelling up and down Karen's naked form; the elf tried to twist her body, hide herself, but the mage pushed her forward and held her there, displaying her. "She's mine, remember," he said; "I expect her back as lovely as he is now."  As if to emphasise the point, he ran one hand down Karen's cheek, across her collarbone and onto her breast.  Leaning forward, he whispered in Karen's ear, "They're rather angry at your killing their friend; I had to allow them some measure of recompense."

With that, he handed her off to the mercenaries, who dragged her to the centre of the room.  There were chains dangling down from the ceiling; the mercenaries untied Karen and locked her wrists into the steel cuffs, leaving her hanging with her feet only just touching the floor.
"Recognise this?" asked one of them, the leader she thought.  He stepped round in front of her holding up her enchanted whip.  "It's ours now."
Karen shook her head, denial rather than plea, though she wasn't sure the mercenary realised that.
"We're going to have a lot of fun with it," he said, throwing it past her to someone else.

Karen heard the distinctive sound of the leather uncoiling and readied herself just before the crack and sting of the lash across her back. More blows followed, Karen clenching her eyes shut in her effort not to cry out from the pain... and to stifle the new arousal that stirred at her being used while so helpless.  Then she felt the lead mercenary's hands on her breasts, squeezing and kneading; she wriggled her body, trying to dislodge him, she insisted to herself, but it just pressed her nipples against his palms.  Immediately he narrowed his grip, pinching them between his fingers and thumbs.

No.  The mage was humiliating enough; Karen wasn't going to submit to these five brutes just because her body betrayed her.  They hadn't bound her legs at all, and he was right in front of her; she brought her leg up sharply, kneeing the mercenary leader in the balls.  Her aim was good, eliciting a howl of mixed anger and pain.  He cleched his fist and made to strike her; but then thought better of it.
"Caluun said not to leave marks on your pretty face and body," he said.  "But he didn't say we couldn't mark you on the inside."

The mercenaries pulled Karen's legs apart, tying them in place.  It left her feet off the floor, putting all her weight on her chained wrists; and worse left her exposed and open to them.  They wasted no time taking advantage, the first of them entering her without any preamble; the wetness in her passage was one more humiliation when they found it, but at least it meant it hurt less when he started thrusting into her.  As each one took his turn, one of the others resumed whipping her, but Karen managed to avoid any reaction showing through her gag.  Finally it was over; they untied her legs and left her dangling where she was.

Once she was alone, Karen tried to articulate some summoning words through the ring gag, but it was hopeless.  Next, she tried working her jaw and tongue, trying to turn the ring over in her mouth.  After a while she began to feel it shift in her mouth; it tilted a little a few times, snapping back each time, but eventually it stayed tilted.  Encouraged, she kept going, trying to push it a little further each time.
And then the door opened and footsteps came in.  Just one set; the mage, Caluun, the mercenary leader had called him.  He walked round to face Karen.  "You must be pretty hungry by now," he said.
Karen stared back at him, but it was true enough.
"But you can't eat anything with that in your mouth.  So, here;" he held up a golden collar.  "This is the only thing my father ever gave me, and I've spend the last few hours adjusting it to you."

He snapped the collar around Karen's neck, sealing it shut with a small flash of magic.  He didn't need to explain what it did, Karen could feel it instantly; the absence where her magic should be.  She tried to concentrate, fight her way past however it was blocking her; but she couldn't sense any barrier that could be worked through or around, just a... void.
Caluun removed the gag and unfastened her chains; stiff from the long bondage, she staggered and almost fell.  "I see you realise what it does," Caluun said.  "He put this on me before he banished me. Said I didn't deserve the power."
"You don't understand," Karen said.
"I'm a mage; I know how it feels to lose your power."

But he didn't know, not how it was for Karen.  As a summoner, her magic wasn't just power.  It was beloved friends and allies only a word away. It was never being alone.  But the collar made Karen alone, more alone than she'd ever been in her life; that hurt her more deeply than the loss of any amount of power ever could, but it was a pain her callous captor would never understand.
"Raiko," she said in folorn hope, unsurprised when nothing happened.
Alone.
She didn't resist when he took her arm, and followed him when he led her to the dining hall.  He gave Karen some food, leaving her alone to eat it, heading back up to his grim business with his father.
Alone.

Karen was hungry, and ate the food mechanically, still trying to sense her way back to her magic; but she couldn't find any glimmer of it, and her mind kept coming back to the one thought, alone.  Her loss abruptly welled up; she let out a screaming sob and began pulling frantically at the collar, trying futilely to tear it off from around her neck.  Pain turned to rage turned to grief turned to rage as it refused to budge, until all that was left was a dull despair.
Alone.
Maybe the mercenaries' weapons... maybe they had something that could cut it off; it was just a question of finding it.  But that search would have to wait, as Caluun had returned, witnessing the tail end of her fury.  "Look at you," he said contemptuously; " I lived with that thing for years before I worked out how to get it off."
Karen wondered how many of those years had been spent in reactions just like hers.
"Come on, pretty elf," he said.

Karen obeyed; there was no point resisting or refusing, any of the men in the tower could overpower her now, free or not.  
Caluun took her back to his bedchamber and undressed.  Turning to face Karen, he pulled her to him and kissed her; the kiss was urgent, his mouth claiming hers hungrily, his tongue forcing his way into her.  He was energised, and even without her magical senses she could tell his power was greater than it had been the night before.
"Not jealous?" he said, catching her response.
"No."
"Good.  I hate bedding jealous women."

He led Karen to the bed and climbed onto it, pushing her with him.  He was on her again immediately, his hands alternately holding her down and stroking her, his mouth alternately kissing her and licking at her nipples.  Without the bondage, she should have been able to stop him, but she was as helpless as she'd ever been.  And as alone.  Her grief rose up once more, overwhelming her; before she realised what she was doing, she'd thrown her arms around Caluun and was kissing him back, matching his movements as he plunged into her.  They writhed and tangled on the bed until they'd both come together, breaking Karen's heart again.

"You crave power that much," Caluun said in the aftermath, "that you offer yourself to the mage who took it from you?"
Karen looked away; it wasn't power.
"Not that I'm complaining.  You'll make my time here pass much more enjoyably."
It wasn't power.  But in the grip of her loss, she'd sought any kind of closeness she could find, no matter the humiliation or guilt she felt.
"Maybe when I've drained my father, I'll put you the apparatus next."

Karen blinked back tears.  He'd think it was his threat, of course; he'd think her weakness was the loss of her magic.  Not the way she'd clung to him in the face of her loss... it felt like in that instant she'd betrayed her love for all the beings she was separated from.  But she'd make it right somehow.  Caluun himself had said the collar could be removed, and his magic was restored; Karen would find her friends again. She rolled away from her captor, curled up and stared into the night, trying to believe it.

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KAREN IN THE TOWER OF RALLAIN PART 3:

Karen felt more focussed when she awoke; sleep had helped even out the shock of separation from her companions.  Bondage and gags had left her unable to call on her magic before; this collar was just another form of bondage, one that even left her freer to act.  In his desire to belittle and frighten her, Caluun had told her that it could be removed, and her magic would still be there when it did.  And in the meantime, he thought she was broken.  Karen took a deep breath; she'd save herself, and save Rallain, and bring an end to Caluun and his mercenaries.

Beside her, Caluun stirred.  He reached across the bed and pulled Karen toward him; she let him... despite her rekindled resolve, she was still in his power for now, and her body responded to that knowledge as he kissed her and ran his free hand over her breast.  He rolled her nipple between his thumb and finger, then pushed her onto her back, straddling her.  He kept his hand on her breast, running the other over her cheek and jaw in mock intimacy; humiliation twisted inside her at her arousal, all the more because she could tell he saw it.  She closed her eyes as he slipped himself into her and tried her best to let the sensations run their course as he thrust.

When it was over, Caluun rolled out of bed and began to dress.  Karen crossed the room to where her own clothes lay; their eyes met as she started to put them on.
"This tower isn't very warm," she said in response to his raised eyebrow.  And she didn't want to be naked when she saw his mercenaries again.
"Very well," he shrugged.  "It doesn't much matter what you do when you're not in my bed."  With that he left, presumably returning to the imprisoned Rallain.

Karen swallowed down her distaste and set about searching the room.  Most of its contents were presumably Rallain's, but it wasn't hard to discern what had been newly brought in; unfortunately with Karen's magical senses cut off, it was impossible to tell whether any of Caluun's possessions were an enchanted item she might use to counter the collar.  And there was no journal or grimoire that might give her a clue. Besides, no matter how beaten Caluun thought she was, he'd never have left her in here alone if there was a chance of it being that easy.

So what now?  Rallain's magical workrooms would contain grimoires and tools; but Caluun would be on that level of the tower, and might see her.  The mercenaries might have weapons that could damage the collar.  Or Rallain himself could probably remove it, or at least tell Karen how to, but that would mean getting him off of the magical apparatus he was bound to and waking him up... which would mean getting through the chains that held him.  But Karen had had her magical senses when she'd seen him there, and she knew the chains themselves were mundane.  She had the first seeds of a plan, at least.

Karen left the room and went around the tower to the dining hall.  Three of the mercenaries were in there, which left two others; she walked on, intent on searching for where they were keeping their weapons, then swore under her breath as the last two appeared from the stairway, almost running into her.
"It's true then," one of them said.  "He's not keeping you tied up any more."  He reached out and ran his fingers over the collar, then gripped it and pulled Karen closer to him, leaning toward her as if to kiss her.  "Defeating you was fun," he said, "but it might be even more fun now we can just take you."

Karen forced herself not to resist physically; instead, she answered, "But you can't take me, can you?"
The mercenary reached out his other hand, planting it over her breast.  "Oh I think I can take you," he said; "and I think there's nothing you can do to stop me."
"It's not about what I can do," Karen said, hoping she'd read it right.  "He gave me to you yesterday as payback.  But I'm his prize, and as long as you're taking his orders he's not sharing again.  Am I right?"
The mercenary cursed and shoved her away.  "Don't get too smug, elf girl; you'll be feeling me inside you again."
But despite his words, he and his compatriot walked on toward the dining hall, leaving Karen behind.  Out of their sight, she smiled slightly; out-talking them wasn't much of a victory, but she'd made them do what she wanted, and maybe sowed a little tension between them and Caluun.

The mercenaries' belongings were probably downstairs, she thought; the guest bedrooms on the ground floor had been empty, so they were likely sleeping among the apartments on this... Karen almost slapped herself as she remembered.  The nobles who'd sent her on this quest had told her Rallain had apprentices... and if Caluun meant to put Karen into his magic-draining apparatus, he certainly meant the same for them... but he'd told Karen that Rallain had been bound to it for more than a month, which didn't leave enough time for him to have done so already.  The apprentices had to be alive and imprisoned somewhere in the tower.  Karen had potential allies here.  Or more people to save. But either possibility helped ease the solitude that ate at her.

She shook her head; first things first.  She ran down to the second floor.  If the mercenaries were sleeping in the rooms used by Rallain's apprentices, then there was no other reason to come down here than to practice with their weapons in the unused audience chambers.  She started with the rooms on either side of the one where the mercenaries had had her, but one was empty while the other had only simple furnishings.  The room where she'd first been captured was clockwise around the tower, so she continued her search anticlockwise; the third door proved to be the one she sought.  Swords, hammers, and bows were arranged neatly on racks, but the smaller weapons were kept more haphazardly; Karen decided she could take the chance of stealing one of their daggers.

How much longer would they be in the dining hall?  Probably not long enough to search through the rest of their belongings; but she now she knew the right room, she could return when they took their next meal.  For now she exited the room without one of the daggers and concealed herself opposite the stairway; when the mercenaries came traipsing back to their weapons room, she darted up the stairs undiscovered.  By now she was hungry herself, and took her own turn in the dining hall, hoping that none of her captors would enter while she was there.

But this time she was disappointed as Caluun appeared just as she was finishing her breakfast.  She didn't look at him, hoping he would be too busy for her.  But again she was disappointed.
"I'm glad I let you dress," he said.  "Exposing you again will be so much sweeter."
Crossing the room to Karen, he pulled her close and kissed her; once again his demeanour told her that his power had grown with what he'd taken.  Would he be stronger than her by the time she freed herself from the collar?
"Nothing to say?" he asked.
"I didn't think you much cared about conversation," Karen replied.
"True enough.  I have a much better use for you."

Taking Karen's hand, he led her back to Rallain's bedchamber; Karen resolutely refused to think of it as his.  She didn't resist as he stood her by the bed and undressed her.  He pushed her onto the coverlet, produced a cord from his pocket, wrapping it round her wrists and tying it off; he tied the other end to the bedpost, leaving the captive summoner bound to the bedframe.
Then he began to kiss her in earnest, trails of kisses down her throat, across her shoulders and collarbone, onto her breasts, before finally working at her nipples with lips and tongue.  Once again, Karen couldn't help being aroused at his touch... especially when she felt his hand creep down her body to her mound, massaging her clit.

As he shifted on top of her, playing with her body, Karen concentrated on her discoveries.  With the collar, she was still powerless to resist any time one of her captors came for her, but even so she knew where to find weapons, and had deduced that she wasn't alone here.  She had ways to get out of this.
But her satisfaction fed into her arousal, which made her feel her bondage all the more, and soon her thoughts were swept back up in Caluun's touch as he entered her again.  He was more gentle this time... whether his mood was buoyed by his stolen power, or simply his ability to control his prisoner's body, he took his time to build up Karen's pleasure; and Karen couldn't help pulling on her bonds, revelling in her helplessness until her body was flooded with her orgasm.

"Maybe I'll keep you when everything's done here," Caluun said, idly stroking her breast.
"I think the others want to do that," Karen replied.
He frowned, but it was hard for Karen to tell whether the expression was meant for them or for her; it was an obvious wedge to be driving, but the only one she had.
"They'll be satisfied with what I'm paying them," he said; something that could still be meant for them or her.
She decided not to press any further for now; leaving it there would let it stew.

Caluun didn't untie Karen when he left to go back to his work.  She shifted around on the bed, finding the most restful position for her arms she could, and waited.  There wasn't anything she could do until he returned.  She let her bondage distract her, pressing her thighs together as her arousal grew once more, grinding on her mound as much as she could.  She had a lot to do tomorrow, a hard fight ahead of her; so for now, Karen took what pleasure she could, just for herself, none of her captors using her.

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KAREN IN THE TOWER OF RALLAIN PART 4:

It had to be late evening by the time Caluun returned.  Karen's arms ached from where they were bound to the bedpost; the enforced inactivity had left her sore and stiff.  Her captor climbed onto the bed and leaned down over her, licking and nipping at her nipples.  Karen pulled at her bonds, making herself feel the constraining cord round her wrists.  Caluun knew the elf mage's body well by now; knew how to arouse her, but concentrating on her bondage instead of his touch made her feel better as the pleasure built.  By the time he entered her, she was wet and moaning and writhing beneath him; but letting her body have its way also let him think she was conquered.

Afterward, he untied her and settled down to sleep.  Karen was tired as well, but she'd spent the previous day scouting as much as she could; she was going to make her attempt tonight.  More delay gave more time for Rallain's magic to be siphoned off into his son.  However, the very first step was one of the most dangerous:  whether Karen could slip out of bed and room without waking Caluun.
She eased herself from between the sheets, her bare feet near soundless as they touched the floor... she crept around the bed to where her discarded clothes had fallen; she picked them up and carried them to the door.  Very carefully, she eased it open, guaging her speed to minimise the squeaking of its hinges.  As soon as the opening was big enough, she slid through it, quietly closing the door behind her.

Still naked, Karen ran lightly down the hall into one of the unoccupied rooms; there she dressed quickly.  She wasn't as stealthy any more, her heels clicking lightly with each step, but she felt better for wearing something.  She headed down a floor to the room where she'd found the mercenaries' weapons; the daggers and other small weapons were still piled in disarray, and Karen took one.  There was other equipment here too, and she risked a short search for the lockpicks she would need to undo Rallain's chains.  Then her heart leapt as she saw her whip. She picked it up and held it to her heart for a moment; the collar prevented her from feeling its enchantment, but it was hers, and in this place that felt like a huge victory.

Next was the laboratory floor, above the apartments instead of below.  Karen was cautious as she ascended the two flights of stairs; this was where Rallain was imprisoned, and presumably his apprentices too, and it would be foolish to think they were unguarded.  Caluun had shown no sign of being able to summon, which meant the guard or guards would be from among the mercenaries.  Karen had been taken to the room where Rallain was kept; it seemed probable the others would be on the far side of the tower.  Karen crept round the featureless hallway until she reached the most likely stretch of rooms.

The first door opened into a store room filled with alchemical equipment, more than any mage could possibly need... but then the tower itself was bigger than any mage could possibly need, even with apprentices; perhaps it had originally been made for a larger cabal.  Though Karen had run into plenty of mages in her time who were quite happy to live in palaces for one.  She listened at the second door, and heard movement.  Someone was in there at least, pacing from the sound of it; someone bored then, which certainly fit in with guard duty.  Karen waited until the footsteps were receding, then opened the door slowly, trying to not make a noise; she crept inside.

It was one of the mercenaries who'd accosted her the previous day, already turning to face her; noise or not, he'd sensed her movement. "You!" he yelled.  "What are you doing here?"  But he wasn't on the alert; he knew she couldn't use her magic.
Karen lashed out with the whip; even with its enchantment cut off, it was still a whip.  The stike caught him across his cheek, eliciting a curse.
He rushed at her, slamming her back against the wall by the door; "I told you I was going to be inside you again, elf-girl," he said into her face.  But in making him angry with the whip, she'd made him forget to check what else she might have on her.
She drove the dagger into his side; he dropped to his knees as much from the shock as the injury.  Karen pushed him away from her, then kicked him in the face as hard as she could; coupled with the sudden wound, the blow was effective, and he lay still.

"Who are you?"  Karen looked up at the voice to see a large cage against the far wall; her stomach twisted as she realised it was for holding summoned creatures... but at the moment it was holding two boys and two girls, none over thirteen or fourteen years old.
"My name is Karen," she said.  "Are you Rallain's apprentices?"
"Yes," replied the oldest, a black-haired girl.  "They've been keeping us in here ever since they took over the tower."
Karen examined the cage.  There was a physical lock, but she knew opening the cage would need magic too.  "Do you know where the key is?" she asked.
"Their leader has it.  He's a mage.  We don't have enough power to break it open."
"Nor do I," Karen said.  And even if she did, she couldn't take children into battle; she was on her own again.

"How did you get here?" asked one of the boys.  "Can you help us?  Do you know where our master is?"
"I was hired to find out what was happening here," Karen said.  "Rallain is still alive, but he's in trouble too.  I can't get you out of the cage yet, but I'll help you if I can."
The children nodded, huddling together.  Forcing herself to turn away, Karen checked on the fallen mercenary; even with the wound he would probably live, but there was little she could do right then to make sure of that.  Looking back at the children, she said, "I'll be back for you. Keep quiet."

Karen made her way quickly back the to room where Rallain was held.  This room proved to be unguarded; not too surprising, the mage was too weak and delirious to pose any risk of escape.  Karen took the lockpicks and started to work on the chains binding him to Caluun's apparatus; she was no expert with such tools, but a thief she'd met once had taught her the basics, and it had gotten her out of many tight spots since.  It long enough to make her nervous of when the guard she stabbed might be relieved, but she finally clicked open the last of the locks.  With some effort she pulled the old man free of the apparatus.

Rallain stirred at her touch.  "Are you an elf?" he asked in a dreamy tone.
"Yes.  But you have to wake up, I need your help."
"Who?"  He seemed only to have half heard her.
Karen shook him.  "Your apprentices need you."
That seemed to get his attention.  "You got me out of the Siphon.  I don't... know how to thank you."
"I'll think of something.  But I said, your apprentices need you.  And I need you to get this thing off of me."
He focussed on the collar.  "I can't.  It blocks magic."
"Yes!  That's why I need it off.  I have to fight your son and his men."
"Not just yours.  Once it's on someone, it blocks any magic that tries to affect it.  It's permanent."
Karen's blood went cold.  "But Caluun got it off."
"That's not possible."
"Well he did.  That's why it's on me.  So there has to be a-.  Wait.  Alchemy.  You have alchemical supplies.  Do you have mandrake cord?"
"Yes.  But why?  It conducts magic; that won't help you."
"It conducts magic.  Out of the collar, into that thing," Karen said, pointing at the apparatus, the Siphon Rallain had called it.
"It would take yours too."
"Not if it's not touching my skin."  Karen leant forward showing him the collar; it had been made for a human man, and was very loose on Karen's slender neck.
"Next door but one," Rallain said.

Karen ran to the indicated room; it was packed with ingredients and finished compounds.  She couldn't feel anything from them, but she didn't need magic to know mandrake cord when she saw it.  Picking up the the appropriate pot, she returned to Rallain.  Together they tied one end around the collar, then examined the Siphon until they found what seemed to be the central nexus of its construction.  Rallain tied the other end of the cord to it, as Karen held the collar away from her neck so the cord wasn't touching her skin.
But what neither of them knew was how long it would take to leech out the collar's enchantment; the wait seemed to be hours, and Karen began to get nervous again.  If the mercenary she'd stabbed was discovered and they found her here, this chance would never come again.

And then it came:  the cry of alarm echo round the tower corridor, soon followed by the sound of running footsteps coming toward them. Karen gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to pull at the collar; she couldn't risk moving it and having the cord touch her skin.  "Hold him off," she said to Rallain.
The old man went to the door of the room, and uttering the words he needed to launch a bolt of magic at the approaching mercenary.  Karen saw the flash of the bolt from the corner of her eyes and heard the mercenary's shout of pain.  But it was followed by another shout of anger, and the sound of a blow; the attack hadn't worked and the mercenary had closed with the mage.

Then it happened, so quickly; her magic flared back into life and she snapped the collar open, throwing it aside. She turned to face the mercenary standing over Rallain.  Reaching into her power, and the element of fire, she called the igne; but this time she didn't direct them at the mercenary's weapon, but his face.  He screamed and fell as he burned; he was alive, but would be no threat now.

Karen closed her eyes and whispered, "Raiko.  Golem."  Moments later, the lightning tiger and mighty golem appeared beside her; for a second she forgot everything except her relief and joy at seeing them again, embracing and kissing them both.  Then she focussed.  She helped Rallain to stand, and said, "Your apprentices are in the room with that cage you use for creatures;" she'd hoped the cage had been brought by Caluun, but Rallain obviously knew what she was referring to.  To her summoned allies, she said, "Go with him; protect him and his apprentices."

The remaining mercenaries would be on their way any second, and Karen ran to intecept them, leaving Raiko and Golem to their mission. They met on the stairs down to the apartment floor.  Part of Karen wanted to fight them, but that was her pride, and more was at stake. "Viper," she said; the flame serpent surged out of the air around her, and fell upon the three men, incinerating them so quickly they had no time to scream.  "Thankyou, my darling Viper," Karen whispered as he vanished from sight again.

Karen reached the apartment floor, looking around for any sign that Caluun was aware of the battle; he wasn't in sight, and she headed in the direction of the bedchamber.
The bolt came out of nowhere, slamming into Karen's side, forcing a scream of pain out of her as she fell; Caluun flashed into view as his spell of concealment ended.  But before Karen could move, power swirled out of the air around her, siezing her limbs, fixing her in place.  As she'd feared, he was much stronger than he had been in their first battle.  But now he was alone and Karen was not.
"How did you get it off?" he demanded as he approached her.
"You'll never know," Karen replied.  "Freki, Geri."

The winter wolves appeared on either side of her, sending their freezing breath at Caluun; he frantically wove a magical shield, deflecting the worst of it, but the wolves' arctic winds drove him back, reducing him to violent shivers.  His magical bonds loosened around Karen's arms and legs and she quickly rolled to her feet.  Caluun responded with another bolt, but this time she cracked her whip, absorbing the energy; then cracked it again, sending the bolt back at him.  Still intent on defending himself from the wolves, he failed to block it; he screamed and fell as it struck his chest.

Karen cracked her whip a third time, this time wrapping its tip around his wrist, and pulling his arm askew from his gesturing.  His shield collapsed, and the wolves howled, blasting him with another wind.  Karen reached into the element of air, adding zephyr to the attack, knocking Caluun off balance as he tried to renew his defence; cracking her whip at his hands each time he tried to shape an attack.
Under the combined assault, ice formed over the mage's body... then reached deep into him until he was nothing more than a frozen statue of ice.  Karen closed the rest of the distance.  She reached into the elements again, drawing a sharp, slamming wind that struck him, shattering his form into thousands of fragments.

The battle was over.  Karen thanked each of her allies and sent them home; then she and Rallain freed the four apprentices.  Two of the mercenaries were alive; one might even recover enough to renew his old profession, but for now, they would be turned over to Ereiste's guard.
Karen stood in the tower doorway facing Rallain. "I told you earlier I would think of a way for you to thank me," she said.
"You did," he answered.  "Anything.  I have much treasure here."
"Where am I going to put treasure?"  No, it's something else.  That cage; get rid of it.  Treat the creatures you summon as allies and equals. That's how you thank me for your life."
"... I shall."

Karen nodded and took her leave.  She had a long journey ahead of her; she always did, that's who she was.  And another adventure would cross her path soon enough.