Wands at the ready! ((Order Members))

[gabrielmacleod]

Gabriel was emotionally drained, exhausted and miles away from being the man he once had been. Since the attack on the school, since...since those monsters had taken the woman he loved, his wife, Booker's Mother. Yes, Persephone was gone, but not dead, of that he was certain, as cliche as it sounded he was sure he would have felt it if she had died. It had now been several long months since the attack, since she'd gone and in those months, Booker had grown considerably. It was heartbreaking to think she was missing it, that after all the'd been through to have a child, Persephone was missing out on some of the biggest milestones in their sons life. She had missed his first word, the first time he'd stood and taken those shaky steps all by himself, she'd missed them.

Several months without one single lead, until now. Now, they had a lead on where she was, or where she may be being held and he hadn't hesitated to gather the order. Leaving Booker had been hard but this was too important this was their Persephone, and Booker would be safely tucked away at the school, under the protection of the elves. Gabriel steeled himself, ready and eager for a fight, ready to punish those responsible for this heartache. Here was a man with one thing on his mind, one goal to achieve, he was getting his wife back, bringing her home finally. In reality he was a man possessed.

As he stepped to the front of the group his eyes flashed dangerously, scanning the darkness. Right now he was hardly someone friends and family could recognize. He'd lost a considerable bit of weight, there were dark circles beneath his eyes and stubble marred his once clean shaven cheeks, clearly looking like a man lost. "We all know the drill, you all know how important this is. It's been seven months, we can't afford to screw this up...if she's in there, we need to get her out...we move quick and clean, give them no chances to move her again." he said, his tone hard, with an edge to it as his eyes scanned over the group before him. They were trained professional's they knew what they were doing but this was Persephone, not only the Order's greatest asset but more importantly his wife, and he was getting her back...no matter what..."Any questions?" he asked.

[* JAQI]

Movement.

Persephone could feel it, things were about to change in her world yet again. She had lost track of the days, of how long she had been gone, of how long she had been in the Darkness. That was what she had called it, Darkness. The Death Eaters had done their homework it seemed, and had found out that sensory deprivation was key in unlocking the workings of her Inner Eye. Spells had been placed upon her that rendered her blind and deaf, leaving her with little more to do than simply sit in the cold, damp, stone room where she was held. Time was beginning to lose all meaning.

Quiet, still, and the Darkness were all she knew. Of course, there had been the torture, the knives, pliers, heavy blunt objects, the Cruciatus curse. But that was nowhere near as bad as the Darkness, not knowing anything about her outside world other than what she encountered through her visions and prophecies. Persephone had never made a prophecy before, but now they were spewing forth from her lips multiple times a day... She might have lost her mind if it weren't for the meditation. Month after month she had spent in this state of not moving as her physical condition deteriorated.

Her body might be in a near useless state, but she had managed to keep her mind. Her mind which was also beginning to falter with grief. Gabriel, Booker. Oh, God, how she missed them... Persephone didn't know how long it had been, she had only guesses, but she knew it had been a long while. Booker, her son, he was growing up, and she hadn't been able to see it... Though now, things were going to change, she could feel it, they were coming. In this time, Persephone had become very in touch with her skills. She didn't know what, but something was going to happen, soon.

[sawyer]

Another rescue mission, Sawyer had been talked into it, granted, with very minimal effort, but after the last one he had participated in he wasn't exactly keen on joining another. He still had the scars from when he'd freed Arielle, five thick diagonal gashes across his back from shoulder to the top of his hip. Granted, he loved her so much that he'd take a wounding like that ten times over for her if need be. Though this time, there was more, he was sure of it. More risk, more adversaries, but this mission wasn't for mere members, but for Persephone, the leader of the Order.

From how Sawyer understood it, it had taken months to pin down the location, only to have the lead run cold, likely after their first rescue mission in the cellar of the Malfoy Manor the Death Eaters had gotten paranoid and moved her again. Now, however, they had a lead that appeared to be genuine. So here Sawyer was, standing in a small group of much older, more experienced witches and wizards. Being in the Order at just eighteen had its ways of making him feel inadequate, what skills did he have? But supposedly he had been dubbed the honourary medic for this mission.

So perhaps Sawyer wasn't exactly empty-handed in comparison, and he had seen his fair share of battle, perhaps it was just nerves. Fear. Sawyer wasn't going to deny that he was scared of what would happen, he knew just what the Death Eaters could do, had experienced it first hand. Sawyer was quiet as Persephone's husband delivered his speech, and was one of the handful to lightly shake his head when the man asked if there were any questions. No, it was straightforward, go in, find Persephone, get out, and duel for their lives.

[zachariahfoldger]

Zach was ready for this, ready to take the b*****ds on that had taken Persephone, and many of their other fellow Order members. By nature he wasn't a violent man, but he was ready to protect his own and that included his fellow order members and after what had happened during the attack at the school and all the people they had lost...the children...not a vengeful person, he was ready to exact some kind of pain on them. As it was leaving Wren and their children to go on this mission was terrifying, with every mission he took for the Order was dangerous but now he felt reluctance to participate. There was no doubt he would, he would always do his duty to the cause, but with every mission, every time he left home, he knew it could possibly be his last time and that was a crippling thought.

Gripping his wand his hand, Zach looked around the darkness surrounding them, a feeling of unease settling over him. It wasn't that out of the norm, they were after all about to hit a no doubt, extremely protected base where the death eaters were holding Persephone. Zach felt a great sadness wash over him as he thought on the woman who had led them for so long, they'd failed her...he knew they should have found her already...it was too horrible to even begin to try and imagine what they had been doing to her. He knew she wouldn't be dead, the woman had the gift of sight, she was too valuable alive to the Death Eaters...maybe she saw them coming for her now? Knew they hadn't abandoned her?

His eyes landed on Gabriel, it amazed him the man was even here though it made sense. Zach wouldn't give up if it were Wren, he'd tear the planet apart looking for her if it came to it, and that's exactly what Gabriel had been doing. As the man finished speaking he shook his head, "Lets go get her back Gabe...finish this..." he said, giving the man a nod, tensing his shoulders and bracing himself, ready for the fight...

[gabrielmacleod]

Gabriel waited for the questions, should anybody have any but like he had assumed no did. When Zach spoke he looked at the younger man and nodded his head turning on his heel and making the signal to move forward. This was it, they'd faced battles before but one could imagine this place was going to be heavily guarded and these guys weren't going down without a fight. There was no doubt that Persephone was incredibly valuable to the Death Eaters, they wouldn't want to give her up back to the light side again, so the Order had to be ready for any and all kinds of attack. Gabriel was ready, ready to get her back, even lay down his life if his fellow Order Members got her out and safe...

The place was cloaked, but due to the intel they had, they knew exactly where the place was, so it was simply a matter of stepping through the cloak and attack the building...Persephone could be anywhere, anywhere so they had to look, fight...and they'd do it. Gabriel would walk through hell bare handed if it meant getting her back home where she belonged. "Wands at the ready...." he said quietly, for some reason feeling the need to take control of the situation. Taking a deep breath and muttering a counter spell under his breath, he pierced the cloak and stepped through.

Almost instantly blinding lights shone all around him and the others as spells were fired towards them. Throwing up a block, Gabriel watched a spell rebound off his sheild and back towards it's caster. Not once did his stride break as he marched with purpose towards the large house like complex, all the while dodging spells. There was a stinging burn in his arm but he ignored it, "Bombara!" he yelled the spell at the front door, watching with a grim smile as it exploded allowing him entrance into the darkness...

[sawyer]

Sawyer followed behind the rest of the group, bracing himself for what was to come. This wasn't going to be like the mission at Malfoy Manor, quiet, undercover, slipping in and out under the radar. This was a full frontal assault, not unlike the attack on the school, only this time the tables were turned, they were the instigators, and they had no idea what exactly they would be walking into. Sawyer tried the best he could to mentally prepare himself for it, but it seemed the instant they stepped through the magical cloak concealing the property, the attack began. Sawyer found himself deflecting hexes left and right, though he did little to retaliate.

He needed to keep the others safe, watch the backs of better duelists so they would have a greater chance of being able to get to Persephone, and tend to anyone should they be injured and it was something that he could fix in the middle of a battlefield. It was not his place to get sucked into a duel for glory. That, and Sawyer admitted he wasn't the best at offensive magic, he could block, and that was about the extent of it, he simply felt he did not have the capacity to harm a human being, Death Eater or not.

An explosion made him dive to the ground to avoid the fireball, something sharp caught him beneath his left eye, he could feel blood beginning to ooze from the wound, but there was no time, he blocked another curse sent his way, squinting against the bright lights as he was quick to catch up with the group as they entered the building. Here was where things would get tricky, their group needed to split, in order to cover as much ground as possible in the shortest amount of time, to hopefully find Persephone.

[* JAQI]

Persephone could feel the explosion, sense the scuffle, though it seemed very distant. Reaching out blindly into the darkness, she placed her hand flat against the stone wall. Its surface was damp, rough, and grimy beneath her fingers, and cold, so very cold... There it was again, that same explosion that sent vibrations deep into the recesses of whatever hell in which she had been captive. She had known that things were going to change, even in the very near future, but she hadn't realized that it would be right in that moment. She waited in the still darkness until another rumbling snaked down the stone wall, transferring into her hand.

They were here. Closing her already unseeing eyes, Persephone breathed deeply, willing her Inner Eye to reveal what was happening. It was something she had never been able to do before, witness things as they unfolded, but if there was a time where she needed to do it, it was now. Shaking from both cold and effort, she opened her Inner Sight, mind leaving her body, instead going to observe what was happening above. Fighting, the air thick with the multicoloured sparks of spells colliding, and so much noise... It was an odd thing, being able to hear and see things inside one's head when the body could not.

Sweat was prickling at her brow as she continued to shake, but she didn't leave the scene, instead scanned it, looking for her salvation- and there it was! Gabriel! He was here! Unable to See any longer, Persephone released the scene, gulping down air, trembling. I'm down here! she wanted to scream, though she didn't know if she had voice in her any longer, she was so very weak... She could only sit, feel the shaking of the building through the wall and the thrumming of her own heartbeat, as well as a peculiar feeling rising from deep within her- hope.

[gabrielmacleod]

Gabriel was a blur, a force to be reckoned with as he marched through the old house, dodging spells and firing them back at the casters. He was a man with one mission, and that mission was to get his wife back and now he was this close to her, close enough to sense she was here there was no way in hell he was letting her slip through his fingers again. A curse hit his back, followed immediately by an intense, over-powering searing burning pain that brought him momentarily crashing to his knees before ducking behind a wall struggling to catch his breath.

"God damnit!" he growled, pure adrenaline running through him, so much so that the pain didn't last for long, in a way it dulled to a manageable amount, allowing him to recover after a few seconds and stand. Already he could feel the warmness of the blood on his back, seeping through his clothes, covered by his robe but he paid his injuries no mind, they were nothing in the scheme of things and he had to find Persephone. Taking a breath, he quickly assessed the state of the order members with them and with a firm nod he rounded back around the corner, blocking a curse and quickly throwing it back towards it's caster, watching with satisfaction as the man was thrown through the wall.

The door to the basement, or at least what he could only assume was the basement burst open and three men rushed out, quickly moving to attack though Gabriel had already threw the reducto curse their way as he reached for the door pulling it open and shining his wand down into the darkness. With no hesitation in his steps he began his descent shining his wand and quickly determining that there were quite a few rooms down here, at first count 8, split equally and facing each other. "Persephone!" he called, and quicker than a flash a body knocked into his from behind, sending him and his attacker crashing down the rest of the basement stairs, both wands clattering across the floor.

[sawyer]

Sawyer stuck close to the group headed for the lower level of the house, as it had been laid out to him before. From the last rescue mission at the Malfoy Manor they had learned that the Death Eaters seemed maybe a little too fond of dungeons and cellars, they would likely find Persephone on the lowest level, rather than any of the upper ones. His plans changed however, when another ground-rumbling explosion halted his progress. Sawyer was thrown to the ground, the shock-wave alone disorienting him, making his vision blurry and his ears ring. He blinked, attempting to steady his head and return to functioning normally.

A quick once-over of himself told him he was lucky, he'd only be scraped by shrapnel, rather than pierced, though the woman closest to him had not been so lucky. As soon as he could move, Sawyer stumbled over to her, breath catching in his throat when he saw the ghastly state she was in, blood pouring at an alarming rate from a wound to her upper chest, a large shard of wood had struck an artery, it still stuck grotesquely from her flesh. Acting as quickly as he could, Sawyer closed the wound to the best of his ability, and took a small potion vial and tipped the contents down her throat. "Cover her!" Sawyer shouted to another nearby Order member.

Once her care had passed from his hands, he quickly sprinted down the stairs to rejoin the group in the basement in time to witness the scuffle between Gabriel and the Death Eater. Instinct taking over, Sawyer went to the wands, snatching them both up before anyone else did and then pivoting, and stunning the Death Eater. Sawyer pocketed the spare wand, and then was fast to get to Gabriel's side and return his wand. It was then that he noticed the blood, he'd been hit, but seemed that he didn't even notice. "Good God, man," said Sawyer, flicking his wand to block a stray hex, "take this." He fished out another potion vial from his pocket. Gabriel would be no use to them passed out or in shock from blood loss.

[zachariahfoldger]

Zach was in his element, not that he'd admit it but he loved this, the thrill of battle. The element of surprise was on their side which was another huge advantage on their side, as well as an overpowering amount of confidence. Persephone was here, and they were going to get her back, they'd never been this close before, at least not for a long time, it was ending here tonight at last. Skilled at what he did as a hit wizard, Zach had no trouble dodging the spells being fired at him, returning a few powerful ones of his own. All around him there were explosions, screams of protest or anger but he paid them no mind as he covered his fellow Order members when they moved into the house.

This was where they began to get separated, and he began to lose track of the others but he didn't slow down one little bit, he couldn't afford to. If possible the attack became more intense, a clear sign that there was something or someone in this house worth protecting. "Get down!" he yelled, pushing down another Order Member and blocking the spell that had been fired at him. "Move it!" he said, shoving the man closer to the basement door, where a lot of the focus now was. He'd seen Gabriel go down there as well as a few others so he'd follow, offer what help he could.

A spell hit his shoulder, and with a hiss of pain he spun around to launch one back at his attacker as he stepped through the basement door. Quickly he rendered one attacker unconcious on the stairs and watched as the mans body crumbled and he flew over the banister. Making to move forward down the stairs, a cry of a spell made him pause. Instinct made him spin around, prepared to throw up a protective shield but he was too late and the spell hit him squarely in the chest. The power of it lifted his feet from the ground beneath him and sent him flying back, his body falling through the air, completely missing the stairs and crumbling into a heap on the stone ground of the basement, unmoving.

[gabrielmacleod]

Gabriel had easily forgotten he was hurt, again the pure adrenaline racing through his veins was encouraging him on, telling him he could deal with his injuries later, they weren't important, what was important was finding his wife. Right now he was too close to allow anything to stop him from reaching her and you could bet by hell or high water there wasn't anything powerful enough to stop him, not now, not when he was this close. With a growl he threw back his elbow, hitting the death eater above him squarely in his jaw, knocking him off balance enough to roll away from him in time to see....Sawyer...if he was right stun the man who'd attacked him.

"Thanks." he said, pushing himself up onto his knees and taking the wand Sawyer now held out to him, half tempted to curse the Death Eater once more. Really where was the harm in it, the man had probably done a thousand worse things to other people before, so it'd be little less than he deserved, right? Frowning he pulled his gaze from the stunned death eater by his side, and looked upon Sawyer, whose eyes were on Gabriel's back, surprised that the man still managed to block an attack, reminding Gabriel once more where they were and that there was no time for loitering. Shaking his head he pushed aside the potion and stood, "I'm fine they're scratches." he said confidentially.

Spinning around on his foot, his eyes widened a fraction as Zach hit the ground in front of him, his body making a sickening crunch as it connected with the stone. Yelling out in protest, Gabriel aimed his wand at the door and watched it close and lock, though he knew it wouldn't last for too long, it would give them some time at least. Stepping back he cast a spell, watching as all the doors blew off simultaneously. "Persephone!" he called out, quickly making his way to the nearest door and peering in, only to find it empty. She was here somewhere she had to be...

[sawyer]

Sawyer had opened his mouth to protest Gabriel's rejecting his potions, though it was too late, the man had already left, and with another rumbling boom came a new wave of attacks, sending one of their ranks, Zach Foldger, down the stairs where his unconscious body struck the ground hard. Dodging through a thick storm of spells, Sawyer made his way to him, Gabriel's bleeding wounds long since forgotten, there were more important things to tend to.Getting to his knees beside Zach, Sawyer threw up a shield charm, which thankfully repelled a good number of the spells, though one of them broke through, striking him in the chest.

The shield had weakened it considerably, though it was still enough to momentarily knock the air out of him. Gabriel, however, was fast enough to save his skin by barricading the door with a spell, which would keep the Death Eaters at bay, likely not for long, but those precious few moments were needed. Sawyer wheezed, finally catching his breath before tending to Zach. His vitals were fine, heart beat was steady, he was breathing, likely a few broken bones from impact... Sawyer hurriedly began splinting the injuries that he could, eyes nervously flickering to the door, it wasn't going to hold much longer...

Sawyer threw up every protective charm he could think of in hopes of keeping the Death Eaters on the other side of the door, focusing intently on them, sweat beading on his brow as their adversaries battled against it, try as he might to hold them back. "I can't hold them much longer!" Sawyer yelled, hoping that it might motivate those searching for Persephone to move a little faster...

[* JAQI]

The scuffle had moved downward, the vibrations of duels were more persistent, they were stronger, no longer just in the walls, but in the floor. From beneath the door came the sickly sulfuric stench of burnt hair, footsteps were heavy on the floor as the scuffle continued, it was getting closer. Soon, very soon, she would be found, taken from the inescapable Darkness. That was, if the enchantments depriving her of what she might call her two most important senses were even reversible. Shuddering from cold, and fear of what might very well be a possibility, she still couldn't help the hope welling up from deep within her.

Knowing that one last time she needed to gaze into the current action, Persephone braced herself, releasing her Inner-Eye, and this time peering instead out into the hallway rather than the floor above. A young man was holding extreme concentration, keeping the basement door closed with a spell, and there were no longer any Death Eaters in sight, presumably blocked out. Scanning carefully, Persephone again located Gabriel, just a short way down the hall. He was yelling for her. His voice... She had never thought that she would hear it again. Persephone had to release the vision sooner than the last, she had weakened her already fragile body and mind a great deal.

She slumped against the stone wall, breathing heavily as if she had been running, she had broken out in a cold sweat, feeling almost ill... Soon, very soon, her husband would be here. Persephone would be unable to either see or hear him, but she would know the feeling of his arms, he was coming to carry her home. "Here," Persephone called out, her voice which she could not hear barely louder than a whisper, but her throat felt as if she had screamed at the top of her lungs, her word muddled and unsteady from months of not being able to hear, months of not speaking...

[gabrielmacleod]

Gabriel punched the wall, seeing the empty cell though kept his wand trained on the door, helping Sawyer as he knew the risk of those death eaters getting in if all they took their focus off the door for even a second, but he had to keep looking didn't he? Persephone was down here somewhere, she had to be and what if she couldn't call out to him...what if she needed them to look around for her...how could he not. So for as long as he could he was going to try and look and keep the force of his spell concentrated on the door. Though one could feel the force of the spells from the other side and they were draining, they'd battled their way down here and it was going to be another battle to get out unless they could somehow apparate.

"Persephone!" he called out again, taking a step back, his eyes trained on the door before he took a quick glance into the next cell and then the next. "Baby can you hear me?" he called out again. Growling he shook his head, "Alright get ready I'm pulling away...." he told the order members and seconds later pulled his wand away, breaking the connection of the spell as he spun on his heel, blasting the doors off the rest of the cells. Slowly feeling himself losing hope, had this been a waste of time and man power?

Reaching the last cell, he peered over his shoulder, grimacing slightly before looking inside his eyes scanning the inside of the cell. That was when he saw her and he felt his heart break completely, "Persephone...baby?" he said her name softly, glancing over his shoulder quickly before stepping inside and rushing to her side, and for the first time being completely clueless on what he was to do. So long of not seeing her, "We're here...we're getting you out." he said softly, his hand on the side of her face, leaning in to press a kiss on her forehead.

[* JAQI]

It was quieter now, though she could still feel the vibrations of explosions, sealed doors being blown from their hinges, through the wall she had leaned against, even in the floor. They were so close, but there was still too much commotion, surely nobody had heard the single world she had uttered. But they were hear, the faint shaking that the footsteps produced were getting closer... A rush of cold, but fresher, air met her as the door was opened, she continued to tremble, she was sweating, but she felt so cold... She could feel the movement in the air as she was approached, but she remained still.

Persephone might not be able to see or hear who it was, only know that there was something there, but the aura of this person was not like any Death Eater's. Strong, but soft. She instinctively flinched as a hand was placed on the side of her face, having not been able to see it coming, but the hope that had been growing within her since she had felt the first explosion reached a new peak as a pair of lips were pressed to her forehead. Gabriel, he had finally found her. The worst of the danger may not yet have passed, but she felt an overwhelming sense of safety.

Persephone raised a trembling, clammy, grime-coated hand, placing it over Gabriel's, so warm it was, such strength behind it... She knew that had spoken, she had felt the variations of his breath on her face, but she didn't know the words, didn't have a word left in her. They needed to move, though Persephone felt as rooted to the spot as ever, the muscles holding her arm up were screaming at her to lower it, she didn't even think she could stand...