The night before the fall of Almadel

Andras arrived soon after the girl was taken away, as Salomé knew he would. When Beatrix had mentioned his name she had known that he must be near, that the school had noticed his presence, that he was sure to have felt the ward breaking, that he would come and investigate. Such accursed timing. A scratching noise from the window alerted her, and she dropped off her chair, padded over and leapt onto the windowsill. Outside an owl stared in at her unblinking, its feathers puffed up against the cold.

"My favorite daughter." she heard the voice in her head.

"Father." she replied.

"I have expended many resources to find you."

"I am touched at the depth of your love for me, father." said Salome, failing to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

"That was a reproach, not an expression of love."

"And yet you came."

"I came for Jeremiah, although I should punish you also for your part in this mess. I was happy to leave you to your own devices, to play your small games of politics and influence around my feet, but you were not to interfere with my larger games. You knew this."

"Father, your game increasingly seems to be full control over every corner of this country, it is rather difficult to avoid interfering."

"Be quiet. I know how you came to meet with Jeremiah when he captured you, I know what you came to discuss with him. I am not surprised that you would betray me, I would do the same were the fruit ripe for the plucking. I am embarrassed and disappointed by your pathetic execution of the betrayal. To walk into a trap made by the likes of Jeremiah, a mighty oak felled by a leggy weed. I am ashamed."

Salomé said nothing. So he knows, and yet still he came to talk. Why?

"Regardless, we do not have time for this, now. I felt a burst of power come from this place, and was once again able to feel your presence, was this your doing?"

"I had put a plan in motion to enable my escape from this prison, the breaking of the incoming ward so early was unexpected."

Andras was silent for some time before he continued, the owl he was riding sat unmoving, its feathers ruffling in the wind. "We tried to approach as soon as we felt the change, we came through the forest that surrounds this place, moving in beast form. The forest twists as we move, the path we take inevitably turning back on itself and spitting us back out near where we entered. The owl can approach on wing, but we would need to unpick the forest wards to approach on foot."

"I am surprised you did not immediately think to burn down the forest." said Salomé. She felt the look of annoyance, although the owl's face did not move.

"Of course I considered this, you forget your place with your interruptions, child. It is autumn, the forest is damp. A fire would give them too much forewarning. To unpick the wards without detection would take too long."

"Then wait, do not let them know of your presence, let my plan come to fruition. I will take Jeremiah, in time."

Andras considered this. "You have been in this place for more than a year, any plans you might have devised would surely have had time to mature by now."

"Trapped in this form? Do you realise how difficult it has been to--"

Andras ignored her and continued to speak: "No, I will not suffer the insult of having one of my offspring locked up like livestock any longer. We cannot give them an opportunity to fix the wards, if they do so we will no longer be able to locate you. We must strike now, immediately,"

Salomé was still talking over him "--give me one more week, I have already begun to gain the trust of a student who can help me with the magic, I can accelerate the schedule--"

"-- I will enact a banishment."

Salomé stopped and looked up in surprise. "Banishment? From such a distance? How will you target a single man? Impossible."

"I won't, I will banish the whole damned building. I will spill a lake of blood and send the whole school to hell. You, him, the revolting children, all the books and magics that his kind have gathered here over the centuries. I will be rid of this tiny thorn in my side, and you will be...freed."

Salomé's mind reeled at the power that would be required to do such a thing at distance. "But what if the holding that keeps me here in this form is not broken by banishment?" she said, horror slowly spreading through her.

"Oh, I'm sure it won't be"

"Then they will die, and I will be trapped like this for eternity? Powerless, alone, unable to move from this room?"

"Yes. They will die, there, and I will have my revenge."

"And what of ME?"

"What of you? I owe you nothing" said the voice. A few moments passed then the owl's posture changed, no longer sitting perfectly still, controlled. It shook out its wings and looked around nervously, surprised to find itself perched outside this window. Andras had left.