Topic: A Return...

Khirsah

Date: 2006-08-02 15:53 EST
He stepped from the pitch that had been his world for the past few hundred years. It had been years, hadn?t it? He was no longer sure. He had aged while he was there, and that was the only means by which he could count the time. He would soon enough find out how long he had been gone.

He felt the pitch, the ebon darkness, his home, close behind him. It would be soon enough that he returned there, but that mattered little. He now carried it with him? in thirteen ebon black jewels, and a sword that had come to be part of him.

He stood there, a moment, atop the place that was his brother?s home, the pinnacle of the chain of islands that made up the Emerald Isles? atop the Pearl. There was a different feel to the land around him. One of destruction, of decay? one of rebirth. So the war was over. It was good enough, for he had his own war to tend with while he was away. That would be something which he would have to discuss with the Younger.

The land writhed under his foot, flooding him with the information that he sought and the winds assailed him blasting him with the recent news. So the Younger had, for the most part, lost his wife, and the daughter had left the lands. The Lady d?Nitesong had feel into disarray, but has just recently found her strength again, and? there was a new family member amongst them.

There, too, was another scent to the winds? their sister. It would seem that the Younger had been up to more than seemed. Yes, there was much to discuss concerning matters, both with and about him.

Tasslehofl

Date: 2006-09-05 14:09 EST
For long stretches, he sat there in his office and stared at the note that had been left behind for him. I have gone to Riverbend. Those five words had brought forth a flood of memories, and none too pleasant.

It had been there that the war had started? all because of his foolishness in his carelessness. Would he go again? Should he?? Why did she go? Was she running once more?? From who? Questions plagued his mind as he stared at the note.

It was not until a knock came to his study?s door that he realized that he had spent the entirety of the night there trying to wring answers from the single line before him. ?Yes?? His voice grated as he spoke, causing him another realization that he had had little to drink or eat for the past few days.

The door swung open on silent hinges and a timid blue stuck her head in. She must be one of the new ones Bris had mentioned. ?L..l..lord M..momus??

His smile was kind, and he laid the note aside, and motioned her to enter. ?Come in, little one. You have no need of your trepidations around me. What can I do for you, Telin??

This seemed to sooth her little, weather it was due to him knowing her name already, or that it seemed he was expecting her. In either case, she was a dragon, and she knew her place as such. Her breath came in and she steadied herself. ?There is a?? she stopped and swallowed. It seemed whatever had sent her was enough that she had to draw straws with others in order to deliver the message. ?There has been a few of us who have seen someone walked the halls that we have not seen before.?

This was news he had not knew, and a brow lifted with her words. His smile, though, was warm and welcoming. ?Thank you, Telin. I will take care of the matter.? She gave a quick curtsey and turned from the study, closing the door behind her.

So there was one who was in the halls of the Emerald Estates who he did not feel. He looked once more to the note, then lifted it and slid it to a pocket, standing as he did so. He would like to talk to his brother, both for scaring the youngers, and for avoiding him. Then there was the matter of the note?

Khirsah

Date: 2006-09-05 14:25 EST
?So word has finally reached you that I am here.? His words were crisp and to the point.

He could feel Tass?s eyes rake over him as he stood at the center of the Isles. He had come here precisely because he knew the Younger would come here first. ?She has grown stronger since this ordeal. It would seem that you both have learned from that lesson.? His voice was nothing if not precise and perfect. His tone was nothing but business, and he knew that was the way it needed to be, for the Younger still held trepidations against him for not returning to the Isles and the war that came to them.

?She has, as have I, Elder. Why are you here?? Tass?s words were, as per his typical, wrought with the emotions he carried within. He still did carry the anger, and he could hear a bit of fear as well.

?What is it you fear, Younger. Is it that I am here with our sister?? He turned then and set his iced eyes to Tass. It was then that he realized that it was not their sister which his brother was fearful for. It was?

Tass?s words cut in to his thoughts. ?No, Elder, I do not fear for our sister. She can take care of herself, as I am sure you have been able to see.? The Younger?s hand reached to a pocket and produced a folded paper. ?Our matters can be set aside for now, Elder. We have much to discuss, as you already know. No, the matter at hand is this.?

He took the note and gave it a single look, then looked up again to his brother, letting the note become engulfed in the cold flames. There was only one reason why the Younger came to him for this? it was his tie to that which they went. ?When do you wish for us to leave, Younger??

Tasslehofl

Date: 2006-09-08 14:20 EST
It had been an easy trek to the peak of the Pearl. With none to worry on except themselves, the Elder and he had quickly made their way to the point at which the gate previously had been opened. It would be the simplest spot which to cross, as it was the weakest there.

He turned, and let the Elder open the path this time. His ties to the land which they traveled to would ensure that the path would be cleared, and the gate would be properly done? not like the last time? His eyes surveyed the land that lay before him, and those lands which floated near. Such desolation that had been wrought? such violence. He knew he would soon have to work to start the cultivation of the land once more, but it was still hard for him to do so without her there by his side.

Each night he found himself there in that chamber, watching her, willing, as he could for her to rise and return to him once more. Each morning, he found himself walking from that place, tired, and no further than when he started. Perhaps she did not want to return, but that would not keep him from trying? it never did before.

?You can see to the land, and her, when we return, Younger. The path is open. Let us go.? Khirsah?s words were a knife to his thoughts, but he was correct. There would be time to return and deal with these things. What mattered now was Alais.

He gave a nod, and turned, following the Elder through the portal, and found himself once more at the doorway to the old mausoleum. He knew she would be in there?

?She is in there, Younger? as well as another.?

His eyes narrowed quickly, and he shoved all thoughts aside. Yes, he could feel a second in there as well. It felt almost.. ?Rael..? The name was nothing more than a hiss as he came from his lips.

?Yes.. the young General. Come, Younger, let us pay them both a visit?

Rael Ashen

Date: 2006-09-08 14:47 EST
He had sat there, atop the old man?s grave for long hours, watching the place where she had laid to rest. It was quite ironic, in truth, finding her returning to a place where she had banished? twice, no less!

Perhaps this elf was, in truth, more twisted and perverted than he had taken her for. No. She was still an elf, and that alone was warrant enough for her destruction. He would see to it.

Sliding down from the perch he had taken on the old man?s face, he stepped to the sarcophagus which she had slid into. For a moment, he simply looked at the stone face, then, lifting a finger, he started to burn a line into the stone. There were so many ways which he wished to defile this creature, so many things he would to do to her corpse. Yes? her corpse. She would be a corpse soon. Crushed, suffocated? turned to the precious stone which she comes to lie within.

The thoughts ran with a madding glee through his mind, and his finger continued to work the burned rune into the surface of the stone.

?She would not be pleased with this kind of defilement, General.? The voice was a silken baritone, and had come from behind him. Who could have? he didn?t hear? he didn?t feel the? His finger had stopped, however, and against his will, he turned to look to the source of the voice, and found his eyes riveted to those of the voices.

?The Elder..? His voice croaked. No, it wasn?t his voice, was it? He had more control over himself than this. With a false bravado, he drew a twisted, almost painful smile to his lips. ?It?s good to see you. Have you come to witness the destruction of this world?s destroyer??

?Young General? you sound perplexed. Perhaps if you had paid more attention to your surroundings, and not the thoughts that invade your mind, you might have heard us enter. But no matter, we are here. And no, I did not come to see such. I came because of a request from him.? The Elders hand lifted as he spoke this final line, and leaning against the old man?s effigy, he turned it to point at the foot of the foul elf?s tomb.

Khirsah

Date: 2006-09-08 15:11 EST
He leaned back against the effigy of the Lady d?Nitesong?s mentor, and lowered his hand, crossing them before his chest as he watched the young general. It had been some time since he had seen this tiefling last, and it seems that the defeat of his force, as well as the sulking back to this world was not something that had sat well with him. It had cracked him? mentally if not physically.

He watched as Rael turned to look at the foot of Alais?s sarcophagus. It was rare to see the Younger lose his temper, but it was always so amusing. To see the play of the emotions that worked within the Younger was almost worth the discomfort he was feeling emanating from that which rested on his hip.

It was a struggle of will?s, and in the end, his was always stronger, as it always would be. There would be no feeding this day, at least, not with those already dead.

?Ooooh look, the fool dragon who left the tear open for the destruction of his land.? Rael?s voice was almost mocking, but still held within it a tremor of the madness he held within. ?Have you left another one for me and those of this land to feast off your generous hospitality once more??

Those few words, it seems, was enough to bring the Younger back into line. Good. He did not want to have to remind Tass once more why they were here.

?You would have to ask the Elder that, whelp. It was he who opened the gate.? A grin, almost feral, played off the Younger?s lips. ?And, low and behold, what should I find when we arrive but the prize I have sought to destroy.? No sooner had the Younger?s final words left then a jet of the blue flames erupted around the young general.

He looked to the tiefling, and heard the mad cackling from within. ?It will take more than fire to burn me, dragon!? He watched as the flames were drawn into the creature? really, the Younger should know better. Tieflings are made for the flames. But, something caught his attention, and as the last of the flames flickered, the young general?s face froze. Cold fire? so the Younger had learned this as well.

?You are correct.? That was all that was said from Tass, and that was all that was needed. Harsh yellow and white flames erupted around the tiefling, and as they faded, he was no longer there.

Alais d Nitesong

Date: 2006-09-22 11:01 EST
She had settled into the stone matrices and felt the cold of Riverbend engulf her. The familiar lethargy and dulling of the senses clouded her elven nature and she felt at peace with in the cold, dead stone.

She thought about Morrin, as she always did when she was in Riverbend. The power of his world hummed around her, through her, and it was here that she could almost sense Morrin as he remained locked between worlds to seal his people in this place. She couldn't go there to be with him, but she could sense his presence, and it was a comfort. Morrin's power was always signature, and one she would recognize anywhere. It was here, inside his effigy that she could feel it the strongest. It was what drew here to this place when she came to Riverbend.

She was at peace about leaving RhyDin. It was the right thing to do, and Matlal needed her. But The Elder. What should she do about the Elder? That problem vexed her. It vexed her because she had no answer.

She had no idea of time passage there within the stone. It had no meaning when she was here, but at length, the pull of the presence of another forced her to focus on the unexpected disturbance. She felt fairly certain Tass would not come, the last time should have taught him that Riverbend was no place for him. Who then?

She forced herself to care enough to see who was in the Mausoleum. It was Rael. He could not hurt her here, inside the alabaster, but if she would try to leave, he might. It was clear he knew she was present, he had been burning a line into the stone, but it was simple enough to retreat deeper into the stone to avoid being touched by his efforts.

And then she stilled. Rael's croaked words brought the moment into sharp reality despite the obscuring nature of Riverbend, "The Elder."

Khirsah's voice was a rich baritone was a voice she would recognize as quickly as she did Morrin's touch. And then everything happened too fast.

Khirsah leaned against the stone effigy, and she felt the power of Riverbend flare as Morrin's world sought to pull Khirsah into the stone matrix. It pulled inexorably, as a sponge pulls at water in an effort to fill itself. And she had no where to go!

Alais d Nitesong

Date: 2006-09-22 11:01 EST
The stone began to pull at him the moment he touched it. Seeking to absorb him into its matrix as a sponge seeks to absorb water until it is laden. It was the sudden sensation of being pulled out of solidity and into fluidity.

The pull was inexorable, insistent, and marked with the Annaran signature so associated with the books themselves. The same signature of power that marked the books marked the magic that sought to engulf him. It was the same magic that now was part of him.

As soon as the pull began, Khirsah assessed its threat, and found it to be minimal... at least to him. He felt the Annaran power, and the books. He thought that odd, but only for a moment. The one who had the books was within the stone which he was being pulled into. What would that one think once he realized that the books were now part of him?

The question now, however, was why was he being sought? So, with that in mind, he delved into the power that drew at him.

The power swept through his essence, drawing him into the interstices of the alabaster, filling the sponge where there was space, but what he found was another also within the stone matrix. And she was trying to escape the confines of the effigy, but was bound to the matrix itself. The effigy had become a trap that held her firmly within the boundaries of the carved figure. She had freedom of movement within it, but could not escape its outer boundaries.

Power was an electric radiance around them within the stone, and there was sentience as well. What had always been a sanctuary now held the elf fast, and the sentience behind it was curious about the one who had come into his world without his leave.

There was no voice, per se, but the power that held the elf within the stone made itself known. It came from everywhere and no where simultaneously. "Why have you come to Riverbend? You have no ties to Annara."

His gaze turned to the elf, and that power which had held her. He could tell it was not her that had pulled him within. That power was reserved to another?s summons. So he turned his attention to that other... to the voice that spoken. "Do I not?"

The power that held the elf within the stone gave the distinct impression of mirth. "I would know you as one of my own, and you are not of Annara. The woman is, and I know her reasons for coming back. You however have no discernable reason for being here with the damned." She had been there to speak to him, in the only way they had to communicate now. She died a little more each time she came to Riverbend, it was not something he could prevent. But there was a part of him that needed the contact. He needed to hear her when she came. And one day, when her time was finished in the world of the living, he knew she would come to rest here. Eternity.

Alais had come here for reasons Morrin understood, but Khirsah did not play a role in these questions. Not the questions at any rate that she had come to seek Morrin's council on in any case.

He heard the words he had been expecting. So it was the Lady's mentor who held sway here. This should prove to be most interesting, at least.

He took up a casual stance, as casual as one of his nature could at least, and regarded the power, since there was nothing else to focus on. "You are correct. I am not one of your own. But that is not to say you are not one of mine."

Alais was still seeking a way to be released from the stone matrix. She did not want to be held here with The Elder. Whatever Morrin had to say to him did not include her, and yet he held her trapped within the stone. It was unlike Morrin to force her compliance in any matter. Morrin had never made anything compulsory. He had tried to deny her as a student, but in the end, both had yielded to something that had to be. But in that moment, he brooked no refusal from her and the elf was held fast within the stone. Why?

Morrin's presence went still then. "Alais? How does this one contain the spells of the Third?" There was true puzzlement from Morrin then. His work was felt as surely in Khirsah?s essence as it was in his own.

Alais d Nitesong

Date: 2006-09-22 11:01 EST
Alais stilled, ceasing her efforts to dislodge herself from the stone. "He was the keeper of the Books, their protector when I retrieved them from Harmony." She had told Morrin that when the books had been returned from Harmony as a means of protecting them. Tass and Khirsah had seemed the safest and surest means of protecting them from falling into the wrong hands. Only Khirsah had taken the third into Primordial Darkness, and there, had learned and absorbed more than anyone could have guessed at.

She went unmoving and silent hearing Khirsah. "No milord, he is not one of yours. Riverbend and everything here is his, but he is not dragon kind." Nor am I she thought silently.

He listened to the words played between the Lady d'Nitesong and her mentor. He knew why she was there... it was for answers... answers he knew she did not want to answer. But with her words, which were directed to him, a feral smile came to his lips.

"Tell me, Lady d'Nitesong... Morrin... where did Riverbend and everything here come from? Can you be so certain that my hand did not play a role in itsit's creation? There is much that happened in the beginning, especially when I returned. Think carefully..."

Alais stilled, paying special attention to the nuances of Khirsah's query. There was challenge there. A challenge implied that somehow lacked conviction of his questioning words. But, was he only toying with them?

"Riverbend is not of your making milord Khirsah, for we would recognize such if it were true." She hoped he would not challenge her on that point, for while they might have felt it from most sorcerers were they to tamper with Riverbend, she could not be certain that Khirsah could not have altered things from the Darkness that would make such sensations impossible to detect.

The power that flowed through the matrix of stone altered slightly.

"Milord Khirsah, it is time for you to go. Please." She felt the subtle shift in Morrin and needed Khirsah to leave the matrix. That he had allowed himself to be consumed was surprising, and a little disconcerting. Khirsah was ordinarily so aloof and removed. He had the power to prevent his unwilling participation here, yet he had allowed it. That was the only way to view it; he had allowed himself to be brought within the stone where Morrin?s touch was strongest.

She had wondered if Khirsah had altered the past, creating a new present that was different from what it once would have been. He had that power, and no one would ever truly know except himself. He had admitted such to her not so very long ago, or was it aeons ago? She couldn?t judge time here.

She moved within the confines of the effigy, taking up as much space as she could. Khirsah could escape Morrin?s hold, even if she could not, perhaps. Perhaps, though, she could push Khirsah out of the matrix. instead. She moved into the matrix and took up as much space near to Khirsah's locations as she could. She crowded him without touching him. He should retreat from her presence, as he always had.

Alais had come here for reasons Morrin understood, but Khirsah did not play a role in these questions. Not the questions at any rate that she had come to seek Morrin's council on in any case.

He did not move to counter the change in the matrix, but neither did he shrink from it. As she neared, however, a hunger appeared to hear...around him... one she should have recognized, yet, more deeper? a hunger for souls.

An answering hunger echoed from the blade carved in the effigy, the image of the sword Morrin had never been without. It could be felt to ripple in answer to the hunger that echoed through the matrix. ?Khirsah, what have you brought here?"

"He has brought another of the ilk of Daemonbane Alais. Can you not feel its hunger?" Morrin?s assessment slid through the matrix.

Alais d Nitesong

Date: 2006-09-22 11:02 EST
She had felt it, warned Tass of it, and now she felt the hunger as a living thing there in the stone matrix. There was a frission of fear, and the seductive thrill of power in that thought.

She paused in her attempt to crowd Khirsah out of the matrix. If she came into contact with him, would she come into contact with that which hungers? She knew the dangers of Daemonbane;, she did not know the dangers of this blade.

The clear answering hunger from Daemonbane was something she'd briefly felt. Something she knew she did not want to wield, and yet the power was seductive. It was the thing every rule of Annara had felt. The seductive power to rule and the sacrifice of the soul to do so are inextricably bound into blades such as these.

He looked both to the Lady d'Nitesong, and then to the mentor's image in the power. "What I have brought is nothing more than myself. And, as you can see, I am not yet ready to depart. So, filling this place with your presence will only tax you." His gaze locked to the Lady d'Nitesong's as he spoke this last sentence.

His hand came up to rest on the hilt of the he blade at his side, and it retreated, but only by so much as to keep its hunger sated.

She did not continue to press, but neither did she retreat. "You have not said why you are here milord Khirsah. What has brought you into the realm of the dead?" While she was pleased to see the Elder, she was none the less surprised to find him in Riverbend.

She did reach out toward the answering hunger that held a signature she would never mistake. The familiar touch of Morrin was there, between Daemonbane and her own essence. Even here Morrin protected her from the influence of the dark blade.

Khirsah?s gaze penetrated into hers. "Let us say that I was required in order to see that another tear did not permeate between this world and my brothers."

She felt his censure in those few words. He had come to prevent another failure to close a rift, and the scar in her palm suddenly flared cold.

He was tied to her, she was tied to Riverbend and Morrin, and that meant Khirsah could cross a boundary that Tass never should have tried to cross. But now, she had given Khirsah the tools he needed to make that crossing into the realm of the dead and damned.

Morrin's presence was felt again as those thoughts seared into Alais' mind. "Why did you have to come to prevent a failure to close a rift? What was so pressing that you crossed this boundary between our worlds?" Morrin voiced all of the questions she wanted to ask of Khirsah. Why had they come? She had told Tass where she was going so he would not worry about her absence.

Morrin was truly curious and the hunger she'd felt from Daemonbane earlier waned slightly.

How far did this tie between them go? What other doors had she opened to Khirsah?

How would the black gems that were part of him, and part of the books, and part Darkness play into this?

Riverbend had given rise to the magic that destroyed it and its people. Khirsah was now bound to those magics, and even darker things that she'd felt in that single black stone. Yet Tass had told her there were 13 of them. Were they all equally powerful?

She needed to get Khirsah and Tass out of Riverbend. They could not be here.

Alais d Nitesong

Date: 2006-09-22 11:02 EST
That smile didn't fade, but neither did it grow. It was one that would rarely be seen upon the Elders face... one that held in it the power of his birth.

"I said not that I made it. I asked if you knew, for certain, I did not have a part in its creation. Your history only goes back so far, but do you know what it was before then?"

His gaze hardened, the eyes turning iced, as his words coated the matrix. Then, he turned his full focus to the power that had held the Lady d'Nitesong captive.

"As for my departure, I think I will be staying a while." A single ebon-black jewel appeared around his throat. "For you see, unlike my brother, I have the patience to wait for the Lady d'Nitesong, where he would tear through the fabric that held her to set her free."

The smile that was fixed on the elder's features chilled her to the bone. Here was a dragon displaying the power that was his to control, and as his words coated the matrix the stone took on a warmth so uncharacteristic of Riverbend. I was used to the chill of death here, it is a dead world. And yet the stone warmed.

"Milord Khirsah, even if you had a hand in the beginning of time, why are you here now? I came of my free will, and am no prisoner here." She hoped he would not seize on the momentary compulsion so uncharacteristic of her mentor.

The appearance of the black jewel at his throat shook her deeply. It was the same one she had touched in the Inn, and the dark power she felt then filled the matrix of the effigy. And according to Tass, there were a total of 13 like it.

"Khirsah, I thank you for destroying Rael, but Tass and you are not of this world. The time you spend here is not good for either of you, and I have come to ask something of Morrin." This place would draw life from the living, it was inevitable.

"I am here now because the Younger has requested my assistance in being here." He looked to the power that still held her then. "As for being here of your own will?.. that, at the moment, does seem to not be the case, Lady d'Nitesong." He gave her a long assessing look.

"You speak to me of not being of this world, Lady d'Nitesong. You are not either. You are of the living in a world of the dead. I have more rights here than you. So, with that said, what is it you wish to ask of Morrin?"

She had hoped he would not have recognized Morrin's compulsory holding of her, ?Milord, I believe after Morrin and I have spoken, there will be no restraint upon my leaving, but you have not yet said why you are here other than to prevent another tear, but why did you come at all?" He was correct of course, but certainly a part of her was dead, for how else could she go between worlds with the ease of a realm walker? Sai Jon had told her of such beings, and in truth, they too must have parts of themselves that are dead.

His gaze turned to hers once more. "I have told you. I came because I was asked"

Alais shook her head, ?No milord Khirsah, you came for another reason. You would never do something just because it is asked of you. You are far too logical for such an emotional response.? She knew that of the two, it was Tass who followed his heart and Khirsah who only seemed to follow logic. And this action, coming to Riverbend was not a logical choice. There had to be a different reason.

The smile faded, and the iced eyes drew colder. His voice drew deep into the power that was welded around his neck, ?Do you know me so well, Lady d'Nitesong, as to presume my reasonings??

Alais d Nitesong

Date: 2006-09-22 11:03 EST
The power in the matrix shifted. "And do you dragon lord, Dragon Lord presume to come into my world unasked for? Unsought?" The essence itself drew a more menacing feel to the stone around them.

The smile came then to Khirsah?s cold features. "You came into mine."

The essence pauses, "I have not come into yours but long enough to force my people home. You would prefer I had not done such?" Morrin had been freed for that brief time, and yet he had chosen to anchor himself between for a second time. It was what his honor would demand.

"The matter is not how long , nor why you came... it is that you did come, by your own terms, 'unasked for' and 'unsought'."

"What is your purpose here dragon lord? I have things to discuss with the elven woman, and she is no consequence to you." Morrin was never quick to anger, but when he had been angry, it was a frightening thing to behold.

"Is she not?" Kirsah challenged him in return.

?No dragon lord.
?No, Dragon Lord. She is not. She is more in my world than she ever will be in your world. I claimed her many years ago. She came to me, not to you.? The essence reminded him. The elven woman had tied herself to the Annaran for all time, and Morrin knew that well. But there were ties he felt in Khirsah for Alais. Nothing that laid claim to her.

The Elder lifted his hand then, revealing the wound that creased his palm. "No. She did come to me."

There is a soft and fleeting elven touch to both essences. "I have come for two things milords." She pauses as Khirsah lifts the hand that binds her to him, and a chill radiates from her own scar. Was he claiming her in front of Morrin?

The essence in the stone grows colder, "And you were not there for her, were you? You turned her away, and she returned to one who would not send her away with unanswered questions." The essence of Morrin was pointing out Khirsah?s rejection of her attempt to seek him out, and his treatment of her.

"My reasons for such have been revealed. If you wish to pursue the matter further, you are welcome to ask her of those reasons." His gaze turned to the Lady d'Nitesong. "Your two things do you seek?" He effectively severed the line which the discussion was taking.

There was clear mirth at his arrogance from the essence that held them within the stone matrix.

"Milord Khirsah, there is no reason for you to remain, my questions are for Morrin" as she glanced at where his own dark blade should hang at his hip. She felt the hunger and the power, and knew the source. The black gem at his throat radiated dark power too. But the blade needed a counterbalance.

"Perhaps not, but I believe I will remain none the less." Khirsah was not going to be dissuaded.

The elf took a deep breath in this place among the dead. "Morrin? Has Daemonbane returned here to Riverbend?" She half hoped it had, and yet she knew that a part of it remained in her world.

The essence shifted, "the answer to that is yes and no." Morrin held part of Daemonbane, but not all of it.

She raised a sable brow at that. "The shadow that has been raised upon the walls of I' Taurn are then a part of Daemonbane?" She had suspected, but wanted Morrin?s confirmation, needed to know if she was correct in her assessment of the blade and its condition.

Alais d Nitesong

Date: 2006-09-22 11:03 EST
There was a cold stillness in the stone matrix. The weight of waiting on Morrin?s decision hung heavily around her.

"Daemonbane resides in both worlds, doesn't it Morrin?" She needed Morrin to see that Daemonbane could not be left in both worlds. The blade needed to be whole, or bad things would come of neglecting it.

The elf nearly reached for Khirsah's essence but stopped short of touching him. She wanted to, but the hunger from the darkness stopped her.

He looked between the two, analyzing both the essence and the Lady.

"Daemonbane straddles both realms." The essence concurred. There was an almost resigned feel around them.

His voice was still the same depths that had assailed the matrix earlier, but was softer. "Correction. It is in three realms."

The elf shivered, but not from the chill, she was long used to this world as she gave Khirsah a puzzled look. "Three"three realms? I know of 2?" She had carefully checked the construction site, always half certain she would find some trace of the blade there, but so far, there had not been a single hint of it.

"You know of the third, and have even seen itsit's work there." Khirsah was so certain, as if he had seen it himself.

"That cannot be, there has been no sign of it where it rested for so long." She wanted to deny his statement, I wanted to believe there were but two places where the blade had manifested itself, but such denial would be fruitless.

"Where did it rest, Lady d'Nitesong?" Khirsah?s question was designed to force her to accept what she did not wish to believe.

"When it came to the Isles, it rested upon my foundation stone, where I tied Eldar to the magic of the land." She would have lost all color as she realized she had not looked inside the Shrine. "And the shrine Tass built." She added with the sinking realization she was right.

The edges of his lips twitched, and the smallest of nods was given.

"Morrin, this cannot remain thus. Give me Daemonbane, it must be returned to one entity." The parting of the blade would only mean trouble if left alone to grow, and the shadow upon her wall at I? Taurn was growing darker.

A brow lifted on the Elder at her demand. "So you have come to accept who you are..." It was not a question.

She turned silver eyes on him. "I cannot allow such risk to remain milord. It is my duty and my responsibility to many to see Daemonbane returned here whole." Morrin could not do this thing, and that left only the woman with living ties to a dead world.

"Why now and not previously?" There was still the small curve to the edge of his lips.

She glanced again at where Khirsah's blade should be, and then up at him. "Power must always have balance." She was no match for Khirsah in terms of power and magic, but that blade of his had no equal she knew of beyond Daemonbane.

His gaze locked to hers, measuring her like he always did... but this went deeper. "Yes, Lady Alais d'Arma Graham d'Nitesong Sidhe, it does." As his words left, the hunger that had surrounded him winked out.

Alais d Nitesong

Date: 2006-09-22 11:03 EST
She puzzled his use of her full name, and then turned again to Morrin's essence. "Daemonbane cannot remain in both the world of the living and the world of the dead. Let me take it into the world of the living. There are no king's to wield it." Khirsah?s ability to snuff out the hunger was intriguing.

Morrin's essence faded.

The binding that held her tied to the matrix vanished and as she gave Khirsah a long, studying look, Daemonbane rested atop the alabaster effigy. Her purpose in coming had been answered on two fronts. Khirsah?s purpose in coming however remained a mystery.

She slid from the stone matrix, to the side opposite where she had once tried to crowd Khirsah out of the stone. She felt an immediate sense of loss. But was that sense of loss for Morrin, or Khirsah?

HeKhirsah watched as she left, and then gave a look around, taking note of the place and it's? quirks. Then, he too turned and stepped from the matrix.

She faced him over the stone effigy, where part of Daemonbane rested. The great black blade writhed, willing someone to take it up, as though already missing its one true master. She watched it with a horrified fascination. Even though it was not whole, it drew souls to it.

Khirsah met her gaze a moment, then he turned, walking through the exit that led to the outside.

Tass stepped up as the Elder left, and looked first at the blade, then to Alais, a questioning look to his eyes.
She looked at Tass a long moment, "Power must have balance Tass, it simply must." She reached for the hilt of the great black blade. Her resolution was made;, she had asked Morrin for this thing.

Tass? hand shot out, and caught hers before it touched it. "There is balance... even before this."

She paused and studied him. "Is there? Is there really?" She had her doubts, and yet, Tass had seen so much more than she ever would.

He nodded. "Yes. You see only the blade and its hunger. I see the dragon, and the reason for the hunger."

CantsShe canted her head slightly. "What is the reason for the hunger Tass? That dark, dangerous, soul devouring hunger?" A hunger she knew too well from Daemonbane.

Alais d Nitesong

Date: 2006-09-22 11:04 EST
He looked at her, really looked at her. Then, he sighed. "There are darker, more powerful things than what you have seen."

"I do not doubt that Tass, but you tell me I see only the blade and it's hunger, if you see more, perhaps it would be a good time to enlighten me before I do something that is not required of me." She had once taken Daemonbane up, and that brief time had changed her forever. If she did so again, she knew there would be no retrieval by Morrin this time.

He let her go and turned, walking a little bit away. "You have seen three worlds, three 'people', if you will, in the war. Those from here... those few from Rhydin... my kin..." He stopped and took another breath. "There was a fourth that was not seen, at least not in the sense of those people."

"Whom or what was the fourth?"

He stopped and turned, looking at her. "Tell me. Where is Malchor?"

She glanced around the Mausoleum, but her senses were much farther flung. "He he is not here." She had not sought out that one since she had come. She needed a rest from the exertions of Matlal, and she needed answers about the shadows in I? Taurn. She had expected that all had been returned, but if he was not here, then he could only be still in the world of the living, and that meant that there were 2 with Annaran ties that remained behind. It would explain why Daemonbane remained in both worlds.

He nodded. He knew this already. "If he is not here, then where is he?" He paused before continuing, ?...and how did he avoid the return?"

"He is Annaran;, he should not have been able to avoid the return." There had been no mistake in the spells.

He nodded. "But he did. The reason of that was the fourth."

"He must be returned Tass. That is not negotiable, and it would explain why Daemonbane is between both worlds right now." She glanced at the blade and it shifted, as though moving closer to her hand.

He gave her a final glance. "That fourth, hun, is the reason for the hunger."

"All the more reason for the balance Daemonbane would bring." She saw Daemonbane as powerful enough to confront the blade Khirsah carried, but not herself as Khirsah?s equal.

He turned and looked toward the exit, but didn't move. "What balance would it be? Good to the Elder's evil?... or Evil to his Good?"?.." He trailed off. He would not ask her what would happen if it was the later.

She watched him head for the stairs that led to the Mausoleum doorway, and she slowly surveyed the room where all of Annara's kings now lay. "Do any of us know that outcome Tass?" She certainly wished she had the gift of foresight right now.

His voice was soft. He knew she had already made her mind up, and his words were little more than the play of his heart. "Yes..." Then he too stepped up the steps.

She watched him go, leaving her alone in the room with the dead kings of old, and a blade that now existed in the world of the living, and the world of the dead.