It had taken the drow many hours to convince Belial that they needed to leave the city for some much needed peace and quiet, if but only for a few days. Due to the current Mab situation, there had been concerns for her safety and a decision to leave the protection of Onyx House at the present moment might not be wise. Welverin had told Belial that they would use simple magic to slip away unnoticed from the city and had promised her that their location would not be detected. The drow was not sure that Belial had been completely persuaded that this little get away was a good idea, but she had finally given in . . .

Welverin was not really that alarmed when he awoke to find Belial was not lying next to him in their small camp. In all the years he had known her, she had rarely slept. Welverin sat up from his bedroll and stretched lazily, his arms held high over his head, his fingers wide. He looked upward through the thick canopy of leaves to the mid-summer sky. He drew in a slow breath welcoming in the fresh air. It felt great to be out of the city. It was refreshing to be away from the busy cobblestone streets and the monotonous daily routines of the citizens of Rhy?Din. It had been only a few days since the dreadful ordeal with Moria had finally ended, but he was slowly starting to feel like his life had a sense of direction once more.

It was good to be completely alone with the only one who he had ever truly trusted with is heart.

The morning breeze was cool against his naked form so he pulled on his soft leather breeches as he scanned the secluded forest grove for Belial. Welverin moved to stand, stretching some more in order to flex some of the kinks out in the muscles of his neck and back. Though the bedroll they had shared as a mattress was somewhat comfy the forest ground was still hard, and far from the comfort of the silken-sheets covering the soft bed at the Oak and Ash. He spotted his lover at the edge of the grove.

Dressed only in his cerulean tunic, she stood near the bed of a creek not far away, most likely looking for a source of fresh water for her morning coffee. The bottom hem of the shirt fell only to her mid-thigh. Welverin watched her for a long moment, marveling in her beauty. He slowly walked across the grove to join her. As he quietly came up behind her he wrapped his arms lightly around her waist pulling her back slightly against his chest. Welverin leaned in to place a gentle kiss at her neckline just above her collarbone before whispering in drow against her skin. ?Bwael kre'tan ssinssrigg.?


((Drow translation: Good morning love.))

?Some people feel the rain.
Others just get wet?
~Bob Marley

Still dressed solely in his breeches, Welverin sat cross-legged in the grass near the warmth of the camp fire. He carefully sipped the black tea Belial had steeped for him. Her preparation of the lapsang souchong had been perfect, and there was a slightly sharp smoky taste left in his mouth after each careful sip. As she sat across from him, his azure gaze watched Belial lovingly over the rim of his mug. The preparation of their early meal did not have to tackled at all. Unknown to Belial, Welverin had asked Yvette hours before their departure if she would prepare a few meals that included some of Belial?s favorite delicacies. Belial had been more than happy when she had learned that she would not have to cook. Welverin could only smile as he watched Belial busily searching through the satchel that Yvette had packed for their little excursion. Welverin was not hungry himself. He rarely ate fiirst thing in the morning. He was quite content with his tea and just being alone with his lover in this secluded forest grove, the same hidden clearing where they had promised themselves to each other so many years ago.

Welverin?s hand absently lifted to the silver necklace he wore around his neck. His obsidian colored fingers traced over the blood red ruby hanging at the base of his throat while tendrils of white mist twirled deep within the facets of the gem. The white translucent coils became more animated with each touch. As he shifted his weight slightly a contented sigh escaped his lips into the morning mid-summer air. Sill smiling, he continued to watch Belial but soon he was drifting off and became lost in his inner thoughts with a memory surfacing to the forefront of his mind.

It had been a cold winter morning, a week or so into the month of Nightal. Welverin crouched on the deck of The Cry of the Executioner, the pirate brigantine that had become his ocean bound prison. The Fates had been in quite a somber mood that particular wintery day, it seemed. Icy drops coated him, seeping into his skin. His torso was covered in a simple tunic of grey cloth. Moria, the ship?s captain, had not given him access to his belongings. If she had he would have been dressed in more protective garments. Still, the freezing rain with its bluster and chill was far better than the confining cell in the brig of the brigantine.

The silvery-white locks of his hair were nearly frozen from the rain. Some of the ice cold water dribbled into his mouth, and he licked the cold wetness from his lips. He leaned against the wooden railing and waited for the call from the crow?s nest above. He had been serving as the crew?s battle mage for less than a week now, and it was taking Welverin some time to get use to Moria?s guerilla tactics and surprise attacks. Prior to the last five days, it had been five months since he had been allowed any sort of freedom. All of his days and nights had been spent in solitude in the dark holding cell on the lowest deck. Over the course of those five days the crew of The Cry of the Executioner had captured and pillaged two ships on the open sea. Currently they were chasing a third and closing in on their prize fast, a three mast merchant schooner whose belly was rumored to be swollen with gold.

The rain thrummed on the deck, and the waves crashed on the sides of the ship. The ship was rolling just enough to make balance arduous. Most of the crew were at their battle stations or below the main decks. Welverin could barely see anything through the pouring freezing rain.

?Starboard side! There she is! Get ready you dogs!? A pirated screamed down from the crow?s nest.

Welverin could smell the salt on the rain, for the rain itself was diluted with it. Excitement was beginning to build in his chest. It had been too long since he had been able to use any of his skills, and over the last five days he had been making up for that in earnest.

As the image of the merchant ship came into view through the rain, Welverin stood unable to wait any longer. The schooner would be in canon range within moments, though it was in complete range for many of the spells ih his arcane arsenal. Welverin?s eyes narrowed into a slits as he started speaking in a forgotten arcanic tongue. The drow?s eyes started gleaming bright white, casting sharp shadows across the deck through the rain. Welverin pulled a small bit of fur and a small glass rod from the leather pouch tied to his waist. He clasped the components tightly in his left fist as his arms started weaving somatic gestures in the frigid air. Then there was light, blinding light. Thunder cracked loudly making Welverin?s ears ring. A bolt of lightning ripped from his right hand and raced toward the merchant ship. The schooner?s portside hull hissed and split, ruptured by the sheer force of the bolt. Shards of wood and rigging exploded everywhere into the air. There were screams of panic and agony coming from the deck of the merchant ship and Welverin laughed, as his eyes began to gleam again.

?Welv . . . Welv . . . answer me. Are you alright? What are you laughing at??

The concern in Belial?s voice brought his thoughts back to the present. Welverin shook his head lightly as the vision started to fade from his memory. He rose slowly from his sitting position, the mug of tea still held in his hand. He moved toward her and then bent slightly at the hips to place a gentle kiss to her brow.

?Nothing Ssinssrig. I am just overjoyed to be here with you.?

He crouched down before her and offered her a loving smile. ?So what would you like to do? The day is yours.?