Four

The Sun calls our name to lead us above

But the darkness is screaming, reaching out for our love

The great ones have walked out to dance in the light

But we watch the forsaken and prepare for the fight

The moon shines bright with the light of our father

Our night-dwelling mother the only glow we will suffer

Our duty here to protect from deep death

Whether in cleaning the air or spending our breath

The sacred stars have kissed all our faces

We are the magic-blessed of the Elf races

Their gentle hands caressing our souls

Willing our hearts when the alarm bell tolls

As the beasts reach out for the world to swallow

We shall remain deep down, our hearts filled with sorrow

The last of the fighters and the first of them too

We will last to the end times in the shadow of Nabuto

- “The Choice” the National Anthem of Virenheim

There was a strange mood the night before the party; a kind of eerie unsettling vibe as if the world was holding its breath in anticipation of some great and terrible arrival. It had lured the life beneath ground back to their homes, even if there was no hourly pattern to the day. The night market and the library were closed up and those usually out to clean the paths or tend to the statues seemed hesitant. When such sensations were felt about the city, the Royal Core and Guard were on alert and watching carefully for danger. Dregg-Eaters were the usual cause of such unsettling vibes within the magic and within the many kennelled tunnels the guards paced swiftly back and forth.

One of these guards was relatively new to the post; a former member of the Royal Core his distaste for the foreigner taking Higatso’s position had encouraged him to join the guards. A week in training had been enough needed to sit along the long length of dark passage from the Black Pit Bridge to the first set of kennels. The Black Pit was a massive shadowy passage burrowed into centuries ago by the Tunnel Worms during a spawning sensation; magic had been used to kill the creatures but the depth of the tunnel had never been checked. Thoughts to fill it up had proved useless and in recent days there had been suggestions to re-route the overspill of the cess pool, but it was still up for debate. For this lonely looking member of the guard, the night appeared dull!

That thought was not maintained for long however as his bored pacing along the brown stone edge was broken by the sound of soft feet slapping stone. Immediately he pulled the green hood down from his head, his ears flicking about gently as he tried to figure out the direction of the sound. Each foot fall seemed to echo heavily with an edge to it as though the sound was travelling downward. The guardsman could tell that the sound was coming closer but the Dreggs were not screeching and the only other passage into this large cave was from the pit. With that realisation, the guard gulped heavily before he put his hands together, muttered before grasping the air and turning his arms to produce a series of white lights. These lights he then ushered toward the lip of the octagonal tunnel the size of an elephant; when they stepped down into the darkness the light they ushered was suddenly extinguished with a soft chuckling sound.

“By Nabuto no being may enter the city from this passage – you will be executed on the spot!” The guard whimpered fearfully as he forgot about his magic abilities and instead grasped his pike, pointing the intricate blade toward the dark mouth of the tunnel. He was shaking visibly as he felt an unusual and painful sensation thrumming through his body, which he was sure was emanating from the rock. Fearfully he prepared to charge his weapon with his magic, hooking his hands tightly around the length of metal as he began pouring his white coloured aura into the pike. However, no sooner had he pushed the energy into the object to make the blade turn snow-white and whisper with a strange coldness, then a massive tentacle of prickling golden energy launched out and grabbed him from the darkness.

As his body was swallowed up in the length and he could not snap his weapon against the enemy, his skin began to boil off his body with a scream. A massive golden creature, alike to some horrid mass ripped out of a putrid corpse shuffled out of the tunnel, pouring acidic venom out of a lone orifice into the shadows. The elf within its grasp tried to scream but every moment he remained alive was agony as slowly inches of flesh were peeled away from his bones to leave only his head intact. In his last moments of consciousness and life the guard noticed a cloaked figure stroll out behind the monster, its body hidden save the edge of his face within the cloak. The guard was able to see this and with his last breath he was able to utter a whisper of despair.

“I know you…”

In that moment the guard fizzed away into the lengths of golden tentacle and the monster gave a guttural hiss before slipping back into the darkness. It was watched curiously by the shaded figure that merely shook his head gently. He looked toward the stains of burnt stone upon the ground with a soft growl of irritation. There would be a curious attempt to answer this situation and if the possibility of infiltration was not mentioned, then the figure knew that there were indeed problems within the hierarchy. But, for having lured his ugly companion thus far with the shield from the stone wavering and barely pulling at the squishy exoskeleton from this monster, the figure knew things were not as safe as it used to be. With a vicious chuckle the figure turned back toward the monster and breathed a soft sigh.

“So the king is weakened… otherwise you’d have been blown into little splats the moment you stepped into the tunnel my slimy friend. Now… return to the shadows of the forest and wait for me to call you again, in the meantime send out a message to the others. It’s time to give our plan a little test.”

* * * * *

The next morning had no mention of a missing guard or a dangerous creature, the bad atmosphere had been pushed aside and everything had returned to a complacent normality. Hope for the evening’s party was brought to the fore and the nobles were encouraging it, ignoring the concern amongst the guards and the Royal Core for a missing figure. Unconscious to this Damara and Karani went to attend their usual lessons within the academy and amongst them was a lesson in magic use for ‘mundane’ practices that could be essential in the future.

Within the underground academy on the second level with a winding stair separating it from the third level market place, there were several nonchalant chambers where desk and bench had been carved from the stone itself. Within each cool room the students of various ages learnt the fundamentals of life with magic and what was expected of them. Each degree of ability was separated out and in any class could be a mix of noble and peasant; it was the most equal period in life for the teens and vital to develop their sense of unity.

This morning had the higher level and eldest class with Head of the Academy, Lord Lutas in a lecture on ‘Domiciliary Magic Use’. This was the standard manipulation of magic for purposes outside of defence and was covered constantly. The higher the level, the harder it was to produce something simplistic and as power was increased only by the power of the being that created it, constant practice was essential to maintain control. So for Karani and Damara learning how much energy to use to produce a lone scouting ball of light was like an elephant learning how not to indent the ground with each step… next to impossible!

“Class we are not seeking an orb that will explode on contact with the enemy or maintain a mental link, this is just a simple device to check around a corner.” Their teacher stated with a gentle smile upon his soft sandy coloured face as he brushed his lush dark red locks from his face with a chuckle. For many of the young girls it was distracting and the myriad of coloured orbs pulsated and throbbed with the lapse. But with a gentle sigh their teacher continued. “Remember too that in a battle situation our minds are often in two places… learning to do something so easy when you’re at a high level can end up being vital for escape on the battlefield and how much energy you can maintain in your body. Very good Karani, but we only need one of these orbs…”

Karani, as usual, was having a lot of fun with this task as would any mage using light abilities. Not only had she produced the light orb with a gentle notion of twisting the air then she’d produced five and was sending them back and forth with little effort. She would have been gloating over the matter if the master had not just reminded her of the request for just one item. Trying to tailor your magic to a lower level was difficult; frustration was easy but in a society where you were lucky to have magic but could never use it in vain matters, such control was important. Those members of the community that could not control their magic ability were encouraged to wear special bands on their wrists made of some living force that swallowed up the magic in their blood and these people were forced to live in the foreign sector.

“This is so irritating Damara! I can’t just flick a hand for it to appear like our teacher… it’s like trying not to tread on a blade of grass!” She grimaced as she breathed out for the orbs to disappear. Although stopping magic actions was the result of thought alone, producing at a less experienced but high level could be dangerous, like giving a sword to a hyper little boy – one unconscious swing and someone could be dead! But beside her Karani could see that Damara was really struggling as her face grimaced and she kept dropping her hands out of fear. Karani breathed a soft sigh before patting her friend’s shoulder and smiling widely. “You can do it Damara… try doing it the way Lutas does… draw a light ball in the air with your finger then fill it.”

“Okay, I think that’ll be safer then turning one out of the air.” Damara wheezed in relief. She could only imagine herself turning and forcing a giant ball of flame to vomit onto the other students! But, relaxing her body and watching the air Damara imagined a small glowing sphere and traced its outline cautiously with a long finger before opening her hand to make the orb glow! To her great surprise a thin glass-like circled had appeared and with a curious lavender haze that suddenly began swirling in the air ahead of her and Damara froze. She trembled in fear as she felt something like a thousand such objects desperately bashing at her mind to appear, which she did not want to create. All eyes were suddenly upon her with excitement as she closed her eyes, lifted the ball and let it float towards the end of the chamber.

The object was vibrating at an audible level and everything about it was pulsating with her anxiety. The excited students soon began to screw their faces up with concern as the object started to grow. Damara could feel the other orbs pushing past her fingers and stuffing themselves into the floating one to make it swell, but if she focused too much on stopping them then… what would happen to the orb? The swollen balloon like object now bumped itself fluidly against the natural sharp spears of the roof stalactites, the surface rippling as it moulded around such hanging dangers. Karani grimaced and began to sink beneath the stone desk in preparation, followed by the rest of the students. Even Lord Lutas looked ready to dive aside and the moment Damara realised they were all worried, she dropped her hand. However, she dropped before she had stopping thinking about it and with a resounding snap the great object exploded into a puddle of freezing water! It turned to ice the moment it connected with stone and Lutas was only able to save himself by lifting a hand for his electric lightning powers to slice through the spray and heat it enough for him and Damara to simply become soaked.

The room exploded with laughter as Damara stared, dumbfounded, towards the doorway where the object had been floating. Lord Lutas gave a chuckle before slowly grabbing his white shirt and peeling it from his clingy body; the laughter dissipated as the young ladies were introduced to the neat, slim, physique of the elf as he switched into a spare sitting under his desk. Cheeks were flushed with surprise and then fuming rage as Lutas stepped to Damara and helpfully dried the water off her face with his removed shirt. Karani squinted in surprise at the action, which was as bad as asking Damara to go courting with their tutor!

“Don’t take it to heart Damara, you’re not the first to do that or I would not have kept a spare about. But you showed real restraint not to just let several orbs show and that’s fantastic… it means you have all the possibility of becoming a teacher yourself. Now… shall we all try it one more time?” As Damara almost sank out of sight she could hear the whispers and insults from other noble women behind her. When she’d first been engaged she never experienced such jealousy but without a partner she was subject to the petty misgivings of the more social young nobles who would now loose good partner options because of her availability!

In fact it was such availability that intrigued Karani over their teacher’s bold show of care just now. She knew very well that every young woman found Lutas’ charm and looks attractive and his position was the most secure and risk free. But, there had never been a pairing between the Benaga and Lutas household before and according to Anouk there never would be. Damara even considered that and with the current issue revolving around the party tonight, she wondered if Lord Lutas was starting to show his interest. There would be many, old and young, who would flirt with Damara tonight but she tried not to think about it. Instead she returned to her thoughts on the orbs before Karani gave a soft snigger.

“I just realised that tonight we’ll see your sister forced to dance! Knowing her she’ll stick to doing so with the married men so none of them can ask her to marry them… not that any of the actual lords want to marry her. I mean… the only bachelor she ever dances with is Yeruell and that’s only because…. Actually why is that?” Karani muttered with a snort of amusement and Damara grinned. The question pulled her out of her embarrassment long enough to grin eagerly over the thought of Anouk suppressing her rage as another drunk male stomped on her big flat feet! After-all, when they were hosting Anouk was not allowed to make her excuses to escape and had to deal with all of it.

“Yeruell? Oh well that’s because they were sweethearts as kids and I think he’s still in love with the memory of her… though there is no way she’s in love with him or ever really was…” Damara smiled and then breathed a soft sigh. She could understand if Yeruell was, after-all she had known Jarl since they were infants and always been his best friend. She had never known other friends then Talon and Karani, so when Jarl had left she’d felt helpless and lost. She’d felt even more pathetic when he’d arrived with his new intended and Damara’s reality had been cracked. She’d dared to feel love for him, assumed his feelings were equal and then….

Bang!

Another orb exploded above Damara’s head and this time she was coated in soil! Her face was a grimace but Karani looked genuinely shocked as she realised that it had been caused by jealous girls. With a groan Damara raised her hand to be permitted to go change her head scarf and was given a nod. It was not customary to wear the scarves in the academy building, but with situations like this Damara was grateful. However, her hopes of this evening’s events were cooled to a gentle frustration that she would now have to stop Anouk skinning her new bullies alive when they were introduced at the party.

When the lesson was over the group of fourteen students had just about managed the seemingly simple task. Nearly everyone had been coated in something but showers had been permitted before the students were ushered towards two hours of Weapons Meditation. In that lesson Tyfuga gave them each a weapon of some description to sit with and mentally attempt to commune with… the weapon that responded would prove the weapon of choice for future training. For Damara it was obvious she would be bound to a sword, but before she was able to leave, Lord Lutas held her back for a conversation.

He encouraged her to sit at one of the desks before gently persuading her to produce the orb again. Nervously Damara gulped but could not question him and tentatively did as she was requested with a grimace upon her face. Once more a fluid orb appeared and she encouraged it to do a circuit of the room before it disappeared. Damara was shocked to see herself complete the task and almost gave a whimper of delight over the matter. But Lutas just nodded his head slowly in understanding and produced one of his sweet smiles.

“You’re just like your father… too self-conscious in public to reveal his true potential. Don’t let them get to you Damara; you’re special and very talented. Don’t think you have to live up to Anouk’s standards because it’s clear that’s the path of an abnormal.” He stated proudly but his choice of phrasing seemed too aggressive and Damara motioned to speak. However, she was a woman and he was the teacher, she had no right to argue his praise and ‘abnormal’ was considered a perfectly natural and healthy term. Yet he noticed the expression and breathed a soft sigh before tentatively stroking Damara’s back. “It’s that dreaded demonic influence. Not only did it unravel her senses as they do but her power was cut in half. Your sister set ridiculously high standards for herself to cope with this fouling and it weakened her to the susceptibility of foreign articles. Never put your ambitions on so high a shelf you can never reach them… you’d only get hurt in the attempt.”

“If Anouk was so powerful before how did the demon get her?” Damara blurted, only to smother her mouth. She was forgetting to question respectfully let alone to lower her head and her cheeks flushed. She remained curiously oblivious to the sensation of a hand upon her back as she modified her posture to humble dejection and rephrased her question. “Lord Lutas, you knew my sister at that time and understood her mind, why do you think it happened?”

“An easy question… Anouk claimed the demon was going to return one of the stones when it was the right time for its assistance. Back then Anouk was still suffering from your grandfather’s death, she wanted to make it safer so no one else had to die and thought this was the right way. The demon saw this weakness and used it, then it stole her powers and some say a piece of her heart too…” Lord Lutas sighed as he placed both hands on Damara’s shoulders, comforting her as he spoke kindly. “Your sister was never normal… but when your grandfather died she lost the only person who was protecting her from your uncle’s ruthless training. He taught me for a while until my father rescued me from the abuse… your sister only wanted to help the kingdom but in doing so she only made things worse.”

“Then how do you feel about the Karayan?” Damara stated, suddenly feeling a need to question his thought now the being was here. She accepted his view and understanding, the whip marks upon his arm had been proof of her uncle’s tyranny, much like those on Anouk’s body. Even if they both could not trust each other anymore, Damara believed that her master was honest and would encourage good will to her new friend as he had done so all other beings to join the kingdom.

“He is a menace yet to reveal his true colours.” The words cut quickly into Damara’s mind and for a second she felt her body vibrate in warning. Something was very wrong in that statement, very wrong and abnormal for Lutas. Though she left him then to head onto her meditation Damara’s mind was swimming with a new sense of dread. She knew in her heart that the Karayan was actually gentle and truthful, she’d become a firm friend to him as had Talon and Karani… but everyone feared him. The Royal Core were too scared to misbehave and that alone was a good enough reason to appreciate the strange figure. But hate was a strange thing in their culture and perfectly allowed for anyone who was not a Deep Elf.

* * * * *

The evening was coming in far too close for Anouk to bear as she growled over her collection of dresses for the party. With everything almost set up and the musicians due to arrive within the hour, not to mention to extra servants, the Benaga Lord needed to dress up for the occasion, for the sake of her bloodline. The Lady’s job was to sort out such things but playing the role of both Lord and Lady was more then Anouk wanted to handle and she sat naked in the room staring at a collection of dresses bought for her years ago by her mother… which somehow still fit her stocky body. There was no chance she was going to wear one and thank her mother for it, but if she wore anything masculine she’d be shaming everyone.

“Ling! Please can you give me a hand here?” Anouk called out with a growl; as she only had the one female friend present there was not going to be much discussion on the choices. When she called out there was a sudden sound of empty bottles being dropped and with a grunt the door was opened and the limber figure lunged into the room. With her hands suddenly to the blades attached to her hip, Ling looked prepared for danger before she noticed that Anouk was sitting naked upon her bed with a grimace. Suddenly Ling looked a little fearful and lifted her hands up for mercy.

“I can’t and I won’t…” Ling began before Anouk cast a towel at her to keep quiet.

“I did not ask for that… I need help choosing some clothes.” Anouk groaned gently as she then strolled toward a hanging bag of fresh clothing and removed her underwear. Ling pushed herself into the pile of dresses and began to skim through for something relatively safe. As much as Anouk would prefer to be wrapped up head-to-toe in dark cloth so no one could see anything of her, but that would be highly inappropriate within the Virenheim Party society and Ling chuckled. She found something of a powder blue colour that was long enough to go to the ankles, had long sleeves but just about showed some cleavage. It was the only thing that would do the job and Ling gave a chuckle as she pulled it out with a grimace.

“This’ll do it… put some gemstone necklace on and you should be fine. Shame you can’t wear a mask or a veil…” Ling snorted, grinning as she pulled open a small stone box and riffled through the jewellery. The natural hunger for money maintained by the Blood Elf species encouraged her to be a little crazy at times when jewellery was present and slowly she began to slip on a bracelet made of shells, something incredibly rare in the north! However, the moment she put it on she noticed the flash of aggression in Anouk’s eyes as she managed to pull the long, sleek blue article upon herself. With a crooked grin Ling removed the item and passed it over to her with a chortle. “You look good… this will really make you look fancy. After-all nothing says rich like shells!”

Anouk’s hands closed around the soft white scallop shells, rubbing their almost chalky forms to remember when they had been given to her. In truth, they were the last thing she had to remember her grandmother, a Deep Elf who had runaway to the coast and then come back to be married to her grandfather. She had been a very beautiful woman with deep purple hair, dark grey skin and glittering blue eyes that had died of a terrible illness common amongst the elderly. She had been a curious figure to Anouk’s childhood, a mystery in truth, but in placing the item upon her wrist, she chuckled and patted Ling’s shoulder. Her friend could see she’d been thinking of something important because of it, but then she noticed that Anouk’s hair was looking a little too frazzled.

“For a red head you can’t seem to keep your hair frizzled unless you’re stressed!” Ling chuckled only to see Anouk screw up her face in confusion. With a grunt of irritation Ling slapped her own face and failed to explain the situation to an elf that had actual red hair that was straight from birth! Instead Ling patted Anouk’s shoulder with a little snort of total amusement as she heard the sound of Alard being leapt upon by the yellow Dreggs that had once again decided to pull the door open. “Oops… looks like the three slobbering newts have got the Aeron!”

They both gave soft groans at the sound of a common swear word and then stepped toward the bedroom door. Stepping out of the middle floor room they strode along the pale blue-grey hallway and then up a small flight of stairs to the kitchen and dining room where the giant was groaning with three Dreggs upon his body. They were looking quite content upon him, even if their weight on his chest was encouraging him to wheeze. But the moment the giant spotted Anouk in her new clothing, he looked a little shocked and the Dreggs lunged away from him. They rushed to lap at the calcium of the seashells but Anouk lifted her wrist above her head and encouraged the Dreggs to go back downstairs. They made a few cackling sounds of disagreement before Anouk’s hands rested gently onto her hips in a threatening gesture. With a few more high pitched squeaking sounds like unhappy rats, they bobbed their heads and then scampered on their clattering giant claws out of the kitchen and down to the bedrooms. The last thing Anouk needed was a trio of Dreggs eating the buffet and chasing the guests around!

With a grunt the giant man with his curious jet black naturally rippled hair, pulled himself up onto his big feet with a gentle groan. As was the rules within Virenheim households, shoes and socks were not permitted so Alard was trying to cope with the sensation of freezing stone beneath his feet; it was unpleasant but he thanked Anouk for getting the beasts off him. He then continued to open the stone oven’s little metal hatch and pulling out a series of sweet cakes, spiced buns and seed bread for the party. There were other foods, meats and pastries and salads alike on display upstairs in the ballroom but the cakes were the most important thing. As was tradition the first party of the season was greeted with all guests eating a cake made of the first things harvested for that season, which in this case would be a special herb cake. They were the last thing to be made and strictly the job of the Lady of the Household, so with a grunt Anouk ushered him away from the kitchen.

With a sigh Alard strolled out of the kitchen with Ling bouncing after him, leaving Anouk to her baking. Alard and Ling knew that they still had to put up the last few spring time decorations and open up the windows on the attic, which opened straight onto the surface. Here they needed to put screens over the windows to allow the sound of the constant rain outside to add music to the household but also to block out any dangerous creatures from getting inside. By lighting special incense made from the dung of the tunnel worms, the only product of the cursed beasts they would dare to use, most dark creatures with bad souls were put off in fear of the dangerous creature that could be swarming within. Once done upstairs the pair strolled back down into the hallway and gained a surprise when this third floor was invaded by the huffing and puffing form of Martum, sent by his master to learn what was expected of the Karayan.

“There are lots of things but its better if he just turns up for us to help him out.” Ling grunted gently but Alard just rolled his eyes at her words and she grinned maliciously. Then, as the bald form flopped onto the floor with a groan, she patted his head in a rude gesture – at least, a rude gesture amongst Blood Elves but an act of reassurance in Deep Elf culture. She then squatted down in front of him in her neat leather-brown coloured slacks with her billowing green dress-shirt making her look a little more, presentable. “Listen Baldy… tell the scary guy that he’s not allowed to wear black at all and green or blue are the most appropriate for the rainy season when there is growth. He’s not allowed to wear shoes but he can wear slippers because he’s in the Royal Core… well he’s your boss now. He’s not allowed to discuss politics, work or family matters with anyone present or do anything that would suggest that the household has less money then he expected e.g. comment on the size of the house or the hall. Plus, as a bachelor he is expected to dance with eligible young elf daughters although only with the permission of the father. I doubt he’ll get that but maybe he should just refrain from dancing. Also tell him that there’s only Dark Beer permitted as alcohol and it is served in watered down, small amounts because you can get exiled for being drunk in front of royalty!”

“Oh… sorry but then I think I need Alard’s help… he’s just a little shorter then my master and probably knows where the best clothes can be purchased!” Martum groaned, only for Alard to grimace in frustration before stepping over to the little figure, hooking him up and throwing over his wide shoulders before strolling off. “Wait… this is embarrassing!”

* * * * *

By the time darkness fell above ground the hall of the third floor was filled with more then a hundred beings. The band played their traditional wooden and metal instruments with sweet sounding flutes and pipes to make the youngsters dance or keep the atmosphere calm and occasionally they encouraged the strings to be strummed rapidly to create a lively dancing beat. As always Damara had every eye upon her as she danced with everyone willing and never lost the smile from her face; with the rules in the household being more relaxed she had no fear of showing off her legs or her soft purple hair. Every heir of the varied households rushed to have a chance to dance with her, except Jarl who held his new wife and was ignored by practically everyone. Damara and Karani had the most fun when they danced the Virgin Dance together to the gentle thuds of the round drums and the high pitched, fast tones of the pipes to make them jump and hop and spin!

It was a beautiful sight to witness and Anouk settled into the background of characters to watch her friends enjoy themselves and avoid getting involved. She hated all the hassle of the parties and though she had almost strangled Damara when she realised there would be no way to knock the party off onto someone else, she’d given up and accepted it. The atmosphere was curiously happy for once with no one stepping over to her and questioning her about money or anything insulting to suggest she was not using enough money to pamper her guests. Although the king had not come forward to the party, the Head of the Watchers and the Speaker were all present and would relay the information to the king. Even now Anouk could not give over the uncomfortable sensation she had received at the touch of the king and her nightmares had only become worse for it. But as she watched her sister dance with Martum, she realised that a figure in very dark green had shuffled toward her.

Looking to her side she noticed the tall form of the Karayan and found herself grinning in amusement. He had not been able to be barefoot because apparently his curse had meant clawed feet, but even in soft brown slippers Damara had pulled him out for a quick spin. Her acceptance of him had been touching and really warmed Anouk’s heart to see the kindness within her innocent baby sister, something she could not claim to own anymore. But with his mouth still masked for reasons of his curse and the majority of his body, the Karayan had brushed his hair back into a neat flowing mane on one side of his head and even brushed his narrow eyebrows to make them look thicker. Despite his terrifying citron coloured eyes, the Karayan looked more like an elf or perhaps more like an Aeron with his knotting muscles and immense stature… everyone felt more accepting towards him.

But as he stood beside her, Anouk could hear the nervous rasping of his fearful breath as if he were afraid of being beside her and it was quite discomforting. Something in the manner of his sighs made Anouk think of an angry stag in winter huffing and puffing as it tried to take down a wolf that was attacking, like he was trying to prepare himself for something difficult. Anouk understood her own reputation and accepted that he was probably scared she might suddenly attack him or he was unsure how to thank her sponsorship or the fact she would be giving him the best Dreggling born that season! With a grimace Anouk tried to think of something to say to break the ice before she realised her own breathing was quite rapid and her own heart was starting to thrum with excitement.

Suddenly the music seemed to disappear from the background and she felt every single aspect of her body shutting down or at least becoming silent enough that she could hear the stranger. She overlooked his breathing and the sound of his rocking feet or the way he grasped nervously at his clothes as she listened for his heart. Confusion racked her mind as she heard an echo of her own rapid pace and yet something completely familiar within. Somehow it began to whistle around her body that she might have met this figure before or he might have a link to an old soul that was trying to reach out to her.

“You are called Karayan? That’s not a Zhajti name… it sounds more Rukanat. Where do you come from, if you don’t mind me asking?” Anouk stated, realising that if she asked such things to a member of her own species it would be considered an insult towards their breeding and towards the traditional naming ceremonies of their people. However, the Karayan almost jumped out of his skin and for a moment he tapped his feet on the floor to disguise his shock as she looked up to him with a rather coy expression on her grey-blue face. Anouk decided to explain her question just a little more, if only to give him a little more information on the situation in this kingdom. “You see… when we’re recognised in the womb our fathers go above ground at night to see the first star in the sky. When they see the stars form a letter or they spot a significant star, that letter is chosen for our name. The parents then seek the Head Healer who chooses the approved page of names for that year. For example, I was noticed when the first Argigas star was in the sky… typically a sign I should have been male. Upon seeing my aunt my parents chose a powerful male name that would have titled me ‘defender’ and as a safety chose the female name Anouk in case it was the opposite… it means ‘grace’ but I don’t think that suits.”

“In the ice realms to the far north west upon the Dead Ocean, Anouk means snowflake and is a name given to the most beautiful woman within the community.” The Karayan stated with a soft grunt that made Anouk’s eyes widen in shock. She had never heard such a thing before or even considered such a fragile meaning to a name that sounded like a dog bark. When she realised though that there was a hidden compliment in the statement, she felt her face turning crimson and grimaced at the realisation that she appreciated it. The Karayan just gave a soft chuckle of amusement before groaning. “I was named by the one to curse me…”

As the two attempted to have a conversation Damara and Martum stepped off from the dance floor to rest when they spotted the pair in the background. Everyone else present was now fixated on Lord Wanye’s youngest daughter spinning around with her long thin shawl in a traditional dance that was known only to that household. The pair of them were curious as to what conversation might have been going on and when they noticed the slight blush upon Anouk’s face they shuffled as close to the pair as possible. They wanted to know exactly what was being said and why there was so much of a reaction going on. Droy had already informed them both that Karayan had been quite interested in speaking to Anouk before but had been too self-conscious, so what could be so important?

Damara pressed herself behind a large stone crystal, an ornament of wealth within the hall that was eight feet tall and an ideal place to hide. She was joined as she slipped behind it by Martum who was just as curious. The pair of them grimaced at each other for the sudden tightness of the little gap in the natural stone around it as they stared out at the pair. To their disappointment Anouk’s face had lost its blush and instead was becoming more curious and even a little afraid as the masked figure seemed to tower down at her. Anouk was not a short woman; in fact she was nearly six foot and quite tall for a Deep Elf female but a whole foot above her Karayan was still intimidating and the two watchers pressed themselves very close to listen.

“You should be careful what you talk about Karayan… it would be considered rude to talk about such things during a happy event.” Anouk stated with a slight grimace as she was informed of Karayan’s memories of being alone in the shadowy lands to the south, in agony trying to recall what had happened to him. He was trying to explain the nature of his curse but she could not understand why he had chosen to speak to her in the first place. Feeling fearful and wanting to escape this whole situation, Anouk wanted to discourage any more talk but she could feel part of her burning to learn more. “Maybe you’d be better talking to my friend Loteg… he’d be intrigued by the visit.”

“I do not want to talk to anyone but you… Anouk.” Karayan stated with a deep growl that rocked her to the core. Somehow every time he said her name something inside her body fluttered and thumped with delight. Some part of her was desperately clambering to step to the fore and guide her in this matter, to make her relax and accept the Karayan’s friendship. His loyalty would be unquestionable, she could sense that already, but her heart practically stopped as he asked her tentatively. “Anouk… there is one thing I do remember clearly of my past, but I fear you have been forced to forget it as they tried to make me….”

“Lord Benaga!” The sudden interruption came to Anouk’s advantage as she jumped in surprise at the approach of Lord Yeruell and Karayan went quiet. Listening in Martum and Damara looked to one another in shock at the suggestions but they watched Karayan stroll off with a frustrated snarl and returned their attention towards the speaker. As always the gentleman, who’d only gained his position because of the death of his cousin, was wearing soft green robes with his long hair left to swing long past his very narrow and pointed ears that were taller then his head. There was nothing but smiles on his adorably soft face as he looked toward Anouk and praised her party. Anouk looked to where the Karayan had been and then lowered her head gently in humility. Yeruell noticed this sudden depression upon his friend and gently placed his hand upon her shoulder. “Anouk… did he say something to upset you?”

“Oh no Ilos…”Anouk stated with a soft sigh as she addressed her companion by his first name before staring out at the departing behemoth. “… quite the opposite in fact.”

The Karayan felt very uncomfortable within the presence of Ilos Yeruell, if only because he had come to understand the figure had more history with Anouk and the Benaga Household then any other being. In fact, had his cousin not perished against a Grimace Horde then Yeruell and Anouk would probably have been married… he could not completely understand why but the thought quite upset him and his head ached for it. Karayan had partial memories of aspects of his life before he was given his name and though he knew what he was, he could not tell these people because they would not know him. Worse still he did have one string of memories like knots in a line to measure depth that were broken apart by pockets of time he could not fill. All these memories had within them were aspects of this place or perhaps even dreams of this place seen through the eyes of another.

Karayan could not explain it and Anouk was right to warn him not to discuss the situation. Instead he focused on something that he did understand completely and that was the sound of something troubling upon the surface. With no one willing to step away from the hall and the party, the giant figure was able to squeeze about them and move toward the hall that led to the surface rooms. It was a long flight of stairs and the sound up above was of beautiful dancing rain bouncing off the metal roof, but also off something else. His nose twitched in frustration as he recognised an unpleasant smell mixed in with the rain and steadily he paced up the stairs with a growl of irritation.

Upon reaching the high walled attic he looked about at the various crystal and magic traps that pushed all demonic forces and troublemakers away. With the air stinking of the tunnel worm incense as well, the Karayan was confused why there could be any kind of monster hanging around and waiting for trouble. He growled within his mask as he slowly stepped his feet around the series of markings upon the blank wooden floor. Karayan stepped cautiously to the screen in front of the windows and delicately hooked his claws around the gaps, popping it out of place and shifting it to the side. Once done, he stepped outside into the rain and onto the thick green meadows that the Benaga Household grazed their cattle and deer on during the summer.

He was amused when his citron eyes locked onto the familiar shimmering golden-orange form of an energy demon, which was not the most difficult monster to get rid of but an unpleasant thing. They absorbed everything they touched in their great glowing tentacles but normally rain damaged their bodies and forced them back into the shadows of the mountains where they could walk about in silence and grab anything that came passed. Seeing one so far away from the Giroff as well as out of the Orcreich was worrying and Karayan growled at it. He was aware of the former Royal Core member that had disappeared and upon investigating with the police had voiced an opinion that it was a demonic death and now he was sure he’d found the culprit.

Buzzing in the rain and swaying back and forth in its pain and frustration, the curious blob like creature sitting on two great stumps of legs with its tentacles wiggling out of the tip of its cloud-like mass watched him. It did not have eyes and instead simply maintained a mouth-like opening at the centre of its mass that worked more as an exit point then for swallowing. Even if it could not see him, the tentacles picked up on the chemical change in the air, the vibration of the Karayan’s feet as well as the tickling clicks of energy in the air that told the creature whether it was fighting a mage of great strength or bumping into a female of its species… which had two openings. The creature could tell that there was something very different and dangerous about the figure in front of it, but it was waiting for something else and its lack of reaction made Karayan snarl.

“You’re waiting for a master aren’t you? What lunatic by the blood of Malanira would dare to control…” Karayan stated to himself but to him it was more proof of the terrible treachery that he could smell in the air of Virenheim. When he had spoken to their king he had been pleased that the figure had been willing to actually communicate with him directly and told him he was sickly… that alone had been why Karayan had been accepted. Virenheim really was in danger and Karayan slowly removed the mask from his mouth as well as his robes, ready to remove this creature and learn whatever he could of the traitor within.

Next Chapter: Five