[b] Vitralese [/b]

Vitralese felt a shift in the darkness, looking up from her book as she felt the presence of her sister entering the mountain castle their father had created in the side of a dark and tall mountain. Vita set her book aside quickly and stood, her heavy white dress trailing as she made her way from her small private library. Vitralese was the Shade’s favored child and her lodging reflected it. She was housed with the shade in a small wing that sat in the back of the mountain where there were no windows and light made it through, if the dark clouds had ever let any through any way. She had barely stepped out of the library into the rock hallway where floating orbs lit the black and jagged walls, wet with a dew that seemed to come from the mountain, when Vita felt her sister suddenly disappear. It seemed father had wished to speak to Arralina, which meant something was up. As much as the Shade liked Vita her detested her sister and was not one for idle chatter with the woman.

Vita was not keen to go to her father unsummoned but her sister’s sudden appearance and disappearance was too much of a curiosity for her to ignore. She made her way to through the damp halls, empty but for her presence…empty due to it as well, and arrived as the invisible door way to her father’s chambers. She stopped before an apparently blank rocky wall and took a deep breath before speaking softly “Father” and seeing the rock split in two. She had half hoped he would not answer but now it was too late. She stepped between the rocken slabs and into a room that seemed to never end before coming to a ledge where the floor dropped out and stood. As she watched the abyss changed as the fog swirled about and the room turned into a throne room with a deep vaulted ceiling painted with images horrifying enough to send a human to madness. As the floor solidified Vitralese stepped forward down the long deep red carpet, her heart pounding, till she reached the steps and dropped to the floor, her dress fanned out about her and her head lowered. It was only then that the shade appeared, materializing in his throne.

"Vitra, come closer my child and let me see you properly." He extended his hand, long fingers beckoning the beautiful woman to move toward him. He waited not for her to speak, pull pulled her to stand just before him, the very essence of her innocence almost overwhelming. "You will not attend the task I've given Arralina. Do you understand child? My time with you is yet to come, but it will be soon and I would rather not travel across the planes of time to do so."

Vitralese took her father’s hand and stood, small and delicate next to the shade who had already altered his size to be less daunting to the half human woman. As he spoke Vitralese looked at the shade and nodded, she would never argue him directly. “Is there something the matter?” Her voice was soft, as one not often used.

"The matter is very simple, Vitra. You will not be put in harms way nor will you damage yourself in a fight. You are chosen to sire my next child. Simply no." He pulled her closer and began to inspect her, his gaze heavy and pressed against the poor young woman.

Vitralese stood still as the shade looked her over. His powerful gaze was one of the traits the shade had passed to his own daughter, one he prized in her and hopefully their future children. Where incest warped most children the shade hoped its unnaturalness would only strengthen his own. Besides, he knew Vitra to be strong, a thing she now relied on. "I am strong father. I would slaughter any who might be fool enough to attack me." She felt her energy pulse with excitement. It had been so long since she had been out. "I wish only to prove myself to you."

He closed his eyes for a moment, looking deep into the hidden curves of the future and nodded his approval. "Do not disappoint me and you are forbidden from sharing my plans for you with the others." He growled softly and caressed her face, his body strong and lithe as he moved past her and opened the edge of the cave. "Speak not of this to Arralina. She hates me more than most others and might find a way to hurt you in lieu of me."

“Yes my lord.” Vitra bowed again till he disappeared. It was a few moments later that she made her way from the throne room and back to her own. She needed to collect some things before leaving to find her sister. A half hour arrived she stepped forward into the light of the fire and smiled, a deep red cloak following her. “Lina my sister.” She smiled at the woman, stepping toward her glad to finally see her once again.