[h3][center]Sanc Valatir[/center][/h3]

Blood flowed through his fingers as he vainly pressed his hands against his stomach. Why did he feel so cold? Why was this happening to him? Why here and now? He had survived numerous fields of battle, yet one day in this city and a run in with a thief was to be his end? And he had such a bright future ahead!

The sound of footsteps drew his gaze up, and the through the encroaching darkness he saw the forms of a decidedly plain woman and nervous looking man standing in front of him. With the last of his strength he managed to beg “Please… help.”

The plain woman knelt next to him, seeming to not notice the dirt and grime now marring her dress. She observed him for a moment before reaching towards his wounds with one hand. “Rest now child” The woman said, something he found odd given his somewhat advanced age. Warmth spread through his entire body as she continued “And wake up to a brighter tomorrow.”


The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was the woman rising to her feet, not a speck of blood or dirt on her. She looked at him, a warm smile on her face, as the sweet embrace of sleep took him.

“To think we would see such a sight here” The woman’s nervous companion muttered.

“Just remember that even the brightest lights cast shadows James.” The woman said with a snort.

“Wait… are we talking about the Night Mother now?” The man, James asked.

“Sometimes…” The woman said with a raised eyebrow, “I forget that you don’t get metaphors. Let us be off.”

“I.. uh… Yes milady.” James said as he hurried to follow the woman, casting one last glance at the man she had healed. “How did you heal him? I didn’t see you cast any magic.”

“How indeed.” The woman said with a laugh. “Just remember this: a skilled sorceress knows how to hide when she is casting magic. But a master sorceress can bend, even break, all the rules.”

By this point the pair had stepped onto a busy street. James struggled to keep up with the woman who, for her part, showed evidence of trouble navigating the street whatsoever. His gaze traced the apparent path she was taking to the palace.

“I’ve been wondering” James said after a moment, “why we’ve been on this trip to the south in the first place.”

“Would you believe me if I said that attending this council had been part of my plan all along?”

“Um… yes.”

The woman looked over her shoulder at him with a raised eyebrow. “Really? Sometimes I can’t tell if you are being serious or putting on an act.” Given that they had journeyed to the south months before the council had been announced and had only heard of it by pure chance the likelihood that she had had any plan seemed unlikely at best. The pair had actually arrived in Sanc Valatir a tenday ago, though this was the first time the woman had so much as glanced at the palace since arriving.

“I’m not sure what to say.” James commented.

“I’m sure you are.” The woman said. By this point they had arrived at the front entrance.

“Identify yourselves!” One of the guards challenged.

“I’ve got this” James quietly said. He took a few steps forward as he began “Before you stands- UWAH!” His little speech turned into a startled cry as he tripped over his own feet and tumbled to the ground. All present stared at James for a moment before the guards turned their attention to the plain woman. The woman, with a look of amusement still pastured on her face, shifted her gaze to the guards.

“Tell your lord” The woman’s form changed as she spoke. Her dress, suited for a peasant, turned into the luxurious gown of a queen. She grew in height, her figure becoming more lithe as he hair turned blonde. “That his Archon has arrived.”