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	Summer was outside, enjoying what little freetime she got simply playing with an abnormally large black cat with startling blue eyes, throwing what looked like a balled up piece of parchment paper for the creature to chase after and bring back to her. It was small things like this that she allowed herself to enjoy, while the soldiers were rather welcoming of her, she knew what her place really was and did her best not to get too comfortable with their presence for fear of being reprimanded for being too familiar with them. As her mind lingered on this for a brief moment, any and all train of thought was interrupted by a voice being cleared behind her. Turning her head, she saw an unfamiliar face holding out what looked like a letter to her, which only proved confusing as the young woman couldn’t exactly read. Standing slowly, she took the sealed letter from the man and glanced down at it to see if she could read anything on the front. The only thing she recognized was her Master’s name, but before she had a chance to look up and say anything to the newcomer, they were gone.

	With a frown on her face, she turned and rushed up to the walls of the fort they were currently stationed in, the midday sun casting long shadows across the courtyard she had been in. As she ran, the cat remained close on her heels, meowing incessantly at her, as if reprimanding her for stopping the little game they had been playing before the man had appeared. [color=#00FFFF]”Shhhh, Cynder,”[/color] she said to the cat as she set up a rather long flight of stairs, [color=#00FFFF]”You know letters for the Master take priority over play time, I’ll make it up to you by getting you something from dinner tonight.”[/color]

	Her response was a huff and a very distinct [color=dda0dd][i]’Fine’[/i][/color] ringing through her mind in the voice she had become familiar with as Cynder’s. Understanding animals was a secret that she had kept from everyone, as was her ability to turn into them as well as she knew it made her distinctly different from other Elves and she did not want to end up doing something far more dangerous than she had already done. Once upon the wall, she asked the closest soldier where Aldin was and immediately set on her way the moment she was told. When the male was within her sight she went to call out for him, but his name only seemed to squeak out of her, as she still had a hard time calling out to him in any manner. Clearing her throat, she tried again, [color=#00FFFF]”Master Aldin!”[/color] she managed, her words coming out in a half shout, half squeak.

	Captain Salvar was standing by three of his grenadiers that had been stationed on the battlements of Fort Kruseg. The men universally desized guard duty, but, everyone had to pitch in when it was their time. In fact, there probably wasn’t a soldier alive who liked guard duty. Aldin was doing his best to keep morale up by doing some rounds himself and making sure to check in with his charges and even deliver a little ale to them when he could. There was currently no risk of attack as the border wasn’t under threat. Of course, it was still possible, but, all intelligence suggested the Bracel were not planning a surprise offensive.  

	“Y’think we are going to get outta this dungeon soon, sir?” the corporal he was meeting with asked him after taking a long drink from the bottle Aldin had brought for him and his two privates. 

	[color=#c0c0c0]“I think command is worried there might be a surprise-”[/color] he was cut off by what sounded like someone being strangled and speaking his name at the same time. Aldin turned toward what he assumed was his slave, having to turn nearly all the way around so he could look at her with his one good eye. He favored her with a flat expression as she came trotting up to him trailed by that cat she had saved from a battlefield, nearly getting herself killed at the same time. 

	Aldin rested his right hand casually on the hilt of his hanger and turned his head slightly to the right automatically, letting him have a better look at her and also hear her better.[color=#c0c0c0] “That was impressive,”[/color] he said without emotion, “I didn’t think someone could make such a choked noise while attempting to speak.” he tilted his head to her slightly, the brim of his wide hat covering his eyes for a second, [color=#c0c0c0]“You continue to impress, Summer.”[/color] he smirked briefly. He was joking with her and riffing a bit. It was how he learned to joke around and show his affection. Too much time around soldiers probably. He had noticed her picking up on that philosophy as time went on but she seemed to be immune to knowing when he was joking with her. 

	Summer tilted her head to the side when he spoke to her, as if she were trying to determine something, though her tanned cheeks did very little to hide her blush. [color=#00FFFF]”Um… a letter came for you, Sir,”[/color] she replied, holding out an unmarked envelope save his name scrawled across the front and an unrecognizable seal holding it closed. As always, her hands were a tad bit shaky, but what else could you do when the slave you ended up with had been severely tormented by their former owner. She had gotten much better over the years speaking to him, but it always seemed to take some hidden courage to do so as her Violet eyes never seemed to meet his at any time. If they ever seemed to, she always immediately looked at something else, her focus never truly on him, even when he was speaking to her. [color=#00FFFF]”T-the deliverer said nothing and before I had a chance to ask anything he was already gone. I did not recognize him as any of your men, Sir.”[/color]

	[color=#c0c0c0] “Well, isn’t that odd,” [/color] Aldin mused as he took the letter from Summer’s shaking grasp. He held the letter in his left hand and drew out his field dagger with his right, using the tip to quickly break the seal of the letter with practiced efficiency. When you were the captain of a company you got a lot of sealed letters from nearly everyone and everywhere. The best part was half of them were all saying the exact same thing and the fact that different divisions and brigades just didn’t talk to each other became painfully obvious. He pulled out the contents of the envelope and started to read the letter. His brow furrowed as he read on. 

	The corporal looked from his captain to Summer, smiling, “Sir, look at’er.” he said gesturing with his bottle of ale, “She looks like a whipped dog. What do y’do t’her?” he asked smirking and getting a pelvic thrust and pantomimed spanking from one of the privates.

	[color=#c0c0c0] “Corporal,”[/color] Aldin said mildly not taking his eye off the letter he was reading,.[color=#c0c0c0]  “I think perhaps you are too interested in what I do in my free time.”[/color] he folded the letter back up and slid it into his envelope looking over at his men, [color=#c0c0c0] “Is your private time a little too private? Find yourself spanking, well,”[/color] he glanced down at the man’s crotch, [color=#c0c0c0] “Or perhaps it is only private in the sense that it involves your privates?” [/color]he pointedly looked back up to the two lower ranking soldiers before him. Each of them opened their mouths in surprise, shocked their Captain would turn his barb against all of them. 

	His men still cowed he looked back to Summer and sighed, [color=#c0c0c0] “This concerns you as well.” [/color] he said simply and then turned to his men giving them a quick salute and command to carry on before turning and walking toward the stairs Summer had just climbed. He didn’t bother telling Summer to follow him, he knew she would no matter what. She liked to stick right by him whenever she could. [color=#c0c0c0] “The letter is for both of us.” [/color] he explained simply, [color=#c0c0c0]  “They most likely addressed it to me because you could not read. However, the letter is making some very strange claims and demands from us. They want us to go to Tenebra. If what they claim is true, this is important,” [/color] he paused thinking about what he should or should not say, [color=#c0c0c0] “If it isn’t true then we will need to deal with it regardless as it may indicate their are spies in our ranks.” [/color] 

	Summer nodded her head, wanting to express interest in what was in the letter, but figuring that now wasn’t the best time seeing as he said very little about it despite it apparently involving her. The claims that the Soldiers had made not too long ago had made her shrink back a bit, Aldin had ever even attempted such an advance on her, but then again, he knew exactly what his brother had done to her. Chewing on her bottom lip, sharp canines barely making a dent in the constantly worried skin, she looked around in a nervous manner, still avoiding any eye contact. Instead of speaking, she leaned down and scooped up Cynder, petting the cat as it snuggled into her arms, purring softly. [color=#00FFFF]”Tenebra?”[/color] she finally asked softly, she did not know much about the countries or customs outside of Lucerna, [color=#00FFFF]”Isn’t that where the…. Um… N-Nyxians are?”[/color]

	While Summer did stumble over the word, it wasn’t because the idea scared her, it was because the word was very foreign to her and she had only read it a couple times in what simple books and scrolls Aldin had time to use to teach her to read. It was a very slow process, but she practiced when she could because she wanted to learn and he was kind enough to take the time to do so. [color=#00FFFF]”Do we have to go underground?”[/color] she also inquired, not liking the idea in the least, she very much enjoyed being around living things and animals. She did not know what was in the darkest parts of the continent, but she did not want to find out, they were probably disgusting.

	[color=#c0c0c0] “Very good,” [/color] Aldin complimented when Summer mentioned that was where the Darklings lived. She had been taking to her infrequent lessons well. [color=#c0c0c0] “That is exactly right, however, I don’t think we will be heading underground. At least, I certainly do not want to be. We are heading to The Courtyard of Sages. It is an ancient monument that holds idols to all of the Sages. It has quite a bit of religious significance.”[/color] he explained as they moved down the stairs and then across the inner yard and toward the offices and barracks. Aldin walked quickly, needing to request leave and pack all at the same time. He had really no time to waste at all if what was postured was actually true. His right leg gave a slight hitch to his walk as he powered through the courtyard. [color=#c0c0c0] ”Antiquarians have been trying to get into that place for generation,” [/color] he scoffed, [color=#c0c0c0]”Greedy little grave robbers trying to pretend they care a damned sliver for The Sages. Good thing the magic of that place keeps everyone out.” [/color] 

	[color=#00FFFF]”If it keeps everyone out, how are we supposed to get in there?”[/color] she asked, clearly confused and wincing slightly as Cynder decided she wanted to perch on the young girl’s shoulders, [color=#00FFFF]”And isn’t the air on Tenebra riddled with poisons? How are we supposed to be able to survive if this place isn’t underground?”[/color] It was clear she had many questions, her eyes darting to where he had placed the letter before she asked her last question so softly it was hard to hear, [color=#00FFFF]”And what does this have to do with me?”[/color]

	[color=#c0c0c0]”The poisonous air business is hogwash Summer,” [/color] he said dismissively, waving his hand as if shooing the idea away like a pesky insect, [color=#c0c0c0] “The Miasma theory states plainly that illness and poisonous gas come from centers of foul smelling rot. The land over Tenebra has never been foul smelling and many have been very near the land without any ill effects at all. Many even claim to have been on the land before. However, the Miasma Theory is the nail in the coffin.” [/color] he looked over at Summer with his good eye and flashed her an invincible smile, [color=#c0c0c0]”We will be just fine. Don’t worry so much. Make sure you keep your mind free of silly superstitions. Keep your mind sharp and ready for real science.” [/color] he returned his face to his far more neutral expression and stepped into the halls of the the fort proper, making a beeline for his office and room. He huffed slightly before he answered her final question, [color=#c0c0c0] “Summer, if that letter is honest, you are going to very important and I would be doing the world a disservice by leaving you behind. I’ll explain more when we are on our way.” [/color] 

	She made a face when he mentioned her being very important, thinking it to be a very bad joke seeing as she had never been important since her birth. She had been wrenched away from her mother and sold at a high price thanks to her oddity, no elves had Violet eyes and White hair, let alone feline eyes. Instead of huffing like Aldrin did, she simply puffed up her cheeks and took on a pouting appearance since she didn’t think he was paying much attention to her at the moment. While it was clear she should probably be excited about leaving Lucerna, in her mind it was just another place to go to continue serving Aldrin as she had been for the past 4 years, only now they wouldn’t be around the soldiers. As that thought crossed her mind, her cheeks flushed heavily and her pout quickly turned into a look of shyness that hadn’t been seen since he had first told her that she would have to remain in his tent with him as she was his personal attendant.

	[color=#c0c0c0] “Stop puffing out your cheeks and-” [/color] he hadn’t bothered looking over at her before speaking. He could practically feel that little pouting face she made every time something was going on that she didn’t understand. However, when he looked over he saw her blushing. [color=#c0c0c0] “Why are you blushing?” [/color] he asked pushing open the door to his office and walking directly over to his writing desk and pulling out sheets of paper as well as quill and ink. He sat down, waiting for her to answer his question and hoping she already would know exactly what to do now that they were in here and a trip was to be embarked on. It was no mystery they needed to pack and pack somewhat light. In the meantime, he needed to pen his letter to Major Grasretter, General Sinclair, and write up Summer’s emancipation papers. He wanted to have them ready before they left. He would burn them if it turned out this was all a trick, but, if it wasn’t he needed to have them ready to file with the nearest Agency of Servitude office. 

	Summer set to work packing his clothing, remaining silent as she did so for a few moments, [color=#00FFFF]“I won’t know anyone there like I do here,”[/color] she finally admitted, [color=#00FFFF]”And at least here not everyone treats me like…”[/color] she trailed off. She was a slave and the fact that they didn’t completely treat her like was was an exception because she had ended up getting placed with the support group. She pulled her weight just like everyone else, she just had extra work to do when it came to running errands for Aldin, cleaning his room, making his bed and making she his food was prepared properly. The battlefield made no difference when it came to her station and she realized that she had started to forget about that. [color=#00FFFF]”Please excuse my foolishness Master,”[/color] she amended quickly, [color=#00FFFF]”It is nothing of importance.”[/color]

	[color=#c0c0c0] “You have nothing to be forgiven for.” [/color] Aldin said passively as he continued to write his letters. He had gotten very good at the mind bending task of writing while listening and speaking. He sometimes needed people to repeat things for him but he had become quite adept at the strange skill. [color=#c0c0c0] “Let us cut to the bone here, yes?”[/color] he started, [color=#c0c0c0] “The point is, you like it here. You like the feeling, the people, the work, all of it. You like it better than what you had before and you do not want to give that up and just go back to being treated like another meaningless piece of furniture.” [/color] he stopped writing and sat back in his chair, looking over at her with his one bright green eye, [color=#c0c0c0] “How about I make you a promise, eh Summer? I will promise you that if what the letter said was true you will never be treated like a slave again, not by me or anyone else in my family or out of it. If the letter is false, well, we will come back to here as quickly as we can and everything goes back to normal.” [/color] he scanned her for a reaction as he reclined in his stiff back writing chair, [color=#c0c0c0] “Does that set your mind at ease?” [/color] 

	There was quite a bit of apprehension in those feline violet eyes, as if she didn’t exactly believe the first part of what he had said to her despite him gaining nothing from lying to her. Still, it made no sense that she would be given her freedom based on what a letter had said to him, or the fact that they were to go somewhere she assumed was rather far from the Company she had grown to like over the years. While she would not admit it aloud, they had started to feel a bit like a family to her, though a rather brash and abrasive one. [color=#00FFFF]”It only fills it with more questions,”[/color] she answered honestly, [color=#00FFFF]”There is no point in me getting my hopes up about the first option, as the second feels like it is more likely to happen by your own… um…”[/color] Her brow scrunched together for a moment as she seemed to try to search for the right word, [color=#00FFFF]”App...re...hen...sion….. Apprehension?”[/color]

	Aldin nodded, both to her word usage as well as to what she had put forward. Summer might have been lacking in anything resembling proper education but the girl wasn’t stupid. She was clever enough to see what was going on around her and learned quickly. [color=#c0c0c0] “You are right.” [/color] he admitted with no hint of negativity in his voice. He had not been trying to hide his feelings and saw no reason to, [color=#c0c0c0] “That letter talks about the return of The Sages Summer. It is luring me in with an opportunity to bring peace and balance to the world. Even if it is a trap, I can’t afford to not take the risk. The letter calls for you to join me as well and that you will be very important.” [/color] he smiled at her. He wasn’t telling her the whole truth but he would eventually. For now he needed her to not try to run off or seek revenge. He wasn’t sure she had a vengeful bone in her body, but, best to be safe when it comes to freeing abused slaves. [color=#c0c0c0] “You now know why I am apprehensive about this. It is outrageous but wonderful. Impossible but greatly needed. If it is false, nothing changes aside from both of us getting to see a few parts of the world. If it is true though…” [/color] he did not bother to elaborate. He would let her own imagination fill in those gaps. He would never be able to say something as wondrous as what she would come up with herself. The best person to convince anyone of anything is themselves. 

	[Color=#00ffff]”So I am meant to help you somehow?”[/color] she asked curiously, [color=#00ffff]”I am not sure what a sage could possibly need of a Slave, they have so much magic they don't much need anything if what I read is to be true. Unless…”[/color] The young girl trailed off as her mind mulled over everything Aldin had been telling her. She may not be stupid, but thanks to her severely stunted growth in things, it took her a little longer to piece things together than most as she had less information to work with. Finally, realization struck and those violet eyes turned hopeful, if only.for a fraction of a second. [Color=#00ffff]”You mean? I could be…”[/color]

	[color=#c0c0c0] “Starting to figure it out then I see,” [/color] he said with just a hint of enthusiasm in his normally even tone. He gave Summer a small smile and then pulled his hand up to his lips and made the shush gesture. It wouldn’t be a good idea for people to know what might be true just yet. He could think of a few people that would go out of their way to make sure that a slave never became anything but a slave. Not only that but the Zephyr would likely be rather furious that a Lucernan half-breed slave became a Sage when they had plenty of impressive citizens that could fill that slot. [color=#c0c0c0] “You are going to keep that quiet until we know for sure, yes? If you go letting anyone know what we are doing it could easily spell disaster for both of us. More you than me for sure and I don’t want to see you murdered for something that might not even be true. I don’t want you to get hurt.” [/color] he looked at her seriously, his remaining eye staring a hole through her, [color=#c0c0c0] “You understand?” [/color]

	Summer nodded her head in mellowed excitement, it was clear that even she had a doubt that such a thing could be true, but it couldn't be too far fetched right? Considering what she could do both with the wind and without, it couldn't hurt to share with him that the magic wasn't the only thing she got could it? Or maybe she too, should wait on that tidbit of information until it was just the two of them, a giant ocelot was not.something people willingly allowed to wander their camp, even if she could become other things. [Color=#00ffff]”Not a word from me sir,”[/color] she told him with one last, sharp, nod.

	[color=#c0c0c0] “One last thing then, since we are being honest.” [/color] Aldin started, turning back to his papers and putting the finishing touches on his letter to his commander, [color=#c0c0c0] “If this all turns out to be on the level I will be freeing you. Until then though you will still need to be my attendant, at least in name. If you think running around without me is a good idea think again. You would have a chain slapped back on you in a week or less and be sold off to who knows who. I would put in effort to find you, but, there is no guarantee I would be able to.” [/color] he signed his name on the bottom of the letter and set it off to the side to dry. His tone was even, scientific. There was no doubt or emotion in what he said. He was not trying to scare Summer or intimidate her, it was just a statement of fact as far as Aldin saw it.

	Silence met his words, she wasn't exactly sure what to say to him with that knowledge hanging in the air as she finally felt hope for something for the first time in awhile. After all, it only made sense, a sage couldn't be a slave, it contradicted their position in society completely. [Color=#00ffff]”I can shift,”[/color] she burted out, she was never any good with tact in these cases no matter how hard Aldin tried to make it so. Then again, she never had the chance to practice it, if a man was dying from a wound she just could not lie to them, her face was just too expressive.

	Aldin stopped writing for a second and turned in his chair giving Summer a skeptical look. His one visible brow raised, [color=#c0c0c0] “Shift?” [/color] he asked, still not convinced. It seemed like something impossible. He wasn’t exactly sure how the whole mixed breeding worked but the scholars of Lucerna had long since postured that anyone with half blood would only get the worst of all qualities and thus strongly supported the purity of humanity. It was why many elven concubines were sterilized with potions and treatments. If she could shift that flew right in the face of their previous assertions. [color=#c0c0c0] “You know I am going to have to ask you to prove it.” [/color] he said simply, sweeping his hand across her as if to give her freedom to do exactly as she claimed. Deeds, not words, The Salvar motto. 

	There was a clear moment of nerves that crossed her features for the moment, her thumbnail going into her mouth before she let out a breath of air and stripped out of her uniform. If she kept on the cloth it would tear and become unusable and she already had a fixed amount, she didn't want to lose them. Folding them neatly, she set them in the floor at her feet and stood there, naked before Aldin and completely still until the sound of snapping bones filled the silence. What was once a straight-backed half breed was now a hunched over woman who appeared to be in some pain as bones broke and shifted within the body, whoever said it was a beautiful thing clearly had never seen a Zephyr shift before. Skin slid off the body in chunks as snow white fur pushed through, a humanoid face elongating slightly to resemble that of a feline as pointed ears turned round and furry, shifting atop her head. The minutes that it tool for her shift to roll over her felt like hours to the one who observed, even more so when it seemed that the more animalistic side of the shifter decided to clean up after itself, the Ocelot before him far larger than one would be in the wild.

	Aldin closed his eye when he saw her starting to undress. He’d seen her naked before, it was actually how he had met her, but, there was a big difference between someone having no clothing to wear at all and leering at someone while they undressed. He always thought the no clothing provision of the slave charter was ridiculous. In many parts of Lucerna it got very cold in the winter, particularly in Korin. His eye snapped open though when he heard the shift begin. He stared, transfixed by the sheer horror of what he was seeing. He had met Zephyr before but never saw them shift. He supposed now he knew why they didn’t do it in public around outsiders. It was awful. He watched for what felt like forever as her body turned itself inside out and rearranged flipping through vaguely humanoid features mixed with animal ones. Finally however, it stopped. Aldin blinked for the first time in minutes. His eye was dry and painful. A few unintentional tears ran down the side of his cheek. [color=#c0c0c0] “Well. I suppose I didn’t need to ever sleep again.” [/color] at least he had his proof. 

	They prepared and departed the camp shortly after. Aldin did not wait for his commanders to give him proper leave. Things like this happened. He didn’t expect he would get into much trouble given the front was rather mellow at the moment and the matter he was going to see about was of utmost importance. He did not bother with deception when it came to his commanders, letting them know exactly why he was leaving and in such haste. He did neglect to mention exactly why he was taking Summer with him, but, she was his property for the moment and no one would ask any serious questions. He couldn’t take his bed or much more than a hiking tent and provisions with him, but, he had his pistol and rifle so they likely would be able to catch some game on their way to the nearest port city to charter a ship 

	The journey took them nearly a month, but, in time they arrived on the cursed continent. It was much as he had expected. The place was nearly entirely depopulated on the surface and covered in lush landscape. That would make the path to their destination rough. When they departed their ship Aldin was far more grizzled than he would like. His clothing was not exactly as clean as it could be and his beard had grown from the thin and well trimmed thing he meticulously cared for to more of a vagabond’s face decoration. Regardless, they departed on his dappled mare and forged a path into the wilds of Tenebra. Soon enough, they arrived at their fateful destination. Road weary and ready for anything. Kept on their feet by anticipation and hope alone. The courtyard of Sages lay before them and it looked as if they were not alone.