Kaithe Dame
Lyla
xVampire3go
Yankee
deegee
Obscene Symphony
Fetzen
Deadline
Overlord Thraka
The first lump of snow on the road to Stone Crest was little more than a brownish smear in the shade of a wagon-scratched stump. Even so, Rilana was so starved for a breath of home that she leaned back in her saddle to slow the stocky fjord-horse to a stop, staring down at the slush for so long that the squire Tomas rode back to see what she was doing.
"What's wrong?" he asked, following her gaze with his brows furrowed under his thatch of flaxen hair. Tomas may have been a squire to the Lord Knight of the Citadel, but Rilana wondered if he might be suited to the work of a scribe more than squire.
You don't even like to think his name, Kona pointed out inside her mind. He was not talking about Tomas.
Perhaps it's safer?
You're putting something off.
Again, perhaps that's for the best. When it came to the Lord Knight, her feelings were a tangle, and she was afraid that if she picked through them she wouldn't like what she found in the middle.
He may have been a southlander knight in training, but Tomas wasn't burden on the road. He handled his horse with ease and a kindness that Rilana appreciated on the steed's behalf. Their first hours had been spent mostly in silence punctuated only by the clip-clop of hooves on the road and the occasional discussion of the mission Rilana was expected to lead from Stone Crest. But while the pale moon fey may have preferred to keep her silence, Tomas turned out to be less of a stick-in-the-mud than she had assumed. It turned out that he was the son of a rancher and a silent hunter in Green Fall and on the second day they found it easy to talk about animals. A safe subject.
"It's nothing," she reassured him, turning to him with a pretty smile that, while somewhat sad had still made him feel the need to sit a bit straighter in his saddle. His reaction was curious, and perhaps for the sole reason that there wasn't much else to do, Rilana fluttered her eyelashes at him and grinned when his cheeks turned red.
And then the snow began to fall and Rilana nearly wept as the sparkly flakes settled in her hair. The lightest dusting, of course, but it lightened Rilana's heart all the same. She let the young man lead the way, smiling gently when he turned to look at her, but her thoughts were mostly elsewhere.
For one thing, the balauradon was getting larger by the day and was no longer content to sleep in a rapidly degrading leather satchel. Even with the snow falling, the two-headed beast had learned to ride on the carefully-wrapped gear strapped over Bruin's haunches, her claws dug into the thick leather, both heads looking in different directions. She sometimes followed along behind the horses, prowling along in a zig-zag between the edges of the road, but as she was not yet able to get back up on the horse herself Rilana frequently had to stop and pick her up. Each day this became less, though, as the moon fey continually worked on training the beast to be less of a burden on the travelers. Who knew what hardships they might face on the road to Frigmount that might make the strangers she was responsible for begrudge the habits and ways of their guide?
And when the chimera was resting obediently behind her, Rilana found the piece of onyx in her hand, her fingers rubbing the smooth bumps for hours at a time as she considered the otherworldly animal. She had named the creature Ortha, and used her dagger to finish the piece of onyx with details that made the resemblance to the two-headed creature uncanny. As unwise as it had seemed at first, there was surely already a bond between her and the baby she had rescued from the tourney grounds. So when she realized that not only was she suddenly able to feel the Bonded creature's magic as a presence behind her but that she was almost unconsciously guiding it towards the lump of rock in her hand, the Druid hesitated on the precipice of making an irreversible decision.
Kona?
Had the gryphon been tangible at the moment he would have looked over at the balauradon with his beak lifted in distaste. It was no secret that he didn't think highly of the oft-clumsy extradimensional Ortha. But he couldn't deny the kind of person he belonged to and eventually gave a flip of his long feathered tail.
You think it unwise to make a Familiar out of her for a reason no more noble than to protect her from a world where she doesn't belong.
Rilana could see him peering at her out of one eye, one of his ear-tufts quirked at a roguish angle. Her doubts laid bare, she waited to hear what he would say.
I can't think of a more noble reason. What are Druids for? I love you for caring what I think, but I love you enough to want to share you with someone who needs it.
"I love you too, Kona," she whispered out loud, grinning as the gryphon swept away her hesitation as easily as flapping his wings could sweep new snow off a boulder. She wondered if he would be so generous with sharing a piece of her heart if she wanted to give it to...
Hearing her voice, Tomas dropped his horse back so he could look at the beautiful tall woman, his eyes falling to her tightly-clenched fist.
"What was that?"
It was perhaps this moment that Rilana began to walk the path of a Druid like she owned it. She could feel the support of her intelligent Familiar as a bolster when she turned back to Ortha with a purpose, guiding the black creature's essence into the little effigy. Ortha woke up, blinking the eyes of each head at different times. Standing on her hind legs, she sprang unsteadily to Rilana's shoulder and then oozed down into her lap, grumbling and grawping at the sensation of arcane power that lay thick and invisible around the unlikely party. Even Bruin tossed his head, his ears angling backwards as he glanced at his riders to see what Rilana was up to. But whether by his training or his trust, he trodded onwards.
Rilana's hand opened, partly so that she could watch what happened and partly because the stone was growing warm. It was a feverish simmer that perfectly matched the balauradon's inner heat. The stone began to glow, the knife-scratches growing shiny and blurring as though the object was about to melt. And it did shift like slow liquid, hardening from nose to tail as the features became more recognizible and infinitely more definied, until a miniature balauradon rested lifelessly but eerily lifelike, a stark contrast to the moon fey's white skin. Her other hand stroked Ortha's tough warm hide affectionately, relishing their new, permanent connection.
And the magic didn't fade away as soon as the deed was done, but seemed to settle around Rilana in the way a warm blanket might comfort someone who could actually feel the winter's chill. The last few months had been horrible, and the next few months promised to be just as uncomfortable, but in this moment Rilana decided that she could afford to let happiness wash over her.
With a dazzling grin, she glanced up at Tomas. He was staring with wide eyes and his mouth open, but to his credit he hadn't backed away. It occured to Rilana that perhaps she shouldn't have been so open with magic in front of a knight. Or squire. Whatever.
Stop that. We're going home. No need to hide it anymore.
While she tucked the brand new Effigy into a pouch on her hip, she giggled at Tomas' expression, a rare sparkle of mischief in her eyes. "You like that? You should see my other one."
Kona purred.
--
The arrival in Stone Crest was a bit of a surprise for Rilana. On her way down to Ebonfort the first time, the mining village had seemed huge and full of the wonder of strange people and stranger customs. But after the oppressive might of Ebonfort and everything else she had been through, even Stone Crest seemed like a step back towards the familiar. The fact that the icy wind toyed playfully with her braided hair only helped.
But in the day or so before it was actually time to gather with the expedition, Rilana's optimism began to wane. In the marketplace she replaced Ortha's satchel with one that wasn't only larger, but better made and more ornate as well. While passing her money to the half-drow shopkeeper, she overheard two Frost Trolls muttering about a 'magician' in the mountains. Rilana also noticed that the number of dwarves and humans in Stone Crest seemed to have dwindled significantly since she was last here. That might have been expected with winter in full force, but there were so many drow and orcs now... And she didn't like the way they looked at Ortha.
With the new satchel, some extra food, and a pair of soft moccasins she hadn't been able to resist, she headed back to the gate where the delegation would assemble and waited.
--
The sight of the saddled rams brought a smile to Rilana's face. The horned shaggy beasts were known for the sure-footedness and knowing that the southlanders wouldn't be trying to trek through the mountains on the backs of their thin-skinned horses was a huge relief. The rams could also eat just about anything and wouldn't end up foundering after weeks on ice.
Perched comfortably on Bruin's back, Rilana's gaze slid to the north, her mind flying far ahead of where her eyes could see as she considered the paths that would take them to Frigmount. The mountain pass would be far quicker, though in the best of times it would be more treacherous.
"Don't take the mountain passes. It is death."
The prophetic comment imparted on her by the Ebonfort paige had been a chilling message indeed. She hadn't thought about it much on the journey with Tomas, but couldn't help hearing the words now with the snowy mountains in front of her. People began to arrive and she turned Bruin to face them, her cold blue eyes searching each in turn.
Who among them could she trust? Which would be a burden on the journey ahead? She moved silently down the line, meeting the eyes of those who looked at her, observing their gear, knowing it would be the last chance to make sure these people were properly outfitted. It was still impossible to determine the ranks of the knights by their sashes or pins, and she noticed that most of the knights eyed her own silver sash curiously as she passed. The moon fey had it tied fetchingly around her waist, the tails dangling down her left hip, not really caring if it was correct so long as it didn't get in her way.
And because she didn't want it close to her neck. Something about draping it over her shoulder and down her torso seemed stifling.
Rilana passed a drow woman and almost lifted her hand to make the silent gesture of greeting. Her sign-language was tragically rudimentary, but she had met one or two of the dark elves in her travels. But her hand fell back to her lap when she met the woman's eyes and was surprised to find open dislike etched in those ebon features. She aught to have been upset, but somehow it was almost comforting. The expression was what she had expected to find on every face once she had left the Frostfell. For once she didn't feel her pulse quicken with fear. Instead, perhaps only because she was so very tired of worrying, her eyes hardened icily before she moved on without a word.
And her expression changed once again when she noticed a direwolf pup covorting in the snow. A red direwolf pup! "Alya!" Her tone was one of pleasant surprise and she chuckled happily, sliding from Bruin's back as nimbly as a cat. Ortha, who had been gnawing thoughtfully on the end of Rilana's longbow where it was strapped within arm's reach on the top of her gear, slid down into the saddle, long plated tail waving as one head followed the yipping wolf while the other was looking up at one of the roofs, perhaps spotting a dark figure lurking there.
Waiting only until Alya straightened up, Rilana simply crouched slightly and wrapped her arms around Alya's shoulders in a hug. "What are you doing here? I never expected to see you again. I can't tell you how glad I am to be wrong." It might be a hard journey for someone so small, but Rilana was the last person to doubt someone like Alya. "I can't wait to show you my home! And I bet Echo will get along great with the moon-sledders. Do you have gear?" She straightened up, almost bubbling over with happiness at having someone along who she might even call a friend.
She chuckled, glancing down to make sure Alya was at least wearing shoes, realizing that the flute-player wouldn't be able to answer her without scrounging for a scrap of paper and a pencil nib. "Well if you're needing something I made sure to bring extra. Don't bother writing to me now. We can catch up tonight once we set up camp. We're going to leave soon so go get on your ram." She turned back to Bruin, but not before glancing at Lyle, still grinning prettily, though her eyebrow quirked at the flask in his hand.
"Move, Ortha." She put a foot in the stirrup and swung up, the balauradon moving just in time to avoid being sat on.
The fact that there was an extra ram meant little to Rilana. If anything, it would be wise to have an extra beast in case something happened to one of the others, or as a way to carry any extra gear. Guiding Bruin to the front of the line she turned back to announce that it was time to head out when a voice from up high interrupted her. A voice that was uncomfortably familiar.
What were you saying about him not needing you if he was going to be here himself? Kona's displeasure mirrored her own, but for different reasons. Rilana didn't answer because nothing she could think of was comforting. Perhaps this was just a lack of trust, which in truth she couldn't say she blamed him for.
Any optimism buttressed by meeting Alya again and knowing that her home was so close was dashed the moment Svarak dropped down from the roof. She met his gaze but couldn't hold it, glancing away. The flash of the cat's eyes stirred something. A memory? Something dark and oppressive. A dream, perhaps. She idly plucked at the silver sash around her waist and simply waited until he climbed up onto his ram.
Glancing down the line at the waiting faces, Rilana straightened a little and nodded. "Yes. Let's go. Once the road splits we'll take the forest path. I don't want to take the mountain pass." She didn't explain why. Turning in her saddle, she raised her voice so that the rest could hear her. "Alright everyone. Time to move out."
Bruin's black tail swished as he passed the gate, his ears pricked forwards eagerly.
"What's wrong?" he asked, following her gaze with his brows furrowed under his thatch of flaxen hair. Tomas may have been a squire to the Lord Knight of the Citadel, but Rilana wondered if he might be suited to the work of a scribe more than squire.
You don't even like to think his name, Kona pointed out inside her mind. He was not talking about Tomas.
Perhaps it's safer?
You're putting something off.
Again, perhaps that's for the best. When it came to the Lord Knight, her feelings were a tangle, and she was afraid that if she picked through them she wouldn't like what she found in the middle.
He may have been a southlander knight in training, but Tomas wasn't burden on the road. He handled his horse with ease and a kindness that Rilana appreciated on the steed's behalf. Their first hours had been spent mostly in silence punctuated only by the clip-clop of hooves on the road and the occasional discussion of the mission Rilana was expected to lead from Stone Crest. But while the pale moon fey may have preferred to keep her silence, Tomas turned out to be less of a stick-in-the-mud than she had assumed. It turned out that he was the son of a rancher and a silent hunter in Green Fall and on the second day they found it easy to talk about animals. A safe subject.
"It's nothing," she reassured him, turning to him with a pretty smile that, while somewhat sad had still made him feel the need to sit a bit straighter in his saddle. His reaction was curious, and perhaps for the sole reason that there wasn't much else to do, Rilana fluttered her eyelashes at him and grinned when his cheeks turned red.
And then the snow began to fall and Rilana nearly wept as the sparkly flakes settled in her hair. The lightest dusting, of course, but it lightened Rilana's heart all the same. She let the young man lead the way, smiling gently when he turned to look at her, but her thoughts were mostly elsewhere.
For one thing, the balauradon was getting larger by the day and was no longer content to sleep in a rapidly degrading leather satchel. Even with the snow falling, the two-headed beast had learned to ride on the carefully-wrapped gear strapped over Bruin's haunches, her claws dug into the thick leather, both heads looking in different directions. She sometimes followed along behind the horses, prowling along in a zig-zag between the edges of the road, but as she was not yet able to get back up on the horse herself Rilana frequently had to stop and pick her up. Each day this became less, though, as the moon fey continually worked on training the beast to be less of a burden on the travelers. Who knew what hardships they might face on the road to Frigmount that might make the strangers she was responsible for begrudge the habits and ways of their guide?
And when the chimera was resting obediently behind her, Rilana found the piece of onyx in her hand, her fingers rubbing the smooth bumps for hours at a time as she considered the otherworldly animal. She had named the creature Ortha, and used her dagger to finish the piece of onyx with details that made the resemblance to the two-headed creature uncanny. As unwise as it had seemed at first, there was surely already a bond between her and the baby she had rescued from the tourney grounds. So when she realized that not only was she suddenly able to feel the Bonded creature's magic as a presence behind her but that she was almost unconsciously guiding it towards the lump of rock in her hand, the Druid hesitated on the precipice of making an irreversible decision.
Kona?
Had the gryphon been tangible at the moment he would have looked over at the balauradon with his beak lifted in distaste. It was no secret that he didn't think highly of the oft-clumsy extradimensional Ortha. But he couldn't deny the kind of person he belonged to and eventually gave a flip of his long feathered tail.
You think it unwise to make a Familiar out of her for a reason no more noble than to protect her from a world where she doesn't belong.
Rilana could see him peering at her out of one eye, one of his ear-tufts quirked at a roguish angle. Her doubts laid bare, she waited to hear what he would say.
I can't think of a more noble reason. What are Druids for? I love you for caring what I think, but I love you enough to want to share you with someone who needs it.
"I love you too, Kona," she whispered out loud, grinning as the gryphon swept away her hesitation as easily as flapping his wings could sweep new snow off a boulder. She wondered if he would be so generous with sharing a piece of her heart if she wanted to give it to...
Hearing her voice, Tomas dropped his horse back so he could look at the beautiful tall woman, his eyes falling to her tightly-clenched fist.
"What was that?"
It was perhaps this moment that Rilana began to walk the path of a Druid like she owned it. She could feel the support of her intelligent Familiar as a bolster when she turned back to Ortha with a purpose, guiding the black creature's essence into the little effigy. Ortha woke up, blinking the eyes of each head at different times. Standing on her hind legs, she sprang unsteadily to Rilana's shoulder and then oozed down into her lap, grumbling and grawping at the sensation of arcane power that lay thick and invisible around the unlikely party. Even Bruin tossed his head, his ears angling backwards as he glanced at his riders to see what Rilana was up to. But whether by his training or his trust, he trodded onwards.
Rilana's hand opened, partly so that she could watch what happened and partly because the stone was growing warm. It was a feverish simmer that perfectly matched the balauradon's inner heat. The stone began to glow, the knife-scratches growing shiny and blurring as though the object was about to melt. And it did shift like slow liquid, hardening from nose to tail as the features became more recognizible and infinitely more definied, until a miniature balauradon rested lifelessly but eerily lifelike, a stark contrast to the moon fey's white skin. Her other hand stroked Ortha's tough warm hide affectionately, relishing their new, permanent connection.
And the magic didn't fade away as soon as the deed was done, but seemed to settle around Rilana in the way a warm blanket might comfort someone who could actually feel the winter's chill. The last few months had been horrible, and the next few months promised to be just as uncomfortable, but in this moment Rilana decided that she could afford to let happiness wash over her.
With a dazzling grin, she glanced up at Tomas. He was staring with wide eyes and his mouth open, but to his credit he hadn't backed away. It occured to Rilana that perhaps she shouldn't have been so open with magic in front of a knight. Or squire. Whatever.
Stop that. We're going home. No need to hide it anymore.
While she tucked the brand new Effigy into a pouch on her hip, she giggled at Tomas' expression, a rare sparkle of mischief in her eyes. "You like that? You should see my other one."
Kona purred.
--
The arrival in Stone Crest was a bit of a surprise for Rilana. On her way down to Ebonfort the first time, the mining village had seemed huge and full of the wonder of strange people and stranger customs. But after the oppressive might of Ebonfort and everything else she had been through, even Stone Crest seemed like a step back towards the familiar. The fact that the icy wind toyed playfully with her braided hair only helped.
But in the day or so before it was actually time to gather with the expedition, Rilana's optimism began to wane. In the marketplace she replaced Ortha's satchel with one that wasn't only larger, but better made and more ornate as well. While passing her money to the half-drow shopkeeper, she overheard two Frost Trolls muttering about a 'magician' in the mountains. Rilana also noticed that the number of dwarves and humans in Stone Crest seemed to have dwindled significantly since she was last here. That might have been expected with winter in full force, but there were so many drow and orcs now... And she didn't like the way they looked at Ortha.
With the new satchel, some extra food, and a pair of soft moccasins she hadn't been able to resist, she headed back to the gate where the delegation would assemble and waited.
--
The sight of the saddled rams brought a smile to Rilana's face. The horned shaggy beasts were known for the sure-footedness and knowing that the southlanders wouldn't be trying to trek through the mountains on the backs of their thin-skinned horses was a huge relief. The rams could also eat just about anything and wouldn't end up foundering after weeks on ice.
Perched comfortably on Bruin's back, Rilana's gaze slid to the north, her mind flying far ahead of where her eyes could see as she considered the paths that would take them to Frigmount. The mountain pass would be far quicker, though in the best of times it would be more treacherous.
"Don't take the mountain passes. It is death."
The prophetic comment imparted on her by the Ebonfort paige had been a chilling message indeed. She hadn't thought about it much on the journey with Tomas, but couldn't help hearing the words now with the snowy mountains in front of her. People began to arrive and she turned Bruin to face them, her cold blue eyes searching each in turn.
Who among them could she trust? Which would be a burden on the journey ahead? She moved silently down the line, meeting the eyes of those who looked at her, observing their gear, knowing it would be the last chance to make sure these people were properly outfitted. It was still impossible to determine the ranks of the knights by their sashes or pins, and she noticed that most of the knights eyed her own silver sash curiously as she passed. The moon fey had it tied fetchingly around her waist, the tails dangling down her left hip, not really caring if it was correct so long as it didn't get in her way.
And because she didn't want it close to her neck. Something about draping it over her shoulder and down her torso seemed stifling.
Rilana passed a drow woman and almost lifted her hand to make the silent gesture of greeting. Her sign-language was tragically rudimentary, but she had met one or two of the dark elves in her travels. But her hand fell back to her lap when she met the woman's eyes and was surprised to find open dislike etched in those ebon features. She aught to have been upset, but somehow it was almost comforting. The expression was what she had expected to find on every face once she had left the Frostfell. For once she didn't feel her pulse quicken with fear. Instead, perhaps only because she was so very tired of worrying, her eyes hardened icily before she moved on without a word.
And her expression changed once again when she noticed a direwolf pup covorting in the snow. A red direwolf pup! "Alya!" Her tone was one of pleasant surprise and she chuckled happily, sliding from Bruin's back as nimbly as a cat. Ortha, who had been gnawing thoughtfully on the end of Rilana's longbow where it was strapped within arm's reach on the top of her gear, slid down into the saddle, long plated tail waving as one head followed the yipping wolf while the other was looking up at one of the roofs, perhaps spotting a dark figure lurking there.
Waiting only until Alya straightened up, Rilana simply crouched slightly and wrapped her arms around Alya's shoulders in a hug. "What are you doing here? I never expected to see you again. I can't tell you how glad I am to be wrong." It might be a hard journey for someone so small, but Rilana was the last person to doubt someone like Alya. "I can't wait to show you my home! And I bet Echo will get along great with the moon-sledders. Do you have gear?" She straightened up, almost bubbling over with happiness at having someone along who she might even call a friend.
She chuckled, glancing down to make sure Alya was at least wearing shoes, realizing that the flute-player wouldn't be able to answer her without scrounging for a scrap of paper and a pencil nib. "Well if you're needing something I made sure to bring extra. Don't bother writing to me now. We can catch up tonight once we set up camp. We're going to leave soon so go get on your ram." She turned back to Bruin, but not before glancing at Lyle, still grinning prettily, though her eyebrow quirked at the flask in his hand.
"Move, Ortha." She put a foot in the stirrup and swung up, the balauradon moving just in time to avoid being sat on.
The fact that there was an extra ram meant little to Rilana. If anything, it would be wise to have an extra beast in case something happened to one of the others, or as a way to carry any extra gear. Guiding Bruin to the front of the line she turned back to announce that it was time to head out when a voice from up high interrupted her. A voice that was uncomfortably familiar.
What were you saying about him not needing you if he was going to be here himself? Kona's displeasure mirrored her own, but for different reasons. Rilana didn't answer because nothing she could think of was comforting. Perhaps this was just a lack of trust, which in truth she couldn't say she blamed him for.
Any optimism buttressed by meeting Alya again and knowing that her home was so close was dashed the moment Svarak dropped down from the roof. She met his gaze but couldn't hold it, glancing away. The flash of the cat's eyes stirred something. A memory? Something dark and oppressive. A dream, perhaps. She idly plucked at the silver sash around her waist and simply waited until he climbed up onto his ram.
Glancing down the line at the waiting faces, Rilana straightened a little and nodded. "Yes. Let's go. Once the road splits we'll take the forest path. I don't want to take the mountain pass." She didn't explain why. Turning in her saddle, she raised her voice so that the rest could hear her. "Alright everyone. Time to move out."
Bruin's black tail swished as he passed the gate, his ears pricked forwards eagerly.
