Her footsteps were muted
and soft, with each press of a delicate shoe giving a little puff of
dust up into the air as she walked across the ruins. The elf was small,
fragile and pale, her marble skin contrasting sharply with the
soot-blackened stones of the fallen Dayfire compound in Eversong Woods.
Here and there around her, small tendrils of smoke curled from the
smoldering ashes left behind by the fires that had consumed much of the
wreckage. It was clear that the assault on the prison compound had been
brutal, violent, and quickly ended when House Dayfire's forces had
fallen.
The petite elf stopped in the middle of the wreckage, her eyes closed as she sought something with her special senses. She tilted her head, her dark hair obscuring her face for a moment before ice blue eyes opened and she moved towards a particular spot amongst the ruins. House Dayfire's guards had removed most of the fallen from the ruins, but Seluna Dawnsea saw things through eyes touched with otherworldly magic, and ordinary stone would not conceal the dead from her.
She stopped next to a mound of rubble, smiling and pointing at the loose stones. Shadowy tendrils of magic oozed from her skin, sliding the stones away a few at a time, slowly uncovering and revealing the form of a very dead Sin'dorei apprentice who had been buried during the destruction of the compound. One of House Dayfire's junior members, the elf had clearly suffered terribly before she'd died by being crushed beneath the stones.
A pity that her suffering had only just begun.
Seluna's mouth opened and a beautiful, haunting song came forth from deep within her. Any who had been listening would have been captivated by it, the Light pouring fourth clearly from her and soaking the ground around her with its radiance and power. To Seluna itself, it was utter agony, every second a struggle to maintain control as the holy force threatened to tear her unclean flesh apart. She shook with the effort, her voice remaining perfectly steady only through the iron discipline of a will that had seen centuries pass.
As her song ended, a golden radiance poured down on the dead apprentice, and her wounds closed, bones and flesh knitting back together to make a whole Sin'dorei once more. With a startled gasp the elf's pale green eyes opened, her breath returning to her as life was restored once more. She sat up, holding her head as she realized she had been returned to the world of the living, looking around her in confusion. Her eyes fell on Seluna Dawnsea, standing patiently nearby.
She began to scream.
Seluna rolled her eyes and sighed. The elf, having just been brought back, knew exactly what it was that stood so close to her. With an almost casual motion, she reached out, grabbing the apprentice by her throat and forcing her to her feet, her manicured nails digging into the screaming elf's flesh. Not surprisingly, the action did little to soothe the hysterical girl, and Seluna had to slap her sharply across the face several times to get her to focus on the situation on hand.
Once the girl's screaming had subsided, Seluna smiled at her, her hand still on the other's throat. "This compound was assaulted by enemies of your House. Why? What caused such a hostile response so deep in the heart of Quel'Thalas?"
The apprentice blinked, making gasping sounds as she tried to speak for the first time since being brought back from the dead. Seeing her distress, Seluna reluctantly released her grip on the other's throat. "T-they c-came to rescue the prisoner. T-the one Lady D-dayfire had brought here."
Seluna's eyes, now faded back to fell green, never left the other elf's as she waited for more explanation, when one was not forthcoming, she slapped the girl again lightly. "And this prisoner was whom precisely?"
The girl winced, looking away from the baleful gaze of the priestess, "S-she was an elf. H-her name was Kaelus. Lady Dayfire put her to the question, b-but she didn't cooperate s-so the questioning was to continue tomorrow..."
Seluna folded her arms across her chest, still gazing at the other. The apprentice realized that she needed to say more before she was assaulted again. "T-there were rumors that the elf was being q-questioned in relation to a powerful necromantic weapon. T-the Lady Dayfire wished to know more of it. A-all the guards gossiped about it."
Seluna nodded, smiling at the other with encouragement. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it? And do tell me, was the Lady Dayfire alone in her work, or were there others?"
Encouraged by the smile, the apprentice nodded and said, "Y-yes my Lady. The Lady Dayfire had three others with her from what the guards said; the Archmage Vomher Wyrmcurse, his friend Jenuila Sunstorm, and my Lady's suitor, Makaelen Brightdawn..."
The apprentice's voice trailed off as Seluna's eyes clouded, becoming icy blue again at the mention of Vomher's name. The priestess frowned, looking away from the apprentice, lost in thought. "So he continues to aid her does he? And he wishes to dabble in such dark powers with her? What have you done, silly child? How many did you lead astray?"
The apprentice frowned, staring at the priestess in confusion, "M-my Lady? I-is there more you wish to know?"
Seluna turned, her smile predatory now as she looked at the apprentice. "Oh yes, there is so much more I would like to know, but I'm afraid that simply asking you won't be sufficient. You see, I need to be...precise."
As she spoke, shadowy magic began to ooze from her form, tendrils of it playing in the air around her. The apprentice took an involuntary step back as Seluna's power manifested itself, but of course by then it was far too late. Magic plunged into her body, penetrating her flesh as Seluna connected with her mind, rummaging through her memories for the details she needed, taking what she wanted and discarding the rest like so much useless trash.
The apprentice's screams echoed off the stones of the ruined compound, but there was no one there to hear her.
When it was over, the mind-reamed apprentice was infused with a shadowy apparition, sent on her way to House Dawnsea's manor house within Silvermoon; she would make an excellent servant after all, and a useful spy. Seluna remained in the ruins for a time, her mind lost in thought. She looked into the forest of Eversong around her, her eyes still those pale blue orbs; the eyes of a Quel'dorei.
"You will wish to hurt her now, won't you Kaelus?" she murmured into the wind. Her voice was low, a whisper that one might only imagine in a moment of nightmare-spawned fear. "Maybe I will allow that. Perhaps I will even aid you, and you will overcome all obstacles to your goal."
Seluna smiled, an expression that never reached her eyes. "That is, until you are no longer useful to me. Strike well and true elf, for you will have only a small window where my patience will exist. My daughter's friends must suffer as well, for the audacity of aiding her in such tasks. Let them all meet their end."
She laughed lightly, turning and striding away from the ruined compound. There was much planning to do, and an elf to locate.
The petite elf stopped in the middle of the wreckage, her eyes closed as she sought something with her special senses. She tilted her head, her dark hair obscuring her face for a moment before ice blue eyes opened and she moved towards a particular spot amongst the ruins. House Dayfire's guards had removed most of the fallen from the ruins, but Seluna Dawnsea saw things through eyes touched with otherworldly magic, and ordinary stone would not conceal the dead from her.
She stopped next to a mound of rubble, smiling and pointing at the loose stones. Shadowy tendrils of magic oozed from her skin, sliding the stones away a few at a time, slowly uncovering and revealing the form of a very dead Sin'dorei apprentice who had been buried during the destruction of the compound. One of House Dayfire's junior members, the elf had clearly suffered terribly before she'd died by being crushed beneath the stones.
A pity that her suffering had only just begun.
Seluna's mouth opened and a beautiful, haunting song came forth from deep within her. Any who had been listening would have been captivated by it, the Light pouring fourth clearly from her and soaking the ground around her with its radiance and power. To Seluna itself, it was utter agony, every second a struggle to maintain control as the holy force threatened to tear her unclean flesh apart. She shook with the effort, her voice remaining perfectly steady only through the iron discipline of a will that had seen centuries pass.
As her song ended, a golden radiance poured down on the dead apprentice, and her wounds closed, bones and flesh knitting back together to make a whole Sin'dorei once more. With a startled gasp the elf's pale green eyes opened, her breath returning to her as life was restored once more. She sat up, holding her head as she realized she had been returned to the world of the living, looking around her in confusion. Her eyes fell on Seluna Dawnsea, standing patiently nearby.
She began to scream.
Seluna rolled her eyes and sighed. The elf, having just been brought back, knew exactly what it was that stood so close to her. With an almost casual motion, she reached out, grabbing the apprentice by her throat and forcing her to her feet, her manicured nails digging into the screaming elf's flesh. Not surprisingly, the action did little to soothe the hysterical girl, and Seluna had to slap her sharply across the face several times to get her to focus on the situation on hand.
Once the girl's screaming had subsided, Seluna smiled at her, her hand still on the other's throat. "This compound was assaulted by enemies of your House. Why? What caused such a hostile response so deep in the heart of Quel'Thalas?"
The apprentice blinked, making gasping sounds as she tried to speak for the first time since being brought back from the dead. Seeing her distress, Seluna reluctantly released her grip on the other's throat. "T-they c-came to rescue the prisoner. T-the one Lady D-dayfire had brought here."
Seluna's eyes, now faded back to fell green, never left the other elf's as she waited for more explanation, when one was not forthcoming, she slapped the girl again lightly. "And this prisoner was whom precisely?"
The girl winced, looking away from the baleful gaze of the priestess, "S-she was an elf. H-her name was Kaelus. Lady Dayfire put her to the question, b-but she didn't cooperate s-so the questioning was to continue tomorrow..."
Seluna folded her arms across her chest, still gazing at the other. The apprentice realized that she needed to say more before she was assaulted again. "T-there were rumors that the elf was being q-questioned in relation to a powerful necromantic weapon. T-the Lady Dayfire wished to know more of it. A-all the guards gossiped about it."
Seluna nodded, smiling at the other with encouragement. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it? And do tell me, was the Lady Dayfire alone in her work, or were there others?"
Encouraged by the smile, the apprentice nodded and said, "Y-yes my Lady. The Lady Dayfire had three others with her from what the guards said; the Archmage Vomher Wyrmcurse, his friend Jenuila Sunstorm, and my Lady's suitor, Makaelen Brightdawn..."
The apprentice's voice trailed off as Seluna's eyes clouded, becoming icy blue again at the mention of Vomher's name. The priestess frowned, looking away from the apprentice, lost in thought. "So he continues to aid her does he? And he wishes to dabble in such dark powers with her? What have you done, silly child? How many did you lead astray?"
The apprentice frowned, staring at the priestess in confusion, "M-my Lady? I-is there more you wish to know?"
Seluna turned, her smile predatory now as she looked at the apprentice. "Oh yes, there is so much more I would like to know, but I'm afraid that simply asking you won't be sufficient. You see, I need to be...precise."
As she spoke, shadowy magic began to ooze from her form, tendrils of it playing in the air around her. The apprentice took an involuntary step back as Seluna's power manifested itself, but of course by then it was far too late. Magic plunged into her body, penetrating her flesh as Seluna connected with her mind, rummaging through her memories for the details she needed, taking what she wanted and discarding the rest like so much useless trash.
The apprentice's screams echoed off the stones of the ruined compound, but there was no one there to hear her.
When it was over, the mind-reamed apprentice was infused with a shadowy apparition, sent on her way to House Dawnsea's manor house within Silvermoon; she would make an excellent servant after all, and a useful spy. Seluna remained in the ruins for a time, her mind lost in thought. She looked into the forest of Eversong around her, her eyes still those pale blue orbs; the eyes of a Quel'dorei.
"You will wish to hurt her now, won't you Kaelus?" she murmured into the wind. Her voice was low, a whisper that one might only imagine in a moment of nightmare-spawned fear. "Maybe I will allow that. Perhaps I will even aid you, and you will overcome all obstacles to your goal."
Seluna smiled, an expression that never reached her eyes. "That is, until you are no longer useful to me. Strike well and true elf, for you will have only a small window where my patience will exist. My daughter's friends must suffer as well, for the audacity of aiding her in such tasks. Let them all meet their end."
She laughed lightly, turning and striding away from the ruined compound. There was much planning to do, and an elf to locate.
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