She was bored. Possibly more bored than she had ever been in her entire life. Ever.
It had been over a week now since Malandrae, Ilhedith, and the others ended up as honored 'guests' in Moonblade Spire. In that time, they had been treated well. They'd been fed the finest foods, entertained with the most beautiful of music, even been given clothes and other things to replace their lost possession; minus weapons of course. Despite all of it, Malandrae felt like she'd been caged and the feeling only grew as the days passed.
She often spent her time aimlessly wandering the inner halls of the spire, guards carefully following her at a distance that was polite, thinking that she would not notice them. But she knew. She always knew. She could feel the residual fel energy in virtually every blood elf around her, and she knew that they were her keepers as much as the rangers who were also now stuck in this cage with her had been.
Malandrae's eyes opened wide as her thoughts turned to the two rangers.
The rangers would follow me everywhere too. And I knew just what to do to get some time alone.
With a mischievous grin, Malandrae hummed a spellsong quietly, and the air around her shimmered. A moment later a second Malandrae stood in the hallway, looking just as fabulous as the first. With a wink Malandrae hummed another song and faded from sight, leaving her mirror image to continue wandering down the hallway, the unobtrusive House Moonblade guards never noticing the switch.
After they were gone from sight, Malandrae giggled to herself and looked around the hall. She'd always been allowed to wander the corridors, but many of the rooms in this section of the spire had been off limits. Without guards, that was no longer the case. With a happy smile on her face she walked over to the nearest doorway, pushing open the thick wooden door and slipping into the room. She closed the portal quietly behind her examining the room she'd entered.
It was a small circular chamber, about twenty feet in diameter with a recessed center that the floor gently sloped downwards. In the middle of the room an orb sat on a pedestal, cushions surrounding it. The orb glowed with flickering magics, and Malandrae smiled happily as she approached it. She sank down onto the cushions, reaching out to touch the orb.
Almost instantly her vision shifted, and she saw an image of Silvermoon City glittering beneath her. She focused on the vision and the image shifted, points of interest glowing dimly in her view. She gasped as she realized the object was a scrying orb with pre-set viewpoints magically set within it. It seemed that Tyavel had set the room up to keep an eye on the business of Silvermoon. With a shrug, Malandrae focused again, letting her mind move the vision towards one of the pre-set destinations.
Magic flared brightly in the room as the scrying orb's power encountered magic that was specifically designed to prevent scrying, and Malandrae winced as the feedback almost instantly gave her a headache. She shook her head and then focused again, applying more magic to the orb and helping it to focus on the vision. Magic clashed and flared brightly and then, almost as if a dam had broken, it flowed outwards towards its destination. Malandrae smiled as the vision began to clear and she could see...
A pair of fel green eyes looking back at her.
Malandrae gasped as the vision pulled backwards and she found herself staring at a Sin'dorei face in the orb. Bright red hair framed a pale face that had glittering blue runes on one cheek. A hint of makeup added to the beauty of the elf and Malandrae found herself smiling as she realized she recognized the face.
"Ohhhhh! I know you! You're that pink elf I met in Stormwind!"
Through the image one of the elf's perfectly sculpted brows perked as she studied the cyan-haired Highborne through the scrying spell. Biara Sunfire finally nodded once, amusement playing across her features, "Yes, you and I have met once before Sorceress. The question now is, why are you looking at me through a scrying orb located in Moonblade Spire?"
Malandrae grinned and leaned closer to the image, "Shhhh! I'm TOTALLY borrowing it from Tyavel. I was really really bored and there is nothing fun to DO here so I snuck into this room and found it!"
The amusement on Biara's face increased as she quickly came to grasp the situation. "Tyavel Moonblade has a HIGHBORNE in her spire? In Silvermoon?!"
Malandrae nodded happily, her pigtails bouncing, "Oh yes! And Professor Knox is here too! Oh and our ranger escorts, and Eldre'nor! We have like a whole WING of the spire for our guest quarters!"
Ever the politician, Biara was able to almost instantly choke down on the mirth that threatened to bubble up. She studied the Highborne for a time, Fel green eyes staring into silver ones. She opened her mouth a few times to speak, but no words came out.
Malandrae smiled at the other elf, tilting her head, "Hey...why does Tyavel's orb thingee look at you anyway? I can totally see your bedroom in the background! It's pretty! Where did you get that bedspread?! I've never seen one with so much gold interwoven into the design!"
Biara blinked again, turning to peer into the room behind her, which was indeed her bedchambers. She turned back, the smile playing across her lips again, "Yes, this is my bedchambers. As for why the orb sees here, I suspect that Tyavel wishes to keep an eye on my movements. I was aware that she was watching me with her orb though; it was no secret. What caught me off guard was that it was you using the orb, and that you forced it to see me directly."
Malandrae giggled and patted the orb which made the image in it fuzzy for a moment, "Oh I TOTALLY enhanced the magic in it!"
Biara grinned, the runes on her face glittering with a beautiful pale blue light, "I see. You are full of surprises Sorceress. I suspect that Tyavel will have her hands full keeping you entertained. This may not be a bad thing, although I must caution you that you are not in the safest of positions. Also, do your friends know where you are?"
Malandrae bit her lip and shook her head, "They have NO IDEA! There were these cultist people coming after us and they burned down Professor Knox's house and everyone thinks it would be a good idea if no one knew where we were!"
Biara paused to consider this for a moment, and then shook her head, "Someone should know, because you are now a game piece on a board that you don't even see. Three Houses vie for position amongst each other in Silvermoon, and each of these Houses wishes the other harm. Tyavel is in the middle of this, with allies and enemies on both sides. She could turn you over to her friends in Silvermoon to gain favor with them, or use you as a bargaining chip in order to get alliance forces to help her remove her foes or bolster her defenses. As long as you remain within her spire, you are a part of this game."
Malandrae blinked at the image of the red-haired Sin'dorei for a moment and then sighed, "Oh. So it's like back home then?"
Biara nodded slowly, "It is and it isn't. Quel'Thalas is damaged, and not the center of the world. House Dawnsea would rule Quel'Thalas and remake it. House Moonblade would rise to power simply for the sake of power. My own house...we seek only to right a great injustice that has been inflicted upon us, and see to the safety of Quel'Thalas. That unfortunately means supporting our allies, and war with those you would call friends."
Malandrae bit her lip, looking frustrated, "But why? Why does it have to be that way?! And what am I supposed to do now? I can't stay here if Tyavel is in this dangerous position! She might make the wrong choice!"
The Magistrix in the scrying orb nodded grimly, the smile gone from her face, "Tyavel must plot her own course. I hope for her sake that she chooses wisely, and decides to do what is best for Quel'Thalas. I have nothing against you or your allies, Sorceress, but Quel'Thalas comes first. If need be, I will burn her spire to the ground and slay all of her people to ensure security in this realm. And I will strike your friends if they threaten my home, as I have always done. But come now, it need not come to such an end. You are Tyavel's friend. You have friends amongst my enemies. You can convince them to do the right thing, to avoid bloodshed."
Biara paused, studying the Highborne carefully, "If Tyavel is too busy dealing with distractions, she will never come to make a decision, or may decide that keeping you in her spire is more work than the potential benefit. And if you convince your friends that no harm has come to you in Silvermoon, and that you've been treated fairly the entire time, then perhaps no further harm will come to my people, and I may not need to strike at them either."
Malandrae blinked, confusion settling over her face, "So you want me to...?"
Biara sighed and shook her head, resignation on her features. "Just be yourself Malandrae Moonwhisper. I think that will be sufficient. And stay away from House Dawnsea. While Tyavel may be open to talking with you, and even friendly, my mother is a dead thing that wants only the death of everything you and I care about. Should you ever need aid against her or those of her House, use this scrying orb to contact me and I will send what aid I can."
Malandrae smiled and nodded, "Sure! I guess I will just stay here and try to relax and catch up on old times with Tyavel. Besides, there's a lot of interesting things left to look at in the spire! I can't WAIT to explore more!"
She paused, looking at Biara in a friendly fashion, "It was really nice to talk to you again! You're super nice for a pink elf! I'll talk to you again soon!" With that she waved her hand, ending the scrying connection.
*******************************************
Deep in the heart of Eversong Woods, in a fortified tower hidden amongst the golden boughs of the trees, Biara Sunfire let her hand fall from her own scrying orb, her fel green eyes staring at the empty sphere with a deadly glint to them. She shook her head once, her whispered words heard only by herself.
"No I'm not, Highborne. I am a protector of my people and way of life, and nothing will threaten the security of Quel'Thalas. Not even your friend Tyavel Moonblade. Not even you."
With that Biara Sunfire rose from the divan that she had been lounging on, her red and gold robes smoothing out as she walked across the room towards the door. It was time to find her sister and discuss their plans. The game had changed now, and with enough luck and skill they could push House Sunfire one step closer to victory over House Dawnsea.
And then they could see to the ultimate security of Quel'Thalas. All in due time.
It had been over a week now since Malandrae, Ilhedith, and the others ended up as honored 'guests' in Moonblade Spire. In that time, they had been treated well. They'd been fed the finest foods, entertained with the most beautiful of music, even been given clothes and other things to replace their lost possession; minus weapons of course. Despite all of it, Malandrae felt like she'd been caged and the feeling only grew as the days passed.
She often spent her time aimlessly wandering the inner halls of the spire, guards carefully following her at a distance that was polite, thinking that she would not notice them. But she knew. She always knew. She could feel the residual fel energy in virtually every blood elf around her, and she knew that they were her keepers as much as the rangers who were also now stuck in this cage with her had been.
Malandrae's eyes opened wide as her thoughts turned to the two rangers.
The rangers would follow me everywhere too. And I knew just what to do to get some time alone.
With a mischievous grin, Malandrae hummed a spellsong quietly, and the air around her shimmered. A moment later a second Malandrae stood in the hallway, looking just as fabulous as the first. With a wink Malandrae hummed another song and faded from sight, leaving her mirror image to continue wandering down the hallway, the unobtrusive House Moonblade guards never noticing the switch.
After they were gone from sight, Malandrae giggled to herself and looked around the hall. She'd always been allowed to wander the corridors, but many of the rooms in this section of the spire had been off limits. Without guards, that was no longer the case. With a happy smile on her face she walked over to the nearest doorway, pushing open the thick wooden door and slipping into the room. She closed the portal quietly behind her examining the room she'd entered.
It was a small circular chamber, about twenty feet in diameter with a recessed center that the floor gently sloped downwards. In the middle of the room an orb sat on a pedestal, cushions surrounding it. The orb glowed with flickering magics, and Malandrae smiled happily as she approached it. She sank down onto the cushions, reaching out to touch the orb.
Almost instantly her vision shifted, and she saw an image of Silvermoon City glittering beneath her. She focused on the vision and the image shifted, points of interest glowing dimly in her view. She gasped as she realized the object was a scrying orb with pre-set viewpoints magically set within it. It seemed that Tyavel had set the room up to keep an eye on the business of Silvermoon. With a shrug, Malandrae focused again, letting her mind move the vision towards one of the pre-set destinations.
Magic flared brightly in the room as the scrying orb's power encountered magic that was specifically designed to prevent scrying, and Malandrae winced as the feedback almost instantly gave her a headache. She shook her head and then focused again, applying more magic to the orb and helping it to focus on the vision. Magic clashed and flared brightly and then, almost as if a dam had broken, it flowed outwards towards its destination. Malandrae smiled as the vision began to clear and she could see...
A pair of fel green eyes looking back at her.
Malandrae gasped as the vision pulled backwards and she found herself staring at a Sin'dorei face in the orb. Bright red hair framed a pale face that had glittering blue runes on one cheek. A hint of makeup added to the beauty of the elf and Malandrae found herself smiling as she realized she recognized the face.
"Ohhhhh! I know you! You're that pink elf I met in Stormwind!"
Through the image one of the elf's perfectly sculpted brows perked as she studied the cyan-haired Highborne through the scrying spell. Biara Sunfire finally nodded once, amusement playing across her features, "Yes, you and I have met once before Sorceress. The question now is, why are you looking at me through a scrying orb located in Moonblade Spire?"
Malandrae grinned and leaned closer to the image, "Shhhh! I'm TOTALLY borrowing it from Tyavel. I was really really bored and there is nothing fun to DO here so I snuck into this room and found it!"
The amusement on Biara's face increased as she quickly came to grasp the situation. "Tyavel Moonblade has a HIGHBORNE in her spire? In Silvermoon?!"
Malandrae nodded happily, her pigtails bouncing, "Oh yes! And Professor Knox is here too! Oh and our ranger escorts, and Eldre'nor! We have like a whole WING of the spire for our guest quarters!"
Ever the politician, Biara was able to almost instantly choke down on the mirth that threatened to bubble up. She studied the Highborne for a time, Fel green eyes staring into silver ones. She opened her mouth a few times to speak, but no words came out.
Malandrae smiled at the other elf, tilting her head, "Hey...why does Tyavel's orb thingee look at you anyway? I can totally see your bedroom in the background! It's pretty! Where did you get that bedspread?! I've never seen one with so much gold interwoven into the design!"
Biara blinked again, turning to peer into the room behind her, which was indeed her bedchambers. She turned back, the smile playing across her lips again, "Yes, this is my bedchambers. As for why the orb sees here, I suspect that Tyavel wishes to keep an eye on my movements. I was aware that she was watching me with her orb though; it was no secret. What caught me off guard was that it was you using the orb, and that you forced it to see me directly."
Malandrae giggled and patted the orb which made the image in it fuzzy for a moment, "Oh I TOTALLY enhanced the magic in it!"
Biara grinned, the runes on her face glittering with a beautiful pale blue light, "I see. You are full of surprises Sorceress. I suspect that Tyavel will have her hands full keeping you entertained. This may not be a bad thing, although I must caution you that you are not in the safest of positions. Also, do your friends know where you are?"
Malandrae bit her lip and shook her head, "They have NO IDEA! There were these cultist people coming after us and they burned down Professor Knox's house and everyone thinks it would be a good idea if no one knew where we were!"
Biara paused to consider this for a moment, and then shook her head, "Someone should know, because you are now a game piece on a board that you don't even see. Three Houses vie for position amongst each other in Silvermoon, and each of these Houses wishes the other harm. Tyavel is in the middle of this, with allies and enemies on both sides. She could turn you over to her friends in Silvermoon to gain favor with them, or use you as a bargaining chip in order to get alliance forces to help her remove her foes or bolster her defenses. As long as you remain within her spire, you are a part of this game."
Malandrae blinked at the image of the red-haired Sin'dorei for a moment and then sighed, "Oh. So it's like back home then?"
Biara nodded slowly, "It is and it isn't. Quel'Thalas is damaged, and not the center of the world. House Dawnsea would rule Quel'Thalas and remake it. House Moonblade would rise to power simply for the sake of power. My own house...we seek only to right a great injustice that has been inflicted upon us, and see to the safety of Quel'Thalas. That unfortunately means supporting our allies, and war with those you would call friends."
Malandrae bit her lip, looking frustrated, "But why? Why does it have to be that way?! And what am I supposed to do now? I can't stay here if Tyavel is in this dangerous position! She might make the wrong choice!"
The Magistrix in the scrying orb nodded grimly, the smile gone from her face, "Tyavel must plot her own course. I hope for her sake that she chooses wisely, and decides to do what is best for Quel'Thalas. I have nothing against you or your allies, Sorceress, but Quel'Thalas comes first. If need be, I will burn her spire to the ground and slay all of her people to ensure security in this realm. And I will strike your friends if they threaten my home, as I have always done. But come now, it need not come to such an end. You are Tyavel's friend. You have friends amongst my enemies. You can convince them to do the right thing, to avoid bloodshed."
Biara paused, studying the Highborne carefully, "If Tyavel is too busy dealing with distractions, she will never come to make a decision, or may decide that keeping you in her spire is more work than the potential benefit. And if you convince your friends that no harm has come to you in Silvermoon, and that you've been treated fairly the entire time, then perhaps no further harm will come to my people, and I may not need to strike at them either."
Malandrae blinked, confusion settling over her face, "So you want me to...?"
Biara sighed and shook her head, resignation on her features. "Just be yourself Malandrae Moonwhisper. I think that will be sufficient. And stay away from House Dawnsea. While Tyavel may be open to talking with you, and even friendly, my mother is a dead thing that wants only the death of everything you and I care about. Should you ever need aid against her or those of her House, use this scrying orb to contact me and I will send what aid I can."
Malandrae smiled and nodded, "Sure! I guess I will just stay here and try to relax and catch up on old times with Tyavel. Besides, there's a lot of interesting things left to look at in the spire! I can't WAIT to explore more!"
She paused, looking at Biara in a friendly fashion, "It was really nice to talk to you again! You're super nice for a pink elf! I'll talk to you again soon!" With that she waved her hand, ending the scrying connection.
*******************************************
Deep in the heart of Eversong Woods, in a fortified tower hidden amongst the golden boughs of the trees, Biara Sunfire let her hand fall from her own scrying orb, her fel green eyes staring at the empty sphere with a deadly glint to them. She shook her head once, her whispered words heard only by herself.
"No I'm not, Highborne. I am a protector of my people and way of life, and nothing will threaten the security of Quel'Thalas. Not even your friend Tyavel Moonblade. Not even you."
With that Biara Sunfire rose from the divan that she had been lounging on, her red and gold robes smoothing out as she walked across the room towards the door. It was time to find her sister and discuss their plans. The game had changed now, and with enough luck and skill they could push House Sunfire one step closer to victory over House Dawnsea.
And then they could see to the ultimate security of Quel'Thalas. All in due time.
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