In Ilhedith Knox's former bedroom, Malandrae Moonwhisper dreamed...
Ash fell around her, the small black flakes drifting like snow in the air before settling in miniature drifts along the corners of nearby buildings or against the base of trees that grew from the manicured lawn upon which she stood. Some of it settled in her hair, the black a sharp contrast to her cyan strands it clung to. She brought a hand up, holding her palm out to let one of the bits of ash settle on her skin, acutely aware that she was holding the death of her very world.
She always came to this place, when her mind was free to wander back into the secret depths that she would not allow herself to remember. Somehow she knew that this place, this moment, would forever haunt her in her darkest nightmares, but that too was a concern that she brushed aside as she became one with the moment.
She was in Zin-azshari of course. She always came back to this courtyard, to the place where she used to love to look out over the city. Below her, the buildings of her people burned, the flames sending the delicate ash into the sky and creating what would otherwise be beautiful colors if not for the slaughter they covered with their bright glow. As she often did in this recurring dream, she walked to the edge of the crystal ramp at the edge of the courtyard, leaning against a railing to stare out over the desolation that her world had become. She was always alone in this dream; a private nightmare for her to return to again and again.
Only this time it was different. Someone WAS there. She heard the intruder to her solitude move behind her. Only once before had another penetrated this moment; when Silveria Silverleaf had reached through the barriers around her mind to yank her from this place. The intruder was not Silveria though, Malandrae could tell the moment they spoke.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" a pleasant female voice asked. Malandrae knew the voice well; it was one of her dearest childhood friends, one almost as close as Eldre'nor and Tyavel had been. A gifted sorceress named Gaylethiel Starwisp.
"How can you say that Gayle?" Malandrae heard herself ask. It was unusual for her to speak in the vision, but her sleeping mind allowed the scene to continue, unable to stop the inevitable.
"Look at the colors Malandrae, at the beautiful patterns the flames make. Look at the way the ash falls like snow, only a different color. There is a beauty to it, even in this moment. A perfect harmony of what should be, what was, and what will be again," the other elf replied.
Malandrae shook her head, "No. This is nothing more than death, than destruction. There is no beauty here. The colors could be nice, if they weren't fueled by the lives of the people who lived here. There is no inspiration for my canvas here."
Gaylethiel laughed behind Malandrae, moving to stand beside her, "You will never understand Malandrae. This was meant to be. The only thing that went awry was you, but that is something that time can correct."
Malandrae turned to look at the elf standing beside her, confusion written across her face, "I d-don't understand. The Goddess had a purpose for me to escape this. A-and I will never forget it. I will always remember this moment."
The other elf met her gaze, the glow in her silver eyes fading. "You still don't comprehend. You were always the least intelligent of us, but even so...don't be daft. I didn't escape Malandrae Moonwhisper, and neither did you. For as long as the legion exists, for as long as those you care about make exceptions, make excuses, there is always a way for this to come again. I did not escape, and you will meet the same fate in the end."
Malandrae's eyes widened as she stared at her friend, "B-but you...you left...with Dath'remar. I s-saw. I should have come with you b-but I was frightened."
Gaylethiel's eyes began to glow with a fel green light as she stared at Malandrae, her expression a malevolent grin now. "I fell Malandrae. I did not escape. But they don't just kill you. You can never be free. Do you understand? You can never free your soul."
The elf reached out for her, her nails digging in to Malandrae's shoulder and her fel green eyes blazing with the dark magic of the legion. She stepped closer, the aura of evil coming from her almost suffocating. "You will stay here forever Malandrae, where you belong..."
Malandrae screamed.
********************************
The Highborne jerked awake, her heart pounding in her chest and her forehead covered in perspiration. Her breath came out in choked off sobs as the emotions of the nightmare clung to her like a fog. She was alone in Ilhedith's room, the curtains drawn tight to keep the light of day from her while she was sleeping. In the dimly lit interior of the room, Malandrae's eyes could almost see the shadows playfully moving around her, adding to her fear and anxiety.
She'd not thought of Gaylethiel since she had awakened. The other Highborne had fled with Dath'remar, and Malandrae could only hope that she had gotten to safety and that the dream did not represent what had really happened to her. She could only pray to Elune that her soul did not suffer under the Legions dominion somewhere, trapped for eternity in the hell they had all created together.
Malandrae shivered, bringing the blankets up tight to her chest and trying to calm herself. She knew why the dream had been different this time, why she had been trapped in that moment. It was because of her recent discussions with Duerma and Jazari. It was because of the way some of her closest friends were justifying the presence or use of demons and legion magic. It made her sick to her stomach to think about it, and apparently it had affected her worse than she thought.
She took another deep breath, finally bringing her shaking body under control. There was little she could do to change the minds of her friends; she could only hope that this time, in this place she would recognize the signs of danger ahead of time, before it got to...that.
"Elune give me the strength to guide them away from danger," Malandrae whispered to the empty bedroom. "Please, keep them safe. I would give anything to protect them."
She sighed and reached back to bunch her pillows up; it was pointless to try sleeping again now so she might as well get some reading done. She reached up to rub her face and when her hand came down it glimmered brightly with the blood that was spilling from her nose. She sighed again and shook her head; one day she hoped that this would end, and that she never heard of the burning legion or their magics ever again.
One day.
Ash fell around her, the small black flakes drifting like snow in the air before settling in miniature drifts along the corners of nearby buildings or against the base of trees that grew from the manicured lawn upon which she stood. Some of it settled in her hair, the black a sharp contrast to her cyan strands it clung to. She brought a hand up, holding her palm out to let one of the bits of ash settle on her skin, acutely aware that she was holding the death of her very world.
She always came to this place, when her mind was free to wander back into the secret depths that she would not allow herself to remember. Somehow she knew that this place, this moment, would forever haunt her in her darkest nightmares, but that too was a concern that she brushed aside as she became one with the moment.
She was in Zin-azshari of course. She always came back to this courtyard, to the place where she used to love to look out over the city. Below her, the buildings of her people burned, the flames sending the delicate ash into the sky and creating what would otherwise be beautiful colors if not for the slaughter they covered with their bright glow. As she often did in this recurring dream, she walked to the edge of the crystal ramp at the edge of the courtyard, leaning against a railing to stare out over the desolation that her world had become. She was always alone in this dream; a private nightmare for her to return to again and again.
Only this time it was different. Someone WAS there. She heard the intruder to her solitude move behind her. Only once before had another penetrated this moment; when Silveria Silverleaf had reached through the barriers around her mind to yank her from this place. The intruder was not Silveria though, Malandrae could tell the moment they spoke.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" a pleasant female voice asked. Malandrae knew the voice well; it was one of her dearest childhood friends, one almost as close as Eldre'nor and Tyavel had been. A gifted sorceress named Gaylethiel Starwisp.
"How can you say that Gayle?" Malandrae heard herself ask. It was unusual for her to speak in the vision, but her sleeping mind allowed the scene to continue, unable to stop the inevitable.
"Look at the colors Malandrae, at the beautiful patterns the flames make. Look at the way the ash falls like snow, only a different color. There is a beauty to it, even in this moment. A perfect harmony of what should be, what was, and what will be again," the other elf replied.
Malandrae shook her head, "No. This is nothing more than death, than destruction. There is no beauty here. The colors could be nice, if they weren't fueled by the lives of the people who lived here. There is no inspiration for my canvas here."
Gaylethiel laughed behind Malandrae, moving to stand beside her, "You will never understand Malandrae. This was meant to be. The only thing that went awry was you, but that is something that time can correct."
Malandrae turned to look at the elf standing beside her, confusion written across her face, "I d-don't understand. The Goddess had a purpose for me to escape this. A-and I will never forget it. I will always remember this moment."
The other elf met her gaze, the glow in her silver eyes fading. "You still don't comprehend. You were always the least intelligent of us, but even so...don't be daft. I didn't escape Malandrae Moonwhisper, and neither did you. For as long as the legion exists, for as long as those you care about make exceptions, make excuses, there is always a way for this to come again. I did not escape, and you will meet the same fate in the end."
Malandrae's eyes widened as she stared at her friend, "B-but you...you left...with Dath'remar. I s-saw. I should have come with you b-but I was frightened."
Gaylethiel's eyes began to glow with a fel green light as she stared at Malandrae, her expression a malevolent grin now. "I fell Malandrae. I did not escape. But they don't just kill you. You can never be free. Do you understand? You can never free your soul."
The elf reached out for her, her nails digging in to Malandrae's shoulder and her fel green eyes blazing with the dark magic of the legion. She stepped closer, the aura of evil coming from her almost suffocating. "You will stay here forever Malandrae, where you belong..."
Malandrae screamed.
********************************
The Highborne jerked awake, her heart pounding in her chest and her forehead covered in perspiration. Her breath came out in choked off sobs as the emotions of the nightmare clung to her like a fog. She was alone in Ilhedith's room, the curtains drawn tight to keep the light of day from her while she was sleeping. In the dimly lit interior of the room, Malandrae's eyes could almost see the shadows playfully moving around her, adding to her fear and anxiety.
She'd not thought of Gaylethiel since she had awakened. The other Highborne had fled with Dath'remar, and Malandrae could only hope that she had gotten to safety and that the dream did not represent what had really happened to her. She could only pray to Elune that her soul did not suffer under the Legions dominion somewhere, trapped for eternity in the hell they had all created together.
Malandrae shivered, bringing the blankets up tight to her chest and trying to calm herself. She knew why the dream had been different this time, why she had been trapped in that moment. It was because of her recent discussions with Duerma and Jazari. It was because of the way some of her closest friends were justifying the presence or use of demons and legion magic. It made her sick to her stomach to think about it, and apparently it had affected her worse than she thought.
She took another deep breath, finally bringing her shaking body under control. There was little she could do to change the minds of her friends; she could only hope that this time, in this place she would recognize the signs of danger ahead of time, before it got to...that.
"Elune give me the strength to guide them away from danger," Malandrae whispered to the empty bedroom. "Please, keep them safe. I would give anything to protect them."
She sighed and reached back to bunch her pillows up; it was pointless to try sleeping again now so she might as well get some reading done. She reached up to rub her face and when her hand came down it glimmered brightly with the blood that was spilling from her nose. She sighed again and shook her head; one day she hoped that this would end, and that she never heard of the burning legion or their magics ever again.
One day.
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