Judged

The thick, heavy curtains were pushed aside with some difficulty as Telatha passed beneath the foreboding golden arch that marked the end of the corridor and the beginning of the chambers beyond. As she passed through the opening, she held the curtain back so that Bellemasra and Laerille could pass through with somewhat less difficulty than she had. As the two moved past the opening and the curtain fell back into place, the light dimmed to the point that it was almost difficult to see, with only a dim fel glow from crystals floating across what appeared to be a large chamber illuminating the space.

This deep within the Sanctum of Silvermoon it was to be expected that it would be somewhat dark and dim, as the warlocks who performed their research and magic within the city preferred to have their privacy, and their spells were hardly ones that would promote a light-hearted, brightly lit environment. Even so, the dimness was a bit much for Telatha, and she found herself squinting to see the vague outlines of whoever was there to meet her.

"You were told to come alone," a voice boomed out, echoing through the chamber.

Telatha considered this for a moment before responding, pondering the summons that had brought her to this place. She'd received a letter demanding her immediate attendance at the Sanctum from some of the higher ranking warlocks within the city. Naturally none of them had actually signed the document, although the wording of the letter and its tone implied that at least one or two of those who had summoned her were members of the Magistrate. Although she could not ignore such a summons, she had hardly been inclined to trust other warlocks simply on their word alone, especially on an unsigned document.

"Given that I was not told who was summoning me, I am hardly beholden to follow a series of instructions that are randomly provided to me," Telatha said, her voice firm but not hostile.

Silence met her words, but it was not a calm, peaceful silence. She could sense malefic beings moving in the darkness, shifting in position as if to study her. That there were demons within the chamber was beyond a doubt, and Telatha shivered once as she came to realize just how dangerous this place was. Across the chamber a pair of fel green eyes glowed, as if their owner had lifted his head and his cowl had fallen back. They burned into her, and Telatha found herself planting her hands on her hips and lifting her chin up, as if defying them to judge her.

"You are not the first who has entered the city with the use of Fel magics, nor will you be the last," the voice responded, sounding a bit hostile. "It is for us to decide if you pose a threat or a boon to our kind here. Your failure to follow the most basic of instructions has already put you at a disadvantage when we consider your...future position."

The threat lingered in the air, and Telatha stared at the glowing pair of eyes that she could see, feeling defiant, "I am Felmancer Telatha Dayfire, Scion of House Dayfire and one who serves my people. Judge me as you will, threaten what you like, I will continue on my course until my last breath. Test me and see for yourself whether or not I am worthy to be here. You will find that I am not lacking in the powers that we call upon."

Laughter rang out, this time from another part of the chamber. Additional eyes glowed in the darkness, first one pair, then three, then five, until Telatha felt she was surrounded by peering eyes on forms she could barely make out. The voice spoke again, its tone mocking now, "Your titles and your blood mean nothing to us. You either threaten this city with your power or you do not. It is this which we will determine 'Scion'."

Telatha shifted in position as she felt fel magic building within the room. Demonic laughter echoed in the darkness, and she felt her defensive wards flare up as a tendril of power reached out, as if probing her defenses. The voice boomed out again, sounding somewhat bitter, "You do indeed have power, young Felmancer. Power enough to be of use to us, if your defiant nature can be...corrected. You will learn soon enough to fall in line if you wish to be successful in this city."

Telatha glared at the pair of eyes, shaking her head, "I will plot my own course in this life. I sincerely doubt your generous nature when it comes to those in my care. I have learned long ago that others who ply our craft are those with whom we should be most wary. I will work beside you, I will aid those of you who require it, but I will not bend knee to any within this city. Am I clear?"

The fel magic in the room thickened, and Telatha felt it pressing in around her, until she was almost encased in energy pressing in from all directions against her wards. She cried out as they nearly failed, focusing as much of her energies as possible in maintaining the barrier between her and the evil magic. Forced into immobility by her battle, she could only glare at the eyes across the darkness as they turned to look at her companions.

"You there, step forward," the voice said. To illustrate his point, a glowing orb of fel energy began to hover in front of Bellemasra, who stepped forward to stand beside the struggling Telatha.

"What would you say if we offered you all of her power and position, provided that you agreed to serve this coven at our beck and call? Think carefully, girl, for your future could be glorious depending on your decision," the voice said in a tone that bespoke certain destruction for Telatha.

Bellemasra didn't even hesitate, shaking her head and speaking firmly, "Absolutely not. Lady Dayfire is the Scion of our House, and I will not forsake her. Beyond that, she is my friend and I will stand beside her against you if there need be violence between us."

The voice growled, sending the fel orb spinning over to Laerille as it spoke, "You then. Step forward and claim all of the power of this so-called 'Scion' and become one of us. Our powers are vast and the rewards will be beyond your wildest dreams."

Laerille's tone was hostile as she glared at the glowing eyes in the darkness, "I stand beside Lady Dayfire, and should harm come to her know that harm will come to you before this day ends."

Cackling, vile laughter met the response, and Telatha gasped as she felt the magic pressing in around her increase, her wards beginning to fail. Just as she believed she would be crushed by the power, Laerille moved beside her, her hand reaching out and her fingers interlocking with Telatha's. Instantly the runes on Laerille's face and arm began to burn with fel magic as she fed energy into Telatha's wards, and the pressure lessened.

A second later Bellemasra stepped forward, grasping Telatha's other hand and interlocking their fingers, feeding her own magic into the mix. The runes on all three Sin'dorei glowed brightly, nearly banishing the darkness around them as Telatha's magic was empowered.

With her eyes glowing so brightly that her pupils were no longer visible, Telatha smiled impishly and barked out a word in demonic. A felhunter appeared from the nether, sucking away the spell that was crushing her and shredding it into nothing. A cold, fel-tainted wind blew in the chamber, setting the dresses and capes of the three Sin'dorei to shifting as they stood hand in hand, facing the darkness.

Telatha opened her mouth to speak, and Laerille and Bellemasra spoke in unison with her, the words echoing, "The coven united."

Silence descended on the room as the spells pressing Telatha failed. The sense of demonic energies vanished an instant later, as did the fel lights that glowed fitfully in the darkness. Fires flared up in the chandeliers and the roomed was bathed in light, revealing a circular stone chamber that was devoid of anything but a singular, robed figure whose glowing eyes stared out of his cowl.

His voice was no longer full of menace, and instead had a tone that almost indicated he'd conceded a point, "Well done....Lady Dayfire. It is clear that you are neither tainted, nor weak. You are neither rash, nor timid. You do not stand alone, but do not use the force of your following to press your agenda unless pressed yourself. You will do...for now. See to it that you do not disrupt the order of the city."

Telatha opened her mouth to reply but felfires suddenly roared up around the warlock in front of them, consuming him instantly and leaving behind only a pile of sulfur as he was transported away by his magic. Telatha closed her mouth, turning to nod at her two coven members as they released their grip on her hand and all three let their magic fade.

After a moment, Telatha shrugged, turning to leave the chamber, her voice light, "Well, that could have gone worse I guess! Maybe this will help us gain some ground in the city. At the very least we won't have to worry about them sending demons to destroy us. Probably to spy on us, but not to destroy us."

As they walked away, Laerille looked back at the empty chamber behind them, smiling sweetly as she replied, "I agree, Lady Dayfire. It would be shame to have to destroy their summoned minions for no reason."

Bellemasra nodded and then her face crinkled up in distaste, "Can we get back to the inn now? I fear we all need a bath. I hate the stink of sulfur on my clothes."

Telatha laughed, nodding as she lead the way back to daylight and the relative safety of the streets of Silvermoon. Time would tell how their connection to the covens within the city would develop, and whether or not it would be a blessing or a curse.