Neverending Webs

The sunlight shone brightly as it danced upon flame red hair that waved gently with the breeze of Eversong's eternally pleasant weather. Laughter rang out, echoing across the smooth paving stones of the enclosed courtyard and traveling far into the warm air. The joy of a child at play was a sound that seemed almost out of place at the Sunfire Estate, after all of the dark times that had befallen the family.

Biara smiled, taking a sip of her tea as she sat and watched her daughter Astariel dance and twirl, the young Sin'dorei chasing after some butterfly or flight of fancy as she enjoyed the day. For far too long this had all been nothing but a daydream to be had in the rare moment when Biara was able to avoid the many pressing duties she'd had. For forever a child's laughter was something that she'd resigned herself never to hear again, given the nature of her work and her past failures with various suitors over the years. It felt almost like a guilty pleasure to now sit and enjoy this moment, as if she was stealing something that wasn't rightfully hers and that she'd snatched from fate itself.

Not entirely inaccurate if one were to delve deeply into the situation.

Unfortunately, as all pleasant moments must, this moment came to a sudden end when a male voice spoke softly over Biara's shoulder, "She's a beautiful child. You are truly blessed, Lady Biara Sunfire."

In a flash Biara was out of her chair, her teacup flying from her hands and shattering on the stones of the courtyard as she whirled around to face the source of the voice. This deep within Sunfire Estate's grounds there should be no one and nothing but those staff members that Biara had specifically assigned to duties there. For an intruder to make his way past all of her guards without alerting them or setting off any of her magical wards meant he was far more than he appeared.

The elf, if it was really an elf, smiled and raised his hands in a gesture of peace, "I mean you no harm, Lady Sunfire. I simply wish to talk, and wished to view the child as well."

"Astariel, Circle Room," Biara said, her eyes never leaving the intruder.

Behind Biara, the young Sin'dorei instantly stopped playing as her mother uttered the code phrase they had established. To the astonishment of the elf standing before Biara, the eight year old blood elf reached into a pocket sewn into her robes and pulled out a very deadly and real magic wand, pointing it at him before she began to carefully circle the outskirts of the courtyard and make her way towards the door. The young elf never took her eyes off the intruder, and never once did the wand's tip fail to point towards him until Astariel was out of sight and dashing further into the structure towards the magical safe room Biara had established for defense of the Estate.

"You will explain who you are, and how you got here to my full satisfaction. Immediately." Biara said with a bit of menace in her voice.

"And if I do not, what will you do, Lady Sunfire? Stick me with the daggers that now ride your hips? You understand the power it took for me to arrive here, at one of your most protected and secluded locations within your domain. I did so to demonstrate that we watch you even now, and that we can-" the elf's words were abruptly cut off as Biara lunged towards him, one of her hands encircling his throat, her manicured nails digging into his flesh. To the elf's everlasting surprise, an immense amount of arcane energy was building up in Biara's free hand, and the wards on her face, which had been a dull blue, blazed brightly with arcane energy.

"Allow me to explain to you exactly what will happen to you if I have to ask my questions a second time," Biara purred. In her voice was a sense of release, as if something held deep inside her was finally being given freedom. The intruding elf came to understand in that moment that he had best be extremely forthcoming with his answer if he wanted to avoid becoming a pile of ash.

"Be at ease, Magistrix Sunfire," the elf began. "I am, as you have surmised I am sure, not a Sin'dorei and am of the Bronze Flight. I come here in truce, and swear that I will do you and yours no harm."

The grip on the elf's throat tightened slightly for a moment, five perfectly razor sharp nails digging in further as Biara responded, "Even more reason for me to destroy you where you stand. You know full well that I cannot trust your kind."

"I came to parlay, not to do battle, Magistrix. Please, release my neck and let us talk like civilized beings. I have been told that you are capable of negotiations, at the very least," the elf said in a calm tone.

For a moment, Biara kept her grip on his throat and then released him, shoving him away from her slightly. The dragon's senses tingled as he watched her straighten, the wards that were on her body and hidden beneath her dress glowing so brightly as to be visible through the fabric. He nodded and then offered her a formal bow, keeping his hands carefully away from his robes.

"I am glad that what I have heard is not untrue, Magistrix. I am Varlistraz, and I wish to discuss your...situation," the elf said.

"Speak your peace quickly, and justify your continued existence," Biara responded with hate in her voice. "I've little patience for your kind and I know that we are mortal foes. Regardless of what you say, you will not take her from me and if you try, you will not see the next dawn. I swear it by my blood."

Again the elf that was not an elf held up his hand in a sign of peace, "Your blood...that is something we should discuss, as well as your daughter. There is a divide amongst my kind, and some feel that things such as what you have done may not be as detrimental as first believed, while others feel that any deviation, no matter how small, represents a major concern."

The elf nodded and then moved slowly towards a chair, Biara's eyes watching him like a hawk the entire time, "There are two issues with you and yours; the first being your own contaminated blood, and the second being the child. In the first case, we do not fully understand the ramifications of what has happened to you or why it affected you as it has. You Sin'dorei siphon magic, this is well known, but how your blood came into contact with temporal magics is beyond our current knowledge."

"It was an accident," Biara said a bit sullenly. "A...friend was trying to stop me from doing harm once, long ago. In a time when I had much more to learn of the world and about myself. I did not even understand the nature of my contact with his temporal wards myself until recently. What will become of me, or of that magic, I do not know. I can honestly tell you though that it is not something I can use to simply alter the fabric of time."

The elf that was not an elf nodded, a smile crossing his face, "I believe you, although others will question this given that you did not actually surrender your magic as all the world believes you did."

Biara smiled at him, the look almost predatory, "I'm a politician, a Magistrix, not a priest. If you wish to seek someone whose words never carry a lie in them go to a temple."

The elf laughed, "Indeed, indeed Magistrix Sunfire. And I appreciate your candor. I wonder though if you will slay me for knowing your secret."

"No," Biara said. "Take it as a lesson back to the others, and also as a token of my truthfulness in this matter. I cannot alter the temporal magics I have absorbed,  nor interfere with your precious timeline beyond what I have done. If you leave me be, I will be no threat to your goals. Challenge me, and you will find that I am very capable of slaying dragons however."

The elf held up his hand again, "No need for that, Magistrix. As I said, some of us are divided on such issues, and those who are not are rather busy dealing with far more significant matters. In fact, my purpose here is quite the opposite of what you might imagine. It is simply this, leave our kind be, and we will leave you be."

"And my daughter? What of her?" Biara said. "You cannot approve of her existence, not after what I have done. What will you do to her?"

"Actually, I cannot see her. I mean, I can physically see her, but I cannot see her path," the elf replied. "She is outside of the bounds of the regular order of things. I suspect, if she is raised properly and trained, that she could be an asset to us in the distant future, rather than a danger. This is something we can discuss with her, when she is an adult and can choose her own fate. More of us are in agreement with this, and thus, we shall leave her be provided you abide by your side of such arrangements."

Biara paused, and seemed to consider the words for a long stretch of time. Just when the elf was about to speak again because so much time had lapsed, Biara finally nodded and replied, "It is agreed then. I shall leave your kind be, unless they breach this agreement."

The elf smile and rose from his chair, offering Biara a polite bow, "Excellent, it is agreed then, Magistrix Sunfire. I shall tell the others, and of course, keep your little secret for you."

As he turned to go, he sensed magic rising behind him. He turned to see Biara staring at him, her fel green eyes glowing with power and the wards on her right cheek and along the left side of her body flickering with deadly magics. A cold breeze blew across the courtyard, stirring the hem of her red and gold dress and ruffling her hair.

"Understand this, dragon," Biara intoned. "Should you breach this agreement, should I come to regret this for any reason. Should anything befall my daughter that has to do with your kind, you will quickly find yourselves becoming extinct. By my blood, I swear that if I am betrayed, I will spend the rest of my many long years hunting your kind wherever they may hide."

For a moment, the smile faded from the elf's face and he shivered, understanding the full weight of the elf's words. She had slain many dragons in her day, and while such a threat might be boastful from some adventurers, he knew full well that the Magistrix Biara Sunfire would attempt to do exactly as she said. He gave her another nod, this one of respect, before his body changed shape, his form growing. Wings sprouted from his back, and a moment later a bronze dragon took to the air, leaving Sunfire Estate far behind. Leaving the deadly secret that Biara had not surrendered her magic at all hidden deep in the recess of his mind.

Light help those who get surprised by THAT little gem of information...