The
forest was darker than any she’d ever seen, the sounds emanating from it
somewhat sinister and far less comforting than they’d otherwise normally be.
The Twilight Grove in Duskwood was creepy to just about anyone, but to the
silver-haired druidess that ventured through the darkened woods the dangers
were magnified by her knowledge of the forest and the way it should be responding to her presence.
The bushes ruffled, animals made unnatural noises, and a gloom seemed to hug
the land that not even the enormous tree deeper within the wooded area could
entirely erase.
Saveenah
Starfeather had come to see what there was to see here. No longer restrained by
her father’s strict hand, she had set off on an adventure of discovery. Even as
a child the petite druidess had enjoyed exploring her home in the wooded places
and ancient Highborne ruins of Feralas, but now that she’d grown and finally
found some measure of freedom the entire world was open to satisfy her
curiosity.
Despite
this, something didn’t sit right with Saveenah, and she paused frequently as
she wandered through the shadowed wooded areas, often stopping to listen for
long, silent periods of time. It was not just the forest, it was something else
that was bothering her, and a smirk played whimsically across Saveenah’s lips
as she considered in disbelief what she had come to realize; someone was trying
to follow her, a druidess, through the forest and thought they were being
exceptionally clever about it.
With
this realization in mind, it was not hard for Saveenah to prepare a little
trap. Quickly scrambling through a jumble of tumbled Highborne ruins, her form
shimmered and changed, turning into a cat and darting forward into the heavier
underbrush ahead. As soon as she was concealed within the thick branches and
leaves, she turned and doubled back, climbing a tree with her cat claws and
taking a position in a high branch that overlooked a clearing just beyond the
thicket she’d entered. Her form shimmered again, and she watched in her night
elven form as a figure emerged from the bushes, clearly having been following
her.
Tight
leather armor hugged the muscular, tanned form of a Sin’dorei as he passed
within view. Short cropped blonde hair capped his head, and a brace of daggers
rode at his hip. Saveenah admired him for a moment from behind; he was a
beautiful specimen of a male Sin’dorei and it was not until her gaze had
lingered on him a moment longer that she realized he was familiar to her. She
breathed a sigh of relief, jumping from the branch and landing softly behind
him.
As
expected, even this slight movement and sound caused him to whirl around, a
dagger in each hand and his fel-green eyes meeting hers. For a moment tension
crackled between them and then the figure relaxed slightly, breathing out and
saying her name at the same time, “Saveenah…”
“Braeth’el!”
Saveenah said warmly. “Of all of the people who would be stalking me through a
forest, you would have been the last that I’d have guessed it would be. This
must be extremely important for you to have come all of this way just to locate
me.”
Braeth’el
nodded, a smile playing across his face briefly as he sheathed his weapons. He
spread his hands wide in a gesture of peace as he replied, “It is very
important. It has to do with your sister and events that have transpired
recently at her home. I need you to come with me and answer some questions.
Maybe even talk to her about things. I’m…I’m at a loss right now. Things have
spun out of control and I need to put the pieces back together quickly for
Kyliska’s sake and for the sake of those under my charge. You may be a key
piece of that.”
Saveenah
felt her pulse begin to race at Braeth’el’s words. Her sister, Kyliska Sunfire,
was her other half. Like night and day, one looked like and lived the life of a
Sin’dorei while the other more resembled their father and lived amongst the
Kaldorei. Separated at birth, they’d only just learned of each other and only
even more recently reconnected. Saveenah knew that Kyliska lived in a world of
politics and magic and wonder the likes of which she could not fully
comprehend. She also realized how dangerous such a world could be. How could
she not? She’d spent her entire childhood amongst the ruins of Highborne who
should have known better.
With
only a second of hesitation, Saveenah nodded, stepping towards Braeth’el, “I
will come with you. I wouldn’t want Kyli to be in any sort of trouble. You have
a way to get back home I’m guessing?”
Braeth’el
nodded, his voice more confident now, “I have a portal spell on a scroll here.
We’ll head back now and discuss matters. After you’ve answered a few questions
I’ll take you to Kyliska and maybe you can help me once you understand the full
extent of the situa-“
Braeth’el’s
sentence was cut off as an arrow sliced through the air. An expert assassin and
spy, Braeth’el sensed the attack coming a fraction of a second beforehand. He
flipped backwards and away from Saveenah, the projectile flashing between them
and embedding itself in the ground, the butt of the arrow quivering. Saveenah
gasped, falling back as a second figure dashed into the clearing, hunting spear
held in one hand as he ran to meet Braeth’el in combat, the Sin’dorei already
back on his feet with daggers in hand.
The
second figure paused only for a brief instant, giving Saveenah just enough of a
glimpse of him to understand who else had
been predictably stalking her through the forest. Deep blue hair cropped close
to the Kaldorei’s head and a familiar, concerned expression met Saveenah’s gaze
as Andissiel Moonblade charged towards Braeth’el. Clad in form fitting chain
mail armor that hugged his muscles, Andissiel towered over Braeth’el as he
reached him. Saveenah heard his voice call out once to her before they began to
battle in earnest, “Saveenah! Run!”
Saveenah’s
scowl betrayed the thunderous anger roiling through her as the two powerful men
began to do battle over her. Both of them had been trailing her in secret;
Braeth’el for his own purposes and Andissiel because he was always watching her due to either his
own desires or her father’s endless meddling. That they should both have met at
the same time and place showed just how little freedom she actually had in the
end.
Daggers
flew outward and were deflected with a deft parry of the spear’s length. The spear
tip flashed forward only to be deflected by yet another dagger. Andissiel
jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding being stabbed by Braeth’el’s weapon. Seeing
an opportunity, Andissiel dropped his spear, grabbing Braeth’el’s wrist and
forcing the dagger to drop from his hand. Braeth’el followed up by punching
Andissiel in the side, drawing another dagger with his free hand and forcing
Andissiel to grapple him in order to avoid being stabbed.
The two
men grunted and struggled, muscles bulging on their arms as they each sought to
overpower one another. What Braeth’el lacked in size and height on Andissiel he
more than made up for with cunning, forcing the larger Kaldorei to continuously
regain his grip with carefully prepared moves. In another time, in a less
serious setting, Saveenah might have even enjoyed watching the two men fight
one another for her. The fact that they were fighting over possession of her
for whatever plot each had in mind diminished such thoughts however, and her
voice rang out over their grunting, “Stop it! ENOUGH!”
Braeth’el
grunted, his voice coming out in a gasp as he replied, “Y-you need to come with
me. Kyliska…needs you…”
Andissiel’s
voice was equally restrained when he replied, “Y-your father said…can’t let you
go back to Quel’Thalas…have to take you home.”
Tears
ran down Saveenah’s face now as two good men did battle for absolutely no
sensible purpose before her eyes. She shook her head, her voice nearly
hysterical now, “N-no! NO! Leave me ALONE! I’m not going with either of you! I
want to walk my own path! I want to leave!”
Even as
her voice rang out, a tingling scent of ozone filled the air before a second
later an explosion of arcane energy erupted between Saveenah and the
combatants. She was hurled backwards, and Andissiel and Braeth’el were hurled
in the opposite direction, separated from one another for a moment as they
landed in the leaves of the forest floor.
Saveenah
blinked once in shock, her vision dancing with blinding light for a moment
before her eyes came into focus. Before her stood a night elf with long,
flowing silver hair, her pose almost regal as she glared down at the two men in
the leaves. Her hands settled on her hips, her elegant gown flowing around her
ankles and her voice commanding as she spoke, “Saveenah will go with neither of
you, and you will not lay a hand on her. Remain where you are lest you force me
to hurt you.”
Braeth’el’s
eyes widened for a moment and his voice was a whisper as he replied, “Biara…”
The
figure standing over Saveenah turned towards her, magical barriers flickering
into existence around her as she turned her back on the two fallen elves. Her
face bore a slight resemblance to Saveenah’s own, except for the scar that
marred her right cheek. She reached down, extending a hand to the fallen
druidess, her voice soft, “If you wish to leave, Saveenah, I will help you. If
you wish to know more, both about what Braeth’el wanted and about who you are,
then I will also help you with that. The choice however, is and always will be
yours. I will leave if you wish, with or without you.”
Saveenah
paused for a moment, her eyes traveling between the two men, both Kaldorei and
Sin’dorei, that had been fighting over her. Her gaze returned to the Highborne
standing over her, to her face. Although she didn’t know why Braeth’el had
called her ‘Biara’ since Biara was a Sin’dorei, something about her smile was
familiar, something in her eyes called to the druidess. Slowly she reached out,
taking the elf’s hand, “Take me away from them. I’ll not be someone’s trophy.”
Biara
grasped her hand tightly and smiled, dipping her head once before speaking a
word of magic. The clearing was again blasted with blinding magic, and when the
light faded, only Braeth’el and Andissiel remained. The two warily rose,
backing away from one another, neither taking their eyes off the other until
they were far enough away to avoid further attacks. As one they turned and
dashed away, their individual missions having failed.
*****************************************************************************
Saveenah’s
eyes opened and she gasped in wonder as she found herself within a magical
sanctuary the likes of which she’d never imagined. It was as if all of the
ruins of the Highborne she’d explored as a child had been pieced back together
with magic and made whole once more. Marble walls with delicate carvings of
stone leaves and trees surrounded her, the circular chamber where they had
reappeared containing a glowing swirl of arcane energy at its heart that was
held in place by glowing wards on the floor.
Beside
Saveenah, Biara stirred, turning to smile at the druidess and gesturing towards
a nearby stone bench within the chamber. The dazed druidess followed, both of
the elves settling down on the seat as Biara turned to face Saveenah. A
thousand questions roiled through Saveenah’s mind, but the most pressing of
them burst forth first, “You’re really Biara? Like Magistrix Biara Dayfire?”
Biara
nodded and smiled slowly, “I am. I…would like to apologize, Saveenah. I have
been deceiving you and your sister Kyliska for some time. Actually, mostly
Kyliska. I didn’t really know of your existence until Kyliska herself
discovered it. Sassariel was very intelligent and very wise to hide what she’d
done from the citizens of Quel’Thalas. None would have understood, although I
do. I very much do.”
Saveenah
sucked in a deep breath, taking a few moments to process this. She instantly
realized why Braeth’el had been trying to coerce her into going to Quel’Thalas.
Not only was Kyliska likely upset, but they probably thought Saveenah knew
something about it, given that she was living amongst the Kaldorei. A viewpoint
that Biara had probably further reinforced with her sudden appearance
unfortunately. She nodded at Biara, mentally cataloging the information and
accepting it at face value for the time being, “Why? Why were you disguised as
a Sin’dorei? And what are you going to do with me now?”
Biara
tilted her head and smiled, “Do with you? Nothing at all. In fact, if you wish
to leave at any time, merely say the word and I will use magic to send you
wherever you would like to go. If you wish never to see me again, I will
respect your wishes. I am not here to ‘do’ anything to you but tell you the
truth; something that I’ve been trying to do more of lately. There is something
I would like to tell you though, if you will hear me out. Words I need to say.”
Saveenah
nodded and then folded her arms across her chest, hugging herself, “You didn’t
answer my question. Why were you disguised as a Sin’dorei? Answer that, and
maybe I will listen to the rest of what you have to say.”
Biara
considered this for a moment, the smile fading from her face as she replied
slowly, “I was there to watch over your mother and Kyliska. I wanted to be
close to them, to guide them and aid them in time of need. I did this because I
am a distant relative of their bloodline. Of your bloodline.”
Saveenah
nodded a second time, remaining silent for many long minutes as she processed
this information. It made sense to her in a way; if Biara really was related to
her mother, Sassariel Spellfury and to her sibling, then there would have been
no other way for the Highborne to get close to them except to use a disguise.
While it was deceitful, it was not necessarily evil and she might have had good
intentions. The fact that she was telling Saveenah any of this made her trust
the other’s words, if only a little. “I see. And what was it that you wished to
tell me then?”
Biara
sighed and looked away from her a moment, her gaze going over the strange
magical energies dancing in the center of what must have been a portal room.
When she spoke, her voice had some strange emotion in it, “All of your life,
you grew up without knowing your mother, without a mother to raise you. What I
wanted to say was, that had I known of you, had I known that you even existed, I
would have been there for you. I would have moved the seas and mountains if
need be for you. Everything that you have suffered alone, I blame myself for,
because I was not careful enough to ensure that Sassariel was not keeping
secrets from me. You’ve been deprived of your birthright, of knowledge of your
family, and of the loving care of a mother, all because I was careless. I
wanted to tell you that I’m sorry, and that in the future, no matter what, you
will have at least one family member looking over you that you can call on for
aid.”
Saveenah’s
eyes opened wide in shock, and she felt a little stab of sorrow in her heart
for the other elf. In the words were a depth of timeless sadness that she
couldn’t fully place or understand. Instinctively she reached out, placing her
hand on Biara’s arm to comfort her, her voice soft, “You have done nothing to
me, and I hold you blameless. I am not your daughter, and you’ve no reason to
take on such a responsibility in your own mind. Feel free of guilt, Biara,
because my life has been fairly blessed and I do not mourn any piece of it.”
Biara
turned and met her gaze, a soft smile on her face and an expression that looked
to be one of relief. She patted Saveenah’s hand once as she spoke, “Thank you,
Saveenah. You don’t know what that means to me to hear you say that. I…have had
a very long time to think about these things and regret is always the hardest
thing to let go of.”
Just
then, another elf appeared in the doorway to the portal chamber, the elf
wearing a silken nightgown and leaning heavily on the stone portal. Beautiful
cyan hair cascaded down her back and a bright smile lit her face even though it
was obviously painful and tiring for her to walk, as if she’d been injured. She
gazed into the room until she spotted Biara, the words she said next sending a
chill up Saveenah’s spine the likes of which she’d never felt before, “Kerriel!
I’m up and walking! Although…I totally don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay
this way. Still, it’s a super great improvement, right?”
Besides
Saveenah, Biara’s voice whispered out softly, “Malandrae…you need to rest more
my friend. Your physical wounds are not even completely healed yet. Let me take
you back to bed.” She paused, turning to look at Saveenah, “I am sorry
Saveenah, but my friend Malandrae was gravely wounded recently and I’ve been
caring for her. I need to return her to her bed before we continue our
conversation.”
Saveenah’s
heart raced in her chest as she stared up at Biara. She breathed in deeply,
calming herself and swallowing a lump in her throat as she nodded at Biara,
keeping her emotions buried inside her, “It is alright, Biara. You’ve already
done so much for me. Do you want to send me on my way for now and then come and
see me after you’ve been able to see to her? I don’t want you to worry about
the two of us at the same time.”
Biara
smiled at Saveenah, her tone grateful as she replied, “That…that is kind of
you, Saveenah. I appreciate it. Mal’s wounds….they were bad. Both inside and
out. She means the world to me and I need to make sure she gets better. Where
would you like to go? I’ll come and find you and we can talk more in the
future.”
Saveenah
smiled, “Back to Feralas please. Maybe to one of the ruins? That way no one
knows where I am for a while.”
“As you
wish, Saveenah. Step through the portal and it will take you to any destination
you picture in your mind. We’ll talk again soon, I promise. And I will answer
any questions you may have,” Biara replied.
Saveenah
stepped forward, giving Biara a brief hug before turning and striding into the
portal, the whole time her heart was racing in her chest. As the magic flared
around her and took her away to a private place that only she knew of in
Feralas, her mind continued to race on and on. The name that Malandrae had
called Biara. The name that had crashed over her like a thousand howling
gnomish sirens breaking the silence in her mind. A name that she had heard only
once, in a vision shared between her and Kyliska given to them both by their
mother Sassariel Spellfury.
A
vision showing the founding of their line, all the way back to the beginning. A
vision that began with an outcast Highborne who was thrown from Azshara’s court
for her indiscretions. An elf that had lived countless centuries before
Saveenah had ever been born.
Kerriel
Spellfury, matron of her bloodline.
