A Dangerous Pair

The double doors to the audience chamber opened, the sound of the gold-painted wooden barriers echoing through the vaulted chamber beyond. At the heart of the Dawnsea estate on Dawnsea Isle, the audience chamber was meant to impress and performed this function well, even upon those who had seen it before. Golden columns spiraled down from the ceiling in neat rows on either side of the chamber, twelve in all, with red and golden tapestries hanging between them. A red carpet lead from the entrance doors down the length of the expansive room, leading up a tier of steps to the throne at the far end. Above the throne a giant golden shield hung, its face bearing the emblem of a sun rising above three waves.

While the chamber itself was impressive, the Sin'dorei that entered it took little time to admire the view, for upon the throne sat two figures that took far more of his attention. He studied them as he approached, his leather boots echoing in the recesses of the chamber. Although there were no guards present, he couldn't help but feel that invisible eyes studied his every move as he walked.

The throne was a massive, cushioned chair with a high golden back and thick golden arms. Although it was designed for a single person to sit upon it, the sheer size of it allowed for more than enough room for multiple people to rest upon it. Generally this would not be the case, as what noble would wish to share their audience chair with another person? The two sitting upon it were an exception to such a rule however, and it didn't surprise the approaching Sin'dorei in the slightest that they were both there.

Seated in the center of the chair, a red-haired elf watched him approaching, her eyes almost blazing fel-green and her expression carefully guarded. Dressed in a form fitting red cloth corset with golden embroidery and equally tight black silken pants, she toyed idly with the long braid in her hair, her red manicure vying for attention over several exquisite golden rings she wore. She sat with her legs crossed, one expensive, high heeled boot bouncing idly as she waited for him to reach the throne.

Across her lap the second elf was draped. Wearing a dark black dress with silver embroidery, she leaned idly against the arm of the chair, her legs hanging over the other edge and her bare feet crossed at the ankles. She picked at an invisible nothing on her dress, her dark black hair draped and framing her face, partially obscuring view of her expression. The approaching Sin'dorei didn't need to see her fully to understand that the face hidden behind the wall of hair was identical to the one that studied him; the two elves were twins, identical in all but the color of their hair. The one sitting upright was perhaps a shade less pale, but it would be difficult to tell them apart at a glance.

As he drew near, the red-headed elf spoke, her voice almost a soft purr, "You are late. Report."

The voice sent shivers up his spine, and he knew that Calexa Dawnsea would not be pleased with what he had to tell her. Hastily he dropped to one knee, his head bowed and his eyes locked on the floor before the throne, "My lady, the attempt failed. Alleriel Sunhaven lives."

The words were met with a brooding silence. Daring to peek up, the elf saw Calexa frowning, her fingers twirling the end of her braid over and over. She sighed lightly, and immediately the other elf, her sister Darva Dawnsea, reached out to place a reassuring hand on her arm. Calexa smiled slightly, patting her sister's hand and then glaring at the kneeling elf, "I am displeased. You were to eliminate the Sunhaven Scion such that we could negotiate with them on more even grounds. Pray that you did not leave evidence that would lead Lady Sunhaven back to this House, for if you displayed that level of incompetence, your service will...no longer be required."

The threat was not even veiled, the tone of Calexa's voice menacing. The room itself seemed to shrink around the kneeling elf, and he found himself breaking into a cold sweat, imagining clawed hands reaching out to touch him. Why he felt this way and what was causing the effect was not immediately obvious, but it got the point across, "N-no my Lady! The orcs I paid had no emblems of our House upon them. I never once mentioned our intentions. Only one of them lived anyway and he will be able to say nothing, as he saw not even a trace of my face."

On the throne, Calexa paused, considering his response. In her lap, Darva stirred, the paler Dawnsea twin leaning forward and clinging to her sister's arm. She looked at the kneeling elf directly for just a moment, quickly hiding her face again and leaning forward to whisper into Calexa's ear. Although his superior Sin'dorei hearing easily allowed him to catch what passed between the two elves on the throne, the words were in a language he could not understand, the sounds guttural and painful to the ears. He shook his head, trying to clear the sound from his mind.

When the whispering stopped, he looked up to see Darva place a kiss upon her sister's cheek with ruby red lips before the dark haired elf turned to stare at him. Calexa leaned against her sister, their cheeks pressed together and her own gaze boring into him. It was beyond unsettling having the two identical elves fixated on him and he quickly looked away.

"We believe this may play to our advantage," Calexa said softly. "House Sunhaven will question who sent the assailants. They will begin to become wary even of those who would be their allies. This may allow us to find others in House Felo'melorn who would be amiable to our goals. You will go now, and await our instructions."

Relieved, the elf bowed low, his voice a muted whisper, "Yes my Lady."

He quickly rose, turning and hurrying towards the exit, distinctly aware of the two pairs of eyes boring into his back. Just as his hand touched the double door to push it open, Calexa's voice drifted to him softly from her place on the throne.

"Your failure will not be forgotten or forgiven. We will be watching you closely."

The assassin grew deathly pale, shivering as he turned and pushed the door open, hurrying out into the relative safety of the corridors beyond. Behind him, two pairs of fel-green eyes stared at him until he was out of sight before turning towards each other. Two identical smiles grew across two Sin'dorei faces as the sisters nodded at one another.

The plan had changed, but it would unfold in their favor either way. Someone was going to pay for what had been done to them.

No, everyone was.

A Change in the Winds

The catapults shuddered as they fired, the huge projectiles arcing out over the water and heading towards the red and golden ship fleeing in the distance. Two of the shots missed entirely, splashing in the water and sending up huge plumes from the near misses. The third projectile hit the the target ship's mainmast, cracking some of the wood and sending rigging and elves plunging down to the deck below or into the sea near the stricken ship. The vessel shuddered, turning slightly as its crew desperately attempted to correct its course. While they were successful, the action served to slow the ship's speed and allowed the two pursuing vessels to gain ground on their target.

Aboard one of the pursuing ships, the Sin'dorei captain raised a spyglass to his fel green eyes, nodding to himself as land appeared in the distance.

“It won't be long now,” he said quietly to himself. “They have no place to go except the cove if they wish to repair the damage. They can't escape now.” He nodded in satisfaction and glanced at his subordinates nearby, inclining his head. The elves moved quickly and gracefully at the unvoiced command, beginning the preparations for a boarding action.

In the distance, the stricken vessel grew larger as the two pursuing Sin'dorei vessels caught up with it, the land behind it also coming closer and revealing a natural cove on a deserted island. The target ship was heading directly into the cove, and its fate was sealed at this point. The captain raised a hand, signaling to the artillery crews to stay their next shots. There was no point in wasting a fine vessel after all when it could be captured by force.

The three ships moved into the cove, the pursuing vessels slowing as they blockaded the entrance, their hulls turning to allow their deck catapults in the bow and stern of each vessel a clear shot on their victim. As they came to a stop and began preparing boarding ships, both vessels raised their flags, the red banners flapping in the wind and unfurling atop the mainmasts. The flags were large, the image of a golden sun rising over the waves on a red field clearly depicting House Dawnsea's colors.

The captain smiled to himself, leaving the bridge to one of his underlings as he joined the boarding parties preparing to disembark. Both Sin'dorei vessels launched their boats, dozens and then hundreds of hardened House Dawnsea fighters preparing to row over to the trapped ship and take it. House Dawnsea had been plying the seas for many hundreds of years, and they knew this business well. The captain smiled as the serene waters of the cove slipped beneath his boarding boat, the sandy shores of the deserted island surrounding the small body of water. Ahead of him, the Sin'dorei vessel he sought to capture awaited him like an unlocked treasure chest.

They had been told that the vessel carried a valuable cargo, and that High Priestess Seluna Dawnsea would tolerate no failure on this venture. It would be a simple matter to take the ship, execute the elves aboard and then indicate that they found it wrecked on the rocks. Whatever House owned the vessel would simply write it off and business would continue as usual. House Dawnsea knew THIS business equally well.

As they approached the vessel, he could see the elves that crewed it running in a panic. They were trying to untangle the damaged rigging so that they could make repairs on the ship, while others were hastily grabbing weapons to repel the boarders. They would stand little chance against so many boarders though; it was only a matter of time now.

As they drew closer to the ship's hull, the captain noticed one figure amongst those on the deck that was not moving about in a panic. Wearing a dark robe with a cowl that covered its form, the figure stepped towards the edge of the hull. Two delicately manicured hands reached up, resting on the ship's gunwale. From beneath the cowl, the captain could see two glowing green eyes; clearly she was a Sin'dorei passenger that the ship had been transporting. It mattered little now. She would die along with the rest of the crew.

Even as he thought this, the elf on-board the enemy vessel brought her hands up, lifting her cowl and letting it fall behind her. Flame red hair cascaded around her face, blowing in the winds coming off the sea. She looked out into the distance, towards the blockaded end of the cove. As she stared, the captain could swear he saw the burning fel in her eyes glow brightly, as if the legion itself marched in her gaze. Her hands rose above her head, and flickering embers began to dance in the air around her as the captain realized she was casting a spell.

He tried to call out, but it was far far too late. With a rushing FOOM! sound the air in the distance superheated, flaming balls of fire forming in the sky and raining down upon the surface of the sea. The two vessels that he and his boarding parties had left were the target of the spell, and even from the distance the heat coming off of their burning hulls tightened the skin on his face. He could see elves in the distance hurling themselves from the burning wreckage as the vessels began to sink, the flames so intense that they burned to the water line. It was no ordinary fire, and the captain could swear that amongst the dancing flames imps cackled and played.

With wide eyes, he turned his gaze back to the target vessel. The elf that had cast the spell stared down at the boarding boats, a smirk playing across her red painted lips. One of her hands reached up and casually tucked a few errant strands of her red hair behind one long, tapered ear as her eyes roamed over the boats bobbing in the water below her ship. Her eyes still glowed brightly, the fel magic she'd been using dancing there like a threat. That she was a warlock was now beyond a shadow of a doubt.

After looking over the elves that were now trapped in the small boats below her vessel, she raised a hand, snapping her fingers. Elves raced across the deck, weapons at the ready and two of them raising a banner on the mainmast. As the flag rose above the ship, the captain gasped and many of the elves in the boarding boats began to mutter. The flag flapped once in the breeze, its colors plain for all to see.

A golden sun rose above the waves on a red field.

The warlock turned, gazing down at the elves below her, her voice carrying out over the water like a sensuous whisper. There was an underlying threat in it that was unmistakable.

“My name,” she began, smirking at the elves that she could now burn alive at will, “Is Calexa. Calexa Dawnsea. And I am one of House Dawnsea's true heirs. That you dare to strike at me is a testament to the depths that our House has fallen to. The High Priestess may direct your hand, but when you strike at me, you strike at the pure blood of this House. This will no longer be tolerated.”

The captain opened his mouth to speak, but his voice was forestalled as the flame-haired Sin'dorei brought up one of her manicured hands again. She smiled at him, as one might an old friend. “Your excuses are not necessary. You have already committed the act and thus anything you may say would simply be a lie. You don't wish to contest my word or will, do you?”

The question hung in the air, the threat obvious now. Slowly the captain shook his head. He was rewarded by beautiful laughter that was, to his ears, cold and callous. “Excellent. You have already learned a valuable lesson. It is shameful that such learning came so late in your life.”

Calexa turned, smiling at her own ship's crew. “Repair the damage and get us underway. I have much to do, and the High Priestess must be greeted properly. It is high time that the survivors of this House come together for a long...chat.”

One of the crew stepped forward, bowing before the warlock, “M'lady? What of the survivors?”

Calexa smiled again, the malice on her face obvious now. Embers danced in the air around her, and in the water just beyond the hull of the ship fires began to rain down upon the boarding boats. Horrific screams rose up, and many of the crew winced as the elves began to burn alive upon the surface of the sea.

Calexa tilted her head, her glowing fel green eyes boring into the crew-member that had asked the question. Her voice was soft and casual, as if nothing at all had happened, “What survivors?”

With wide eyes the crew-member bowed, turning and running to attend to his duties. All across the ship elves rushed to their stations, making the ship seaworthy again.

Calexa leaned on the railing, watching the remaining flames as they danced upon the surface of the sea, a smile on her face. Soon she would return to the mainland. She had been in exile for far too long, but she had the power she needed now to ensure that her rightful place in House Dawnsea would not be denied her by usurpers and liars. The High Priestess and High Scion would be obstacles in her path, but she would find a way to work beside them, and slay any of their agents that blundered into her path.

House Dawnsea would regain the glory that it once held. She would see to it herself.