| The First Key of Kalijor |
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-1-
'It was a dark and stormy night.'
"At least, that's how the story might have begun," Riana thought as she stepped out of the gate from Talanor into the dark night and driving snow of the Southern Wastes. Briefly she nodded to the gate guards as she pulled her heavy hood over her head to protect her sensitive elven ears from the icy wind. Her body was alive with tactile sensations she had never imagined before. Every move, every turn, every breath caused her skin to scream out to her as the friction of the cloth across her now very sensitive skin sent spears of discomfort and pain to her aching head. A moment to take stock of her things and she was off into the gale, headed home.
As she moved further from the city, the darkness grew oppressive. The driving snow blocked out what star light would normally be visible this time of year, which wasn't much really. The end result was that Riana was forced to shift her vision into its alternate state, allowing her to see the heat emanating from objects. In the total darkness and extreme cold, she still couldn't see much. She could see well enough to navigate and would know instantly if anything warmer than a snowball was near her, which was a good thing, because this frozen tundra was filled to overflowing with a nasty breed of Orc.
These particular Orcs were about Human size, two-hundred to three-hundred pounds worth of solid muscle, and a pasty grey color with random black and dark grey/brown markings. They had sharp canine teeth that protruded from their mouths like wicked daggers, and evil eyes that glared red from beneath their boney brows.
"The snow was as thick as bread pudding," she whispered to herself, pulling her heavy cloak closer to try and shake the feeling of discomfort that always chased after her when she walked through the Wastes. The last thing she wanted was to attract the attention of an Orc scouting party, but hearing a voice, even her own, helped reassure her that she was still alive and well. Cautiously, she picked her way down the road, its edges barely visible to her keen thermal vision. Making every attempt to not shift or move too much, because it made the rough material of her heavy cloak rub against the sensitive, fresh tattoos covering most of her body. The dull ache in her head didn't help things much either now that she gave it some thought.
She hated that she had to go to Talanor to get it done, but no other artist in the realm was better than the master there. Master Dinendal had been surprised by what she had asked him to do, even more so when she had presented him with the vials of enchanted inks that she had spent months collecting rare ingredients to distil. It had taken some time to convince him to proceed, and a good deal of coin as well. But as he worked, his confidence grew. By the time he had finished, almost three days later, he was beaming with pride in what he had created. Of course, the process had left Riana's skin painfully sensitive. Master Dinendal had told her that normally such discomfort lasted for a week, but with the special inks and the nature of the work, he had no idea how long it would last. She hadn't really cared at the time, but now she was beginning to regret it as the thought of a three day trudge through the southern wastes settled in on her. The prospect of what it meant in the long run was more than enough to compensate her for a few days or even weeks of discomfort. But if her skin remained this sensitive for too terribly long, she would have to seriously reconsider her wardrobe. Thinking of her closet full of the heavy robes traditionally worn by wielders of the arcane arts, their weighty fabric covering almost every inch of the body made a small groan escape her lips.
"Mom's going to absolutely KILL me." She whispered to herself as she continued threading her way down the snow-packed road, headed for home.
"For what?" An echo of her own voice whispered next to her, causing
her to nearly fall over in surprise. Turning sharply towards the voice, her
cloak shifted and twirled around her, dragging itself painfully across her
freshly tattooed body. Wincing in pain, she saw her sister standing in the
middle of the road, looking at her innocently. It was like looking in a mirror,
which made sense, since they were twins. Katrina had the high, thin cheek bones
of a royal elf, her long, pointed ears concealed beneath her own cloak's hood.
Her thin lips parted in a devilish grin, revealing slightly too sharp teeth that
was a subtle indication of their mixed heritage. Her fine features were soft and
attractive, even for the young Twenty years old they were. There were some
differences though. Katrina's eyes were an acidy yellow and she wore her fine,
platinum hair down, in a manageable style, while Riana's eyes were a deep
violet, and her hair was pulled back into a fancy array of 'pony tails' at the
back of her skull, with a few strands hanging down around her face. At some
point she had managed to turn her hair a vibrant, royal purple in an accident at
the alchemy table. It had grown that way ever since and she had finally, after
more than a year of trying, given up attempting to conceal it from their mother
by dying it regularly. Their mother had sighed when she saw it coming in, in all
its purple glory, then looked at Riana and said, "Just like your…father."
She had then hugged her and walked away with a strange look on her face, the
memory of the father they had never known clearly haunting her.
Looking deeply into her sister's eyes through the driving snow, Riana smiled weakly, "I'll tell you when we get home. I need to get out of these clothes and into something lighter. This is definitely not the weather for it."
Katrina admonished her with a parental look and then asked, "Why are you walking home? Didn't you buy a portal ring while you were in Talanor?"
Riana sighed the sigh of sisterly defeat. "No," she finally admitted, "I spent all my money on…" She took a deep breath before continuing, "well, you'll see when we get home." Her voice trailed off.
Katrina smiled, grinned rather, from ear to ear. "Then let's get home, and out of this weather, so I can see what you did! C'mere sis!" At that, a slender hand emerged from beneath her cloak, in its delicate fingers she held a portal ring. Its shiny gold band adorned with the vibrant, almost glowing ruby that was the symbol of their home city of Rathalon. She placed the ring on her finger and with a grin at Riana, turned it one-hundred eighty degrees, so the ruby was facing down.
The ring began to glow brightly for a moment, and an instant later, the light was gone. Between the girls appeared a series of red rings of magical energy floating in a column. They appeared to be composed of pure light, bobbing up and down lazily like a buoy might while floating in a calm harbor. Riana looked at her sister and saw the ring on her finger crumble away into nothingness.
Katrina smiled and shrugged, "I still can't afford a rechargeable one, but these are pretty reasonable." Then she stepped into the column of glowing rings and disappeared in a dull flash of red light.
With a sigh of resignation and a brief wish that her head would stop its aching, Riana stepped into the column of rings and instantly found herself in a large, stone room, surrounded on all sides by armed guards. All of whom were looking at her expectantly.
"Ssstate your name and bussinesss." An imposing reptilian hissed at her from directly ahead. She looked at the guard. An impressive creature, standing some eight feet tall and heavy with strong, sinuous muscles, he towered over her lithe six foot frame. The deep emerald-green of his scales was accentuated by the golden plate armor of the Rathalon guard. In one hand he bore the signature weapon of the Rathalon Defenders, a short metal staff with a wickedly pointed blade jutting out of each end. The weapon was easily as tall as the creature holding it and was known throughout Kalijor as a vicious weapon that required a great deal of skill to use effectively. The weapon hung in his hand like a toy, despite its mass. His bright amber eyes stared at her unblinking from beneath the helmet that had been custom fit to his reptilian head. Although Riana had seen and talked with Captain Sselina on many occasions, she was still caught off guard every time she used the portal system and found him staring at her expectantly.
"Riana Thorindal, daughter of Ezrina Thorindal. My sister Katrina and I are on our way home." Indicating Katrina, who stood behind the captain, speaking in hushed tones to a merchant near the exit of the arrival area. Riana pushed her hood off her head revealing herself to the guards and causing a brief surge of pain. Her long ears perked up in the warmth and the presence of friends.
The Captain eyed her for a moment, before he nodded ever so slightly in her direction. "Welcome home Lady Thorindal." Then he made a barely perceptible gesture and the rest of the guards stood down and went about checking other arrivals.
"Good to see you again Captain," Riana said, feeling much more at ease now. She moved out of the inbound portal area where other people were arriving in brief red flashes. Rathalon was the center of Kalijor. As the mecca of commerce and travel, it was the largest city in the world. Everyone came through Rathalon at one point or another in their lives. A great many of those arrivals simply appeared here in the cavernous portal chamber. Looking around the room as she moved away from the arrival area, Riana felt the enormity of the chamber. It was a gigantic room designed with security in mind, with numerous large columns arranged in rows that would allow defenders to take cover from any invading force, firing arrows, bolts and spell missiles from positions of cover at the central area of the building where all arrivals appeared. Twenty steps led down into the arrival area, which was a giant octagon, some one-hundred feet across, giving the defenders a tactical advantage in the event of an attack through the portal system, by placing any would-be attackers well below the city defenders.
People flowed in and out of the building through the gigantic, intricately-carved main doors. Some headed toward the smaller, raised octagonal platforms that held glowing portals similar to the one that had brought Katrina and herself here to Rathalon, but these portals were a shimmering yellow, and always very busy. There were six such platforms in the portal chamber of Rathalon, but only five of them had portals atop them. One platform in the far back corner of the room, stood empty. There had not been a portal there for so long that no one remembered where it had gone when it had been active.
Making her way up the short stair way, she nodded to the Captain, and offered him a wry smile. He offered her the reptilian equivalent, baring rows of small, deadly sharp teeth. Then he moved further down the stairs to intervene in some dispute that had started up with one of the arrivals.
Riana wove her way through a few small groups of people that were milling about, causing her heavy cloak to drag across her skin. Gritting her teeth and forcing back the pain, she made her way to her sister's side.
"Hey Ree." Kat said at her sister's approach, "One sec and I'll be done here." Then she went back to haggling with the merchant about something or other.
Riana took a moment to pull off her heavy cloak, careful to cause as little friction with her body as possible. The silk skirt and blouse she wore underneath helped some, but she was still painfully aware of what she had done to her body. The garments she had picked for the trip had been chosen with two thoughts in mind, reducing friction against her sensitive skin and to cover her up as much as possible.
Carefully holding her cloak in her hands, out away from her body so as to keep it from bumping into her, she turned back to her sister just as Katrina concluded whatever negotiation she had been involved in.
Katrina grinned at her, stifling a laugh at the sight of her sister. "WHAT?!" Riana howled indignantly.
"Nothing." Katrina said, almost unable to hold back the laughter. "You just look like…"
"Like what?!" Riana asked, raising an eyebrow, her ears straight back from her head in annoyance.
"Like…an old maid…" Katrina finished, and finally burst into laughter, unable to contain it any longer.
Riana's skin flushed red in embarrassment, her ears drooping down. "I guess I do." She said, sounding upset.
The blouse had long, billowing sleeves that came to a buttoned cuff at each wrist, and ended at the neck in a fancy collar that she didn't care for, but it served its purpose very effectively. Her skirt was long, ruffled, and of the same fine silk. Ending below her ankles, it almost completely covered her traveling boots, which were soft brown leather, and came up to her knees beneath the skirt. She knew it was not the best traveling attire, but she had other concerns to worry about on this particular trip. She wasn't even wearing her normal belt with her short sword, knife and pouches on it.
Suddenly Katrina grew very serious, the laughter gone, but still audible in her words, "C'mon Ree, let's go home so you can show me."
At that, the two of them were off. Weaving in and out of the throngs of travelers. Deftly avoiding traffic jams, as only two children could. The pain of moving nearly floored her, but Riana resolved to get home before giving up her secret. Her head hurt and her body ached, as she pushed herself to keep up with her sister. In an instant they were at the massive doors to the portal chamber. Then they were outside, in the full light of day. The momentary transition from night to day had taken place while they were inside the portal chamber, and now people were beginning to come out of their homes and add to the volume of travelers already thronging through the smooth, stone streets of the city. They wove their way through the crowds -down a back alley here, through someone's yard there, under a street merchant's awning, between two horse-drawn carts- making and taking every shortcut they could. As she strained the limits of her body to force it to keep up with her sister's pace, Riana began to realize just how far away home was. Every step she took caused her clothing, as well chosen as it was, to light up her nerve endings like a bonfire. Every time they dodged around someone or ducked under a clothesline, her body screamed out at her to stop. Slowly, she began to fall behind, even though she was pushing herself well past her pain threshold.
Rathalon was a gigantic city. The largest in Kalijor by far. Its population was in the millions, if you included all of the transients that were there at any time, although its actual residents numbered only five or six hundred thousand people. It had been carved from the head of the Uraval Mountains over the course of centuries. The spot was perfect as travelers had to round the head of the mountain range on their way from one side to the other. The mountains themselves were impassable. Not so much because of the treacherous terrain, which there was plenty of, but because something lived up there. Something less than friendly to travelers. And no one was known to have ever made it over the range. So all travelers had long ago taken to rounding the head of the range. And before too long, a great undertaking was begun. Some of the best stone cutters in the world had banded together and drawn up plans for something amazing. They decided to build a city at the head of the mountains in order to capitalize on the traffic that passed there, but their city would be nothing short of spectacular. So they began removing stone from the face of the mountain, and for generations they carried on removing stone from the mountain. Their children toiled away at it, and their children's children.
The city was still not completed to this day, but it was the most amazing thing Riana had ever laid eyes upon. A city capable of housing millions of people, carved from the head of the mountains. All of the buildings they ran past on their way home, the streets that they had learned so well in their youth, the walking paths where they used to play tag among the pedestrians of the city, the fountains Riana and Katrina had learned to swim in, all of it carved from the rock. Not a single piece had been brought in, or added to, any feature of the city. Even the massive stone gates of the thick outer wall, were hewn from the mountain's mass, hinges and all; Riana waved at the gate guards as they darted past the one-hundred foot tall gates, the action sending lines of fire up the nerves in her arm and chest, she staggered momentarily, but forced herself up and on after her sister.
The great wall that surrounded the city was one-hundred fifty feet high, and twenty five feet thick. Leaving the vertical face at the southern edge of the city, it extended northward and curved around to the west and back south to reconnect with the same vertical face. The girls ran along the base of the wall, towards their house. In her hyper-sensitive state, Riana was relieved by the realization that the glossy surface of the city's wall was actually as smooth as it looked. For years she had been amazed at how its near mirror surface would dimly reflect its surroundings, but now she was in heaven as she leaned against its cool surface and slid painlessly down the road.
There were fewer merchants on this road, but it was still a high traffic area and a great many people bought and sold, and just moved from place to place here. As they dodged through a crowd at the edge of the street, Riana brushed against a large man in heavy plate armor. He barely touched her svelte form, but the result was instant and startling to those in the area. Her skin sang its discomfort out to her nerves, sending her sprawling to the ground at the foot of one of the city's freestanding buildings. People stopped what they where doing and looked at the young elf, sprawled across the ground in a tangled mess. Tears of pain forming in her eyes at some unknown and unseen torture. Riana looked up at the man as he was staring down at her in confusion, trying to stammer an apology, "Miss, I'm sorry, I didn't…"
"She's fine! Just had a rough day!" Katrina was next to her, hoisting her off the ground, not realizing that her embrace was adding to her sister's pain.
Riana focused her thoughts on shutting out the pain and tried to get her body to obey her commands, wincing as her sister dragged her away from the crowd.
Once they rounded a corner, Katrina braced her sister against a wall to let her catch her breath. "Wow Ree. What was THAT all about?" Her face was distorted with worry for her sister, ears drooping low in concern.
"I'll be okay Kat. I just need a minute." Riana said, wiping tears from her eyes. Finally she willed her body back into her control and stood up. "Let's get home." She added weakly.
Almost home now, Riana gazed southward at the sheer rock face that stood thousands of feet high, towering over the rest of the city. In the face were carved balconies and windows, from top to bottom. Tens of thousands of people lived in the apartments carved into the cliff. In the center of the city, visible to the sisters as they crossed the last major intersection before reaching their building, was the palace where the governing party of Rathalon presided over the day-to-day activities of the city. It was a series of buildings in a square, interspersed with a few fountains, a few gardens and some grassy knolls. It was only called the palace because of its appearance however, as there was no actual royalty governing the city; rather, a group of elected citizens that served a term and then went back to their lives.
The streets teemed with life day and night. All civilized species were welcomed with open arms here, and most could be seen on any given day. As was evidenced by the mixed group the sisters wove through, their final destination in sight. Katrina sidestepped around a felinoid and then ducked between an Ogre's legs as Riana barely managed to get her complaining body out of the way of the wildly gesticulating arms of a Troll that was excitedly telling the crowd about some amazing point of interest or other in his last journey to the far reaches. Those of Riana and Katrina's race, the Elves, were in the minority by far with maybe a dozen families living within the city. Most of the elves tended to live closer to nature, in Pandoria, or even in one of the world's forests in unofficial cities that most sentients didn't even suspect existed.
The sisters approached their home, causing Riana to breathe a sigh of relief at the thought that she could soon shed the clothing that was causing her so much discomfort. Her relief was short lived however, as two things occurred to her. First, she was going to have to show her body to her mother soon. Secondly, they lived at the top of a three story building on the western edge of the city, which meant she still had three flights of stairs to get up. Living in the building with their own family were two other elven families, each fairly wealthy, either by heritage, or by enterprise. They burst through the front door and charged up the stairs to the door of their home. The spacious apartment consisted of four bed chambers, a living area, a study, a kitchen, two bath rooms, and had running water, both hot and cold, provided by the city's talented architects and designers.
The door to their apartment opened as soon as one of them touched it then closed again behind them. Katrina grabbed Riana by the hand and gently pulled her toward Riana's room.
Katrina moved Riana to the center of the elegantly appointed room, stripped her cloak out of her hands, and tossed it on the king size four-poster bed made of a dark, hard-wood with silk and chiffon hangings draped down at the corners as she spun around. Knocking the door closed and flopping down on a large pile of satin and velvet throw-pillows, she pulled her knees up to her chest and planted her feet in the plush rug that covered the stone floor. Katrina steepled her fingers together and set her chin on her finger tips, staring calmly at her sister.
"Ok," she said, "show me."
Riana looked at her, her eyes glazed over in something approaching abject terror. "I don't know Kat. I'm kind of scared." She would have wrapped her arms tightly about her body and rolled up into a ball, but she feared the pain it caused might be worse than her feelings about what her sister would think.
"It CAN'T be that bad Ree. Seriously. Show me?" Katrina was sincere.
"Just you wait." Riana said as she began to unbutton her blouse, hands trembling, "You may yet change your tune."
Katrina bit her lower lip as she watched her sister slowly open her blouse. She was stunned, her mouth having fallen open as she stared at the slowly revealed intricate pattern of dark lines weaving around, serpent-like on her sister's alabaster skin. They covered most of her upper body. From her wrists up to her shoulders and down her torso. The markings were not so tightly packed as to cover all of her skin, in fact, most of her skin was untouched, but the spacing of the patterns was such that very little of her body was far from some type of mark.
Her back was covered as well, Katrina noticed as Riana slowly turned around, her ears drooping down in an obvious display of her uncertainty and concern for her sister's reaction.
Finally Katrina realized Riana was staring at her expectantly. "Ree… I had no idea…" Slowly she stood up and approached her sister, inspecting the complex patterns more closely.
"Are these Draconic?" She wondered aloud, reaching out to touch one of the marks on Riana's stomach. As she touched it, Riana flinched away, almost falling over. Katrina grabbed her sister's outstretched hand, stabilizing her before she completely lost her balance. "I'm sorry Ree, I imagine they are still sensitive uh?"
Riana nodded her agreement. "It's ok Kat. And yes, they are Draconic. It was the only language I could find in my research that would effectively do what I needed in single symbols."
Katrina nodded gravely, pretending to understand. She could recognize Draconic, but not actually read it. "Why did you do this?" was all she could think to ask as she reached out and stopped short of touching another of the vibrant marks.
Riana sighed, a full confession approaching her lips. "I was doing some research. Trying to find a way around the limitations of our mages. They, all of them, even you, can only cast so many spells at any given time. They require you to memorize them, and you can only memorize so many. They take concentration to cast, and time to speak the incantations. I was trying to find a way around all of that. And eventually I did." She sighed again, still unsure of herself.
"Go on." Katrina said reassuringly as she moved around her sister, inspecting each and every line with intense scrutiny.
"I found an ancient tome in the academy library. Back in the restricted section…"
Katrina stood bolt upright, almost knocking Riana over again. Her eyes as big as saucers, and ears standing straight up in amazement. The restricted section of the academy library was one of the most attentively guarded areas in all of Kalijor. Some of the books there were written before the great war, and contained spells and incantations so powerful that they could, and in fact had, leveled whole cities. Sneaking into the restricted area was not unheard of, Katrina had done it herself on more than one occasion just to see if she could; But to remain there undetected, for long enough to do real research, was something indeed!
"I know," Riana said narrowing her eyes. "That was almost the most difficult part of this whole ordeal. Next to having to tell mom."
Katrina giggled at that, and then crouched down again, resuming her inspection.
"So I found a book that detailed the research of a mage from before the war who sought very much the same thing." Riana paused before continuing, "he found that if he used the correct ingredients in his inks, and had them enchanted in just the right way, then he could have certain magical symbols permanently applied to his skin. It let him use the associated spells with little concentration, and no time memorizing them. The only problem he encountered was that he could only make it work with a single symbol for each spell, and he lacked the knowledge to divine appropriate symbols for all of his spells."
Katrina blurted out, "The Dragons have symbols for EVERYTHING! They invented most of our magics!!"
"Exactly," Riana replied. "So all I had to do was learn their written language. No small task, to be sure, but very possible. After that, it was merely about setting up my spell books, and convincing the Master in Talanor to do it."
"Do they…" Katrina gestured randomly about Riana's body, "…work?"
"Watch," Riana said with a touch of pride in her voice. She held out her hand and closed her eyes for an instant before a small ball of fire appeared in her outstretched hand. Katrina inspected the mark that had glowed as if in response to her sister's thoughts. The intricate pattern had glowed vividly for an instant in vibrant color before fading back to black. The flame hovered there in her hand, exactly as it would if she had conjured it through the normal, accepted means.
Katrina held her hand over the flame, as if to verify that it was real and not some kind of illusion or trick. Feeling the heat from it, she closed her hand around it as she recited a quelling incantation. Several seconds later the flame disappeared with a flicker.
Looking at her sister, eyes wide again, then to the rest of the intricate pattern spreading across her body. "Your legs as well?" She queried, amazement in her voice.
"Yes." Riana said flatly. "Both legs, from the lower calf up to the waist." At that, she lifted the hem of her skirt and showed one of her legs to her sister. The marks were there as well, standing out in stark contrast to her light skin.
Katrina was in awe. "I didn't know you could CAST this many spells!"
"I can't yet." Riana said. Now she was almost glowing with pride. "I included all of the arcane spells that I could find in the library. You see this?" She pointed to a symbol on her forearm.
"Yeah." Kat said with an eyebrow quirked.
"This is a spell I know how to cast. It's a sphere of light cantrip. But this one here…" Riana pointed to another, more elaborate image on the bicep of the same arm. "This is a fire ball spell that I have never cast before. Most mages can't for years. But as soon as I am able to channel the appropriate level of power, I will be able to use this one. I just need to keep practicing my focus and channeling abilities."
"Ree… This is…" Riana winced as she waited for her sister to finish her thought, to tell her she was insane, or stupid, anything but what came next. "This is AMAZING!"
Riana sighed heavily, relief flowing through her body. If Katrina could accept it that well, then their mother may just go mildly crazy, rather than kill her outright. Gently, she sat down on the edge of the bed and held her head.
"What's the matter Ree?" Katrina asked with a tone of concern, sitting down beside her sister on the edge of the bed.
"My head has been aching for a while. Nothing major. Just kind of a constant, dull pain." She said, as she massaged her temples with her finger tips.
"Since the tattoos?" Katrina said, obviously thinking there was some kind of connection.
"No," Riana came back quickly. "Since a week or so before that. Somewhere in the middle of studying up for the tattoos. I don't know what brought it on."
"Over a week?! Have you taken something?" Katrina was looking more worried by the moment.
"No, silly!" Now it was Riana's turn to admonish her sister, "I've been saying nice things to it in hopes it will get a confidence boost and move on to greener pastures!" Grinning wickedly at her sister, Riana punched her lightly on the shoulder. "Anyway, it isn't as bad as all that. Just kind of inconvenient. I need to find something to wear before mom gets home from Cohai. Help me pick something out Kat?"
"Of course!" Katrina said as she jumped off the edge of the bed. The headache temporarily forgotten in favor of a trip to the bazaar. "What did you have in mind?"
"Something… rather more daring than usual I think…" Riana said
as a mischievous grin formed on her lips.
-2-
The Rathalon bazaar was something everyone should see at least once in their life. The two main roads through the city were lined on either side with merchant's awnings under which stood tables, racks, stands, buckets, bushels, and hangers filled with anything anyone could possibly want. The treasures of Kalijor were here for the taking, if only the price could be met. People of all creeds and colors, species and sizes wandered the streets, from tent to tent, corner to corner; haggling, bartering, trading, buying, and selling. The bazaar itself put all this to shame. Easily the largest building in the city, it was packed with ten times the merchants as all of the city streets combined.
"Welcome to my humble shop." The finely featured elf said as the girls tumbled through the door. "If there is anything I can help you with please let me know." He smiled happily.
Katrina nodded in his direction and smiled as Riana started digging through the racks of fine silk garments.
"I see you have an excellent eye m'lady. Those silks were imported from Avian just this morning. They were woven by some of the finest silk weavers in the land."
"Oh Kat! This is amazing! I can hardly feel this material it's so light and soft!" Riana cooed as she fondled a couple of the garments appreciatively.
Katrina moved over near her sister and picked up the sleeve of a hanging blouse. Sliding the material back and forth between her fingertips she nodded her approval then turned her head slightly so that she could see the store's proprietor in the corner of her eye. "It's nice. But I've felt better. Remember that nightworm silk merchant we ran into in Talanor the other day? That stuff was way softer than this." The man's smile faltered a bit but he returned quickly.
Riana was only briefly caught off guard by her sister's comment. Recovering her wits quickly she smiled slightly and began playing her part. "That's true. Such a nice little dwarf too! Hard to believe she was selling it so cheaply, it was just flying out her doors."
"Yeah. Maybe we should portal back over there and see if she has any more available. Remember that dark purple she had? It was amazing!" Now he was fidgeting a bit as he watched them.
"Oh! This one is nice." Riana said as she removed a sapphire colored silk tunic from the rack and gently held it up against her tattooed skin. "How much is it?" She looked at the uncomfortable man pointedly, turning slightly so that he could better see the garment.
"Eh… that one is fifty silver pieces m'lady." He smiled hopefully as she looked back at him with a skeptical glance.
Katrina turned around and leveled her gaze on the man, narrowing her golden eyes at him then turning back to her sister. "C'mon Ree, put it back, we'll go back to Talanor where the prices are more reasonable and the silk is better. It's worth the trip with as much as we're going to need in order to refill your wardrobe."
Riana put on her best pouting face as she reluctantly let her sister take the tunic from her hands and return it to the rack. "Alright. I suppose you're right," she acquiesced.
Dramatically they made their way to the street, lingering a bit too long with each step and fingering a garment or two as they paraded toward the door. Finally the owner had enough and almost shouted, "my ladies if you intend to purchase a quantity of items I am sure we could arrange for a volume price."
Katrina stopped half way to the door and turned slowly to look at him, her eyes narrowed again. "What sort of price?"
"Ah… well, I… How about thirty five silver…"
Katrina cut him off by turning back toward the door with a flourish and taking another step.
"Thirty! Thirty silver each…"
In an instant, Katrina whirled on the man and gave him her best stern look, her hands on her hips and ears parallel with the ground, pointing straight back from her head. "Twenty five silver each and not a copper more!"
The man looked like he had been slapped in the face. He hesitated for the briefest of moments, considering her words, during which time Katrina started turning toward the door again. Finally he came to a decision and called after them, "alright, twenty five silver each. But you have to buy a dozen or more."
Katrina turned back around and smiled sweetly. "Deal."
Numerous pair of soft suede boots, several bodices and tunics in different styles and materials, some skirts, belts, greaves, gloves, capes, cloaks, and various other odds and ends later they made their way home, laden with packages and parcels. All told they had spent nearly fifty gold pieces, but had returned victorious, with bundles of new things to wear. The only thing they had not purchased, mostly due to its high cost and their inability to talk the store keeper down, was a set of leathers that was a deep, glossy black color with purple trim. It was a complete set and had been magically enchanted to increase its strength and softness, and reduce its weight. Its cut would have worked perfectly around Riana's freshly tattooed skin, but the cost seemed simply too high.
They had immediately set about going through Riana's wardrobe, piling up all of her robes and other long, concealing things on her bed. Katrina was stowing the last of the new items when Riana stepped behind the changing screen to don one of the new outfits.
"Ok. Here goes." She said tentatively as she stepped from behind the screen. She wore a very light, elven silk scarf that covered her breasts and formed a cross over her heart then tied behind her neck. Her lower half was draped with a similar silk that hung low on her waist and covered her with a low hanging breechcloth in front and back. In all it was extremely revealing, and to her, felt as though she was wearing nothing at all because the fabric was so light. She breathed a sigh of relief at the feeling of no longer having coarse fabrics constantly lighting up her nerve endings. It felt so much better that she didn't much care what it looked like.
Katrina stared, mouth hanging open. "Ree, I… Oh wow," Was all she could manage to say.
Riana looked at herself in the full length mirror by her wardrobe, blushing from head to toe. "I see what you mean Kat, but it's the only way I'm going to get anything done. At least until these tattoos heal a bit more. Wearing normal clothing is almost debilitating." Looking in the mirror, she turned this way and that, inspecting her image from different angles and perspectives. It was very revealing, but nothing she couldn't get used to, she supposed. The dark lines covering her body in intricate patterns were all visible. Briefly she wondered if this was all just part of the price she would pay for her deed.
"Mom IS going to kill me." She muttered out loud.
"Maybe." Katrina chimed in from the other side of the room, "But you'll look darned good when you go."
Riana saw her sister's grin in the mirror and grinned back. Then put her fingers to her temples again and tried to massage away the dull ache once more.
"You should see a healer Ree." Katrina sounded worried again. "Maybe there are side effects… Something not in the notes. Or maybe something went wrong…"
Riana turned around and looked at her sister. "Nothing went wrong. Unless it went wrong enough for the wizard that recorded the procedure that they were unable to note it, there was no mention of it. Besides, like I said earlier, it started more than a week before I went to Talanor."
"Maybe so. But you should STILL see a healer!" Katrina was definitely worried, she never got this insistent unless she was deadly serious.
"Alright. I'll go see a healer tomorrow." Riana acquiesced.
"Why tomorrow?" Katrina pushed the issue still further.
"Because if mom kills me tonight, then I won't have to worry about a healer tomorrow!" Riana said mockingly. "That and it will be dark in a few minutes, and unless it is an emergency, most healers won't see people at night. I'll be fine until tomorrow." Riana busied herself with storing her robes and other displaced garments in a foot locker while she talked. Trying to keep her mind off her headache.
"Alright." Katrina finally gave in. "But you are going at first light, and I will go with you to make sure you get there!"
"Fair enough. Now help me get this mess cleaned up."
A moment later the brief transition into night occurred. The bright light of day quickly dimmed and faded away into night. It took less than two minutes to happen, and all at once it was night time. And with it came a knock at the front door.
The girls answered the door together, opening it to find a human male standing there. He wore dusty traveling gear, and looked as though he had just run a marathon. His light hair was matted to his forehead and he was winded, although his bright blue eyes shone with an inner energy. He was barely over the twin's six foot height, and looked as though he weighed in under two-hundred pounds, mostly lean muscle. He smiled broadly when he saw the sisters beyond the threshold, raising an eyebrow at the sight of Riana, wearing not much more that a couple of silk scarves.
"I am a courier. I was dispatched from the Burning Expanse this morning with a message for Ladies Katrina and Riana Thorindal. Might you be they?" His voice was a solid tenor and showed no signs of being winded, despite his outward appearance.
"The Burning Expanse?" Katrina wondered aloud.
"We don't know anyone in the Burning Expanse!" Riana chimed in.
"So you ARE Katrina and Riana Thorindal?" The man asked, obviously eager to deliver his dispatch.
"We are," the girls said in unison.
"Very well then," he said. He reached into a satchel slung over his shoulder and produced a sealed parchment. "My instructions say that I am to give this only to the two of you together, and that you must first show me the matching seal."
Katrina and Riana stared at him blankly for a moment. This was a very strange turn of events. Finally Riana shook herself and said, "Just a moment, let me get mine." Then she disappeared into her chamber for a moment and returned with her seal in hand.
She handed it to the messenger, who inspected it, and compared it against the wax seal on the parchment. Then nodded his approval and handed both items to Riana. "Here you are. Thank you." He then bowed to them and took a step back from the door, "Now if you ladies will excuse me, I have other deliveries to make."
"Of course! Thank you very much." Katrina said as she watched him head down the stairs, closing the door after he was out of sight.
Alone again, the girls inspected the parchment. It bore the family seal, which meant it had to be from their mother, as she had the only seal that was out of the house currently. Gently, Riana tried to slide her thumb nail under the wax seal, but it did not budge.
"He said together." Katrina said aloud. Then she placed her thumb on the other side of the seal and together they applied pressure. The seal popped loose, and the wax melted away into nothingness. Quickly, Riana unfolded the parchment to reveal the elegant, practiced script of their mother. It was a large letter, and it looked to have been written in something of a hurry, as the hand was not up to Ezrina's normal standards. Together they read.
Girls,
I know you were expecting me home this evening, and it pains me to write this letter to you rather than be there with you both. Unfortunately the pain my heart must endure does not stop there. It is time you both knew the truth. About your 'father'. Years ago, I was living in a keep with a number of companions that I adventured with regularly. We struck out often into the unknown wilderness in search of whatever there was to be found. Riches, knowledge, new sights, whatever took our fancy. One of these adventurers was an elven Wizardess named Kilishandra. Kilishandra Thorindal.
Katrina and Riana looked up at one another suddenly. "Thorindal. Dad?" Riana said.
"No." Katrina replied. "That can't be right. She said this Kilishandra was a wizardESS. Not a wizard!"
They stared at one another for a moment and then looked back to the letter.
Kilishandra and I shared many adventures together. As the best of friends. But there was something different in her soul. Something that I never would have expected until I watched her beat down the defenses of a castle single handedly, in order to profess her love, for another of the women that lived and adventured with us. I wasn't sure what to think or do about her after that day. I tried to stay close to her but I wasn't sure my heart could go where I thought she may eventually try and tread. Apparently our other friend felt the same as me, for she distanced herself from Kilishandra, and soon after, became engaged with a wonderful man, whom she eventually married and bore children with. Kilishandra was happy for them both, but I could see that she was crushed. So I spent more time with her, trying to keep her thoughts from the past. Eventually, years later, we encountered a Dark elf with a special mission. He buried a cursed dagger in Kilishandra's ribs and disappeared, sobbing something about being sorry. I rushed her to our healer, who quickly dealt with the physical wound, but she did not get better. She lay in a fevered sleep for days, and whenever we tried to rouse her, she would scream obscenities and try to hurt us. So we had a healer keep her in a deep slumber while we tried to figure out what had happened.
Eventually, we discovered, through a series of events that leads me to believe the entire ordeal was very much orchestrated, that the dagger was a cursed weapon that would slowly open her mind to the powers of hate and discord. She would slowly become a being of evil and hatred unless we could do something. What's more, the Dark elf that stabbed her with the thing turned out to be the reincarnated first love of Kilishandra, whom had died hundreds of years prior, and now it seemed, had been called back and was being controlled by a powerful mage of unknown origins. The elf, Rhaeton, confessed that he was obliged to tell us his master's name, and said that it was Wyndel. While our friends fanned out in search of this Wyndel, I decided to see if the curse of the dagger could be broken if the dagger itself was broken. But in trying to destroy the thing, I pricked my finger with it, thus cursing myself to the same fate as Kilishandra.
After a time, our mages contrived a ritual that they said had a high probability of success in curing both Kilishandra and myself of the curse, but we had to act immediately, and it was a very dangerous thing to attempt. It involved the merging of our minds, along with a third person's. Their thinking was that, together we could chase out, or seal off the cursed parts of our minds, and then balance what was left, filling in gaps and holes from one another's minds. In effect, after the ritual, we would all be ourselves, but each of us would carry bits of the others within us. I agreed, as did the woman that had been the object of Kilishandra's affections years before, so we set up the ritual and performed it immediately.
I can not to this day describe the experience. But when it was over, it had worked. Almost perfectly. Kilishandra woke from a months long slumber, a changed person. But then so were the rest of us. I found that the pieces of her that had stayed with me, helped me understand her feelings, her confusion, her uncertainty in how she felt, and WHAT she felt. I knew in my mind that I could never have considered it possible before, but then, after the ritual, after the sharing, and baring of our souls to one another, I could not deny it. I HAD grown to love her in our time together, and although she had been trying hard to subdue her feelings, especially after what had happened to her the last time she shared them, I KNEW that she loved me. So, we went down that path, together.
I wish that I could say that we had years of happiness together after that day. But it was not to be. After a few brief days, she discovered who Wyndel was, and where he had secreted himself away. It seems that he was her estranged father, driven mad with power lust over centuries spent in its pursuit. He had struck a deal with a demon to provide it the perfect vessel with which to wreak havoc on the world in exchange for some ultimate power, and to that end he had brought back the soul of Rhaeton and had it strike down his own daughter. She snuck away from our bed in the dead of night and went to him to finish it. She left a note that I discovered when I roused at the realization that she was not with me that night. I could not have gotten to them in time if I had grown wings and flown. Although, gods know, I was close. I arrived just as the final blows were struck. Kilishandra and Wyndel destroyed each other before my eyes. My love lay dying in my arms and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
With her dying breath she professed her love to me, and pushed a parchment into my hands before closing her eyes for what should have been the last time. The parchment was a love letter of sorts, and directions to where she had hidden an amulet of her own creation. The amulet was enchanted with bits of her being in such a way that the first woman to don it about her neck would conceive a child, born of her and Kilishandra's bodies and souls.
I kept it secret. Hidden for years. I feared what my life would become. Not just in the having of children, but in the having of children with no father, but two mothers. I feared for what people would think of me. And of what they would think of my children. But after decades, my heart still ached for her. I longed for her touch. Her breath upon my flesh. I missed her so much that I decided that I would have a living piece of her in my life no matter what others thought of it. So I donned the amulet, and waited.
Not long after, the two of you came to me. I gave birth to you and it was the greatest miracle in my life. I raised you both as best I could, telling you all the while that your father had been killed in some great battle. I never had the courage to tell you the truth, for fear of what you, my children, would think of me. Know that I love you and that I have always loved you. You are both the products of pure love. A love between two people that could not be broken, not by curse, not by time, and certainly not by the prying eyes of other people.
I know that this must come as a shock to you both, but I had to tell you before I set you down the path that you must now follow. I am sorry that it is the two of you that must now complete the cycle of the curse that tried to destroy Kilishandra and myself all those years ago. If I could do it myself, I would, but it can not be me that does it. When I said that the ritual almost worked, I meant it. There was an unfortunate consequence. Some time after the ritual, the third woman, an elf by the name of Ambrai, began to follow a dark path. Long a Ranger of the wilds, she began to turn towards the dark magics, forsaking her roots in the forests and the wilds. She began to play with necromancy, and before long had exhumed the body of my Kilishandra and reanimated it to do her bidding. She caused much strife in the world before she was inexorably drawn to the dark side of the mountains, where the undead and demons of Kalijor roam free. I know she was hurt by Kilishandra, and I know she saw into her heart that day. I can forgive her, even for the desecration of Kilishandra's grave, but she is getting worse. I have long heard rumors of a dark ranger that roams the Plane of Sorrow and preys upon adventurers there. Recently I overheard someone that had seen her, talking about the amulet that this dark ranger wore about her neck, and I know it to be the very one that gave the two of you life. The one I buried with Kilishandra after you were born.
I did some research into some of Kilishandra's journals and spell books and it seems that one of the spells she used in creating that amulet was an ancient spell of life, from before the great wars. I further researched the spell in the academy library and discovered that it has a dark potential when used as an enchantment. After it is expended, it can be recharged, through the infusion of soul energy. It takes hundreds of souls to replenish the power of the amulet, but the nature of the life created by it is directly proportional to the way in which the soul energy is harvested. Kilishandra filled it with all of her love for me, and blessed me with the two of you. And, I believe, because of the nature of your conception, your being born almost solely from magic, the two of you have come to surpass almost every mage in Kalijor, even at your young age. But I fear Ambrai, in her travels down the path of evil, now fills the amulet with a dark energy. If she were to conceive a child, born of that energy, and with your aptitude for wielding it, it would be a monster.
I am currently deep in the Burning Expanse, searching the catacombs here for some means to destroy the amulet. But it is to the two of you that I must entrust the task of collecting it. I have no idea how Ambrai will react to the two of you but I can imagine that it will not be pleasant, and I know that your experience will be difficult. You may have to fight her. Or even kill her. And it is very likely that she still commands the body of your mother, Kilishandra. Please understand that she is long since dead. If you must destroy her body, know that it is just that, her body. Her soul was freed decades ago, and all that remains is a husk.
Go first to Pandoria, and fetch a reliquary from the druid circle there. It should help you when dealing with Ambrai. I have sent a message there warning them of your coming and your needs. Then visit Gornin in Cohai, and ask him how best to proceed. He knows of your quest and will be ready to receive you.
Katrina. Riana. My loves. My life. I am very sorry for this thing that I have asked you to do. I would do it myself, but the part of my mind and soul that is Ambrai's would not allow it of me. So it is to the two of you that this task must fall. I am truly sorry girls. I love you both more than life itself.
Your loving mother,
Ezrina Thorindal
The girls looked at one another after finishing the letter. No words were said, but the exchange ran deep. Their whole world had just changed. In the blink of an eye, the reading of a letter, everything they knew was different.
"Get some rest." Riana said to her sister as she stood up and slowly padded down the short hall towards her bedchamber. "We'll leave in the morning."
Katrina stared after her sister as she moved down the hall, closing the door
behind her.
-3-
They were both up before the daylight began, making preparations for their journey. Riana had gone out and visited the clothing shop where they had found the leather garments the previous day, waking the poor man well before he was used to getting up. When she told him she was related to Ezrina, whom he had known for a long time he had readily agreed to help her by discounting the articles slightly and further enchanting the materials to reduce the friction they would cause against her skin. He also cast a few enchantments upon a belt and pouches that she picked out that allowed them to reduce the weight of anything the belt supported.
Returning home just after light she began packing as lightly as she could, she stuffed a few of her new silk garments into a large pouch on her right hip. On top of those she put some carefully wrapped rations, and a medium sized water skin. Some other odds and ends went in as well, a compass, a set of utensils, some scraps of parchment, a small vial of ink and a couple of quills, and one-hundred feet of fine, magically-strengthened elven climbing cord; just in case they had to face a climb of some kind. On her other hip she sheathed her short sword and her dagger. Finally she rolled up her thin sleeping pad and blanket and set the roll across her back, securing it with a braided leather rope over her shoulder.
When she exited her chamber, she found Katrina ready and waiting in the main room of their apartment. She was similarly packed, although most of her things were in a back pack slung over her shoulder, and she wore her normal, conservative, mage robes. She smiled at Riana when she saw her, and gave an appreciative whistle, to which Riana blushed profusely.
Riana wore a tight fitting bodice above a breechcloth that hung to well below her knees in front and back and was settled over another leather garment that covered her private parts, but not much else. She had on a pair of sturdy but comfortable leather boots that came up to the middle of her calves, and a leather bracer on each forearm that covered from her wrists to her elbows. The coup de gras was a thick leather choker around her neck and the heavy belt that supported her short sword and dagger in new scabbards, as well as a couple pouches for coin and other odds and ends. All of the items were rich, black leather, soft and supple, with a royal purple beading and stitching that complimented her hair. To complete the ensemble she pulled on one of the more expensive items they had purchased. The fine black material of the elven cape rested nearly weightless on her shoulders, its rich purple interior wrapped around her comfortingly as she fixed the intricately detailed dragon's head clasp at her neck and let it rest against her leather choker.
"So," Riana said, trying to take the focus off of her exposed body. "We take the portal to Pandoria, and then speak with the Druids."
"Right." Katrina agreed crisply.
"Alright then. Do we have everything we need for a few days? I am sure we can resupply in Cohai before we set out for the Plain of Sorrow." She was trying not to sound scared as hell despite the fact that neither of them had ever been far from home for any length of time. While they had both been to Pandoria before, they were seeing life through new eyes now, and even their apartment seemed to have taken on a different feeling for them. As she headed for the door Riana looked around their home, her eyes landing on a painting by the dining table, the myriad of figures within its rich golden frame bent to the task of what she had always thought to be the construction of some great monument or structure. Now as she looked at it, she saw new details in the image, the forlorn faces of the workers, the stress lines on their faces, they were bent to no task of joy. Deeper in the background she saw the rows of stone markers for the first time. The figures were erecting a tomb, a grave site for some hero that had fallen.
As she reached for the door, Riana was taken with the sick feeling that she
would never see this place again. It was not a feeling of doom, or some
disaster, in fact she was quite confident in their success. Something was
nagging at the back of her aching mind as if trying to tell her to let it all
go. Pushing the door open, she dismissed it as being related to her headache and
stepped out into the hallway. Together, Riana and Katrina took their first steps
into their new lives. Riana wasn't sure if they were truly ready, but she knew
they had no choice now in the finding out.