279 réponses à ce sujet

[raging_monkey]

Is she alright

[Serelir]

Yes, we just had a scare the other night. 

[Uccio]

Good to hear she is getting out.

[raging_monkey]

Oh that good

[Serelir]

The Veterans' Home

Spoiler

The veterans’ residence was different in the Fade. That wasn’t unexpected, but after wandering through a few of the rooms, Elowyn realized that it must have been a private home before its present function. She heard someone humming and peeked through a doorway. An old woman was sitting in a rocking chair, knitting.

 

“Hello?” she asked, not wishing to startle the spirit.

 

The woman paused and looked up at Elowyn. “Hello, dear. What brings you here?”

 

Was it odd that the spirit wasn’t surprised to see her? Elowyn showed her the scabbard. “Do you know anything about this?”

 

The woman put down her knitting and examined the scabbard. She held it as if it were a weighty object. She held it up to Elowyn, “Can you not see the bloodstains?”

 

As Elowyn watched, the leather of the scabbard became splashed with blood. She touched one of the splatters, and the Fade shifted. She saw Olybrius and another man talking quietly.

 

“I received a letter from Nicasia. She said Eutolmius had been demoted and transferred for ‘spreading slanderous rumors.’ Eutolmius had told her he’d seen the sword.”

 

“What are you going to do?” asked Olybrius.

 

“What can I do? The Decanus has been promoted. It’s the word of an officer against the vague suspicions of a legionary.”

 

Olybrius patted the man, who must have been Decentius, on the shoulder. “Perhaps that mage you know can help. He must have contacts in the Magisterium.”

 

Decentius sighed. “It’s worth a shot.”

 

The scene faded, and Elowyn was back in the room with the old woman, who handed the scabbard back to her and smiled. “Did that help, dearie?”

 

“I think so,” said Elowyn hesitantly. “What is it you’re knitting?”

 

The woman held up the work in her lap. “It’s a map. Do you see where it happened?”

 

Elowyn scrutinized the tangle of threads. All of a sudden, the pattern came together, and she recognized a map of Seheron and the shore of Tevinter across the Straits of Ventosus.  There was a knot of red thread in Seheron, and a ship sailing toward Carastes.

 

“I think I know where I have to go,” said Elowyn. “Thank you for helping me.”

 

“It’s what I do,” said the spirit, and resumed her knitting and humming.

 

Elowyn stepped back through the Veil, thinking a veterans’ home was a good place for a spirit of Compassion. She’d been lucky.  She hoped her luck would hold for the next step: seeing if the Master would agree to let her go to Carastes on what could turn out to be a wild nug chase.

[Serelir]

Here's one for Altevinter. It wasn't what I intended to write, but the words wrote themselves.

 

Vaellanius Manor

Spoiler

She requested a meeting with the Master. She worried that Nazlik would think they were up to something, so she left the door open as she came into his study. He was staring out the window. He turned and looked at her searchingly. She felt her composure slipping. She wanted to rush into his arms, but restrained herself, her hand on the back of the chair that was facing his desk, hesitating, the furniture creating a barrier between them.

 

Words rose to her lips and remained unsaid. She gathered her thoughts. “Master, I’ve located another victim.” She remembered how he had helped her with the drinking songs and how everything had changed in such a brief time, from sweetness to pain.

 

He came toward her and grasped her arms, his dark eyes gazing deeply into her. “I can’t stand to be apart from you,” he said, his deep voice sending a thrill through her like the earth shifting. She felt weak, but knew she had to resist the temptation. The spicy smell of his skin, his lips, his strong hands on her arms all called to her like the old gods calling to the blighted. She thought she would faint.

 

She rested her head against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her. “I can’t stand it, either. But I have to find the strength.” She tried to pull back, but he held her firmly.

 

“Why? I have told you that this is what I want. This is my house, and I will protect you.”

 

“Those bruises. She gave them to you.  I cannot have you suffer because of me.”

 

He smiled. “A few bruises aren’t going to kill me. I’ve suffered unkinder treatment.” He kissed her then, and she felt her will dissolve. He spun her around and lay her gently on his desk, his hands sliding her skirts up.

 

“Master, the door! Someone will see!”

 

“Let them see,” he said, leaning over her and kissing her roughly.

 

“I can’t! Master, we mustn’t do this!”

 

He sighed and stepped back, pulling her up. She straightened her dress. She felt close to tears and swallowed, trying to keep them back. He kissed her gently on the forehead, then on each eyelid, then her mouth.

 

“I love you,” he whispered. “I can’t help myself – I love you, and I want you.”

 

“She won’t share you. It’s impossible!”

 

“She will have to share. I will have you both.”

 

“It will lead me to hate myself.”

 

He shook her just a little. “You cannot! I forbid it.” He pulled her hair back and kissed her, his mouth insistent, demanding. With a gesture, he sent a wave of force, slamming the door closed.

[raging_monkey]

Haching alt is steamy

[Serelir]

I can't put Caius and Elowyn in the same room - the plot completely unravels!

[raging_monkey]

Yeah all fun no work

[Uccio]

That is far, Caius will want to come with. They can take the "Pride of the Imperium", one of the biggest war galleys in the Imperium. Always with style. Nazlik can come as chaperon if needed. 

 

And the Altevinter part must have been one of Caius dreams. 

[Serelir]

I'm feeling like that part in the Fade is too facile. Maybe that one will go in Altevinter, too. Perhaps Caius will give her some advice on how to find the Centurion, if I can get through a scene with them together.

[Serelir]

Ok, strike the last two chapters.

 

Spoiler

Elowyn was working on a drawing of a cobweb spider. She wondered how cave spiders grew to such an enormous size without their exoskeletons collapsing. She searched her bookshelf for an anatomical treatise on creatures – perhaps cave spiders contained an internal structure to support the weight of their organs. Perhaps they were simply magical creatures that existed half in the Fade – that would explain why they reappeared so quickly after adventurers thought they had cleared out an infestation.

 

Her mind wandered to the conversation with Nazlik in the coach on the way to rescue Zera. Did Nazlik mean something more than sharing? As in, both of them? At the same time?! Her hand froze on the spine of The Noladar Anthology of Dwarven Poetry. Perhaps Nazlik wanted to tie her up and beat her the way she had Caius. Elowyn didn’t like where these thoughts were taking her. She had a difficult time understanding why Caius let Nazlik abuse him. But maybe he enjoyed relinquishing power once in a while. It must be a burden to him, having the fate of the Imperium resting on his shoulders. It was a wonder it didn’t crush him like a cave spider.

 

She shook her head, trying to clear it. She had to arrange a meeting with Caius about finding Decentius’ centurion and she felt reluctant. She could ask Miriel instead. How long could she avoid talking to the Master? She picked up her instrument and played a few scales. She was learning to play an Antivan version of the lute. It had a deeper tone that she found pleasing. She picked out the tune Vel had played for her, that evening months ago when he came to her window. Life had been so much simpler then. Why couldn’t she have been content with Vel? He was lovely, and single. The Master was like a vortex that drew everything into it.

 

She thought about Zera, Tiberius and Monkai. She felt a little impatient with Zera for giving up everything she had for a relationship with Monkai. Had Elowyn been lucky enough to have been born a Magister’s daughter, would she throw it all away for love? Tiberius was just living up to his parents’ expectations. What if he had a secret lover, too, someone who had to be sacrificed for the political marriage. Elowyn would bet Zera hadn’t even considered Tiberius’ feelings. Maybe they would both go through with the sham marriage – many nobles did, and kept their real lovers. How complicated life was!

 

Should she herself have married Vel if he’d asked? Would marriage have inoculated her against Caius’ magnetism? Probably not. She sighed and rested her forehead on the bookshelf. All these love triangles were distracting her from her work.

[raging_monkey]

Well she did choose to be apart of it :up could join the rebellion lol.

But really it is getting quite affair for everyone. And I like how ely is against monkai's relationship with zera like a bit of envy for her.

Grass is always greener on the other side right

[Serelir]

Hmm, that's interesting! I didn't see that among Elowyn's thoughts about Zera. More that she envies the security of Zera's status as an alta and the daughter of a magister, whereas Elowyn is a nobody from the alienage with a dead father. Perhaps she envies Zera's confidence in being able to throw all that away.

[raging_monkey]

Ohh thats good too! I saw it as ely sees the glamour but wants more and zera was throwing what ely believed was everything she wanted bravo!

[Serelir]

Spoiler

When Caius had made Elowyn his First Enchanter, she hadn’t realized how much of her time would be taken up managing the other apprentices. She felt anxious to get on with her investigation, but her clerks could only do so much of the daily work without consulting her. After returning to the manor, she barely had time to straighten her hair before running off to meet with Venerandus to go over the weekly training schedule.

 

She found him by the training grounds, taking notes on two of the guards who were sparring. One was practicing weakening and paralysis hexes, while the other dodged and fade-stepped. There was something familiar in the way they carried themselves. It was almost as if members of the household had been cast from the Vaellanius mold. Elowyn pondered whether the staff was chosen with certain qualities in mind, or whether service in the household forged them in similar patterns. Come to think of it, many of them had those dark Vaellanius eyes, and that couldn’t be changed, could it?

 

“Promising, aren’t they?” asked Venerandus, marking his tablet.

 

“Are they new?” asked Elowyn. The household was so large that she had trouble keeping track of all the slaves and guards. She’d been working hard to match the names of all the apprentices to their faces and backgrounds.

 

“They were born here, children of slaves. We test all the children and assign them to various departments based on their talents and abilities. They’re trained from a young age. These two showed magical aptitude. As slaves, they couldn’t go to the Circle for training. We have our own in-house system for producing guards.”

 

“So you’re telling me that not everyone with magical talents gets sent to the Circle? Does that mean elven slaves don’t have that opportunity?”

 

“Only those with extraordinary talent. Such as yourself,” Venerandus coughed and looked away, slightly embarrassed. Elowyn supposed he still felt a little uncomfortable taking orders from an elf. Many of the staff believed she’d attained her position through her charm rather than her magical ability, to put it nicely. It was time to demonstrate there was more to her than a trim waist and a pretty voice. She handed her wrap to Venerandus and stepped into the ring.

 

“Alright you two,” she called out, “Show me what you’re made of!” The guards turned toward her. The female guard grinned and prepared to cast. Elowyn could take advantage of that one’s overconfidence. The male guard looked slightly apprehensive. He was the dodger and was already sweating a little from slipping between the woman’s hexes. They almost looked like twins with the same dark eyes.

 

The woman cast a hex. Elowyn easily deflected it with her staff, sending it toward the guy. He rolled out of the way. Venerandus made a mark on his tablet. Elowyn wondered if he was scoring her as well. She flicked her fingers and surrounded the guy with ice mines, trapping him momentarily. Meanwhile, the woman had been busy setting up a paralysis trap for Elowyn. She began throwing fireballs, trying to herd Elowyn into the marks.

 

Elowyn cast an ice wall and, while the latest fireball fizzled against the ice, leapt up and pulled the woman by reaching through the Fade, much the way a mage transports herself by fade-stepping. But Elowyn’s trick pulled the other mage right into her own trap, and she was paralyzed.

 

Meanwhile, the male guard had gotten through the ice mines, though the cold was slowing him down. Elowyn called up tangling vines to bind him, but suddenly he blinked out of sight and appeared behind her. She dodged, but his lightning bolt slashed her ankle. She cast petrify, yet again he evaded her. Her hunch that he was the trickier opponent had proved correct.

 

Meanwhile, the female guard recovered from paralysis. She grimaced with wounded pride. Knowing that the male guard was about to target her, Elowyn fade-stepped behind the female guard, who’d been getting ready to hit her with an affliction hex. Elowyn grabbed the woman’s shoulder, sending her off-balance. The hex hit the male guard just as his spell, intended for Elowyn, hit the female guard instead. The woman gasped as bruises appeared all over her body. Elowyn looked at the male guard in consternation: he’d just used blood magic.

 

She shouldn’t have been surprised that Caius’ guards had been trained in blood magic, but the force of the guard’s spell betrayed an unexpected talent.

 

“Thalia!” the guard howled, rushing toward his writhing victim. Elowyn hit him with stonefist, knocking him out cold.

 

“Bastard! You meant that spell for me, but you hit your friend instead,” she muttered.

 

Venerandus chuckled and added up his columns of figures. “Match goes to the First Enchanter!” he declared. Elowyn did a mock curtsey.

 

She noticed a servant trying to get her attention. “Yes, what is it?” she asked.

 

“Excuse me, First Enchanter, but there’s a visitor at the door insisting that she be let in.”

 

“Well, who is it?”

 

The servant gulped, clearly still rattled by the visitor’s behavior. Elowyn wondered why the guards hadn’t just sent the person packing.

 

“She… she says she is your mother.”

 

Elowyn clapped her hand over her mouth and groaned.

[Uccio]

Awesome! So now we know where the bastards are . And the mother! What will she do?

[Serelir]

Some of the bastards. There are bastards everywhere you look!

[Serelir]

In the midst of all of Caius' family troubles, Elowyn has some of her own:

 

Spoiler

Elowyn could hear her mother’s voice haranguing the guards before she even set foot in the front hall.

 

“and I told them, I said, ‘It’s a wake-up call,’ but did they listen? Oh, there you are,” she said, noticing Elowyn standing there.

 

“Hello, Mother,” said Elowyn, “What brings you to Minrathous?”

 

“You have to ask? My only daughter, and she has to ask why her mother - her own mother! - wants to see her, after traveling all this way, that’s the first thing she says to me! They didn’t raise you right in that tower. It’s no wonder everyone says there’s something wrong with mages – stunted, the lot of them! And now, here I am, in a city run by those people. What is Thedas coming to?”

 

“It’s nice to see you, Mother. Would you like some refreshment after your journey?” Elowyn tried again.

 

“If there’s anything worth eating in this place! I suppose the wine here is inferior. You know I have an allergy to tropical food. The healer said I have to avoid anything spicy. I won’t be able to eat a thing in this Maker-forsaken place!”

 

“Right this way, Mother,” Elowyn said, taking her mother by the elbow and leading her to a sitting room. She asked a servant for some tea and pastries, knowing her mother had a sweet-tooth. Her mother looked around appraisingly at the furniture and decorations and sniffed.

 

“Well, at least it’s not cold. Your aunt’s place is always so cold. I don’t know why she can’t warm up the house when I visit. I suppose it gets hot here?”

 

“Yes, people tend to remain inside during the middle of the day. There’s a rainy season though,” Elowyn added, hoping to forestall any plans on her mother’s part to stay indefinitely.

 

“There’s nothing worse than days of dreary gray rain!” exclaimed her mother, biting into a pastry with satisfaction. Elowyn poured more tea.

 

“Mother, I didn’t know you were coming for a visit. I would have cleared my schedule, as it is, I have obligations –,” she didn’t finish before her mother interrupted.

 

“The messengers these days! Completely unreliable! Well, I’m not surprised, given the state of the roads. It’s a wonder I wasn’t set upon by brigands – or worse!”

 

“That would have been terrible!” replied Elowyn, only half disingenuously. “Did you know that I was attacked by abolitionists on my way here?”

 

“Oh, I’m sure you were fine. You always did have a tendency to exaggerate,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. Elowyn gritted her teeth.

 

“Ah, Ser Adaran!” said Caius, filling the doorway. He strode over to Elowyn’s mother, extending his hand. Elowyn wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or worried.

 

“What a pleasure it is to meet the mother of my most promising apprentice!” said Caius graciously, kissing Elowyn’s mother on the hand. For once, her mother was speechless.

 

“Mother, this is Magister Caius Vaellanius, the master of this house,” Elowyn said, introducing her boss.

 

“Enchantée,” said her mother, as if she were a grand lady and not a struggling widow from the alienage.

 

“I trust your journey was pleasant?” asked Caius, “We are all surprised, and, let me say, delighted at your unexpected visit. Had I known you were coming, I would have sent an escort.”

 

“Let me tell you about it!” began Elowyn’s mother, gathering breath for a lengthy fulmination.

 

“If there is anything you need, anything at all, be sure to let us know,” interrupted Caius. “You must be exhausted after your long journey. Phillippus will show you to your suite,” he said, gesturing toward a very handsome, muscular servant. Elowyn had mentioned in passing her mother’s preference for men over women, and Caius had adroitly remembered. “Have a rest, and we’ll see you at dinner,” added Caius cheerfully as the servant led Elowyn’s mother from the room. Elowyn could hear her nattering at the servant all the way down the hall.

“Now, we have that settled,” said Caius, turning toward Elowyn.

 

“I’m sorry, Master, I didn’t know she was coming. Thank you for rescuing the situation!” Elowyn exclaimed, embarrassed about her mother’s behavior.

 

“We’ve all had such relatives,” said Caius reassuringly. “Now,” he said, taking her hand, “You look like you could do with a little relaxation yourself, and you must tell me what you’ve been up to.” Elowyn let him lead her from the room. She was still in shock at her mother’s abrupt appearance and relieved that Caius had handled the situation so smoothly.

[Uccio]

Caius loves to charm people, especially Elowyn's mother.

[Serelir]

Elowyn thinks too hard about things, yet again:

 

Spoiler

After spending a relaxing hour with her Master, Elowyn found herself lost in thought while pinning up her hair. She still didn’t know what to make of her relationship with the man who technically owned her. It was a normal part of Thedan life for the rich to have sexual relationships with their servants and slaves. Elowyn had, however, never considered herself chattel, though she had undoubtedly been subject to the whims of the Templars back in the Circle. The only protection she had then was from Guy, another powerful, privileged man.

 

The general view of elves held by non-elves was that they are whimsical, weak, untrustworthy, but sexually desirable creatures who would betray shemlens without another thought. The standard view of mages was not much better. Elowyn wondered if allowing herself to be seduced by her Master simply played into these stereotypes. She shrugged at her image in the mirror. What could she do about the opinions of others? She had made her choices as best she could, given the small opportunities she had to alter the direction of her life.

 

Did she love Caius? She was sure that she did. She would sacrifice herself for his happiness, it was that important to her. Though he could appear cold and cruel to others, he had shown her nothing but kindness, even before there was any inkling of sexual attraction between the two of them. On her part, anyway. Perhaps Caius had viewed her as prey from the very first time he set eyes on her. Elowyn tended to think most men had a binary view of women: desirable or undesirable, so it would be an unusual man indeed who took a more nuanced view. She felt that men thought of each other in a similar fashion: ally or enemy. She pondered whether women fit this pattern of thinking as well.

 

She herself spent a great deal of mental energy pondering the motivations of the people around her. Perhaps this was simply a survival skill among those who found themselves on the bottom of the social hierarchy. She felt her brow furrow, and pressed the ache with her fingers.

 

Now her mother was here, and she would have to deal with her reactionary attitudes and prejudices. She dreaded to think of what her mother would say if she discovered that Elowyn was in a relationship with a shemlen. Despite their current poverty, her mother’s family were proud of their elven heritage. They lived on dreams of their former glory and longed for the day the shemlens would be wiped from the face of Thedas. In fact, her Dalish father’s attitude had been more tolerant than her mother’s. Elowyn could never understand why her parents had married and stayed together. Then again, her father had drunk himself to death.

 

And why had her mother come at this time? She didn’t possess the resources to make such a long, arduous journey, even though Elowyn had been sending part of her allowance home. Her visit surely didn’t arise out of any desire to aid her child. Her mother had been happy to let the Circle take Elowyn out of her care and had never shown her much warmth or comfort. Perhaps her mother was so mercenary that she had come to see what she could get out of Caius. And Caius would probably indulge her without feeling any pain at all, because his pocket change was a year’s income to an elf in an alienage.

 

Elowyn sighed and tore all the pins out of her hair in frustration. All she wanted to do was to pursue the person who had stolen Decentius’ sword. And after that, she wished she could live happily ever after with Caius, studying magic and perhaps having a family. Part of her knew that was a completely unrealistic wish, but she couldn’t help wanting it anyway. What would a child of Caius and herself be like? Would Caius even care for it? He had Cassius and three grown daughters, and Elowyn had heard rumors of his numerous bastards. He might even be a grandfather soon.

 

Her mother would hate the idea. If Elowyn couldn’t marry another elf, then, in her mother’s view, it would be best to remain celibate. She contemplated herself in the mirror – did she resemble her mother? Would she become a bitter old woman, too?

 

She saw Caius come into the room and walk up behind her. She was surprised he’d returned: he’d said he’d had some business to attend to. He placed his hands on either side of her head and stroked her hair soothingly.

 

“Darling, what troubles you? I can see that you’re feeling frustrated again.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and massaged the back of her neck. She let out the breath she’d been holding.

 

“There is much on my mind, Master. But I am loathe to trouble you with it.”

 

Caius smiled. “I need to set aside more time to attend to you.”

 

“Oh, no, you do so much for me already, and you have… responsibilities of your own!” she exclaimed, thinking of how Zera’s situation weighed on Caius’ shoulders.

 

Caius bent down and kissed her on the nape of her neck. His lips sent delightful tingles down her spine. If only they could be alone together without the cares of the world intruding on their happiness!

 

“Your pleasure and happiness are my own, beautiful,” he said. He twisted her hair and secured it with a single pin. Then he took her hand and raised her up. “And now we shall go to dinner, and you need fear nothing from your mother. Leave her to me.”

 

Elowyn was so relieved that she flung her arms around him. He laughed, hugging her back. “Be careful,” he admonished, “or I will be tempted to forgo dinner and linger here with you. And then what would your mother say?”  

[Uccio]

Awesome, a clear moment for those two . And levity, they surely need one. If they had a child Caius would include the child in his plans. The potential for a powerful mage baby is so huge. A vaellanius to be.

[Serelir]

Caius' half-breed children, like the offspring of Loki.

[Serelir]

Another fun family gathering:

 

Spoiler

How many awkward dinners had Elowyn endured since she’d left the Circle? She thought back to the dinner with Guy’s mother, who had set everything in motion. Would she trade her own mother for Guy’s? She shuddered and suppressed a wry laugh. A servant came around with wine, and she nodded for him to refill her glass.

 

“What’s this about you going to Carastes?” her mother asked.

 

“Just following up an inquiry, Mother,” she deflected.

 

“We can go together! You can show me the sights,” beamed her Mother.

 

Elowyn caught Caius’ eye, trying to signal her alarm. “Mother, it’s not a vacation,” she attempted.

 

Caius took a sip of his wine and smiled, watching their interaction. He really can be cruel, Elowyn thought.

“What am I to do here without you?” her Mother wailed. “I came all this way, and you want to just run off. How selfish! I didn’t raise you that way.”

 

You didn’t raise me at all, thought Elowyn.

 

Caius came to her rescue.  “Clothilde,” he said, catching her mother’s attention, “I hear that your family has musical talent.”

 

Her mother turned to him, “Oh, yes! My father and his father and his father before him were all professional musicians, much in demand at all the best houses in Orlais. They played at the Imperial Court and taught the royal children,” she boasted.  “Not that those shemlens had much talent,” she muttered under her breath.

 

“Ah, how impressive! Elowyn has been much too modest. I have a close friend at the Circle who would love to meet you, Mordecai Routier. Perhaps you’ve heard of him?”

 

Elowyn gasped. Routier was only the most famous composer in the Imperium.

 

“Routier? I can’t say I know that name,” replied Elowyn’s Mother. “Is he the one who wrote that popular musical?”

 

“I believe it was Tisseur who wrote the libretto for the Revenant of the Opera,” said Caius.

 

“Oh, him,” sniffed her mother dismissively.

 

“My friend Routier is giving a concert at the Circle this coming week. You simply must attend. I have a private box with the most excellent view of the stage,” said Caius.

 

“Well, I…” sputtered her mother.

 

“I insist,” said Caius, with a smile that reminded Elowyn of a poisonous snake.

 

“Routier wrote the Celestial Symphony, Mother,” said Elowyn, stabbing an haricot with her fork.

 

“Oh, yes, that one,” said Clothilde. “I did hear something about that. What will he be performing at the concert?” she asked Caius.

 

“It’s a new composition in honor of the Archon and the recent victories in Seheron,” said Caius.

 

Clothilde glanced uneasily at Nazlik. “A good thing he’s making an effort, or we’ll all be overrun,” she said.

 

Elowyn glanced at Nazlik and rolled her eyes apologetically. Nazlik smiled at her.

 

“Are you feeling alright, Elowyn? Not getting sick yet again, are you?”

 

“I’m fine, Mother, really,” Elowyn said, raising her wineglass. “To your health,” she toasted.

 

Her mother reluctantly took a sip of her own wine and made a face. A servant caught Elowyn’s attention and handed her a message. “Excuse me,” said Elowyn, getting up and leaving the table. Let Caius work his charm, she thought, he certainly has more patience than I. She walked to the blue drawing room, where her visitor awaited her.

 

The golden-haired elf turned to her as she entered the room. “Caradoc,” she said, “What brings you to Vaellanius Manor at this hour?” she asked.

 

For an elf whom she’d never seen discomposed, his grin appeared strained. Was that a bead of sweat on his forehead?

 

“I have a favor to ask,” he began.

 

“I’m listening,” she replied.

 

He actually wrung his hands then. “Things have gotten… increasingly disordered at House Caracalla,” he admitted. “Aurelia,” he gulped, “She has this notion that she’s discovered a long-lost scion of the house. It’s your friend, Monkai,” he added in a rush of words.

 

“My friend?” Elowyn raised her eyebrow. Though she’d naively thought she and Monkai could be friends, his subsequent behavior toward her and her house had caused Elowyn to question whether her affection for him was a one-sided delusion.

 

“Ah, pardon me,” said Caradoc, “I had thought… you should see what goes on in that house. And Caius’ daughter…” Caradoc shook his head.

 

“What about Zera?” said Elowyn sharply.

 

“She’s been drunk every day. I’m sorry to say that she hates you. She believes you side with her father against her. She’s said the vilest things about you.”

 

Elowyn sighed. She had liked and admired Zera when she’d first met her. “It doesn’t do me any good to listen to gossip, Caradoc. What is it you want?”

 

“I am offering House Vaellanius my services,” said Caradoc. “I no longer wish to be associated with Caracalla. That house is headed for disaster. You and I both know that Monkai is an abomination. He’ll destroy Aurelia, but she won’t listen to reason,” he explained, his voice catching. Elowyn knew how much he cared for Aurelia. He must have felt deeply betrayed by her to want to defect. Or he’d been sent as a spy. Caius would see about that.

 

“Let me get the Master,” she told him, “and you can explain the situation to him.”

[raging_monkey]

Oh the plot thickens now I gotta see how this turns out