The silhouettes of the fallen houses made their appearance just as the horse crossed the shallow river, heading uphill. Rocks at the muddy edge made the ascend difficult for the fearful mare, but it was forced to continue. Even the veil of the night could not completely conceal what had been left of the ruined village once occupied by dwarves, not if silver moonlight was there to shed its weak rays. It seemed abandoned, at least to a careless eye. One would need to look long and hard to spot the rising smoke from the vague direction of the old settlement, rising thinly towards the starry sky.
Panting wearily, the rider hit the reins, pushing the horse forward. The village of Dunwald stood eerily silent in the distance. The objective was not far now.
It was the sound of trotting, followed by the neighing of a horse which interrupted Celysiel's reading that night. The old ledgers of the dwarf that had once owned the current basement quickly lost her interest, not for the first time in all the months that she had stayed in the Twilight Highlands. Never before however due to a sense of alarm.
"Wh-" she almost raised her voice, but hesitated. There were a few who knew her location, some of those greatly desired as guests in her false home, yet not one she could think of would ride a horse. She looked around quickly, feeling a kick at her stomach upon realising that there was not enough time to hide the hints of her presence there. Instead, the young elf embraced the ledger and rushed behind one of the thick, sturdy pillars, hoping that would be enough.
A hand came over her mouth and nose in order to reduce the sound of her breathing as hurried, heavy steps echoed from the corridor, descending on the creaking steps. Celysiel pushed herself tightly against the surface behind her and tried to steal a glimpse, but it was impossible without moving and giving her position away.
There was a brief pause once the intruder entered the basement, followed by a clear thumping sound at the general direction of the stone table. The stranger was panting heavily. A metallic sound followed, paired with that of water; Celysiel could only guess that the bucket with which she collected water from the river had been grabbed. Her suspicions were proven right as splashing was heard from her right and with it all light from the fireplace died.
"Ashfury." a vaguely familiar voice spoke breathlessly. "Come out if you're here. And do not light a fire ever again, it is not safe."
The young elf blinked once she realised to whom the voice belonged. The ledger slipped from her hands shortly before she revealed herself, waltzing past the pillar tentatively. "Ethalis Emberdale?" She winced upon addressing the intruder; a title was absent, but the woman was not fond of being called a 'miss'.
The Ren'dorei dropped the bucket, shoulders slouching. "Thank the Sun." she uttered and fell back. First her ankles collided with an old barrel, then her body fell on it as if it was eager to take a seat. Her hands held her forehead as she leaned forward with clear relief. "Thank the damn Sun."
For a moment, Celysiel decided to be merciful enough to give the woman a moment. A move was made towards where she once kept her bucket in order to offer the unexpected guest water, only to then remember that Ethalis had spilled all of it. She looked at the doused flames in confusion, then the Ren'dorei.
"What do you mean that it is not safe?" she asked, hesitant to move. "What happened?"
For a moment, it seemed like Ethalis was unable to speak, as if the exhaustion of several days had finally caught up with her. Even when her lips parted, nothing but a sigh came out. She rushed a hand through plum, sweat-washed strands and ruffled her hair amidst the tentacles springing from her skull.
"Everything... It is not what it seems." she tried to explain at the best of her ability. "They are looking for you. They are all looking for you. Magister Ravenfall has unleashed his retinue."
Celysiel blinked, surprised, before her eyes thinned. "This is childish." she protested, even if the whispering if her voice in her ear was eager to insist that it was not that simple. She began to make her way to the door. "I will go to him then, explain that I do not wish to be part of-..."
"Stop!" Ethalis all but growled. "I told you, it is not what it seems, did I not? That man is twisted, Ashfury. He is set on turning you in spite of your wishes, even by force."
Her steps halted just as she was at the level of the table. She turned around to look at the Ren'dorei, arching a pale eyebrow. "Why on Azeroth would he do that?"
"Because he is mad, Ashfury." the blademistress spat out, still panting. "Because he had lost himself to the Void's charm long before what happened to all of us to Telogrus Rift. He must have been serving the Old Ones for Sun knows how long. Lady Ravenfall had always suspected as much."
Upon hearing Xoriana's name, Celysiel's eyes widened. Her bandaged hand began to tremble a little. "How do you know this?"
Ethalis gave a small, bitter smile at long last. "Because when it comes to politics and power, those who engage in both like to play a little game." she replied. "Even if they are tied through bond of blood." Grunting a little, she released a hand to dig deep into her armour, only to produce a golden, winged pin soon after. Any Sin'dorei would know the symbol. Its glare watched over the city of Silvermoon as it rose above the Court of the Sun.
Celysiel held her breath for a moment, looking at the pin in disbelief. "You-"
"I serve the Sunfury Spire." the Ren'dorei explained, her fist rising to collide against her chest in a patriotic salute. "Forever and always. Under Lady Ravenfall's command at first, but Lady Ravenfall..." Her voice broke and faded as an expression of pain overtook her features. She closed her fingers around the pin and held it near. "I was ordered to pretend to be loyal to Magister Ravenfall and follow Umbric's degenerates into that cursed rift. What happened there... No one could have predicted. No one."
The young elf did not speak. She only covered her mouth with dread upon realising Ethalis' fate; it was staring at her right in the eye.
"And now I can never... But as it happens, the Spire now has an ideal spy among the Ren'dorei." the Void Elf explained, straightening her back. "But Magister Ravenfall never had the intention to remain loyal to them either. All that he serves is the dark masters that linger in shadow. He has been preparing for their coming for so long. And now..."
She did not need to continue. Celysiel nodded. She knew very well what was stirring in the shadows. "But what does any of that have to do with me?" she eventually managed to ask.
Ethalis raised her hand to gesture at the other elf's chest. Directly at the silver locket. "He wants this." she answered. "He wants it madly." Celysiel held onto the locket instinctively, possessively. The Ren'dorei merely offered a shrug of her shoulders. "But I doubt that is the only reason, it would be quite easy to just kill you and get over with it, no matter what that thing is. No, I suspect this has to do with the reason that Lady Ravenfall took you under her wing. Or perhaps he wants to have the trophy of his dead sister as his own."
"Why did she want me in the first place?" Celysiel asked with mild disbelief.
Ethalis shrugged. "Beats me." she admitted. "Her reasons were personal, unrelated to any grand schemes of power. Because of that, she never told me.
Celysiel nodded. A faint whisper echoed again in her ears, a vile laughter coming from across the room, from the covered mirror. She brought her hand to her forehead and stumbled towards the nearby table, her hand ready to lean on it. It did not find the surface, but the sharp tip of something metallic. She quickly pulled her hand away and looked. Next to a newly set satchel lay her black elementium crown, gift of the Ren'dorei lord. It was among the things she did not aim to wear in spite of its beauty; its weight had been a curse.
"But... All these gifts..." she uttered in confusion. "I declined his offer to join him and yet he showed kindness, in spite of what had happened to me, he-..."
Suddenly, the blademistress jumped on her feet and bolted across the room. She effortlessly snatched the crown from Celysiel's grasp and tossed it to the ground, for her heavy, reinforced boot to crush the thin layer of metal beneath it. While doing so, she grabbed the young woman's shoulders, shaking her a few times.
"Open your eyes, already!" she snapped, her tone commanding. "Who do you think did all this to you in the first place?"
For once more, Celysiel's eyes grew wide as they met those of Ethalis. It was so clear, so very clear. "What?" was all that she could utter, her voice faint, a low whisper.
The Ren'dorei shook her again mercilessly. "But it all went wrong, did it not? Because he had counted on the fact that if he corrupted that damn thing you wear around your neck, you'd take his every damn offer and join him, the Alliance, the Ren'dorei, fucking N'Zoth for all I know. And what did you do instead?"
"I did none of those things." Celysiel replied, still in shock.
Ethalis nodded vigorously. "You did none of those things." Another shake came. "For so long, I had to watch, unable to warn you, but you had the sense to do none of those things, but just agree to meet him twice. And now that it all went to shit for him, he has unleashed his dogs against you to take that trinket and you for all I know. Do you understand now?"
Numbly, Celysiel nodded. However, Ethalis did not let go. Perhaps it was better this way. Still holding onto the locket, the young elf gave it a gentle tug, before her fingers slipped away from the source of her woes. "How-... How did he? It all happened while I was in Quel'thalas. Then I found myself... Away. Weeks after. Maybe months. I... He could not have done it, not without being seen. Caught. So how-... How?" Her body was trembling with rage, but the emotion itself would not surface.
A growl echoed in Ethalis Emberdale's throat. "As it happens," the woman spoke sternly. "in the same way Lady Ravenfall had set her spies, so had her brother. Yet we did not know about his most destructive and dangerous of all, not until he took the lady's life. Not until he did this to you." Something bitter appeared in the Void Elf's eyes. "Can you really not imagine who this could be, Ashfury?"
She asked as if she knew. And suddenly, so did Celysiel. "Archivist Alendis." Realising what a fool she had been made her knees weak. She would have fallen had the blademistress not been holding her.
"Focus." Ethalis whispered. "Focus, cause we might still be able to make this right." She slowly turned the apprentice towards the table, gesturing over at the satchel that she had brought. By releasing one hand, the Void Elf managed to open it and lower it around its contents; a large, perfectly spherical orb was staring at the two women. Within, the black and midnight blue colours of the Void swirled, hungering.
"Kelieren Alendis gave this to me." the Ren'dorei explained before Celysiel had the chance to ask. "He said he made it, but I have no idea what it does. He claimed we could track you down with this, but that it was also meant to do a lot more. It is big asset in their plans for you, Ashfury, but I know nothing more. Alendris would. Magister Ravenfall would. I was meant to deliver this to him, but I am bringing this to you instead. You can't let it fall into the wrong hands."
Numb still, Celysiel nodded. Something echoed from within the locket, but she paid no attention to it. Instead, she turned to Ethalis. "What will you do now?"
The blademistress let go and stepped back, taking a deep breath. "I need to get far away from here in case Ravenfall's forces have a way of finding me. They might have realised that I am not on their side by now." Again she ruffled her hair and closed her eyes briefly. "Then I need to contact the Spire. Let them know everything. It is time to make a move."
Celysiel swallowed with difficulty and nodded. "What if they catch you?"
For once more, a bitter smile was all that the Ren'dorei could give. She circled around the other woman to retrieve the satchel, without taking the orb. It remained on the table. "Then I trust that you will clear my name with the Spire. Now, I should probably find something heavy and smooth enough to fill this." She began to head towards the door. "We would want to give anyone who might be watching the wrong idea after all. Do not come with me up above."
Celysiel nodded, but she still moved to the threshold as the Void Elf started making her way up the stairs. "I can never repay you enough for this." she uttered, her body lightly trembling. "Thank you."
Ethalis paused, turning to look behind her shoulder at first. Her back soon learned against the stone wall as her white eyes found Celysiel. "I have no desire to see you suffer the same fate I did, Ashfury. Neither of us chose this. I don't know if your condition can be fixed, perhaps it might since that trinket of yours seems to be the only issue." She pointed at the locket. "But if you manage to go back home one day... Look at the sun for me, alright?" A bitter smile painted her lips again. "Dance at the silver sands beneath the Duskwither Spire and drink some Eversong wine to my name. Live the life I can no longer have." Her eyes closed for once more, in an attempt to perhaps relive those images that the future did not hold for her. When she opened them again, there was perhaps a hint of moisture in her eyes. But who could tell with certainty in the dark? "If one of us can go back, I will do everything in my power to make it happen. And if not? At least you can be free."
Slowly, Celysiel nodded. Even though her hands both moved to her chest, it was not the locket they eventually sought, but her heart, two fists tightly pressed against it. An attempt to speak was not made. No words were fitting for that situation; silence could tell a lot more.
With one last smile, Ethalis bowed her head and turned to walk away. Celysiel kept staring at her, eyes locked on the Ren'dorei's back intensely as if she did not ever wish the image of that woman to fade from her mind. Beyond the basement, a horse neighed, its loud steps echoing further and further away in the distance until they could be heard no more.
Eventually, the only remaining elf broke her gaze away from the building's exit to look over at the table where the ominous orb lay. Yet even if there was something about it which greatly bothered her, it was impossible to focus on that matter. Her eyes burnt with newly formed tears, perhaps born from that nagging suspicion that she would never see Ethalis Emberdale again.
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