PREFACE: A History of the World:

From the Historical Theology Department of the Temple of Endless Dark. An introduction to Theology
In the beginning there were two brothers, Aslo of Light and Durin of the Eternal Dark. These Divine brothers had created the universe and then portioned it between themselves as they saw fit with Aslo getting the Heavens and Durin getting the Dark Underworld. However they soon realized that though they had created the universe, it somehow seemed rather empty. In His Divine might, Aslo of Light began to create other things, stars, moons, worlds to populate their universe. Durin watched silently, bemused with what His brother was doing. On and on Aslo went, filling the universe with light and worlds. Soon the universe was no longer a place with just light and darkness but now had many other things in it. However Aslo was still not pleased with His work and asked His brother to help Him. Now, while these brothers loved each other, they were also not above competing against each other. So Durin thought long and hard of what He could do to outdo His brother. This thought became so intense that it seemed to form a life of its own. However Durin did not think much of it because He had found the solution to His problem. He went to one world, an endless mass of blue and created life upon its surface. He nurtured the life forms He had created and watched them grow and develop and when He was satisfied, He went back to His brother and invited Him to see His efforts and judge them. Aslo did not comment but with a fury of motion went off to create his own beings on other worlds. And so, a fierce competition began between these two, to see who could create the most beautiful and unique beings in the universe. It was during this time that the Brothers noticed that another entity was among them. A much darker and more sinister mind than their own. It was then that Durin realized what that entity was and with remorse told His brother of His passionate desire to outdo him and the decidedly evil thoughts that had entered his mind at that time. It seemed that those evil thoughts had somehow turned into a being of Divine strength. Now, while this new being worried them, they decided to wait until their work was done before they figured out what to do with this new being. It was at this point that The Brothers saw a world and both felt it was good. Both saw it as a perfect place to claim and a furious argument ensued when they both realized each others intent. All the while, their feuding and fighting served as
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energy for the silent being which had grown out of Durin`s jealousy. The Being grew in strength with each fight until one day.with a violent burst of light and power which rent the cosmos, it rose up and challenged the Brothers. In shock and consternation they watched as vast galaxies were destroyed in that declaration of war. The Being was black and filled with something they later defined as evil. Its very essence was malevolent and with a great burst of power it announced its intent to destroy them and claim the entire universe as its own. Now, while the Heavenly Brothers were currently in the middle of a personal fight, they both realized the need to contain this creature before it really did consume them. No one really knows how it was done but both orders of Eternal Light and Endless Dark agree that it was with great sacrifice that the two Gods were able to defeat the creature and cast it down to the place now known as Hell. The Creature would soon be known as the Father of black magic and the King of Hell. An uncountable number of years (as we know them) passed before the Brothers were willing to resume their work of creation, but when they did they went back to the world they had seen earlier and this time they agreed to help each other and also to share in this fair world. Aslo filled the world with various creatures that would later be known as animals and also with vegetation. Again Durin contemplated His Brothers work and in a burst of creativity created Man. His Brother watched in wonderment as the first men crawled upon the face of the earth, naked and crude. Durin, blessed with foresight, realized that these crude beings would soon be one of his greatest accomplishments and that he should leave them alone to grow as they saw fit. While Aslo did not agree, he too left them alone but decided to create helpers, who would oversee this new world. These new helpers would embody many of his own traits and be gods of this world, leaving him free to pursue other things in peace. These helpers came to be known as the gods of Light (those worshipped by the people of Alduran). Endless Durin, not to be outdone, also left a representative on this world, a human woman, one who would soon create our great kingdom of Dravaan. The Great Lady Rowena, who some say was an offspring of the Dark Lord. The events which saw the birth of Dravaan and the emergence of the black cult will soon be explored in the next chapter,

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PART 1
WHERE DARKNESS AND LIGHT COLLIDE

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0ne: The Witch of Deaths garden

Syrie
They called her the Witch of Deaths Garden. An over-exaggeration to be sure and it was not true, well from her point of view anyway. The witch` was said to be over 300 years old, knarled and ugly with warts on her face. She wore a necklace of childrens knuckle bone s and walked with a cane made of human thighbones. In her opinion, the people who claimed to have seen her and were spreading this description around were the most unimaginative lot ever. She could have done better herself. She was NOT 300 years old, neither did she have any warts or disfiguring physical attributes to speak of. Bones of any kind disgusted her and her only crime was that she lived in Deaths Garden. The place had an unsavory reputation and this one was well earned. The forest was dank and dark and very inhospitable. It was said to have been created from the blood of a virgin who had been used in a spell of black magic, the most evil kind of magic in the world. No one really knows what the spell was or what truly happened but the end result had been the slow but inexorable growth of the forest. It was infested with all sorts of flesh eating plants and weird looking animals that no one could explain. It was also here the woman known as the Witch made her
home.

The Witch had been hunting in the forest when she had first heard the noise. She had ignored it, as she did all other noises in the forest. After all, the forest was alive and no one knew this better than she did. Strange noises were nothing new here. She continued on her way, stealthily moving in the undergrowth, stalking a herd of deer. She had to hurry, since she was not usually the only one eyeing the deer with a hungry look. What she sometimes would not give to be able to tell the large flesh eater pods not to hunt while she was around! Only, their hearing was selective and experience had taught her not to try and reason with them. They were plants after all. She rolled her eyes as she continued on her way, getting closer to the deer, which were grazing contentedly under a canopy of flesh eater pods. Seriously? She thought to herself. These animals were truly stupid. The only thing that saved them from total extinction was their propensity towards procreation. Those things bred like rats sometimes. Also the flesh eater pods had a way of fertilizing the earth where they grew so that the best and greenest grass grew there. She cautiously inched her way in, keeping an eye on the pods above her. Though she knew she was safe since they knew her, they still liked playing nasty tricks on her, picking her up for no reason and trapping her in their great
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maws for hours at a time. She could never truly understand the minds of plants and she was not sure if they truly had minds to begin with. Shaking her head, she notched an arrow to the bow in her hand and raised it, preparing to shoot. Just as she had drawn the bowstring she heard the noise again, louder and more plaintively than before. It seemed the deer had heard it too because they all bolted in typical deer skittishness. She scowled up into the canopy wondering if the pods were playing another trick on her again when the noise came again. This time there was no mistaking it. It was the sound of a human wailing in pain. All irritation vanished as she directed all her hunter instincts to tracking the source of the sound. She waited quietly, listening for the sound again. For a long time she heard nothing and was just about to give up when she heard it again. This time it sounded weak as if the person making it was fading, or losing strength. She sighed again as she realized where the sound was coming from. It seemed that one of the pods had trapped someone or something in its great jaws but had not killed it yet. Oh for the love of she thought irritably but at the same time her curiosity had been sufficiently peaked. She wanted to see what the pod had caught. She considered her options as she stared up into the canopy. On most days she was glad that the flesh eater pods grew high up in the canopy of the forest and only ever came down to pick up food but today she cursed their distance. Even if she could make it up there, there was still the matter of prying those great jaws open. Flesh eater pods had impenetrable pods which were as hard as steel. They were also amazingly strong so that nothing save a few giants working together could dare to pry that thing open. The only thing she could do was try and reason with them which was about as easy as trying to convince a brick wall to get up and dance. It was however her only viable option. Now, the only task left was to locate the offending pod and convince it to let go of its dinner for a while so she could see what it was. Great! That sounded stupid just thinking about it. It did not take long to find it. In the afternoon sun (which never made it to the ground) anything the pods would have caught would be easy to see. For such hard pods they had surprisingly transparent shells. Once she had found the pod she made her way to the base of its stem and laid a hand on it. Before she could even form the words or establish a connection, a vine snaked up from the ground and lifted her up. While a part of her told her how pointless struggling was, she still did anyway, twisting and squirming as much as she could, screaming at it to let her down. Like most plants did, this one ignored her and continued its upward climb until she came to the top of the stem where the pod stood. Instead of tossing her inside like she expected, the pod opened like a flower and the vine gently set her down inside. While this behavior was totally out of character for the pods she did not register it as all her attention was focused on what she saw inside it.

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Human. It had captured a human. A human male to be precise. In all her years in the forest she had never seen a human come so far in as to get caught by a flesh eater pod. The orchard of pods was close to the center of the forest, close to where her tiny cottage stood and she knew the humans were too scared of the forest to even go near the outskirts. This humans presence was then puzzling. It did not however shock her as much as his appearance did. He was dressed in pure white clothes (which she thought was completely impractical by the way) and he had two sheaths which crisscrossed his back but were empty. She vaguely wondered where the swords were when he moaned again. The pod moved slowly, going down. Confused, she wondered why it was behaving in this way when she felt a presence in her mind. He is different. Like you. We like him. Her mind reeled. They had accepted this human? Why save him? She asked. We like him. He is misguided but pure. Help him. The pod answered Help him? What did you do? Not us, but the water. Poison. We tried to help. Not working. She looked down at the human who was stirring weakly. She could see his skin was pasty pallid and was taking on an unhealthy shade of gray. Then she realized something. I cant carry him! Hes much bigger than me! We will help. They were so willing to help carry a stranger to her house but they could not leave her alone when she was hungry and needed food. The thought made her grumpy and she almost considered dumping him somewhere to die when the pod spoke again. Food is waiting outside your door. What? Food is there for you. You ask us next time. She could sense truth in that statement and did not know how to respond. They had never offered to help before. You never asked before. It replied humorously. She huffed in irritation but a part of her was relieved. At least she had meat. She looked down on the man at her feet and saw that he had gone still. Concern for him had her crouching down and turning him over so that he lay on his back. His skin was pasty and he was temperature was high. She silently urged the pod to move faster and did not even stop to wonder how it was going to get them home. She also did not wonder at the

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fact that it did get them home or that a vine snaked up from the ground and gently wrapped itself around the man and carried him into her house and into her bedroom. All she could think of was how she was going to save this man.

Two: The Man with the White Hair

For days she worked tirelessly trying to save the young man the pods had unceremoniously dumped on her. However she had to admit that she was grateful for the chance at something new to do. Even if it was trying to save someone who was most likely there to kill her. Though she never ventured out of the forest a lot she knew that people in the outlying towns and villages thought she was a witch and were still trying to find ways of killing her even though they were too afraid to come into the forest. She had to consider the possibility that this man had been sent here for that one purpose. While it saddened her to think of such, it did not stop her from admiring the man. She had realized that he was relatively youthful looking and was also very good looking. His hair was pristine white and shoulder length and that shocked her a little but not much to alarm her. His clothes were made of a very costly looking material which suggested that he was either very rich or worked for someone with money. This brought back the question of what he was doing there. Unfortunately he had not woken up since the day she had brought him home so she was stuck with her thoughts for a while. A week later she had just walked in from collecting meat from the pods (she had decided to take the pods on their offer and they had been very obliging, which still startled her) when she heard a loud crash coming from her bedroom. Dropping the body of the young buck on the table she burst into her bedroom to find the man on the ground with half the blankets with him. Clearly he had fallen while trying to get up. The end result was a dazed man tangled in a mass of blankets on the floor beside the bed. Before she could help herself a giggle burst through her lips, drawing the mans eyes to her. She gasped when she saw those eyes. A pure sky blue that seemed impossible for a human being. Those eyes seemed to peer into her very soul. For a moment she stood frozen by the door before she forced herself into action and she moved in with a false sense of bravado. Oh, youre awake. Thats good. I was beginning to think maybe you were going to sleep forever. She said going to get a jug of water and a cup.

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The man did not say anything but just watched her as she made her way towards him with the pitcher and cup in hand. She poured the water into the cup and was about to give it to him when he spoke. What did you put in there? Well I call it water but maybe your people have a different name for it I do not know. He stared at the cup suspiciously even though she could also tell that he wanted the water. Irritably she took another cup and poured water and drank the one from the first cup. See? No poison. You will not die if you drink it. He still stared at her, unconvinced. She huffed in irritation. Look, if I wanted to kill you dont you think I would have done it by now? I didnt save you so I could kill you. That would be a waste of good herbs dont you think? When he still just stared, her anger rose and she went to him, grabbed his hair and tilted his head back. Ok, listen up. For you to truly heal you need water. Now you are going to drink this water and enjoy it or I will become very angry. Do you understand me? she growled. The man nodded though his eyes had hardened. While she did not want him to hate her she also did not want him declining after all the hard work she had put in. She watched him as he drank the water, then, satisfied that he was all right, she left to go back to preparing the meat. She went back into her kitchen and stared despondently at the dead animal. Cleaning the animal had always been her least favorite chore but she had to do it. After all, meat did not taste nice with fur and sacs full of bodily fluids. She wondered how wild animals managed to eat meat like that. She turned around to get her special knife for shearing when she encountered an arrow pointed dead between her eyes. Though her heart was hammering in her chest, she forced herself to remain calm as she spoke. Well, at least youre mobile now. Thats good. It means- Who are you? he growled Didnt your mother ever teach you how to talk to a lady? she replied glibly Who are you? Answer me! Do you mind putting down the bow? I cant very well talk to you with an arrow to my face.
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Reluctantly he lowered the bow but the arrow remained where it was and the bow remained drawn. Now talk. He commanded She sighed. My name is Syrie and you are standing in my kitchen. Im the one who nursed you back to health at great personal inconvenience, might I add. Youre the Witch arent you? She made an indelicate sound. Do I look like the Witch? Seriously! she bristled You could be the witch and have hidden your appearance. He reasoned. Oh of course, and I could have healed you just so I can fatten you up for my next meal. Of course! I cant believe it! You figured out my plan. Darn! she retorted sarcastically. Ok, ok. I guess I overreacted a bit. Im sorry. So if youre not the witch where is she? Doesnt exist. Some stupid old fool started the story that he had seen the one who lives in the forest then it snowballed like that. When I find that old geezer- But what are you doing here? How can you live in such a place if youre not a witch? he pressed. She tsked in impatience and turned away. How about I ask the questions for now hmm? After all you are the one whos trespassing in my home. He sighed and stepped back. Sorry. I didnt mean to press you. Im grateful for what you have done for me. Its just that Im looking for the Witch who lives in this forest. Why? WellI,- No, dont bother. I dont wanna know. Your reasons are your own. Just as long as you dont try to kill me in my sleep. I wont ask you. Thank you. And he favored her with a graceful bow.

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She blushed. So who are you anyway? You never did tell me. She said with false bravado. Who knew handling humans was this stressful. You never asked. He replied with a slight smile. I am Damien, the White One, brother to Lord Djarian. At your service. And he bowed again, a little theatrically this tim e. She turned back to look at him and favored him with a raised eyebrow before turning back to stare at her waiting carcass. It still looked as depressing as it did the last time she had seen it. However it gave her a good reason not to look at the human, no, Damien. He seemed to be constantly confusing her, or maybe she did not know how to handle humans. Well of course she did not, she never dealt with them unless absolutely necessary. She hoped he would get the hint and leave her be when a white light suddenly surrounded the carcass. She stumbled back in shock and watched as the white light completely engulfed the meat. All too soon, the white light was gone and the meat was.well, all meat. The hide was gone and she could see that the insides had been cleaned as well. Dumbfounded she turned back to see Damien walking back to her bedroom as if nothing had happened. Obviously he had done it, but why? This was another thing to add to her growing list of confusions, and how she hated confusions! Shaking her head in puzzlement she went to find a knife, this time it was for cutting up meat and not shearing it. .. Days rolled by slowly, as they usually did in the forest only this time poor Syrie had more on her plate than navigating her way through a forest with a nasty sense of humor. Damien was proving to be more of confusion than she had earlier anticipated and her own irritation levels were rising at an alarming rate. Some days he would be genteel and courteous and generally decent and other days he would pick up anything that looked like a weapon and threaten her with it. At one point he had actually fired an arrow at her and she had surprised them both by dodging it almost as if she had been expecting it. Whatever his suspicions about were, they seemed to have multiplied after that incident. She was only grateful that he had not tried something like that again and the only thing that stopped her from kicking him out of her house was the constant attentions of the flesh eater pods. The stupid plants had developed an unusual interest in the man and seemed to have temporarily migrated to her doorstep. She could feel them everywhere and their presence was a little unnerving to say the least. On the good side, it seemed that Damien was getting better. He had to be if he had enough strength to fire an arrow! Soon enough she could kick him out of her house and return to her solitary life. That, of course what she kept telling herself, however fate had a different idea. One she was bound to hate.

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 Wake up, daughter. Please my daughter, you must wake up. Oh, forget it, Father. She wont wake up. Let me do it! Syrie bolted upright as she was slapped rudely awake. In anger and shock she whipped out the short blade she kept under her pillow before her eyes were even open. In her befuddled daze, it took her a moment to adjust her eyes to the semi darkness..wait, semi-darkness? Wasnt it still night time? She looked out of the window and sure enough, it was still dark. That was when her attention was turned to the two figures standing at the side of her bed. There was an eerie light emanating from them and as they were shrouded in dark cloaks, it was impossible to see their faces. However that light. Oh hell! Its you! she exclaimed angrily, dropping the hand clutching the blade. The two figures pushed back the hoods of their cloaks to reveal their faces. One was a man, tall, with silver hooded eyes and shoulder length midnight black hair that gleamed in the faint light emanating from him. He looked slightly young and would have easily passed as a human male in his early thirties if not for those piercing ageless eyes. The other person was a woman, slightly shorter than the man, with the same piercing, ageless eyes and waist length midnight hair. She had a soft beauty about her face though she looked very much like the man at her side. She too also glowed softly. Syrie rolled her eyes but managed to incline her head in bow to the two figures. Father. Rowena. She said as she inclined her head. They returned the bow just as graciously. Pulling a knife on me now little sister? I thought we were past that. Rowena said mockingly. Well excuse me, but youre not the one who was rudely slapped awake. Syrie replied tartly You refused to wake up. Rowena shrugged. Why you- Peace, my daughters. We did not come here to fight. Both ladies managed to look abashed at the soft chiding.

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So, why are you here? Not that Im not happy to see you but- Peace my child, I understand your concern. However we seem to have bigger problems. It seems that it is time you left your home here in the forest. Her father said softly. Syrie bolted out of bed in a fury and turned to face him with eyes blazing. WHAT?! she shrieked. Told you she would react like this. Rowena whispered to her father. He just rolled his eyes at her and turned back to a fuming Syrie whose appearance had changed and she too had a faint glowing light. Only hers right then had a slight undertone of red to it. Well, dear daughter, you didnt think Id let you stay here forever did you? That is not why I raised and trained you personally. But why do I have to leave? Syrie almost wailed plaintively. Because your mother has done something unthinkable. Something so vile and underhanded, Im a little surprised she pulled it off! He growled. Both ladies looked at each other in shock because they had never seen their father angry at all. Syrie raised her eyebrow in mute query and her sister simply shrugged. They turned back to their father, silently waiting for him to finish. How dare she release Ouk Drausa! After the sacrifice your sister and I made to put him away! She truly has left the path of the priestess. He fumed. Therefore I am sending you to stop her, Syrie. But, Father- I understand your concerns my child, but this is not about you. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed loudly. Forgive me Daughter, but this worries me more than you know. If there was another way to do this I would not hesitate, however due to the pact between my brother and I, I am unfortunately unable to handle this on my own like I should! he spat Father, that`s the longest speech you have ever said. Rowena said laconically Father, why me? Why not Rowena? She`s more experienced and older than me. Wouldn`t she be a better choice? Syrie asked, fear creeping into her voice. Why, yes she would, if she were still human, that is. However us immortals cannot involve ourselves in the affairs of men. It is forbidden, and to break one of our own rules

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is sacrosanct. However, I have the one advantage my brother does not. I knew it was a good idea to father another child. He said smugly Father, focus. Rowena admonished softly Aah, right. Well, now all I need. He stopped and started sniffing. Father, what is it? Rowena asked, a note of worry creeping into her voice . Hush. He continued sniffing until a naughty smile crept onto his face and he leveled Syrie with a speculative eye that spoke volumes. How did you get a Pure White Sorcerer into your forest, let alone your home, my child? A what? Rowena exclaimed So thats what he is. I always wondered. Syrie mused. Sometimes youre almost as bad as Father! Rowena complained. Would you PLEASE explain why you have a man in your house? Syrie huffed in irritation. Well, if you must know, the flesh eater pods saved him and coerced me into taking care of him. He was poisoned when he tried to drink the water by the river. Idiot, she muttered. Anyway, he seems reluctant to leave my house even though we bo th know he is fully healed. I really believe he means to kill me. Well, kill him before he does you, dummy! What? You want to wait until he has his knife halfway up your ribs before you do something? Rowena complained. She was very fond of complaining, it seemed. The damn plants seem to like him and they have forbidden me from harming him. Syrie sulked. And anyway hes a Pure White. A child of Durin cannot harm one of Aslos servants. I do believe I am a child of Durin, right? and she stared at her s ister pointedly. Yeah well, get rid of him. He doesnt know that youre a child of Durin so he might not suffer any qualms in gutting you like a pig. We still need you, you know. Har har! Its so nice to be loved. Fine. Tomorrow morning Ill give him th e boot. Happy now? I do not think the sudden appearance of one of my brothers servants in your wood was by coincidence. Something has necessitated Aslos involvement in the mortal world. Hmmm Father mused. I do think you should tell him who you are. Not that youre

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my daughter no, as the sisters opened their mouths to protest, but tell him you are a Dark sorceress. In a sense its true you know. You will be surprised by how he reacts. Glimpse into the future, Father? Rowena asked drily No, intuition. He answered dismissively. Just tell him, my child. Do not ask me why. What makes you so sure he still wont kill her once she tells him, Father? Rowena asked. Hmmm.we shall see. Take it on faith my daughters. In the end Aslo will not risk my anger by allowing his servants to harm my children. He replied absently. Anyway, the morning approaches, my child, and I personally prefer to appreciate my Brothers creation from afar. The light annoys me for some reason. He sniffed disdainfully. I think that was part of the main motivation for your being Durin of the Eternal Dark`, Father. Rowena commented laconically. Durin just rolled his eyes at his eldest daughter before coming to Syrie and placing a soft kiss on her forehead. May the Eternal Dark protect you my child, and always know that I love you. With that silent benediction he and his elder daughter were simply gone. Without sound or sign of movement. Syrie sighed in resignation. She really did not like these sorts of meetings and so far she had had only a few. However she believed that her childhood and sheltered life would soon be gone from her. Great! Just perfect! *******

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THREE: Reluctant Partners

Syrie could not sleep after the startling visitation from her father and sister. So she opted to watch the sun rise from her window. This was almost a first as she did not believe in rising before the sun. She did not see the purpose of rising to meet the sun as she felt that the sun had enough friends and that it would not miss her much. It also seemed such a waste of good sleeping time that the thought to get out of bed had never really appealed to her. She was also a child of Dark. She hated the sun on principle if anything else. The morning had dawned bright and clear as Syrie sat pensively by a window and brooded. Brooding was bad. Brooding allowed bad and sometimes melancholy thoughts to invade the mind and Syrie never really liked doing it. However this morning brought with it some strange and troubling thoughts not least of all of her mother, the reason she was living in the forest to begin with. Her mother, the current Queen of Dravaan and High Priestess of the Eternal Dark had been raised under the influence of the Evil One and like the Priestesses of the past 3 generations, she had secretly worshipped Hell. However once she had ascended to the throne she had changed many things, including the national religion, subjecting the people to the worship of Hell. Syrie suspected that this backslide by the Queens of old would not have happened if her father had spent more time with his priestesses like he did with her. Her mother had been hell-bent on expunging any and all reference to the Lord of Eternal Dark and so the realization that her eldest daughter was the closest thing to a Pure Black (a Dark sorceress of immense power) did not sit well with the Queen who had tried to sacrifice her daughter to the King of Hell. Syrie truly believes that her father had personally rescued her since she never really knew how she had ended up in Deaths Garden but just that she did. Since the old man had refused to admit it but also did not deny it, she figured that it was him. Now, after almost 15 years in the forest she was expected to go back to the place she had left when she was only six years old. Clearly the old man had lost his mind, but as her father and the Lord Durin himself she knew there was no way she could say no. Syrie sighed. Life just wasnt fair sometimes. Ouk Drausa. Their older brother and the result of a failed experiment. From what she had been told, their father had tried to have a human child before Rowena, a boy. This child had been endowed with great power and was nearly Divine but for one slight problem. It seemed that the power of Darkness was incompatible with human males and so the power within him had twisted him and destroyed him until he was a creature beyond human and more demon-like in nature. So when the Nameless One had come for him he had willingly gone with the promise of more power. The period that Ouk Drausa had walked the Earth was a dark and terrible period in human history. It was said that

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Ouk Drausas sister Magra Vela had been the one who had finally defeated him, by using her own blood to seal him away from the mortal world, in a special prison in the very bowels of the Earth where it was forever burning and he was to suffer eternally. This sacrifice had nearly cost Magra Vela her life and Durin had given her his promise that she would return to this world to be his servant and child. From what her father had told her, the spirit of Magra Vela had been reborn as Lady Rowena, the first Queen of Dravaan. It had explained why only women were made high priestesses and why Dravaan was the only country to be ruled by a woman. And it explained why the great power of Darkness only ever chose women. Interesting, but not helpful in this situation.

Syrie walked out of her room to be greeted by Damien, industriously making breakfast. This man is surely making himself comfortable, she thought, sourly watching him work. Personally she did not trust the man not to poison her and so she figured that maybe she should take over. Im not going to poison you. He said without turning his back. Huh? Youre probably thinking that Im going to poison you. I wont. he said. After all I also need to eat too so I cannot be poisoning this food. Then he turned and smirked, At least not yet. She scowled darkly behind his back but chose to say nothing. She went to the table, pulled a chair and sat down. I guess nows a good a time as any, she thought to herself. How long do you intend to stay here? she asked bluntly He turned back, a surprised look on his face and the ladle was dripping beans on the floor. She stared at the growing puddle on the floor pointedly before he noticed what he was doing but still he did nothing but stare at her. What? Did I go to fast for you? Would you like me to repeat the question? she asked sarcastically. No. I was just wondering where you learnt your manners from. He replied slowly. Does my presence bother you so? I think anyone who has to dodge arrows and other such life-threatening devises as you are constantly aiming at me would be bothered just a bit too. Dont you think? she muttered darkly, not trying to hide her irritation.
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Ill leave as soon as you tell me what I need to know. Indeed? Yes. For a very long while they just stared at each other, neither wanting to back down. Finally Syrie sighed irritably and looked away. Fine. What is it you want to know so badly? she asked grumpily Is there really a witch in these woods? No. Who are you exactly? I am Syrie, formerly of Dravaan. I am a Dark sorceress. I ran away when the Queen ordered the immediate apprehension and execution of all Dark Sorcerers and magicians throughout the land. She replied mechanically. How powerful are you? he pressed on. I am almost a Pure Black. She answered mechanically again. He nodded, apparently satisfied but he failed to see the black glint in her eyes nor the way her mouth was now set in an angry line. Is there anything else you would like to know before you leave my house? she grated Oh yes, yes there is. Do you mind taking a trip with me? he asked pleasantly. Heh? Syrie exclaimed incredulously. You heard me. Incidentally I already knew who you were, well I had an idea , anyway, I need your help. He said blithely. Syrie could see red beginning to cloud her vision and a small part of her wondered if he could see it too. That small part was overshadowed by the wild raging noise that was roaring furiously through her head. After all that time, all that harassment, he was only TESTING HER? Something of her mood must have translated onto her face because he automatically took a step back. Now now, calm down. No need to get all violent. He said nervously taking another step back.

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Youre right. This will not be violent at all. For me that is. For you it might be a different story. She growled menacingly, stalking him as he nervously moved around the table. The children of Durin and Aslo shouldnt kill each other. Its against Our Fathers wishes. Ill apologize later. She grated, her hands balling into fists. But Ill be dead by then. Wont it be pointless? Besides- Shut Up! her voice was magnified by the rise of power emanating from her and her eyes were the color of night. To say she was angry would be a gross understatement. I was instructed to do this! Geez! Will you just listen to me? he implored as he made another circuit around the table while she stalked him furiously. Instructed by whom? she snarled, stalking him furiously Who do you think instructs the Pure Whites huh? Just let me explain please! She huffed in irritation but she grabbed a chair and sat down. It was with great difficulty that she managed to stop her hands from shaking with rage. Damien, in an urgent desire to get back on her good side (this is of course assuming he was ever on it), grabbed another chair opposite her and hastily sat down as well. For a long moment Syrie just stared at him without blinking and Damien got the vague impression she was memorizing all of his exposed fleshy bits for the time when she decided to do some damage. Finally (and because she was making him nervous) Damien decided to talk. Look, I am really sorry I treated you the way I did these past few weeks when all you ever did was look after me. Believe me it was not my idea. However a few weeks ago I got a visitation. From whom? demanded Syrie, unwillingly interested. Uh..would you believe me if I said Aslo of Light? No. He never does His own dirty work. He most certainly never visits His own servants. He shrugged. Clearly you know more about Him than I do. Anyway one of the minor gods came to me in a dream. See, our order of White Light is led by the Pure White Wizards, of which there is usually one with an apprentice. Currently my uncle Solomon is the Pure White in charge and I am his apprentice.

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So what does this have to do with me? Syrie said irritably. Clearly she was still a little peeved. Wait! Im getting there. A few years ago my uncle started acting strange. He seemed colder, merciless and more drawn to the ancient magics, blood spells and such. We thought he would get over it soon since uncle was always known to be a voracious scholar. Sadly his behavior only got worse. Then a few months ago, he and a delegation of wizards and necromancers went to Dravaan. While he was gone, the order was attacked by monsters that no one could fight. They killed a lot of people that day and the terrors that were visited by those things has left a magical taint that cannot be purged. I was with my brother at the time and so I escaped the massacre. When I went back his voice drifted off. He sat there, not really looking at anything and his face had gone pale and haunted. Syrie figured he had not really escaped the torture as he had earlier stated and something he saw must have scarred him. She watched him quietly while he went through his nightmare before he realized where he was and shook himself. Im sorry. I think I must have been in another place. Forgive me. He apologized in a hollow voice. Its your story and your nightmare. I am still going to kick you out of my house when you are done. Just to be clear. She said glibly. He shook himself then and seemed to remember where he was. I, uhforgive me. I think I had lost focus there for a short while. He apologized. She only raised an eyebrow in response and gestured at him to continue. Ah, he took in a deep breath and continued. I returned to the chapterhouse and found only dead bodies and he stopped, turning pale. Syrie, forgetting her earlier vexation reached across the table and put her hand on his in mute sympathy. The minute she did however a strangled gasp escaped her as she saw into Damiens memory. She found herself standing in front of a burnt out castle. From the looks of it, the castle had been very large and beautiful and she could see that it had been made with white stone. She heard a choked sob and turned to find Damien jumping off his white charger to dash into the main gates of the castle which were hanging precariously on their hinges. Even as she watched him run, she heard an ominous creak as the one gate

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suddenly swung and attempted to fall onto him. Before she could even shout out a warning (why she bothered when she knew it would do no good, she really did not know) he raised a hand and flicked it at the gate without pausing or turning back. Syrie, figuring it would probably be a good idea to follow Memory Damien, ran after him and caught up with him as he stood in the main courtyard in pale shock. There were bodies everywhere and smoke rose in a lazy stream upward from the stables. The stench of charred flesh and sulfur was thick and heavy like a wet blanket in the air. Damien ran on into the castle and he seemed to be looking for something. Syrie followed silently but she wondered if he should not have exercised more caution since the place had been attacked by creatures of Hell. For all he knew, some might have been left behind. On he ran with Syrie a shadowy specter looking around her while he seemed intent on one thing. The things she saw were things she hoped to never see again. It seemed the monsters had deemed death to be an appropriate Dcor scheme, not to mention that some of the people it seemed had fought back leaving fiendish things lying on the red carpet in strange grotesque angles. Her twisted mind remarked on the grisly scene and somehow found it all a little clich, until they reached the kitchens, which seemed to have been his intended destination. Syrie, who seemed to have forgotten her original reason for being there, was wrenched back to reality by a strangled cry from her guide as he dashed towards something on the floor underneath the huge table that stood in the center of the large kitchen. Curiously she trailed behind him to see what had shocked him so. Behind the large table, blond hair spilled in a tumbleWith a violent jolt she found herself back in the kitchen of her little home staring at a face that was gray with shock and outrage. Maybe I wasnt supposed to see that, she mused silently. H-h-h-how dare you invade my mind! he spluttered indignantly, jerking his hand back and leaping from the table. Syrie decided not to apologize. Its not like she had wanted to go peering into his thoughts.

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