Dark Wings, Dark Tidings

[Trinn]

The message came in the still of the night. Everyone in the quaint orphanage was sound asleep. All of the children, and the two who kept them safe. Even the enormous gray dragon slumbered deeply. Yet for the mistress of the orphanage, sleep never did come easily. Nightmares haunted Elaine as oft as not. Dreams of battles passed, of people she had been forced to slay, of evil wrought for no purpose. She awoke this time not from a dream, but by the sound of a light clattering.

The sound clinked across the wooden floor, drawing closer and closer. Elaine slowly opened one eye and scanned the room. At first she was perplexed by the sound, until a gleam of moonlight lit upon something sleek on the floor. A raven? The oily black bird scampered closer and flapped up to Elaine. Reaching out, she offered her arm as a perch and the bird was happy to take it. She glanced quickly over her shoulder, at Dublin who slept easily next to her. Resisting the urge to lean over and kiss him, Elaine slid quietly out of their bed and tread silently out of the room. "Let's get you back to your friends." she whispered to the raven, assuming it was one from the flock that a girl who lived in the orphanage kept. Raven was her name, too. A sweet girl, if not a little wayward sometimes.

As Elaine tread through the silent orphanage, an eerie feeling tingled down her spine. The raven was watching her keenly, cocking it's head back and forth. It was only then that Elaine turned to look at it fully, and was alarmed to find a small note tied to it's leg. The parchment was as black as the raven. Immediately she knew from whence this raven came. Knowing she could let no one know of the birds presence, let alone the message, Elaine trotted outside and ran into the night. She stopped a mile out, where a small stream ran through a sparse wood.

She hastily took the message from the raven and unrolled it. The letters were written in a milky white ink.

One of our order has perished. She will be recorded in our archives and never forgotten. Efforts will be made to secure her children and take them into our fold. The stock is good in her lineage.

Marola, daughter of Morzan, rider of Rauthr, and faithful sister of the brotherhood.

Sister Elaine, the task falls on you to travel to Gladia Celesti and determine the whereabouts of Marola's children. If they are in the village, secure them and bring them to the stronghold. Do not fail us.

By the time Elaine was done reading the letter, her hand was shaking. Marola was dead? How, how could she haved died? She was one of the strongest fighters Elaine had ever known, and resolute and iron willed. And the brotherhood... They had not contacted Elaine for years. She had hoped that maybe they had forgotten about her, but alas such wishes were only wishes after all. That she had ever agreed to enter into their fold made her feel guilty and sick to her stomach. Marola had been her only friend within that dark circle, the only one she knew and could talk to. Dublin did not know, and perhaps even worse, Eridor did not know either. Thoughts fluttered through her mind as she tried to absorb all she had learned in such a short amount of time. Of course she did not want to drag Marola's children into the dark, but what choice did she have? The brotherhood would kill any who disobeyed them. Worse, they would also kill her family.

The raven on her arm suddenly cawed loudly, startling Elaine so badly that she flinched. The dark bird flapped it's wings and flew back into the night sky. Good riddance. she thought, watching it go. Her eyes turned back to the letter in her hand. "Brisingr." she urged, and the letter was engulfed in a sudden roar of stormy gray fire. A firm resolve was developing. She new what had to be done.
~~~

By the time Elaine returned home, the sun was just beginning to peer over the horizon. She found Eridor sleeping behind the two story home, although she could see a good portion of him without having to go around the house. His large storm gray head rested on the ground, laying on his left cheek. His body lay sprawled behind him, unconcerned. Elaine brushed her fingers over his snout. That was enough to wake him.

Good morning. he grumbled. His large eye rolled towards the sky, and he seemed to frown. What has you up this early? Elaine didn't know how to begin, so instead she opened her mind to him fully, and showed him everything she had kept from him about the brotherhood. In response she felt anger from him, resentment that she had kept him away from this knowledge, and a sense of betrayal. But after everything was shown to him, he began to feel sorry for her. I am glad you have shown me this. You are mine and I am yours, nothing should be hidden between us. We will wipe out this brotherhood together, you and I. They will never be able to hurt anyone again.
~~~

Feeling relieved that Eridor now knew all of her secrets once more, Elaine then made her way back to Dublin. She slipped back into bed next to him, and this time allowed herself to brush her lips against his forehead for a soft kiss, hoping it was in fact enough to wake him.

[Tismri]

OOC: Heh, Elaine's taking a risk that Marola never dared. This should be interesting.

Elise stirred in her room at the soft sound of footsteps down the hallway. It wasn't uncommon for one of her brothers or sisters to get up late at night to relieve themselves, so at first she thought nothing of it. But then the steps grew harder and faster, accompanied by the sound of the front door opening and shutting. She quietly got out of bed and made her way to the window, where she saw a tall figure running off into the night. From the long hair streaming behind, Elise recognized her mother. But why was she leaving home so late at night? She sat by the window and watched until Elaine returned, walking toward Eridor. Only then did Elise stop worrying and go back to bed, though she was still confused by what she saw.
~~~~~
Dublin had faintly noticed when Elaine had gotten out of bed, but at first he'd thought nothing of it. He knew she'd been sleeping restlessly lately, nightmares of unknown origin keeping her from peace. Though when he considered everything they had both been through, night terrors were expected and unsurprising. He nearly fell back into his own light sleep when she returned, and he felt the brush of her lips against his forehead. He opened his eyes and smiled at her. Then he noticed her expression seemed troubled.

"What is it, my love?" he asked her, reaching to caress her face. He spoke softly, trying to keep from waking any of their young charges.

[Trinn]

Elaine managed to smile, for Dublin's sake. Of course he would be able to see through the charade, but she did her best. His touch made her heart flutter, and she reached up and took his hand in hers. She loved him so much, and it pained her to see the lines that had begun to appear on his face as age inevitably crept up on him. Yet she remained the same, as young as the day Eridor had hatched for her. Sometimes she would lay awake at night watching Dublin as he slept, knowing that one day time would take him from her forever.

"I have something very important to tell you," she began, still holding tight to his hand. "Remember when we first met? Well, remember how our lives were in the greatest peril? To save you... I had made a bargain with a very dark group of people. These people are insidious. They take lives and enslave people against their wills. To be a part of their circle, you are forever under their control. You must do their bidding, because if you dare refuse, they will kill you and everyone you care about." She paused to let the importance of that settle. "I received a message in the night, from the brotherhood. That is what they call themselves. The message bore grievous news. Marola, my friend, she is dead. I have orders that will take me away from here for a while. I can't do what the brotherhood wants me to do, though. Dublin, I'm going to strike against them. Eridor and I. We have grown so much in sixteen years. I'm confident he and I can take out this brotherhood in one fell swoop." Though she sounded confident, Elaine had doubts held deeply within her. "I'm sorry if none of this is making sense. I'm sorry that I had kept it from you. But it was for your own good. No one was to know that I was a part of this brotherhood." Elaine hurried on, wanting to get everything she had to say out.

"I want you to take the children to New Doru Arabea in Bromsland. You should all be safe there and out of the reach of the brotherhood while I work on eradicating them. I can't have you or our children in harms way. I can't." Realizing she was clutching his hand perhaps a bit too hard, she softened her grasp and looked down at their hands. She was afraid what Dublin would say. She hoped he would cooperate.

[Tismri]

Dublin listened quietly as Elaine explained herself, taking in everything without interruption. He couldn't help but be surprised that she would make such a pact with unsavory characters; he knew well her sense of honor and justice. But to help those she loved, he knew she was willing to do much.

Even after she finished, Dublin remained silent for several long moments, letting everything she said sink in. Finally, he said, "I'll take the children to Bromsland for their sake, though I hate to be parted from you." He looked down at their grasped hands, emotions roiling inside him. "Must you two do this alone, though? If these people are as dangerous as you say, are you certain you and Eridor can destroy them?" He desperately met her eyes. "I don't want to lose you," he added softly.

[Trinn]

"Oh, Dublin, thank you." she said with a sigh of relief. However the fear in his eyes made her feel guilty once more. She loathed to be away from him, especially on the terms of such a dangerous mission. "Eridor and I have rider friends who may be willing to help." she said, to make him feel better. Truth be told, she didn't want to involve anyone else. It wasn't fair to drag innocents into the heart of this blackness. This was her mess, she was responsible for this. Marola may have helped, but she had always been afraid of the brotherhood and would have resisted the idea. Elaine only new now that to be truly free, she would have to destroy those who wished to ensnare and destroy her themselves. Alagaesia would be better off without their blight on the map. "I promise, Dublin, that I will do everything in my power to return to you. You won't lose me." She smiled then, rather sheepishly. "I've already sent a bird on ahead to New Doru Arabea with a message. I borrowed one of Raven's flock. The riders will send some of their own to take you there. It will be faster that way, and really, it's the only real way to get into the dragon riders city. I've never been there myself, but I suggested in my letter that if they harbor my family while I attend to matters, that Eridor and I would owe them our aid in the battles that are sure to come. I think they will accept this."

[Tismri]

Dublin thought on Elaine's words. Something in her voice told him that she was only trying to reassure him, but for her sake, he didn't press the issue. This was her decision, and he knew better than to argue about it. He gave her a wry smile when she admitted that she had already sent a message to New Doru Araeba.

"You certainly are prepared," he told her. He thought with concern on how the children were going to take the news. This was their home, and for many of them, they had lived here for as long as they could remember. Moving so far away, and without Elaine and Eridor, was not going to sit well with some of them. "They might not be too happy about it," he said, nodding toward the door.

[Trinn]

Elaine nodded as well. "Aye, some of them will protest and probably raise a fuss. Let's not tell them the true nature of this departure, though. They cannot know what I am doing. Elise would probably have a fit, and some might want to run off with me!" She sighed and braced herself for what was to come. "Alright, then, most of the children will be wanting breakfast soon. That will be the best time to tell them, when they are all gathered." Elaine rose and started for the door, until she remembered that she was still in the nightgown. "Ah, yes... Perhaps we should get dressed first?" Feeling scatter brained, she went to their wardrobe and selected a comfortable sage green tunic and a pair of deer hide leggings. She dressed methodically, her mind racing with what exactly she might tell the children. I'm just going away to help the queen in the capital. she mused to herself, and since I won't be here to protect them, they must go with my friends to the dragon city..

Sounds convincing. Said Eridor, who naturally was privy to everything she thought.

I dearly hope so. Out in the hall, she could hear the kids coming out and running about, shouting and laughing, some squabbling. Elaine turned to Dublin and reached for his hand. Knowing she would be parted from him soon made her never want to let go.

[Tismri]

Dublin nodded with a tired smile at Elaine's assessment of the children's behavior. He knew he was going to have a difficult time taking care of all of them without her, especially since a fair number of them were now rambunctious, headstrong teenagers. He silently wished her speed in her task, so that she would return to his side with haste.

He dressed in his mage robes and joined Elaine at the door. From the hallway, he could hear the familiar sounds of giggles, shouts, and footsteps all throughout the house. Despite the trials that awaited him, he couldn't help but smile. Both he and Elaine were just like these children, orphaned and for a time left to fend for themselves. He was glad the tow of them could provide them with a loving home and a life free of the sorrows that life without any sort of family would bring.
~~~~~
Elise yawned and stretched as she heard her brothers and sisters already romping through the house. She wasn't usually a late riser, but her brief excitement last night had caused her to sleep in a bit more than normal. She got up and brushed out her long hair before tying it up with her frilly ribbons and bows, and donned a bright, lacy outfit before heading to the dining room for breakfast, running into her parents along the way.

"Morning, Mommy! Morning, Daddy!" she called to them cheerily. She noticed that Mom seemed a bit preoccupied, and wondered if it had to do with whatever happened last night. She saw Raven come in from outside, also with a troubled look on her face, but saying nothing as she went to the kitchen to help make breakfast.

[Trinn]

Elise's cheery greeting lifted Elaine's spirits, and for a moment the brotherhood drifted out of the fore of her thoughts. "Good morning, dear ones." she called after the young girl. She followed through the house and to the kitchen. The older kids were already helping prepare the morning meal. She thanked them and set to work herself. Biscuits were already being prepared, so Elaine set to work on bacon. The work in the kitchen helped her to forget about the pressing issue of the brotherhood. She was able to focus just on what was in front of her. Unfortunately this was only breakfast, and there wasn't much to cook. Soon enough the kids were seated at their larger than normal dining table and chomping away on biscuits, bacon, and porridge. Elaine took a small portion for herself and sat at one end of the table.

She waited till it looked like most the children had ate, before standing to her feet and putting on a smile. "Dear ones," she called out to them, hushing them quickly. It wasn't normal to get a speech at breakfast. "Your father and I have something important to tell you. Now, I know this is our home, and it will always be our home, but I have been called away on some very important business. This business might take me away for a week, or maybe even months." Some of the kids began to frown, confused or upset. Elaine hurried on. "Eridor will be gone with me as well. Therefore, I have asked Dublin to to take all of you to New Doru Arabea. The dragon riders city." Some of the kids gasped, others began to whine. "Quiet now. This will only be temporary. It is for your protection while I am gone that I am forced to relocate all of you like this. Just think of all the fun you'll have among the riders. And all of the new dragons you will get to meet." She watched as some of the older children crossed their arms and scowled, while the younger ones seemed rather excited about the idea of a journey. "I have asked for dragon riders to help transport all of you. I suspect they should be here in a weeks time. Let's use that time to pack up, yes?" She fell quiet then, hoping she would get nods of assent and compliance.

[Tismri]

Elise cried out with the others when Elaine told them of their plans for the following weeks, unhappy at the thought of having to leave home. Even if travelling to a faraway place seemed exciting, with lots of new people and dragons to meet, it wouldn't have all the comforts of home, especially without their mother and their favorite dragon there. She tried to make herself think positively about it, since it would only be for a little while; then a certain phrase her mom had said came back to her. "It is for your protection while I am gone..." Most of the others might think it would be because she and Eridor wouldn't be around, but Elise thought back to what she had seen the night before. And besides, they were never really in danger, right?

She stared at her mother intently, hoping that what was coming to her mind wasn't the truth. The other kids were slowly nodding, some of them talking excitedly about meeting other dragons. Raven sat mute and still, staring at her plate in apparently deep thought, though Elise couldn't begin to guess what was going through her sister's mind.

Once the initial excitement of the news wore off, they started gathering up the breakfast dishes to be washed. Elise grabbed her mother's hand and pulled her away, gazing up at her with both fear and worry, but also her absolute trust and love. "Mommy...you aren't going to be hurting anybody, are you?" she asked. She knew of her mom's past, of the terrible war that she was a part of. Elise had even seen the pearly grey sword that perfectly matched Eridor's color. It was pretty, but also scary and saddening. Elise couldn't bear the thought of her mother hurting other people again.

[Trinn]

Elaine had begun to feel better about her decision. None of the children had protested to fiercely, and most seemed to be looking forward to the impromptu journey that lay ahead of them. She caught Dublin's eye and smiled reassuringly to him. One of the kids ran by and grabbed her plate to be washed, and Elaine turned to help when a small hand grabbed hers and pulled her away. Elaine let herself be tugged away by Elise, knowing the young girl was probably feeling anxious. She didn't want to give the girl any cause to worry further.

They stopped in the empty hall, just outside the dining room. The clatter of dishes being washed carried out to them. Elaine knelt down next to Elise and gave her her full attention. Guilt gripped her insides when Elise state her concern. Was she supposed to lie? Elaine felt trapped staring into Elise's innocent and trusting eyes. She stared at Elise for a long moment, and imagined what would happen if the brotherhood found the little girl. They would kill her and everyone else. She couldn't bear the thought of Elise lying dead and cold on the floor, her beautiful intelligent eyes clouded by death. Sometimes, she thought, some lies were necessary.

"I would never hurt anyone who didn't deserve it." she said carefully, gripping Elise's hands in hers. "I will do my best not to hurt anyone." she lied, her guilt washed away knowing she was keeping Elise safer this way. "I have a simple quest. I'll probably just be flying with Eridor the whole time! I'm going to the capital city of Alagaesia. Would you like me to bring you back some pretty ribbons? I'm sure they have beautiful silk ones, of all different colors." Elaine hoped the ruse would take Elise's mind away from thoughts of danger and her harming someone.

[Tismri]

Elise almost felt reassured by her mother's words. Her eyes lit up for a moment when she mentioned bringing back some ribbons; the thought of getting a present distracting her from her worry. But then her worry returned, greater at the thought that her mother might have just lied to her. She met her eyes...the lengths she was going to in order to protect everyone meant that this must be far more that the simple quest she was making it out to be.

"Can I go with you?" she asked. If she was just going to the capital like she said, there would be no reason for her to say no. If there was any danger, Elise was confident that she and Eridor would be more than able to protect her. "I wanna see the city."

[Trinn]

Resisting the urge to frown, Elaine put on a patient smile. "Not this time, darling. If I should encounter any of the Shade legion on my journey I would have to fight, and I would not want you to see me using Celobra. Nor would you want to see Eridor when he needs to fight." Elaine reached up and grasped Elise by the shoulders lightly. "I promise, when this war is said and done with, I will take you with me to Illyria. Right now, the hazards of travelling are too great. You and the others will be travelling out of Alagaesia. There is little to no danger there. Travelling into Alagaesia, though. I would not risk it." She smiled again to lighten the mood. "Now, why don't you help the others clean up?"

[Tismri]

Elise stayed quiet for a few moments at her mother's reassurances, feeling less than comforted by them. Though she didn't like to hear about the war, she had been listening the few times the topic came up. The Shade's army was still far from the capital, and though the journey on land might be perilous, travelling in the sky would be safe enough with a dragon who knew how to avoid trouble. The only reason Eridor would run into trouble would be if he went looking for it.

Still, Elise knew she wasn't going to be able to convince her mother otherwise. Whatever she was going to be doing, Elise knew it was probably going to involve her hurting other people, despite her promises to avoid it. The thought threatened to bring tears back to her eyes, and she stared at the floor so her mother wouldn't notice that she had seen through her ruse. She nodded and went to join the others in the kitchen to help them clean.
***
The week went by too quickly for Elise, and she and the other children tried to spend as much time with Elaine and Eridor as possible before they were to be separated, when they weren't busy packing. Elise had to spend a few days out in her herb garden, gathering the precious plants up and storing them. Since she wouldn't be around to take care of them for at least a few weeks, she decided that it would be better to harvest them now, than to return to find them withered and wilted from lack of care.

The morning arrived of the day they were supposed to leave. Most of the other kids were running around yelling at each other, trying to make sure they weren't forgetting anything. Elise had finished her packing the night before. While her parents were busy helping the others, she sneaked into their room and looked around. The place looked barren, with all their things stacked in two neat piles. Elise looked through her mother's things until she found what she was looking for.

Celobra was a deep grey, the color of a stormcloud before it started to rain. Its sheath was darker than the blade, but ever shade reflected Eridor's scales. Elise knew how much it meant to her mother, but she couldn't help but hate the sight of it, feeling both sad and frightened. She sat on top of her mother's packed stuff and placed the long, thin sword across her lap, staring at it. She pulled it out of the sheath a few inches and lightly brushed her palm against the edge. Tears welled in her eyes at the pain in her hand, and bright drops of blood splashed across the flat of the blade.
~~~~~
Dublin chased down a couple of the children who were rampaging through the house, trying to get them settled. A number of them hadn't even begun to pack yet, and they were expecting the Riders to arrive within a couple of hours. After a minute or so, he caught the boys and pushed them toward their room, telling them that they would be in trouble if they weren't ready when it was time to leave. Elsewhere in the house, he heard a girl cry out that she couldn't fit all the things she wanted to bring, but she couldn't bear to leave any of it behind. Trying to organize the chaos was madness. How it was that these children could know this was coming for a week and still be so utterly unprepared was beyond his understanding.

At last, he took a moment to make a head count, and noticed that there was one child in particular absent. Her things were put together and neatly set by her bedroom door, but Elise was nowhere to be found. He frowned and looked toward Elaine.

"Do you know where Elise is?" he asked her.

[Trinn]

How does that feel? Elaine asked Eridor, buckling the last strap of his saddle in place. The great grey dragon shook his sides, his wings rustling loudly.

That will do. He said. I'll keep an eye out above, and let you know when I see riders on the horizon. Elaine thanked him and stepped back. Eridor unfurled his wings, fanned them, and then with a great heave jumped skyward. Elaine's hair whirled around her face and her clothes flapped noisily in the gusts of wind that accompanied his take off. Turning on her heel, she strode back into her home and spotted Dublin making a count of the young ones. She swept her gaze across the kids and noticed the missing child as well. Her frown matching Dublins, Elaine reached out with her mind and quickly located Elise. The girls mind seemed troubled and in quite a bit of pain. "Our bedroom!" she told Dublin. Without another word she dashed away, using all of the speed that was available to her. In a mere second she was standing in the doorway to her bedroom.

Elise was sitting on a pile of Elaine's things, looking down at the riders blade in her little lap. Elaine's heart skipped a beat as she took in the inch of naked blade, and the fat drops of blood that spattered against it. "Elise!" Elained gasped, and crossed the room to the girl in two large strides. She grabbed the childs hand and noted the long deep gash. "What did you do!" she exclaimed, feeling both anger and fear for her child. Elaine removed Celobra from Elise's lap and tossed the sword into the corner of the room a bit harder than she intended. It struck the wall with a loud thump.

Reaching into her deep pools of magic, Elaine rested her gedwey ignasia over Elise's cut and uttered the words that would heal her. The muscle knitted back together first, and then the skin. Lastly Elaine used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe away the leftover blood. Knowing that Elise was safe and whole now, her spark of anger ignited. "What were you doing playing with Celobra!" She asked, her brow furrowed. "You know better than that. You're lucky you didn't hurt yourself more than you did. I know Celobra looks pretty and beautiful but underneath it's a weapon, a sword, a tool made to hurt." Elaine paused, tried to stifle the burning anger. She had been so afraid for Elise's well being.