Homecomming

The cavern was a cold as it was black. The party may be only a single mile from the grand Drow city of Mystris Vrak but the Underdark was far too treacherous for them to relax. No Drow would brave the silent caverns and looming trenches beyond the city limits in any attempt to save, or more likely find the remains of, any noble if something went wrong.

Not that anything will go wrong, Aedla thought to herself. The message had reached her my word of an enslaved imp, and curiosity had gotten the better of her. Over a decade since she'd seen her sister, and now she requested a meeting in this remote cavern. Definitely a plot of her's, the Noble thought.

'My Lady,' one of the soldiers addressed her by her formal title, keeping his eyes down. 'We should return to the city. Matron Mother Eleswyr will be displeased should we return late.'

'Silence male,' Aedla spat, her frustration getting the better of her. It had been a long night. 'You shall speak when you are given permission. Failure to take heed of this command will result in the liberation of your tongue from your defiant mouth.' What a blessing it was to have servants to take your angry rage out on.

'She'll be here, if not on time.'

There was a explosion of light before them. Flames of liquid red flared in a column shape and then receded into blackness as fast as they had appeared. In the centre of where the pillar had been stood a proud drow woman. Her skin was a smoother black than most others, her eyes an intense crimson slightly paler than average. Silver hair was tied behind her head, giving a short, spiked halo effect above her scalp.

'Vendui sister, reprimanding another male I see. You haven't changed,' the woman greeted. Her lithe figure was hidden behind a multi-layered red-purple robe of majestic quality, the outermost of which was translucent.

'Morrigan, how kind of you to arrive,' Aedla answered in a curt fashion. 'May I ask why you thought it was within your right to keep us waiting?'

Her sister laughed, the sparkle not lost from her eyes. 'Surely you don't want to hear a rant about the dangers of our beloved Underdark? You must have lived her almost as long as I, no?'

Though about twelve years her elder, the decade spent away from the city may have led Morrigan away to the surface, meaning that they would have lived in the Underdark for an equal length of time. Strange to think that her sister would make a reference to such an obscure detail.

'Perhaps not. Why don't you go ahead and tell me what you called me here about?'

Morrigan nodded, 'as you wish.' She cleared her throat. 'I wish to make a deal with you, of a specific nature. You see, when I was so politely driven from our beloved city, I was forced to leave behind many items that I find myself now needing. In exchange for allowing me to retrieve them, I shall give you some information.'

Aedla raised an eyebrow, 'of what kind?'

'There is a threat' she began. 'In the lower dark. Without preparation, Mystris Vrak will be consumed by it a hundred times over within a month.'

'You cannot bluff your way past me sister. I will not smuggle an apostate into the city. You are a female, and you failed to do your duty to our grand Spider Queen as all women are bidden! You refused to enter her priesthood!'

'Well then, I am sorry for this,' Morrigan answered, no hint of sarcasm in her voice. 'I shall take my leave of you then.'

'Nau, dalninil d'anthe' her sister yelled, returning to the drow tongue. 'I said I wouldn't smuggle an apostate, I said nothing about escorting a criminal to her execution.' Her hand raised and from the shadows stepped three additional armed warriors. 'Take her!' she commanded.

From beside her, a warrior rushed forwards, arms held wide in preparation to grab his target. Drow men were always taller than drow women, at least those from Mystris Vrak. They had a much high muscle intensity than the females but this gave them no more authority over them.

Morrigan smiled darkly. 'you might have been greater than me before, little sister. But things have changed.'

She flicked both her wrists and from the depths of her sleeves shot a pair of wands that she grasped in each hand. Directing one of them at the approaching warrior, she unleashed a bold of jet-black energy that sent him hurtling across the cavern, blood spilling from his chest onto the stone.

Before anyone else could move, her wrists flicked and there was a silent, almost invisible tremor in the air, linking her with her victims.

Two arrows were loosed from crossbows, narrowly avoiding her shoulders. With a yell, the other swords man raced towards her, his blade held high. When he was close, he swung a wide arc.

She ducked to late, the blade drawing a shallow cut in her right cheek.

Enraged, Morrigan thrust her two wands into his neck and unleashed a rough invocation. Around his neck seared a circle of purple energy, sucking every ounce of life from his body. His eyes glimmered red and faded in colour as she stabbed through his neck with one of her wand and directed the energy ring towards her sister with the other.

Crying out an incantation and holding forth her hand, she captured the magic of the ring, but it was too strong for her to crush. Her brow creased as it pulsed against her will, racking her mind indirectly.

As her sister struggled, Morrigan covered her body in a sheen of ghostly magic and set loose a whip of violet energy towards one of the archers. As her attack rammed home, the male screamed in weakness and crumbled into a bloodied heap.

Aedla screamed and hurled the magic of the ring towards her single remaining supporter, rending his soul into fragments.

'Now only we remain,' the apostate yelled, 'and who shall win?'

Aedla ran her fingers along a white ring on her left hand. She spoke the command word, calling upon the powers embedded into the small metal band. It hummed, vibrating against her finger. Pointing to her sister, she unleashed its magic.

Around the pair, appeared several more male drow. They unleashed bursts of power, focusing them all on Morrigan, who screamed. Her body was assaulted from all sides by invisible force that drew blood from her face and arms. She fell to the stone, her face contorted in rage.

Another male, dressed in an ornate robe that didn't cover as much of his sculpted figure as it should have done, appeared beside Aedla and bowed. 'Mistress Aedla, we are honoured to serve.'

Thank Lolth she had bound a calling spell to her ring. These house mages were loyal only to her, perhaps more so than her mother. As long as she was in a position of power, they would serve her. 'Thank you, Akae,' she muttered.

Glancing at her sister she found a smile spread across her face. She'd always been jealous of her sister. Her own hair was completely bone white and lifeless. Her skin, worn and lighter than the well lusted after rich black. Even her eyes were a dead red, sapped of the youthful energy they once held.

'Torture her.'

'But my lady, surely your mother would want to see her unharmed, if this is indeed your sister as your mental message said,' the wizard hesitated.

Aedla leant in close, feeling her torso brush his. 'My dear Akae,' she whispered to him. 'You have two options. Either you torture her and then return us all to the compound, or you return us now and watch mother torture her. If you choose the latter, you will accompany me back to my room latter this evening,' she clutched his crotch, 'where I shall, show you the most painful moment of your life.' She stabbed into his groin with her nail. 'Your choice.'

Akae winced and stepped back. 'Hurt her,' he ordered, meekly.

His apprentices complied.

Morrigan's screams filled the caverns, bouncing down the tunnels and off the crevices. Every limb in her body was assaulted by magic. Her sister screamed for more until every inch of skin had been broken and healed, then broken once more. All of her bones were shattered and then set awkwardly. It was well over an hour before her sister tired.

'Take us home,' she bid Akae, who waved a hand, swallowing them all with a spell.

When the spell cleared, they were in a familiar hall.

It was long and rectangular, supported along the edges by two rows of pillars. Every inch of wall was covered in thousands of tiny carvings, intricate and dangerous. Images of spiders adorned many surfaces and arachnid idols were displayed prominently on ornate plinths.

All for Lolth, Morrigan thought.

She was surrounded my her sister's mages, all of them exercising magic over her to prevent her from calling on her own spells. It was an unfortunate position to be in.

Matron Mother Flemmeth stormed through the doors, her eyes glazed over. She hated being called for duty. Her lanky mop of gnarled hair obscured her face, enough to disguise her wrinkled skin.

'My dear daughter, you've returned to us,' her voice was utterly bored. 'Such a shame you are an apostate. Had you decided to serve Lolth, you would have been a much greater asset to us, not an og'elend.' She looked down her nose at her. 'They tell me you've got magic, arcane to say no less. Perhaps you can still serve.'

Flemmeth called over a pair of priestesses. 'Shackle her.'

The came close and uttered length prayers, pressing their fingers into Morrigan's forearms. Around her wrists appeared shackles with a typically drow spider motif. Her heart sank. These would enslave her to her mother. She was a slave.

'Beat her and throw her in a cell until morning.'

The kick to her head left her in darkness. At least it numbed the pain.