Varania ran. Past the guards and under the looming gates, she fled from the city like a bird caught in a storm. The gritty sands and silent trees gave way to rolling moorlands and passed in a faded blur of tears. The skies roiled in turmoil, churning the clouds black upon the wind. Thunder rumbled in the distance, as if the sky was looking down upon the wayward elf and frowning. Nightfall ushered the sun beyond the horizon, and the pastoral greens faded to sombre greys.

A ruined tower stood amidst the falling rain, half sunk in a boggy marsh pool. Lightning outlined the jagged stones in blinding white and blue and illuminated the decaying reminders of times long past. Varania stumbled through the murky waters, and clambered up broken stairs out of the rain. She put her shoulder to the weather worn door at the top, straining against the squeaking warped hinges. She stuffed loose stones in place of the lone window's missing glass pane to stop the cold wind and rain. Piling leaves into a corner, she curled up and listened to the storm beat upon the old tower and the wind whistle through the cracks. Her stomach grumbled softly, but she paid it no mind. The hunger served as a distraction from all the feelings she tried so hard to contain. Varania turned her thoughts away from the regret that everything up till now had been just one mistake after another. That her future was empty and uncertain. She had to run, but had nowhere to go. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she drifted off to sleep. Her face was still wet with tears and rain.

A dream; Varania sighed in resignation and allowed the Fade to have its way. She was sitting in the Hanged Man, the filthy pub where she had agreed to meet her brother, dear Leto. Her heart quailed and floundered in dread. She hoped he wouldn't come or that it was someone else-a case of mistaken identity. But Varania knew he would come, and hated him for it. She tensed when she felt a hand stroke her hair.

"There there, dear apprentice, it will all be over soon. Fenris will come, the two of you will have a touching, heartfelt reunion and we'll return to Minrathous together. Ah, but that is careless of me, you still think of him as Leto, don't you Varania?"

She kept her eyes fixed on the table and her hands folded and limp upon it as Danarius lightly ran his fingers through her hair.

"You know, I could see myself letting him go in a few years time..." Danarius spoke thoughtfully, curling his hands around a coppery wisp of her hair. "...When you graduate to become a full Magister, I'll give him to you, as a present. You'd like that, wouldn't you, my dear apprentice? The two of you, together again. I'll even wipe his memory, so you can start fresh and leave a good first impression on him."

His quiet laughter made something within her recoil and scream silently. Burying her abhorrence beneath a cold veneer, she was able to squash it with tense stillness, but still shivered beneath the calm.

I hate you. In silent fury, Varania directed her thoughts towards the magister. I hate you I hate you, to the very depths of my soul, I'm so glad he killed you.

"Just think, you can even rename him Leto, if you should so desire," he sighed. The smile was still in his voice, soft as a spider's web. "It's so sweet, seeing how much he still means to you, even if he doesn't remember a single thing about you."

Varania's mouth twitched, but she did not lift a finger. His fingers teased her hair and freed a few loose locks to trail along the back of her neck. Just as quickly as the anger had come, it left, leaving her shivering once more in fear for the things to come. The things that she knew the magister would do. The things she knew she would do.

"Please don't hurt him." Her half-whispered words were out of her mouth before she could bite down on them.

Danarius clicked his tongue in disappointment.

"You surprise me, Varania. You of all people should know I have never done anything to Fenris without his full and knowing consent." Amusement crept into his tone. "Everything that he has done for me and all that I have done was with his compliance. I only pursue him now because he fails to honor his end of our little bargain." Danarius sighed, his hand still absently stroking Varania's hair. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? Now my little wolf has gone awry, wandering the wilds and getting into who-knows-what sort of trouble." His fingers trailed lower, to the base of her neck and he leaned down so his next words were spoken softly into her ear.

"But we'll fix that, won't we, my dear apprentice?" He flicked a stray lock over her shoulder before turning away. "I'll be taking my luncheon upstairs whilst we wait for our guest to arrive." She wanted to scream and cry, to call down all the lightning she could until the sky itself was obliterated into nothing. Until the magister was nothing. But not even in her dreams did she dare to turn on him. In him resided every last fear, every last crushed hope, every nightmare she could remember. And she knew she couldn't win. Not as she was. He had broken her too well.

Shortly afterwards, she heard the soft sound of footfalls outside the door.

A/N: Many thanks and praises to my wonderful Beta Easternviolet, for all your words of wisdom, grammatical wizardry, and insightful commentary!