Calor had set Aveline down in a chair by the Scarlet Raven's roaring fire, fearing that she would try to hurt herself if left alone in a private room. He gave her space, trusting in Trelayne to keep an eye on her. A mug of mulled wine sat half drunk in front of her, while Chef Grual had brought her a plate of his dusky crab cakes that she couldn't bear the thought of eating.
Tears poured down her face and her shoulders shook uncontrollably as she thought about her father's and sisters' bodies lying cold in their house. And poor Samara, alone in Stormwind with no one to hold her hand as strange men and women worked to heal her.
Aveline wanted to go to Stormwind to be with Samara, but the Watch wouldn't let her go, insisting that she had to remain in Darkshire for her own safety, and to answer some questions in regards to Miranda Hart. She had tried to fight her way to the flight master, but she was no warrior, and the watch soon brought her back.
It was getting late when she felt someone slip onto the couch beside her. "Oh, Aveline, I'm so sorry," a male voice said.
"Montaine?" Aveline croaked, turning her head to stare up at her friend. She briefly wondered how he had found her when she had left Stormwind without a word, but was too grief stricken to think about it for long. "Montaine!"
Aveline buried her face in Montaine's shoulder, sobbing loudly. She was so glad he was with her. "They're dead, they're dead!" she cried, balling her fists. "Father, and Tali, and Liara. And it's all my fault!"
"Oh, darling, how could it possibly be your fault?" Montaine asked as he stroked Aveline's short black hair.
"Because I left them alone with woman!" Aveline told him. "And... and... I read the book! I read the book and now I'm cursed!"
"You read the book?" Montaine demanded, his arms tightened around her, and for a moment she thought he was angry at her. "After all that Andrew had told you?"
"I couldn't help it! It called to me," Aveline said, looking up at Montaine.
"What do you mean it 'called to you'?" he asked.
"I looked at it and it started whispering at me," Aveline explained, her chin wobbling. "The voices were so quiet at first, but then they were all I could hear. Please believe me!"
"What did they say to you, these mysterious voices?" Montaine asked, pulling Aveline closer.
"I don't know. I couldn't make out any individual words." Aveline relaxed slightly as Montaine's grip eased, and he resumed stroking her hair. They sat like that for a while, Montaine content to hold her, while Aveline was glad that she was no longer alone.
Eventually, Montaine tilted Aveline's face up towards his own. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. "I think it's time you got some sleep," he said. "You can spend the night in my room while I look after you. I don't trust this Miranda woman not to come after you."
Aveline moaned in fear and tightened her grip on Montaine. "I'm so afraid," she whispered into his chest.
"Don't be; I won't let anyone hurt you," Montaine assured her. "Tomorrow, we will lay your dear family to rest. Then I will take you somewhere safe to recover."
To an outsider, it might have seemed a bit strange to hold the funeral so soon after her family had died, but the people of Duskwood learned a long time ago that it was unwise to the leave the dead unburied for too long.
"Stormwind?" Aveline pleaded, looking up at her friend with wide, tear-filled eyes. "Samara needs me."
Montaine shook his head. "No, dearest, it isn't safe. Let the priests take care of the little one, while I take care of you." Aveline wanted to argue with him, but he gave her a look that showed he was not going to brook any arguments.
"If you think it's best," she sighed, allowing Montaine to pick her up and carry her towards the guest rooms.
Aveline dreamed she was underwater again, in the same brightly lit world as before. This time, however, she wasn't naga, she was a night elf. Her skin was pale pink and her hair was a lovely shade of lilac. Her limbs were long and graceful, and she moved through the water like a dolphin, hair streaming out behind her.
Aveline was afraid; someone was chasing her, intent on stealing the long wooden staff strapped to her back. She didn't understand why. The staff was not beautiful in any way. In fact, it was badly damaged. Not only was the wood burnt and chipped in many places, but the staff's gem was missing from its star-shaped setting.
Perhaps it had something to do with the magic she could feel radiating off it in waves. Even in its damaged state it seemed to have considerable power.
Aveline's strength was failing and she began to despair. She had been ordered to either destroy the staff or hide it somewhere it could not be found, but every time she tried, she found herself harassed by naga. That's who were chasing her now, and she knew she act fast in order to complete her mission.
She felt a wave of relief surge through her when she caught sight of a cave just ahead of her. She swam for it as fast as she could, hoping that she'd make it before her pursuers caught up to her.
To her surprise, the staff seemed to heat up. It wasn't uncomfortable, it just infused her body with a sense of reassuring warmth. She felt her flagging body begin to perk up, and she was able to swim faster, a feeling of confidence and hope blossoming within her heart. She would finish her mission, and the world would be safe once more.
The cave was small, but had obviously been inhabited at one point as a campfire still burned brightly on the middle of a large platform. Aveline swam towards it, praying to Elune that it wasn't home to any naga. Dragging her self onto the platform, she headed to the fire.
The staff was too long, and the fire too small, for the weapon to be burnt, so Aveline realised that she'd have to break the staff into pieces. She tried jumping on it, smashing it over some rocks, hacking at it with her sword, and hurling it against a wall, but nothing worked. So she threw it onto the fire, praying that she had the time, and the luck, to be able to burn it bit by bit.
Aveline winced when she heard the sound of something breaking the surface of the water. She looked up to see a group of three female naga floating at the surface. They hissed angrily at her when they saw what she was doing, and began swimming over to her.
Praying to Elune, Aveline readied her sword, dropping down into a defensive stance. With Elune's blessing, she would destroy these foul creatures and destroy the staff before they could get their horrid scaly hands on it.
The naga charged into battle, and it was all Aveline could do just to keep them away from the fire. She fought hard, but sheer weight of numbers worked against her, and she soon found herself lying flat on the ground, blood pouring out of her wounds.
Aveline stared hopelessly as one of the naga fished the staff out of the fire and held it out to one of the others. The second naga grinned widely and pulled something from a bag attached to her belt. It was a large gemstone, almost the size of Aveline's hand, and star-shaped.
Aveline gasped as she realised that the gem was the same one from her other dream, and that it was what was missing from the staff.
The gem glowed black, with little flecks of gold glimmering within its depths. Aveline was deathly afraid of it; she could feel its malignancy from where she lay. The naga must not get their hands on the staff!
She prayed to Elune, begging for assistance and the strength to stop her enemies, and as she did so, a warm golden glow began to emanate from the staff. It was weak at first, but grew in strength, until it was too bright for Aveline to look at. She closed her eyes, hearing the angry shrieks of the naga as a deep rumble shook the cave.
The was a great explosion, and Aveline heard the sound of a cave in, feeling the ground beneath her quake as rocks began to rain down from the ceiling. The light faded, and she somehow found the strength to raise her head and open her eyes.
The entrance to the cave was completely blocked up. Aveline, the naga, the gem, and the staff were all trapped inside the cave with no way out.
Aveline let out a tired chuckle, almost choking as she coughed up a thick trickle of blood. The naga looked over to her, and the one with the gem screamed at her. Aveline just laughed some more.
If she had to die, at least she wasn't going alone.
The furious naga surged forward, snatching the staff from her companion's hands. She angrily slammed it into Aveline's stomach, causing her to scream and start to spasm. The last thing she thought as the life bled out of her was, 'thank Elune for this victory'.
The Strength of Elune was safe, and that was something to be happy about, even if that safety was bought with her life.
Mathias Shaw was up at the crack of dawn to head over to the Mage's Tower. Rell and Amber had said that Aveline Hart had wanted the book to be destroyed, as per her brother's wish, but he could not do so. He had to learn as much about the book and the weapon it supposedly reveals. If there was some ancient super-weapon out there, better to find it and destroy it for good, rather then rely on just destroying the map, so to speak.
And there was always the chance that there was a second book, or some other item detailing how to find the weapon.
The mages were the best people to talk to, considering the strange symbols embossed on the book's tattered leather cover. He'd been curious about the book, and almost tempted to open it several times throughout the night. He'd held back, remembering how adamant Andrew Hart had been about leaving it unread, and he had the feeling that now was not the time to be taking risks. Careful restraint was what was needed now, not boldness.
When Mathias entered the tower and climbed his way to the top floor, he noticed that every mage, whether it be master or apprentice, seemed to tense up and stare at him as he passed. The traces of magic he felt lingering on the book must be stronger than he'd thought, catching the attention of those practised in the arcane arts and sciences.
At the top of the tower, three mages stood in conversation, gazing out the windows at the waking city. Jennea Cannon, the mage trainer, Maginor Dumas, and High Sorcerer Andromath. Mathias had entered as a rogue, silently, yet all three mages stiffened as he walked up to them and waited for them to turn around.
When they faced Mathias, he saw that the mages' faces were tense. They stared at him, frowning in disapproval. High Sorcerer Andromath stepped towards Mathias, glaring down at him.
"What horror do you bring into our tower, Master Shaw?"
AN - building up that mystery!
Next chapter: the mages give Mathias the run down on the book and he learns the threat is even more serious than he thought. Meanwhile, Aveline leaves Duskwood with Montaine, and finds herself in serious trouble.
