Chapter 9 Tattoo

In hoc signo vinces; in this [sign] you will conquer

Bel stayed at her aunt and uncle's place for several weeks, having little else to do. No one spoke again about the human Guild or Bel's invitation. Winter seemed to be cloistered in her studies, visiting with no one. One evening a letter arrived for Bel with a simple message scrawled across the parchment.

B,

The hot spring is still a perfect temperature. See you soon.

Y

At the first touch of the sun's morning rays, Bel quietly and quickly dressed and left the house, Gremmels slightly following on her heals. Neither her aunt nor uncle was stirring. She walked along the pathways through Darnassus listening to the early morning sounds of elves preparing for the day. Occasionally a wisp would softly whir around her and a grazing deer would look up as she passed. She purposefully strode to the hunter quarters. Once Winter had made her commitment to the priestess and took to living with the initiates, Ilyenna had moved her small trunk of belongings to the hunter rooms. Bel passed the stables and could see Ari, Ilyenna's saber. She took a deep breath and felt some of her tensions from the past days' fade. She nodded to the sable master and the saber rider instructors heading to their posts for the day.

Ilyenna was dressed and wolfing down a large helping of omelet with spice bread as Bel entered the common room.

'Yenna! May Elune bless you and give you strength to finish that!" Bel called to her laughingly.

Yenna looked up and a big grin broke across her face. "You are out early. Join me for some spice bread and then out to hunt Darkshore? I need more hides for new leggings." She added as she slapped her thigh.

Bel sat down across the table and nodded.

Yenna continued. "We should also do extra skinning and try to purchase some nicer robes for the marking."

"The Marking? Oh, the Solstice is in a forth night!"

Yenna shot her a puzzled look.

"I asked my aunt to perform the ceremony. For all of us." Bel added quickly.

Yenna smiled. "Thank you. I would be honored to have your aunt do my markings."

Bel reached across and broke off a piece of the spice bread. She chewed it pensively.

"Are you still joining the guild?" Bel blurted. She could feel her ears darkening as Yenna looked carefully into her face.

"Yes. I am certain. I am planning to leave for Ironforge with Vahlen after the marking ceremony. He wants to introduce me to another weapons instructor and have me train there for a while."

Bel knew her face displayed surprise and dismay. "So soon?"

Yenna laughed softly. "Yes."

"Does Winter know?"

"By Elune, yes! We argued for hours when I told her before I left for Winterspring and now she's been avoiding me. You will need to invite her to the marking ceremony unless she has already made arrangements with your aunt."

"I don't understand. Is she angry about you joining the guild?"

"No. That's not it. She feels we need to return home, to our people. We have been hearing rumors of trouble for a few months now." Yenna sighed. "But there is always trouble of some sort in Nijel's Point. I think it will be resolved soon, as it always is, without us. Anyway, I want to see Azeroth." She brought her fist down on the table and then flashed a big grin.

Bel grinned back. "Well, if you have finished stuffing your mouth, let's go hunting!"

Yenna sprang from the bench, grabbing her bow, quiver of arrows, and daggers. "Last one to the dock is a wisp and has to buy all the fine thread for leatherworking!" Bel was on her heals laughing as the two raced down the paths to the ship dock with Ari and Gremmels bounding after.

A forth night later, the winter moon rose with an icy glow into the night, the longest night of the year. Bel nervously pulled on her robes to straighten them for the third time. They were simple unadorned robes in white silk. Her long silver locks were braided and coiled on top of her head. She looked over at Yenna and Winter, both uncharacteristically quiet. It had taken most of the day to travel to Raynewood Retreat near the Shael'dryn's moonwell in Ashenvale for the ceremony. There were a few other girls in their group, some slightly older and wearing their Sentinel tabards. Family members and friends were waiting in Astranaar, as the ceremony was closed to anyone but the initiates and the Sisters of Elune.

Bel's aunt finally approached the three and offered each a chalice filled with the Elixir of Dream Vision. She instructed them to drink the entire chalice and then to follow her into the clearing for the ceremony. The clearing was flooded with the shimmering pale light of the full moon as they kneeled on the ground that had been strewn with leaves and rare flowers of the World Tree, Teldrassil. The voices of the Sisters rose and fell singing ancient Kaldorei hymns.

Bel felt slightly light headed and the scents rising from the crushed flowers filled her nostrils. She closed her eyes as her aunt aspersed the three with water from the Shael'dryn's moonwell. The water splashed on her face and to Bel it felt and smelled like a warm summer afternoon rain shower. She took in a long breath and then let it slowly out. The tension she had felt melted into serenity.

When she opened her eyes, she was startled to see that she was no longer kneeling in the glade. She was kneeling on a hard pack dirt road running away from her into low rolling hills covered with short grasses and small clusters of bushes. A hot mid day sun filled the blue sky and a thin plume of dust rose from down the road behind a hill. Bel could now hear the pounding hooves of a horse approaching her. She stood, holding up one hand to shade her eyes from the sun. The hooves were now very loud and a rider and horse suddenly burst from behind a hill straight towards her. Bel could see the man, a human, dressed in full armor with a great sword on his back and a gleaming helm bearing down on her. He was highlighted with a golden glow. She caught the glint of blue eyes looking right at her as she threw herself to the side of the road.

To her surprise she did not land in the grasses, but found herself tumbling unexpectedly down an incline. She landed hard on her hands and knees on what appeared to be a cobblestone walkway. Hopping to a crouched position she looked up. Her breath caught as she found herself staring at a tall human female with long graying tresses and dressed in a rich cerise dress that sparkled with fine gems. The woman held the hand of a small girl with short but thick auburn hair. The woman smiled at Bel and extended her other hand towards her. Bel slowly stood looking around and seeing nothing but the woman and child.

A loud noise behind her caused her to turn and she found herself again falling and tumbling down into a snow covered shallow ravine. When she stopped herself she was shocked to find her hands shackled together. A loud trumpet call and booming drums could be heard coming from the top of the ravine. Many marching feet were hitting the ground to the rhythm of the drums. Bel peered up but could see nothing. A cold biting wind pierced her to her core. Suddenly overhead a dark winged form blackened the sky and Bel gasped as she saw the outline of a skeletal dragon diving straight for her. It opened its boney jaws, sharp white teeth gleaming against the blackened and rotting flesh. Bel sank to her knees and raised her hands above her head in what she knew was a futile attempt to protect herself. A bowstring hummed next to her. Standing almost at her elbow, a tall female Kaldorei hunter had loosed an arrow at the beast, but it came on. A second arrow tracked the beast's approach and Bel could see a faint patch of unscaled skin at the base of the neck. Fear closed her eyes and caught her breath. She could hear her own heart pounding slowly in her chest.

All fell silent. She took a slow breath not daring to open her eyes. Someone was speaking to her in Darnassian. Her eyes flew open and a large aqua blue creature standing on two legs supported on hooves, with tendrils flowing from his chin and a fan-like forehead plate was reaching out to take her hands. She saw there were no shackles and all around her was a shimmering green forest with large purple leaved trees. He spoke to her again, urging her to take his hand. She did and he helped her stand. He spoke again, but Bel found she was unsure of what he was saying. He was speaking an old dialect. She looked into his eyes and suddenly heard the words again. "Come with me. You must return." He guided her down a leaf-strewn trail towards a large tree. Bel was walking slightly ahead of him and when she turned to ask him where she was, she found she was now looking into the eyes of the human male she had first seen. He gently held her hand and smiled. "Return to Kalimdor, young one." echoed in her mind.

Bel hadn't realized she had closed her eyes again until she opened them and found herself still kneeling in the glade, her hands holding the wrists of her aunt. Her aunt's face was a ghostly white color and shock contorted her features. Bel saw she still held the marking stencil. The singing had faltered and now stopped. All eyes were looking at the two women. Her aunt whispered in a shaky voice. "Do you only want the ancient mark, Beleta?" Bel swallowed hard and nodded as she released her aunt's wrists. "Then it is done. You are no longer a child."

Her aunt stepped back, but Bel noticed she seemed to stumble as though unsure of her footing. Bel could still see the eyes of many of the sisters staring at her. She quickly turned to look at Yenna and Winter. They met her gaze with surprise and concern. The singing started again and they were instructed to stand as adults of the Kaldorei. The passage ceremony was complete.

As the moon was setting, the three girls mounted saber cats to ride back to Astranaar. Sentinels and priestesses of the Sisters of the Moon could be seen passing between the trees, escorting the girls. All was silent. Bel shot a glance at Yenna, who returned her gaze with a puzzled look. Winter held a finger to her lips and shook her head. When they reached Astranaar, the town erupted in joyful music and many hands reached up to help them off their mounts. The girls were ushered into the inn so they could change from their robes. Bel could see scores of young men standing in small groups waiting to catch the first sight of the now adult female Kaldorei. Yenna and Winter suddenly grabbed Bel's arms and walked her swiftly into an empty room.

"What happened!" Yenna exclaimed.

Bel stared at her. "I don't know! Did I move from the circle or say anything?"

Yenna shook her head. "No, Bel. But you did suddenly reach up and grab your Aunt's wrists after she applied the first stroke."

Winter added. "I could hear some the sisters whispering about the Emerald Dream. Did you go into the Emerald Dream?"

Bel's mouth fell open. "What?! I thought I had fallen asleep. And, and I was having a nightmare. The Emerald Dream? But I am mortal. I thought only those trained as druids or entered as the immortal high elves could enter and return alive."

Winter shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think anyone really knows who can enter and leave."

"What did you see?" asked Yenna.

Bel sputtered. "I, I… saw a human knight on horseback bearing down on me and when I jumped aside I was facing a human woman holding a child. Then I was rolling down a hill in the snow with a skeletal dragon diving at me." Turning to look straight at Yenna. "A Kaldorei hunter shot it. I was so scared, I closed my eyes for just a moment and when I opened them, I saw…I saw…." Bel gasped. "I saw a demon? A blue demon? He told me I needed to return to the grove and then the knight was there."

Bel looked from face to face. "Does this sound like the Emerald Dream? Does it mean anything? Did either of you have a vision?"

Yenna and Winter both shook their heads and then hugged Bel. "What should I do?" whispered Bel.

Winter sat back. "Probably nothing. I think some of the sisters could see part of your vision. I am sure they will call for you when they are ready. Maybe it was .. well, because you have human blood. The Elixir may act differently. "

Yenna nodded and added. "The best thing to do is to change out of these robes and get out there for the party!" Yenna stood and removing her robes, climbed into new leather leggings and tunic. "Come on. There is nothing we can do now." She flashed them a big grin. "I am sure I saw Dazalar out there."

Bel stood and began changing out of her robes, as did Winter. They followed Yenna back out into the square where cheers erupted from the crowd. Yenna immediately grabbed the tall green haired Dazalar and started dancing into the mass of revelers with him in tow. Bel shook her head. He would probably flash his canines to Yenna tonight. She hoped he knew that Yenna was not about to stay in Darnassus.

Winter was still at her side as they were jostled through the crowd towards a table with food and drinks.

"Bel." Winter whispered. "I want to say good bye. I am leaving tonight for home."

Bel shot her a stunned look. "Tonight? Why tonight?"

Winter smiled. "I am anxious to get home. I only stayed this long to complete the marking ceremony. And yes, Yenna already knows."

"Oh Winter. I shall miss you so much!"

She smiled. "Then you will need to come visit and soon! Please see if you can get Yenna to join you. The family is so disappointed that she is not coming home." She added.

Bel nodded. "I will see what I can do." They hugged again before Winter turned and slipped away from the party. "Ishnu-dal-dieb." Bel called after Winter. She knew Winter was greatly saddened that Yenna would not return with her.

Sighing, Bel turned back towards the revelers. It was easy to spot Yenna in the crowds. Young males fluttered about her like moths to a flame, each hoping she would bestow at least a dance. Bel was surprised to see several males watching her. She knew she was blushing, as she nodded and smiled at the closest one. He stepped forward to start the dance. She was sure her ears were bright blue by now. Yenna and even Winter usually attracted the attentions of any Kaldorei males. She hoped she would not stumble on her partner's feet.