Part 1
Rephaia turned the gold ring over in her hand, trying to understand the fascination for the human girl who had rejected the power of the Shadow World. She stared out the window at the endless snow, the icy mountains in the distance, the frozen lakes up close surrounded by her ice sculptures. The large majestic shapes glittered in the sunless sky. Unusual creatures - griffins, phoenixes sphinxes, cougars, elephants and giraffes to name a few (not your usual dull topiary animals). Well, after all it was *her* world, she could sculpt what she liked.
As for the house itself she wasn't all that keen on it. She hadn't asked for it she had inherited it. The icky humans who came to visit were just plain *weird*. They ran around a lot and screamed in the different rooms. Rephaia hadn't exactly worked out how the place worked yet.
The pets, the Creeper and the Lurker weren't really all that helpful. They must have been *his*, belonged to the previous owner. A space had been carved into the Runestave, and needed to be filled. She was the one who had filled it. No one would talk much about the one who had been cast out. It was crime to say his name.
All she knew was because it had been of a human girl called Jenny Thornton. Boring, dull name.
Rephaia held up the ring again. 'I am my only master' was inscribed on the inside. Though the letters seemed to flicker, a different phrase appeared as she looked at it, reading 'All I refuse & thee I chuse.' The binding ritual. So how come the words had changed?
She tugged on a strand of her ever-changing rainbow coloured hair with irritation as she paced around the drawing room of the house, the one the visitors arrived in when they came to see her.
The room seemed to change constantly. Right now there was a beige carpet, a huge chandelier, a jade green suede couch by the window, a hideously patterned armoire in a yucky dusky rose colour, and a large mirror that had no glass.
The Creeper was curled on top of the armoire. Rephaia was all alone. Even though she knew she shouldn't have, Rephaia had Forbidden Door to see what this Jenny Thornton who couldn't make up her mind if she was her only master, or refuse all else and choose one unnamed person was really like.
The girl the Cast Out one had given his life for was hardly impressive. She was all *pink* and *blonde* and seemed kind of dull. She had taken the ring out of - well, not quite spite. The girl had broken the sacred vows the ring stood for and didn't deserve to have it any more.
Only thing was, that girl had already visited the house. Most likely she wouldn't want to visit it again. Rephaia needed some new people in there. Preferably ones who wouldn't start screaming like babies. Some company would be nice. For some reason the other Shadow People didn't seem to care much for her world of ice, anymore.
They had gone to all the fuss of carving her in the Rune Stave, she had never seen another woman amongst them, and now they were ignoring her? That made no sense to Rephaia at all. And there wasn't anyone around she could complain to.
It was time some new visitors were admitted to the house. Time to go back to the human world and find some volunteers.
She moved to stand in front of the glassless mirror, waving her hand. A door appeared in the mirror, letting her through into what looked like a cross between a teenage temper tantrum destructive session and a forgotten attic.
Things were tossed around, scattered to every corner carelessly. Rephaia didn't even know what half of the things were. She looked at the large window out front, at the people walking past, glancing at her curiously. She turned the sign on the door to read 'Open'.
Rephaia smiled. Sooner or later, someone would come in. Someone would find the key to the house.
~First come, first served~ she thought.
* * *
Rephaia turned the gold ring over in her hand, trying to understand the fascination for the human girl who had rejected the power of the Shadow World. She stared out the window at the endless snow, the icy mountains in the distance, the frozen lakes up close surrounded by her ice sculptures. The large majestic shapes glittered in the sunless sky. Unusual creatures - griffins, phoenixes sphinxes, cougars, elephants and giraffes to name a few (not your usual dull topiary animals). Well, after all it was *her* world, she could sculpt what she liked.
As for the house itself she wasn't all that keen on it. She hadn't asked for it she had inherited it. The icky humans who came to visit were just plain *weird*. They ran around a lot and screamed in the different rooms. Rephaia hadn't exactly worked out how the place worked yet.
The pets, the Creeper and the Lurker weren't really all that helpful. They must have been *his*, belonged to the previous owner. A space had been carved into the Runestave, and needed to be filled. She was the one who had filled it. No one would talk much about the one who had been cast out. It was crime to say his name.
All she knew was because it had been of a human girl called Jenny Thornton. Boring, dull name.
Rephaia held up the ring again. 'I am my only master' was inscribed on the inside. Though the letters seemed to flicker, a different phrase appeared as she looked at it, reading 'All I refuse & thee I chuse.' The binding ritual. So how come the words had changed?
She tugged on a strand of her ever-changing rainbow coloured hair with irritation as she paced around the drawing room of the house, the one the visitors arrived in when they came to see her.
The room seemed to change constantly. Right now there was a beige carpet, a huge chandelier, a jade green suede couch by the window, a hideously patterned armoire in a yucky dusky rose colour, and a large mirror that had no glass.
The Creeper was curled on top of the armoire. Rephaia was all alone. Even though she knew she shouldn't have, Rephaia had Forbidden Door to see what this Jenny Thornton who couldn't make up her mind if she was her only master, or refuse all else and choose one unnamed person was really like.
The girl the Cast Out one had given his life for was hardly impressive. She was all *pink* and *blonde* and seemed kind of dull. She had taken the ring out of - well, not quite spite. The girl had broken the sacred vows the ring stood for and didn't deserve to have it any more.
Only thing was, that girl had already visited the house. Most likely she wouldn't want to visit it again. Rephaia needed some new people in there. Preferably ones who wouldn't start screaming like babies. Some company would be nice. For some reason the other Shadow People didn't seem to care much for her world of ice, anymore.
They had gone to all the fuss of carving her in the Rune Stave, she had never seen another woman amongst them, and now they were ignoring her? That made no sense to Rephaia at all. And there wasn't anyone around she could complain to.
It was time some new visitors were admitted to the house. Time to go back to the human world and find some volunteers.
She moved to stand in front of the glassless mirror, waving her hand. A door appeared in the mirror, letting her through into what looked like a cross between a teenage temper tantrum destructive session and a forgotten attic.
Things were tossed around, scattered to every corner carelessly. Rephaia didn't even know what half of the things were. She looked at the large window out front, at the people walking past, glancing at her curiously. She turned the sign on the door to read 'Open'.
Rephaia smiled. Sooner or later, someone would come in. Someone would find the key to the house.
~First come, first served~ she thought.
* * *
