A young maiden opened her eyes.
She lay in the bed of roses and vines that softened for her. Standing up, she stretched her long
limbs, the trees around her sighing at her beauty. The golden rays of the sun flew past the trees to
her, making her glow in the surrounding forest. She let her fingertips kiss a rose near to her arm.
The rose blossomed at her touch. Like a rose, the beauty of a bush, the maiden was the rose of the
forest, the beauty of it. She raised her arms to the trees loaming up above her, the white robes she
wore glowed and her long straight dark brown hair swayed at her slender waist.
Opening her soft full lips, she called "Shaam!" Her voice dripped honey, and rang with silver bells
as her large almond shaped dark brown eyes looked up past her thick long eyelashes at the ray of
sun that hit her face. She looked over her shoulder at the approaching animal she called for, and
smiled. Shaam, the silver wolf, her protector, trotted towards her, his fur glittering like the lake
surface under the sun.
She bent to greet him, running her slender fingers through his thick hair. The wolf purred, and she
laughed, "Come on- let's go." She said. She stood up, and together, they trotted away together, the
rocks or clumps of dirt breaking down to dust in her path as she ran, her bare feet making no noise
in the forest.
They emerged to see the cottage of love- or so she called it. Running down the hill, she laughed as
she saw twin maidens run towards her. "Sladana!" they called her, smiles of joy on their faces. The
maiden, with Shaam, ran to them with open arms, "Oh my!" She laughed as they embraced.
Solaria, the oldest of the two, took Sladana's hand, her raven black hair dancing around her elbows
as her gray eyes warmly gazed back to the cottage, "Mother's been waiting for you!" she exclaimed
in joy.
The youngest twin, Satheria, ran on ahead, her raven black hair tied in two braids to her elbows.
Unlike Solaria, she had honey-brown eyes, but they both had the warm gaze that melted the hearts
of their elders. "Mother! Mother!" she called as she jumped up the stairs into the cottage.
Sladana smiled down at Shaam.
Out of the cottage emerged Poledra, the twins' grandmother. Poledra opened her arms wide as
Sladana ran into her arms as she laughed, "How are you Dana?"
Sladana pulled back, admiring Poledra's honey blond hair and golden eyes, "I'm fine- how about
you?" Poledra nodded, indicating that she was good. "Where's my Aunt?"
"You're late." came a voice.
Sladana turned to see ravishing Polgara, with Durnik, her beloved husband, right next to her.
Embracing the sorcerer's, Sladana settled back, "I'm sorry I was late!"
Polgara shook her head, smiling, her agile beauty dancing with her raven black hair and gray-blue
eyes. Then right behind her came Darion and Mardion, Polgara and Durnik's two younger sons.
Sladana shook hands with them, and smiled, "Much older then I remember you two." She declared.
Darion, just two years younger than his twin sisters, smiled, with the same features as Belgarath
when he was younger- or so Poledra claimed- except he had dark brown hair and honey brown eyes
that spoke volumes, "Same to you." He replied, smiling, creating two dimples at each cheek.
Polgara raised an eyebrow.
Mardion bowed to Sladana and presented a pink rose, "A rose for a rose." He charmingly said,
looking at her with his honey-blue eyes, his raven black hair falling into his eyes, he looked much
like Durnik with his mother's sharp jaw and eye shape.
Durnik cleared his throat after a chuckle, "Are you hungry?" He asked Sladana, "come on inside- it's
starting to get dark."
As they walked in, Sladana asked, "I heard the trees saying that the King and Queen of Riva were
here- are they gone?" She asked, her eye's hopeful.
"They left to Riva last week." Solaria informed, a sad shrug shaking her shoulders.
Satheria settled down near the fireplace with Sladana as Poledra, Durnik, and Mardion sat down on
the comfortable chairs Durnik had crafted for his family. Polgara leaned against the wall as Darion,
taller then anyone in the room, stood next to Polgara, a slight smile on his face.
"Tell me, how is my old friend Kolaram?" Poledra asked.
"Well, my mother is getting weak- the rest of the pack is finding it hard to keep her along, and
since I'm the only one in the pack that can change my form into a human, my mother wishes to ask
Aunt Pol if she could come stay here for the rest of her days?" Sladana looked up at Polgara, and
saw Shaam sitting in the shadows of the cottage, and pointed at him, "Shaam is my younger
brother, and he wishes to stay with my mother."
Polgara nodded, "As long as they don't bit or kill anyone." She replied.
Sladana chuckled, "No- no, it's okay, they wont do that." She assured them.
Polgara nodded, "Alright, I'll go get the food ready. Solaria and Satheria- come."
The twins rose to help their mother. Durnik stood up, "I'll get you the guest room ready."
Sladana sat next to Poledra, and in their Wolf language Poledra said, "What's wrong-I can smell it on you- what is it?"
Sladana licked her lips as Shaam did the same, "When I was coming, about a day ago, I heard
crying in the forest- it was the crying of a maiden. It ripped at my heart- it was as though the
maiden had lost her cub"-she corrected herself-"her child. It was harsh. But when I went to
search for the maiden-I didn't find any trace of her- not even a scent." She paused, "I didn't find
anything- but Shaam found footprints of a maiden that we followed, but it disappeared in the middle
of nowhere." Again, she paused, "Then we found twigs tied together to form a circle and a star in
the middle- and it had snake blood smeared on it-and it hung on a tree. And there were black
coals all around, steaming as if they newly burned low-and a dissected deer hung on the
tree."
"How long ago did you see this?" Poledra asked.
"Just a day ago."
Poledra had gone pale. "W-what you saw was the summoning spell site."
Sladana frowned, a questioning look in her dark eyes.
"Someone summoned a demon..."
Shaam whimpered against the door, smelling at something.
The burning smell reached Sladana's nose, and her hackles rose as Poledra rose too, her eyes
glowing. "Polgara! Protect your children!" she ordered, as she and Sladana shimmered into wolves.
Shaam began to growl.
She lay in the bed of roses and vines that softened for her. Standing up, she stretched her long
limbs, the trees around her sighing at her beauty. The golden rays of the sun flew past the trees to
her, making her glow in the surrounding forest. She let her fingertips kiss a rose near to her arm.
The rose blossomed at her touch. Like a rose, the beauty of a bush, the maiden was the rose of the
forest, the beauty of it. She raised her arms to the trees loaming up above her, the white robes she
wore glowed and her long straight dark brown hair swayed at her slender waist.
Opening her soft full lips, she called "Shaam!" Her voice dripped honey, and rang with silver bells
as her large almond shaped dark brown eyes looked up past her thick long eyelashes at the ray of
sun that hit her face. She looked over her shoulder at the approaching animal she called for, and
smiled. Shaam, the silver wolf, her protector, trotted towards her, his fur glittering like the lake
surface under the sun.
She bent to greet him, running her slender fingers through his thick hair. The wolf purred, and she
laughed, "Come on- let's go." She said. She stood up, and together, they trotted away together, the
rocks or clumps of dirt breaking down to dust in her path as she ran, her bare feet making no noise
in the forest.
They emerged to see the cottage of love- or so she called it. Running down the hill, she laughed as
she saw twin maidens run towards her. "Sladana!" they called her, smiles of joy on their faces. The
maiden, with Shaam, ran to them with open arms, "Oh my!" She laughed as they embraced.
Solaria, the oldest of the two, took Sladana's hand, her raven black hair dancing around her elbows
as her gray eyes warmly gazed back to the cottage, "Mother's been waiting for you!" she exclaimed
in joy.
The youngest twin, Satheria, ran on ahead, her raven black hair tied in two braids to her elbows.
Unlike Solaria, she had honey-brown eyes, but they both had the warm gaze that melted the hearts
of their elders. "Mother! Mother!" she called as she jumped up the stairs into the cottage.
Sladana smiled down at Shaam.
Out of the cottage emerged Poledra, the twins' grandmother. Poledra opened her arms wide as
Sladana ran into her arms as she laughed, "How are you Dana?"
Sladana pulled back, admiring Poledra's honey blond hair and golden eyes, "I'm fine- how about
you?" Poledra nodded, indicating that she was good. "Where's my Aunt?"
"You're late." came a voice.
Sladana turned to see ravishing Polgara, with Durnik, her beloved husband, right next to her.
Embracing the sorcerer's, Sladana settled back, "I'm sorry I was late!"
Polgara shook her head, smiling, her agile beauty dancing with her raven black hair and gray-blue
eyes. Then right behind her came Darion and Mardion, Polgara and Durnik's two younger sons.
Sladana shook hands with them, and smiled, "Much older then I remember you two." She declared.
Darion, just two years younger than his twin sisters, smiled, with the same features as Belgarath
when he was younger- or so Poledra claimed- except he had dark brown hair and honey brown eyes
that spoke volumes, "Same to you." He replied, smiling, creating two dimples at each cheek.
Polgara raised an eyebrow.
Mardion bowed to Sladana and presented a pink rose, "A rose for a rose." He charmingly said,
looking at her with his honey-blue eyes, his raven black hair falling into his eyes, he looked much
like Durnik with his mother's sharp jaw and eye shape.
Durnik cleared his throat after a chuckle, "Are you hungry?" He asked Sladana, "come on inside- it's
starting to get dark."
As they walked in, Sladana asked, "I heard the trees saying that the King and Queen of Riva were
here- are they gone?" She asked, her eye's hopeful.
"They left to Riva last week." Solaria informed, a sad shrug shaking her shoulders.
Satheria settled down near the fireplace with Sladana as Poledra, Durnik, and Mardion sat down on
the comfortable chairs Durnik had crafted for his family. Polgara leaned against the wall as Darion,
taller then anyone in the room, stood next to Polgara, a slight smile on his face.
"Tell me, how is my old friend Kolaram?" Poledra asked.
"Well, my mother is getting weak- the rest of the pack is finding it hard to keep her along, and
since I'm the only one in the pack that can change my form into a human, my mother wishes to ask
Aunt Pol if she could come stay here for the rest of her days?" Sladana looked up at Polgara, and
saw Shaam sitting in the shadows of the cottage, and pointed at him, "Shaam is my younger
brother, and he wishes to stay with my mother."
Polgara nodded, "As long as they don't bit or kill anyone." She replied.
Sladana chuckled, "No- no, it's okay, they wont do that." She assured them.
Polgara nodded, "Alright, I'll go get the food ready. Solaria and Satheria- come."
The twins rose to help their mother. Durnik stood up, "I'll get you the guest room ready."
Sladana sat next to Poledra, and in their Wolf language Poledra said, "What's wrong-I can smell it on you- what is it?"
Sladana licked her lips as Shaam did the same, "When I was coming, about a day ago, I heard
crying in the forest- it was the crying of a maiden. It ripped at my heart- it was as though the
maiden had lost her cub"-she corrected herself-"her child. It was harsh. But when I went to
search for the maiden-I didn't find any trace of her- not even a scent." She paused, "I didn't find
anything- but Shaam found footprints of a maiden that we followed, but it disappeared in the middle
of nowhere." Again, she paused, "Then we found twigs tied together to form a circle and a star in
the middle- and it had snake blood smeared on it-and it hung on a tree. And there were black
coals all around, steaming as if they newly burned low-and a dissected deer hung on the
tree."
"How long ago did you see this?" Poledra asked.
"Just a day ago."
Poledra had gone pale. "W-what you saw was the summoning spell site."
Sladana frowned, a questioning look in her dark eyes.
"Someone summoned a demon..."
Shaam whimpered against the door, smelling at something.
The burning smell reached Sladana's nose, and her hackles rose as Poledra rose too, her eyes
glowing. "Polgara! Protect your children!" she ordered, as she and Sladana shimmered into wolves.
Shaam began to growl.