I do not own Forgotten Realms... yet.
From her corner of the wagon Yami could see the satle looming up in front of them. The Red Wizards were taking her there.
She hated it already. She was indeed a killer, but she was still an elf and her elven blood was boiling in her veins. The castle was a grim, ugly thing, squatting on the land like a sore. Even from here she could see the tree stumps and the fire-blackened earth around the black granite fortress where they had tore the forest from the ground. Nature here was cooped, confined and scoured off Faerun by these humans.
She turned to stare out back the way they had come. A distant speck, high in the air, caught her eye. She was once as free as that bird. Would she ever have that freedom again?
As the wagon rolled on past the gatehouse Yami sensed her claustrophobic feeling rise as though the walls were pressing in, suffocating her. The gates closed behind them and the legendary Yami Shadowblade was trapped.
*
What Yami saw in the sky was no bird. Asgwrn flew on, his eyes firmly fixed on the fortress ahead. The archmage slowed his flight and drew a scroll from his belt.
The Detect Magic spell made the fortress glow bright blue to his eyes. There were many wards on the walls, the windows and even the surrounding ground... They must have more wizards than those two who captured his Yami. This was the work of an archmage of considerable power.
Maybe more powerful than himself...
*
"What the hell have you done to my horse?"
Yami saw red. They had dragged Ceffyl off the wagon in an appalling condition. Not only was the grey stallion still bound with rope but his flesh bore ugly, red whip marks and Yami could see the ribs sticking out of his sides.
Amberlee turned and snarled,
"Did I say you could speak?" Sudden pain brought Yami to her knees. Gods, but it was even worse than before! Her head felt as though a giant's fist was tightening around it.
"Enough."
The pain stopped and Yami glanced upwards.
Another Red Wizard was crossing the courtyard, this one a man that Yami would place in his late thirties. He stepped quietly up to Amberlee then slapped her roughly around the face. The blow staggered the young mage,
"Fools! Get inside and await me there."
As the mages hurried inside the building the senior Red Wizard dismissed all but one of his warriors and knelt by Yami,
"So... the legendary Yami Shadowblade is back. Back where she belongs..." He held her chin and examined her face.
Yami spat in his face,
"Do not touch me!"
Pain, like nothing Yami had ever experienced before, ran down the whole of her body. She gritted her teeth. She was not going to scream... not in front of these humans.
The Red Wizard stood and wiped his face on his sleeve,
"Like it or not Yami Shadowblade, you are my property now," he turned to the remaining warrior, "Take Miss Shadowblade to her accomdations. I will be there shortly."
*
A slight figure in the scarlet raiment of the Red Wizards of Thay touched down at the foot of the wall, inside the courtyard. Thankfully there wasn't a ward against people flying into the fortress.
However to aquire his disguise and memorise his most potent battle spells had taken many hours... Who knew what the wizards could do to Yami in that time?
While he was flying in he'd overheard a conversation coming from the guardhouse about a new prisoner being kept in the tower. That must be Yami.
"Soon Yami... Soon I'll be there..."
From her corner of the wagon Yami could see the satle looming up in front of them. The Red Wizards were taking her there.
She hated it already. She was indeed a killer, but she was still an elf and her elven blood was boiling in her veins. The castle was a grim, ugly thing, squatting on the land like a sore. Even from here she could see the tree stumps and the fire-blackened earth around the black granite fortress where they had tore the forest from the ground. Nature here was cooped, confined and scoured off Faerun by these humans.
She turned to stare out back the way they had come. A distant speck, high in the air, caught her eye. She was once as free as that bird. Would she ever have that freedom again?
As the wagon rolled on past the gatehouse Yami sensed her claustrophobic feeling rise as though the walls were pressing in, suffocating her. The gates closed behind them and the legendary Yami Shadowblade was trapped.
*
What Yami saw in the sky was no bird. Asgwrn flew on, his eyes firmly fixed on the fortress ahead. The archmage slowed his flight and drew a scroll from his belt.
The Detect Magic spell made the fortress glow bright blue to his eyes. There were many wards on the walls, the windows and even the surrounding ground... They must have more wizards than those two who captured his Yami. This was the work of an archmage of considerable power.
Maybe more powerful than himself...
*
"What the hell have you done to my horse?"
Yami saw red. They had dragged Ceffyl off the wagon in an appalling condition. Not only was the grey stallion still bound with rope but his flesh bore ugly, red whip marks and Yami could see the ribs sticking out of his sides.
Amberlee turned and snarled,
"Did I say you could speak?" Sudden pain brought Yami to her knees. Gods, but it was even worse than before! Her head felt as though a giant's fist was tightening around it.
"Enough."
The pain stopped and Yami glanced upwards.
Another Red Wizard was crossing the courtyard, this one a man that Yami would place in his late thirties. He stepped quietly up to Amberlee then slapped her roughly around the face. The blow staggered the young mage,
"Fools! Get inside and await me there."
As the mages hurried inside the building the senior Red Wizard dismissed all but one of his warriors and knelt by Yami,
"So... the legendary Yami Shadowblade is back. Back where she belongs..." He held her chin and examined her face.
Yami spat in his face,
"Do not touch me!"
Pain, like nothing Yami had ever experienced before, ran down the whole of her body. She gritted her teeth. She was not going to scream... not in front of these humans.
The Red Wizard stood and wiped his face on his sleeve,
"Like it or not Yami Shadowblade, you are my property now," he turned to the remaining warrior, "Take Miss Shadowblade to her accomdations. I will be there shortly."
*
A slight figure in the scarlet raiment of the Red Wizards of Thay touched down at the foot of the wall, inside the courtyard. Thankfully there wasn't a ward against people flying into the fortress.
However to aquire his disguise and memorise his most potent battle spells had taken many hours... Who knew what the wizards could do to Yami in that time?
While he was flying in he'd overheard a conversation coming from the guardhouse about a new prisoner being kept in the tower. That must be Yami.
"Soon Yami... Soon I'll be there..."