Nana:This one's all my fault
Blix:Duh,Dressi hardly ever comes up with a serious story
Dressi:What's up with you guys bashing me some much lately?
Blix:We're females,you're male,deal with it.
Author's Note: Guys, this story is gonna be weird, lemony, sad, happy, frightening, and hardcore. Why? Because my friends are the inspiration for the OC's, and I had one question that nagged me. What if Terreille had been separated from Kaeleer and Hell so that Terreille grew on it's own over the millennia, and Kaeleer was forgotten and Hell became a myth. What happens when the curtain that separates those realms begins to fall, and only the daughter of the High Lord Of Hell and Dreams Made Flesh can reunite the worlds and rid them of the taint?
For the sake of the story, the Keep is also veiled from Terreille.
Hehehe….God this is gonna be a long story.
Chapter One: A Tangled Web
"Daemon, something isn't right. The Veil is thinning. I can feel all that energy from the Old Land seeping through. It's not…Pleasant," Janelle told her husband. Daemon rubbed his wife's arms with his hands as he stood on the balcony.
"It's been two millennia sweetheart, did you think that the veil could last forever? Even with the combined energy of so many dark jeweled Blood we knew it wouldn't last," The High Lord of Hell responded. He felt the shudder passing through his wife's thin frame and cursed his father for joining the Darkness. Now he had no one that he could turn to for advice, and he was expected to govern Hell and all it's inhabitants…While still alive and raising a family.
His wife being the Queen of Kaeleer and Witch didn't help much since she was loved by most of Kaeleer and feared by the rest. Two thousand years ago Janelle had sent the remaining Blood that were tainted in their own ways to Terreille, along with many of the landens, and had then proceeded to curtain off that realm, exiling it from Kaeleer and Hell.
"Daemon, what do I do? If the curtain falls, the Old Land as it is now will know of Kaeleer and Hell, and find out that magic exists. So much time has passed. I know that things are vastly different over there. Humanity both craves and fears magic, and people have found ways around magic, though I don't know how or what they do. I do know there is so much hatred there. Kaeleer has its own hatred, but there, oh Daemon, the hate is so strong, and the fear. What will happen if the curtain falls and the Blood come to light? And the kindred? What will become of them?"
"We must send someone over there, some sort of emissary to prepare that world for our arrival. There are dark jeweled Blood here that could possibly help restore the curtain, but, can we continue to exile the lands that make up the New World? Have you sensed Blood in that world my love?" Daemon asked.
"Yes, but they don't know it. Daemon I cannot go through another war like the last. It's been so long and I'm feeling the years. And what of Ebonsere? She hates war and loss. She's so strong yet so fragile, like I was. The Weaver of Dreams told me she was meant for something important, I don't want her to die before she can fulfill that purpose," Janelle sniffled.
Daemon thought of his beautiful daughter. Her pale skin and mismatched eyes and long black hair. He thought of her protectiveness for her family, and sighed as he realized she would fight if there was a war. She wore a red jewel by birthright. Would she wear a black, as he and his father had done? She was twenty and would soon make her offering to darkness. Like her mother she was a black widow and a queen, but not a healer. Yet she was so like Daemon in her own way. She could go cold and scare the hell out of everyone except him and Lucivar, and when she went savage, she scared them all, for only warlord princes had been known to go savage. Yet once, when Surreal and Falonar's child had been hit with a cruel spell for being a half breed, Ebonsere had gone savage and almost killed the boy.
"Have you spun a web to see what will happen?" Daemon asked.
"Yes, but the web didn't make sense, it had to be wrong," Janelle said. Daemon looked at his wife in surprise. She had learned from the arachnians, and she was one of the best. How could she think the web was wrong?
"What did you see?"
"That which is most precious to us will heal the wounds from the war and become that which she was meant to be. She is her father's daughter, but also her mother's. She will be a Queen of the wealthy but will be family to the poor. She must go to the Old Land and form a court.
"Daemon, that can't be right. Ebonsere can't go to the Old Lands, she'll be killed if she doesn't kill them first," Janelle told her husband.
The High Lord Of Hell sat on the couch and let his head fall back. His daughter? Ebonsere, the girl trained by Lorn and Draca themselves? The daughter named by the Weaver Of Dreams? The daughter who was supposed to do something important, something great.
"Talk to the Weaver. She will know if this is the important thing Ebonsere must do," Daemon told his wife. Janelle looked at him as if he had slapped her, then left the room.
Janelle did not want her daughter to ever grow up, but Daemon knew that it would happen, must happen.
But why did it have to happen so quickly and so dangerously?
Sere was busy spinning a tangled web of her own. She kept have recurring visions of a group of people who wore ragged clothes and had power but no jewels. She followed the paths of the web and gasped, startled, when she reached the junction of two strands.
"Mother knows too. I know she does. Damn it, why now? I'm not ready for my offering to darkness. Mother Night, I have to go to the Keep," Sere growled as she thought of everything Lorn and Draca and the queen of the arachnians had taught her. No wonder. She rode the red wind hard and fast to the keep and walked through the doors. She noticed one of her mother's first circle was there, aunt Karla. Sere ignored her aunt and continued to walk towards the throne room, down into the dark deep spiral. The torches lit as she walked along, helping her down the steep stairs.
And then she was in front of Lorn.
The great dragon opened his eyes and his sibilant voice whispered through her head.
"What isss it?"
"You bastard, you and the other two knew that I would have to go to the other world, didn't you?" Ebonsere demanded, her mismatched eyes blazing fury.
"We knew. That'sss why we prepared you. You are dreamsss made flesh. The dessscendants of the exiled dream of finding a place they belong, of sssomeone who can be their friend. You were created to give them both."
"Why do I have to do it? I don't have to!" Sere raged.
"You will, becaussse they need you. The veil will fall, and if you have not created a court there, all will fail, and war will once again come to Kaeleer. Thossse you love will die," Lorn stated simply.
Sere fell into a sobbing heap and cried out her tears.
"Do mother and father know what I am?"
"They only know that you were named the Black Warrior. They don't know that you are dreams made flesh, like your mother. There are quiet dreamers and strong dreamers. You are of both. Little warrior, you must do this, for the sake of those you love," Lorn told the young woman.
Ebonsere only nodded and stood. She walked back up the stairs and towards the room she saw Karla in, knowing Draca would be helping the woman with finding different books.
"Draca, I take it Lorn told you what must be done," Sere whispered from the doorway. Karla looked up, startled.
"Yesss, little queen."
"We start at dawn," Ebonsere whispered, then left for her private suite at the keep.
Karla looked at Draca and sighed.
"She's making the offering?"
"Yesss, and she will not sssee anyone before or after," Draca said.
"What do you mean?" Karla asked. Draca shook her head. As the keeps seneschal left the room, Karla looked at the book she held thoughtfully. Then she got up and walked as fast as she could from the keep, her cane clicking on the floor as she tried to get to the ebon gray.
"She's doing what?" Daemon roared. Janelle was sitting on the couch, silent. Karla told them what little she knew. She could tell by the absent look that suddenly took over his face that someone had sent him a message, and it was from someone darker than gray because she didn't sense it.
"Daemonar is missing. Lucivar is coming this way with Marian. Do you think that he's at the keep as well?" Daemon asked.
"I don't know, I just don't know. If we get there before dawn we can stop this madness," Karla told him.
"We can't. It was in the web. Three will go. Falonar and Surreal will come to the keep," Janelle said. "Daemon, tell Lucivar to go to the keep instead," Janelle said. Karla saw Daemon send the message, desperation mixing in his eyes.
Daemonar was older yes,but both Ebonsere and Severnar were both twenty, and they were making the offering to darkness at the dawn. As he left the keep with his wife, he thought of what could happen. They would see no one before or after, at least his daughter wouldn't. What of the others? Daemonar had already made the Offering. What would he do tomorrow?
They rode the black to the Keep and Janelle's fury was suddenly unleashed. The doors to the keep shattered and she stormed through, Daemon and Karla following in her wake. It was past midnight, yet Draca was there, waiting for them. Severnar and Daemonar were with her.
"Where is my daughter?" Janelle whispered, her words laced with ice.
"She sleepsss," Draca said.
"Take me to her room," Janelle whispered.
"I cannot."
Daemon flinched at the coldness that filled the room. This was so much worse than hot rage. Janelle was being denied access to her daughter, and she did not like it if the ice beginning to coat the walls was any indication. Draca merely sighed and turned to the two men.
"Both of you, go to the workroom I told you of. I will be there shortly. I will explain all to your parentsss. Now go," Draca said as one of the men started to protest. Both men began to walk down the hall, then up the stairs.
Suddenly Lucivar, Marian, Surreal and Falonar walked in through the entrance to the keep, Surreal letting out a long whistle when she saw the shattered remains of the doors.
"Where is my son?" Lucivar demanded.
"Come with me," Draca said as she led them to the informal gathering room. Everyone sat down except for Janelle, who paced furiously. As Draca closed the door, Janelle stopped and looked the serpentine woman in the eyes.
"Why?"
"Becausssse your daughter is not just your daughter. She is the daughter of all the dreamers who wished for someone to be their friend, for someone to take them to a place where they could belong. She is dreams made flesh, but not any of Kaeleer's dreamers. The Old Land's dreamers made her, shaped her. Those that wanted a protector, a friend, someone like them."
"Are you saying that more than one Witch walks the realm?" Daemon asked, remembering the discussion he and Draca had had so long ago. A discussion about Witch.
"It hasss happened before. Witch is dreams made flesh, not just a black jeweled witch. Sometimes Witch is white jeweled, sometimes a centaur, other'sss a combination of all the dreamersss. It dependsss on those who made her. Your daughter will be the sssword and shield for the Blood in what was once Terreille. She will be queen of the wealthy,and friend to the poor and protector of the weak. She will become Terreille's heart just asss Janelle is Kaeleer's."
"And what of the landens? Will they accept the Blood?" Karla asked.
"They will fear the Blood'sss power. They already do, it isss how so many Blood have died. The landensss are many over there. Your daughter will heal the rift between the two worldsss, and legendsss will become reality. But there will be many deaths. The least to suffer will be the kindred in that land. Animalsss are regarded much the same asss kindred once were here. It is the children of the Blood that must be protected," Draca said, her voice weary.
"And you look to my daughter to do this? She will only wear the black," Janelle shouted.
"You have become haughty daughter, if you think that Sere cannot do this just because you think she is weaker than you. You wear Twilight's Dawn. One may only descend three ranks if they are normal Blood, but like you, Ebonsere is dreams made flesh. She is the dream of the oppressed and scared,of the lonely and confused. How do you know what jewel she will wear?" A new voice asked. Janelle paled and Daemon stood up and turned…
And almost fainted.
"Saetan?" Karla asked in a faint voice.
"Yes Karla. I made the transition to demon dead. I tired of being a Guardian. I did not tell you all because at the time, I thought you did not need me any longer. But I can see that, despite two thousand years passing, you are all still somewhat the same.
"Now, Janelle, Daemon, both of you sit down before you make a nosedive for the floor. Lucivar, stop holding your wife's hand so tight before you hurt her. Surreal, it's good to see you. At least one person in here doesn't look like they want to cry or kill me," Saetan said as he walked towards the chair. He sat down, setting his cane next to the chair.
"Draca, you go help the boys. It'll take some time to do those spells, so I'll explain everything to the children, all right?" Saetan told the seneschal. Draca nodded gracefully and left the room, shutting the door behind her. Then everyone looked at Saetan.
"I understand you are all upset, but as Draca said, it must be done. The boyos are for Sere's protection. The webs have been spun, and her fate decided. The dream was given to you because I asked, begged actually. Sere is important. If she doesn't fulfill her destiny, many will die, and the Blood will cease to exist."
"Why? Why must this happen?" Janelle sobbed.
"Because being Witch is hard. Being born to fulfill the dreams of other people makes it hard to fulfill dreams of you own. I only pray she doesn't have to go through what you did. I hope no one has to make the sacrifices we made so long ago," Saetan sighed.
"You said she may not wear the Black. Father, what will she wear?" Lucivar asked.
"Lorn knows, and she will know. I spoke to him before I came down here to speak to you all, and I persuaded him to let her see you after the ceremony. But I will only say this once; you will not show any fear or anger. The morning after her Offering, she and the boyos will leave for a place called America. We're sending her to the strongest dreamers. They will accept her. We're giving the boys webs that will hide their wings. After that,it is up to her to find the Blood and give their birthright ceremonies. She must follow the path after that."
"What path?" Daemon asked, fear causing bile to rise in his throat.
"The one she will choose, one path out of a thousand," Saetan replied.
Blix: Damn, this is really going to mess with my head isn't it?
Nana: Yes
Dressi: Let her sleep, she's had a long day, cleaning her room,writing this entire thing, finding out her crush wants to read it…
Blix:Oh both of you go to hell
Nana: Does that mean I can have Daemon
Blix: Argh! Goodnight everyone, please review!