The First Step

The forest was quiet. There was holiness in it, something untouchable, unimaginable, old. It accepted her, though she felt put of place. She didn't want to bring her blood-stained destiny to this place.

Daria left the Suldanessellar the same day assassin struck, the same day her sister died before her eyes. The guardians of the city found no body below, so the attacker must have somehow survived the fall and escaped. The storm was approaching, the signs were everywhere. And Suldanessellat=r needed no more blood spilled.

Many armies were gathering in the surrounding regions. The queen of usually reclusive city on the Tree of Life, sent many scouts to inform her and her guest about the events of Faerun. The current discord was centered around the Children of Bhaal. Those trying to extinguish the plague of godchildren, raising in every part of land, those wishing to harness their power for themselves, the Children of dead god and those just trying to survive, being suspected because of their unknown origin – all were gathering in the south. It wouldn't be long now until Alaundo's prophecies of chaos and destruction came to be. The clash was inevitable.

But this was the grand scale of things, it tended to ignore the lives swept by its current, turn a blind eye to witch hunts sparing no orphans or abandoned children with unknown parents, assassins striking anyone suspected to be a child of Bhaal and those simply unlucky enough to stand before a bloodthirsty mob. The tension was rising.

That was why queen Ellesime wanted her gone from Suldanessellar, no matter how politely she tried to voice it. Daria knew that the elven queen finally learned not to let her personal feelings get in the way of making the right choice, only after the return of Irenicus. That was why the sun elf accepted all the generous gifts of the queen, wrote an apology to her companions and left the same day. The last gift Ellesime spared her was an advice – to visit a sacred grove, where the gods since ancient times whispered prophecies to the mortal ears.

She found it on the third day of traveling south. That was the place she would taint with blood before this day would end.

The elf let her tired legs rest, sitting under a tall oak. Never before she had traveled so far without any company. With Gorion, Imoen, Khalid and Jaheira… There was always someone by her side, a friend. The days were so empty when she was traveling alone. At least she had Gooseberry with her, to talk to every now and then. Otherwise she'd probably resort to talking to trees.

She couldn't stop thinking about what she done – she let Alveola die. That was the priestess' name, the same one she saw in her vision long time ago, in a druid grove. There could be no mistake – the face was the same, the color of her hair, even the feathers in her braid, barely any detail differed. This was the one. And yet she let her die before her very eyes. There was nothing between her and Xan yet – and now that she died, there would never be. All the happiness she could have given him, the hope, the goal in life – was gone.

'I couldn't have acted sooner' Daria thought analyzing that terrible moment time after time. 'I saw the assassin cloaked in invisibility only the moment he struck. I had little spells prepared. I… I wasn't vigilant. Elven city seemed safe after I woke up…' But how was that her fault? Daria thought she was already through the phrase of blaming herself for every bad thing she could have possibly averted, using her talents. She should have been ever alert, but that way would exhaust her quickly and lead to death faster than abandoning caution completely. The vision from the grove wouldn't come true, but how did she change it, by only seeing it? She didn't act upon it. Though… she would never let Xan go, had she not known that his future began elsewhere. As it was she barely gathered enough strength to push him away. She just couldn't live through another goodbye and it would inevitably come when his heart would change and yearn for someone else. But if he was present when the assassin attacked, if she didn't let him leave…? Maybe he would be the one to save his future lover. Maybe that would be a beginning for them.

And the priestess was her half-sister. She was a Bhaalspawn like her. Daria always assumed that she was a normal elf. That Xan was happy because he had a life, a future ahead of him. But if even without those, he could smile like that, love…

Then she wasn't certain about anything anymore and the chaos in her head gave no indication of clearing up any time soon.

With head filled with questions Daria fell asleep on the grass, the weariness of the travel finally overtaking unhappy thoughts.

She woke up in a burning city, the smoke instantly making her cough, the heat pearling her skin with sweat. She rolled and got on her feet, grabbing the edge of her cloak and covering her mouth. What was happening? Where was she?

'No time to think!' she decided quickly seeing a giant ball of fire coming from the sky straight at her. She began to run, but slipped on something covering the ground and fell face first on the mercilessly hard pavement. Something wet splashed on her face and clothes. She realized what it was when she finally tore her eyes away from the approaching ball of fire.

The entire street was slick with blood.

"No!" she screamed seeing she wouldn't escape the fireball. She would not be defeated like that. The elf threw her arms up and screamed verses of the spell. The orb of scorching element extinguished like a torch in a bucket of water, leaving but a cloud of choking smoke. As she fought for breath someone offered her a hand and pulled her up. The helper had a white mask instead of a face, a toothily grin painted on it.

Fire was thwarting all life in the city. It rained from the skies, it marched on its streets, it danced on its walls. Those trapped inside were breathing the blazing inferno, last thing they could do on this scorched earth, their eyes glassy with smoke, but unblinking, hypnotized by the ravenous element.

More balls of fire were gathering over her head. Five of them, big as suns. But if she was to survive, she needed to extinguish them too. One was coming closer, so close Daria could feel her skin drying and peeling off…

She sat up on her bedroll. No, this time there was no bedroll. She fell asleep as she was – in full equipment, on the grass, without as much as a campfire, only the heavy red and gold robes, a gift from elven queen, keeping her warm. She felt cold sweat covering her whole body – but, the heat was still there. She saw the eyes of a stone head before her burning ominously.

"The storm approaches. The storm approaches" the stone head spoke, fire burning in its eyes. Many more voices, as many as the heads Daria remembered passing as she entered the grove, repeated the call. Something was placed inside her mind secretly as she slept, a premonition, in fear that should it fall to wrong ears, the consequences would be disastrous. She could feel it, like a cut on the inner side of cheek, irritating once she focused on it, but easy to forget moments later. Then the fire died out and the forest was once again quiet. The sun setting on the horizon was barely making it through the leaves, shadows covering the diviner.

'One of the fireballs was coming close' Daria remembered the vision and at once felt the adrenaline rising at the approaching danger. Someone came here after her and was about to strike, she was sure of it. She began to chant, preparing for the encounter.

In one minute Daria had to prepare a figure appeared, coming out from the shadow of the trees. It was no longer carrying a leather armor and wasn't covered by magical invisibility, but the diviner was certain that it was the same person, the same woman that attacked in Suldanessellar. She could see that it was a woman, now that instead of an armor and a dark cloak she wore mage's robes, not as powerfully enchanted as Daria's, but allowing more freedom of movement.

"We meet at last… I cost me a lot of time to track you in those woods." Her voice was silky, provocative. The woman had short dark hair, sharp but human features and dead eyes of a killer.

"Who are you?" Daria asked, opening her mind to her visions just a little, not enough to lose focus on the present. This time she didn't have anybody to protect her, should she lose her sense of time.

"All you need to know, is that I was allowed to finish your life." The woman smiled coldly. She was certain of her victory now that she chased her prey away from the elven city and cornered it. Daria saw a white mist of an enchantment surrounding her. An alteration to hide from the view of the soothsayers and quite a complex one. With some difficulty the diviner could see through it. Though the spell seemed energy consuming and she wanted the assassin to think it was working for the time being, at least to limit the attacker's power.

"You hunt the Bhaalspawn? Why?" Daria tried to imitate frustration.

"Because I am one, of course." Was that a shadow of a smile when she replied? "I am Illasera the Quick." The woman finally gave her name. A name of a person that killed Xan's future.

One of Xan's futures, a thought passed through Daria's head, but she banished it focusing on the enemy before her.

"You will not kill me, Illasera. You will die." Daria let a spider she summoned using an enchanted figurine onto a tree over the assassin fall on its victim, chanting to slow down her movements. The second the spider's poisonous jaws were going to close on her head and array of conditioned protective spells erupted around her. The spider leapt back, singed slightly and Daria stopped it from further attacks. She took a look at the multitude of colors of light surrounding her enemy, as well as a wall of living fire growing before her feet, ignoring Illasera starting her own spell, already knowing it would slip harmlessly on her own defenses. Each shield needed a different breaching spell so Daria decided to rather take care of all of the magic in the area in one stroke with brute force. She was more powerful than Illasera, she could easily wipe out most of her alterations. Focusing on protecting herself from divinations, the assassin neglected how competent a mage her target was.

The Dispell cleansed the area like a white wave leaving Illasera with two layers of stone skin. They wouldn't last long though, because Daria's spider came back to take revenge for its burned legs. Seeing it emerge the mage reacted instinctively and freed a killing spell she had prepared. Daria saw her doing it even before Illasera thought of releasing the sequencer. The second after the spider fell a magical sword appeared in its place, dancing in the air without any support. It was the only summon Daria could cast herself having no talent in this particular school of magic. This spell was much more an invocation than anything else and a sure way to surprise an enemy who thought she couldn't summon any more allies.

The split second of outraged surprise on Illasera's face was almost comical. She focused all her attention on evading the sword that she ignored Daria spending time on one of the more complex enchantments she stole from her friend's spellbook. The assassin just sent a volley of magic missiles at the indestructible sword and tried to block a slash with her short sword, when the weapon fell from her hand. With stunned fascination she saw her own fingers opening her palm, her legs refusing to dodge despite the years of training, instead turning to face the sword. Helpless in her own body Illassera the Quick could only watch the blade plunging deep into her chest.

Daria didn't wait for her body to cool. She quickly and mercilessly cut the woman's throat, just to be absolutely sure that she was dead. After all, those Bhaalspawns could be tricky, Irenicus learned that the hard way. The sun elf quickly took off her half-sister's enchanted boots, picked up the short sword, took all the jewelry she though could be enchanted, despite the blood still pouring from the fresh wound. She even smiled seeing a small collection of scrolls in assassin's pack.

That was what she's been doing for years now. Any pity, regret or revulsion has long since faded, even vengeance was nothing new. If she wanted a life different than that, she had to fight for it.

The ground opening underneath her feet was something new though. Sun elf heard the familiar song of the spheres as her blood led her to a familiar place.