The woods of the East Commonlands were not as ancient as the Faydark, nor
as foreboding as those of the Butcherblock Mountains, but Naramira was
nevertheless filled with trepidation. She had come here to prove to herself
that she had what it took to be an enchantress. As the rays of the rising
sun shone off her shoulder-length dark brown hair, she stood quietly
gathering her courage.
A spiderling scurried across the path. It was as big as a fire beetle, tall enough to reach Naramira's knees. She'd heard that spiders in the Commonlands could grow to even twice the size of that.
'Now or never,' she thought to herself. A momentary golden glow surrounded her as she put a magical shielding up. Another brief glimmer and her image would have seemed hazy to anyone who happened to look at her. Then she fired a Suffocating Sphere at the spiderling. The creature stopped short for two seconds before screeching and rushing off as fast as its injuries allowed.
Naramira was completely taken aback. She had expected the spiderling to attack her. She ran after it, quickly caught up to the dying arachnid and despatched it with one accurate stab.
'That was easy,' she thought, relieved, her confidence slowly returning. She stooped and looted a strand of silk from the corpse. 'I wonder how much this sells for?' The trip to Faydwer had taken up most of her savings, which had not been much to start with. Three platinum, two golden pieces and a few coppers were all she had to her name. Not much, not even enough to pay for more than two nights at the inn she was staying at.
Another spiderling scurried across the path. Naramira reacted instantly and moments after yet another dead arachnid lay at her feet. Soon she had a satchel full of silk strands and decided to take a break from her hunting. She had chased after spiderlings right to the edge of the woods and could see sand dunes not far away. Her curiosity once more got the better of her and she decided to see what was out there.
She walked along the dunes until she came up against a mountain ridge, which she followed in a westerly direction. She could see a cave in the mountainside not far off and, strangely, could hear the sounds of many people talking. As she neared the entrance, she realised that there were not only hundreds of people gathered together, but that they had set up a marketplace in this unusual setting and were bartering with each other.
Naramira was amazed. A variety of the races of Norrath were gathered together, displaying all sorts of interesting and strange wares. Battle- scarred warriors had some of their old weapons for sale, elven brewers shouted out the wonders of their magical infusions and a pale, pointy-eared gnome was describing the remarkable colours and shapes of his fireworks. A burly man so tall Naramira had to crane her neck upwards to look at the intricate blue-tattoos swirling across his face was selling herbs and animal pelts. Tailors, fletchers, smiths and bakers, the cave was filled with goods from all over the known world. There was even a troll selling pickled body parts, which looked rather revolting to the young enchantress. With lightning-fast reflexes the troll caught one of the flies buzzing around its head and stuck it in its mouth with obvious relish. Naramira turned away, disgusted, and stared straight into the piercing violet eyes of a dark-elf. A shiver ran down her spine. It seemed as if the black-robed elf could see right down into the depths of her soul, and hated everything she found there. The words that would protectively encase her in a magical shielding ran through Naramira's mind and she readied herself for the attack, but the dark-elf merely scowled and confronted a timid-looking half- elf selling stacks of bones.
Relief flooded through Naramira. She had never encountered someone bearing so much hatred towards her. It was an odd feeling. She wondered if the dark- elf would have dismissed her so easily had she come face to face with her alone in the woods. "Hello there, milady. How are you doing today?" a polite voice enquired, startling her out of her reverie. The speaker was wearing a bright blue overcoat with green leather trousers and no shoes, his hairy feet looking a bit oversized on the small body. He was about waist-high to the human girl.
Naramira smiled. She'd heard about halflings, but had never seen one before. "Very well, thank you, sir. And yourself?"
"Oh, not too bad. Not making much of a profit today, but that's not always so important, is it?" he winked at her.
"What do you sell?" she asked politely.
He grinned and opened a sturdy-looking chest by his side. "Mostly leather armour, a few backpacks, that kind of thing." He rummaged through his wares and then took out a creamy silk blouse and held it up to her. It was beautiful, soft and smooth to the touch. Naramira looked at it admiringly. It looked to be just the right size to fit her.
"Do you like it?" the halfling asked.
"Very much," Naramira replied. "But I'm afraid I can't afford it."
"I'll trade you for it. I'm sure you must have something I'd be interested in," he looked enquiringly at her bulging satchel.
"Not really," Naramira said. "Just some silk strands I looted off a few spiderlings."
The halfling laughed. "They're worth quite a bit, milady. How many do you have?"
"I don't really know." She opened her satchel and took the silk out. She counted forty-five strands. "Would this be of any use to you?"
"Yes, and the other tailors in this tunnel would pay well for them. As I said, I'm not making much of a profit, so I can't give you as much as someone else would, but I'll give you twenty platinum pieces for the lot, and this blouse as well."
Naramira stared at the halfling, astonished. Twenty platinum pieces! And the blouse as well! "You are too kind, master Halfling!" she exclaimed.
"Please, call me Drutt," he grinned. "I'll be honest with you, milady. A stack of spiderling silk, that's twenty strands, is worth about ten platinum pieces. And spider silk can fetch a price as high as twenty platinum for a stack. I would not take it amiss if you'd rather try and sell them to someone else."
"Oh no," Naramira said. "I'm quite happy with twenty platinum pieces."
Drutt laughed. "Then we have a deal. I will buy all the silk strands you can bring me, and any animal pelts you might have," he added.
Naramira thanked the little halfling warmly. The sun was slowly setting over the woods and she decided to make her way back to the inn. Her purse jingled as she hastened back. She couldn't believe her good fortune and lay awake long into the night, wondering what the next day would bring.
******
Naramira was beset by two spiderlings at once. 'I can handle it,' she reassured herself. She focussed all her attention on one of them, ignoring the other one's attack. She fired her suffocation spell at the first spiderling and, knowing that it would be enough to finish the creature off, turned to the second one. She slashed at it, evading it's fangs with practiced care. A stinging bite to the back of her leg made her turn around in surprise. Another spiderling had joined the fray. A green glow suffused it as she drained its strength, then turned back to the second spiderling. She heard the clicking sound of huge mandibles and saw an enormous spider rushing towards her. It was shoulder height and Naramira knew a moment of panic. 'Three at once.'
The spider jumped at her just as she despatched the second spiderling, the third one still biting her ankles painfully. She sidestepped and uttered a single magical word. Brilliant colours suddenly fluxed around her, stunning the spider into momentary motionlessness. Two well-aimed slashes and the third spiderling lay dead at her feet. She turned to confront the spider, her heart hammering in her chest.
The colours faded and the spider shook its head, as if wondering what had happened. Then it saw the young enchantress and went for her throat. Naramira ducked and evaded its fangs, casting the draining spell on it. Another colour flux and a suffocation spell in short succession and she knew the spider would not prove too much of a problem. She slashed at it with her trusty dagger and it fell to the ground, choking. She stooped down, ready to loot it, and with its dying breath, the spider lunged at her and sank its fangs deep into her arm.
Naramira cried out in pain. She wrenched her arm out of its reach and gaped at the two swollen pierce marks on it. She could feel the poison already flowing through her veins. Her vision became blurry and she stumbled back in the direction of the inn.
Somehow she managed the journey through the woods, back to the inn and up the stairs to her room. She fell down on her bed, watching the blurry corners of her vision fade into black, until darkness claimed her.
******
"Should we call a healer, ma'am?" a woman's voice asked, sounding worried.
"No, to be sure, this girl looks in a right state, but she should live through it," an older woman replied. "These adventurous types, they might bring in the money, but they sure are a nuisance to look after."
Naramira opened her eyes groggily. Her head was pounding and she felt too weak to move, but the poison had run its course. She blinked a few times until her vision cleared and she looked up into the disapproving gaze of the innkeeper's wife.
"There now, milady. Feeling any better? You were as pale as a ghost when you returned last night," the woman said, fussing about Naramira and helping her to sit upright. "I've gone to the liberty of bringing you up some breakfast, milady. You won't be wanting to eat in the common-room this morning, I'm sure." She gestured to the serving-girl who put a bowl of steaming porridge onto the bedside table. Then she opened the window to let the fresh morning breeze waft in.
Naramira smiled gratefully. She didn't remember much of the previous night, but she was sure she hadn't undressed and gotten into bed. She looked at her robe, neatly folded and laying on top of the chest of drawers. Her arm was also carefully bandaged, the sharp smell of herbs telling her that someone must have gone to some trouble to make sure she was alright.
"Thank you, mistress Elora. I hope I haven't inconvenienced you too much."
"No trouble at all, milady," the woman replied. "No trouble at all." She saw Naramira hesitantly touching the bandaging on her arm. "That wound should heal clean, with no mark to show for it. My gran's ointment is good for any kind of injury, to be sure. But sometimes I think a scar reminds one to be more careful in future." She gave Naramira a pointed look, which made the young enchantress blush guiltily. "Is there anything else I might be able to do for you, milady?"
"I'll be fine, thank you," Naramira assured her. The woman fussed over her another few minutes. Then, satisfied that she was comfortable and did not need anything else, she gave a curt nod to the serving-girl and left the young enchantress by herself.
******
Even though she still felt weak, Naramira did not waste too much time at the inn. She had collected quite a few strands of spiderling silk the previous day and she was eager to see what price they would fetch. She put on her new silk blouse, admiring the softness of it against her skin. She stowed the rough cotton blouse the Academy had given her away in the chest of drawers, hoping never to have to wear it again. Her loose-fitting cotton pants suddenly seemed very uncomfortable and coarse. Then, she put her green elven robe on over it all, grabbed her spellbook and her satchel and set out for the cave again.
She was walking over the sand dunes when she saw something running towards her. Naramira had learned the hard way to be wary of anything unusual and quickly cast her magical shield about her. As it came closer, she saw that it was a puma, akin to a lion, but not quite as big. She did not wish to confront it, so she moved out of its way, giving it a wide berth.
The puma stopped a few feet away from her and sniffed the air. It had not seen her, but it knew she was there. It turned around, as if searching for her. Then it spotted her. It regarded her for a few seconds, then crouched down low to the ground and started stalking her.
Naramira's heart skipped a beat. Her first instinct was to turn and run, but she knew she could never outrun a puma. She had no choice but to stand her ground. She cast a haze about herself, which confused the animal for a few seconds. To it, her image was wavering, as if she was not really there, but it could still smell her, and continued towards her.
Naramira knew she had to strike the first blow if she was to have any chance. She attacked with her suffocation spell, and as the animal rushed towards her, infuriated, she also cast Enfeeblement, draining the cat's strength. When it was almost on top of her, brilliant colours fluxed around the young enchantress, stunning it into immobility. Naramira took the chance to make a run for it.
She ran for the cave, she could see the entrance not far off. A growl behind her warned her just in time and she ducked to evade the animal, who leaped straight over her head, spun around and confronted her. It slashed savagely at her, sharp claws gleaming as if polished. Pain seared through her right arm and she looked down to see three angry red welts stand out on it. Crimson blood started seeping out of the wound.
She felt dizzy, her head spinning at the sight of her own blood, but she was not going to give up that easily. Rainbow colours suddenly surrounded her, once more stunning the puma and giving her a chance to recover. She hit it with another Suffocating Sphere and again started running towards the cave.
A vicious swipe of the cat's claws lacerated her back. She fell to the sand screaming in pain. More bright colours around her. Clutching her dagger in her left hand, Naramira turned and thrust it deep into the unmoving animal's chest. Blood squirted all over her and the puma fell heavily on top of her, pinning her to the ground, the pain in her back almost enough to make her faint.
Slowly, she edged out from underneath the puma's corpse. She picked up her satchel where it had fallen on the sand and limped towards the cave. At the sight of her, staggering and covered in blood, a handful of people rushed towards her to offer aid. Someone muttered a few soft words and the almost unbearable pain faded away. She watched in amazement as the wounds on her arm closed magically before her eyes, while the itching sensation in her back told her that the same healing powers were restoring her to full health.
The wonder in her eyes as she looked at her healer was enough to make the man smile. She thanked him profusely and he simply replied that it was his calling to help others, before disappearing into the crowd of onlookers, who soon dispersed once they were sure she was alright.
"Why, you are a sight to behold, milady! What happened?" Drutt's familiar voice said behind her.
She took the handkerchief he offered her and wiped the blood from her face as she told him what had happened. "I'm afraid my new silk blouse must be completely ruined," she finished sadly, while trying to look over her shoulder at the slashes in her robe.
The halfling smiled. "It pays to learn how to sew, milady. I have a feeling you're going to need it." He grinned impishly at her. "Well, as long as you're alright, let's get down to business. What have you brought me today?"
He gave her thirty platinum pieces for the strands of spiderling silk she had collected and then, with a twinkle in his eye, took a pair of silk trousers out and handed them to her. "There, these should go well with the blouse."
"You are too generous, Drutt," she said, smiling broadly. "I don't know how to thank you."
"No thanks needed, milady. It's nice to be able to give something to someone who would truly appreciate it," he replied.
"Please, call me Naramira. And thank you so much," she said sincerely.
"You are most welcome, Naramira."
Her purse jingling, she set off across the dunes, back towards the woods. She hadn't gone far from the cave when a sound such as a great rush of wind made her spin around. A malevolent being, a vortex of swirling air, transfixed her with a piercing gaze. It lunged towards her and clamped a steely grip around her throat, fingers as cold as ice.
Naramira frantically tried to pry the insubstantial fingers from around her neck. Panicking, she reached for her dagger and stuck it into what seemed like the creature's body, but it encountered nothing but air. Fighting for breath, it was impossible to cast any spells. She was doomed.
'No! Not yet, I can't die now. I haven't done anything yet!' she silently screamed in her mind. Infuriated, and disappointed, she thrashed about, trying to break free.
But no matter how much she struggled, it was in vain. The creature's vice- like grip tightened even more and Naramira's dying thought was of how she had let herself down. Her lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
A spiderling scurried across the path. It was as big as a fire beetle, tall enough to reach Naramira's knees. She'd heard that spiders in the Commonlands could grow to even twice the size of that.
'Now or never,' she thought to herself. A momentary golden glow surrounded her as she put a magical shielding up. Another brief glimmer and her image would have seemed hazy to anyone who happened to look at her. Then she fired a Suffocating Sphere at the spiderling. The creature stopped short for two seconds before screeching and rushing off as fast as its injuries allowed.
Naramira was completely taken aback. She had expected the spiderling to attack her. She ran after it, quickly caught up to the dying arachnid and despatched it with one accurate stab.
'That was easy,' she thought, relieved, her confidence slowly returning. She stooped and looted a strand of silk from the corpse. 'I wonder how much this sells for?' The trip to Faydwer had taken up most of her savings, which had not been much to start with. Three platinum, two golden pieces and a few coppers were all she had to her name. Not much, not even enough to pay for more than two nights at the inn she was staying at.
Another spiderling scurried across the path. Naramira reacted instantly and moments after yet another dead arachnid lay at her feet. Soon she had a satchel full of silk strands and decided to take a break from her hunting. She had chased after spiderlings right to the edge of the woods and could see sand dunes not far away. Her curiosity once more got the better of her and she decided to see what was out there.
She walked along the dunes until she came up against a mountain ridge, which she followed in a westerly direction. She could see a cave in the mountainside not far off and, strangely, could hear the sounds of many people talking. As she neared the entrance, she realised that there were not only hundreds of people gathered together, but that they had set up a marketplace in this unusual setting and were bartering with each other.
Naramira was amazed. A variety of the races of Norrath were gathered together, displaying all sorts of interesting and strange wares. Battle- scarred warriors had some of their old weapons for sale, elven brewers shouted out the wonders of their magical infusions and a pale, pointy-eared gnome was describing the remarkable colours and shapes of his fireworks. A burly man so tall Naramira had to crane her neck upwards to look at the intricate blue-tattoos swirling across his face was selling herbs and animal pelts. Tailors, fletchers, smiths and bakers, the cave was filled with goods from all over the known world. There was even a troll selling pickled body parts, which looked rather revolting to the young enchantress. With lightning-fast reflexes the troll caught one of the flies buzzing around its head and stuck it in its mouth with obvious relish. Naramira turned away, disgusted, and stared straight into the piercing violet eyes of a dark-elf. A shiver ran down her spine. It seemed as if the black-robed elf could see right down into the depths of her soul, and hated everything she found there. The words that would protectively encase her in a magical shielding ran through Naramira's mind and she readied herself for the attack, but the dark-elf merely scowled and confronted a timid-looking half- elf selling stacks of bones.
Relief flooded through Naramira. She had never encountered someone bearing so much hatred towards her. It was an odd feeling. She wondered if the dark- elf would have dismissed her so easily had she come face to face with her alone in the woods. "Hello there, milady. How are you doing today?" a polite voice enquired, startling her out of her reverie. The speaker was wearing a bright blue overcoat with green leather trousers and no shoes, his hairy feet looking a bit oversized on the small body. He was about waist-high to the human girl.
Naramira smiled. She'd heard about halflings, but had never seen one before. "Very well, thank you, sir. And yourself?"
"Oh, not too bad. Not making much of a profit today, but that's not always so important, is it?" he winked at her.
"What do you sell?" she asked politely.
He grinned and opened a sturdy-looking chest by his side. "Mostly leather armour, a few backpacks, that kind of thing." He rummaged through his wares and then took out a creamy silk blouse and held it up to her. It was beautiful, soft and smooth to the touch. Naramira looked at it admiringly. It looked to be just the right size to fit her.
"Do you like it?" the halfling asked.
"Very much," Naramira replied. "But I'm afraid I can't afford it."
"I'll trade you for it. I'm sure you must have something I'd be interested in," he looked enquiringly at her bulging satchel.
"Not really," Naramira said. "Just some silk strands I looted off a few spiderlings."
The halfling laughed. "They're worth quite a bit, milady. How many do you have?"
"I don't really know." She opened her satchel and took the silk out. She counted forty-five strands. "Would this be of any use to you?"
"Yes, and the other tailors in this tunnel would pay well for them. As I said, I'm not making much of a profit, so I can't give you as much as someone else would, but I'll give you twenty platinum pieces for the lot, and this blouse as well."
Naramira stared at the halfling, astonished. Twenty platinum pieces! And the blouse as well! "You are too kind, master Halfling!" she exclaimed.
"Please, call me Drutt," he grinned. "I'll be honest with you, milady. A stack of spiderling silk, that's twenty strands, is worth about ten platinum pieces. And spider silk can fetch a price as high as twenty platinum for a stack. I would not take it amiss if you'd rather try and sell them to someone else."
"Oh no," Naramira said. "I'm quite happy with twenty platinum pieces."
Drutt laughed. "Then we have a deal. I will buy all the silk strands you can bring me, and any animal pelts you might have," he added.
Naramira thanked the little halfling warmly. The sun was slowly setting over the woods and she decided to make her way back to the inn. Her purse jingled as she hastened back. She couldn't believe her good fortune and lay awake long into the night, wondering what the next day would bring.
******
Naramira was beset by two spiderlings at once. 'I can handle it,' she reassured herself. She focussed all her attention on one of them, ignoring the other one's attack. She fired her suffocation spell at the first spiderling and, knowing that it would be enough to finish the creature off, turned to the second one. She slashed at it, evading it's fangs with practiced care. A stinging bite to the back of her leg made her turn around in surprise. Another spiderling had joined the fray. A green glow suffused it as she drained its strength, then turned back to the second spiderling. She heard the clicking sound of huge mandibles and saw an enormous spider rushing towards her. It was shoulder height and Naramira knew a moment of panic. 'Three at once.'
The spider jumped at her just as she despatched the second spiderling, the third one still biting her ankles painfully. She sidestepped and uttered a single magical word. Brilliant colours suddenly fluxed around her, stunning the spider into momentary motionlessness. Two well-aimed slashes and the third spiderling lay dead at her feet. She turned to confront the spider, her heart hammering in her chest.
The colours faded and the spider shook its head, as if wondering what had happened. Then it saw the young enchantress and went for her throat. Naramira ducked and evaded its fangs, casting the draining spell on it. Another colour flux and a suffocation spell in short succession and she knew the spider would not prove too much of a problem. She slashed at it with her trusty dagger and it fell to the ground, choking. She stooped down, ready to loot it, and with its dying breath, the spider lunged at her and sank its fangs deep into her arm.
Naramira cried out in pain. She wrenched her arm out of its reach and gaped at the two swollen pierce marks on it. She could feel the poison already flowing through her veins. Her vision became blurry and she stumbled back in the direction of the inn.
Somehow she managed the journey through the woods, back to the inn and up the stairs to her room. She fell down on her bed, watching the blurry corners of her vision fade into black, until darkness claimed her.
******
"Should we call a healer, ma'am?" a woman's voice asked, sounding worried.
"No, to be sure, this girl looks in a right state, but she should live through it," an older woman replied. "These adventurous types, they might bring in the money, but they sure are a nuisance to look after."
Naramira opened her eyes groggily. Her head was pounding and she felt too weak to move, but the poison had run its course. She blinked a few times until her vision cleared and she looked up into the disapproving gaze of the innkeeper's wife.
"There now, milady. Feeling any better? You were as pale as a ghost when you returned last night," the woman said, fussing about Naramira and helping her to sit upright. "I've gone to the liberty of bringing you up some breakfast, milady. You won't be wanting to eat in the common-room this morning, I'm sure." She gestured to the serving-girl who put a bowl of steaming porridge onto the bedside table. Then she opened the window to let the fresh morning breeze waft in.
Naramira smiled gratefully. She didn't remember much of the previous night, but she was sure she hadn't undressed and gotten into bed. She looked at her robe, neatly folded and laying on top of the chest of drawers. Her arm was also carefully bandaged, the sharp smell of herbs telling her that someone must have gone to some trouble to make sure she was alright.
"Thank you, mistress Elora. I hope I haven't inconvenienced you too much."
"No trouble at all, milady," the woman replied. "No trouble at all." She saw Naramira hesitantly touching the bandaging on her arm. "That wound should heal clean, with no mark to show for it. My gran's ointment is good for any kind of injury, to be sure. But sometimes I think a scar reminds one to be more careful in future." She gave Naramira a pointed look, which made the young enchantress blush guiltily. "Is there anything else I might be able to do for you, milady?"
"I'll be fine, thank you," Naramira assured her. The woman fussed over her another few minutes. Then, satisfied that she was comfortable and did not need anything else, she gave a curt nod to the serving-girl and left the young enchantress by herself.
******
Even though she still felt weak, Naramira did not waste too much time at the inn. She had collected quite a few strands of spiderling silk the previous day and she was eager to see what price they would fetch. She put on her new silk blouse, admiring the softness of it against her skin. She stowed the rough cotton blouse the Academy had given her away in the chest of drawers, hoping never to have to wear it again. Her loose-fitting cotton pants suddenly seemed very uncomfortable and coarse. Then, she put her green elven robe on over it all, grabbed her spellbook and her satchel and set out for the cave again.
She was walking over the sand dunes when she saw something running towards her. Naramira had learned the hard way to be wary of anything unusual and quickly cast her magical shield about her. As it came closer, she saw that it was a puma, akin to a lion, but not quite as big. She did not wish to confront it, so she moved out of its way, giving it a wide berth.
The puma stopped a few feet away from her and sniffed the air. It had not seen her, but it knew she was there. It turned around, as if searching for her. Then it spotted her. It regarded her for a few seconds, then crouched down low to the ground and started stalking her.
Naramira's heart skipped a beat. Her first instinct was to turn and run, but she knew she could never outrun a puma. She had no choice but to stand her ground. She cast a haze about herself, which confused the animal for a few seconds. To it, her image was wavering, as if she was not really there, but it could still smell her, and continued towards her.
Naramira knew she had to strike the first blow if she was to have any chance. She attacked with her suffocation spell, and as the animal rushed towards her, infuriated, she also cast Enfeeblement, draining the cat's strength. When it was almost on top of her, brilliant colours fluxed around the young enchantress, stunning it into immobility. Naramira took the chance to make a run for it.
She ran for the cave, she could see the entrance not far off. A growl behind her warned her just in time and she ducked to evade the animal, who leaped straight over her head, spun around and confronted her. It slashed savagely at her, sharp claws gleaming as if polished. Pain seared through her right arm and she looked down to see three angry red welts stand out on it. Crimson blood started seeping out of the wound.
She felt dizzy, her head spinning at the sight of her own blood, but she was not going to give up that easily. Rainbow colours suddenly surrounded her, once more stunning the puma and giving her a chance to recover. She hit it with another Suffocating Sphere and again started running towards the cave.
A vicious swipe of the cat's claws lacerated her back. She fell to the sand screaming in pain. More bright colours around her. Clutching her dagger in her left hand, Naramira turned and thrust it deep into the unmoving animal's chest. Blood squirted all over her and the puma fell heavily on top of her, pinning her to the ground, the pain in her back almost enough to make her faint.
Slowly, she edged out from underneath the puma's corpse. She picked up her satchel where it had fallen on the sand and limped towards the cave. At the sight of her, staggering and covered in blood, a handful of people rushed towards her to offer aid. Someone muttered a few soft words and the almost unbearable pain faded away. She watched in amazement as the wounds on her arm closed magically before her eyes, while the itching sensation in her back told her that the same healing powers were restoring her to full health.
The wonder in her eyes as she looked at her healer was enough to make the man smile. She thanked him profusely and he simply replied that it was his calling to help others, before disappearing into the crowd of onlookers, who soon dispersed once they were sure she was alright.
"Why, you are a sight to behold, milady! What happened?" Drutt's familiar voice said behind her.
She took the handkerchief he offered her and wiped the blood from her face as she told him what had happened. "I'm afraid my new silk blouse must be completely ruined," she finished sadly, while trying to look over her shoulder at the slashes in her robe.
The halfling smiled. "It pays to learn how to sew, milady. I have a feeling you're going to need it." He grinned impishly at her. "Well, as long as you're alright, let's get down to business. What have you brought me today?"
He gave her thirty platinum pieces for the strands of spiderling silk she had collected and then, with a twinkle in his eye, took a pair of silk trousers out and handed them to her. "There, these should go well with the blouse."
"You are too generous, Drutt," she said, smiling broadly. "I don't know how to thank you."
"No thanks needed, milady. It's nice to be able to give something to someone who would truly appreciate it," he replied.
"Please, call me Naramira. And thank you so much," she said sincerely.
"You are most welcome, Naramira."
Her purse jingling, she set off across the dunes, back towards the woods. She hadn't gone far from the cave when a sound such as a great rush of wind made her spin around. A malevolent being, a vortex of swirling air, transfixed her with a piercing gaze. It lunged towards her and clamped a steely grip around her throat, fingers as cold as ice.
Naramira frantically tried to pry the insubstantial fingers from around her neck. Panicking, she reached for her dagger and stuck it into what seemed like the creature's body, but it encountered nothing but air. Fighting for breath, it was impossible to cast any spells. She was doomed.
'No! Not yet, I can't die now. I haven't done anything yet!' she silently screamed in her mind. Infuriated, and disappointed, she thrashed about, trying to break free.
But no matter how much she struggled, it was in vain. The creature's vice- like grip tightened even more and Naramira's dying thought was of how she had let herself down. Her lifeless body crumpled to the ground.