Chapter 2 STM

She was woken by a scream of terror so loud it could wake a sleeping dragon. Shaya pulled herself up, body aching from sleeping on the uncomfortable floor. She tried to stretch her body, stepping out of the corner she was in and looked over the empty library.

It was dark, no light on and only a beam of moonlight in the middle of the room. She moved to the light and looked out the window, tilting her head and closing her eyes, letting the light rest on her face. She could hear crashing and yelling outside the room and spun around, confusion growing as she watched the door burst open, a mage standing in the doorway and tilting his head to the side.

He eyed her carefully and stood up straight. Shaya saw his silver staff in one hand and a knife in the other. The knife dripped blood onto the floor. As he repositioned his hand on his staff, she saw blood staining the silver, from his fresh slash on his hand. Shaya didn't need more to know what was happening. This man had used a blood sacrifice to enhance his own talents. He watched her carefully and she watched him. Finally she broke the silence.

"What are you doing? Who was screaming?"

"Isn't it obvious, elf? We're sick of the templars watching us. Time to take back our freedom."

"With blood magic?" her eyes moved to the man's wounds, stepping back slowly.

"It's a means to an end. They left us no choice." He shrugged. Shaya shook her head.

"There is always a choice... but never that. There are always consequences." She remembered a conversation at that moment. She and the other mages in her clan were speaking to the keeper and He warned them about the dangers of blood magic, and how it attracted all demons. The man gave a wicked smirk.

"An Idealist? Too bad, heard you were a tough one, we could have used you."

Shaya flung herself out of the way just as the burst of energy came at her. She hit the floor and rolled to her feet. He threw waves and waves at her and she fought with her stiff limbs to keep out of range. She leapt behind a book shelf, lowering herself and gasping for breath. She hadn't fought in hand to hand in ages, and she knew much of her own spells would be wasted on a blood mage. All the same, she fired small shards of ice at the man's feet, taking delight when he screamed in agony. She leant against the wall, searching for something to work with, her eyes catching a letter opener someone had left on the table. She snatched it up, hearing the man mutter to himself. She risked a peek from her hiding spot.

Her mouth gaped in horror as the man summoned what seemed to be a wisp of smoke. It rose from the ground, up to his raised arms. Shaya didn't wait to see what it was. She jumped from her safe spot, lunging at the man and throwing all the fire power she had at him. His concentration broke for a moment to deflect it, the growth of the smoky figure ending. She followed behind her attack, leaping over the sinking smoke and stabbing violently at the man with the letter opener. As she pierced his heart she gaped in horror as he died instantly.

Shaya backed away from the man, the smoky creature fading into the floor. She dropped the blood stained blade to the floor as she sunk to her knees, violently wretching and vomiting. When she was done, she wiped her clean had over her mouth and her blood splattered hand over her robe. She rose up slowly, averting her gaze from the corpse and picking up the letter opener. She outstretched her hand and let a mass of white energy rise to her finger tips. She let it settle there and walked out the room, refusing to leave without any preparation for an oncoming attack. What she saw in the hall would never leave her mind. Her eyes shut a moment too late to see the bodies of mages and apprentices through the hall. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and murmured to herself.

"Falon'din, guide them safely into the beyond." She opened her eyes slowly and stepped through the bodies, making her way to the apprentice quarters. Her hand out stretched as she walked. She could hear screaming and crashing above her and she wondered if there were more mages even on this floor.

She arrived at her room, seeing three dead on the floor and shaking as she walked to her bed. She bent down and pulled out a trunk, a box with all she had left, objects she had salvaged from her burning camp right before the templars took her away. She pulled out a canvas sack lined with thin chain and hemp for water proofing. She could hang over her back and place the contents of the box into it. Of the things she pulled out, there had been a prayer and song book and she hugged it close before sliding it into the canvas bag and straddling it onto her back. Then she moved to the bodies of the girls. One of them had been a girl who had always taken great delight in mocking Shaya. Now she stared up at her with lifeless eyes and Shaya only felt sorrow and regret for the girl who would not live to her harrowing. She left her room, magic in one hand and blade in the other.

She walked slowly through the halls to get to the exit. She stopped when she saw the barrier over the entrance. She had no doubt it was erected by mages to seal them from attacks, and she could just call to them to let her through, but something stopped her. This was her only chance. No templars guarding doors, no one watching her. If she could get into the phylactery chamber, she was free. She made up her mind in a second and spun around, running from the area to get to the stairs leading to her freedom.