"Aithwen? Lady Aithwen? You need to wake up. Aithwen!"
Aithwen growled at the voice that was interrupting her trance.
"Come on, 'wen. You can't trance in the springs, not even Echo and Aleu could rescue you if you went under with how cold you've made the water. Time to get up and get dressed." The owner of the voice tugged at the sluggish druid's elbow.
Aithwen's eyes fluttered open, struggling to focus in the foggy room. "Hn. Foggy?" Her voice was strained and hoarse.
"You've lowered the temperature in the cavern pretty impressively considering you've likely been unconscious for a while, 'wen. Heat and cold make fog when together long enough, you know. Basic rules of weather. Now come on, out and dried first, questions later." The voice answered.
Aithwen nearly slipped as she shakily got to her feet and allowed herself to be pulled from the water that was far colder than natural, considering the pools were fed by hot springs. She hissed in shock as the fluctuating air moved over her chilled wet skin before swiftly being blocked by the feel of a towel wrapping around her torso.
"There. Now the air temperature won't bother you as much. Come on. Let's get you dressed, hm?" Gentle hands grasped Aithwen's arm and shoulder, guiding her away from the water's edge and toward something she couldn't quite make out through the fog and her own mental haze.
Blinking rapidly to clear and focus her eyes, Aithwen turned her head and did her best to concentrate on the being patiently guiding her like a small child across the slick stone floor. The first thing to come into focus was a long, high bound tail of ash colored hair and pale pointed ears. Following the slope of the ears, she noted that they were definitely elven but they were not as angled as her own. The owner likely had some human blood in their family line. The pale skin was slightly grayed and covered a soft, round face with dark eyes and a small nose. There was tension in the muscles of the face, mostly noticeable in the way their thin lips were pursed. Staring at the face so near to her shoulder, Aithwen's sluggishly processing mind realized she not only knew that face but knew it quite well.
"Sefa? You're here?" Confusion blended with exhaustion caused her voice to come out airy and soft. Black eyes flicked over to meet her blue.
"Of course I am. Did you think I'd just sit around my father's keep waiting for you to decide to send for me after that message? Come on now, you know me better than that. And I know you. The simple fact that you mentioned your wound was alarming, so dad and I came as quickly as we could." Sefa responded, her arm tightening around the druid's shoulder.
"You didn't need to…" Aithwen protested weakly. "I'm fine."
Sefa snorted. "Sure you are 'wen. Whatever you say." She came to a stop and carefully maneuvered the other woman to sit on the same stone pillar she had made before sending her message to her apprentice. Sefa began swiftly working to dry and dress the still muddled archdruid.
"Not a child…" Aithwen muttered as Sefa guided her arm through the sleeveless tunic she had brought to change into.
"Your point? We both know how you get whenever your curse flares. And don't try to deny it. I've been your apprentice for nearly forty years and have seen you go through this plenty of times. Besides, this is what friends do for eachother, isn't it?" Sefa smiled softly at the elder druid as she guided the thin tunic over her head.
Aithwen was quiet for a moment before raising a hand to Sefa's cheek. "Thank you, Sefa. You read me so well, even when we're nowhere near each other."
Sefa shook her head and shrugged. "Empathic, remember? And no need to thank me. You'd do the same for me any day. Now come on, let's get some food into you and settle you down for some proper rest. Dad brought a vial of ink to reinforce your tattoo."
Aithwen nodded absently as she stood shakily. "Wait, do you mean your dad is here too?"
Sefa laughed. "Pretty sure I said that already, 'wen. I can't travel by tree like you can and he was just as concerned as I was. Mom is caring for the little ones I was bringing to meet you and will keep them until you are well enough to meet them so don't worry about them. She said something about teaching them a little more about fighting, so maybe we should be worried…" She shook her head in fond exasperation. "Anyway, Dad's been studying enchantments like your tattoo in hopes to find a way to finally rid you of that damn curse once and for all. He thought he may be able to help."
Aithwen shook her head as both women began walking slowly back toward the living space. "He didn't need to do that, Sefa. There's so much he's already working on as it is."
"He wanted to, 'wen." Sefa exhaled heavily. "I don't think you completely understand how he feels about you, how grateful he and mom are that you took me as your apprentice all those years ago when the rest of the Rime wanted me dead. Not many druids would accept the existence of a dhampir, much less take them as a student." Both were silent for a long while, the underdark flora that grew in pockets glowing softly.
"You make it sound as though I changed the world. I simply did what was right, Sefa. Nothing more." Aithwen finally said quietly.
"Perhaps," Sefa answered, "but he's still grateful. And you know how vampire lords are about repaying those to whom they feel they owe something." She smiled as Aithwen chuckled softly.
"I'm pretty sure that's just your father. The other lords I've encountered had not been so… honorable." Aithwen answered as they took the path to her quarters.
Sefa shrugged. "Could be, he is a little weird. But then again, the mere fact that I exist forced him to reconsider a lot of things and change a great deal for both my mother and I. According to mother he had changed almost completely from how he was when they first met."
"That's true. He has proven himself unique."
"That's one way of saying it!" Sefa laughed, enjoying the banter at her father's expense. "Change of subject, 'wen, what's with your guest? Did you mean to invite an unknown vampire's spawn into our home? I certainly wasn't expecting that when I came home."
Aithwen's blue eyes sharpened and snapped to Sefa's face. "Spawn? Is he truly? I didn't realize…"
"Are you serious?!" Sefa scoffed, her volume causing the other woman to flinch. "You are familiar with an entire household of vampires and you couldn't identify a simple spawn?"
Aithwen sighed. "Not so easy for me, Sefa. I don't have your vampiric instincts to aid me. I did suspect he was vampiric in nature, but I had come to the conclusion that he was a dhampir like you since I found him not in flames dangling from a snare in broad daylight. I took him across the stream as well on our way here and he had no problem crossing it. All I could feel was the magic in him. Can you really blame me for being wrong with that for evidence?"
Sefa made a face. "Guess not. But still, looking at him he seems to be practically starving. Didn't he try to feed?"
Aithwen shook her head. "No he didn't. I even made him some of the dishes I make for you when you're struggling with your more sanguine moments thinking it may trigger something, but it didn't. He's either got iron control over his thirst or there's something different about him." She answered.
"Possibly. Most spawn don't have that kind of control unless they've been commanded to restraint or are quite old." Sefa was quiet for a moment. "Or are used to being starved…" Both druids lapsed into silence at the thought as they finally came to Aithwen's room.
"Hm, none of those are a pleasant thought overall." Aithwen said as she reached out to grasp the back of her favorite chair, slowly maneuvering herself to be able to sit.
"True enough. I couldn't imagine living with a master that would set such restraints or willingly starve their spawn. Luckily, father is a much better man than most other vampires I've heard about." Sefa said, helping her teacher lower herself into the large wing back chair that was tucked into a cozy corner near her wardrobe. "Well, if dad hasn't eaten him then I'm sure there will be quite the conversation over dinner tonight."
Aithwen chuckled. "You may have to play referee. I'm afraid I won't have the strength." She winced as a fresh wave of pain burned its way up her back.
"Or perhaps we'll have to save it for another day… You look exhausted. Why don't you do your best to get comfy and I'll go get my dad. He can get started on strengthening your tattoo and I'll take care of everything else. Any idea what could have set it off?" Sefa asked, concern clear in her expression.
Aithwen shook her head stiffly, shifting in the chair and pointing toward her bed. "Can you get me some pillows? And no idea. The only things out of the ordinary that have happened in the last day have been finding Rhyldan and the kobold issue. I was fine all last night, aside from being magically spent, and this morning. It wasn't until I was most of the way back from taking the corpses to Rune's cave that I noticed it."
Sefa walked over to the fur swathed bed, grabbed two pillows and brought them to Aithwen for her consideration. "Strange. Do you think the reptile did something to his minions to aggravate the curse somehow?"
Aithwen pointed to a misshapen but well filled pillow, tucking it under her arms after Sefa handed it over. "Doubtful. If he had, shouldn't it have taken effect much sooner? I mean, I do tend to use my teeth when I fight, so…"
Sefa chuckled. "Seriously, you're more like a vampire than I am sometimes!"
Aithwen's smile turned into a wince as she shifted in the chair, doing her best to not aggravate her wound in her search for a comfortable position. "Predatory instincts. Came with the package."
"If you say so." Sefa walked back over to the chair after tossing the other pillow back on the bed. "You okay? Need anything before I go get dad?"
"I'm as okay as I'm gonna be, Sefa. Just, please make sure he hasn't killed our guest?" Aithwen asked, settling over the pillow.
"Do my best. Rest now." Sefa bent forward and placed a fond kiss on her master's hair before turning and exiting the room.
"Da?" Sefa called out from the edge of the little stream running down the center of the glade. Her onyx eyes drifted over the various animals playing and napping among the trees, neither her father nor the aforementioned guest in sight. She began walking along the stream, back toward the mountain, towards the presence of her father in the heavy shadows. "Where did he get off to… Da?"
"Here, lil' bean." A deep voice rang from the shadows. Sefa changed her direction slightly, heading toward the ancient fir tree that grew near to where the stream trickled out from the mountainside. From within the deep shadow under the tree Sefa could just barely make out the slight red glow of her father's crimson eyes, his position reclining against the tree easy to find now she knew where to look. The vampire lord sat in an oddly relaxed manner, one leg tucked beneath the other, an elbow resting on a raised knee and his head tilted back to rest against the semi-smooth bark.
"Should've guessed you'd be in the biggest shadow you could find." Sefa said with a smile, stopping a stride away from her father's feet.
"Of course, my dear. Wouldn't want to ruin my complexion now, would I?" The vampire lord gestured to his pale, slightly blue tinted skin and grinned back at his daughter as she rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "How is she?" His deep voice was soft, concern lacing through the simple words.
Sefa sighed and sat cross legged on the ground. "Worse than she seems. It pains her greatly, as it always does. She wasn't ready for it and being taken off guard has really taken its toll. She had no chance to prepare her body for the onslaught of the heat. Aside from that, I'm worried. I think the lizard is involved but I can't figure out how. In order to accelerate the curse from within the confines of the binding tattoo there would need to be some pretty advanced elemental magic involved, and he just isn't capable of that. Or at least, he isn't smart enough for it." Sefa picked up a handful of fir needles, idly sifting them through her fingers as she thought. "If the curse really has somehow sped up in spite of the spells binding it, what does that mean for her, dad? That tattoo has been restricting the curse's spread for over two hundred years now." She brushed her hands clean of dirt and debris. "What… What if the curse accelerates? What if it accomplishes its intent and burns her to ash before we can really do anything to help?" Her voice wavered slightly at the end, fear for her mentor and friend obvious.
"It'll be alright, my dearest." Sefa's father placed a long fingered hand over her fretting ones. "I will reinforce the tattoo to give her a reprieve from its heat and she will soon be back to her normal self. Once she is, we will expand our efforts to find a way to rid her of that fire. Alright?" The vampire lord chucked the young woman under her chin, bringing a small smile to her face. "I will even send messages out to the other vampire lords to seek an answer. Don't you doubt that there is an answer out there, Sefa. We will find it. I promise."
"Thanks, Da." Sefa smiled tightly, not sure if she believed her father's words but clinging to them all the same. "Now, where is Aithwen's guest? You didn't eat him, did you?" She asked, giving her father a teasing stern look.
He laughed and shook his head, "No, no love. I did not eat him. I don't really fancy the taste of male spawn after all." Sefa made a face as her father winked before gesturing toward the tree line. "The boy retreated to the opposite end of the glade as soon as you strode off to the cottage. He seemed about ready to snap from nerves or terror, honestly. Wouldn't even look me in the eye. I'm assuming Aithwen did not say much about him?" Sefa shook her head and her father nodded. "Even without knowing anything about him I can sense that his strength is quite impressive for a spawn. That and whomever his maker is has some rather enviable gifts."
"What do you mean, Da?" Sefa asked, shifting slightly to face her father fully.
"I mean, the mere fact that the sun seems to have no effect on him whatsoever. He does not flinch or even try to hide himself from its rays. Either his maker is incredibly old and powerful, or they have some resistance to a vampire's natural sun aversion that he was lucky enough to inherit."
"Hm. The latter seems most plausible to me. Afterall, what powerful lord would simply let a spawn go off alone this far north." Sefa's face furrowed. "Aithwen did say that he hasn't fed, either. She apparently attempted to bring out his bloodlust last night at supper, but it didn't work."
"Really? Hn. Interesting. Quite interesting indeed." The lord stood and brushed needles and dust from his trousers. "But, we shall have to deal with him at a later time. Lady Aithwen comes first, as she must." He kissed his daughter's head and strode into the sunlight, his steps large and quick, gliding swiftly through the dappled light and around to the door of the druid's home.
"Lady Aithwen? It's Kerril. Sefa said you are decent and in your room. May I come in?" The vampire lord called out, observing proper manners as he already had a standing invitation to the druid's home, and worked to remove his ankle high boots, absently tossing a bit of his unruly shoulder length dark brown hair back behind his shoulder. He glanced around the fairly familiar cottage. It appeared the same as it ever did. The druidess wasn't one for material knick-knacks, unlike his dear wife. No little bits of clutter or collections of this or that about the welcoming room. He knew, of course, that she had unseen rooms within the mountain that were filled with books, artifacts and other things of both magical and mundane nature she deigned dangerous to the ever precarious balance of the outside world. She also had a special place dedicated to those who she loved that had passed on. A memory room that housed things precious to each passed on soul, snippets of time gone by that she held just as precious. He had the privilege of seeing it once and it was the most touching display of memory and love he had ever seen. It left such an impression on him so deep that he modeled a room in his keep after it, a place for his servants and spawn to pay homage to those left behind.
But all of those places were hidden away where those who did not live there could not see. The places they could see, however, were simple and homey. Dark wood, blue stone, cream cushions and hand carved furniture were spaced practically across the space. Inviting and cozy, yes, but also harsh and utilitarian. Much like the woman who had built the home.
"Aithwen?" Kerril called again as he walked silently across the main room toward the sliding doors that separated the real home from the displayed one. "Aithwen?" His pale hand moved the paper door across the sliding track hidden within the stone and glanced into the druidess' room.
She was perched oddly in the large wing back chair he and his wife had gifted to her a few midwinters back. "Aithwen?" Kerril stepped softly into the room and across the carpet toward the slumped druid. She didn't move. Kerril listened closely with his advanced senses. Her heart was beating, slowly, but strongly and her back moved ever so slightly with her breathing. Kerril sighed, she was either asleep or in her trance.
Poor dear. Kerril thought. She's been fighting hard, it seems. Likely exhausted herself without realizing. Her magic seems to have nearly run dry trying to keep the heat in check. He extended a hand and brushed at the wisps of red-silver hair that had stuck themselves to her sweat slick shoulder. She's burning… poor thing. She could use the rest, but she will need to be awake for me to affect the tattoo. Sighing heavily he crouched down and began slowly but forcefully shaking the druid awake.
She woke with a start. "The hell?!" Her blue eyes looked widely around the room, pupils blown wide and dark before finally settling on the visitor crouched at her knee. "Kerril? You really did come."
"Yes, yes I did, Aithwen. How are you feeling?" The vampire lord asked.
"Warm. You?" She replied.
Kerril smiled. "Just fine." The vampire rested his hand on her shoulder. "Are you ready for me to take a look at how your tattoo is holding up?" Aithwen nodded and turned her head back into the spot between the chair and her pillow, turning a little more so her tattoo was completely visible as she wrapped herself more fully over the pillow. Kerril tilted forward onto his knees and carefully slid his cool hand down her spine and over the lines inked there.
Closing his eyes he concentrated, seeking the threads of the enchantment that had been woven into her skin. His fingers brushed carefully over the thin knife scar that was the central point of the curse. It burned. It burned so hotly his instincts forced him to pull his hand away in self preservation. Hissing slightly he turned his attention to the pattern of blues and blacks on her skin. Flying ravens, falling snowflakes, sturdy birch trees, haphazard snow piles and the triquetra focal point all appeared to be as they should. He could find no fading, no weakening of the enchantment that imprisoned and regulated the curse within the wound. A heavy sigh followed a large, unnecessary breath. If there was nothing wrong, what could he hope to do? Whatever I can. For Sefa's sake if not Lady Aithwen's. I'll just have to add a reinforcement, a strengthening, to the base enchantment. Hopefully that will be enough to bolster her strength against the curse's raging.
"Aithwen? Aithwen, dear, I'm going to do my best to reinforce the enchantments, alright? I know I'm not nearly as skilled as the one who first placed it, but I'll do what I can. Gods willing it'll be enough. Do you need me to do anything to help you get more comfortable before I start?" Kerril asked, leaning back onto his heels.
Aithwen shook her head. "No, there's nothing you can do. It's just pain, Kerril. I can handle it." She tried to sound reassuring, instead she just sounded tired.
Kerril nodded. "Alright then. I'll be right back." He stood and turned to leave, he needed the little kit he had brought along and left by the door.
"Kerril?" Aithwen spoke up just as he began to walk away.
"Yes, Aithwen?"
"Can you… bring me some water, please?"
"Of course. You rest now. This will all be better soon." The vampire lord smiled fondly at the slumped druid. By Kelemvor let this work… Deities of nature, Frosted Auril and Golden Corellon, use these undead hands and let me help her… please…