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The Mother of Dreams - Episode 5 (updated February 1st, 2005)
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<blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 1992489" data-attributes="member: 63"><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><strong>Episode Five - The Bigger Man, Part I, Section VII</strong></span></p><p></p><p>Tri’ni sat at the window of their suite, looking out onto the softly glowing night of Seaquen. The canal was not far away, and for a long while she watched a ship rowing beneath bridge after bridge, finally vanishing from her sight.</p><p></p><p>To her Elven eyes, the millions of people of Seaquen gleamed like tiny points of light, like the stars she had only seen since coming to the surface. Unliving objects glinted like crystal, reflecting the light of countless living things, thickly translucent. The city had an inner glow unlike even the largest cities she knew from home in the land below.</p><p></p><p>A candle was lit in one of the bedrooms, reflecting dimly on the window. She saw Allar’s reflection approaching her, and her smile widened. The inn was almost silent, and she waited for him to speak.</p><p></p><p>“Do you. . . ,” he said, then stopped. “Tri’ni, I was just wondering. Do you know where Lacy is?”</p><p></p><p>Her smile nearly split her face, but she quickly hid it before turning to reply.</p><p></p><p>“She left a few hours ago. She said she was going to pray. I think, though, that she was looking for a temple to take me to, so they can train me.”</p><p></p><p>Allar nodded impatiently. “Did she say when she would be back?”</p><p></p><p>“You want to talk to her this late at night?”</p><p></p><p>Allar frowned. “Yes. You’re up late yourself.”</p><p></p><p>She smirked. “I couldn’t sleep.”</p><p></p><p>Allar sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I hope I didn’t. . . ” </p><p></p><p>He trailed off, and now it was her turn to frown.</p><p></p><p>“What?” she asked.</p><p></p><p>“Well, I hope she doesn’t mind me saying this, but Lacy told me how you had . . . you were crying in your sleep.”</p><p></p><p>Tri’ni felt a pang, but she shook it off. The lump in her throat was brief. “I didn’t know what you were planning, with the teachers here in the city. I was sad, yes, but I think now I’m too curious to go to sleep.”</p><p></p><p>“Oh.” Allar paused. “I thought. . . . I just hoped I wasn’t interrupting.”</p><p></p><p>She shrugged, then shifted how she was sitting on the window sill. “I like watching things. It’s all beautiful. Though I admit I was getting . . . unhappy? With the scenery on the ship. It wasn’t interesting anymore.”</p><p></p><p>Allar crossed his arms. He looked uncomfortable, like he did not want to talk, but he would feel guilty if he left.</p><p></p><p>Tri’ni sucked air through her teeth for a moment, then changed topics. “So have you told Lacy that you like her? Because she wants you to.”</p><p></p><p>Allar scowled and turned away. “My life is none of your business. Get some sleep.”</p><p></p><p>Tri’ni wondered what she had done. Allar snuffed his candle and went back to his room, and when Tri’ni turned back to the window, she looked out in hope that something would cheer her up.</p><p></p><p>She sat at the window for long hours, but fell asleep before the sun rose. Lacy’s return just before dawn awoke her, and Tri’ni staggered to her unwanted bed, again uncertain of herself.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">* * *</p><p></p><p>In her room, Lacy ran her hands across herself, feeling fresh despite how sweaty and sleepy she was. The inn had a wonderful bath house, and she had not bathed in months. She intended to clean up, then get some sleep.</p><p></p><p>The man’s name had been Shawn, and from the look on his face as she had said her goodbyes, Lacy felt proud of herself. This evening she had taken control, and she felt relieved, and a little tingly. After she woke up, she intended to make the most of the day.</p><p></p><p>Wrapping a sheet around herself and carrying a few spare clothes under her arm, she slipped out into the main room of the suite and knocked on Babb’s door. When he didn’t answer, she walked in and shook him lightly. He groggily opened one eye, nodded, then rolled onto his side.</p><p></p><p>“Babb, I’m going to sleep in a little late.” She yawned conveniently. “Do you remember that temple I went to while we stayed here?”</p><p></p><p>Babb grunted affirmatively, shrugging his hairy shoulders to pull more blanket of himself.</p><p></p><p>“Can you take Tri’ni for me? I’ll be sleeping.”</p><p></p><p>Babb groaned sleepily. “Sure. Later.”</p><p></p><p>She patted him on the arm and kissed his forehead, to which he grumbled and tried to roll onto his face. She smiled and left, then went downstairs to bathe. Her thoughts flitted from Hunter to Allar to the young man named Shawn. She wondered if she would ever see him again. </p><p></p><p>When she noticed the sunrise, for the briefest moment she thought of how ironic it was that a priest of Vanessi, so nervous himself, had told her to be more confident. The thought made her feel a cold emptiness in her stomach for a moment. </p><p></p><p>She forced away a frown, and tried to remember more cheerful sensations.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">* * *</p><p></p><p>David and Babb showed Tri’ni around the city, and she tried not to be angry at Allar, even though he had kept her from getting to sleep. Weary but hopeful, Tri’ni chatted with her friends as they swung through Seaquen, taking her to a dozen possible teachers.</p><p></p><p>Taskmages selling simple services like magical mending did not interest her. The illusions used at a brothel in the candlelight district were amazing, but the love potions they sold to affect the emotions of another offended her. The medicine woman who lived in the tree in the middle of the park had been friendly, though, and a strange man looking like a bird had sounded excited about the scrolls in his shop, whatever language he had been speaking in.</p><p></p><p>The manservant of the city’s first archmage said he was ‘fixing the steam tunnels again,’ as if it were important. The city’s second archmage refused to speak with them, but the magic wards on the walls outside his home had looked very intriguing. She would be seeing Tierodunne, the city’s third archmage, tomorrow afternoon.</p><p></p><p>Dorisian spellsingers performing at the Bridge of Bards had been too busy to talk, but Tri’ni had never been confident in her skill at singing, so she did not count it as a loss. By random chance they had come upon a brown-skinned Kohalesti Elf worker using stoneshaping magic to fix a worn staircase, and though she desperately wanted to talk with another Elf, the man had sneered at her and shouted something in a language none of them understood.</p><p></p><p>Tri’ni had made sure to memorize the hand gesture he had given her.</p><p></p><p>None of the three of them had been eager to go to the Temple of Vanessi, and the priests there had turned her away anyway. Another temple had offered to burn the evil out of her, and a third had promised to teach her how to control the spirits of the dead. A fourth had offered free ale in exchange for a tale of skill at arms, but David had not let her try out the alcohol, so Babb had taken credit for killing the blood-drinker of Ycengled.</p><p></p><p>The workshop they went to last made enchanted items on commission. Even the simplest items they offered were well beyond the group’s means, and David was much more interested in their techniques than Tri’ni was. When they finally left, it was late afternoon, the streets were almost as crowded as those of Rissan’la in the land below, and Babb was grumbling.</p><p></p><p>“I need something enchanted,” he said, the closest she had heard him come to pouting.</p><p></p><p>Confused, she looked down at his sword’s bright magical glow, then back to Babb. “What do you mean?”</p><p></p><p>“David has his talismans he makes so he can use magic. Lacy made that necklace for you, and her talisman of Vanessi has something to do with her magic. And Allar . . . oh Allar has some ancient, ancestral sword of the Elvish kings that cuts off arms left and right.”</p><p></p><p>Tri’ni said, “It only cut off the man’s right arm. Plus, your sword is enchanted. I thought you loved it.”</p><p></p><p>Babb shook his head. “Hey, yeah. Thanks for trying, Trin.”</p><p></p><p>“Can’t you tell?” she asked. “It’s . . . it’s obvious, isn’t it?”</p><p></p><p>David opened his mouth, let it hang for a moment, then rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I forgot. Babb, she’s an Elf. Of course she can see it.”</p><p></p><p>“Can’t you?” Tri’ni asked. “I know Goblins can’t, but they’re not too smart. I thought humans and Jispin and Geidon would be able to. Although I guess I should have realized something when you couldn’t see in the dark without the light spell.”</p><p></p><p>“<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />,” Babb said. “You just see magic? Damn, I do remember hearing that about Elves. But, really, you know Elves. They’re always trying to tell you how much more perfect they are than you.”</p><p></p><p>Tri’ni smirked. “That’s just strange. Why didn’t you ever tell me?”</p><p></p><p>David shrugged. “It’s not the sort of thing you think about, normally. It’s not like I need to tell you that Jispin can see into the future.”</p><p></p><p>Tri’ni squinted at David, and after a long moment she said, “I’m almost sure you’re joking.”</p><p></p><p>David smiled proudly.</p><p></p><p>“Wait, wait, wait,” Babb said. “What does my sword do, then?”</p><p></p><p>Tri’ni shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen many magic swords. Dentalles’s . . . Allar’s, I mean. It doesn’t have an aura. I always thought that was strange.”</p><p></p><p>“Great.” Babb growled and shook his sword in his sheath. “I might have an enchanted item, but we don’t know what it does.”</p><p></p><p>David said, “Tomorrow before we go to see Tierodunne, Lacy and I were planning to visit the library. If you let me take a look at it, I’ll see if I can find anything about it.”</p><p></p><p>“Library?” Babb said. “You have fun with that. Why are you going anyway?”</p><p></p><p>“Nothing in particular,” David said, too quickly. Tri’ni noticed he glanced at her with a bit of worry. “Checking on some of the history of that tomb we were in. Lacy has an idea who it belonged to, but we want to be sure.”</p><p></p><p>Babb laughed. “You mean mister ‘I’m going to sing everything I say’? Let’s just hope he never managed to dig himself out.”</p><p></p><p>David did not reply, and Tri’ni could only nod. She had barely thought about the strange creature they had met just before fighting the dragon, not since Seekan had-</p><p></p><p>She couldn’t finish the thought, and she forced a laugh out. “Tomorrow night I’m looking forward to meeting Tierodunne.”</p><p></p><p>“I wondered,” David said sarcastically. “With all the luck we’ve been having with the other mages, I’m surprised you’re in such good spirits.”</p><p></p><p>Tri’ni laughed outwardly. “I’m just . . . very hopeful.”</p><p></p><p>“Good,” David said, looking pleased with himself. “That’s excellent. That’s the best we could ask for.”</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">* * *</p><p></p><p>No one was around when Lacy woke up late in the afternoon. She was about to head out to a spell store to buy a copy of the charm to ward off pregnancy when a knock came at the door to the suite. With eagerness that surprised even herself, she rushed to the door.</p><p></p><p>“Who is it?”</p><p></p><p>“Um, my name is, ah, Darren,” came the nervous voice of a young man. “I’m delivering a package, and it’s very heavy.”</p><p></p><p>Lacy opened the door to the sight of a teenaged boy holding an armful of packages in various sizes, wrapped in brown paper. She accepted them and tipped the boy a silver coin. He thanked her as he left, and kept thanking her as he descended the stairs to the first floor. She smiled at him, then closed the door and turned to examine the packages.</p><p></p><p>There were four wrapped packages – one with each of their names on it, except for Allar’s – and a small box labeled ‘lacey boots.’ She wondered if whoever had sent them had just misspelled her name, and then she noticed again that Allar was not included. </p><p></p><p>“Hunter,” she laughed to herself, “nice try, but you’ve already lost this one.”</p><p></p><p>Caution from adventuring made her make sure to cast a quick spell to see if any danger lurked in the packages. Her first attempt failed, disrupted by her contact with Allar the day before. Her hand twitched from a brief inner burn, and she waved her hand as if she could cool it off. She knew the disruption was gone now – it only ever took a single spell to clear away the aura of an Elf – but she was tired of getting stung, and she really did not expect Hunter to try anything dangerous, so with a shrug she unwrapped the package with her name on it. Then she gasped.</p><p></p><p>Inside was a beautiful white cashmere dress, highlighted with gold trim and green silk. Not believing, she held up the dress and saw it was actually long enough to fit her. She blinked for a few moments, then smiled and clutched the dress, taking out her glee on the gift. Almost fearfully she opened the box and saw a pair of boots made from light grey leather. Not quite as beautiful as the dress, but still they brought a smile to her face.</p><p></p><p>She wondered aloud, “How in the world did he know what size to make it?”</p><p></p><p>She hesitated for a moment, concerned that it might be wrong for her to wear a dress given by a man she did not have feelings for. But she shook her head and laughed, knowing she would never forgive herself if she did not at least try it on. A moment later she was in her room, and she had nearly managed to get the dress on properly when she heard another knock at the door.</p><p></p><p>“Just a moment,” she shouted.</p><p></p><p>She headed to the door, hopping to pull on her boots. She was nearly to the door when she remembered she was not wearing her necklace holy symbol of Vanessi, but it wasn’t urgent, so she pulled on her second boot, straightened the dress – which fit very comfortably and in a way she hoped was flattering – then tossed her hair over one shoulder.</p><p></p><p>“Who is it?” she asked, opening the door.</p><p></p><p>The men’s hands were upon her before she knew she was being attacked. They grabbed her arms and pulled her down so one man could wrap a thick ribbon around her neck and draw it too tight for her to scream. Another man clubbed her across the temple and her vision went red. She staggered to the ground and tried to pull free the ribbon that was strangling her, but after a moment she realized she would not be able to fight off the men. She felt metal pressed to her throat, and she raised her hands to surrender.</p><p></p><p>Another blow struck her in the head, and she wished she would pass out, but they just kept beating her until her breath gave way and she slumped to the floor.</p><p></p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center"><em>To be continued . . .</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RangerWickett, post: 1992489, member: 63"] [size=3][b]Episode Five - The Bigger Man, Part I, Section VII[/b][/size][b][/b] Tri’ni sat at the window of their suite, looking out onto the softly glowing night of Seaquen. The canal was not far away, and for a long while she watched a ship rowing beneath bridge after bridge, finally vanishing from her sight. To her Elven eyes, the millions of people of Seaquen gleamed like tiny points of light, like the stars she had only seen since coming to the surface. Unliving objects glinted like crystal, reflecting the light of countless living things, thickly translucent. The city had an inner glow unlike even the largest cities she knew from home in the land below. A candle was lit in one of the bedrooms, reflecting dimly on the window. She saw Allar’s reflection approaching her, and her smile widened. The inn was almost silent, and she waited for him to speak. “Do you. . . ,” he said, then stopped. “Tri’ni, I was just wondering. Do you know where Lacy is?” Her smile nearly split her face, but she quickly hid it before turning to reply. “She left a few hours ago. She said she was going to pray. I think, though, that she was looking for a temple to take me to, so they can train me.” Allar nodded impatiently. “Did she say when she would be back?” “You want to talk to her this late at night?” Allar frowned. “Yes. You’re up late yourself.” She smirked. “I couldn’t sleep.” Allar sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I hope I didn’t. . . ” He trailed off, and now it was her turn to frown. “What?” she asked. “Well, I hope she doesn’t mind me saying this, but Lacy told me how you had . . . you were crying in your sleep.” Tri’ni felt a pang, but she shook it off. The lump in her throat was brief. “I didn’t know what you were planning, with the teachers here in the city. I was sad, yes, but I think now I’m too curious to go to sleep.” “Oh.” Allar paused. “I thought. . . . I just hoped I wasn’t interrupting.” She shrugged, then shifted how she was sitting on the window sill. “I like watching things. It’s all beautiful. Though I admit I was getting . . . unhappy? With the scenery on the ship. It wasn’t interesting anymore.” Allar crossed his arms. He looked uncomfortable, like he did not want to talk, but he would feel guilty if he left. Tri’ni sucked air through her teeth for a moment, then changed topics. “So have you told Lacy that you like her? Because she wants you to.” Allar scowled and turned away. “My life is none of your business. Get some sleep.” Tri’ni wondered what she had done. Allar snuffed his candle and went back to his room, and when Tri’ni turned back to the window, she looked out in hope that something would cheer her up. She sat at the window for long hours, but fell asleep before the sun rose. Lacy’s return just before dawn awoke her, and Tri’ni staggered to her unwanted bed, again uncertain of herself. [center]* * *[/center] In her room, Lacy ran her hands across herself, feeling fresh despite how sweaty and sleepy she was. The inn had a wonderful bath house, and she had not bathed in months. She intended to clean up, then get some sleep. The man’s name had been Shawn, and from the look on his face as she had said her goodbyes, Lacy felt proud of herself. This evening she had taken control, and she felt relieved, and a little tingly. After she woke up, she intended to make the most of the day. Wrapping a sheet around herself and carrying a few spare clothes under her arm, she slipped out into the main room of the suite and knocked on Babb’s door. When he didn’t answer, she walked in and shook him lightly. He groggily opened one eye, nodded, then rolled onto his side. “Babb, I’m going to sleep in a little late.” She yawned conveniently. “Do you remember that temple I went to while we stayed here?” Babb grunted affirmatively, shrugging his hairy shoulders to pull more blanket of himself. “Can you take Tri’ni for me? I’ll be sleeping.” Babb groaned sleepily. “Sure. Later.” She patted him on the arm and kissed his forehead, to which he grumbled and tried to roll onto his face. She smiled and left, then went downstairs to bathe. Her thoughts flitted from Hunter to Allar to the young man named Shawn. She wondered if she would ever see him again. When she noticed the sunrise, for the briefest moment she thought of how ironic it was that a priest of Vanessi, so nervous himself, had told her to be more confident. The thought made her feel a cold emptiness in her stomach for a moment. She forced away a frown, and tried to remember more cheerful sensations. [center]* * *[/center] David and Babb showed Tri’ni around the city, and she tried not to be angry at Allar, even though he had kept her from getting to sleep. Weary but hopeful, Tri’ni chatted with her friends as they swung through Seaquen, taking her to a dozen possible teachers. Taskmages selling simple services like magical mending did not interest her. The illusions used at a brothel in the candlelight district were amazing, but the love potions they sold to affect the emotions of another offended her. The medicine woman who lived in the tree in the middle of the park had been friendly, though, and a strange man looking like a bird had sounded excited about the scrolls in his shop, whatever language he had been speaking in. The manservant of the city’s first archmage said he was ‘fixing the steam tunnels again,’ as if it were important. The city’s second archmage refused to speak with them, but the magic wards on the walls outside his home had looked very intriguing. She would be seeing Tierodunne, the city’s third archmage, tomorrow afternoon. Dorisian spellsingers performing at the Bridge of Bards had been too busy to talk, but Tri’ni had never been confident in her skill at singing, so she did not count it as a loss. By random chance they had come upon a brown-skinned Kohalesti Elf worker using stoneshaping magic to fix a worn staircase, and though she desperately wanted to talk with another Elf, the man had sneered at her and shouted something in a language none of them understood. Tri’ni had made sure to memorize the hand gesture he had given her. None of the three of them had been eager to go to the Temple of Vanessi, and the priests there had turned her away anyway. Another temple had offered to burn the evil out of her, and a third had promised to teach her how to control the spirits of the dead. A fourth had offered free ale in exchange for a tale of skill at arms, but David had not let her try out the alcohol, so Babb had taken credit for killing the blood-drinker of Ycengled. The workshop they went to last made enchanted items on commission. Even the simplest items they offered were well beyond the group’s means, and David was much more interested in their techniques than Tri’ni was. When they finally left, it was late afternoon, the streets were almost as crowded as those of Rissan’la in the land below, and Babb was grumbling. “I need something enchanted,” he said, the closest she had heard him come to pouting. Confused, she looked down at his sword’s bright magical glow, then back to Babb. “What do you mean?” “David has his talismans he makes so he can use magic. Lacy made that necklace for you, and her talisman of Vanessi has something to do with her magic. And Allar . . . oh Allar has some ancient, ancestral sword of the Elvish kings that cuts off arms left and right.” Tri’ni said, “It only cut off the man’s right arm. Plus, your sword is enchanted. I thought you loved it.” Babb shook his head. “Hey, yeah. Thanks for trying, Trin.” “Can’t you tell?” she asked. “It’s . . . it’s obvious, isn’t it?” David opened his mouth, let it hang for a moment, then rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I forgot. Babb, she’s an Elf. Of course she can see it.” “Can’t you?” Tri’ni asked. “I know Goblins can’t, but they’re not too smart. I thought humans and Jispin and Geidon would be able to. Although I guess I should have realized something when you couldn’t see in the dark without the light spell.” “:):):):),” Babb said. “You just see magic? Damn, I do remember hearing that about Elves. But, really, you know Elves. They’re always trying to tell you how much more perfect they are than you.” Tri’ni smirked. “That’s just strange. Why didn’t you ever tell me?” David shrugged. “It’s not the sort of thing you think about, normally. It’s not like I need to tell you that Jispin can see into the future.” Tri’ni squinted at David, and after a long moment she said, “I’m almost sure you’re joking.” David smiled proudly. “Wait, wait, wait,” Babb said. “What does my sword do, then?” Tri’ni shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen many magic swords. Dentalles’s . . . Allar’s, I mean. It doesn’t have an aura. I always thought that was strange.” “Great.” Babb growled and shook his sword in his sheath. “I might have an enchanted item, but we don’t know what it does.” David said, “Tomorrow before we go to see Tierodunne, Lacy and I were planning to visit the library. If you let me take a look at it, I’ll see if I can find anything about it.” “Library?” Babb said. “You have fun with that. Why are you going anyway?” “Nothing in particular,” David said, too quickly. Tri’ni noticed he glanced at her with a bit of worry. “Checking on some of the history of that tomb we were in. Lacy has an idea who it belonged to, but we want to be sure.” Babb laughed. “You mean mister ‘I’m going to sing everything I say’? Let’s just hope he never managed to dig himself out.” David did not reply, and Tri’ni could only nod. She had barely thought about the strange creature they had met just before fighting the dragon, not since Seekan had- She couldn’t finish the thought, and she forced a laugh out. “Tomorrow night I’m looking forward to meeting Tierodunne.” “I wondered,” David said sarcastically. “With all the luck we’ve been having with the other mages, I’m surprised you’re in such good spirits.” Tri’ni laughed outwardly. “I’m just . . . very hopeful.” “Good,” David said, looking pleased with himself. “That’s excellent. That’s the best we could ask for.” [center]* * *[/center] No one was around when Lacy woke up late in the afternoon. She was about to head out to a spell store to buy a copy of the charm to ward off pregnancy when a knock came at the door to the suite. With eagerness that surprised even herself, she rushed to the door. “Who is it?” “Um, my name is, ah, Darren,” came the nervous voice of a young man. “I’m delivering a package, and it’s very heavy.” Lacy opened the door to the sight of a teenaged boy holding an armful of packages in various sizes, wrapped in brown paper. She accepted them and tipped the boy a silver coin. He thanked her as he left, and kept thanking her as he descended the stairs to the first floor. She smiled at him, then closed the door and turned to examine the packages. There were four wrapped packages – one with each of their names on it, except for Allar’s – and a small box labeled ‘lacey boots.’ She wondered if whoever had sent them had just misspelled her name, and then she noticed again that Allar was not included. “Hunter,” she laughed to herself, “nice try, but you’ve already lost this one.” Caution from adventuring made her make sure to cast a quick spell to see if any danger lurked in the packages. Her first attempt failed, disrupted by her contact with Allar the day before. Her hand twitched from a brief inner burn, and she waved her hand as if she could cool it off. She knew the disruption was gone now – it only ever took a single spell to clear away the aura of an Elf – but she was tired of getting stung, and she really did not expect Hunter to try anything dangerous, so with a shrug she unwrapped the package with her name on it. Then she gasped. Inside was a beautiful white cashmere dress, highlighted with gold trim and green silk. Not believing, she held up the dress and saw it was actually long enough to fit her. She blinked for a few moments, then smiled and clutched the dress, taking out her glee on the gift. Almost fearfully she opened the box and saw a pair of boots made from light grey leather. Not quite as beautiful as the dress, but still they brought a smile to her face. She wondered aloud, “How in the world did he know what size to make it?” She hesitated for a moment, concerned that it might be wrong for her to wear a dress given by a man she did not have feelings for. But she shook her head and laughed, knowing she would never forgive herself if she did not at least try it on. A moment later she was in her room, and she had nearly managed to get the dress on properly when she heard another knock at the door. “Just a moment,” she shouted. She headed to the door, hopping to pull on her boots. She was nearly to the door when she remembered she was not wearing her necklace holy symbol of Vanessi, but it wasn’t urgent, so she pulled on her second boot, straightened the dress – which fit very comfortably and in a way she hoped was flattering – then tossed her hair over one shoulder. “Who is it?” she asked, opening the door. The men’s hands were upon her before she knew she was being attacked. They grabbed her arms and pulled her down so one man could wrap a thick ribbon around her neck and draw it too tight for her to scream. Another man clubbed her across the temple and her vision went red. She staggered to the ground and tried to pull free the ribbon that was strangling her, but after a moment she realized she would not be able to fight off the men. She felt metal pressed to her throat, and she raised her hands to surrender. Another blow struck her in the head, and she wished she would pass out, but they just kept beating her until her breath gave way and she slumped to the floor. [center][i]To be continued . . .[/i][/center][i][/i] [/QUOTE]
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The Mother of Dreams - Episode 5 (updated February 1st, 2005)
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