Into the Shadows.

[cmosier]

He had just gotten back, and again he chooses leave. The Shadow Elves' attacks were becoming too numerous. They knew him, they have singled him out several times, and yet Sehron was still unsure exactly what to do. Plans were never his strong suit.

I will stay in where they have been spotted a few nights and see what happens. They gave me this armor and this mask so they can find me. For once in my life I am seeking to be located.

He makes his way past the guards in the Border Camp and heads into the Viridale Forest.

This is where I have seen them several times before, I will try here first. I few nights in the woods again. If they will talk to me, I might be able to get an idea. I stand far more of a chance than anybody else. I will find them first and go from there.

He walked slowly, out of sight and scent of the large creatures of te Deep Forest. He found a small area concealed by earth and forest debris where he could rest for the few hours he had to.

Sehanine grant me wisdom this night. I need it now more than ever.

[Urithrand]

From his spot in the Viridale, Leck sat and watched Sehron walk boldly past with concern. His gait was one of a man troubled, his eyes unfocused and his mind elsewhere in a most uncharacteristic display of carelessness. Scowling, Leck resisted the urge to call out to his friend, and instead closed his eyes with a few silent words. "Go with him, Resia. Keep an eye on him. If he gets in trouble, you know what to do."

His spirit guide silently obeyed, and left him with an unnatural silence he'd only experienced a handful of times in his life. "Be safe, Sehron." He whispered.

[cmosier]

Sehron opens his eyes to a disturbing sight. Snow. It had snowed while he was in his Reverie. The forest floor was now patched with a white blanket in the places where the trees allowed it to fall through. There was something else as well. He heard something approaching.

Making as few movements as possible, the elf slowly moves his head up to see over the earthen barrier. A dire bear was off in the distance, rooting for its morning meal.

This is not good.

The snow, a child's delight, but a bane to those who keep to the shadows. The tops had frozen, making it nearly impossible to walk on it without hearing the unmistakable "Crunch" sound. His usual mode of travel would be severely hampered.

Sehron packed up a few things and readied his weapons. He started out, attempting to make as little noise as possible. It happened, he knew it was going to. His foot landed in a partially covered snow bank. The loud "crunch" seemed to echo through woods. He looked behind him in time to see the bear looking at him.

"Lairean!" Sehron shook his head, knowing that this wasn't going to be easy.

The dire bear started his charge, as it neared Sehron he looked in amazement.

I had forgotten how Gods damn big those things are.

The elf went to ready himself, but forgot his icy footing. He slipped just in time, giving the large bear a clear shot, which it took. The force of the blow knocked the wind out him, and he was sure it had broken a rib. Sehron did not weigh a great deal, and flew several feet from the bear, hitting the forest floor with a dull thud.

Sehron pulls himself up to his knees, blood hitting the snow a few droplets at a time. "I had forgotten how hard those damn things hit as well."

The bear charges up to its beaten prey and stands on its hind legs to finish the elf off. Sehron smirks as he sees an opprotunity. He quickly plunges his rapier into the exposed under belly of the beast. The bear roars in pain and falls to all fours again.

Sehron had better footing now and was able to maneuver around the bear easier. The bear strikes out again with its massive claw. Sehron quickly darted to the side, avoiding the brunt of the attack, but taking a hit to his arm. This exposed the bear's neck, and Sehron made two quick motions at his target. He could tell by the spray of blood that his blades had found their marks. The beast grunts a few more times before collasping to the forest floor.

Sehron eases down and leans against the fallen beast. He wipes his rapier off on the fur and sheathes it.

At least I have something to eat for a day or two. I had best find those elves soon or I will not have to worry about my fate at the upcoming battle.

He takes his dagger and cuts a few pieces of meat, wrapping them in cloth to cook a bit later. He cleans his dagger, sheathes it, and continues his mission deeper into the Forest.

[cmosier]

Sehron slumped against the tree, coughing up some blood. The snow fall had started again and his tracks were all but covered already.

That damned bear knocked something loose. Hurts like the Nine.

Sehron stumbled through the woods awhile longer, until exhaustion finally caught up with him. He found the closest thing that could pass for a shelter, a fallen tree with forest debtis covering the branches. He set his worn body down, bundling up to stay warm.

This is it huh. I have battled so many different foes, and I am to be finished by a Gods damned dire bear and some frozen water. Who said the Powers lack a sense of humor?

Hano's words began to echo through his head, "How will we know if something happens to you?"

You will not know I suppose. I hope Yashia will be alright. That would be my one regret. Another night in her arms... just one would be just fine, then I could die a happy elf. Jenny will be fine. I am probably not the best teacher, though I would not play agaisnt her at any card games, especially if coin was involved. Things will work out, Fate has a way of doing that.

Sehron sighs. "I am sorry I failed."

The elf leans his head against the side of his shelter and closes his eyes.

[Kaeldorn]

Yashia had been fast asleep in the leftmost staple bed in the Tormite sleeping quarters, the same she had been given the last time she stayed here. But now, the fallen paladin - perhaps soon to receive another chance if Hano were able to arrange anything in her favor - lay awake with a feeling of unease plaguing her. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up against the wall on the bed's head end to see what had stirred to cause the interruption of her slumber. The bed next to her was empty. It still puzzled her why Kathryn preferred her room at the Enclave, something she would probably never quite understand. The one on the far side of the room was empty as well, most likely implying that Hano was once again staying up late with coffee and paperwork.

All was quiet at this late hour. There was no sparring in the room beyond the door, no visitors to ask for the temples' aid or to attempt meddling in their affairs, no little girls to speak their first learnt elven words, with dreams of a future paladinhood even though they did not quite grasp the hardships that came with it. The temple was at peace, and there wasn't anything that could have awoken her inside of it. Then she noticed that she was sweating, trembling slightly. Had she had a nightmare? Those had been uncommon to her since her initiation in the Order of the Aster, which had brought her a calm not to be stricken with fear for herself. Her fears were reserved for others. Still, her awakening had not been one of sudden shock coupled with heavy breathing and deeper fears. Although the sense of insecurity was there, it could not have been a bad dream.

Then Yashia felt it. The agony, an almost otherworldly pain in her heart. She pressed her right hand against it, feeling a small surge of pain at each of its inconstant beats. The hand was engulfed with a light glow, soon to spread to the rest of her body for a short moment in time, but it wouldn't make the tormenting feeling go away. The ranger's keen eye fell upon a stain on the sheets, almost black in color when seen in the blueish light that shone from the ring she had been given by her love. A stroke with her finger over it revealed that it was still wet, and the taste at the tip of her tongue was familiar. She had been bleeding. But where? The only pain she felt was inside of her.

Yashia slightly withdrew her hand from her lips, and then the answer was right in front of her. Her hand, the finger that held the engagement ring... it had the same black color as the sheets, as did her gown on the spot where she had just pressed it against her chest.

"Sehron!", she yelled. Yashia jumped out of bed, rushed through the door and ran through the temple's halls on her bare feet, in search of the one man who could help them, if there was any at all...

[Urithrand]

Leckith looked sadly into Yashia's eyes and shook his head. "This is where he was in Resia's vision." he apologised. "I don't know where to look for him."

Minutes before, or maybe it was hours, he couldn't tell, Yashia had walked into the trading camp, the hand where she wore her engagement ring bleeding. No amount of healing had cured it, and it had made Leck think of Sehron. Resia was with him, she had followed him into the forest and not returned. When Yashia related her concern for the elf, his mind raced.

"Resia!" His mind had screamed, "Where are you! Come to me my darling, please!" Her essence had rushed back into him with a deep fear. She had seen something, and it had panicked her greatly. Her vision melded with his, memories of Sehron, lying on the ground, bleeding and scared came to his mind, and he gasped a deep breath.

"Miss Yashia," He gushed, "It's Sehron! He's in danger!" A moment's panic ensued, but before ten minutes were up, he stood with Yashia, Llew Hy, Cirion and Lida at the border of the Viridale, tension in the air. His mind strained to make sense of the images Resia had given him, identifying the place where he lay, trying vainly to find his spirit with his mind. "This way." He spoke, walking towards the untrodden grounds.

The group had searched for a time in the untrodden grounds, battling with the wild and frightened beasts that confusedly attacked them until now, here, the spot where Sehron had been lying in his vision. He wasn't there. A massive boulder was pulled across a cave mouth, and though he did not like to say it to Yashia, he could feel Sehron's ebbing life force. He was near, but somehow, unreachable.

Yashia looked back at Leck, the fear for her love apparent on her face. "I must be strong for her" He thought to himself. "We will find him." He assured her, "Where mind has failed we will have to fall back on eyes and ears." He could feel him, sense him, he just couldn't see him. He silently feared for his friend, but words of reassurance and courage he spoke, searching high and low through the forest. Nothing, not a trace. Not even a footprint on the ground.

Eventually, the search had to stop. He just wasn't anywhere they could reach him. "Miss Yashia." He spoke softly. "We WILL find him, but not now, not like this. We will have to formulate a plan, return in greater numbers, search this place high and low. I WILL not allow him to die." His words spoke of confidence, hope, but his mind raced. Yashia's face grew strong, however, the fear still there, but strengthened by Leck's words.

"We need to move this rock." Llew Hy was saying as Cirion paced back and forth, eyes and ears focused on his surroundings. lida flitted from spot to spot, almost excited. Another adventure for her.

"We will come back when we have a plan." He assured her. "Plan. What kind of plan? By the time we find him he won't want a plan, he'll want a priest." He pushed the thought to the back of his mind. Concentrate on the moment at hand. take it a step at a time.

[cmosier]

Sehron awoke, surrounded by what could only be described as nothingness. As his vision cleared he saw something, a woman... no an elf. She was sitting by a pool, her long flowing white hair touched her waist. She looked at Sehron with piercing blue eyes and motioned him over. Sehron slowly moved toward her and looked into the pool. He saw the moon in it's full brilliance looking back at him. The woman elf reached down and touched the pool. It began to swirl and mist as an image appeared.

It is Yashia. She appears to be crying. I had just promised myself to her.

Sehron looks up. "She is strong. She will pull through this, I know she will. She has spirit like no other in Faerun."

Should she have to? Should she be forced to endure such a loss twice in her life?

The pool swirls again. This time he sees a young girl reading a book. He can hear her word as she reads.

Elivish.. Not very good elvish. Jenny? She is so bright and eager to learn. I hope that what I taught her can ease her loss, if only a fraction.

He looks to the pool as it changes again. A man, clad in armor sits at a table. The burden he is under has taken its toll.

Hano? We have never really been that close. You damn fool. I chose this, I understood the dangers. It was not your doing.

The pool swirls slowly. He sees several elven faces appear before him.

I know these elves. They are all in Sundren. I have met so many of my kindred here and have tryied my best to aid them all.

The woman elf finally looks at hem. "You have a choice of several Fates Sehron. As with all beings, your Fate is directly connected to the Fates of those around you. I do not need you yet, it is not your time."

Sheron suddenly felt a slight pain stir in his stomach.

"The pain will remind you that you are alive."

A sleepy feeling slowly crept over him as he began to fade into the nothingness. "Wake up" is the last thing he hears as his eyes open to reveal his frozen shelter.

[Kaeldorn]

This was not the first time Sehron had seemed lost to her, and Yashia remembered that the last time, he had managed to pull through with the strength that he had not yet been forgotten. That she, and others, were looking out for him. Trying their hardest to bring him back. Leckith's words had given her comfort, but Sehron deserved the same.

"Thanks, Leck." she said. "While we think on a means to find him, to get to him, I will try to reach out for him with a spell of Sending. I want to give him some hope, and possibly learn from him something about what has happened. Or where he is now... I will need to find a scroll with the words to be able to cast it though."

Cirion stepped forward, taking a rolled up piece of parchment from his pack. "I have one right here, Yashia. Please, take it. There is no better way to put it to use than this. To bring the two of you back together..."

Yashia gladly accepted this gift from the man she had befriended not too long ago, thankful to have him with her on this day. She was not quite familiar with the spell however, so she didn't dare to attempt its use out here in the wild, where she could easily be interrupted to cause a fizzle of her attempt, the ruination the scroll and with it this chance. The group decided it was best to retreat to the safety of the Trading Post for now.


Several hours later, when she had had some time to think on possible ways to continue the search and on the words she would Send to Sehron, Yashia stumbled into the Post again to see if she could now finally find the man she had been looking for to help in the first place. To her relief, Hano was there. Standing next to Tamryn and conversing with some relative newcomers about something she didn't pay much attention to. Tamryn, the first to see the bloody rags wounded around the ranger woman's right hand, stepped forward to offer her healing blessings of Torm straight away. But none of her efforts would stop the bleeding, Yashia knew, and she revealed her hand for Hano to see. It would be enough to explain what was going on. Katie, who had been paying close attention from a distance, walked over to join the small gathering of people around the campfire. She convinced those involved to gather at the temple, to speak further on the matter without the unavoidable eavesdropping that was to take place here.

"Yashia," Hano spoke when they arrived at the Ilmaterian quarters of the Triumvirate establishment in the city of Sundren, "... can you take off the ring? So that Kathryn and Tamryn can see what they can do to establish contact with him?"

Hearing these words, she immediately withdrew her hand, folding her other arm over it in protection of her shared burden with Sehron. "No, I won't let go of it. As long as I can feel his pain, I will at least know that he is still alive."

The Tormite paladin's expression of concern was now mixed with agitation. "You do realize that the reason to let you keep the ring with you was to give you some comfort, right? For us to be able to help you find him through a Sending, Kathryn will need to hold it."

"But I have a little bit of understanding of the arcane myself... can't I reach him with a scroll?" Yashia was hesitating, but still objected to letting go of the token.

Before Hano could speak up again, Kathryn interfered. "While you can read it, someone with a better understanding of the arts has a much better chance of casting the spell effectively. The further he is away, or the more barriers are inbetween, the harder he will be to reach."

Hano sighed, and gave a nod. "True. Do you remember when Sehron and I were imprisoned? Qybox alone couldn't successfully get a message through, but with the help of Rismal he managed to overcome most of the wards of that dreadful place."

Yashia knew that they were right, but Katie could see that she was still unwilling to remove the bond from her finger. She had an idea, however. A way to possibly give Yashia just the understanding she needed to manage a strong enough incantation of the spell with what little powers she possessed. She would let Yashia read some of her mind, her knowledge and memories. It would be painful and straining for the both of them, but that little sacrifice was worth it. Besides, if anything went wrong, they had an army of priests behind them to keep them among the living.

After giving a brief explanation of what she wished to do, and the risks that came with it, Yashia agreed to give it a try. Both the fallen paladin and the sorceress were fully focused, maintaining eye-contact and oblivious of anything or anyone around them. Yashia could hear Katie's thoughts. The link was made, although she had difficulty sending her own thoughts across completely. But Katie maintained it, the words on her mind warm and comforting, assuring her that she would not let go until the symbols that were to be read in the eyes of the red haired dragon descendant were crystal clear to blonde in front of her.

Slowly but surely, Yashia became more capable in this more than mundane art. When finally she felt confident enough that she could do it, she sent forth the riddle they both had learned from Pom. "There are two windows in a wall. Equally wide and equally tall, equally thick yet one's twice as small. How is this possible?"

If Katie could answer, then she knew that it had worked. And she did. Yashia almost could almost feel her smile as she replied: "One of the two is diamond shaped, the other is a square."

After a brief pause, Katie 'spoke' to her again. "This is it then... are you prepared to do this?"

"I am ready." Yashia replied, speaking up the normal way which everyone in Ilmater's hall could hear. "Do it..." she added for Kathryn's mind alone.

And then it happened. She saw. Everything. Besides the words and symbols needed to understand better how to channel her thoughts to another, Yashia also got to see a great many other things. Things that weren't meant for her to see. She was invading on Katie's privacy, but she knew not the means to stop all this from taking place in her own mind. There was a surge of mental and physical agony for both, but they let it come over them.

When it was over, done, Yashia and Kathryn collapsed in exhaustion and pain. Hano and Tamryn treated their injuries to the best of their abilities, which proved quite sufficient. She felt weak and her body hurt everywhere, but it had worked. All in the room were glad and shared some time talking together to put each-other at ease. But eventually, Yashia's almost depleted stamina ran out completely. She passed out on the simple but comfortable sick bed, where she was left by the others to get some well deserved rest.