[Sili] Prodigal Daughter in Violet [Complete]

Accompaniment: Shadowplay

The swim to her home's entrance was longer than she remembered. Sililuuth became increasingly glad that she hadn't asked anyone to come along with her. She couldn't imagine a trek underwater - into such depths - would have been very easy for anyone not used to extended periods submerged. The journey to the caverns' only true entrance involved a deep dive, despite the numerous layers that lie within.

As she emerged in the underwater cave, , she was puzzled by the presence of... guards? She blinked a few times, urging water droplets off of her eyelashes in the process, her violet hair hanging heavily around her shoulders.

"Come no closer! Identify yourself." Both guards seemed more than prepared to attack. Why were they so hyper-alert?

The look on Sili's face became incredulous. Had her scales dulled, or perhaps the light was so dim that they couldn't see the glimmer of violet along her figure? As she spoke, she continued to tread water with a heavy sigh. "Sililuuth Kethend di Naam, daughter of Vorel and Bekiw, Maekrix of the Naam clan."

"Sililuuth?" There it was: the recognition she was afraid she wouldn't find. But there was something else, and she couldn't put her finger on it. "Please, come in. Welcome home..."

She knew that haunting trail of tone: that 'we're sorry' that lingered in someone's voice, but remained unspoken. Still, Sili said nothing of it and simply continued through the network of caves. She couldn't help but notice that the crystals and gems jutting from the cave walls gleamed a lot more dimly than they had in the past.

The trek through the caves was a slow and long one as she re-learned each twist and turn. Stranger still, the silence throughout was more deafening than usual. What was going on? Where was everyone?

When she finally stepped into her family's cavern at the back and top of the caves, she blinked as she saw only one of the two Amethysts that had raised her. Her father Bekiw sat with his back to the cavern's entrance, scrawling something into the ground before him. Like Sili, he seemed to prefer his hybrid form, perhaps to move more easily throughout the network of tunnels.

"Father?"

Bekiw stopped and perked up, appearing more like an alarmed deer in an open meadow than the calm and composed male who'd raised her at her mother's side. "You cannot be her. She left us some time ago..." As he rose to his feet and stood at his full height - at least in that form - he regained some of the regal poise that had, for a time, rubbed off on Sili and caused her to stand tall and proud. But his gaze softened as he began to recognize her. Stepping forward, his hands lifted, and he laid them to either side of her face with a beaming smile. "... But you have come back. You have returned." His eyes grew wet with recognition and sentimentality: one of the few emotions her clan possessed. They were logical and thoughtful, yes - but in their core, they loved their families, even if it was rarely outwardly said.

As Sili allowed herself to be drawn into the protection of her father's arms, part of her wanted to cry - and she couldn't understand entirely why. And then something in her mind clicked as her father spoke up again.

"If only your mother was here to see this..."

He didn't have to say it; she felt it. She didn't even have to try to sense what was on Bekiw's mind. Pulling back, she frowned up at him. "What happened?"

The Patriarch drew in a slow breath and stepped back from his daughter, looking upon her with a sad gaze. "None of us realized just how important to her you were. Your mother... she was not very good at expressing herself emotionally, but I know I do not need to tell you this." Indeed, he didn't: all those years of conditioning and harsh discipline for the slightest mistake were still fresh in Sili's mind, and it caused her to grimace. "You were her pride and her joy, Sililuuth. When you disappeared... we thought the worst. Your mother, as incapable of emotional expression as she was..." His voice trailed off, the grief in his eyes displaying a fresh wound in his heart. "She did not know how to cope with it. Eventually, she gave in: allowed her sickness to take over, her health to deteriorate. She wasted away in this cavern, and I was left to lead our clan on my own."

She felt herself on the verge of tears, but she refused to allow it to happen. Not in front of her father. Still, Bekiw knew better than to believe his daughter was fine. As much as he hated to continue, he forced himself to do so. "Strong leader though she was, I am afraid I could not maintain her standard of safety within our own caves. We have had to train some of our own to fight and guard the tunnels. Our watch over our tunnels has been heightened for mere months, but it feels as though it has been an eternity."

Sili winced as she looked up at her father as e spoke. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke up, her voice hoarse. "Who threatens these caves?"

"The Obsidian clan - Marfedelom - has been expanding into other underground networks on the surrounding Isles, often with success. The Sapphire clan Vargach has already fallen; the Emeralds, Ymmute, are besieged, and we... are not too far behind. Crystal, Topaz, Ruby - all clans are in danger from this new threat."

"Svant..." She remembered the Sapphire well: he had, at one point, tried to win her favor. He'd nearly succeeded before she'd been whisked away by her mother, who at the time was highly displeased at the idea of her only daughter fraternizing with a male while on a diplomatic mission. "What of the Vargach clan now?"

As if on cue, a glimmer of blue caught the light at the mouth of the cavern.

Accompaniment: Trust Me


The brilliant blue of Svant's scales hadn't dimmed a bit. Still as handsome as ever, the Sapphire turned the corner, his deepened voice filling the cavern. "My ears must have been burning..." Sili's reaction wasn't lost on him: he grinned and opened both arms expectantly, and the Amethyst rushed into them, overjoyed to see him alive and well.

"I just heard news of your clan!"


His features darkened into what appeared to be a frown, even as he held tightly to his old friend. "Yes... I'm sorry to say they've all fallen. I'm the only one left." He showed surprise at the expressiveness of the female he'd grown fond of over the centuries. She appeared to be on the verge of tears, and he nodded toward her father, seeming to decide it was best not to bring attention to her emotional state. "The Naam clan took me in some time ago, a refugee and final remnant. The Vargach clan of the Southern Isles will die with me."

As they spoke, Bekiw turned away and cleared his throat - but the gesture seemed to be taken differently from what he had expected. It caused Svant to look down toward the clan leader's daughter with a fond smile. "But, it seems we've catching up to do. How about we leave your father in peace? He must have plenty he needs to figure out..."

Just like that, she agreed and followed him through the network of caves without a sound.


They spoke for quite some time. Sili learned everything that befell the Sapphire clan at the hands of the Obsidian. She told him stories of her experiences on Amoras and within the Nexus, the Underdark, the Shadow Realm. Every tale from one kept the other enthralled. They progressed naturally from standing to leaning into one wall of the empty, obscure cavern they'd wandered into. There was a small pause before Svant exhibited a sudden shift into sincerity, fondness showing in his gaze as he turned and looked down toward her.

"Out of everything I've seen and heard here, the most surprising moment was your return. We all thought you were gone for good."

Her head shook. She looked toward him with a thoughtful frown as she replied. "It was the mist that took me away. I thought many times of returning... but was unable for quite some time. After being trapped on Amoras, moment after moment caused me to feel that it wasn't a good time to come back here... until now." She lifted a brow at him; watched him as he nodded.


One of Svant's hands reached for her own with an impish grin. Reluctantly, she accepted, and he shrugged at her explanation. "You're here now - that's the important thing. I remember... you were all business when you were last here. There was nothing personal about you." He couldn't hide the mirth in his stare as he continued. "I guess I'd like to meet whoever changed that... especially since I couldn't."

For a time, Amethyst and Sapphire stared at each other in a pondering silence. A masculine, blue-scaled hand curled around the feminine violet, brushing the pad of his thumb along her toughened flesh. It was the closest he'd ever been to her, and the look on his face spoke volumes of how pleased he was that he was able to make such close contact.


"I missed you, you know. I'd always wanted to learn more from you. All of these experiences... they've changed you. I like it." His confession seemed to stun her into a speechless sort of silence as a wide-eyed stare rested on his chiseled features. It encouraged him to turn; to stand and face her; to lean in closer. His hand braced itself on the wall beside her head, the look on his face softened. The increased glisten in her eyes caught his attention; was she on the verge of tears?


"Sili..." Still, she remained silent her plum eyes wide and her lips formed into a subconscious pout. He leaned in closer, his forehead pressing to hers, his eyelids drooping.


As he leaned in, his lips pressed tenderly to hers. That glimmering blue started to give way, and no one else was around to see the blackened scales and twisted horns that replaced Svant's handsome appearance; not even Sili. As he found her distracted and deliciously vulnerable, he reached his free hand toward his belt, drew his blade...


... And drove it into the midsection of the unsuspecting Amethyst, careful to twist the blade. It stole her breath, and a sinister laugh muffled itself against her lips before the Obsidian pulled away, disappearing into the caverns without another word, even as Sililuuth slowly collapsed into a heap on the ground in his wake.

Accompaniment: Dead Inside

The final remaining Sapphire of the clan may have been clever, but Svant was still not exactly known for his forethought, even with his abilities.

A prisoner of the Obsidians, he sat miserably on the floor of his cell, languishing in the defeat of his family. Parts of him wish he'd died fighting alongside them, rather than imprisoned in his own personal Hell.

His captors, of course, were more than happy to pay attention to him, leaving his body battered and torn. Moving a single arm or leg caused excruciating pain, blades and other devices having torn the muscles themselves, if how he felt was any indicator. No single battle in his life had ever produced such torturous wounds.

Defeat had torn the pride from Svant. At first, their torture drew no words from him - but as reality began to sink in, he divulged more and more. What was the point? All was lost. All he did by then was try to keep the pain at bay for just a little while longer.

He spoke of his clan's secrets: their clairvoyance, clairaudience. He spoke of those moments he 'felt' things coming before they happened. The Obsidians learned in mere minutes how the Vargach clan was so capable of defending their home for centuries - and they made certain to ruthlessly taunt Svant's inability to sense the very fall of his family.

Each strike at his being worked as a truth serum. So downtrodden was he, so defeated, that he began to divulge his deepest secrets to the twisted Marfedelom female who interrogated him day in and day out. It wasn't until he foolishly spoke of how he pined for the daughter of Bekiw of the Naam Clan that they regained their interest in what he had to say.

"Tell me what you know of Sililuuth," the captor had commanded as plain as day, as if she hadn't been driving a serrated blade into his thigh as she did so. This particular female was a cruel one, and every bit sadistic.

"I suppose it makes no difference that I tell you, since she's been gone for so long," Svant lamented with a hiss, his teeth gritted, his face contorting with pain. The object dug into his tough flesh with more force; he wasn't speaking quickly enough for her liking.

"She has a beauty the likes of which I've not seen since she left. In her wake she left a void that I hadn't expected. I didn't know I'd feel such an attachment to one I knew so little about-" He roared in agony and writhed in his bindings as his torturer dashed sea salt into his fresh wound.

"USELESS!" she hissed, but before she could further tear the captive apart, a male spoke over her shoulder, calm as ever.

"Hold, myvish. Ease your assault and let him continue." His horns were a twisted display, his form slightly larger than the rest of his clan: their leader, no doubt. He stared between the bars at Svant and his fellow Obsidian, the golden glow of his eyes an eerie sight in the dark. Somehow, he knew the Sapphire required no further 'inspiration.'

"... I knew so little about her, but I felt I knew her. I tried so many times to try to get her to trust me and open herself to me, but her mother's hold on her was so strong. She was so... trained. Her mother snapped her fingers and she obeyed. I wished more than anything to hear what thoughts journeyed through her mind all day."

Svant's head hung low as he continued to speak, his tone conveying his defeat in ways he never thought possible.

"She was all business. There was nothing personal about her, and yet she drew me in so effortlessly. There was no mistaking, though: she was the light of her mother and father's life, and they hers. I heard word of her mother's passing within months of her disappearance; I cannot help but wonder how much longer her father will last."

He looked at no one as he told them all he knew and remembered of Sililuuth, the Amethyst who never realized just how much she had drawn his attention and affection. He spoke of how close he came to finally winning her over, how he had been mere inches away at times - so close, yet so far. He poured his heart out as though he felt he was speaking to an old friend, rather than cruel and malicious captors. By the time he had stopped, the twisted Obsidian had even more than he needed. But then, Svant uttered one more phrase that caught his attention:

"A feeling struck me. I thought that maybe she was returning to us... but then I realized that this was impossible. It had to have been a fool's hope."

The Obsidian paused and narrowed his eyes. With a sinister grin, one thing became apparent: he believed Svant's 'feeling,' and he intended to act on it. If his feeling was true, he needed to be present to quietly unleash chaos within the Naam clan. As he turned to slip away, his silhouette already began to change, even as the female called out after him.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to keep up appearances, don't I? Besides, it sounds like I'll need to be ready to welcome someone home..." A glimmer of brilliant blue scales caught the light for a mere moment, rather than twisted and tarnished Obsidian; that was all Svant needed.

"Leave them be! You've desolated the Vargach; is that not enough?!" Adrenaline, rage, urgency - it all collected together. His pain was forgotten to a dangerous degree as he suddenly regained his fervor. His battered and torn muscles did their best to flex in their restraints; he was breaking free, even as his flesh screamed in agony.

As he burst from his restraints and prepared to tear his torturer to shreds, a mere two syllables escaped his fanged mouth. He was reminded of why he needed to continue to fight; to try; to live. The sound echoed off the caves, sailed through the halls, and filled the darkness with a blast of unexpected sound.

"THIRHE!"

Accompaniment: Hallo Elskan Min

A rejuvenated Sapphire rampaged through the caves as though he'd never been imprisoned. His sharpened fangs tore at blackened scales, his clawed hands savagely split the very horns from his foes' heads with gut-wrenching cracks, rips, and tears. He carried these with him as grotesque trophies of his vengeance.

His wings took shape and flight with as much might as he could muster, his hands filled to capacity with Obsidian horns. His target was clear: the Amethyst caves.

To his surprise, he was met in the air by a pair of Naam guards who collided into him with force. Their hands grasped at his arms with no regard for the fresh and grotesque wounds on his body. The Sapphire was too stunned to react - and even if he hadn't been, they were taking him exactly where he was trying to go, despite the confusion.

"TRAITOR!"

They dragged Svant down toward their watery tunnels leading into the Naam clan's caverns below. As they did, one began to hiss to the other.

"Perhaps he'll drown before we even make it to the entrance!"

"No! Bekiw wants this one alive..."

Finally, Svant began to struggle against them as they bantered back and forth, the pain in his body still failing to register thanks to an overwhelming thirst for vengeance. One truth had finally registered: the leader of the Obsidian clan had taken his form, and he'd done something terrible with it.

"Let me go! He's in the caves! He's going to kill everyone!"

It was to no avail; neither Amethyst was listening to him, and he barely had enough time to draw in a deep breath before all three plunged into the waters below.

The salt water ate and tore at his open wounds. Still, he struggled to break free. Svant would have run out of air entirely, were it not for the determined speed of the pair dragging him through the immersed tunnels.

As they broke the surface, the deep, sharp gasp he breathed in caused him to briefly become dizzy. The Obsidian horns were dropped at the water's edge; his toes left marks in the dirt as they dragged him the rest of the way through the network of tunnels he'd worked so hard to get to. He was there; that was what mattered.

Gradually, they reached the cavern where Bekiw and his daughter remained. Her limp body lie unmoving on a smooth slab of stone, and it was then that Svant suddenly found his fervor once more. The physical strength of Naam's guards paled in comparison to a calm and collected Vargach warrior; they stood no chance against an enraged Vargach.

"Sili!" His elbows jolted back and into the guards' midsections as if neither Amethyst had ever had a hold on him, knocking the air from them as he rushed forward to inspect his old friend.

What Svant hadn't taken into account, however, was a protective father's own adrenaline and rage. He wasn't even able to lay a hand on the female before a heavy staff came down forcefully across his spine, causing him to roar in agony and collapse to the ground.

"You will harm her no longer!"

"You don't understand! The Marfedelom are shapeshifters! They set me up-"

"Silence!"

"IT WASN'T ME!"

The unmeasurable desperation caused Bekiw to visibly start. He knew the boy's clan well: if they'd done something, they would have taken credit for it... wouldn't they have? He looked uneasily, then, toward the open wounds that he'd failed to immediately notice in his distressed state. A thoughtful frown crossed his face as he considered Svant's words, as well as his outward appearance.

"He did not have such grievous wounds last I saw him," he noted aloud, speaking over his shoulder to the guards as an Elder entered the cavern to tend to Sililuuth's wound. "Some of these are a few days old, and I hadn't seen him last all that long ago..." Father looked down toward daughter. His expression was unmoved; his heart was not. He felt it crack and threaten to break, should anything more happen to the final light of his life.


As he stepped past Svant, his tone softened considerably. "Chain him up nearby. Bring forth a healer to tend to his wounds." He came close to one of the guards, who had since recovered their breath. "Observe him, but remain out of sight. Please note - this Sapphire is battered and torn. If you see another that is unmarked, alert me immediately."

Svant's adrenaline was quickly waning, the more Bekiw spoke. He had gotten through to him; now it was a matter of time. His task was almost complete. As his body began to realize this, it began to make room for the feelings it had been burying for hours... and the pain was too much. The last remaining Vargach collapsed to the ground, his injuries extreme enough to render him unconscious.

The guards began to carefully chain him up. Afterward, they withdrew to call forth a healer. Bekiw began to follow him, but the words of the Elder tending to his daughter stopped him in his tracks.

"Bekiw... there is Drow poison in her blood. We can neutralize it... but I'm not horribly familiar with what to expect."

Every muscle in his body froze for a few seconds before he turned slowly to regard the Elder; his daughter; Svant. "He was telling the truth; the Vargach would never in their lives associate with the Drow." He inhaled slowly and sadly, feeling he had no choice but to keep Svant chained until they were certain they had found the impostor. He refused to look toward his daughter, especially when he heard the struggling grunts and calls for aid by the Elder, answered by her colleagues. The convulsions had begun; the Obsidian had chosen a seizure-inducing poison, knowing that seeing his daughter in such a state would cause Bekiw unspeakable anguish.

His tone wavered as he called out his advice to the Elder, already sounding pained. As it seemed, he knew what to expect.

"Tie her down, or she may break her own back. Place something between her teeth and keep her tongue down; I fear she may swallow it."

With that, he forced himself to exit the cave. There was investigative work that had to be done.

Accompaniment: Savior

Stealth was an art that the chosen Children of the Void had mastered. With the help of the Marfedelom clan in infiltrating the Naam caverns, they were nearly invincible.

"Follow the network of tunnels on the left," the dark-scaled leader had said in a hushed voice, "and you'll find your target lying vulnerable, already suffering with your people's poison in her blood. Great fortune awaits you, should you remain true to our cause."

The Zau'rret House had experienced a sort of malaise in the wake of their rival's defeat. As it seemed, they had taken on various tasks and alliances of convenience to bolster their forces and give themselves something to do. Bored Drow were dangerous Drow.

Valsharess Shri'da herself led the assault, not one to bow from the fray, especially in the cases of lulls. Long, flowing white hair caught the scarce flickers of light and would have given them away, had any even seen them coming to begin with.

None had.

Rather than attack outright, the Eyes were doing as they often did with no map provided in advance: learning the tunnels, tracing their steps, and assessing weak points. They counted the number of guards that came within mere feet of their location, causing them to flatten as best as they could against the outer walls.

Shri'da, however, had a different task, and it was Captain Baelar and his trusted collective that provided her support. He and the tightly formed group lingered in the shadows.

The unearthly glow of purple gems filling the cavern provided a challenge for the Zau'rret, but the Valsharess managed to slip forward generally unnoticed. To her surprise, her target was momentarily unguarded, and aside from a barely conscious blue-gemmed dragon chained up nearby, she was alone. Odd, she thought.

The subtle sound of a blade unsheathing filled a silence that had been overwhelming, and it caused Shri'da to stop in place until mere seconds had passed. That was her test, and no one yet came. Perhaps they were busy elsewhere? The only creature who stirred was the Sapphire against the wall, but he seemed barely able to lift his head at the moment, let alone make any sort of noise.

As she studied the violet-hued female's features in the dim lighting, a curious look crossed her own face. She seemed oddly familiar; she reminded her of the purple-haired female she associated with the group of 'Aerie Dwellers' who served as a catalyst to Roslin Ralin'nadar's end. But that couldn't be; they were far, far from the Nexus she learned had been their home. Her most recently acquired guard - Talace - had sated much of her curiosity with such information.

This moment of quiet contemplation broke her focus on stealth. As she emerged from the shadows, it caught the attention of the nearby Sapphire who seemed to come to life.

"Sililuuth? Sililuuth!" Despite the recovery his body was trying to make, he struggled against his confines, doing his best to block out the pain with a clenched jaw. "GUARDS!"

Panic struck the pit of Shri'da's stomach, but she didn't move. It was the first time in her life that she'd been truly caught, albeit by her own carelessness. The name, though, had caught her attention, and she let out a thoughtful hum, even as Baelar and his collective lingered anxiously and impatiently in the shadows. "So this is one of the Aerie Dwellers, hm?" Her head tilted, her false eye gleaming unnaturally in the violet light as she posed that soft-toned, rhetorical question. "You are very far from home, are you not, purple one?"

"She is home," came a voice behind her at the mouth of the cavern. Bekiw stood angrily, his staff at the ready; his guards flanked him with their own weapons drawn. It was a risky situation: the Drow was far too close to the Amethyst for them to attack outright without risking harm upon the clan leader's own daughter.

Shri'da did not turn to face the trio of Amethyst Dragons. She made one little gesture: her hand slipped around behind her back, her palms open and her fingers splayed - only to close into a tight fist. It was then that Baelar and the other Children of the Void sprang forth, daggers drawn at their targets' throats. It caused Svant to flex, writhe, and roar in a mixture of pain and rage. As they took their positions, the Valsharess swooped around the slab of stone to face them, placing the dagger to Sililuuth's throat.

"Make a single move and you'll lose your daughter. Listen to me, and you may have an advantage against your enemy."

"Why would we ever trust your people?"

She lifted a single slender eyebrow and smiled almost maliciously behind the mask covering her nose and mouth. The dulled edge of her blade was presented to Sili's throat, and she tapped it carefully to her violet flesh. "A tyrant and a threat to my House named Roslin existed not too long ago; she was defeated by a gathering of dragons compelled to brave the Underdark for... hm..." She paused to shrug as if the matter was entirely nonchalant. "... Some ungodly reason. Among them was a fair-toned female with hair of Violet. Her name was Sililuuth." She stifled a laugh at the shocked gasps, going so far as to unleash a dramatic gasp of her own, her eyes widening exaggeratedly as if she was taunting them.

"Four favors did I then owe. I repaid one to who I now consider a sister by saving her life and spiriting her away from her captors. Three then were left, including a favor to this one. By sparing her life and perhaps even providing you assistance, two then will remain." Her expression returned to its neutral stare, though a sinister glare threatened to erupt at any moment. "Keep in mind, my new friends, that my finest fighters have their blades positioned at your throats and could have, at any moment, drained the life from you without a sound. Do not doubt their blades, or their abilities. They could have done this without you even realizing it, come to think of it..." Her head shook, and an unnerving giggle formed in the pit of her throat.

The speech Shri'da presented caused Svant's blood to boil with rage. A spewing stream of Draconic expletives were thrown her way; she didn't have to understand the language to understand what his tone alone conveyed. In response, a warning was issued that caused him to stop abruptly: the blade turned and she pressed the sharpened exge to the Amethyst female's throat. "I can just as easily negate that favor; you may make me nervous with such behavior and my hand may slip. You don't want to make me nervous, now, do you?"

Svant glared at her, but fell silent; he feared what may have happened if he'd tried any worse. His pulse slowed once the blade was withdrawn from Sili's throat.

"I know what poison ails her," Shri'da stated plainly as she produced a vial containing a mysterious, red liquid, "and I have in my possession an antidote that will at least quicken the healing process, since it seems your kin have handled the neutralization already-"

The convulsions began once more, and it caused the Valsharess to stop mid-sentence to observe with a casual tilt of her head. The two guards looked uncertainly toward Bekiw, who inwardly was just as torn as the rest of them.

Svant strained angrily in his chains. "Do something!"

The clan leader couldn't watch his daughter suffer like this; instinctive cries of anguish coming from her mouth caused his heart to wrench, her body doing its best to writhe and contort beneath her own restraints.

The Drowess raised her eyebrows expectantly. "Do we have an accord?"

Another few seconds passed before the sight before Bekiw pained him too much to ponder it any longer. He dropped his staff to the ground and averted his gaze as he addressed his guards. His sense of urgency rose and caused his tone to become more frantic - a first for the Amethyst. "Stand down; lower your weapons!"

The sound of sharpened blades clattering to the ground pleased Shri'da, and she motioned Baelar closer as his team nudged the grounded weapons out of reach. The stronger, slightly larger male wrenched Sili's mouth open and held her tongue down; the female poured the liquid into her mouth as she tilted her head up enough to swallow it properly.

The four dragons looked on with bated breath. Svant's jaw hung agape, his eyes frantic. But sure enough, Sililuuth's convulsion's stopped, along with her cries. Her head was laid back against the stone slab; her eyes not once opened to regard anyone around her, but her breathing continued steadily.

Shri'da sheathed her blade with a smug glimmer in her eye; the rest of the Drow followed suit. Turning to a few of them, she gestured toward the only entrance and exit of the cavern. "Tell the Eyes to converge here; we have work to do."

"Now, perhaps we can discuss what we have learned of your foes so that the tide can turn in your favor."

Accompaniment: Not in Vain


Weeks passed. The Marfedelom were foolish in their trust placed in the Drow to cripple and torment the Naam caves while the Obsidian dragons focused on finishing off the clan of Emeralds to the east. In the few times that a scout or messenger sent back to check on the status of House Zau'rret's invasion, the Ilythiiri made avid use of their ability with illusions - and the tactical Amethysts were more than willing to uphold the illusion. While most of their clan lingered in the back, a few of the younger females lie on the ground near the entrance of the network of tunnels, chained to the walls and looking utterly miserable. As it turned out, their ability to separate emotions and logic made them fantastic actors, able to manipulate their expressions to wholly convey what they were told to.

The act never had to last long, and while the females had entered into the agreement apprehensively, their unrest was calmed the first time their shackles were unlocked once more. Zau'rret was strangely true to their word - but many among the dragons wondered if they would have behaved this way toward them if a 'favor' hadn't been owed.


Sili and Svant continued to have their wounds mended within the innermost cavern. Svant, of course, was worst off: he would be lucky if there would ever be as bright a sheen to his brilliant Sapphire scales again, even once he healed. Sili was lucky to see few lasting effects: a scar on her right side, and the nightmares that had already begun to haunt her dreams and disturb her nervous system. Twice already, she'd woken up crying out in agony, the muscles in her back spasming painfully. Each time, her father came to her side and took advantage of their bond, trying to ease her mind with his own.

Over the weeks, Sili didn't speak a word, as if she simply couldn't. She barely even moved, doing so only when she had to. All she did much of the time was lie there on that stone slab, staring toward the ceiling of the cave or anyone who came to her. Everything had caught up with her: the sickness and passing of her mother, the desolation of an entire clan, the attack on her father - everything. She refused to speak.


Perhaps Svant had sensed something or felt it coming all along. All he knew was he felt he needed to reach out to her. So, as soon as he had the ability to move with only a dull ache in his bones, he strode up toward where the Amethyst rested. His hands folded behind his back and he tilted his head just enough to look down toward her.

"I hope you'll start speaking again soon, Sili," he encouraged gently. Had anyone else been in the room, they would have had to have been within a mere meter to even hear what he said, as soft as his tone was.


Nothing was said at first. She seemed to swallow the lump in her throat and turn her head to look up at him. Still, her body - even her head - failed to leave their place on the stone. Her figure, usually more voluptuous than frail, had thinned until the hint of ribs showed through her flesh. Her cheekbones stood out more than usual, and her eyes had become even just a little sunken. This needed to stop, but Svant didn't know where to start - but suddenly, a familiar voice sounded in his head.

<You should be resting. Why are you not?>

Svant blinked at her a few times, his shoulders slumping with a sigh at how easily she'd slipped into his mind - as if there'd been no resistance at all. This diminished his own willingness to physically speak as well, and he only presented his thoughts for her to read.

<Everything's generally healed; I'm just fine. A dull ache is completely bearable.>

The Amethyst didn't understand what compelled her to do what she did, but nonetheless, she did. With a deadpan expression, she focused more intently on him. The violet in her eyes turned into something that resembled pure gems. They glowed in their sockets and Svant heard a rush of whispers in his mind before he found his arm being lifted suddenly, and not on what he thought was his own power. He grunted at the ache in his body, sure enough, but felt little else.


<What are you doing?>

<Testing you...>

Sili stared toward him thoughtfully, even if her expression at that moment was unreadable. She caused his other arm to lift; kicked his feet; dug into the depths of his mind and compelled him to cleanly jump atop the stone where his friend rested, his feet planted firmly upon an empty space.

His eyes went wide as he stared down at her blinking, otherwise unmoving form. Astonishment managed to shine in her tone, even within her mind.

<I can't see through my own eyes anymore...> She felt amusement at the signs of panic that she sensed in his body: widened eyes, the hint of an increased pulse. <... But I can see through yours.>

Her idea began to expand, the more she thought about it. <Do you trust me?>

Svant still had control of his facial expressions; she wouldn't take control of something so individual. So as best as he could, he looked at her incredulously. The look was exaggerated enough to feel it, and she grinned inwardly.

From that moment, Bekiw was called to his daughter's side, and as their minds momentarily linked, she told him of her plan. At his behest, three of Shri'da's most vigilant guards lurked within the chamber where the two gem dragons worked on strengthening their combination of brains and brawn.

Accompaniment: Unlaced

The battle had been waging for hours, Obsidian versus the Amethyst alongside the Drow, who the aggressors then viewed as traitorous. And in a way, they were. Not all among them understood the Valsharess' reasoning for suddenly changing sides, but none dared question her; Shri'da always had her reasons.

The Naam clan was tactically sound, yes, but their strength left much to be desired. The Emerald clan - Ymmute - were left desolated by their enemy's attacks, finally giving in with but a handful of them left struggling to recover in defeat and hiding away in the more remote corners of their territory. The Topaz, Crystal, and Ruby clans were too far to provide their aid. As for the Vargach clan, only one known Sapphire remained...

It took time for Svant to prepare. It was as they all had predicted: every scale on his body was marred by signs of his agony while imprisoned by the Obsidian Marfedelom clan. He was scratched, scarred, and damaged, and no amount of care and polishing would ever return his brilliant markings to their former glory. But in his mind, there were more important things to worry about.

As the mass of repaired muscle and sinew navigated through the Naam tunnels, doubly crowded by the signs of battle, his reflexes were unnatural. He nearly seemed to duck and weave before blades and claws flew in his direction. His blue eyes held a cerulean glow that none had ever seen before.

He was going toward the front of the line. Directly to the front. Straight to the Obsidian clan's leader. Much to his surprise, Bekiw had already engaged him in combat.

Older though he was, the leader of the Naam clan was nimble on his feet and seemingly had wit without end. It was quite a display, Svant thought. The Obsidian charged, only to stop short and drop to the ground in agony with a low growl; the clan lead had sent a sharp, agonizing pain into the front of the Obsidian's mind. Bekiw used the momentum of his moving body to swing his heavy staff over his head and bring it down upon his foe's back, causing a grotesque crack as a couple of his back spines broke off.

Svant looked confidently toward the Naam lead, and quickly strode in. "Allow me to take over..." There was a disturbing rumble in his throat. His torturer was already dead, but this face... he knew this face for other reasons, and the scenario shared with him played over in his head. As Bekiw bowed and stepped away while trying to catch his breath, the Sapphire walked toward the Marfedelom clan lead and kicked at his chest. He bore no weapons, save for his sharpened claws and teeth, and his only real armor was the jagged, chipped coat of blue gems over his body.

"Lleisgar (Rise)," he growled. The Obsidian spit a couple of broken teeth at Svant's feet, but he stood with a dark grin.

<I do not trust this, Svant.> Sili's voice... in his head. It placed him on alert. <Guard your back.>

His growling continued as they circled each other. "I know what you've done. I intend to avenge her."

"Your attachment is hilarious, Ulhartiki (Sapphire) - though you'll find your affections are ill placed and unrequited."

As they spoke, Svant's senses stood on high alert. His eyes narrowed. And then it came.

"JAKA (NOW)!"

A smaller dark-scaled female leaped onto his back, causing him to roar, rear back, and throw her off. The diversion seemed to work: the Marfedelom lead charged...

And failed.

In the arms of one of the remaining airborne male Amethysts came one of the Eyes of Zau'rret, released with rehearsed timing to land upon his back from near the ceiling of the caves. Their sharpened heels dug in between his scales and broke off consecutively. As the Sapphire and the Drow locked eyes, she winked at him with a devious glint in her eye, then disappeared into the shadows again. She left the clan lead to lie on the ground with a grunt as Svant peeled another couple of their clan from him.

Sheer force wasn't going to help him.

<Sili! They're too much!>

And it was then that their practice paid off: it worked. One of Svant's cerulean eyes turned violet, and he let forth a sudden thundering roar. The Obsidians within earshot shrieked in terror and agony as they shrank down to the ground; the Amethysts and Drow were only briefly stunned by the attack.

Captain Baelar of the Drow raised his blade and brought it down with a sickening clash and slice, removing one of the three females' heads before he turned to his next target. Shri'da fought at his back, the pair using each other as guards.

Svant was left with three on one. That odd hue in one of his eyes continued to glow brilliantly. With his sharpened claws, he tore at one Obsidian hand to hand; another took it as an opportunity to sink her teeth into the back of the Sapphire's neck. Their leader was charging in.

<I will return...>

It took everything Sili had to focus on what was happening behind Svant, but as soon as she locked onto her target, she found it: that single pocket of thought that allowed her to sneak into the smaller Obsidian's mind. The female turned on her leader, challenging and distracting him while Svant used his own force to ward off his own attacker.

Gruesome as it was for him, he eventually overcame her. One heavy boot came up onto her head, and her skull was crushed with a sickening series of crunches.

The masses continued to fight until only two Obsidians remained: the leader and his mind-controlled opponent. In a twist of fate, the masses around them came to realize that he was defending himself against his own daughter. Despite the heavy mood of battle, the Zau'rret Drow took great amusement in this and stood there laughing sadistically, their work nearly done as more and more of both Naam and Zau'rret alike emerged from the deeper caverns to report of dwindling numbers.

Sili had to think fast to make it back to Svant's mind without being stunned out of the Marfedelom daughter's. She forced the Obsidian to look toward Svant; her eyes glowed dimly, and that violet returned to the Sapphire's left eye.

The female looked around in disoriented confusion... just in time to turn her head and see her father deliver what would turn out to be the killing blow, all by sheer accident.

Horrified, the Obsidian stopped what he was doing immediately. His shoulders slumped, and he dropped to his knees before his daughter's lifeless body. The heels from the Eye's boots were still buried painfully in his back, but he seemed to ignore them in that moment - that is until Baelar came forth and forced him lower to the ground, pointing his blade at his neck.

Bekiw strode closer as Svant withdrew. Worn from battle, the Sapphire doubled over and braced his hands on his knees, panting... and that color left his eyes as he returned to his normal state with one final sentence left in his mind.

<Rest now...>

"You are banished, Denthanus," he said coolly to the Obsidian leader. It was the first time anyone had spoken his name aloud; many had never known his name. Bekiw's staff helped him to keep his balance upon the ground. "Leave this place, and we will spare your miserable life. If we find you here again, we will remove your head... and place it at the entrance to our home for all to see. Every clan in these Isles will know of this."

Denthanus struggled to rise, only to find himself too weak and in pain to do so. Two battle-weary Amethysts - Bekiw's guards - came forward, hooking their arms under his and dragging him to the waters. Just as they had done to Svant, they whisked him away under the waters.

And that was the last the Isles ever saw of the defeated Marfedelom clan.

Accompaniment: What We Lost in the Fire

For what seemed like weeks, Sili rested in her father's cavern. Empowering Svant - then controlling the mind of the Obsidian - had drained her of her energy almost entirely.

When she finally woke, the silence around the caves was unsettling. Rising from her resting place was a dangerous task at first, and her knees nearly buckled from the weakness in her legs. But as she began to make use of the muscles in her legs once more, she sighed with relief and continued through the tunnels until she heard the sounds of voices. As their speech became clearer to her ears, she slowed to a stop and listened.

"I can feel it, Bekiw; she won't be here much longer."

Sili blinked a few times as she heard Svant's voice first; her brow furrowed.

"I trust your instincts, my friend, but I find myself at a loss for what to do. Our clan has always had at the very least a Matriarch... and our bloodline in particular has led the Naam clan for generations. I'm far too old to try to father more children, and my time is nearing its end more rapidly than I would care to admit."

One of the guards chimed in then, gently. "That may be true, but perhaps it's time to change our customs and traditions just a bit. If your daughter wishes to go elsewhere for whatever reason, that is her choice. To demand that she stay here would only bring her misery."

As their discussion continued, Sililuuth stepped around the corner and into the cavern with an inquisitive stare, her tired eyes drifting between them as they looked upon her in hesitant silence. Bekiw's guards excused themselves first, then Svant - but not before he laid a ligering gaze upon her face, smiled, and brushed past her, even as she mirrored his expression.

"I wish I could persuade you to stay," Bekiw confessed with a bittersweet fondness in his tone once they were left alone, "but I imagine you have an entirely new life, separate from all this monotony."

The look on her face became apologetic as she came to sit next to him with a groan, settling in before she said anything.

"Opsola... if I could combine the two, I would, happily. But... I have to go back." It was then that she finally found time to tell her father of all that had happened.

She told him of the land she had been taken to when she vanished from the Gem Isles; how her future mate had unknowingly led her to the Aerie where a diverse gathering of dragons lived. She spoke of Vetis, and of the pain of loss that Bekiw had become all too familiar with... and finally, she spoke of her responsibilities: her current mate, Weloriesh; her loyalty to Davros and Soumia and her promise to aid them against the Thesekari; everything. And the more she spoke, the more he understood.

"You cannot leave your mate behind, nor can you abandon your promises. It would be wrong of me to ask you to stay..."

As Sili leaned into her father, he smiled sadly and fell silent for just a little while longer. And without much notice, he spoke again, this time with determination, rather than concession.

"You are not required to lead this clan, Sililuuth. I will form a council of my most trusted. When I finally allow myself to pass on... they will lead as a group, rather than try to carry the burden on one pair of shoulders. All will be well."

Father and daughter sat in comfortable silence for quite some time after that. When it was finally time for her to go to bed, she slept a dreamless sleep, uninterrupted.

Days later, it was time for her to go. Gathered and prepared, she came to a stop before her father and his newly appointed council; among them stood Svant, still as scratched and chipped as ever. His sapphire scales barely even caught the light as he moved toward her and took one of her hands.

"I will always regret not following after you the day your mother pulled you away from me." He winked as he said it; even offered her a somber smile, all while bringing his arms around her in a hug that she gladly returned. "I hope to one day see you again, my friend..."

Sili nodded to him, placing a single amethyst within his palm. "Should you ever require me for some kind of emergency... think of me and pass your message through this. Until we meet again..."

She went down the line as she bid them each farewell - and as she came face to face with her father, tears welled in her eyes. While they said nothing, they didn't have to say anything. After a long embrace, she stepped back from them, raised her hand to them, then slipped into the water, swimming calmly toward the exit.

That chapter in her life was over. If she one day returned to the Naam caves, she hoped she would be greeted by the same smiling faces she had left behind...

But she knew that at least one of them would be gone by the time she came back. And she had come to accept that, having left her goodbye in a loving embrace.