The rain beat down upon the roof of the Grim guildhall with a steady rhythm. Qalia sat alone in her private chambers with her eyes closed, her mind absorbed by the hypnotic downpour. She absentmindedly stroked the fur of a small black kitten that lay purring in her lap. Life in the guildhall was rarely peaceful, even in the later hours, and the elven mage was glad for the opportunity to simply sit and compose herself.
A quiet knock on the door of her chamber interrupted her silent reverie. Her delicate eyelids fluttered, annoyed. Who could possibly have business with her at this hour of the night? The black kitten purred contently in her lap as she absentmindedly scratched behind his small, furry ears. Whoever it was, she decided, could wait until morning.
"Supplicant Qalia?" came Aureliya Raindawn's voice, muffled through the thick wood of the door. "I apologize for intruding upon you at this hour, but I require a moment of your time."
The mage sighed in annoyance. The last thing she wanted right now was company, but she certainly couldn't keep the Inquisitor waiting. She brushed the kitten from her lap and hurried to unlatch the lock on her door.
"Just a moment, Inquisitor!"
The lock disengaged silently and she pushed the dark-stained oaken door open with a dull creak. Hopefully this wouldn't take very long...
Qalia was greeted, to her surprise, by an empty hallway. The elf looked about in confusion. She was certain that she had heard Aureliya's voice. She was about to close the door when twin pinpricks of red light appeared in the shadows before her.
"Supplicant Qalia of the Grim."
The voice was darker than the blackness of the surrounding hall and sounded amused. A sinister ivory smile punctuated the statement. Long, pointed teeth gleamed dully in the faint moonlight that filtered halfheartedly through the curtained windows.
The elf jumped slightly at the unexpected voice. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the dim light of the hall, she could make out the faint shape of a tall, slender man standing motionless in the shadows.
"Azraelthalas of Mephistar, Falxugon of the One hundred and thirty-fourth Order, m'lady."
The figure stepped out of his shadow and into the faint candlelight emanating from Qalia's chamber. He was wearing an impeccably tailored pinstripe suit that clung to him as though it were more an extension of his body than actual clothing, and carried a box wrapped in expensive looking black paper tied with blood-red ribbon in his slender, lace cuffed hands.
"A gift from my Master, Lord Remmanon Akorharil." His sinister smile widened as he placed the package in the elf's suddenly trembling hands. His red eyes burned hypnotically, and Qalia found that she could not muster the will to break his gaze.
Azraelthalas leaned forward and caressed the highborn's cheek absentmindedly, smiling at her inability to look away. His black lacquered nails pressed painfully....pleasantly? into her cheek. Gleaming eyes burned like hot coals into the back of her mind.
"When the time comes, m'lady, we ask that you remember this act of kindness...."
A Dark Gift.
Re: A Dark Gift.
Qalia, visibly shaken, nods slightly to Azraelthalas and slowly closes the door to her chambers. Her eyes never left his until the door latched for fear of what he might do.
Too unnerved to open the package right away, she set it down on her desk and sat back down the chair she occupied before the interruption. Qalia was still shaking from the encounter, from equal parts of fear and excitement, having never met such a creature before. She wondered if her curiosity of Lord Akorharil, and especially his servant who could mimic the voice of the Inquisitor, was particularly healthy.
As minutes passed, Qalia’s fear began to wane and her curiosity grew, though her kitten Vex did not share her curiosity and remained safely hidden under the bed. However, her fear did not completely leave, for she decided to wait until daylight to open the menacing looking package and decide whether or not a thank you note would be in order… or possibly a priest. She instead spent the rest of the nighttime hours daydreaming about glowing red eyes, a pointed smile, and what possible task Lord Akorharil may call on her to do.
Too unnerved to open the package right away, she set it down on her desk and sat back down the chair she occupied before the interruption. Qalia was still shaking from the encounter, from equal parts of fear and excitement, having never met such a creature before. She wondered if her curiosity of Lord Akorharil, and especially his servant who could mimic the voice of the Inquisitor, was particularly healthy.
As minutes passed, Qalia’s fear began to wane and her curiosity grew, though her kitten Vex did not share her curiosity and remained safely hidden under the bed. However, her fear did not completely leave, for she decided to wait until daylight to open the menacing looking package and decide whether or not a thank you note would be in order… or possibly a priest. She instead spent the rest of the nighttime hours daydreaming about glowing red eyes, a pointed smile, and what possible task Lord Akorharil may call on her to do.