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The Arcane Order |
| Melyanna stood before the pond, quietly
studying her reflection in the still water. Her hair was matted and
tangled, as if she had neither bothered to wash nor brush it lately. Her
cheeks were hollow beneath her sunken, purple rimmed eyes. But the
physical changes to her body were the most dramatic. Her clothing hung
about her, as if it had been made for someone two sizes larger than she
was. I... I look... her voice catching on a sob as she bit her
lip and turned away from the walking skeleton reflected in the pool.
The young elf, always so strong, now bordered on the brink of frailty. Melyanna weakly sank onto the bench behind her and reached out with her bond to Azeron. Azeron? her soul reached out to him, but only felt the cruel, cold void that had replaced his. Panic filled her. Had something happened to him? I would have felt it if he was in pain or hurt... seeming to shrink further within herself. Why should you feel him? He does not love you... Just look at yourself! a deep, sinister voice echoed in her mind sadistically. You are pathetic! Why do you think he locked you in? To protect you? mocking laughter rang out. Nay, he does it to hide you, he has found another, a human... The cruel words had the desired effect on Melyanna. She pulled her knees up to her chest, pathetic sobs torn from her as her hands covered her ears to block out the voice. The mocking laughter continued to haunt her. Numa...he loves me she whimpered over and over again, trying to dull the ache in her heart...
In their rented room in Nujel'm, Melyanna sobbed in the corner behind the armoire, deep in her nightmare... |
| Azeron awoke with a start. As his eyes
adjusted to their rented room in Nujel'm, he saw his wife Melyanna
sobbing in the corner behind the armoire. Instantly he was out of bed
and by her side. "Mely, what is it?"
She did not respond to his question, but instead kept sobbing. He reached blindly at the lantern on the nightstand, letting it fill the room with a warm yellow glow. Looking back at Melyanna, he saw her eyes were still shut, and he knew that she was sleeping still. Another nightmare... He began his ritual of waking and soothing. When she finally fought her way out of the dream, the fear remained, as it always did. And so, Azeron took her in his arms and gently rocked her back and forth, and all the while, his wife clung desperately to him. With every sob, with every shudder, his heart was torn in two. But she was exhausted beyond reason, and after a while she had wept herself to sleep again. But in the silence of the Nujel'm night, Azeron could find no more rest. His mind was a blur of worry and fear, and he would be ready should her reverie be interrupted again. Eventually, the warm blues of impending daybreak crept over the Nujel'm horizon. Azeron was still awake to see the soft glow creep through a crack in the window shutters. He watched it, as the hazy details of the room came into focus. As the room slowly brightened from the approaching morning, Melyanna stirred, and he renewed his hold on her, thanking the gods that she had not been disturbed again. Silently, interrupted only by sounds of early-waking birds, Azeron uttered a mental plea. Khyrian... I pray you find the answers you seek soon. I do not know if Mely can survive much more of this... |
The
Library Arcane: The Lord of the Dead