Darkness and Hellfire

Chapter 3 I Wasn’t Hallucinating.

In a stone city carved into a cavern eighty miles away there was a woman. A noblewoman paladin. Lenna V’Nova. Heiress to the city of Contantis, a major slaving hub for her people. She was descended from an unbroken line of Dark Elf rulers. Nobility and power flowed through her veins as dense as the never ending shadows of the Innerworld.

To her, gods and goddesses were known but never seen. Rarely she would hear of a cleric receiving a divine message from Dri’El, the god who ruled her people. As she slept in her princess sized bed in her princess sized room a goddess known to her only in whispers was plotting.

“My child. Forsake your oath. Forsake your family and their ways of pain and subjugation.” A goddess with a voice obviously belonging to one spoke into Lenna’s dreams. The goddess’s voice was smooth like melted butter. Its pitch was right in the middle of mortal singing range and held a hint of playfulness that was more felt than heard.

Lenna tossed in her sleep aware of what she was hearing but stuck in unconsciousness. Bound to her dream until the goddess was done.

“Go. Travel to this place. Be HERE in ten days time.” Lenna’s mind was assaulted by the knowledge of exactly where the goddess meant and how to get there. “If you do so, your life will change for the better. Instead of misery and slavery you will one day be surrounded by love and music.” Lenna sat up in her bed. Covered in a cold sweat and with a pounding headache.

“Now, please my child, I only want what is best for you…” The goddesses voice trailed off as Lenna’s mind cleared. She sat there staring at the marble wall of her bedroom. Struggling to understand what had just happened to her.

‘Was that really Lua?’ She thought. ‘Am I going crazy?’ She slowly climbed out of her bed and knelt next to it and closed her eyes. “Lua, mother of beauty in all its forms, goddess of the moon and all its phases. Please, send me a sign that I wasn’t hallucinating.”

A soft laugh could be heard that seemed to come from every direction. “Open your eyes child. You were not hallucinating.” the goddess replied. Lenna opened her eyes and before her was a soft beam of moonlight that ignored her bed’s canopy and the ceiling as if they weren’t even there.

Lenna knew that Lua was the only good deity in the entire drow, also known as dark elves, pantheon. She knew that Lua would only want what was best for her and that she would never lie. The promise of a better, more beautiful life was a certainty in Lenna’s mind. She hesitated for a moment thinking of all the repercussions of her choice either way.

“Yes my goddess. I will do as you have commanded. Thank you for your guidance.” No sooner had Lenna finished she was met with inconceivable pain. Her power that had formerly come from her oath, an oath to honor her ancestors and follow in their footsteps, burned its way out of her. The once divine power of her oath turned to fire in her veins, burning her from the inside out.

The goddess moonlight moved to cover the woman who was now curled in a ball on the floor. Her mouth open in a scream that had quickly run out of air. The moonlight put Lenna to sleep so the sweet embrace of unconsciousness could save her from her torment. Steam drifted off her unconscious body.

Lua projected as much of herself as she could into the material world. A faint shimmer in the rough shape of a person appeared in Lenna’s room. “I’m sorry my dear. The pain now will be worth it later. I hope.” The shimmer bent low and brushed some of Lenna’s hair out of her face.

Lua reached under the sleeping woman and gently picked her up. Placing her on the bed Lua smiled and then disappeared. All evidence of her ever having been there was gone. Only the now Oathbreaker knew that she was ever there.

–

Hours later Lenna awoke. Her entire body was in pain. She could tell that her power had changed. She had lost the power granted to her by her ancestors and in its place was fire. Wrath and flames. She knew that that flame in her core was the anger of her ancestors given form. Unfortunately for them that flame now belonged to her. It was her flame to nurture and use as she wished.

‘First I’ll need supplies.’ She pulled herself out of bed and looked at herself in the mirror. Her silver, normally perfectly straight hair, was a tangled mess and damp with sweat. Her almost graphite gray and violet tinted skin was still giving off steam. Her silver eyes were tired but resolved.

She went to her bathroom, stripped, then poured cold water over herself. Drying off she walked back into her room and grabbed her under armor. ‘I’ll leave as soon as I can. I don’t want to miss this chance the goddess gave me.’ She quickly got dressed then looked at her armor. It was an enchanted set of full-plate with gold trim. The metal was dark steel and painted violet.

In the dark however it all looked like varying shades of gray. Drow had perfect dark vision, not needing light at all. The only light in Drow cities was for their slaves to see what they were doing. She turned and walked towards her door. Next to it was a rope tied to a bell in her servant’s quarters. She pulled it and waited.

Soon a young human girl with an iron collar around her neck and gaunt cheeks walked in. “What can I do for the mistress?” She said bowing.

“I just need into my armor. Afterwards get something to eat. It won’t do for a slave of house V’Nova to look like a walking corpse.” Lenna honestly just didn’t want the poor girl to starve but she had an image to keep. At least for now.

The girl replied “As you say mistress.” and then hurried over to Lenna’s armor. Over the course of the next five minutes the two worked in silence until Lenna had her armor fully donned save for the helmet. “What of the mistress’s hair?” The slave asked, staring at the floor.

‘Oh yeah I look like a mess.’ Lenna thought. “Just brush and braid it.” she replied and sat down on the stool in front of her mirror. The girl carefully brushed through the tangled, knotted mess. Then pulled it into a tight braid. Even braided her hair went down to just below her shoulder blades.

“Is that all mistress?” The girl asked. She had been Lenna’s forcibly employed servant for long enough to know that Lenna only talked when necessary and asked for little. It made being her slave an easy if terrifying task. The girl was always worried that Lenna would one day hand her off to someone else because the mistress preferred to do everything herself.

“Yes. I will be out for a while. Don’t wait up.” Lenna ordered and walked out the door. The girl just stood there stunned for a moment. The last three words hung in the air.

‘Was that kindness in her voice?’ The girl thought. ‘Don’t Drow get smited for that or something?’ After a moment she broke out of her stupor and left to do as her mistress had told her. It was time to find something to eat.

Lenna went to the market and looked for a few key shops. First she needed a backpack, then rations, water, climbing tools, a blanket and then she would need to go back to her room and pack a change of clothes or two. She wasn’t a barbarian after all.

Finding those things wasn’t the problem. Buying them without anyone asking questions however was. She decided to simply play into her image of the silent warrior and just not talk the entire time. She walked into the first store and grabbed a sturdy looking backpack.

Walking up to the counter she set it down and looked into the clerc’s eyes then down to the pack. “I’ll send the bill to the estate mistress.” the man said with a slight bow after a moment. She nodded to him and walked out. She repeated this process in every store until she had everything she needed.

Returning to her room she grabbed her sword and strapped on her scabbard. Stuffed two changes of clothes in the bag and then stopped. ‘Do I just leave? Should I leave a note?’ She contemplated for a moment and then made her decision.

This was going to be an exit to remember. The goddess said to forsake her family and their ways after all. Might as well make a show of it.