_{by jaymamma.}

I settled into my bed, the fireplace burned and crackled and suddenly I began to feel further away. I drifted away as I often did, reliving moments from the past that I had forgotten. Ah, I was returning to my last encounter with my Patron after taking the hands of the spider. 

“You have returned patron?”

“Oh, I never really left my child, I am always close. I adore your artwork.”

“My artwork?” 

She laughed. “The great black spider”

An image of his face at the exact moment I took his hands appeared on the surface of the stone that we always rode, that always hurtled through nothingness.

I smirked yes that is how I would remember him.

“He was not so great”.

“No, he was not. He did however get under your skin. you could have slain him much sooner. Your power is linked to your rage, your fury, your anger. Once you control it the world will kneel. I give you gifts, yes, but your will powers them. Which reminds me I come bearing gifts for my favorite “Protege”

“Protege?” I thought. That was not a word I had heard from my Patron before. Was that a good thing?

“Hush your thoughts child you read too much into it, appreciate the moment. Firstly, let me ask you a question”

“Yes?”

What was it that annoyed you most about the wizard, when you faced him?

There were many answers to that. He was pompous, arrogant, a wizard, he underestimated me, he would not stand and fight and kept teleporting away-

My patron cut off my thoughts. 

“That last one that’s the one. You hated him before you met him but that last one was the one that let your anger get the better of you. It’s a spell unknown to you because you would never use it. I believe your elf friend also commands similar magic. What if you could create a version all your own? One that is not used to flee an opponent. Maybe, one more to reposition to bring said foe more harm. 

I was intrigued.

I propose an experiment with my power to manipulate magic, and your inner power the sorcerous powers, to create something new. Something that takes shape from your abilities and the option of greater mobility. Interested?

I smiled. Of course, I was.

The Hurtling rock began to slow in the darkness, oddly I felt no shift in momentum as it went from moving at an almost impossible speed to being completely still. 

Still.

Still was not the proper word. It was as if time itself stopped. I could sense every molecule, every minuscule transference of energy had halted. Like all of that energy was being shifted elsewhere.

“So observant you are Lilvari, it’s no small thing for me to manifest, more an honor if I was interested in not being vain. Alas, though  I do so deserve to be as vain as it pleases me to be. You understand…

The darkness above the rock split. From it erupted a brilliant display of light. A kaleidoscope of white, black and gold washed over me. I raised a hand to shield my eyes but realized it didn’t hurt at all, it was beautiful. 

A billowing black cloud rolled out of the light and then another. It rolled in a way I had never witnessed of a cloud. It was more, but only slightly so. It flowed like silk perfectly smooth unfurling and touching the ground. I then realized it was not clouds. It was the tails of a beautiful robe.

The robe was followed by a long slender leg piercing the portal of flowing light and silk. The rent in reality, widened further, as a feminine torso emerged. Adorned in gold and black she stepped completely through. 

Two enormous, and stunning black wings stretched out behind her. Long black hair somehow even more silk-like than her robes flowed behind her as if there was wind. She was perfect, glorious. 

Her full and slightly pouty lips formed into a smirk much like mine. Her eyes were pure black. I fell to my knees humbled by such beauty such grandeur such power. Just then as she touched her feet to the ground she tapped the handle of her gold and black scythe on the ground next to me. 

“I appreciate the show of respect and admiration but I wouldn’t want to waste a manifestation for such things. I looked up the shaft of the war scythe and immediately recognized it. “Umbra Aurum?”

“Very observant”. She smiled. “Things are not always what you think” It’s just part of my weapon like so many other weapons of great power before it.” Now we have work to do. I wouldn’t have you being distracted. So let me take a slightly lesser form. In a blink, the wings were gone and she was still perfect just less godlike and then I realized she looked a lot like–“

“You, yes I thought it would be less distracting, still perfect?  She laughed you may not be a god but you possess the vanity of one. Now shall we get to work?”

I nodded still awestruck and unable to form words.

She stuck out her hands and they glowed with the same light as from the portal. 

“Well?” she asked and nodded towards my hands.

I held them up and they too now glowed with gold and white, and black. Not in perfect unity like hers, my light was tilted towards the darker side of the spectrum. She reached forward and grabbed my hands gently but firmly. I sucked in a chestful of air as I felt her power. It was overwhelming, amazing.  When I leveled Eli that was but a drop in an ocean compared to the energy within her grasp. 

She smiled that’s not all me girl. We are at what’s called equilibrium. You wield magic and can shape and will it, I am magic through and through. Shape my magics into what we talked about. Mobility and bringing pain to your quandry. Me and mine don’t flee, we reposition for the kill. I did as instructed and as I did I thought of the misty step spell. Mystic popped into my head probably due to my envy of her wielding of star magic. Ah, and there it was. I saw it 

Shadows swirling beneath my feet formed into two tendrils that reached greedily into the sky. In an instant they enveloped seized a star from the heavens and slammed it into the ground where I had previously stood. The stone wilted under the concussive force of the exploding star and constraining shadows. I was a distance away from Who I now knew to be the Raven queen Cursebringer in my hand ready to strike. 

It felt lighter and I spun it far more effortlessly than before. I slashed and it seemed to hum with life, …no hunger. One strike was not enough to sate its thirst there had to be another.  I slashed again and it seemed momentarily satisfied, quenched. 

I looked to my queen. “Yes, child there’s no need for the mystery any longer. I am the Raven queen your patron and the creator of the hex weapons. There will be fewer and fewer secrets between us as we move forward. You have earned the power you have imagined and your blade has enhanced its bond with you. Oh and there’s this..

She stepped forward and held up a mirror my eyes had gone pure black just as hers. It startled me and I sucked in a gasp. I looked again and my beautiful eyes had returned to normal.

“So vain, You can now utilize the Devil’s sight, no darkness shall blind you magical or otherwise. Use these gifts wisely, use them on those who need them, and your next target.

“Who?”

Three images took form around me.

The first me laying a hand on Dare, casting out the banshee tattoo’s curse draining it out of the remaining scar.

Another, of me, witnessing the actions of another through his own eyes. His memories, his mind laid out before me. I did not recognize him at that time. I recognized the home as being Harbin’s and a ring inside a locked box. A ring left For Lillian.

Lastly, a Shade,  a shadow. A wraith that looked positioned within the mine. He was the evil still haunting this place.

Look less to the past Lilvari, the future is much more interesting.

And just as abruptly as the vision began it ended. I smiled. So much to process, and also more power.

I absorbed all this as The party woke. We pressed on through a slime-like monster, and around the tunnels within the mine aimlessly. Thankfully my Patron’s boredom and wanting of her prize nudged me in the correct direction. The others were wary of me inexplicably knowing which way to go and knew there was a cost that would be paid. The cost was the creature we were going to destroy anyway. 

The creature that The bugbears and spider undoubtedly also feared. The scurrying and horror-filled cries of bugbears confirmed it. 

The creature insulted me, calling me a pet. They all started with insults which did not rouse my appreciation in the least. Sometimes, I did feel that way. Lately, though I felt like I was something far more than a pet or plaything to my patron. Vanity? Maybe.

Even so, She would get her wraith as requested. I channeled my power, my rage, it fed into cursebringer and the thirsty blade drank it in. The blade made two slices at a speed I had not known I was capable of. Then for good measure, I fed more into the runes that ran along the blade. 

Gold, black and white light flashed brilliantly as the blade became a blur. Black, gold and white lines flashed across the wraith reducing it to a pile of black residue. 

There was a moment of stillness as the others took in what had just happened. The bugbear that had been cowering in fear moved first trying to escape. Dare snapped back to form and blasted him with talon and then again as it tried to run away. The weight of the evil in this place dissipated along with the wraith. The mine was ours. Droop was unfazed by the whole thing, and more intent on the wraiths remains. He excitedly scooped up some of the shadowy paste that remained and into a vial, it went. Dare stepped up alongside me and I felt fingers on my backside. I knew right away what it was. 

“Dare get the dam spider’s hands off my ass.” He snorted.

This was my life.

After pilfering the chest in the room, we returned for the wounded Gundren. The trek back to town was thankfully quick and uneventful.

I got to meet Lillian’s parents finally. They were appreciative of me which I honestly wasn’t expecting at all. No one likes their children paling around with a half-demon. It was a pleasant exchange, barring Dare and his shenanigans with his new hands. 

Being as everyone thought the culprit of the poisoning had been caught, they wanted to bury Harbin. I couldn’t blame them. I however did not agree that the case had been neatly solved.  The wanting to put it behind them I could understand. Sadly, this would mean Lillian would be gone shortly thereafter. I took some time to ride with her and was happy to see her back on her horse.

Rydolph offered to again use his bird’s abilities to convene with the dead one last time. Some information was gleaned, the broken lockpick found in the barn was broken in Harbin’s lock. Our new friend and ring thief I had been shown by my patron was proving useful. 

Maybe I was a bit overzealous, or maybe just playing out what was supposed to happen. 

Maybe, I just wanted to try out my ability to intrude on the thoughts of another. 

He would no doubt come into contact with Lillian if he was to join us in our investigation. When he did for his sake I hope he handed up the ring to its intended recipient. An initiation of sorts. Hypocritical? Yes certainly. I am a killer, at times a thief I suppose. I just wouldn’t tolerate it being perpetrated against those I cared for. Lillian was like a little sister to me her, and Annette.

I hoped though, that he would do the right thing. We could use him. When I went through his mind, I also became aware of what he was. What he could do. A stealth operator could be useful. Assuming he wasn’t someone else’s spy already. Time would tell and I would be watching.