A Return to Arms (Elrion)

[KM Imbri]

… But of course there was only one song that really mattered to him: the Lifesong."

Ysiane gave an eloquently dismissive half-shrug.  “More fool he, then.  The Lifesong is all well and good, but it isn’t the sort of music that one would listen to in the company of friends and loved ones.  A song that touches your soul and brings happiness, or sadness, or inspiration—music that makes you feel, is every bit as valuable as one that lets you sit on a chair, instead of the floor.”

Later, she had said that sometimes things that were gifted from a particular person came to mean more because of the object itself, rather than the giver.  Ysiane had a few items that had been gifts her parents had bestowed on their oft-forgotten daughter.  “Usually some nice little trinket to wear to a party, so all their friends could marvel at their generosity and taste,”  Neither of them had especially pleasant experiences with their parents.  All the more reason they tried so very hard to be good, involved parents to Brindra.  To nurture her talents and curiosity (even when doing so involved rising before the sun), while setting appropriate boundaries.  “Had my parents ever paid even the slightest attention…” Ysiane mused once.  “Then I’d probably a vapid empty-headed jylea like all those women we can’t stand,” she concluded wryly.

I suppose, he told Deidre, I should be asking myself whether the woman's ideas are really all that outlandish, or whether she's just more in tune with the new era than I am. An odd thought

Elrion sensed Deidre’s amusement. How goes the saying?  A century ago, the elders were always wrong.  Now it’s the younger generation who has it all wrong!  Lirynn had undergone some rather dramatic upheavals in the past few years, especially for a country that had been static for centuries under the leadership of the old telar, Nynel’shian’s father.  The son seemed to be hell-bent on accomplishing as much as possible, in as short a timeframe as possible.  This wasn’t always successful, and sometimes Nynel’shian’s reforms worked against him, such as whenever the Council (that he had established) opposed his plans. 

“A good portion of her students are members of the telensya themselves,” Ysiane reminded him.  “And while I expect the parents of those students to exercise proper discretion, I’m not so convinced that some of the students themselves wouldn’t repeat something where they shouldn’t.  I suppose it would be polite to invite her for dinner sometime.  When things are a little…less busy.”

Which, it seemed, was unlikely to be anytime soon.  Nessalia’s arrival and teary plea might have been more of a nuisance at first, but with the revelation that magic and—presumably—flying was involved, things were far more serious than the dark elf first thought.

As fey and magical defenses sprang into full-alert mode, Deidre, voice of reason as usual, said How far up in the air?  He’s a child.  Perhaps he’s being carried.  Unfortunately, that was beyond Txyslrn’s ability to distinguish.  It is an airborne scent, and more than that I cannot tell.  I smell magic everywhere, likely from our presence as well as whatever occurred earlier. The chimaera might have been able to tell Elrion more if he followed the trail with the dark elf, but doing such a thing would be unthinkable to them both.  Txyslrn’s primary duty was to guard Brindra and while Ysiane was a formidable sorceress, her defenses against mentalist attacks were limited.  She could sense that the fey were agitated, as could Brindra, and both of them looked at Elrion, wondering what was going on.

"Well, I'll just go after the boy," he told Nessalia. "I'll have him back in no time, I expect. You stay here with my Lady Ysiane. After all, he might just wander back to where he saw you last before I can catch up with him."

Nessalia, not knowing any better, was more than happy to accept Elrion’s ‘markers’ as proof positive.  Ysiane frowned, not quite knowing what was going on, but not at all happy at the idea of Elrion going after the missing child on his own (Deidre and assorted fey not withstanding).  But with Brindra and now Nessalia to keep out of trouble, she had no choice but to acquiesce.  It was just as well that the dark elf was long gone before the wind fey whispered his news in Ysiane’s ear.  The presence of magic inherently suggested a more serious situation than originally thought.  Either the child was experiencing an awakening of extreme proportions, in which case his talent could easily get beyond control and kill him or those around him, or he had gotten caught up in someone else’s magic which could lead to much the same fate.  Had Elrion any sentient talent, he might have heard his Lady mentally threatening to dismember him if he got himself injured or killed. 

Of course. Deidre said.  Long association made the transfer almost seamless.  The dark elf’s movements and mannerisms weren’t quite the same when Deidre was manipulating his body, but the differences were such that only people as close to him as Ysiane and Brindra would ever notice.  She couldn’t copy his spirit magic either, but as long as Elrion’s spirit stayed intact, so too did the protections he set in place.

Elrion discovered that making a carpet was simple.  Making a carpet that flew presented a bigger challenge.  While most creations in the spirit world were quite literally a function of mind over matter, the concentration of maintaining weapons, shielding, carpet, flying carpet, and providing directions and steering it where he wanted to go, left little ability to also search for the missing child’s spirit.  Out of the corner of his eye, Elrion saw a faint ripple of darkness separate itself from the general blackness of the spirit plane.  As the ripple grew closer, Elrion saw it was the very thing he had been trying to create—a flying carpet, or at least a floating, flat black mat-thing.  One corner suddenly lit up with tiny pinpricks of light forming an N inside a circle.  If Elrion chose to entrust his spirit to this new arrival, it shot upwards into the air without even a thought from the dark elf.  It seemed capable of sensing his thoughts, moving up, down, left, and right if Elrion thought of his intent to move in one particular those direction, and freed him from any need to maintain or fly the carpet himself.

(OOC: If Elrion opts to go with his own handmade one, the same events unfold, he’ll just be a lot more tired from maintaining more elements at once.  Downside of being a mentalist…magical energy comes from inside.)

Past the knot of trees that formed the edge of the park lands, everything widened back out into streets that connected to the rest of the city.  From his new vantage point, Elrion could sense, more than see, the spirits of the cityfolk below.  Finding one small child, especially a child whom the dark elf didn’t know and had never met before was a challenge—especially since he didn’t know how high or low to look.

It was the aura of another mage that caught Elrion’s attention first.  North and slightly east (to the right, he had to think.  Apparently carpets didn’t understand compass points.)  Then he detected a second mage, and then a child.  Assuming Elrion decided to investigate, he discovered that although he could sense three spirits, he could only actually see one elf, a laborer by the looks of him.  The elf seemed to be nervous, looking suspiciously at every passer-by as he quickly shuffled to the top of the steps leading to the sianne.  “Just a minute,” Elrion heard the unseen spirit say.  A moment later, a second elf, tall and lanky, appeared out of thin air with a bulky, child-size bag of the sort used for shipping grain on his shoulder.  Elrion likely could have guessed the missing boy’s location, even without his spirit talent to confirm.   

Suddenly his carpet lurched and dropped several feet.  It stopped just as suddenly, suspended in mid-air, then fell again, picking up speed as it plummeted.  The wind rushed past his ears and Elrion might have heard a cackle or a giggle, although he had bigger problems to worry about at the moment.  It froze again five feet above the ground, then slowly drifted the rest of the way down.

[Elrion]

Ysiane frowned, not quite knowing what was going on, but not at all happy at the idea of Elrion going after the missing child on his own (Deidre and assorted fey not withstanding).  But with Brindra and now Nessalia to keep out of trouble, she had no choice but to acquiesce.

"I'll be back soon." That, a quick smile, and a one-armed hug around Brindra's shoulders was all the reassurance that Elrion could give his Lady and their daughter before he left. In front of a stranger and outsider like Nessalia there wasn't much else that he could say.

Even now, part of the dark elf was vaguely disgruntled about having to skip out on his family in order to try and rescue some random jylen's child that he didn't even know. But if it hadn't been in him to care about the young boy's fate, he would probably never have come to love Ysiane and Brindra as he did, either. And perhaps he had grown into his role as a 'hero' of Lirynn, or perhaps... as Ysiane had said of herself... Elrion felt moved to make amends for the harm he had done in his years spent walking the dark path. Whatever the case, the dark elf never really paused to examine his feelings on the matter. He intended to rescue the boy, if he could. That was all.

Out of the corner of his eye, Elrion saw a faint ripple of darkness separate itself from the general blackness of the spirit plane.  As the ripple grew closer, Elrion saw it was the very thing he had been trying to create—a flying carpet, or at least a floating, flat black mat-thing.  One corner suddenly lit up with tiny pinpricks of light forming an N inside a circle.

Had Ysiane been able to read Elrion's thoughts as he departed, she might have been further exasperated to discover how confident he was in his own ability to recover the missing boy and return from the adventure unscathed. Granted, he was far from thrilled to be setting off alone, as that would hardly have been his first choice in the matter... though under these circumstances he saw little alternative. In any case, Elrion was sure he had handled far worse dangers on many occasions before. He had killed dozens of Wyrm Cultists and Winter Cultists singlehandedly in his time. If he could handle that, he could damned well deal with this, too.

Except that perhaps there was more to the situation than he had supposed, even after Txyslrn's warning. Creating a 'flying carpet' had been difficult, but the dark elf compensated by sacrificing nearly half of his impressive arsenal to help power the thing. That much did not faze him: it was the sudden arrival of the black flying carpet that first gave him pause. In that first, fleeting glance, he thought for a moment that the dark apparition was Kayos appearing on the scene. A closer inspection disabused him of that notion, but what he discovered wasn't really that much more comforting. The letter N, etched in points of light against the darkness... As if written in the stars, was what Elrion thought... what else could it stand for but Night? Within the gloom of the spirit world, the dark elf's lips twitched in a brief, wry smile. I knew it would eventually come to this. I knew it, ever since Elréndir showed up with hat in his hand.

That said, why now? Aside from the fact that both Deidre and Ysiane were presently occupied, and therefore unable to discourage him from accepting the silent offer, the timing could hardly have been more surprising. Elrion might care about the missing child, sure... but why would the dark demigoddess concern herself with such a thing? She could be merciful in her own, peculiar way, that was true. But enough so to volunteer unsolicited assistance without asking anything in return? Obviously there's something I'm missing, here. And I had actually thought I had the situation well in hand. Clearly not the case, if the demon-demigoddess was sticking her nose in, now. Still, there was little help for it. If Night wanted to involve herself for some reason, there wasn't much that Elrion could do to stop her; if she was in a generous mood, it would behoove him to take advantage for as long as that lasted. Whatever Night's reasons, a child's life was at stake here.

I'm wondering what you're up to, Elrion murmured 'aloud' into the spirit world. But you have my thanks, and I'll accept your aid... with the understanding that it's freely given. And not without some trepidation, he boarded the flying device.

Past the knot of trees that formed the edge of the park lands, everything widened back out into streets that connected to the rest of the city.  From his new vantage point, Elrion could sense, more than see, the spirits of the cityfolk below.  Finding one small child, especially a child whom the dark elf didn’t know and had never met before was a challenge—especially since he didn’t know how high or low to look.

Had the case of the missing child been an entirely mundane affair, the dark elf would have little enough chance of finding the boy. Nessalia's description alone really wasn't much to go on. There were undoubtedly hundreds of young lads with dark blond hair and green eyes in the city, any number of whom might be wearing blue jackets, too. Hell, that description might have fit Elrion himself when he was small. He did not, however, a marked absence of any such boys flying through the air, under their own power or otherwise. That left hunting for signs of mages as the dark elf's only real means of continuing his search. Happily, his efforts on that account were successful, and before long he was zeroing in on the suspicious party in question. A brief inspection of the bag, from afar, and his suspicions were confirmed. Young Whatever-His-First-Name-Was Fainaech was being kidnapped.

The black carpet's abrupt, dramatic descent surprised Elrion... and yet, it was also the least surprising surprise he'd had so far today. Truth be told he'd been half-expecting something like this from the moment he had decided to hop aboard. He even half-thought the thing was trying to kill him outright (although on second thought he was uncertain whether plunging into the physical ground could have done his spiritual form any real harm, regardless). In any case, the dark elf was not unprepared for this unpleasant development, since he'd been considering for some time now what he would do if and when this moment came. His spiritual armor abruptly sprouted out-sized wings, aiming to catch the spiritual wind and turn his precipitous descent into a slow glide. Happily, regardless of whether his effort was successful, it turned out that the carpet-creature's intentions were not as malicious as he had thought in that first nasty instant or two.

Most amusing, Elrion snarled at the thing, upon alighting unharmed on the ground. You're quite the jips'nee, aren't you. And turned to inspect the pair of mages, winding heavy spiritual camouflage around himself as he did so.

The dark elf's first instinct was to leap to the attack, but assuming that the men did not immediately react to the arrival of his spirit form, he restrained himself. Quite possibly Elrion was a strong enough mage to kill both the kidnappers, but what about the boy? There was no telling what they intended to do with him. Might they even kill the child rather than allow him to be rescued? Even if they were no match for the dark elf (and that in itself was a dangerous assumption), he was not at all sure he could overpower them both before their victim came to harm.

The child has been kidnapped, he sent to Deidre, through the private link between them. There are two keyanysen here who have him stuffed in a bag. I'm going to attempt a rescue. For that, though, he would be needing assistance. And while Deidre might share his report with Ysiane, his Lady was both currently preoccupied and likely too far away to make it to the steps of the sianne in time. Meanwhile Night's help absolutely could not be depended on, and in any case was most likely expended already. So, the dark elf's next move was to attempt to summon Belélith. If the little shadow fey showed up, as Elrion hoped, he ought to be able to pull the Fainaech boy through one of his portals to a place of relative safety. Then Elrion could deal with the kidnappers without having to worry about the child being harmed in any crossfire. Sorry for the summoning, Belélith, but this is an emergency situation. If you can hear me, I need your help.

[KM Imbri]

Most amusing, Elrion snarled at the thing, upon alighting unharmed on the ground. You're quite the jips'nee, aren't you. And turned to inspect the pair of mages, winding heavy spiritual camouflage around himself as he did so.

The dark elf was talking to a carpet, and so should not have been too surprised that the thing lacked facial expressions and capabilities of speech.  It folded itself partway over, drooping as if in remorse, reproach, or sulkiness—it was hard to tell.  And the dark elf didn’t really have time to stand there guessing the moods of a flying carpet, even if it did belong to a demi-goddess.  Elrion’s wings melted away as the dark elf re-directed his powers towards more useful weapons now that he was back on ‘solid’ ground once more.  Studying the mages, it was fairly evident that neither possessed a lick of spirit talent, nor had any idea of Elrion’s presence.  The taller elf obviously had some power over light and space, while the other’s was not as evident but lacked the strong shields that signified a spirit mage.  Which was not to say that either mage was completely exposed, and while Elrion might feel reasonably confident that he could take them both on (particularly with the element of surprise he currently enjoyed) there was an unacceptable level of risk that they might change the game from a kidnapping to a murder if things went south.

Understood Deidre sent back.  Ysiane is keeping Nessalia and Brindra where we left them.  I’ve found a place out of sight, if you need me...  Of course, Elrion knew as well as anyone the dangers inherent in leaving his physical body ‘unoccupied’.  He would be unable to defend against a physical attack or an unfriendly spirit could slip in.  Elrion was likely strong enough to evict most any wandering spirit who took advantage, but gods only know what trouble the ghost could get up to in the meantime.

Sorry for the summoning, Belélith, but this is an emergency situation. If you can hear me, I need your help.

A typical spirit mage would have bound the shadow faery to him and been all but assured of the creature coming to his aid.  The mad, snarling creatures Elrion had dealt with the previous day had been bound to their mage and had little choice but to go where called.  Belélith (along with most of the other fey of Elrion’s acquaintance) could be summoned and forced to help if the dark elf so willed, but to do so would harm the relationships that Elrion had spent years cultivating.

Fortunately, today Belélith responded immediately, a nearly-invisible shadow against the dark-as-night spirit realm.  The shakréan seemed slightly surprised and obviously concerned.  As was typical when flustered, Belélith reverted to the hive-mindset speech patterns common to his type.  We here! What happen? Where be hive?  He fluttered around for a moment, before finally landing on the dark elf’s shoulder.  As Elrion explained the situation and what he wanted from the shadow faery, Belélith calmed down.  We try, Belélith said. But all of them? How we get small one away from others?

While Elrion had been summoning, and then explaining matters to Belélith, the kidnappers had been making their way down the steps to the sianne.  They carried the bag with their victim between them, each man grasping one end.  The taller elf went first, so with the relative height differences between the upper and lower steps, the bag stayed relatively level.  Belélith could make a portal, but moving the child without taking his kidnappers along for the ride would require getting him out of his cloth prison or getting the two elves to drop the bag.  With Elrion currently lacking physical form, the first would prove more difficult than the second.

Then, the dark elf heard a familiar and irritated-sounding yowl.  On an overhanging branch a short distance from where the kidnappers were, stood Saarlani.  The elves heard her too, the shorter one stopping suddenly with a jerk. “What was that!?” he cried.

“Haven’t you seen a cat before, you ke’yesh jips'nee?” growled his companion.  “Keep moving!”  He took another step down, just as Saarlani launched herself from the tree in a blur of gray fur.  She darted between the elf’s feet, tangling and tripping him.  With a string of blistering oaths (that Elrion was thankful Brindra could not hear, no doubt), the elf put out his hands to stop his fall as he toppled, letting go of his end of the sack as he did so.  Belélith decided this was as good an opportunity as any and called up a portal just above the steps, which the lower half the sack fell into.  The second elf still had a hold of the other end while he stood there slack jawed with surprise.  Saarlani ran between his feet as well, extending her claws for a vicious swipe at his leg.  The elf screeched as she scratched him, and pressed his hand to his now-bloody leg.  “That gya'she shas'yenas clawed me!  What the hell!?”

The last oath was due to the bag with the captive child, now falling freely, disappearing into Belélith’s portal.  Both elves made a futile grab for the sack, but the shakréan quickly shut the portal down and they crashed into one another, staggering and nearly falling back down on the wide step.  “You idiot! Why’d you let go? Sodding moron! And you’re supposed to be watching out for mages! Where’d that gate come from? And the familiar? Ayak'aysh!” The taller elf let loose on his unfortunate companion.  “Get that cursed cat!” He pointed up the stairs where Saarlani had stopped to enjoy the results of her work.  Both elves started back up the stairs, rage and murderous intentions plain on their faces.  Saarlani decided the show was over and began racing the rest of the way back up to the terai.  The foiled kidnappers ran faster after her.

[Elrion]

Understood Deidre sent back.  Ysiane is keeping Nessalia and Brindra where we left them.  I’ve found a place out of sight, if you need me...

For now I need you where you are, Elrion replied. If all goes well, I'll soon be having Belélith portal the child away. Back to my body, I think, since you're safely concealed. You'll need to take charge of him until I can return to my physical self. It would be a damned shame after all to save the boy in one moment and lose him again in the next.

The first part of the dark elf's plan, at least, went just as he had hoped. Thanks for coming on such short notice, he greeted the shadow fey. You're a lifesaver, as usual, Belélith. Now... you see those two men, just over there? They're kidnapping a child. They've got him stuffed into that bag. I can't get my body here in time to save the boy, and I sort of have my heart set on rescuing him. I was hoping you could suck him through one of your portals and drop him off near my physical self. And through his link to the lady ghost, he called, Belélith is here. If you can send us an image of your location, please, Deidre?

We try, Belélith said. But all of them? How we get small one away from others?

We'll have to make them drop the bag, said Elrion. I'll call for some of the household fire fey to set fire to their hair. That ought to do it. While individual fey couldn't do all that much damage to a person, they could certainly handle something like that, at least. And even though he could hardly hope to incapacitate the kidnappers in such a manner, there wasn't an elf or yrani alive who could coolly ignore the fact that his scalp had been set alight. Yes, they'd drop the bag, all right. Then the dark elf could deal with them at his leisure.

As it turned out, however, that part of Elrion's plan proved to be unnecessary, thanks to the timely arrival of Saarlani. An attack on the kidnappers by an enraged feline was the last thing that the dark elf had been expecting at this point... proving the little cat true, once again, to her name. Yet given her history, the cat's intercession wasn't quite as surprising as it might otherwise have been. It was, after all, Saarlani who had been responsible for their discovery of the bael'lian of Na'el in the Winter Tree. The dark elf had little idea of how the cat knew the things that she did. Feline intuition, perhaps? Some magical sixth-sense imbued in her by the Mageling's tampering? Or even some kind of divine inspiration, perhaps...? Whatever the explanation for it, her attack on the kidnappers provided a welcome and much needed diversion.

Well done, Belélith! the dark elf exclaimed, as the shakrean seized his opportunity. And almost simultaneously he sent, Incoming, Deidre! Or at least he hoped it was to the lady ghost (and his physical body) that the child was headed now.

“Get that cursed cat!” He pointed up the stairs where Saarlani had stopped to enjoy the results of her work.

"Get that cat?" Elrion repeated in disgust. Idiots. You'd think they'd have bigger things to worry about, at the moment.

As in point of fact they did. With the captured child out of the way, there was no longer any need for the dark elf to restrain himself. While he might have liked to capture the two strange keyanysen alive, for questioning if nothing else, to do so would be somewhat impractical, since he had no physical presence with which to apprehend them. Spirit-binding them might have worked, but Elrion had never really tried that on a mage, before. He was uncertain how effective such restraints would be against one with the power to manipulate magical energy; at the very least, he doubted they would last long enough for the guards to come and capture these two. Better to kill them now, then, than risk allowing them to escape. And anyway, now Saarlani was the one in need of rescuing.

Grytl take you, the dark elf growled, and as quickly as he could will it to be so, he buried a half-dozen of his spiritual daggers in each of the mages' backs. Just one would have been enough to kill a normal man, of course, but these two were hardly defenseless. To them even this barrage of deadly spiritual blades might be no more than an opening sally... but at least it ought to take their minds off of revenge against Saarlani, for starters. On the other hand, if they proved totally resistant to his spiritual assault, then perhaps it still wasn't too late to have the fire fey set those men ablaze in one or two inconvenient places.

[KM Imbri]

Belélith didn’t understand everything Elrion said, and had the situation been less urgent, the dark elf would have been subjected to a series of questions as to what a ‘lifesaver’ was and how did one set a heart on something.  Fortunately for Elrion’s patience, by the time things would calm enough for Belélith to pepper him with questions, the shakrean would likely have forgotten all about it.  Deidre concentrated on sending a mental image of a copse of trees clustered around, shielding her (or rather, Elrion’s body) from sight.  Unless they were extremely unlucky and some random veren happened to stumble into the overgrowth at an inopportune moment, Belélith should be able to deliver his ‘package’ unseen.

Elrion’s plan was sound, if unnecessary.  The fire fey had clustered around Ysiane and Brindra when the alarm first went up.  While all fey of the household would generally respond to any of the mages, they had favorites even as the three elves did.  Unsurprisingly, the fire faeries were most attached to Ysiane and Elrion’s not-so-secret sympathies for the wood fey in the ongoing mock war put him at further disadvantage.  They would come when he called, but Saarlani was already present and had a plan of her own.  The dark elf could speculate til the moons fell from the sky, but even if he could talk to the cat, he very much doubted she’d ever tell him what led to her surprising (yet useful) behavior.

"Get that cat?" Elrion repeated in disgust.

“The cat? What about--” the shorter elf echoed, apparently sharing Elrion’s opinion that the pair had bigger problems.

“Idiot!” the other screamed again. “It’s obviously a mage’s familiar!  Gates don’t open for no reason.  Get the cat or we’ll never find the brat!”

Saarlani was about to be the least of their concerns as Elrion launched his attack on the pair.  The shorter elf jerked as the knives struck home, falling heavily on the steps.  Not dead yet, Elrion could see the man’s spirit flickering as he stubbornly clung to life via his generally unharmed physical body.  The other mage was luckier or cannier for the knives deflected at the last moment, leaving him scratched and wounded but still standing.  He faltered mid-step in his pursuit of Saarlani, nearly tripping over his fallen companion.  Quickly revising his plans to account for these new developments, the tall elf suddenly threw himself sideways off of the steps.  The fall would surely have killed a normal creature, but Elrion could see the man’s spirit even after he was long gone from physical sight.  A moment later, even his spiritual presence faded but Elrion was certain the man hadn’t died.

His abandoned companion was attempting to struggle back to his feet.  “Ayak'aysh” he spat.  “Coward! Come out and fight like a man.”  Of course, even if the dark elf had been so inclined to grant the kidnapper’s request, it would be difficult with his physical body quite some distance away.

Elrion? Deidre sounded worried. Shouldn’t he be here by now?  Travel via Belélith’s portals wasn’t quite instantaneous, but close enough that the child should have been safely under Deidre’s care.  Oh…Problem. Belélith said. Back soon!  The shadow faery vanished without further explanation. Saarlani had stopped again, right next to where spirit-Elrion stood.  The feline gave no indication she knew the dark elf was there, but it would hardly be unreasonable to assume she very well did.  After Belélith vanished, she gave a hissing snarl that Elrion would have sworn sounded like a sigh of disgust.

[Elrion]

Saarlani was about to be the least of their concerns as Elrion launched his attack on the pair.  The shorter elf jerked as the knives struck home, falling heavily on the steps.  Not dead yet, Elrion could see the man’s spirit flickering as he stubbornly clung to life via his generally unharmed physical body.  The other mage was luckier or cannier for the knives deflected at the last moment, leaving him scratched and wounded but still standing.

The dark elf smiled faintly, watching the effects of his knives on the two mages with what might be described as clinical interest. He had seen wounded spirits before, but the spirit in question usually belonged to another Spirit mage. Powerless creatures just died instantly; of course he had never really expected that keyanysen would do the same. Mentalists or not, it seemed their spirits were indeed stronger than those of mundane folk. Not that it would save them for long. Tough or not, their spirits weren't invulerable either, whereas... as they had no access to the spirit world... Elrion's soul was quite beyond their grasp.

His smile vanished instantly, however, as the taller of the kidnappers fell and then disappeared. That man must have been a Force mage, with his space-bending powers. Apparently he was also strong enough to spirit himself away to safety from right out of thin air... while plunging to what should have been his death, no less. Well, that man was lost to Elrion now. And in another moment the dark elf no longer even cared. Much as it had been for the hapless kidnappers, he was about to discover that the situation was more dire than he had thought.

Elrion? Deidre sounded worried. Shouldn’t he be here by now?  Travel via Belélith’s portals wasn’t quite instantaneous, but close enough that the child should have been safely under Deidre’s care.  Oh…Problem. Belélith said. Back soon! The shadow faery vanished without further explanation.

What-- Elrion began. But of course Belélith was gone before he could so much as utter the question. Damn it all! Something's gone wrong, the dark elf called back to Deidre. Belélith is fixing it right now. At least I pray to Grytl that he is.

He was a bit too upset himself to make that sound entirely reassuring. In fact Elrion was afraid that he'd just managed to lose the boy forever. Sweeping him away through a portal had seemed like a fine idea at the time, if somewhat desperate. Now all he could think about was Faiyliania's fate. While the dark elf hoped that all that had happened was that Belélith had made a small miscalculation and (very) temporarily misplaced the child in his excitement, he was all too aware that far worse might have come to pass. The boy might have been intercepted by some other of his kidnappers, perhaps. Or even taken by Night, given her apparent involvement in this affair. And if that had happened Elrion wouldn't even be able to blame the dark demigoddess. He would practically have handed the boy over to her on a platter thanks to his own foolishness.

But there was no time to waste on self-recriminations now, especially since not all of the facts were in, yet. There was still the one remaining kidnapper to deal with. Given all that had just happened, Elrion elected to revise his own plans and try to capture that one alive, after all. With the man's partner gone, the attempt would be somewhat less dangerous at least, and he could always change his mind and kill the man if he proved too resistant to capture. Whereas on the other hand if you murdered someone right off the bat, it was generally too late to go back and un-kill them once you'd thought better of it. Anyway, if the boy was now lost as Elrion feared he might be, the remaining kidnapper might just be the dark elf's only hope of getting any answers about what had happened here.

Attempting a possession would have been quick and to the point, but also quite risky. So far as Elrion knew this man had no way of harming his spiritual form... but that might change if he got close enough to come into actual contact with the kidnapper's spirit. Even a non-keyansyen cultist had nearly killed the dark elf that way, once before. So, despite his own earlier misgivings, Elrion simply bound the wounded man's soul in the heaviest spiritual chains that he could manage, and hoped that that would suffice given the kidnapper's weakened state. Even then he supposed he'd have to keep a close eye on the man (or arrange for a powerful gathering of fey to do the same) if he wanted the kidnapper to remain where he was until he could be made a prisoner in the flesh as well as in spirit.

The feline gave no indication she knew the dark elf was there, but it would hardly be unreasonable to assume she very well did.  After Belélith vanished, she gave a hissing snarl that Elrion would have sworn sounded like a sigh of disgust.

Well, I didn't see you doing very much better, the dark elf grumbled right back at her... nevermind whether she could "hear" him, or even whether she'd been addressing him at all. And calling out to his shakrean companion: Any luck, Belélith? Have you managed to find the boy? If the shadow fey could not, then Elrion was going to have an interesting time explaining this fiasco to Nessalia. Ysiane, too, for that matter. His Lady would not be at all pleased if he had in fact fumbled his rescue attempt as badly as he now feared he had... and no doubt it was terrible to be worrying about that when a child's life was at stake, but nevertheless, there it was.

Almost as an afterthought, Elrion glanced about to see if the dark flying carpet was still in the area. If it was, that might be a reassuring sign. If it was not, however, that could not help but seem suspicious.

[KM Imbri]

The humans had a saying about snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, but in Elrion’s case it was rapidly appearing as if he had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.  Deidre didn’t respond to his less-than-reassuring explanation, though he could sense her concern through their bond.  She was still far more useful in her current position, guarding Elrion’s body, than helping the dark elf search for the missing (again) child.  It wouldn’t even be of much use to return to Ysiane and her charges just yet, for both Ysiane and Brindra would know something serious had come up to take Elrion away from his physical self and both would be worried.  Brindra’s talents would be more useful than her mother’s, but nothing much beyond what Elrion himself could do.  And neither the dark elf nor his Lady would want their daughter getting mixed up in whatever was going on if they could help it.

As Elrion threw his spiritual chains about the wounded kidnapper, the elf sank back down on his knees, leaning heavily against the stairs.  He pressed his hands to his chest, struggling for breath as if he’d been physically stabbed, only of course there were no obvious wounds.  Whatever particular talents this keyansyen had, it apparently didn’t serve him well against an invisible spirit.  Ironically, the man’s determination to cling to life suited Elrion’s purpose of keeping him captive.  Had the mage died, it was extremely likely that he would have emerged on the spirit plane ready for a fight.  Instead, he was forced to put most of his attention to simply staying alive.

Well, I didn't see you doing very much better, the dark elf grumbled right back at her... nevermind whether she could "hear" him, or even whether she'd been addressing him at all. And calling out to his shakrean companion: Any luck, Belélith? Have you managed to find the boy?

Saarlani used her rough tongue to begin washing her paw, contemptuously ignoring the dark elf.  Now that the kidnappers were no longer chasing after her, the cat seemed in no hurry to go anywhere.  Although the next time Elrion looked at where she had been sitting, Saarlani had disappeared.

The flying carpet was still very much present, however.  It floated gently on a non-existent breeze and when Elrion’s gaze fell on it, the carpet drifted closer until it was only a few feet away from the dark elf, hovering at about his waist.  The tiny pinpricks of light were still visible, but barely.  It seemed to be waiting for Elrion to say or do something.

Belélith didn’t respond for several long moments, during which no doubt Elrion could clearly envision Ysiane’s ire when he reported back that he had permanently lost the child through his own foolishness.  At least if the kidnappers had slit the child’s throat, there would be someone else to blame.  Just about the time at which the dark elf was starting to wonder if Belélith had pulled a fast one on him and was secretly in cahoots with some enemy, the shakrean popped back to the spirit plane, literally right in front of Elrion’s nose.

Found.  Is safe home with us. Belélith reported, though he sounded puzzled rather than excited or relieved.  Still problem…Bag not go through portal.  We not know why.  Not happen before.

[Elrion]

Saarlani used her rough tongue to begin washing her paw, contemptuously ignoring the dark elf.

Elrion was no stranger to being contemptuously ignored by Saarlani. For now he went on to ignore her right back, as enjoying his daily dose of feline attitude was far from his primary concern at the moment. While the question of whether Saarlani could actually hear him from the spirit world might well occur to the dark elf again at some later and less troubled time, at present he was more concerned with the question of the dark carpet. Its continued presence was something of a relief, truth be told. Elrion was reasonably sure that if Night had been involved in whatever had happened to the Fainaech boy, her creature would have quickly fled the scene.

It floated gently on a non-existent breeze and when Elrion’s gaze fell on it, the carpet drifted closer until it was only a few feet away from the dark elf, hovering at about his waist.  The tiny pinpricks of light were still visible, but barely.  It seemed to be waiting for Elrion to say or do something.

Well, thanks for the ride, the dark elf told the thing. I couldn't have caught them without you. For whatever good my catching them did, anyhow, he muttered. Now, I don't suppose you know anything about what happened to the boy, do you? Elrion wiggled one hand through the air, approximating what it might look like if a carpet attempted to nod. One flap for yes, two flaps for no? No doubt it was a forlorn hope to find out anything useful by questioning what was, in essence, a glorified animated rug. Still, it wasn't as though Elrion had anything more productive to do than talk to the demonic flying contraption just now. And Night's carpet had seemed to understand him, before.

Paranoid though he was, Elrion was nothing if not loyal to his friends, as well as family, and he had trusted Belélith with his very life more than once before. It would take a great deal more than a mere delay before he began suspecting the shadow fey of treachery, although by the time he finally heard from him, he was starting to wonder whether Belélith had somehow been waylaid by the same unknown force that had claimed the missing child in mid-transit. Naturally the shakrean's return came as quite the relief.

Found.  Is safe home with us. Belélith reported, though he sounded puzzled rather than excited or relieved. Still problem…Bag not go through portal.  We not know why.  Not happen before.

Good, the dark elf replied to Belélith's first point, some of the tension easing out of him. He greeted the shakrean's next words with a half-sigh, half-growl. Someone else's magic must have interfered with yours, Belélith. Perhaps the child had a hidden talent for magic after all, and falling through your portal was enough to awaken it. Or maybe some third party was trying to re-capture him, or to tamper with him in some way. I'll have to examine him myself to be sure. But Belélith, Elrion asked tiredly, as a new thought occurred to him, what do you mean by 'home' and 'with us?' Did you manage to drop him off near my body? Near Deidre? Or are you telling me that the boy somehow ended up on your world, and is with the rest of your Clan?

If Belélith meant the former, then all was well... for now, and as far as the dark elf knew. Hopefully all he'd have to do was deal with getting the child back to his sharéynéa, and then having the guards pick up his captured kidnapper before the man managed to recover and escape. Of course, if the child had been conscious for his unexpectedly un-bagged ride through Belélith's portal, he would probably go home with some quite bizarre stories to tell... but that would hardly matter, since few would believe the wild tales of such a young child. On the other hand, if the boy was now in Belélith's homeworld for some reason, getting him back where he ought to be might present an entirely new headache.

[KM Imbri]

Now, I don't suppose you know anything about what happened to the boy, do you?

Given his low expectations, Elrion might have been truly surprised when the carpet answered his question with one ‘flap’ that roughly imitated the movement the dark elf had made.  It followed that with three sharp twists from side to side.  Unfortunately, unless he was a very good guesser, it could take a very long time for the dark elf to decipher what the thing was telling him, assuming the carpet wasn’t just frolicking for the heck of it.  If Elrion asked the carpet whether Night was involved, he got two firm flaps.  Which at least drastically increased the possibility that the strange creature was in fact communicating.

Belélith’s return put a stop to Elrion’s attempts at understanding Night’s flying carpet.  Though the first part of the shakrean’s news no doubt came as a relief—magical tampering aside, at least the boy hadn’t been torn to pieces and wasn’t lost in some void—as the dark elf feared, the second half of Belélith’s news was not nearly so satisfying. 

Or are you telling me that the boy somehow ended up on your world, and is with the rest of your Clan?

Yes. Belélith replied simply.  With us Clan.

The shakrean had been a faithful and helpful companion on more occasions than Elrion could count.  The mad mage with his many altered pets, Saarlani amongst them, for all his eccentricities was a rather sympathetic and friendly character.  Even the oversized wolves that had threatened Elrion and Ysiane on their first visit to the abnormal plane had proven helpful in the past.  Overall, Elrion’s experiences with the denizens of Belélith’s homeworld was largely positive, but getting to said homeworld was indeed as the dark elf feared, a headache of immense proportions.  The wayward mirror that had first sent Elrion and his Lady there had been destroyed.  Belélith’s portals were apparently on the fritz, either accidentally or due to deliberate tampering.  The plane might be accessible from the spirit world, but only if Elrion found a gateway much like the door to Night’s Hell.  And the spirit plane was far larger than the dark elf could hope to search in his lifetime.

The carpet bobbed up and down, balanced on one edge.  It looked like an overeager child trying to capture its parents’ attention.  Flipping over to lie flat again (though Elrion couldn’t tell if it had ‘righted’ itself or was now face down relative to its previous orientation…on the other hand, being a black carpet made that an irrelevant question), it hovered low above the ground as if inviting the dark elf to take another ride…if he dared.

[Elrion]

If Elrion asked the carpet whether Night was involved, he got two firm flaps.  Which at least drastically increased the possibility that the strange creature was in fact communicating.

Well, the dark elf said, I suppose I'll take your word for that.

If nothing else, the carpet's denial of any involvement by Night in the boy's disappearance implied that he could not look forward to an overt attempt at ransom from the demigoddess. And that, in turn, implied that Night intended to continue playing nice. The carpet-creature's admission that it did know something about where the boy had gone was not entirely surprising either, however. Even if Night hadn't taken the boy, she clearly had some interest in this affair. Unfortunately it was equally clear that Elrion was not going to be able to get very much more out of the flying rug. Even if it was willing to elaborate on its claim, nevermind whether or not he could expect it to tell him the truth, the flying carpet's ability to communicate seemed... limited, at best.

Still, he essayed one final question. Does Night want something? Elrion asked quietly. From me, I mean? His Lady would have called it a foolish question, no doubt. But to the dark elf, it seemed just as likely that the demigoddess was more interested in the boy, or perhaps in something even more tangential to this affair. Her motives had never been easy to predict.

Yes. Belélith replied simply.  With us Clan.

Elrion slapped the palm of one hand to his forehead with a smack that was audible even in the spirit world, and spent a moment grinding his teeth together in frustration. Then he gave a shrug and a sigh. Thank you, Belélith. Well done. Since you said he's safe with your Clan, I assume you're watching out for him... making sure he doesn't drown in the swamp or get eaten by the Mageling's wolves, or like that? Not that he doubted that the shakrean Clan would do such, but it would be nice to hear confirmation. Well, until we figure out what fouled up your powers just then, it seems like the Mageling will be our best option at this point. Thank Grytl I got him back his portal device. The question being exactly how I'm going to get the boy to it, let alone through it.

Happily(?), Night's dark carpet seemed ready and willing to provide the answer needed. The dark elf looked down at the object/creature with weary acquiescence, if not enthusiasm. Yes, of course, he muttered. Much obliged again, I'm sure. Just give me a moment, will you? And he called again through his mental channel to Deidre. There's good news, and bad news, he told the lady ghost. We've found the Fainaech boy safe and sound. But he's on the shakrean's backwards world, for some reason. I'm going to try and bring him back. I should also probably tell you that Night has taken an interest in our little rescue operation. She's sent some sort of flying-carpet-looking demon to carry me to the child. I'm just about to ride the thing. Unless, perhaps, you have a better idea? he asked hopefully.

Not that Elrion really thought that Deidre could produce, offhand, some less-alarming solution to their little problem. Still, he would be glad to have a second opinion before he went charging off blindly on some contraption of Night's. Perhaps there was something he was overlooking which his ghostly companion would not. Perhaps this plan of his was even more insane than it seemed, and in his desperation he just wasn't considering the matter clearly enough. He was not at all unaware that he had a blind spot when it came to Night. If nothing else, in case this was the time the demigoddess decidedly to pull something unpleasant on him, he'd need Deidre to inform his Lady of exactly who the culprit was.

Listen, he said at last, if Deidre was unable to propose a workable alternative strategy. I need you to walk my body over to the nearest trustworthy guard patrol you can find and tell them that I've subdued a dangerous keyanysen criminal. Elréndir is going to need to take that man into custody, or he'll escape... or be rescued... before I can get back here. And he sent along a mental image of what the captured kidnapper looked like, along with his location. If I'm not back in a l’ínarin or two, I'll need you to tell Milady what happened. Until then, try not to answer many questions. Just say that you're... I'm... still working on the situation. The dark elf supposed that Ysiane would be, to put it mildly, less than thrilled to learn about Night's involvement, not to mention his acceptance of the dark deity's aide. Better, then, that he return to tell her about it in person rather than let her hear about it secondhand from Deidre.

Flipping over to lie flat again (though Elrion couldn’t tell if it had ‘righted’ itself or was now face down relative to its previous orientation…on the other hand, being a black carpet made that an irrelevant question), it hovered low above the ground as if inviting the dark elf to take another ride…if he dared.

Just about ready, the dark elf said. In all honesty, I hadn't expected our association to last long enough that it would matter, but since it seems we aren't yet done here... it's going to be rather cumbersome to keep thinking of you as 'Night's flying carpet demon.' So if you don't mind, I'll be calling you... Nightwing? Fly-by-Night? Mmm... no. Nocturne, perhaps? Yes, that will do, I think. Unless you object? Unless the carpet somehow indicated dissaproval, or that it already had a name, Nocturne it would be. At the last, and not without a few misgivings, Elrion boarded the carpet once again. Bring me to the boy, then, Nocturne. And please... no more fancy tricks.

[KM Imbri]

OOC: I think March flew away on a magic carpet.  What a crazy month.  A long post to make up for a long absence.

IC: 

Does Night want something? Elrion asked quietly. From me, I mean?

His answer was an ambiguous three flaps that maybe meant 'yes and no', or 'I don't know', or 'I like flapping about instead of answering your questions'.  Still, past experience with Night strongly suggested that if she did want something from Elrion, he'd learn about it sooner, rather than later.  And he also knew Deidre and Ysiane would not be happy about it.

Belélith's news was frustrating, though the dark elf could have been in a far worse predicament.  He didn't have to feel responsible for accidentally killing the boy, and while retrieving him from Belélith's homeworld would be no picnic, at least he wasn't permanently misplaced.  The shakrean assured him that we is watching him.  For now, he sits on a large log.  Which was probably the safest thing to do, considering the circumstances.  But from Nessalia's description, her charge was very young and likely lacking in common sense.  Unless the child had an activated spirit talent, which was not an unreasonable assumption, Belélith's clan wouldn't be able to tell him help was on the way.  Fortunately...though whether the fortune was good or bad remained to be seen...a means of reaching the odd world presented itself quickly.  The carpet hovered patiently while Elrion sent his message to Deidre. 

I'm just about to ride the thing. Unless, perhaps, you have a better idea?

Elrion's spirit talent generally didn't detect emotions, but the link he shared with Deidre was unique and occasionally they could feel each other's emotional state even across distances, particularly when the emotion was strong--like the stunned surprise the dark elf was feeling now.  I... she started, then sighed heavily. I really, really wish I did.  But I don't.  The only thing I can think of is if Quastyr has found a substitute or replacement for Lady Ysiane's broken miror, and he's not in any condition to say. 

I understand, Deidre told him, after receiving the mental picture of the captured kidnapper.  And if I don't hear from you in two l’ínarin, Txyslrn and I will come find you.  Their bond would help lead Deidre to wherever Elrion might be, and Txyslrn was both familiar with and knowledgeable about the spirit planes.  And very few creatures had any desire to cross paths with an angry chimaera.  None of which meant things couldn't go very badly for Elrion in the intervening time period, but it was a risk he had chosen to take.

Bring me to the boy, then, Nocturne. And please... no more fancy tricks.

One flap indicated that the carpet found 'Nocturne' acceptable, which was just as well.  If the thing already had a name, they could stand there the rest of the day playing Question and Answer until Elrion guessed correctly.  Once the dark elf had seated himself on the flying conveyance, all communication became one-sided out of necessity--since Nocturne would have ended up throwing Elrion off if it tried its one-flap/two-flap response.  Belélith attached himself to Elrion's spiritual shoulder, electing to ride along instead of return home under his own power.  Nocturne rose up smoothly, though the inky darkness of the void made it impossible to get a sense of how far off of the 'ground' they were.  Once the carpet was happy with their altitude, it accelerated gently forward.  There wasn't much to see at first, but gradually the blank darkness gave way to a vast desert of black, shining sand with the occasional misshapen bush.  At the desert's edge rose a series of jagged cliffs with narrow canyons between them.  If Elrion stretched his hands out to either side, he could touch them both, but the carpet flew straight and true through the passageway, occasionally adjusting up and down to avoid rock ledges or overhead formations.  The final canyon sloped downwards, and a rust-colored river flowed swiftly along its bottom before cascading down yet another cliff, forming a massive waterfall that sprayed mist several feet into the air. 

Nocturne slowed as it flew out over the waterfall, stopping and hovering mid-air.  Careful not to jostle its passenger, the carpet lifted its front left corner as if pointing towards the falls.  The curtain of water was too thick and fast to see anything but dark shadows behind it, but evidently that's where Nocturne intended to go.  Hopefully it wasn't about to deliberately smash them both into the cliff in a grand suicide manuver.  Possibly the dark elf could jump off and survive a fall into the water below, but there was no guarantee of that either.  Nocturne seemed to be waiting for Elrion to signal that he was ready, and assuming the dark elf did so, accelerated straight into the roaring falls. 

Spirit water was as real to his spirit form as regular water to his physical body, and despite Nocturne's speed, Elrion was drenched by the time they passed through the falls into a long cave with glittering silver walls.  The carpet was sodden as well.  Fortunately this didn't seem to affect its ability to fly, though it did slow down.  The walls were shiny enough that Elrion could see their blurred reflection as they sped by, and as they went further, it began to appear as if they were flying backwards.  The passageway tilted sharply downwards and the walls faded to rough, black stone.

Then they were out of the cave system and floating over a strange, twisted forest and swamp that Elrion recognized as belonging to Belélith's home plane.  With a bird's eye view (or shakrean eye view), there was an odd sort of symmetry to the madness that could almost be considered aesthetically pleasing.  That way/ Belélith directed, and Nocturne altered course away from the thickest tangle of trees and towards a clearing spot at the edge of the swamp.  As they dropped down, Elrion saw a small elven boy with dark blonde hair and wearing a blue jacket.  He was standing with his back to the very edge of the swamp--another few steps and he might well fall in and drown.  His attention was fixed on the five large wolves in front of him. 

As Elrion drew closer, he realized the wolves seemed to be squaring off against one another--three standing facing the other two, blocking their companions from reaching the child.  The two, one female and one male, and both larger than the three who stood in their way, were showing their fangs and snarling.  The other three stood quietly but tense, ready for a fight.  Elrion could sense, but not see Belélith's clan hovering nearby.  They were aware of him, of course, but none of the others on the ground had detected the dark elf's arrival yet.

[Elrion]

OOC: Worth waiting for, as always.

His answer was an ambiguous three flaps that maybe meant 'yes and no', or 'I don't know', or 'I like flapping about instead of answering your questions'.

I see, the dark elf said. Not that he actually did see much, but the ambiguity of the answer did square pretty well with everything else about Night. There was more that he wanted to ask, beginning with whether Faiyliania was well and if she had ever left the demonic plane. It was fairly easy to avoid the temptation of asking, however, since it he would have next to no chance of getting coherent answers. At least not unless he did want to wait around all day... and risk letting the Fainaech boy's time run out.

I... she started, then sighed heavily. I really, really wish I did.  But I don't.  The only thing I can think of is if Quastyr has found a substitute or replacement for Lady Ysiane's broken miror, and he's not in any condition to say.  

Lovely, Elrion replied wearily. That's about what I thought you'd say. And then, Thank you, Deidre. Grytl willing I'll be back long before then. For lack of a better place, when I find the boy, I'll try to drop him off in the same clearing you were waiting in before.

And then there was really nothing left to do but board Nocturne and hope for the best. The dark elf couldn't really blame Belélith for hitching a ride. With his portal magic apparently muddled, even the shakrean might wind up getting lost between worlds if he wasn't careful. Over the course of the flight Elrion elected to keep his hands to himself, or rather, he kept them clinging grimly to the front edge of Nocturne. Given his vast spiritual power, he was pretty sure that he could save himself even if he was thrown off of the carpet and into the void. He could always craft wings to glide in, or ropes and grapnels to catch in the 'rock' walls and break his fall. Finding his way back into any familiar sort of world, on the other hand, might wind up being considerably more difficult, what with Belélith currently unable to provide reliable transportation.

The dark elf didn't really like the look of the great, spiritual waterfall either. So when Nocturne paused, he took the opportunity to encase them both in a supplemental shield, designed in the shape of an enormous bubble (of the sort that Brindra preferred) surrounding both of them. Elrion hoped the device would keep the three of then dry and, more importantly, prevent himself from being washed right off of Nocturne's 'back' by the force of the falling spiritual water. I'm ready, he said when his little project was done. Take us in.

Regardless of the success (or lack thereof) in his effort at insulating them from the waterfall, Elrion gave a faint sight of relief as they emerged from the cabes and the oddly familiar terrain of the shakreans' backwards world opened up before them. It's been years since I was here last, he remarked to Belélith. When I was bringing the Mageling back his portal device, as I recall. And before that, when I came here in spirit form with the shas'anarin, looking for some sign of Faiyliania. A moment later he added, Funny, that. It all keeps coming back to Night.

As Elrion drew closer, he realized the wolves seemed to be squaring off against one another--three standing facing the other two, blocking their companions from reaching the child.  The two, one female and one male, and both larger than the three who stood in their way, were showing their fangs and snarling.  The other three stood quietly but tense, ready for a fight.  Elrion could sense, but not see Belélith's clan hovering nearby.  They were aware of him, of course, but none of the others on the ground had detected the dark elf's arrival yet.

There he is! Elrion had practically screamed upon seeing the boy. As he drew closer, however, the dark elf's momentary elation was forgotten as he took in the child's precarious situation. Since wild wolves weren't known for defending young elves, he assumed that the defending wolves were the Mageling's creatures, and that the aggressive pair... by extension... were not. Working quickly, Elrion bound the big male and female in heavy spiritual chains, hopefully paralyzing them on the spot even before he bid Nocturne to bring him down for a landing.

It's me, he called to the three wolves who had seemed to be defending the boy. It's Elrion. Can you hear me? A question which Elrion had worried about extensively on the way over, but had thought of very few good options for what to do if the answer turned out to be no. While he had been to this backwards world in his spirit-form before, he had never tried to communicate with the mages' pets in that manner. In fact he would never have thought it would be possible, except that Saarlani had seemed to be able to hear him even from the spirit world, which meant that the Mageling and his other pets might be able to do the same. If they couldn't... well, if they couldn't, things might be about to turn even more unpleasant than they already were. Because then, unless the kidnapped child did have a Spirit talent of his own, the only way that Elrion would be able to speak to anyone would be by possessing the boy. And that was something he would very much rather avoid.

I need your help, Elrion told the wolves, watching for any sign of understanding. I have to get this child back to his own world.

[KM Imbri]

Fortunately, Nocturne didn't seem alarmed by Elrion's waterproofing technique, and even more fortunately, it served his purpose in keeping everyone dry and in place.  Then, they were in the odd twisted pocket of a plane that the shakrean called home.  The journey wasn't as instantaneous as stepping through one of Belélith's portals, or even the wayward magic mirror, but it was vastly preferable to the risk of getting trapped between worlds.

There was little time to feel relief over finally locating the misplaced child, as said child seemed to be on the verge of meeting a messy end either through drowning or being ripped to shreds.  From his position in the air, not to mention lack of a physical body, there was little Elrion could do except exercise his not-insignificant magic talents.  Luck was against him, for although it seemed logical to assume that the aggressive wolves were not pets of the mad Mageling, Elrion quickly discovered that all five animals had impeccable shields--shields that were vastly superior to most two-legged mages the dark elf had encountered.  The heavy chains simply slid right off, dissapating into formless strands of energy once again.  A more lethal weapon might penetrate the spiritual armor (which, to Elrion's mage-sight appeared as an almost invisible black, hard surface with no edges), but probably not soon enough to rescue the boy.

Of the three wolves defending, there was another male-female pair of about the same size, with similar coloring, and both smaller than the other three.  Their companion was an older female with a graying muzzle and a crooked leg from a bone broken long ago that hadn't set properly. 

It's me, he called to the three wolves who had seemed to be defending the boy. It's Elrion. Can you hear me?

 
The young male lifted his head and looked around as if trying to locate a sound.  Unlike most wolves, this one had startling deep green eyes.  He focused generally in Elrion's direction, but it seemed as if he couldn't actually see the dark elf.  With a snarl, the larger male took advantage of the distraction and sprang forward.  The female followed at his heels.  They were met by the gray-muzzled wolf and her younger companion, who dashed straight for the much-larger male and ducking his teeth, bit down hard on his foreleg.  The two adult females snapped at each other in a blur of moving bodies and teeth, neither one quite gaining ground over the other.  Growls, snarls, yelps, and screams of pain filled the air as fur and blood went flying.  The young male launched himself at the elder, who had trapped the young female wolf on the ground and seemed on the verge of tearing her throat out.  He weighed less, but had the element of surprise and as he barreled full-speed into the larger wolf, they both lost their footing and tumbled across the muddy ground, falling down a slope and disappearing from view into the thick underbrush. 

Having cheated death, the young female painfully got back onto her feet and limped towards the other two female wolves who were circling each other warily, both bleeding and battered.  The attacker's ear was torn in two places, while the other hopped on three legs, her front paw mangled and torn.  The attacking wolf feinted to the right and her opponent reacted too slowly.  The two went down in a tangled heap of limbs, with the aggressor eventually coming up on top and about to tear the other's throat out.  The younger wolf hurried across the soft ground as fast as she was able, but her injuries meant she would never reach them in time. 

The battle unfolded in the space of a few eyeblinks, just enough time for Elrion to swoop down, snatch up the boy, and fly safely out of reach...except of course, the boy was physically present while Elrion and Nocturne were only there in spirit.  His talent was of marginal use against the well-protected spirits of the wolves.  The dark elf might have been able to physically stop or kill the animals, but only if he possessed the boy who assuredly lacked the strength and skill to do anything. 

Then, a chilling howl seemed to emanate from the surrounding trees, coming at them from all directions.  The wolves froze, only their ears flicking upwards to capture the sound.  The sound came again, making the hair on the back of Elrion's spiritual neck stand on end.  The female wolf who had been half of the attacking pair, suddenly spun and fled as fast as she was able, disappearing into the twisted brush in a few bounds.  The young female wolf reached her companion, who was lying on her side on the ground, panting shallowly with her tongue lolling out of her mouth.  The younger wolf dropped down besides her, gently touching her nose to the elder's crown.  Young Fainaech, who had done really the only sensible thing he could do and stayed huddled against the edge of the swamp while the wolves fought over him, came running forward towards the pair, arms outstretched.  "Doggies!  My poor doggies!"  The boy knelt down besides the two and gently stroked the head of the older wolf, who placed her head gently against his chest.

A rustle in the bushes caused the young female's head to snap up and she looked nervously over her shoulder.  A mud-covered male with twigs and dead leaves stuck to his coat, and dark green eyes, climbed back over the edge of the ravine and walked slowly towards them.  He stood quietly over the two females for a moment, then looked up and around.  Ghost-man.  You here?  The 'voice' was solely heard on the spirit plane, a youthful, full tenor sound. 

[Elrion]

Luck was against him, for although it seemed logical to assume that the aggressive wolves were not pets of the mad Mageling, Elrion quickly discovered that all five animals had impeccable shields--shields that were vastly superior to most two-legged mages the dark elf had encountered.  The heavy chains simply slid right off, dissapating into formless strands of energy once again.

The wolves' unexpected invunerability to attack was indeed a nasty surprise for the dark elf. What!? he barked. Followed by, Gray Lady, no! Which was followed in turn by an urgent call across the planes to the fey still guarding the manor. Emergency! This is an emergency, damn it all! I need your help. Fire fey, wind fey... anyone who can throw a punch. Follow my summons. Quickly, please! To Belélith, Elrion added, Can you gather some shakrean to assist, at least until my backup arrives? Those damned wolves will tear the boy apart!

Having already bid Nocturne to descend, hopefully Elrion was on the ground before long, interposing his spiritual form between the wolves and the elven child-- not that it would have done the boy any good. Happily, the side he favored won the brief but vicious battle. By the time the dark elf had produced a more powerful set of spiritual weapons (a heavy crossbow, and a quarrel full of razor-sharp bolts) the thing was already over. Not that he had any intention of standing down, or of dismissing whatever fey might have arrived to assist him. The situation looked bad here on the shakrean's backwards world. He had a feeling that it was going to be an uphill struggle to get the Fainaech child safely home.

He stood quietly over the two females for a moment, then looked up and around. Ghost-man.  You here?  The 'voice' was solely heard on the spirit plane, a youthful, full tenor sound.

Still here, Elrion replied, relieved that at least one of the creatures could hear him. And you have my thanks for protecting the boy. Now, why are you wolves fighting amongst each other?

Things had certainly changed in the shakrean world. The Mageling's pets had always been shielded, but the dark elf had yet to see them with shielding that powerful. But more to the point, on the last few occasions that Elrion had been here, the Mageling and his pets had been one big happy family. There had been no hint of strife among the wolves, for example, or even between any of the multitude of different species, some of which would have been mortal enemies in the wild. Elrion could only suppose, therefore, that something had gone very wrong here. Hopefully it was a "simple" matter of some of the animals going rogue and reverting to a feral state. But the Mageling was an old, old man. And not exactly a sane man, either, even by the dark elf's admittedly liberal standards. If the old mage was dead or otherwise indisposed, that would certainly explain the infighting among his creatures. It could also greatly complicate Elrion's already-troubled rescue attempt.

I'll help you as much as I can, he told the young wolf. But I'm going to need your help getting that child home.

Since Elrion was present only in his spirit form, and with the wolves now even more resistant to Spirit magic than they had ever been, it might seem at first that there was little he could do here. Still, if he could manage to produce even a handful of friendly fey, that ought to help enormously against any other hostile creatures they encountered. Not even one of the Mageling's magically-augmented wolves would be quite so fearsome when it had a team of wind fey blowing grit into its eyes on gale force winds, or fire fey igniting their fur in a half-dozen places at once. Nor could even the most powerful shields withstand Elrion's heavy armaments forever. Or so he hoped.

[KM Imbri]

Elrion's summons went out quick as a thought, even as Nocturne dropped towards the ground with almost alarming speed.  Unlike the previous 'fall', the descent was never out of control and they slowed to a stop right as the carpet touched the ground.  Spiritual crossbow in hand and hoping that such a weapon would penetrate the creatures' extreme shielding where his chains had failed to make an impact, Elrion fortunately discovered he would not have to put it to the test just yet.  Belélith shot upwards into the sky, presumably joining his clan which drifted into sight like a shapeless, dim cloud.  In the murky darkness of this strange and warped plane, it was difficult to determine where one faery started and another began.  They moved as one being, their shared consciousness extending to their physical appearance and Belélith was impossible to pick out from amongst his brethren.  Seeing the battle over, at least for the moment, the shakrean continued slowly drifting down towards the dark elf.  Several moments later, the first and fastest of his summoned fey began arriving, popping into the air around him.  The wind fey arrived first, fire elementals right behind them.  Buzzing around like angry bees, they surrounded Elrion and could very well have burned him had he not been in spirit form.  It was easier to calm the wind faeries down, distractible as they were.  The fire fey were harder to rein in as their blood (or what passed for blood in faeries) was quite literally boiling.

Still here, Elrion replied, relieved that at least one of the creatures could hear him. And you have my thanks for protecting the boy. Now, why are you wolves fighting amongst each other?

The green-eyed wolf tilted his head in Elrion's direction, one mud-coated ear twitching.  For many moons, we who honor the Father fight the Blood-kin.  They have abandoned the past ways.  He might have said more, but the young female nudged him with her muzzle and nodded towards the brush.  A giant wolf, larger than any of the ones Elrion had seen thus far, seemed to materalize from between the trees and stalked towards the trio of wolves and the child.  The younger pair half-tucked their tails between their legs and bowed their heads respectfully as he approached.  Presumably then, this was friend, not foe.  He is the Alpha, the green-eyed male explained.

The old female weakly lifted her head off of the boy's chest as the Alpha approached.  She tried to stand, but her injuries were too great and she fell back on her side with a pained whine.  The Fainaech boy stared at the newcomer with large, round eyes, then slowly got to his feet, one hand resting on the young female wolf's back.  He looked around, a bit nervously, then cleared his throat. "Erm, hello?  Dream says there's 'n invissible person here to take me home.  Dream says we hafta go n leave Shine with the Alpha."  While the boy spoke, the wolves had gathered in a small circle around the gravely injured female.  When he finished talking, the green-eyed wolf and his female counterpart came to stand on either side of the child, who gently gripped the coarse fur of the female with his small fingers.   

Ghost-man, you are Elrion? I am Shadow.  She is Dream.  We will lead you to the place of our Father.  You will take Sidhen home.  We leave now.

Assuming the dark elf made no objections, Shadow set off towards the right hand side of the clearing, followed by Dream and the boy.  In this plane's thick, twisted trees and underbrush, it did not take long for the two wolves left behind to disappear completely from view.  Sound carried, though, and they had not gone far before there was an odd, muffled sound.  Elrion might not even have noticed, except there was no way a spirit mage would not notice death come right under his nose.  The wolves, with their exceptional hearing, heard it too, and paused for a moment.  Shine has had an honorable death, Shadow said, his respectful tone tinged with grief.  Sidhen stopped too, obviously confused as to what was going on.  Dream nuzzled him reassuringly, and the wolves resumed their slow padding steps, so as to not tire the boy's short legs out too early.