Eithliu

Slogging along the mire that makes up the "road" from Airu to Estelder, futile thoughts cross your wearied mind. Rain, wind, cold.. the worst possible time to attempt a long journey.. and now it is dark with no sign of Estelder yet. On top of the misery caused by the weather, you can't escape the sounds of the wolves in the Haon' Dor, or the booming croak of that creature that looked like a giant frog. Moving along slowly as you grumble to yourself about your parents choice of a trade master, the road suddenly become solid and..Hollow?? Across the bridge you walk, then to the south, the forest clears and the faint outlines of a few houses can be seen through the murky darkness.
"This is it!" you think to yourself with excitement, and a bit of trepidation. Now, after that tiring journey, you pray she is here.. No word has been spoken of her in Airu for weeks and you can only assume she is at her home in Estelder. Through the windows of a small building to your southwest you glimpse the bluish glow of magic fed lights. A sign swings from the eaves in the cold gusts and you can just make out the words "Eithliu d'Anvara: Alchemist" written upon it in the common tongue.
Standing outside the door you pull the bell rope that dangles from above. A strong, harried sounding feminine voice answers your summons.
"Ugh! What! It is open, come in!". Opening the door and stepping inside, your eyes begin to water as the smells of your future trade assale your senses. As you take in your surroundings, you see no one is about the small room. A noise startles you. A little to your left, a piece of the floor shifts aside and a pale hand with long fingers pushes the wood upwards. The hand disappears as the owner's head emerges. A Drow.. Oh now you will really have to let your parents have it.
The woman peers up at you, her solid black orbs meeting yours, "Can I help you?" As you are about to answer, there is a crash from below, and the wail of a toddler. Calmly asking you to excuse her, she turns down and hollers something in a strangely garbled language. It speaks to your soul of earthen depths and starless nights, though her tone is quite unpleasant. Turning her gaze back to you, she softly commands "Come downstairs, please, I cannot leave someone," she turns to finish in another holler, "cannot leave someone alone with my things without having them destroyed!"
Through the hole in the floor and down a creaky flight of wooden stairs, you find yourself in a warm room with earthen walls. The smells of chemicals are stronger down here, and with one glance around you can see why. There are shelves carved into the walls, with bottles, vials, flasks, all filled with strangely colored liquids or dried plants. Even a jar of something that looks like... Yes, it is! Wings!
In the center of the floor is a recessed area with a brazier of hot coals glowing warmly. A simple bed lies along the southern wall, made of a hollowed out log and covered with a reddish fur. In one corner is a small child, maybe a year old, sitting among the remains of a wooden box, wailing. Walking over to it, she picks it up and sets it on the bed as she speaks to it in that same strange, harsh language. Looks around, she finds some sort of root and gives it to the child to play with. This seems to content it, for the time being.
Finally, a free moment to speak. Introducing yourself, you explain that you were sent for an apprenticeship to Eithliu. "Yes, that is me", she replies, frowning. "I do not take on students unless they are of exceptional intelligence. For when they finish their apprenticeship, they must be smart enough to stay out of my way."
Oh Gonn, what have you done to deserve this?
Noticing your agitation, she smiles. At least, it could be a smile. It looks almost like a sneer. "Come, sit." she says in a softer tone, waving at a black velvet cushion on the floor. "You will not be returning to Airu tonight." She puts a kettle on the brazier and fills it with water as she continues, "I was just about to have my tea. I doubt it is anything you'd enjoy, but I have some that is more palatable to most people, if you would like any."
Nodding slowly as you remove your damp cloak, you concede, "Tea, yes, I think tea would be nice." Sitting on the floor, she looms above you, quite enough to give you the jitters. She must be six and a half feet tall! Wearing a dress with a long flowing skirt, the bodice clings to her slender form. The sleeves cling to her arms until the fall away at her wrists and a drooping neckline reveals her shoulders. A snake's head emerges from the edge of the fabric. a symbolic tattoo of some kind. Silken black hair contrast against with her milky white skin, descending past her waist. Once again you notice her eyes as they glimmer darkly in the low light, not a bit of white or color in them. Tilted slightly slightly under her dark brows, her cheekbones are high, giving her visage the femininity that her body lacks. Though graceful in her movements, her body is angular and lanky.
Staring at you for a moment, she purses her lips then perches on the edge of the bed. From a shelf on the wall she brings down a bowl of fruits and cheeses, passing it to you. "Eat something.. and then we can talk. Don't eat the cherries." Silently, she watches as you eat. Must be making sure you don't eat the cherries.
Taking your fill, you hand the bowl back to her solemnly. She looks in it as it's returned.. Is she counting how many of the cherries are left?! Seemingly satisfied, she lays the bowl next to her and and stares at you again, apparently waiting for you to speak.
"Um.. Uh.. Yes, I have been sent to be taken on as an apprentice. It is understood you are the most knowledgeable alchemist in the realm." As you begin to squirming, she keeps her haunting black eyes on you, her face expressionless. "I.. I should like to know more about my.. hopefully future master... er.. mistress.. er..ahhh.." Reddening, you roll your eyes skyward in embarrassment. The word has no such connotations anymore..
Grinning wolfishly at you again, she is apparently enjoying this, watching you squirm. Returning to solemnity, she speaks slowly, "You wish to know about me.. I would not know where to begin.. All the way back to when I came to Airu?". Leaning down towards you slightly, her dress slips from her shoulder a little bit. She does not bother to correct it. Noticing that the water is boiling, she rises from the bed. Rummaging around in her shelves, she pulls out two unmarked packets as she says, "Well, I have the perfect tea for storytelling." From another shelf comes two wooden cups and in goes the water and packets. Handing one to you, the steam rises to your eyes, making them burn. Peering into it warily, you wonder silently if it is safe to drink.
Noticing your doubting glances into the cup she, smirks and nods towards you, "Go ahead.. It's not going to hurt you. It smells horrible, I know. But it is very soothing to the spirit." Her eyes flicker in the light of the coals.
Peering up at her with veiled disgust, you ask "What *is* it? I have never smelt anything so.. strong smelling".
Looking you straight in the eyes and says coolly, "It is Dechal. A special blend I keep for when have guests. I think you will enjoy it." Emerging again, that disturbing smile creases her lips. Taking a cautious sip, you almost choke on the pungent drink. Barely a though later, a strange soothing sensation passes through your body, and disappears just as quickly. Another, longer sip, the feeling lingers a little longer, then settles in comfortably.
Sounding very far away, you hear a woman's voice, too distant to catch the words until you make an effort to listen to their meaning. You feel something like a dried gourd, and her voice echoes in your gut as she speaks. The words are meaningless. Looking at her, there are now two of her, the words leaving your own mouth ending up sounding more like "gaaaaah..." But your force your attention to her words..
".... from Dur thach. That's irrelevent, copies of my are available from certain people. Soon after my return to Airu, within a year I suppose.. Daimian asked me to marry him." Licking her lips, she continues, a glance cast at a sword on the wall that you hadn't noticed before, "I married him, thinking, what better husband? A mayor.. A lord. Not to mention I was thoroughly infatuated with him at the time. However, I had not realized my business would keep me in Airu, and his business of running Estelder would keep him here." She shrugs, the snake head on her shoulder opens its eyes and hisses at you, then settles back down.
You turn your gaze back into the almost empty cup, still listening to her. Her voice emerges out of the cup to wind its way around your ears.
"So, we saw each other whenever we could. He desperately wanted a child..an heir. So I stopped drinking my tea.." she holds her cup up a little bit. You think to yourself "Hey, she's not drinking the same tea that I am.." "...stopped drinking my tea, and within a few months, I was with his child." She nods to the little boy as he plays contentedly with the root, "Darien was born with no complications about eighteen months later. I was still spending almost all of my time in Airu. People wanted more and more of what I was making, and I was finding it harder and harder to get to Estelder for even a few days".
Draining her cup, she sets it on the floor. The walls move slightly, in time with each breath you take. You notice the child is quietly observing you from his nest in the furs on the bed. Something funny about that kid.. His eyes constantly move from your neck to your wrists. Look down at your own wrists, you notice that you can see the blood flowing through your veins. You can feel it as it brings life to your body, singing through your limbs in a quiet sonata.
"..was in Estelder one day. With Daimian, and several other people. We had left Airu because someone was demanding I give them Darien. Someone called the Nighthunter." An image explodes in your head of a menacing figure dressed all in black. Red eyes glow from the inky blackness of its hood, holding claw like hands out towards an infant. The boy on the bed. ".. thought we might be safe in Estelder, but as soon as Daimian left the square to go back to Airu, it was back. And I was at a loss as to what to do. A whirlwind of some kind, summoned by the Nighthunter, moved the 3 or 4 of us who were left to the mountains somewhere.. and began making its demands again. Now it became apparent that this was a mistake. A terrible mistake.."
Pausing in silent contemplation, she rises and gets another packet of herbs, fixing herself another cup of tea. Resuming her seat, she continues as you stand upon the mountain top with her and the others, facing this creature. "A mistake. He insisted the child was Andar's.. Andar.. an elf..Look at him, does he look like an elf to you?" Motioning brusquely towards her son, the child is unmistakably of Drow descent. Shaking your head, little flakes of glittering snow fall from your hair, turning to drops of silver on the floor and disappearing before you can touch them.
"This Nighthunter.. began to threaten that if I did not give him up, all who were with me would die, one at a time, and I would be forced to watch. He immediately sent Pek to the Mists. I did the only thing I could think of.. do you see the mark on Darien's neck?"
Looking closely at the boy, you see a gaping slash across his throat as he seems to fade in and out of your vision. Suddenly you feel rather ill. As you attempt another glance at the boy, he again appears normal to your vision. Nearly gagging with revulsion, you manage to croak out the word, "Yes."
Nodding, she continues "That is from me. I did that to him." There is not a trace of emotion in her words.
You stare at her with shock "wegub wub wub?" you say, but, in your head, you said some real words, even if you can't remember what they were.
Looking at you strangely, she nods, her face devoid of expression, "I did, I took his life to spare him being raised by Andar. His blood had barely begun to run out and I was sent to the Mists myself." After another sip of tea, she continues, "Daimian was devastated. His own wife killed his only child. I was not much more than a babbling idiot after that."
"Then, something happened.. Andar stopped me in town, perhaps a day later. I could not think of a single thing to say except something along the lines of 'I hope you are content with the corpse of my child'. I dared not hit him, for a would have killed him, given the chance. He was genuinely upset. He had a bundle with him.. Darien's body. He returned it to me, apologizing for the mistake. Of course, no apology could make up for it. I had a dead child and he could only say he was sorry and that the Nighthunter was blind. As I was walking out of the city, to build a pyre, as is the custom of my people, he shouted for me to release him to the waters. Something bade me do it.. and I headed towards the river Kennebec instead."
Brushing the back the hair of the child on his head, her face fills with a look of affection. Once again, you see a gaping slash.. only to have the image return to normal again a few moments later. Stopping in midstroke, she pulls him into her lap, cradling him, "There was a man, near the southern end of the city.. who had heard about Darien. He asked if there was anything he could do. He had read and studied a ritual.. and thought perhaps it could be used to bring Darien back. In desperation, I agreed to it. And so, we went into the cavern of the Mists. I marked Darien's forehead with my blood, as we do at home in a sort of blessing, and began the ritual. It went on for hours, a day.. at least.. this man, infused with the power of Gonn.I was about to give up when a drop of water fell from the roof of the cavern onto Darien's head. And would you believe, he began to cry?".
You look at the child again in disbelief, almost afraid of what you might see this time. The faintest outline appears upon his forehead, quickly vanishing as the boy stares back at you with shrouded black eyes. A misty looking apparition of a tall elf clad only in black appears on the bed near the boy only to melt away again, vaporous tendrils touching the head of the boy as it disappears. Closing your eyes, you send a prayer to Gonn, only to open them again to see she is staring at you. Next to her is another apparition, a Drow with the strange black eyes also. Soon it fades from view, though perhaps not soon enough.
She stands, moving towards a small pile of charcoal. You glimpse the outline of long legs through the thin material of her dress. Burying your head in your arm for a moment, you squeeze your eyes closed, a brief respite. "This is too much. This is too weird," you groan morosely to yourself. There is no way you could stand being her apprentice. Despite her boyish body, she's erotic as the gods could make and she doesn't know or care. Married and with a child! It would be an exercise in self-flagellation to work as her student. She continues moving around the room, putting some coals on the brazier, tossing an aromatic herb of some kind on them. The room fills with an exotic, heady fragrance. Your head swims and you feel your grasp on reality breaking.
Opening your eyes, the room is darker. The candles are mere stubs. The storm rages outside and she is still there, staring at you from her place on the bed. She looks you squarely in the eyes once again, "Do you still wish to study under me? Do you know enough?" Grinning with a dark mischief, she adds, "And there is always more to come..."