Master's Mind (The Dagger of Dragon Rose Book 1)
Understanding Enemies and Friends

All is not first as it seems - dark elf Creed

Everyone looked at Shaunna in various looks of wonderment as she spoke to the map.

“Wha...” Hope began to voice a question, but was silenced by the look on Shaunna’s face.

“I will tell you all I know, if you don’t want me to join you on the journey afterward I will understand.” Shaunna’s voice was quivering as she spoke; the fear in it had an almost physical quality. The others began to object, but her voice rose to talk over them as she began to tell her story.

“In the beginning, all was darkness on the land.” Everyone fell silent as Shaunna began to tell her tale. “Demons prowled the darkness feeding on each other, warring with each other. The world was in a constant state of turmoil. As the larger demons fed on the smaller ones their power grew, and so did their greed. There were three who became so powerful that they would have destroyed the world with their power, if the great coming had not happened first.”

“In the distance of the cosmos a light came into being. It began to grow in brightness and intensity. As the light came ever closer to the land, the demons found that their power was drained, so they hid in deep dark caves, all of them save three. There were three among the vast multitude that did not fear the light; in fact they embraced it.”

“The light grew ever closer. The demons hated the light where the three thrived by it. The source of the light was a man that was walking through the cosmos as if it were a calm forest. As he stepped on the land, the three greeted him. He was flattered by the sincerity of the three and granted them each a single wish. They each wished to be beautiful. The three became Cerethe Mistress of Light, Cara Mistress Of Day, and Caran Mistress of Purity.”

“Naratha, that was the man’s name, went about purifying the world, purging it of the evil that lay dormant in the very land itself, infused by the power of the three most evil ones that had fled into the caves at the first hint of the light. The great god was assisted by the sisters of light in the purification of the world. ”

“Though most of the land had been purified, he was unable to purify the caves where the demon’s had hidden because of the combined power of the three evil ones. He sent most of his light into the cosmos, where it became the sun. He then sent the remaining portion of his light into the cosmos, where it became the moon.”

“There were two who braved the reduction in light and came out to meet the strange man that had frightened even the most powerful of the demons into hiding. The first came out as the sun was rising, she became Laura the Mistress of Dawn. The other came out, as the sun was setting and the moon taking its first control of the night sky. He became Lairn the Lord of Dusk.”

“They went to the man and greeted him, not as fond of the light as the three sisters had been, but accepting its necessity.”

“In the darkness of the caves, the remaining demons’ power continued to grow. One of the three evil powers became jealous of the beauty of the five that had accepted the light, so he used his power to make himself beautiful like them. He became Darren the Lord of Darkness. The other two quickly took the same action becoming Dareth the Lord of Night and Dante the Lord of Filth. They too wished to come out and meet the strange light-bringer, but even at night where the pale moon glowed, there was too much light. Darren used some of his power to attack the moon. Part of it broke off and apparently went out. (It later became the second moon we now see.) With the moon now smaller, there was much less of the light to bother the three brothers of darkness, and they came out to meet the strange intruder. ”

“Recognizing the need for a balance between every aspect of life; Light and Dark, Good and Evil, he accepted the dark lords with open arms. That was the creation of the council of nine.”

“The council set about populating the earth. The Mistresses of Light Created the Elves first. As a young race they were pious and pure, but the dark lords soon put their taint into them. They became a proud and haughty race. ”

“The grey ones created the dwarves. They had instilled in them a great love of the earth. So they made good miners and excellent blacksmiths. Again they were tainted. The dwarves became a greedy people driven by the pursuit of riches.”

“The dark lords took what was remaining of the demons from before the light had come, and made them a beautiful people full of darkness and hate. They called them the Dark Elves.”

“Naratha created the last race, the race of men. They could not be tainted by the dark lords, for they were already tainted; Naratha deliberately made them so.”

“The Dark Elves hated the other races. They committed such atrocities that I am ashamed to be numbered among them. There was, however, one thing the Dark Lords did not count on. The light still had the power to make changes. As the Dark Elves spent more and more time in the light, they began to see that what they were doing was wrong. The Dark Lords lost their control over the Dark Elves, and they became self-appointed guardians of nature, adopted by Cerethe. However, by this time, irrepararable damage had been done to the reputation of the race. So bad was the damage that, to this day, a known dark elf is killed on sight.”

Shaunna paused for a moment in her narration trying to overcome the sense of shame she felt in relating the history of her dark elf heritage. When nobody spoke she continued.

“The Dark Lords hate the balance that was created. They want the darkness to come back, and the light to be destroyed. And they need the Sun-fire Orb to do that.”

The silence that followed the story was almost deafening. Narissa placed her tiny hand on top of Shaunna’s trying to reassure her that she was still welcome in the group, but Shaunna looked miserable nonetheless.

Taren was trying to internalize all of the information he had been given, but it was a difficult process due to the pain in his head. The Dark Lords needed the Sun-fire Orb. He already knew that. He didn’t know that they would be able to destroy the light if they got it. If they destroyed the light, they would be unstoppable; he had to get the orb first. It was his voice that first broke the uncomfortable silence. “No wonder they want me to destroy it.”

Hope nodded. “Yes, this is definitely a quest worthy of Paron’s son. Unfortunately, finding the orb is going to be the easy part of the quest. The orb is said to be indestructible.”

Taren closed his eyes as he tried to consider this. It all made his head hurt. “Where do we go from here?” He asked.

Shaunna was nervous when she answered. “We need to go back to the castle. We need to find the second token, or you will never get the orb.”

Hope was incredulous. “You want to go back there knowing that there is a pack of angry spirits that want you dead?”

Shaunna thought for a moment before answering. “Maybe if I stay here, you can go back and look.”

Taren raised his head, wincing. “I found something.” He had to pause for a moment o let a fresh wave of pain induced nausea pass. “I found this strange pare of gloves. One was black and one was white. The warning called them the Talons, though I do not know what that means.”

Shaunna began to mutter to herself as she went over everything that her grandmother had told her about the orb. It was hidden somewhere safe. The means of retrieving it were held with the sword that no mortal was supposed to be able to wield, and the other token that had not been mentioned. Or had it?

A story that her grandmother once told her of another weapon suddenly came to her. They were a pair of gloves known as the Dragon’s Talons. They were another of the celestial weapons that no mortal was supposed to be able to wield.

“Where are these gloves now?” She asked.

Taren held up his hands.

“Where are they?” Hope mirrored the question.

“I am wearing them.” Taren answered.”

“I don’t see anything.” Hope said, not bothering to disguise the disbelief in his voice.

Grathius stepped in to change the subject. “We arrre all tirrred. I think we should all get some sleep.”

Narissa’s small voice could barely be heard over the sound of the rustling leaves outside the cave. “Mr. Grathius, would it be all right if we took a bath?”

At this the group took a moment to examine themselves. Their clothes were filthy, covered in dirt and blood from the fight they had fought with the Mother Dragon. Most of them had holes in their clothes so that the garments were barely keeping them modest. There were minor scratches and cuts all over their bodies that Hope had not had time to heal, but they weren’t critical. Shaunna’s arm was still in the splint Grathius had put it in to heal. They all decided that a bath would be a good idea.

Grathius silently led them through the center tunnel leading away from the main cave in the dwelling. They walked for several minutes in silence. At last they came to a fork in the cave.

Grathius then instructed them. “Women to the left. Men to the rrright.”

Following the directions given from their host they all moved into the bathing areas. Shaunna and Narissa looked around the bathing chamber before either of them began to disrobe. The chamber was large; it looked as if thirty or forty people could have been bathing in the pool at the same time and not be crowded.

The pool was fed from a waterfall at the far end of the room. Steam rising lazily from the pools surface told the women that the water was somehow heated. Even though the water was crystal clear, it was impossible to tell how deep the pool itself actually was. Beside the place that looked the least deep there was a muddy substance that looked as if several handfuls had been scooped out.

“What is that?” Narissa was pointing at the muddy substance.

Shaunna smiled as she explained. “That is a natural body cleanser. Use it to wash yourself when you are wet.

Narissa nodded and dropped the blanket to the floor. She picked it up again and began to fold it.

“What’s the matter, Kitten?” Shaunna asked when she noticed the frown on Narissa’s face.

Narissa looked at her in alarm. “Why did you call me that?”

“What, Kitten?” Shaunna looked confused.

Narissa just nodded looking frightened.

“I...I don’t know, it just seemed to fit.” Shaunna was suddenly nervous.

Narissa kept fiddling with her hair as she answered. “That’s what Dareth used to call me.”

Shaunna was horrified. “I am so sorry, it won’t happen again.”

Narissa looked up at Shaunna, her luminescent pink eyes glittering in the soft light that was emitted by the stone around them. “Its all right, I was just caught off guard by it. You can call me Kitten if you want to.”

Shaunna just smiled.

Narissa stared at the wall across the bathing pool. “He called me that ever since I was little.” She looked at herself and laughed. “Well, since I was smaller than I am now.”

Shaunna looked at her diminutive companion. It was hard to imagine her any smaller than she was now, even though she knew that Narissa must have been smaller at some point in her life.”

Shaunna quickly stripped her bloodstained clothes from her body, letting them fall into a heap at her feet. She quickly moved over to the edge of the deep end of the bathing pool and dove in. Sudden pain raced through her arm as she discovered that she was unable to swim. She struggled to get her head back above the water, but was hindered by the intense pain shooting through her broken arm. Blackness began to hover at the edge of her vision as she sank deeper into the warm water. As her feet touched the bottom of the pool, consciousness was lost to her.

She didn’t know how it had happened, but Shaunna was able to breathe once again. As consciousness slowly returned to her she found herself lying on her back on a rock at the far end of the pool, next to the waterfall. She raised herself slightly, using her good arm, to see if she could ascertain what had happened. A few feet away a very small woman was gazing at her reflection through a veil of long white hair.

“Kitten?” Shaunna spoke very softly, afraid of disturbing whatever silent meanderings were happening in the other woman’s mind.

Narissa’s face looked very worried when she looked at Shaunna. “Are you are well? I am sorry, as soon as I realized what had happened I tried to get to you. But you had already sunk so deep and I don’t do well in water.”

Shaunna’s arm was still throbbing with pain, but the worst of it was over now. “No harm done. I should have known better than to try and swim with a broken arm.”

“What happened?” The pale pink eyes drifted to the arm that was bound with sticks of wood to keep it immobilized. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ (ꜰind)ɴʘvel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“It was injured in the fight with the dragon.” As she spoke, Shaunna climbed to her feet.

Narissa frowned. “You should not have tried to swim while your arm was hurt.”

Shaunna walked over to one of the tubs that held the strange muddy substance. Dipping her hand in the mud, she scooped some of it out and started to rub it all over her naked body. With her body covered in mud, causing a deeper shade of brown than was usual on her deeply tanned skin, she walked over to the waterfall. Her skin began to tingle as the water cascaded over her body. The nerve endings seemed to come alive causing the hair all over her body to stand on end. She let the water roll over her for a few moments before she began to caress her skin, washing the cleansing mud from her body.

Narissa watched the proceedings with great interest. She had never seen anyone use the mud before and was trying to see how it worked. Something in what she was watching triggered another hidden memory to awaken.

“Narissa, please slow down.”

“But mom, I won’t get lost.” A five year old Narissa replied to her mother’s eager plea. “I can just smell my way back.”

Aluna Silvermoon shook her head in exasperation. “I’m not worried about you getting lost, sweetheart. There are things in these caves that would make a small snack of you, even in your tiger form.”

“Oh mom, you worry too much.”

Aluna directed her small daughter into the bathing chambers as they finished there long days trek.

“WATER!” Narissa squealed in delight and ran to jump in.

“Narissa, NO...” Aluna was to late to stop her daughter from jumping into the water Narissa sunk like a stone in the water, her dense body making it impossible for her to swim. Aluna didn’t have time to disrobe before she dove into the deep pool to save her daughter. She had to swim all the way to the bottom of the pool before she found the small little girl that she had been searching for. With much difficulty she dragged the small form back to the surface of the pool.

Sareth Hope had come with them to the bathing chamber, so she was ready to resuscitate the small child when her mother brought her back to the stone surface of the pools bank.

With gentle pressure she expelled the water from Narissa’s lungs, allowing the child to breath again without the alien substance in her airways. The strange blue healing light flowed from the healer’s fingers, infusing itself into the tiny body of her patient. The light became slightly purple as it reached into the child’s lungs. The healing was very quick and Narissa was soon awake.

“Narissa, how many times must I tell you?” A frightened Aluna asked her daughter.

“You must change into your tiger form before you get into the water. You are much too heavy to swim otherwise.”

“I’m sorry, Mommy.” Narissa was crying. Almost drowning had scared her.

“It’s OK, just don’t do it again.” Aluna answered as she stripped her wet clothes from her body. “Let’s go across to the waterfall and bathe.”

“Are you going to wash?” Shaunna asked as she finished her time under the waterfall and moved over to the rock to rest before trying to get back across the pool to the place where her clothes were.

“What? Oh...yes. Sorry.” When she spoke, her voice was very distracted.

“Are you well?” Shaunna asked in genuine concern.

“I think I’ve been here before.” Narissa was looking around as if trying to confirm the memory. “With my mother.”

Without waiting for Shaunna’s reply, Narissa walked over to the basin that held the mud, dipped her tiny hand into the brown substance, and began to rub it all over her body. For the first time in over twenty years Narissa took the time to explore the body that she had forgotten she had. She slowly rubbed her hands over the smooth skin of her breasts and abdomen. Feeling for the first time the curve of her waist as it flared slightly into her hips. She ran her hands slowly down the length of her legs to her feet.

The feelings that her slow movements caused were sensational, enhanced by something in the mud. When her body was covered with a light coating of the cleansing compound she looked down at her, body imagining herself as tan as the elf woman that lay on the rock a few feet away. She smiled at the thought of having color in her skin and eyes. The thought lingered for a moment. She would never have the experience of seeing her self naturally tan like this, for she was albino and the skin color simply didn’t exist in her body.

She moved under the waterfall to wash the mud off of her body. It felt as if her skin came to life as soon as the water touched it. It was a feeling like none she had ever felt before. She slowly began to run her hands over her body, washing the cleansing substance from her body. She was once again aware of the contours of her body as she slowly caressed herself. She was aware of the small mounds of flesh that were her breasts and the flatness of her abdomen. Her body may have been the size of a child’s, but it was the body of a full-grown woman.

When she was finished washing herself she stepped out from under the waterfall and approached Shaunna. “Would you like me to help you get across the pool?”

Shaunna opened her eyes, looking at the smaller woman with interest. “That would be great, thank you.”

With a shifting of flesh and bone, the small woman was almost instantly replaced by a very large white tiger. The tiger and the elf walked into the water together. Placing her good arm around the cat’s neck, Shaunna clung to Narissa with all of her might.

It only took a moment to get across the pool, but in that moment Shaunna realized that she had finally found somebody she could call a friend. It was a nice feeling to have someone that you could share things with, but could she share everything?

Narissa resumed her humanoid form as they stepped out of the water. She walked over to where her the blanket still folded neatly out on the cavern floor.

Shaunna pulled a cloak out of her pouch. “This was given to me by the Old Man of the Forest. It isn’t much, but it should keep you decent when you change between your two forms, as you seem to be going through outfits much faster than most.”

Narissa smiled, accepting the cloak from her. As she tied it around her neck, the cloak wrapped itself around her, forming a blouse and skirt.

Shaunna looked at Narissa thoughtfully. “Interesting, I have never seen it do that before. Try changing to your tiger form, I want to see something.”

Narissa was concerned. “What if I destroy it?”

“I don’t think you will.” Shaunna answered. “It adapted to you already, I think it will adapt with you when you change as well.”

Instantaneously the small, petite, dwarf was replaced by a large white tiger. There was no ripping sound, and the cloak lay in the back of the cat like a cape.

When she shifted back the cloak again hugged her, becoming the blouse and skirt again.

“I don’t think I like wearing it in my tiger form.” Narissa complained with a little whine in her voice.

“If you release the latch, before you change to your feline form, I will try to make sure that I a, there to pick it up for you. When you are ready to change back approach me and I will place it around your neck.” Shaunna offered.

The larger Elf woman pulled a brush out of the pouch and began to run it through her hair. After several minutes she separated her hair into three equal sections and began to weave them together in an intricate braid.

Shaunna finished the braid and turned to put the strange brush away when Narissa approached her tentatively.

“Shaunna?” She started playing with her hair as it hung limp. “Could you... I mean...”

Shaunna smiled. “Of course, come here.”

Narissa walked over to stand in front of Shaunna. Shaunna began to run the comb through the long strands of white silk that made up Narissa’s mane of hair. As she combed Narissa’s hair, Shaunna began to speak.

“Thank you” Shaunna began slowly. “For saving my life.”

“You’re welcome.” Narissa answered.

“There aren’t many who, knowing my ancestry, would have bothered to save me, unless it was to find a crueler way to kill me.”

Silence was the only answer.

“Do you remember that time where we met in the camp a few days ago? Narissa just stood there allowing Shaunna to continue brushing her hair.

“I feel I owe you an explanation.” Shaunna began to split the long hair into three even pieces and to weave them together in a single braid. “You and I are not so different, Kitten. We both had our lives stolen from us when we were young, both had our lives shattered by the Dark Lords, and we both had our lives returned to us in a very similar matter.”

Narissa stood silently, but Shaunna could tell she was listening.

“When I was five, my parents were killed in the same attack that made Taren an orphan. I was banished from my homeland rather than killed, so great was the love of the people for my father. You see, they knew what my mother was.” Strand over strand the braid became longer as she spoke. “Through a series of events which I won’t go into here, I became a very successful assassin. That’s how I have made my way through life for the past several years.

The last job I was given was to murder a young elf and his human companion. I wasn’t given any more information than that. When I found him, he was in the midst of a battle that should have killed him before I could do anything, but there were a couple things I hadn’t counted on.

The first was the fact that he could wield the Sword of Star Fire, the same sword that freed you from your enchantment. The second was that he was the missing son of the Elf king Paron Elloy.” She began to wrap a piece of thread around the end of the braid so it wouldn’t come out. ” You see, the reason my parents were at the Elloy castle when I was five was to finalize the betrothal of me to the child prince. Suddenly, I found a way to get back the life I lost.” She turned Narissa around to face her. “There is another tie that binds you and I, however. One that is not good.”

At last Narissa spoke. “We will be hunted for failing to kill the king.”

Shaunna nodded “That is correct. I do not regret the choice I made not to kill him, however. Any chance to regain the happiness I felt as a child will be welcome. Even if that chance cannot be realized, at least it is there.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Narissa asked

“You saved my life. I figured the least I could do is tell you the truth.” The answer was more direct then Narissa had been expecting, so she didn’t say anything for several moments.

“You are Taren’s betrothed?” Narissa asked

Shaunna nodded “Yes.”

“Does he know this?”

“I don’t think so.”

“What about Parel?” The question had been asked innocently, but it struck a chord within Shaunna that she did not like.

Choosing not to dwell on the subject she simply replied. “I’ll face that situation if I have to.”

Feeling it best not to voice the thought that she knew they were both thinking, Narissa turned to examine herself in the looking glass.

She looked good in the outfit that the cloak formed when it adapted to her. The blouse was a forest green color sewn in a simple, yet elegant, design. The skirt was semi-straight flaring slightly as it approached the floor. At her waist was a belt that helped accentuate her curves, making her look less like a child and more like an adult. Her hair was now pulled back in a single braid that brushed the floor as she moved.

Satisfied with how she looked, Narissa began to walk toward the exit.

“Wait!” Shaunna cried urgently causing Narissa to turn around. “Please do not mention anything I told you.”

Narissa smiled brightly. “Don’t worry, I do not tell my friends secrets.” That said, she whirled around and walked out of the room.

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