A Task from Lady Nox`Cruor... (Tebirahc)

A quiet voice drifts from the crest, “Tebirahc, come see me in my office please.”

I look at my crest surprised a bit, “Of course, Lady Nox`Cruor.” I head for the manor immediately. Upon entering her office, I see Thaydrin standing behind the desk next to her. They both look at me as I enter. I bow my head respectfully to her noting the arcane book on her desk they had been looking at when I arrived.

“Thank you... Thaydrin needs less than subtle assistance for his next task. You have proven to be skilled and resourceful thus far. I need someone retrieved for me. While an aptitude for slipping through the shadows is needed, we can aid you in adapting to that. Surprisingly enough, the Keeper’s toy is quite skilled in making magickal totems. I have already commissioned substantial number for use in this endeavor. You will be gone for some time. I am not exactly certain how long, but it will be for much longer than a few days. Do you believe you are up to this task?” She looks at me directly boring holes in me as she waits for my response.

“I would be happy to assist, Lady Nox`Cruor, but I would like to discuss it with Jeirah first before I agree.” I respond carefully.

Her expression is unreadable neutral as she responds, “Very well...” She turns over the hourglass on her desk. “It takes an hour for the sand to run its course.”

“Yes, Lady Nox`Cruor.” I immediately turn and head out

Finding her in the kitchen, "Jeirah?" I glance around noting no one is in the immediate vicinity. "I need to ask you something."

She turns from the stove with a concerned look on her face. "Ask away, might want to catch your breath first though."

I chuckle a bit, "Well I have a time limit which I do not normally have... Your Mother has asked me to assist Thaydrin in retrieving someone. She did not give a lot of details other than to say I will be gone for a while. I did not want to agree without talking to you first though."

She lets out a soft sigh. "I knew it was too good to be true. I don't suppose she told you who you would be retrieving?"

"No... I probably should have asked, but she did not seem to want to give out much in the way of details though she was fast to give me a time limit on getting back to her."

"Then it probably is best that you do not keep her waiting."

"She gave me the time to talk to you... Are you certain? I am willing to say no and deal with the consequences."

"I am sure you are. However, you only think you could suffer the consequences because you do not know what they would be. I am not willing to allow you to suffer those at Mother's hand. Do what you need to do."

I watch her for a long moment wondering how much is exaggerated and how much is true, "I am sure they cannot be as bad as everyone implies, however, I will do this for her. I will try not to be too long."

“Where Mother is concerned this is not something I am willing to let you learn the hard way. Hurry home and I suggest that you and Thaydrin both come back safe or else I will promise you that Mother's consequences will be a walk in Antonica compared to what you will face at home." She forces a half smile and leans over the counter placing a soft kiss on my lips before I can protest.

"I am not sure she is quite ready to send me yet. She has commissioned some work from Annelise for this and it sounded as if that was not quite done yet. I will let her know I will do this and then I will let you know what I find out." I kiss her again and then head back to give my answer.

Thaydrin disappears into the shadows as I enter the office. Lady Nox’Cruor glances at the hourglass then looks at me the same unreadable neutral expression on her face. “I spoke with Jeirah. I will be happy to assist Thaydrin on this for you. I will need some details so I know what I am facing.”

She is silent for a bit, “You will be retrieving the Prefect from beyond the Umbra and Void for me. It will be a few more days, but be prepared. When all is ready, I will call upon you and expect a prompt response.”

“Yes, Lady Nox`Cruor.”

“Any goodbyes you wish to have with my daughter will not occur in my home.”

“Understood.” Not that I would, but making any other comment would be inviting an argument I will never win.

“I have nothing else for you at this time. Walk in Hate.”

I bow my head respectfully and head back to Jeirah. I settle down at the counter taking in a deep breath enjoying the smell of the food being prepared, “It sounds like I have a few days before she will be sending us. So... Who is the Prefect?”

Jeirah sets a large plate of food in front of me. "The Prefect? That is who she is sending you to retrieve?"

I grin at the food and dig in, "Yes... That is what she said." I note she is quiet about this. "So who is this person? The title seems familiar to you."

“She was the mate of Maelthra...our half brother.”

"Oh..." He continues eating, "Is there anything I need to know or is she just mysterious."

"She is dead...."

My fork stops halfway to my mouth, "What? I am retrieving a corpse?"

“Where exactly did Mother say you were going?" Jeirah sidesteps the question of the corpse. “If it were that easy Mother would summon it herself.”

"I figure somewhere in Odus because she said the Umbra and Void. She speaks in riddles at times though."

Jeirah stares at me for a few moments and then shakes her head slowly. “Tebirahc, when you get back I think perhaps you should do some reading. In the meantime, you need to understand that you are going INTO the Void....the beyond. The place between life and death. It is not in Odus...it is everywhere and nowhere.”

I chew slowly listening to her and trying wrap my mind around what she is saying, "You mean where all those odd creatures in Odus appear from? She is sending me there to retrieve a corpse?"

“If she is sending you in there, she is sending you after her soul...corpses remain on Norrath, the soul goes to the Void.”

My fork remains unmoved as my hand floats between the plate and my mouth. "What? Ok hold on a moment. We are being sent into the place where souls go to retrieve a soul? That makes no sense. She summons every other dead thing in and around Norrath, why would she send us in..." I trail off trying to sort what I have gotten myself into now.

“Mother reanimates the Dead Teb...the corpses. She bends them to do her will, but there is no soul attached to the bodies she summons. They are an empty shell. To summon the soul you need the original body, an anchor for the soul to return to. Without the body you would have to actually go retrieve the soul from the void unless you are a defiler or mystic, both of whom can manipulate the souls and call them forth.”

"So why didn't she ask Devotio or your Uncle? Why would she send an assassin and a warrior? That makes no sense."

“Mother does things in her own way. She does not trust my Uncle as far as she could pick him up and throw him and plain and simply Devotio is not Maelthra.”

I sit there for a few minutes processing all that, but not really being sure what to say. "I will ask her more questions next time she asks me to do something..." I sigh, "So, I have a few days before being sent off... Do you suppose you can stay at my place with me? So we can spend some time together before I am sent off... to... strange places I probably should not be."

“Your best bet is to ask Thaydrin. She has sent him on more wild missions than you can shake a stick at. He can tell you what you are getting yourself into before you commit yourself. He can also tell you the consequences for declining." She looks at me for a moment before continuing. “And yes I would be happy to stay with you until she summons you.”

"Good idea... He seemed completely calm with all of it. Like it is normal. It is why I did not think anything of it. I know better now." I pause finally taking another bite of food, “Thank you... Will you look after Amergyn for me? She should be fine. Just in case of anything." I take a deep breath, "Your Mother..." I search for the right words. "I feel like she tricked me in some fashion."

“Yes Amergyn can stay with me while you are gone. And Mother knows how to use her station to get what she wants from people. She also knows that you are damned if you do or damned if you don't where she is concerned.”

"She does have me over a barrel I suppose... She must be quite dangerous in political arena..." I think about that a moment, "I never see her involved in any of the politics of Neriak." I sigh. "I told her I would, so I will and I will return in one piece as quickly as I can."

“She is dangerous in any arena Teb. And whatever dealings she may or may not have in the politics of Neriak, she does so behind the scenes.”

"Here I always thought people were exaggerating and she was just really spoiled and used to getting her own way. She is far more dangerous than she looks, I guess."

“There is a reason she is so spoiled and so many cater to her so that she gets her own way. It sure isn't because she is such a nice old lady." Jeirah can't help but chuckle a bit.

I smirk, "She is very obviously a Teir`dal from the old days. Like the stories you hear from those who lived before the Shattering."

“Obviously. You might want to remember that the next time she asks you to do anything.
No usually isn't an option....but by the same token she usually isn't asking for you to go pick fayberries either.”
I smile awkwardly at her, "Live and learn... Some lessons are a little bigger than others."

“Let's hope. Now...what do you want for desert?”

I grin broadly as I glance around to make sure no one else is in earshot, "You..."

“Well....let's not keep that dessert waiting. Wouldn't want it to get cold.” Jeirah comes around the counter and grabs my hand leading me out of the hall and through Neriak.

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"Tebirahc.” A voice floats from the shadows as I look around for the owner. “Mother is ready for us." Thaydrin appears from the shadows off to my left.

I take a deep breath, "I suppose we should not keep her waiting then." I turn and walk with him toward the manor. "I am going to guess you have no idea how she is going about this."

The assassin glances at me and shrugs offering a rare honest look, "No clue."

I nod and continue forward with him into the depths of the manor. The front portion of the manor is enticing. Jeirah is always cooking something and it always smells good. I watch Thaydrin wrinkle his nose at bit as the scent of death assaults us. Not the smell of decay and rot, but the smell of... sickly sweet... somewhat musky flowers... "What is name of those flowers?" I ask out loud albeit unintentionally.

Thaydrin looks at me, "You mean the scent?"

"Yes."

"Hyacinth and myrrh. Though myrrh is not a flower. It is an herb. It is used medicinally and for embalming."

"The scents the blind wanderers in the Darkness use to keep away their fears of the inevitable and inescapable. The potency of these scents overpowers the truth so they can continue to grope in the Darkness and ignorance. However, they are so deeply rooted in the mortal, unenlightened experience of Death that they are quite potent for use in meditative exercises as well as medicinally, for embalming, and covering up the scent of rot and decay." A quiet voice adds in the Whispers of the Dead making the hair on the back of my neck stand and my skin crawl. A glance at the assassin tells me he feels it too. She looks us both over. In these moments, she almost looks like an ebon statue then suddenly she is animated. "My office, Ussta Dalharuken." She walks past us and up the slow rising curved staircase that leads to her office.

I suddenly feel like I am a child in school being lead off to the office for punishment with my cohort. I look at Thaydrin. He is perfectly content and composed. He deals with this more than I do. My attention is drawn suddenly by whispers. I step back rather than forward startled by the appearance of Thraxxus.

"Easy..." The assassin's voice is calm as he stops. It is obvious, he is used to this. "She will be back in a moment. We just continue to her office." He smirks suddenly, "If you were in trouble, you would never have known I was standing in the Hall."

I recompose myself and state wryly, "How reassuring..."

He chuckles, "Come on. She just happens to be in the middle of something else. You get used to this after a while. It is how she is."

As we descend the stairs into her office, I am taken back by Thraxxus suddenly being replaced by Lady Nox`Cruor. She speaks clearly in Draconic, "I am ready for you both..." She bades us to follow her into her Temple room. "You should meet Tristitia about half way." We step past the curtain... The center of the room is... a...void... A nudge from Thaydrin snaps my attention back as she responds to the question I missed. Her voice remains quiet, but firm, "Maelthra's mate. My former student. I want her back. Unfortunately, Maelthra's sudden passing through and his departure stirred much behind the Shroud."

"Of course, Mother, we will get her for you." Thaydrin says sounding somewhat far away like he had already started the journey.

Mild annoyance laces her voice, "Usstan shlubnaut mir nindol pahntar mal'rak lu'ol paken l'alur aglust d'huela tangin ulu xun nindol. Mumbaro reztorm, nin, Ussta Dalharuken.**" The dead language of our people rolls off her tongue. I so often forget her true age though she is not the oldest in the house which I forget too. I also do not have a clue what she just said to me. I need to ask Jeirah to teach me that language.

"Come on, Tebirahc." Thaydrin states quietly as he nudges me.

I look at them both then nod consciously aware of the fact I have been caught completely flatfooted and no was never really an option. I follow Thaydrin into the... void...

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**I cannot hold this open forever and it took the better part of five days to do this. Move along, now, My Sons.

My eyes pop open and are greeted by darkness, chaos, and an unsettling sense of not knowing where I am... I sit up, but I am exhausted to my very core. The look on Thaydrin’s face echoes my internal thoughts. The Prefect’s disturbing, emotionless voice greets my ears, “Prepare yourselves.” It is not even matter of fact. There is no trace of an emotion. She is not even tired. She has not slept either. I am so glad Jeirah is a druidic priestess... So so glad... The quiet rustle of her robes is the only other sound from her has she retreats from the space she gave us.

Thaydrin and I get ready. He says quietly, “It will be good to be home. Hopefully, March’s nightmares did not return while we were gone. You will probably be happy to see Jeirah.”

“That is an understatement. All this magical, arcane, mystical, not even being in Norrath stuff needs to be done with for a while. I want to stand on real ground, sleep in a real bed, and eat something other than rations. A bath would be tremendous too. I have never spent this much time in my armor and too much time fighting with beasts I cannot describe much less name. How do you do this all the time?”

He chuckles, “I do not. This is by far the most unique task she has sent me on. Usually, she sends my out for information gathering, old relics and books, an occasional assassination... The usual stuff you would use an assassin for. This is a new one even for me. I am just hoping March has not had the baby yet.”

“Could we have really been out here that long?”

He shrugs, “No idea... Hoping for the best... Prepared for the worst...”

I smile and nod my head, “Well... We had best get up top before the Prefect comes for us a second time.”

We watch in silence keeping an eye for predatory creatures as the portal forms and slowly begins to open. The arcane tongue being used sets me on edge. It is disturbing in so many ways. Part of me wants to use my sword to silence it. I know perfectly well this is the only path back home though.

With the portal finally open, Thaydrin and I step through and help the Prefect through. My skin crawls as her cold, dead hand settles in mine. As soon as she is standing on the floor in Lady Nox`Cruor’s temple room, I release her hand. Thaydrin does exactly the same.

“Please wait here while we close the portal,” Lady Nox`Cruor states quietly. She turns and closes the portal with the Prefect. Once that is completely, she looks at us both, “I need you both to kneel so Trystitia and I can check you both... …for unwanted anomalies.”

This gives me pause for a moment, but I do as asked. Thaydrin follows suit without hesitation. A shiver rolls through my spine as two pairs of corpse-like cold hands settle on me. They utter their words in tandem, but two different tongues. It is interesting how they work together so well. They finish with me and move to Thaydrin. Finally, Lady Nox`Cruor instructs us to stand and follow her. We enter her office from the Temple and she hands us both gifts. The familiar thick Nerian accent that laces her words speaking our more modern tongue helps solidify the sense I am home a little more. “Thank you, both.” She offers us each some gifts. “For your effort and time...”

“Thank you...” We both state.

“I am sure you are both desirous of seeking my daughters. I will not keep your further, Ussta Dalharuken.”

“Thank you, Lady Nox`Cruor” I look over the bow and shield with a smile. Taking my cue, I turn and head out of her wing with the goal of find Jeirah, get a bath, get some food, and get some sleep... I won’t be particular about the order of that once I find Jeirah... She might be though...