“She’s been awake three days now,” Grenwyn said, “Ye haven’t been to see her yet.” Laith looked at Grenwyn, “you didn’t see her that night, didn’t see the look in her eyes, I…can’t look at her without thinking about it.” Grenwyn smiled as if comforting a small child, ”Fer all yer years, yer still young in life experience elf. Many of us, we have a darkness in us, it comes from too much hardship and too little happiness, and sometimes it comes out. If ye truly love Feryl, ye must love her, darkness and all.” Laith’s head sunk onto his hands for the hundredth time that day,” I just don’t know if I can,” he said softly. Grenwyn nodded and left him alone. “I can,” Grenwyn said to himself, and marched off to find Morwyth.
Mynix walked to Rockhead’s laboratory, and he looked up at her and smiled. Mynix could feel herself blush and wished she knew a spell to counter it. As if reading her thoughts, Rockhead cast a spell and a cool breeze rushed past her cheeks. Mynix laughed and she ran up and embraced Rockhead, who flushed himself and tried to squirm away. When he managed to escape, Mynix looked at him, eyes alight with adoration “You were amazing during the battle,”she said, “it certainly would not have been as successful without you.”
Forgetting himself, Rockhead replied ”I can see why these dwarves love battle so, you have a chance to test out all your theories, and when you do well, you have that rush like when a bard tells a tale of a hero, defeating a villain, it makes me want to leave my lab behind and rush out to be an adventurer.” He remembered himself then, and said, “Bah, I am prattling on like a child, what a silly thought, me, and adventurer.” But he looked at Mynix with a question in his eye, “I think you would be a wonderful adventurer,” she said to him, as slipped closer, “In fact, we could be team, I could be the damsel in distress and you could come rescue me.” She looked at him, giggled, and smiled, then looked away. Poor Rockhead felt as if his heart would burst. “I love you,” he said, and kissed her lips in a perfunctory manner. Both of them blushed and turned away from each other, then Mynix turned and kissed him back, and this time, there was nothing perfunctory about it.
Feryl laid in her bed, Ambre came in several times a day, she would try to chat, but Feryl just didn’t have the heart to. She ate her food, but tasted nothing. She did not feel sad, or angry, she just felt..nothing. She felt empty, and she worried about the mark on her arm. Laith had not been to see her, and she knew somehow he had sensed or seen the darkness in her, and she thought he did not love her anymore. Even this brought only resignation. When Feryl slept, she dreamt of her kills, and when she woke, she felt no remorse.
Grenwyn and Morwyth, and Morwyth's son Drogul disappeared. For 3 days they worked ceaselessy, teaming up to create a boneblade for Feryl. Grenwyn wanted to create this for Feryl to help her overcome her heartache, and to teach the magic to Morwyth's son to be passed down to those unfortunate enough to bear the blessing and burden in future generations of their clan. The blade was forged from Dastrius' thigh and shin bones, and infused with powdered metals forming an intricate and beautiful pattern. The hilt was formed from the fingers of his right hand, and set in the center was the emerald from the ring Feryl had given him. It was a ghastly, morbid process, but Grenwyn thought perhaps it would could keep her darkness at bay as his hammer had brought some manner of peace to him. He would need Feryl for the final enchantments, her wrath would fuel the magic in the blade.
It was the middle of the night, Feryl lay there, staring at the ceiling, when she heard her door creak open. Her body tensed, but she made no move to draw her weapon. She did not wish to die, but she did not care whether or not she lived, so she just lay there, waiting to see what her fate would be. She heard light footsteps approaching and she turned to see Laith coming towards her, for the first time in a week she felt something, and her heart trilled a bit when she saw his ruggedly handsome face. The moment of elation was lost when she saw he still could not look her in the eyes. She looked away from him, not wanting to see his disgust.
He sat down next to her, and faced the wall. “I am sorry I took so long in coming here,” he said, and when Feryl said nothing, he continued. “I have been trying to sort my own heart out, I, saw you, when you were out there..” he began, and he told her of his vision of her in the pool, of his tryst with the Dryad, and he finally turned to look in her eyes. He winced at the sadness, betrayal, and fear he saw there. “Perhaps,” Feryl said slowly, “we are not meant for each other after all” and she could bear his gaze no longer, she turned her head, and hot tears rushed down her face, and feelings came back to her in a rush so powerful she wished they had stayed away. Laith turned her over, and kissed her hard as she wept. She kissed him back, but continued to weep, he laid down with her, and they held each other, and she felt his tears as well. Weeping, they kissed each other tenderly, wondering if this would be the last time they would enjoy each others embrace.
They stayed together that night, and it was a somber affair, both of them knowing it would be their goodbye. When Feryl woke in the morning, she was alone, and she knew Laith was gone from Devil’s Deep, and she would likely never see him again, and she wept.
Grenwyn came in late the next night to find Feryl weeping, and he looked her in the eyes, Feryl saw no judgement there, no disappointment. “come with me girl,” he said, “I’ve made ye a present, but I need ye to help me finish it." Feryl followed Grenwyn through a series of tunnels and felt the fire from the forge before she saw it. Morwyth stood before the work table, and on the table, laid on velvet, was the most beautiful blade Feryl had ever seen. It was bone white, and polished so smooth it almost appeared translucent. She moved forward to look at it, and gasped when she recognized the emerald inset in the hilt. Her eyes turned wide and she turned to Grenwyn. “I have known the same darkness as ye girl, and ye have to embrace it so it doesn’t control you.”
Feryl reached down and picked up the blade, it felt light, and perfectly balanced in her grip. She smiled, and a fierce light came back to her eyes, “I’m going to use this to forge a new life, one of freedom.” She said, Grenwyn and Morwyth smiled. “Focus on your goal,” Morwyth said,”Find all the sorrow and rage and pain in your heart, and will it into the sword.” Grenwyn and Morywth began to speak arcane phrases in the secret language outsiders were rarely if ever allowed to hear, and it sounded like stone grating on gravel.
Feryl closed her eyes and focused on her pain, and a tingling began in her chest and her head, and it moved outward, up her arms and into the sword, she opened her eyes and she and the sword was alive with a green sparkling energy.”Keep focused,” Morwyth reminded, and Feyrl spent over an hour pouring her sorrow into the blade. She thought of her Mother and Father, he friends and neighbors, of Dastrius, and of Laith, the tingling became a terrible burn and still she fought on. Feryl felt like she might collapse, and Grenwyn said to her, “speak its name” Almost without thinking, Feryl said “Lady Killer” and the tingling left her, and the sword glowed with bright white light. Grenwyn looked to Morwyth and the two shared a grin, Feryl looked to them and they nodded. She raised the blade and her laughter, fierce and terrible echoed through the halls of Devil's Deep.
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