She was going insane. Utterly insane. Clothes, books, bags, candlesticks, and various other anonymous items lay strung carelessly across the floorboards of the room. Literally anything that was not nailed down to the upstairs portion of the tavern was moved, or upturned. Gallow's End Tavern had become a whirlwind as she searched each corner, under mattresses, on the shelves…everywhere she could think of to look. It was no use, however. The pendant was missing. Walking back into the room the Medic rented for the night, she sighed inwardly, her hand moving to the place on her throat where the priceless amulet once hung. She studied her hands absently as she tried to calm herself down, the skin pale, appearing cold, the fingernails long, sharp, almost translucent.
She knew how she appeared since using the enchantment the pendant provided: she appeared fresh from death, life's breath and warmth taken from her skin, only to be fastened to the unearthly light that shone from her eyes. She appeared significantly thinner as well, like many of her "kind", though her flesh was untouched by any malady or decomposition. Even most of her human scent was masked by the enchantment, only the keenest of senses able to catch it. Though the pendant's magic could not change the fact that her flesh would still feel warm upon touch, it was convincing enough to make her appear like one of the newly risen, a common sight in Brill.
…there was no way she could go to Stormwind like this.
With a hopeless groan, she sat down on the bed, the sheets sprawled out across the floorboards. She had responsibilities still, on the "other side of the fence", though her antics with the Dragonmaw Orcs of Shadowmoon Valley were at an end, thankfully. She specifically had business in the Allerian Stronghold this very night, where several of the guilds of the Alliance planned on meeting, officers required to attend. Could the necklace on which the pendant hung have snapped, becoming lost in the scuffle in the graveyard the night before? She scowled, remembering how she and a very offended Medic were locked in the mausoleum by Ryutan and Mahryna, in some attempt to get the two to "talk". She brought her fingertips to her temple as she recalled the event. No…she remembered having the amulet with her the entire night.
She saw the small black tome on the wooden floor, between her feet, it's leather cover long discolored. Slowly, she stooped down to pick it up, and flipped through the worn pages, reading the written words of the Dalaran guardian, this Belamoore, over and over. She sighed, thinking of holding the fragments of the Bloodstone in her hands that she retrieved from the Internment Camp, which the mage had written about. She felt the power in the palm of her hands, just as Belamoore had written about, and a slight twinge of regret made it's home inside her, knowing that she had returned them to Tarren Mill, to the Forsaken Magus that requested the delivery of them. She read on, the passage in the journal etched in her mind:
'Remnants of the Old gods still linger in the deep hollows of the world. New forces seek to harness that ancient power, and those who succeed will have a terrible weapon against their enemies.'
Her fingers twitched somewhat…she could not keep completely still. It was the anticipation she felt, of finding this Bloodstone amulet that the writer spoke of. Annise could not help, but want to know more of the artifact. Slowly, she dumped out the gems in her satchel, sifting through them, comparing them to the notes found within the journal on the Bloodstone's description. Anna shook her head, and with a faint laugh, she stood up from the bed, realizing what she was doing. No, it would never be that easy. She stood, slumped, staring at the collection of glittering gems strewn across the bed, lost in her own thoughts. What was it she was looking for…?
"In the name of the Dark Lady, what have you done to my tavern, girl?!" came the rasping voice of Renee, as the innkeeper lingered at the doorway, surveying the mess. She was already picking up the strewn pillows and clothes with an irritated sigh. Annise blinked a few times, pulled out of her reverie.
"Wha…what…?" Anna replied in a confused murmur, looking around at the incredulous mess. She sighed in apology, and began to help. Renee simply stared her down, and Anna swallowed hard, backing off slightly.
"What do you mean "what"?! Look at this mess! Do you think I have nothing better nothing to do than clean up after you?" Renee exclaimed, thrusting the things she had picked up into the surprised woman's hands.
"You do it," Renee almost growled, scolding. Annise nodded vaguely and began to put away the things, not knowing what else to do.
"I…I apologize. I was looking for something. A pendant. It is very important to me," Anna spoke softly, shoving the clothes in the wardrobe with some effort. She turned in time to see Renee dangling a familiar eye-shaped amulet from her hands. Anna stared, wide-eyed, unmoving.
"I'm assuming you mean this thing," Renee replied coolly, as she placed it on top of the shelf of the room. "He told me to keep it until he was off from his duties, make sure you were tended to, all that jazz."
"He…what?!" Anna almost choked, an incredulous laugh escaping from her throat.
"Yeah. Safekeeping, he said," the innkeeper said, a smirk appearing across her marred face, the muscle exposed in a grotesque manner as she grinned. "But, I'm not sacrificing the well-being of my tavern for a personal favor. You had better just be here tonight."
The shadows curled around from the room, almost on cue, as Renee sauntered out of the bedroom. Taking on the form of the Dragonhawk Hatchling, as she was accustomed to, it floated across the floorboards, twisted around Annise's skirts, and poked its tiny beak through her hair, playful. Anna simply sighed, fastening the amulet around her neck once again, to which it responded with an inquisitive growl.
"You evil, evil man," Anna spoke quietly to the Dragonhawk as she scratched underneath it's beak, knowing her love could hear her through it.
The Hawkling merely stared back at her with a pair of very innocent, emerald green eyes, like glittering gems.
No comments:
Post a Comment