Aether Draka… yes, it was a good name. Perhaps she liked it after all, even if the place she was named after no longer existed and would be completely unknown to anyone here. AD leaned back against the crates in the back of the flimsy looking old wooden wagon she had stolen a ride on. She had the suspicion that the driver knew she was there though, that he had seen her kill the thief who nearly took all the supplies, even the food she had been eating, and the two men’s lives to boot. It was selfish for her to do so, but she wanted that food and this was her ride, a free passage, back into the city of Taras. For some reason the death of that vagabond hadn’t bothered her, perhaps because she didn’t bother to really think about it.

She had grown weary both physically and emotionally. Thing were not going like she wanted. She didn’t like her life and didn’t feel she would be able to go back to the way things had been. The world had given up on her. But she wasn’t going to just leave it be. She still had time, a chance, something to look forward to. It wasn’t hope per say, but simply a new perspective. She wasn’t going to put her faith in the world anymore. She didn’t have a reason to. She had the feeling that Gregory was wrong about her trusting the wrong people instead of the right ones. He thought she didn’t trust him, but she did. She wondered if perhaps she trusted too much. She wondered if that was a problem.

The wagon wasn’t a smooth ride, but the driver and his guard didn’t complain, so she found nothing wrong with it besides having to hold on to the flimsy sides of the old and weather-beaten crate of a wagon. The wooden boxes stacked in the back provided enough shadow for her to hide in most of the day. It was early morning now, very early. The sun wasn’t up yet even, so the dark hid her very well.

Sadness was quick to follow the weariness she felt. It made her worry that she had done something wrong in telling (or was it showing?) the half-angel about Lynthaer. She wondered about him still, the demon was very much a curiosity to her. She didn’t think she actually understood him very well, but that didn’t matter much. No one seemed to understand her either, not even herself. AD pulled her feet up and wrapped her arms around her knees. She rested her forehead on her knees, hiding her face. She couldn’t cry anymore. She had run out of tears.

Coming back to Taras wasn’t all she had planed though. She was here for the library, for learning magic. She doubted it would be an easy task. A teacher would be nice, perhaps if she could find Steele again. That tall white-skinned elf had been very helpful with what he had told her about magic. That was what had brought her to the library and the book she had that belonged to them. She hadn’t read it completely yet. In fact she hadn’t read anything more then she had when she had been in the library.

Looking up then, she sat up, tucked her legs and her skirts beneath her, and dug out the book. Turin had been asleep in her bag and woke groggily when she took out the book and opened it. He looked at her with heavy eyes as she settled back to read. The tiny fly dragon stretched his wings, flew over to her shoulder, curled up next to her neck, and with a soft yawn went promptly back to sleep. Aether Draka stroked the tiny dragon’s small body with her index finger almost unconsciously, taking comfort in his presence. Turin had been with her from the day she had come to Imythess, a tiny guardian who she felt was so venerable in his sleep. He slept a lot too, but that may just be her own perspective, as she didn’t sleep at all.

The book’s pages turned in silence as she started to read it from the beginning as the wagon lurched its way to Taras. Lynthaer’s flight had been faster, but he wasn’t here. So she had to make it there the long way. Perhaps they would make it to the city today.

((Hope you don’t mind that my posts are rather short.))

Oran was heading out on foot. No horse he had come across yet could carry him. He was heading back into town after earning himself a few more coin. A small farming family had come into town to sell their goods and the grandfather had fallen ill. After making sure he could be looked after, the half-giant had escorted them back home. Now he was on his way back into Taras.

Walking along the road so early was actually very pleasant. There was a quiet to the world. A noise interrupted that thought. The half-giant stopped to look behind him. A small wagon was making its way down the same road. He saw no reason to wait for it. It was coming up fast enough. Oran turned back to what he was doing and continued up the road.

The sun finally peeked over the horizon, casting long shadows across the land. AD continued to read, but she didn’t understand much of what the book was saying. It was talking about how there are different elements to magic and many different ways it could be used depending on the profession. Humans over all had the weakest magical ability. The only exceptions being those who didn’t have completely human bloodlines. Elven or Dragon blood were the most common, but beings from other planes of existence often had an influence on human bloodlines. The most well known of these simply become their own race. Like the Gensi races who each have a powerful tie with one of the four elemental planes. The plane is part of their very being and any magic that also uses that element comes very easily to them. The Undead are closely tied with Necromancy, just as Necromancy involves the Undead. But there are weaknesses to this too. A heal spell will harm an Undead and other holy magic can do serious harm to any Necromancer. Water Gensi tend to not do well with fire magic for the same reason…

Aether Draka shut the book then in frustration. How in the world did that work? Perhaps when she got to the library she would draw out a diagram, or perhaps find one, so all that made some sort of sense! Frowning she put the book back with one hand as she gently kept Turin where he was sleeping with the other. She didn’t notice she had leaned out of the shadows in doing so. Sunlight caught her hair. The next thing she knew the guard was calling for the driver to stop and she looked up to see he had moved right behind the wagon on his horse. AD’s frown deepened as he drew his blade and snapped at her.

“What do you think you are doing back here girl?” He then glanced to the front of the wagon before looking back at her with a hawk like gaze. “I said stop man! You have a stowaway!”

“I know.” The driver said with a shrug that AD didn’t see. She did see the anger cross the guard’s face.

“You mean to tell me you were willingly going to allow her to sneak into the city in the back of your wagon? I told you to stop old man! I will arrest you for this too if you don’t”

The older driver sighed and AD caught the side of the wagon as it started to slow even though it was heading down a hill. She could hear the driver mumbling something about how stupid was it to stop on a hill with the city in sight and that couldn’t they just deal with this at the gate? AD decided to stay silent for the moment.

The wagon had been catching up at a quick pace. Now it was slowing. He heard the guard declare a stowaway and tell the driver would go to jail too if he didn’t stop. That didn’t seem right to him. What difference would it make if they dealt with the problem now or later. As long as it was before the gates it wasn’t breaking the law. Perhaps this man had intended to let the stowaway into the city. Then the guard would have the right to jail the driver too. Turning his back to Taras the half-giant walked back up the hill to the halted wagon. It was only a short way to go. Oran hailed the wagon and called out to them.

“Is there a problem that I may be of service with?” He asked them.

AD thought for a moment that she should make a run for it, like she had when getting into the city the first time. It was about the same time in the morning and perhaps she could make it inside while they changed the guards. When a loud voice boomed out, she froze for a sec, wondering if she recognized it. Looking over she realized that she didn’t. It was just a large man… she didn’t even think of him as a threat. The foolish and most likely righteous guard was the one she would need to watch out for. Glancing back to the guard she saw him looking at the giant of a man… not at her. The guard opened his mouth and as he spoke, she moved.

“Yes, would you mind keeping this crate still? The old man’s having a bit of trouble with…”

She snatched up her bag and tossed it over her shoulder as she vaulted over the edge of the wagon opposite the side the guard was looking. She felt Turin’s claws prick her skin for a moment as he woke with a start at the sudden and abrupt movement. When she hit the ground she crouched, touching the ground with a fingertip as she regained her balance, before taking of at a sprint. She leapt up atop of the horse and then slapped its rump as she jumped down again. The horse panicked and started running down to the city.

“… Stop!” The guard screamed, kicking his horse into action only after the wagon was moving again. AD rolled out of the way, grinned, and turned to be on her way only to nearly run into the large man. Looking up at him for a moment, she gave a wave.

“Hello. How are you?” She asked in all innocence. The guard attempted to turn his horse both after the wagon and her, instead just leading the poor beast in a prancing circle. For all intents and purposes she didn’t look like she was planning on going anywhere.

Oran had stepped forward to help as directed only to have the entire wagon leap to life and start down the hill. Startled he had stepped back and looked back to the guard on horseback for further direction. What he saw furthered his confusion. The giant then looked down at a girl's voice to see her standing right in front of him. She had just greeted him. Just like she wasn't the cause of all this chaos.

Worry furrowed his wide brow. "I'm as well as can be expected I suppose, miss. Would you mind explaining why you just did that?"

AD looked at what was happening and then back up at the tall man with a smile still n her face. “I think it’s because I don’t want the driver to take the blame for me being there. It wasn’t like I was there intentionally either. I actually didn’t have any real plan though. Just making it up as I go along. Speaking of which…” AD dodged to the side, the guard finally able to turn the horse in some direction and he went straight for Aether Draka. After the guard swung his blade though, she seemed to have disappeared completely. She wasn’t really that far, just sitting up in the branches of a near-by tree. As a shadowdancer though, she was completely invisible, even with magical detection. By how the old man and his wagon were starting to slow and they were already coming up to the gate. The guard on the other had was now all huffy. In his rage he turned on the big man who had offered to help out and pointed his blade at him now. He then started to yell once more.

“What sort of stunt was that? Don’t you dare think I will fall for a trick like that. Where is that little friend of yours? Is she hiding behind you now? What sort of stunt are you imbeciles trying to pull now. Speak up man or I’ll have you arrested for conspiring with a trickster and attempting to get illegal access to the city of Taras!”

The guard was all red faced and angry. AD was rather surprised he was so angry. Perhaps she should have just killed him from the start, or that she had let the thief from the other night kill him… He should really calm down. He was making his horse edgy. The beast was prancing it’s hooves about, stomping and rolling its eyes some. Perhaps she could frighten the horse and make the guard simply go away. He shouldn’t be picking on that stranger anyways. It wasn’t like she actually knew the man.

Walking steadily down the road, Taima struggles to get his feral side under control. Hearing shouts and curses ahead, he slows down to avoid detection. Seeing the guard frustrated and screaming at a giant of a man, Taima quietly and quickly retreats to the nearest tree, waiting for an outcome. Silently praying that no one sees him, or if they do they do not realize what he is. Last thing he wanted is to be hunted.

AD looked down as a sound caught her attention. There was a man below her. He seemed to be avoiding the noise the others were making. Either that he was trying not to be seen, like she was. Unfortunitly, she thought he was rather easy to find. The shadows didn’t hide him well.

The mostly elven young woman gracefully and silently swung off the high branch she was on and landed with nothing more then a slight stir of leaves. Touching the stranger lightly on the shoulder, she then put her finger up by her lips to warn him to be silent. Raising to her feat she started to tread carefully through the undergrowth. With little sound AD made her way back further in the woods, gesturing for him to follow.

She went back far enough so that the road was now out of sight. The sounds of their voices, well the guard’s voice, could still be heard, though not exactly what was being said.

Flexing a hand to work out the kinks, Taima waits for something to happen besides just words and curses. He tenses as a slight sound reaches his ears...close...though blaming it partially on the wind and mostly on his nerves even after looking around. Feeling a fleeting touch, he startles and sees a young lady behind him...motioning him to be quiet. Following her through the undergrowth as quietly as he can, constantly looking around for signs of alarm or traps. As the sounds of the road and voices quiets to a dull noise and the two stop, he stands up straight and looks at his "guide". Bowing slightly, though never losing eye contact and standing back up slowly. In a whisper so as not to let go his position "My name is Taima, I thank you for helping me avoid the guard. You are..."

He was rather noisy compared to Aether, but she doubted that the others had heard over the noise they were making. Besides, he didn’t seem very much the sneaking around type. She looked up at him as he stood and introduced himself. She smiled when he thanked her.

“I’m Aether Draka, and you're welcome. I wouldn’t worry about the guard. He was after me anyways.” She waved her had dismissively. It was practically an out of sight out of mind thing for her. Or more appropreatly, when she was out of sight it didn’t matter what the guard did. It wasn’t like the tall man would take the blame, or the man with the wagon who was no doubt in the city by now. As that thought crossed her mind she asked, “What brings you here? Are you heading into Taras? That’s were I’m going. I wonder if anyone I know is still around the city or not…”

Smiling slightly and showing acknowledgement, he regarded her questions before shaking his head. Sitting down and thinking for a moment...as if trying to grasp as something yet never quite reaching it... "I know not why I am here, I barely know who I am. Taras?? That would be the name of a town the road let to I would assume. All I know is I woke up on the side of the road with no memory save the martial arts training and slight druidic knowledge I guess I acquired as some point...along with this bedamned ailment. If this proves to be a bother or a nuisance I am sorry." Taima stands up and leans against the nearest trunk...waiting...wondering what she thinks of him.

AD looked at him for a moment, questions stirring in her mind, completely unreadable. A suspicion rose in her mind, a murmur from her dark side telling her he was simply being too nice, that this man could not be what he said he was. It would be best just to get him out of the way now... Aether Draka forcefully shoved that thought away, angry at the fact that it had even crossed her mind.

“Yes, Taras is a large port city, far from a safe place but there are people there from all walks of life. Want to come with me? I was just on my way back. If not, I would wait for that guard to go on his way before wandering out onto the road.”

Pulling herself away from where they had stopped, AD walked toward the city. If he would come or not didn’t really seem to matter now. She was troubled by something else. She thought for a moment about when she had last had something to eat. Normally thoughts of killing someone crossed her mind when she hadn’t eaten in a few days, but no, she had eaten just the other night. That ment something, it had too. Was she just worrying too much, or perhaps putting too much meaning to it? She was frightened, but not of anything in this world, at least none that she knew of.

Her grandmother was someone she feared though and AD wondered if it was true that heaven had forsaken her and left her soul for the demons to claim…

((OOC: Oran said he doesn't think he will be back on for a while :( ))

Looks over at her for a minute before moving away from the tree, watching her figure fade back through the landscape. A nagging thought at the back of his head told him he was a nuisance and should head to the city on his own. Yet something about her intrigued him, so he decided to keep an eye out...just to see if there was something more to her. Dashing off through the woods only a few scant feet from the road, he went...letting his lycan side loose for more mobilty and speed. Stopping just short of the gates, he waits...wondering when the best time to seek entry would be...constantly checking for either trouble or Aether. Hearing his stomach growl reminded him of the last time he ate, scanning the scenery for anything to eat...he spies a rabbit not too far from his position. Crouching down, he leaps forward at a dead run and snatches the animal before it realized what happened...retreating back to the trees he climbs and eats. Slowly reverting back to human...yet not quite all the way.


((OOC: ouch...well that sucks...was looking forward to it))

AD had simply taken her time, thinking as she walked, nearly lost in her thoughts for what could have been days. Aether Draka had always been bad at keeping track of time. A sound broke her out of her reserve and she stopped to look around. She saw she was just near the wall. It couldn't have been that long then. She stood there for a moment at the edge off the woods. Looking across the path she realized that she had come to these gates from the other side of the road last time. Perhaps she should backtrack then and cross the road. But no, the guard was still back there and…

She suddenly realized she had left Taima behind. Before she could do anything though, a sound caught her attention, hooves on the road. She ducked down into the shadows and hid. The shadows seemed to swallow her, making her completely invisible as long as someone wasn’t looking at her when she decided to move.

The guard was back, but the wagon she had tried to sneak in on was nowhere to be seen. The man was moving back and forth, looking for someone along the sides of the road while still on his horse. The horse’s shoed hooves clanked loudly on the road as it avoided the shallow ruts caused by so much travel.

Looking up for his meal, the sound of hooves and an angry man's voice could only mean one thing...the guard was back. Slowly crawling along a branch to get a better view, Taima sees the sneer on the man's face and the look in his eyes. Looking quickly for Aether yet seeing her nowhere, he assumed one of them was the reason for the guard's bad temper. Knowing how she wanted back in, yet knowing the guard posed a threat...Taima decided to play a little. Concentrating a few minutes and letting his full lycan side emerge, he jumped and landed a few inches from the guard...startling his horse and nearly making the man fall. Smiling, he raced back to the trees before the guard knew what had happened. Whispering to himself "Why do I do this.", racing back across the road he snatches the guard's helmet and stands a few feet away, chuckling as the man brandishes his sword only to find nothing there...except for his helmet spinning in the dirt. Taima already up the road howls...making the guard move and get back on his horse and start the chase. Taima begins to sprint, hoping to draw the guard far enough away for Aether to get into town and find who she needs to. "I hope she appreciates this, if she even knows it was me." he mutters to himself. After about a mile he sees the guard about 200 feet away and deems this good enough. Scratching a quick rut into the ground, Taima disappears back into the woods...backtracking to the wall...out of sight and out of tracking. Hearing the guard curse and cut through some of the undergrowth makes him chuckle as his ruse worked. Going back to his scouting tree, he keeps an eye and ear out for either more trouble or perhaps...just maybe...her

AD was surprised to see a large humanoid wolf come out of the trees and basically mock the guard. She found herself grinning almost madly as the guard once more seemed to be making the horse dance in circles. She felt a little sorry for the horse as it finally took off back up the road. She waited with baited breath, hearing the hooves fade away. Her gaze then shifted up to the wall top and she watched as the guard on the wall walked across. Shaking her head she withdrew into the woods and backtracked just far enough to bolt across the road. AD made her way as quickly as she could, without drawing attention to herself, along the opposite side of the road. Once more, she watched the guards and saw them pausing to look around this time.

She waited another moment and the guard disappeared from her sight. Waiting for only a breath more, she bolted for the gate as it stood open. Just inside she saw the old man and his wagon. He was talking to another guard, the one she had just seen. What appeared to be a younger guard stood by, nodding agreement with the old man. The man was telling the guards something, moving his arms wide as he explained what ever it was. AD slowed to a walk as soon as she made it inside, slipping into the nearest ally way as soon as she could.

This was exactly how she had made it inside the first time, she just didn’t have a guide this time. Wondering about the half dragon for a moment she shook her head and dismissed it. She had something else to do, if she could only talk herself into it now...

"Ahh...there she is...a pleasure to be of help Aether" he whispered to himself...giving a slight bow. Now to find a way in himself...watching the gate, walls, and the guards. Vaulting over the wall and into a dark corner in the few seconds when the guards were turned. Reverting back to human, Taima walks cautiously around the town...searching for any memory trigger. Giving up after what seemed like hours, he drifts into the nearest tavern and sits in the corner...stewing in his own thoughts. Yet for some reason he mind always went back to Aether, where was she...was she ok...did she find what she wanted to. Looking around, trying to keep a low profile, he waits, wondering if anything will happen tonight.

AD fit in well with the crowd, slipping unnoticed past most of them. She in turn also ignored most of them. She was edgy, not sure if she knew how to actually find anything useful in the Library and she was frightened to ask, believing she would find herself persecuted or something.

She reached the steps leading up to the library and stood there for a moment looking up at the building. She urged herself to step forward, to move up those steps and through those doors. She found she couldn’t. After what seemed like a long time, although it was only a few moments, she turned away from the huge building and the promise of finding out what she felt she now needed to know. Time… time was something she would have to learn again. She walked away even as she tried to talk herself into going back. She would need to get there eventually.

((OOC: I have worked very hard to keep AD’s storyline chronological (see history). If you would like to join any of the threads after this one, feel free. The next one is called Fire Water? and it is still open. :) ))