Broken Stones and Whispers (open)

[Eleri Danu'Fada]

From afar it looked like a rocky crag, no longer the structure it once had been that had been painted into so many books. However the closer one viewed it did the details of carved stone and mortar slowly appear, did the work of human hands create a shape that the years past had deformed into the grave it now seemed to have become. Stones eroded by wind and battles lay scattered across the land and path that encircled the castle, sharp edges cutting painfully even through the soles of the slippers that the young water fey wore as she drew closer. Dark fabric fluttered around her pale limbs, clinging to her form as she moved almost in a trace like place, her gaze trying to take everything in at once. She'd been bere only a handful of times before, brought by her family and teachers to gaze from the distance and see just what it was she was being trained so hard for.

She could feel nothing...the usual pulse of water in the plant life, like a human heart constantly beating and moving was silent. It made her feel cold inside to not hear the drumming. Eleri stopped at the edges of a rotted bridge of wood and stone that fell into deep, still waters around it. She kept walking till her feet hit the now uneven cobblestone path, leading to the first staircase winding up. Windows lacking the beautiful stained glass peered out on the empty surroundings.

The loneliness was overwhelming, her chest growing tight as the stairwell grew narrow, the light nearly blotted out save for the few slats that lined the stairs. "To think this place once had any life in it." She murmured to herself, trying to imagine the humans that once lived her. The memory of life had long since been snuffed out. Gray light beckoned out to the vast couryard where torn banners lay in pieces and gardens grew wildly.

Eleri wanted to run, but something made her want to linger longer. Closing her eyes her movements stilled she strained to listen for the whispers of the souls.

[Silvar]

It had been typical, routine even, that Silv would come here. To think? No.. Relax, perhaps? Certainly not.

No, he came here to remember, to feel the Death in this place and let it embrace him, to look out over the plain of Death and let himself laugh at it. Perhaps even to taunt Death (perhaps this time it would get the better of him, just perhaps). And yet this trip down memory lane (a bloody memory, but one that he relished in the feeling of power, of life that it gave him) was to be cut short, the sound of footsteps (light as they were), drawing him from his reminiscence to lower himself from his high perch (though he could see her from there, looking too bright and entirely out of place).

The sound of his boots hitting the stone was purposefully loud, straightforward, as he had no intention of skulking in the shadows. And oh, how out of place she seemed here where he felt almost at home, and he ran his tongue over his teeth, crimson eyes narrowing with the thinning of his lips as they stretched into a wicked sort of smile at the mere sight of her.

"And what, pray tell, is a thing like you doing in a place like this?" he questioned (and there was no hiding the edge of darkness in his voice), feeling a stir that seemed to briefly ripple throughout his entire person, down to the sharp tip of each feather, and the shadows weighed heavily.

He wanted her to run, for any time was a good time for a chase.

[Eleri Danu'Fada]

Bleached white the stones stood out starkly from the dark moss growing on them. Throny branches reached out to catch at Eleri as she wandered past them, one long vicious throne scratching across pale skin to leave a bright crimson line where blood began to bead. She whined, fingers holding her arm as she let out a small hiss from the pain...a stray wind blew and she shuddered. It felt too cold for the spring even.

"What a lonely place...nothing but a gravestone." She muttered to herself before the heavy sound of footsteps startled her out of her explorations. They sounded as if they came from everywhere the way they echoed. She moved towards the center fountain, still water gray, nearly blocked out by the thick later of lilypads and roots that dug into the stone and pushed at it. Slowly she turned, making wide circles as she tried to find just who, or what had joined her here.

The voice cut into her, she bit her lip so as not to scream out her startlement as she turned to face whoever had come upon her in this place where she thought herself alone. She stood her ground though the grin made her want to cringe away, "I mean no violence to this place or you...I simply came here to see this place for what it was." She moved around the fountain, putting it between herself and the other fey who seemed less than welcoming.

"I'm sorry if I have intruded upon you. I will leave right away."

[Silvar]

Much too bright, and so, so tender looking, almost but not quite fragile, and Silv's eyes watched her like a predator would its prey. Her words struck him as fitting her well, and he chuckled, a dark and dangerous sound as his fingertips traced the contours of a jagged piece of stone as he took a step forward.

The fountain was between the two of them, but it wasn't an obstacle that deterred him much, and if it somehow comforted her in her ability to be safe, that was her prerogative. "Of course you don't mean any violence to this place," and he said the word like it were the piercing point of an arrow, a fine weapon, a close friend, "but the real question is... what violence does this place or I mean to you?"

He hadn't stopped moving closer, though, as she circled the fountain, even though it was a slow, measured pace, and the shadows played at his feet in ways that went above and beyond his movements. "Are you going to run?" he questioned, amused, and he considered which movements he could make to get her to do just that.

"By all means," accented by a wave of his hand and a dip of his head in a mockery of a bow, "make my day."

[Eleri Danu'Fada]

Something about the lights and shadows didn't sit well with her, they moved and shifted with how the other walked. His gaze did little to calm her of what intentions he could have, she continued to move, continued to put the fountain between them...it offered distance for one that allowed her some measure of safety, but also...it was water. She kept close to it, the stone brushing against her legs through the silky fabrics of her dress. Her gaze moved about, lingering for only brief moments on the other before going to her surroundings. She knew well enough what could happen if she let her guard drop, if she assumed there was no danger.

"I don't want any trouble sir...I am here only to observe. If you do not like me here I can leave." She held her hands up as a show of peace. "I don't wish to fight or run. This is not a time of war that one must hurt every Fey they see who is not of their tribes."

Slippered feet hit upturned rocks and she nearly fell, her legs buckling for a moment as she stumbled away from the fountain, catching herself against a crumbling statue. Straightening herself up she began to move back, her eyes now on the other as her feet carried her back towards the stairs she'd come up from.

[Silvar]

Oh, he could see her uneasiness so clearly, and each step she took away he took closer, each sign from her a spark in him, a shiver down his spine. He imagined the way her pretty lips would look stained in blood and the curve of his lips turned upward even sharper than before, tongue snaking out for a brief moment at the idea of it.

"In the end, do you honestly think what you want will sway me?" he questioned, for she seemed to think so, and he found it hilarious, but when she stumbled, almost fell...

There was a gleam in his eyes, a thrill that ran through him and his steps seemed to take on a different sort of purppose, though he kept his distance still just waiting for that pivotal moment that would tell him whether or not he should leave her be, letting that space give her the illusion...

"Do I need a war to have a proper excuse?" He chuckled again, almost laughed outright. "It hasn't stopped me before."

[Eleri Danu'Fada]

Eleri bit her lip as she continued to step further back towards the arching doorway, she could feel the cold draft, a quick glace telling her it was only a little ways away. Turning her head back she peered out from beneath pink curls into the other's eyes. The gaze was dangerous as she finally reached the stone entrace, her back bumping up against the corner stone. Rough, cold, a small amount of softness from the black moss growing there.

"You do not respect any peace that has come to this place then? You could start another war with more bloodshed and violence...I do not think that toying with me is such a thrill to risk." She murmured in reply, teeth gritted. Nerves were on edge as she moved to stand in the entraceway. There was little to know of her opponent other than knowing just what sort of things he did have on his mind. The Divine knew nothing of his powers, his abilities, but still she couldn't risk lingering now to find out. He'd become a threat. "I apologize for what I have to do then..."

Water roared up from the fountain, the wall of dark water and tangled lily vines crashing down towards the other Fey before Eleri turned and ran. Down the uneven steps of the staircase as they twisted and turned, her hand on the wall the only thing keeping her from falling forward as the slats of light flickered over her in the darkness.

The stairs seemed to go on forever as her heart raced, pounding against her ribcage. Shards of stained glass shattered beneath her feet, a fine dust rising in the air as her running stirred it up. Her eyes strained to see the next steps, her nerves making it hard to focus on the task of running. Breath hitched sharply in her throat, lungs burning as she ran, searching for the exit from this place.

[Silvar]

She looked so cornered for a moment, but it was a cornered animal that always fought the hardest, was the most unpredictable, the most fun, and Silv watched the emotions cross over her face with a heady sort of anticipation. Her words continued to portray the idealistic thoughts of a Fey that identified with the side opposite him, thoughts of peace, and that bored him, however...

Her final words struck a note of interest, and while the roar and rush of water was sudden it was not entirely unexpected (a cornered mouse will fight, after all), though it served its purpose of distraction and delay. The amount of time needed to avoid being swallowed by the wave and move beyond it was minimal but certainly enough to give the Water Fey a decent head start down the stairs, yet it seemed just fine with him, and the laugh that echoed through the ruins was a twisted sound.

"Good!" he breathed out, slipping into the staircase as the darkness came to life within it, eyes wild and a grin that stretched from ear to ear as the chase was on. She was in his element now.

[Eleri Danu'Fada]

How long did her actions hold him off? How far behind was he? She continued rushing down the spiraling stairs, the uneven stones making it hard to move too fast. Darkness alternated with the stark gray light coming out of the thin window, soft breezes picking up as they whistled through the loose stones. Eleri stumbled, catching herself against the wall, "How far are these steps?" she muttered, looking out one of the windows, greeted with the sight of the field stretched out far below. So far away still though she felt like she'd been running forever...

Just by touch she couldn't feel the call of the water. She was outside of her element. She had to get outside...there was water there. She could fight if she could just get outside. Once more she began to run, flying down the stairs as fast as she could. Each twist gave a rising hope, but the continuing darkness succeed in destorying it....still Eleri kept going. However, as her foot fell onto one step, she felt the old stone crumble, her body pitching forward again. This time she couldn't catch herself as the stairs came up to strike her body. She rolled down until she hit the landing of the steps.

Breath came out in short, sharp, pained gasps as she pushed herself up. Bruised pale limbs shook as she leaned up against the wall, trying to recover herself , trying to get herself to move.Vision blurred in and out as she looked forward in the dark...trying to push herself further down the steps, trying to get away. She couldn't stop now, not yet...

[Silvar]

It was with a swift but cautious pace that Silv followed down the staircase, knowing this ground far better than the poor little thing that ran from him, be that its handholds or pitfalls. Years ago he had left his mark upon this land, just as so many others did, and though he knew its dangers he returned, time and time again.

He heard the crumble of stone, heard the sound of a rolling body and heard it stop, slowing his pace only slightly, though the shadows seemed to grow even more agitated. The adrenaline thrill of the chase was still there, but contained, and he wasn't sure whether to be elated or angry, the emotions twisting within him as his hands twitched and tensed with the urge to wring the life from her pretty little neck.

And he shivered (and the shadows seemed to do the same), the sound of her breath causing his own to quicken for an altogether different reason.

"Hurry now," he almost growled out, because he knew she could hear him, and he wanted her to know how close he was.

[Eleri Danu'Fada]

Stone scraped against her flesh, red marks appearing on her skin as she pushed herself to continued to move. Pain surrounded her body from her fall, burning, throbbing. Her thoughts went to the constant fights she use to have with her family after the last confrontation she'd had after the Fire Fey...she'd nearly been killed, she'd nearly killed another...her own unlearned magic called ot be used, but she couldn't, leaving her with the only weapon that was still so far down.

The voice that echoed down the stairwell made her heart leap into her throat, teal eyes narrowed as she turned to face the only way it could come from. Her breathing stopped, trying to hear past the panicked reactions of her body as she stepped back, down, another step down, another until she was moving against. She just had to get low enough, had to be able to feel the water once more.

The gray light seemed to darken within the stairwell, blurring as tears stung Eleri's eyes. Pain, something might be broken...it hurt so much to move still. She closed her eyes, trying to blink away the pain, the fear, and she could feel the distant cry in her mind...nothing good would come from stopping. Only blood and destruction.

Opening her eyes she gasped. Justt ahead the shadows seemed to take on a more silvery look to them, the more light than what the windows could afford. She nearly screamed to find the doorway, to smell air that didn't seem to sit stale and dusty within the castle. Even better than that she could feel the water close by, as still as it was she could feel the pull as she nearly collapsed out. She never thought she would be so happy to see the nearly lifeless fields as she pulled herself to the water's edge. Her dirtied reflection stared back, a thin gash on her forehead dripping crimson down her cheek and into the waters. Reaching into the waters the cool liquid moved, rippled as she turned to watch the door. Waiting now seeing as how she was too tired to continued the chase as it was.

She would have to fight...have to make time.

[Silvar]

Oh, but she hadn't stopped, and that was what mattered, what with the way that weakness drew out an even harsher reaction from Silv (there was no real honor in killing the weak, but it was oh so much fun to watch them struggle for their wretched little lives). He knew that the end of the stairwell was near, though, knew what lay outside of it and still continued, fearless.

His prey had enough fear for the both of them, you see, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

The sight that greeted him at the mouth of the stairwell was prettier than he'd expected, the battered little thing making him lick his lips again because the blood already there made him want to see more, seemed so sweet and he smirked something wicked. She couldn't run, was cornered again and would fight, however vain the attempt might be, and it would only serve to satisfy him.

The first step out of the shadows wasn't out of them at all, not the way they moved with him, rising like tendrils from the ground at his feet and spreading outward from the stairwell to touch into every crack and crevice the battered ground had to offer and when his fingers twitched, so did the darkness, a stifling, heavy thing in the air. "Kill me," he ordered of her, eyes sharp and voice laced with something not quite sane, "or die trying."

For without a true intent to kill, there was little hope.

[Eleri Danu'Fada]

"I don't want to kill you...but if you are threatening me then I have no choice other than just that." Eleri spoke, her voice taking on its more regal tone learned from her years as the court Divine. Slowly she stood, legs shaking...her whole body trembling as she drew in a long breath. The waters that had once been still continued to churn even though her hand had left the water, darkness frothed with white foam, alge and dirt slung away as waters grew clear once more.

The way the shadows moved made the Fey girl take a step back. They way they stretched and breathed like a creature waiting to snap her up. "Dark Fey...you seek to kill me than take me prisoner...that alone makes it clear you have no honor, and nothing else to lose from your fight." She was scared, but she couldn't stop now...perhaps if she'd kept running she would be within her home territory by now, but it was too late to judge her choices.

Water rose and snaked around Eleri, black silk soaking, clinging to her form as blood slowly washed away. Closing her eyes she exhaled, hands extending forwards as if to embrace the other Fey. The waters rushed forward, encircling, spiraling around the other, throwing itself at the other with great force to connect, like a fist to flesh.

[Silvar]

Her tone was one that sounded familiar, then, and his laugh was almost like pure darkness dripping from his lips as the waters behind her rose. A courtly thing, she sounded, and it sent a thrill right through him. A courtly thing, but certainly not from the war, no, certainly not, and her ideas seemed too pure, too young. Innocent. Naive.

"There is no honor on the battlefield," he commented, "no honor in war, only the Dead and the living!"

And as her power pushed forward so did the darkness swell into something more than was simply shadows, and he moved, letting his power clash with hers, push against it. She was weakened already, but still managed to put up a fight. Admirable, almost, and he gave her one free shot just to feel the pain before a leak of silver shone at the top of his wrist and the force of the darkness around him multiplied tenfold with an intent to kill born of centuries of battle. It pierced the spiral, a split in the water not unlike a jagged rock diverting the flow of a roaring fall and there was no fight like one that your life depended on (and he shook the water droplets from his hair, let his tongue snake out to taste the blood on his lip), shadows sharp as they hurtled towards her with nothing less than a deadly intent.

If he killed her, such a courtly thing she seemed, it was sure to cause a stir, an excuse for more bloodshed right before his eyes and within his grasp, and from the top of his right wrist extended a blade with no visible origin but the flesh itself, a weapon held close to him, the weapon he used to watch the life drain from another Fey's eyes up close.

[Eleri Danu'Fada]

Eleri had never been in a true fight...many times in her training before she'd been pushed to her limits, broken, bloody, but always there had been a healer...someone close to stop when the game turned too dark. A Dark Fey though...the shadows' ease of pushing away her water startled her, the flow slowing down as she watched the shadows rush towards her. The Water Fey had one thing on her side, and that was speed...

She dodged, or rather managed to not get completly caught by the wall of shadows. Pain shot across her back as the warm spray of blood burned along her skin. She hit the ground, a long gash across her back...not deep, but blood was drawn. Eleri shoved herself up, water rushing around her form, she couldn't heal herself very well, but the pain numbed as icy water ran over the wound. "No honor..." She muttered, teal eyes growing cold as another wall of water rose up. Seperate tendrils shot out, sharp, fast, able to cut. The Fey took this moment to throw everything at him as she followed it up, sending more water at him, this time calculating...

Fill the lungs...blind the eyes...she continued with her attack, never stopping, trying to not leave any opening as she fell back. Drawing more water...feeling her pulse in her ears. She couldn't die like this, couldn't die here.