Thera whispered a quick word to her steed, and he came to a halt. Lilinstraee pulled up beside her, the cold wind tousling her long brown hair.
“What is it?” the ranger asked.
Thera scanned the trees before her. Their shadows were long and disquieting, and even for the eyes of elves, the darkness was nearly impossible to penetrate. Within those shadows, however, Thera sensed an eldritch presence, one that unnerved her, one that made her fingers itch for her sword.
“Your scouts were right,” Thera said. “There’s something foul here.”
Thera dismounted her horse. Her moon-silver hair billowed about her pale face as another gust assaulted them, carrying with it the scent of leaf mold and the sweet, pungent aroma of decay. The ceiling of branches was dark, and only a slim amount of moonlight was able to creep in.
Lilinstraee also dismounted. “Tima and Rai were concerned when they saw the lights a few days ago. They could tell they were magical, and we knew we had to summon you.” She glanced sideways at the dark elf. “Your legend among the Scarlet Crescent knows no bounds.”
Thera smirked. She wanted to tell Lilinstraee that her powers had been greatly exaggerated. But there was no time for that. She had been summoned because of speculation of magical energies, and she owed the female wood elf a favor. The sooner this was done, the better. Also, she knew her mistress would want to be aware of what was happening in Geo’Lora.
“We leave the horses here,” Thera said. She drew her blade. “Be on your guard.”
Lilinstraee nodded, drawing her twin swords. They glowed with green, ethereal light in the darkness of the wood. The two elves stepped through the trees as silent as shadows, their dark clothes allowing them to blend into the surrounding gloom. Thera extended her magic, feeling for any sort of disturbance, any malevolence. Yes, the foulness of the magic was palpable in the air. Gooseflesh crept across her skin; a chill kissed the back of her neck. Something was near, and it was very, very evil.
When they emerged on the other side of the trees, they saw it. Crumbling ruins of a once great castle, trees twisting out of its cracked, fallen walls like worms out of a corpse. The shadows seemed to flicker with malevolence as they beheld it.
“What sort of place is this?” Lilinstraee whispered.
“A place of memory and darkness,” replied Thera. “Of sorrows, and tales forgotten.”
She reached out. Her magic gingerly touched the borders of the castle, like a tongue at an infected tooth. Thera prodded and examined, trying to understand the puzzle before her. Yes, evil was here. Darkness. Things she had tasted before. But there was something else…something…
“Thera!”
Thera broke from her trance and whirled around. A large shape shot out of the darkness, yellow eyes flaring. Green flashed in elegant cuts, and there was the splash of blood. Thera leaped back as the shape crashed to the ground in a heap, Lilinstraee standing over it with her swords glowing.
“A werewolf,” the wood elf spat, looking down at the corpse in disdain. The beast’s maw was open in a snarl, and blood poured from lacerations left by Linistraee’s blades. Thera stared at the creature in disbelief. She hadn’t even sensed its presence.
“Thank you,” Thera said. “How did you notice it?”
Lilinstraee smiled. “Rangers of Kooja are trained to spot monsters in the dark.”
Thera returned the smile. That’s the second time she’s saved my skin. If she keeps this up, I’ll never be able to repay the blood debt.
“My magic has examined the castle. Whatever is inside is not just evil; it’s ancient.”
“Do you think it has anything to do with the werewolf?” Lilinstraee asked.
“A lookout, a guardian. However, I feel whatever is inside these ruins is something far more dangerous than this mere lycanthrope.”
“Then perhaps we need to get reinforcements and return.”
“No!” Thera licked her lips. “I’m sorry, Lilinstraee. I did not mean to snap. But we must take care of this.” She turned back to the castle. “We cannot allow this evil to endure.” She whispered a spell, and pale blue fire wreathed the blade of her sword. Her scarlet crescent pendant glimmered in the arcane firelight.
Thera spoke with conviction. “Whatever is in there, we must destroy it.”