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[Micarlin Z'ress]

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Micarlin sat on the cold stony steps of the old keep and stared out into the darkened mossy trees as dawn crept in. Brushing a piece of her white hair wearily away from her face and adjusting the brown traveling cloak underneath her to stay the cold from seeping into her bones anymore than it had already. She focused her tired eyes upon the droplets of water that dripped from the green rangy canopy from the trees in front of her and watched it fall dead into the shallow dark water below.

She had hoped if she ever laid eyes upon her childhood home ever again she would be able to see it as she had when she was little. The days when the sun still was able to sift through the swampy terrain lighting up the dark place and turning into a vibrant playground of lush greens, deep purples and saturated blues and yellows, water dripping from the trees splashed sparkling in a dozen different colors and unseen creatures popping out to start their duties of the day walking about their path of life. But alas it was not to be ever again. The ever pushing force of Dark Tower loomed over the old keep a 100 yards or so back and to the left. Even in ruins now Dark Tower pushed it’s never ending heavy black blanket around itself. Instead of sucking the life in like most evil things Dark Tower sucked out its cold soulless tentacles, gripping the things around it, shocking the happiness and hope of everything it was able to enclose itself upon. Slow and steady it forced itself upon all living things until it turned everything dead, cold and shallow proving even though Dark Tower had been destroyed, the destruction had not killed the evil within.

Her eyes drifted over the wall of the keep closest to her not being able adjust her eyes to the once deep cooper brown brick , now cracked and crumbling , the deepest onyx on its edges seeping into the stone like it was bread soaking up water… only leaving a dismal dead brown in the middle. The keep would succumb to its slow death within the next year as would the lives that choose to stay with it. Left in her own thoughts the rusted metal door behind Micarlin creaked open slowly startling her, visibly jumped for the first time in many years. Twisting her head around she looked up to see an older woman step thru the door with a face not so unlike her own. The same eerily human but none human face looked down at her, the only difference was age and eyes; once the woman had eyes as pale blue as her own but now looked like the dark dull liquid of the water beneath the trees. “Sin, you startled me.” I said, “I’m Sorry Micarlin, I wondered where you went off to “, her mouth quirked up on the right corner. “ Besides, shouldn’t I NOT be able to startle you?? From what Gem tells me you’re a sneaky little lady these days.” “Indeed” I said, “It must be the heavy travel…. And the entrance back to this plane.” Sin nodded and moved down to the lower stone step where Micarlin sat and settled herself next to the young woman looking her over. To sin the young woman did not look to much worse for wear except her tired eyes and dirty dark brown leather pants and rust colored fitted shirt. Her long think white hair was braided and hung over one side of her shoulder. Her body was long and firm, evidence of long training and her dark skin wrapped gracefully around her feminine frame. “You have grown into a beautiful young woman Micarlin” Sin said and smiled at her. Micarlin let out a soft laugh. Little did the older woman know if the people from her home now. From Tokuno could see her, they probably would just move right by her without ever knowing it was her. Even the ones closet to her may not even know with only a few exceptions.

Micarlin's thoughts drifted to Tokuno now, a quick grip of pain and helplessness hit her hard. What would they think? She thought about the people who had become her friends and family, her clan. Would they be angry with them for leaving so suddenly? All that bonded them had to be cut to leave to go back to this place. She remembered sitting in silent meditation only days ago when the dark half bloodied man stumbled into the temple yelling for Solar, waving a dark tattered message in his one remaining hand. The smell of Dark Tower seeped from him. She remembered the blood draining from her face, knowing what it all meant before the message was ever read. The Priestess was faster than her though, racing down the temple stairs, cloths and food thrown haphazardly into a bag already sending a message out with one of the monks to fetch Isabeau…. “We leave now” Solar had said, more panic in her eyes than Micarlin ever remembered even seeing in the priestesses face. “Gem!” The man had declared grabbing the priestess fiercely and shoving the message into her hand. Micarlin had watched in horror as the priestess had opened the tattered note with trembling hands and read intently. The priestess looked up with her normal calm and serene face barely recognizable with the pain that stood ragged there now. “He’s not dead yet” she whispered. For the first time in a long while Micarlin was very thankful for all her years of training with the Blue Lotus as she nimbly jumped off the ground using the bench in front of her to leap threw the air to where solar stood by the stairs and steal herself back down to the floor to catch the priestess when she crumpled to the ground. After only a moment though solar looked up into Micarlin face with a tear stained face. “We must leave now, we cannot explain, there is no time, we may already be too late. I must keep- my promise and so must you.”

Isabeau had arrived not a minute later and they had set off, all ties broken without word, without explanation, what would their family think? Would they know what happened? Would the wonder if they would ever return? Micarlin hoped not. She sat there now in the cold dark place that barely had resembled her childhood home with a heavier heart then when she had first started this journey. She had known there was no choice but it did not make the pain lessen. She hoped when they finally where able to leave and go back to Tokuno, and when she spoke to The Soke that he would not be to angry at them both for leaving like they had. Micarlin turned to Sin, “How long has the priestess… I mean Gem been in there with him now?” Micarlin Asked. “Three hours” Sin replied…” You should go in and see him soon and Isabeau to…. Gem…..” Sin said, and odd expression crossing her face “she has barely aged” Micarlin nodded. She thinks it must be the key he gave her all that time ago and what happened then. She does not know why though.” Micarlin said. “Maybe for the same reason he has aged so rapidly” Sin said. Micarlin nodded, “could be”. “It will soon be over” Sin said, Micarlin nodded again, allowing a single tear to trickle down her face before wiping it away. Just then footsteps from the trail could be heard coming up quickly from the west and both Micarlin and Sin Z’ress stood and looked toward the path. “That’s the messenger I sent for; I must send word to The Blue Lotus as to why we are gone…” Micarlin said. “You cannot tell them everything you know, not even where you are” said Sin. “I know, I just want them to know we are ok and we are coming back…..” Micarlin voice trailed off… Sin just then did something unheard of and embraced the young woman tightly before standing back. “I’ll go look for Isabeau” Sin said headed toward the Ruins of Dark tower. “No doubt she has tried to figure the place out already”.

Micarlin turned back to the young man who just reached the keep. “You must travel far and the trip will be dangerous but I shall pay you well.” Micarlin bent down and reached into the folds of her cloak on the keep steps and pulled out a light bond book. “I need you to travel to Atlantic and then to a place there called Zento and find a man they call the Soke and deliver this to him, he leads the Blue Lotus Clan. I must also tell you, you will also be magically bound before you leave so as not to attract any attention on this plane before you go.” The man looked a bit dazed but nodded, “You better be paying me allot of money lady, that’s all I got to say” Micarlin looked at the man a moment and said “My name is Z’ress.”A small shiver ran down the man’s spine but he nodded. “Yes Mam, give me my instruction and I shall leave immediately and err yeah you can do whatever you need, I’ll not cross you.”

Soon after the messenger left Micarlin picked up her cloak from the steps and made her way through the old rusted door and into the keep… Up the stairs she climbed to the upper most floor and to a door where she stopped before knocking lightly. “Come In!” boomed the male voice…. Hmmm, thought Micarlin, Well at least he sounds alive and well….

[Solar Maid]

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Solar looked out the window at the swamps that curtained out the rest of the world in the dim mid daylight. It had only been a Week since Micarlin, Isabeau and herself made it to Myrkul’s Keep yet It felt like a year ago. Solar had kept visual over Myrkul Since she had come. By the sound of his voice when she first arrived you would not have known at first how very sick he was but just a few minutes with her dear love and she knew…..

So this was it. A lifetime of love and hope and all those years away from him, and this was the outcome. And for what? For a secret, for the people…. For Justice? There had been many paths Solar had taken in her lifetime and she had finally thought she had gotten to a place in your mind and spirit where she could handle anything with calm and grace… But no one ever considers death quite the way maybe they should before it happens. Not death of a loved one. One that is your heart and soul. The one that makes you breathe and see life. No one tells you when that person passes that life suddenly turns into a meaningless place. That all you strive for and all you do and all that makes you who you are immediately means nothing without that love.

Solars limbs where so heavy… Like she would need two people to help her lift her feet to move across the floor. The priestess turned her head to look at the now empty bed where Myrkul had passed. One thing she would not regret was the last days she had with him. They had talked and talked for hours, both appreciating every word said and every moment, both finally knowing then what was really important in life. A knock sounded at the door but Solar did not respond. The door opened and Micarlin walked threw the door. “Priestess, The funeral is about to start.” Sadness overwhelmed her and Solars only thought was that finally she knew what ‘To Late’ meant.

Out in front of the old crumbling Keep, a small group stood and looked upon the opaque coffin where the late Lord Myrkul lay. After summons and ancient prayers the group took there burden to its final resting place. No one spoke as the Coffin was lowered into the ground, far away from the old Keep, far away from the evil of Dark Tower. This was a place he loved, here he could always see the things he loved the most. The sun broke through the clouds in that moment and shined down upon his final resting place and the first smile stole across Solars face. “See” she thought to Myrkul, “The light never left you; it was just waiting for you.” Within the group tears flowed freely from eyes that never shed them as they stood in silence, lost in thought and time.

“I can not stay in this place one moment longer..” , Solar said and toke a deep rattling breath “ there is nothing left for me here now, I want to go back home to Zento” Micarlin nodded wanting nothing more herself and nodded to Isabeau . The Old Monk who stood beside them sighed. “Well I guess he would have wanted me to watch over the lot of you, there is nothing here for me now either.” And the second smile came to Solars lips that day. “ I would like that very much Tumar, We’ll set out within the hour. We must make it across planes before dawn.”

After saying their last goodbyes to there old friends that where left , the group headed out and down the path gone and away from the old Keep and all the darkness that surrounded it. No one looked back save Isabeau. “ Home” Isabeau whispered. Micarlin shook her head and continued to walk, her steps taking the rhythm of her ever quickening beating heart. Excitement and fear ran through. Longing to see her home and family and clan members. Solar placed a hand on Micarlin shoulder as the walked “ Everything shall be fine” Micarlin nodded and they walked on towards the portal that would lead them back, trying not to think about what would come but wanting to be back in Zento again all the same, “Home” Micarlin whispered.