Snippet #2219236

Her master had impeccable timing. Kelai had been in that dinky town for far too long, and was starting to get the killing urge when one of his messengers showed up with a summons. Snatching it from his hand greedily, Kelai's expression changed from excitement to disbelief extremely quickly.

"The Spine? What's so important at the Spine?!" exclaimed the incredulous Shade. Still, her master didn't give her busy work, so it must be important. Without complaining further, she retrieved her belongings and mounted her horse, making for the estate where she lived. Her master had impeccable taste, and his home reflected it. Beautiful gardens, fancy house, and bright open scenery not only communicated his wealth, but also his intelligence. While some of his business ventures were "below the table", her master was mostly legal, which helped to allay most suspicions people could have of him.

After a grueling three day journey, Shade Marakos couldn't have been happier to return home. She was greeted at the door by a servant, who took her belongings to her room while she went to visit her master. Not one for formalities, Kelai simply pushed the door to his study open and entered. Her master didn't seem surprised or annoyed, but waited until he'd finished reading some legal document before addressing his servant.

"Your task went well, I see. The properties will be re-purposed shortly, and as always you'll get a say in how it's done." He paused a second to glance back at the paper before removing his spectacles and looking the Shade in the eyes. "You're no doubt curious about my missive. I've had agents come to me with information that a dragon has been spotted in the Spine." Marakos' eyes lit up on that note. "Of course, you know I can't trust anyone but you, so I'm sending you to investigate. Now, listen close. I know you enjoy a challenge, but you are not to engage this supposed dragon unless your life is threatened. I want to learn about it...maybe see if it can be bent to my...our will. So, for my sake and yours, play nice. That's all. You have one day to recuperate and then I expect you to be off. Grima will get you any supplies you might need." Her master turned back to his papers, indicating that he was through with her.

'A dragon! Ooohh a real challenge! I'd love to see its eyes fade as I choke the life...' The last part of her instructions replayed in her head. No fighting. It was almost enough to cause a Shade to grind her teeth, but once again, her master had a reason for all this. A dragon serving them would be an incredible boon, true, but being forbidden to kill it almost hurt her physically. Then again, magic wasn't really fighting, was it? She'd have to see if there was a way to get around her orders this time. After all, how often do Shades and Dragons clash? Three times in known history? Marakos grinned at the thought. She'd gladly risk death if it meant the chance to murder one of the strongest magically inclined creatures on the planet.

The following day saw Kelai lounging about the mansion and tormenting the servants, having a bit of fun before being off on business. The morning of her departure, her masters other most trusted servant, Grima, handed her the map of the region, as well as the last known location of the dragon. She took the map and turned to leave, but suddenly whipped about and hissed at him, causing the dour servant to jump backwards in fright. Kelai cackled aloud, then turned and left, leaving Grima in a sourer mood then before, if that was even possible. She decided it would be more expedient if she traveled on foot this time, as her armor would allow her to scale the mountains with ease.

Taking off at a dead sprint, Kelai blazed through the rocky countryside, entering the Spine within the second day. She had to stop briefly to refil her reserves of stamina, using one of the forbidden techniques with which she was familiar to siphon life energy from the local flora and fauna. Around midday on the fourth day of her travel, Kelai began to see markers from her map, so she slowed to a jog to better scan her surroundings. Kelai altered the color of her armor with magic, turning it snow white and slightly reflective, to better help her blend in. Luckily she'd left her weapons at home, so she didn't have to worry about that.

After hours of searching, Shade Marakos almost let her frustration cause her to become reckless, but she felt a brush of a vast mind in the distance. From the stories she'd heard, there was no doubt it was a dragon. Zeroing in on where she'd felt the touch, Kelai erected a mirror wall around her mind, effectively camouflaging her mind from prying eyes. Hopefully the dragon didn't notice her presence in that brief touch, or if it did, it wasn't enough to spook it.