Dedicated - RR

[Arcane Darkness]

Warnings/Why it is given the rating: Language, violence, adult situations, sexual themes (pending)
Author(s): Started out as a story me and my friend were writing, but due to recent events I'll be finishing it on my own.
Summary: A three-year old elven girl was found by Dalamar in the streets of Palanthas, scared and alone. Dalamar took pity upon the girl and brought her back to his Tower where he would raise her. The girl's life was ruled by her past, anger and hatred ran deep through her veins. Her destiny was guided by her need for revenge. Revenge that she would stop at nothing to get. Her adventure will take her from Sylvanesti to the Tower of Palanthas and back to Sylvanesti once again. She and her companions are all connected through one thing, some of them do not even know it yet...

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Chapter 1

She ran fast and hard. It felt as if her heart would burst with the effort. She was running from someone. Her mother, or rather surrogate mother, had told her to run. Therefore, she did. She kept running out of the alley, her mother’s screams rebounding off the walls of stone that made up the alley. She kept running, running away from that awful sound of what could only be death. She made it out of the alley and kept running, wanting to turn back but not, fearing for what she may find. The girl glanced over her shoulder and then hit something. She looked up at the black robed figure and her eyes widened, yet she was too weary to run anymore. She wrapped her arms around the figure’s legs and buried her head into the velvet robes of the mage. She was scared, trembling, and crying.

“Don’t let him get me… don’t let him take me!” she cried in the pure Sylvanesti language, the language of her people

Dalamar looked down oddly at the child clinging to his legs and blinked, looking around for the parents of the child. Oh fuck… I’m stuck with it… he thought bitterly. His gaze shifted back down to the girl and stroked her hair gently.

“No one will get you,” he said comfortingly, if not awkwardly. The child looked up at him as he spoke and stroked her red hair, which clung to her head as the rain cascaded down from the midnight sky, almost like a waterfall and just as unrelenting. The child whimpered and closed her eyes in fear as Dalamar picked her up and supported her with one arm while the other held the pouch that contained his spell components.

“I’ll take you away from him. Just tell me your name,” he said as he began to walk towards the Tower.

As he spoke she opened her eyes to look upon an elven face. Immediately she relaxed in his arms and said in a soft voice, “Ara…” The elven girl closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and began crying again out of fear and exhaustion. She had seen far too much death for someone so young. Her real parents had been murdered and now the elf-maid who had rescued her lay dead in the alley after being raped. Ara was so confused, so lost, and so very tired.

Dalamar smiled at the name and said sarcastically, “Lovely.” In the Sylvanesti tongue, it was a lovely name meaning peace, yet in the tongue of Kagonesti it was one to mean vengeance and destruction. His tone switched to that of comfort, “Don’t worry, no one will take you.” Dalamar looked momentarily at the Tower, which could be seen over the tops of the trees, the trees almost glowing as the rain fell upon them. For a second Dalamar stopped to look at the trees and then shifted his gaze higher to look upon the dark Tower hovering over the scenery like a stone guardian. Ironic was the thought considering it was the tower that the Grove was protecting. The dark elf looked back at Ara and then turned the corner to the trail that led to the Shoikan Grove.

Most would have coward before the Shoikan Grove, even before they reached it. The chill would have reached out to constrict their hearts. No one was welcome within the Grove except for those invited by the Master of the Tower. Dalamar stepped into the Grove and looked back at Ara. “How are you feeling now?” he asked the question more out of propriety then concern. The girl trembled more as the death chill of the Grove swept over her. She was not really afraid of it, just nervous and wary, other then that she remained unmoved.

Ara wiped the tears from her eyes and let out a quivering breath from the chill, “Better… I guess…” She still spoke in the Sylvanesti tongue, having not learned the words of common. Her violet eyes lifted to look upon the black tower, hideous as opposed to the beautiful marble city of Palanthas.

Dalamar chuckled softly as he watched her stare at the tower. “I know it isn’t that easy on the eyes, but you will get used to it. It’s actually quite nice inside. And don’t worry about the forest; it won’t hurt you as long as I am here.”

Ara nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. She didn’t fear the Grove, but he didn’t know that. Ara was tired but felt safe in his arms; after all, he was Elven. “Ok,” she said softly, tiredly. “I trust you.” Which she did, and she didn’t know why she even said it. Once again Ara shivered involuntarily at the Grove’s chill.

Dalamar held her closer to him, trying to ward off most of the chill, as they neared the door of the Tower. The dark elf opened the door to the warmth of the Tower and the comfort of plush furniture near a fireplace. Dalamar smiled slightly and closed the door behind him softly. He placed his spell components on a table nearby and sat down near the fireplace with Ara on his lap. “I bet that feels better,” he said.

Ara looked at him and nodded. Her eyes scanned the inside of the Tower, admiring the decoration and almost giggled at the sheer difference between outside the tower and inside. Dalamar watched and blinked as he looked around the room and said softly, “It’s oddly quiet…” He placed her down on the couch and stood up, still seeing no one else. “I’ll be right back,” he said and started walking, or rather gliding as elves have the tendency to do, down the hallways in search of everyone, all the time wondering why the Tower was so oddly silent. Ara ran up to him and clung to his robes, not wanting to be left alone again, not wanting to let this new person out of her sight for fear she would never see him again.

“No stupid! The spell was specific! A pinch of bat dung, not ten pinches!” A voice shouted from within one of the closed doors.

“Well what do you know?! You’re a goddamn red robe who knows shit about the black arts! So fuck off, Ambrose!” Came the shouting reply.

Ara heard the screaming and moved even closer to Dalamar, the shouting hurting her sensitive ears.

Great… Dalamar thought as he listened to the screaming and walked towards the door with his hand on Ara’s shoulder. He looked down at her and whispered, “Don’t worry…”

Ara looked up at him and kept close to him, still scared of the screaming. She cocked her head slightly as another voice split the air, it was soft but dangerous and also female, “Both of you shut the fuck up or you will both kill each other. I do not need blood on my hands…”

The second voice spoke up again. “Oh fuck off you know nothing! Besides, do you realize that what you just said made no fucking sense?!”

The girl’s voice spoke again, “You know nothing…?”

The first voice growled and said dangerously, “Emery, shut the hell up or I’ll get the Shalafi!”

“Like I give a damn!” Emery shouted at Ambrose.

Dalamar walked into the room and said casually, “No need to get me. I’m already here.” He leaned on the frame of the door, looking down at the three older children in the room, his students. His voice had changed to that of warning as he continued to speak. Ara peaked out from behind Dalamar’s legs at the three older kids and moved closer to him, trying to hide from the others. The one called Ambrose couldn’t have been more then ten with black hair and green eyes. He was not an apprentice but he wore the color of the robes he wished to be, the red of Lunitari. Emery had the blonde hair and blue eyes of the Qualinesti elf. Ara could tell that he was a half-elf. He was about nine years old. And the girl, in the back of the room, had brown hair and blue-gray eyes. She seemed quiet and removed from the others, she too was nine. Both she and Emery wore the black robes.

Emery looked up as Dalamar spoke and cursed. Dalamar smiled sweetly at the young half-elf. Ambrose too looked up at the entrance of his teacher. “Finally! Shalafi, please tell that retard,” he said as he pointed at Emery. “That in order for a spell to work he has to write down the spell properly, speak the spell properly, and actually use the right amount of ingredients!” Ambrose put special emphasis on the last three words.

Emery glared at Ambrose, biting back an acidic remark that would get him into trouble and looked at Dalamar. Ara was trembling slightly, not liking the way Emery was always looking at others. Dalamar looked at Ambrose as he spoke and then turned to Emery. “Need I repeat what Ambrose just said? You should know what it takes to make a spell work!” Dalamar sighed and put his face in his hand, he was wondering how he managed to get such an annoying student, and then looked down at Ara then back at the others. “There is someone else here you should know about. Her name is Ara and if one of you makes her upset, then you will be very sorry.” He smiled sweetly at his students.

Katima stared at the child coldly, not really caring and shrugged then continued reading. Ara looked up at Dalamar as he spoke and then back at the kids in the room. “Hi,” she said in a soft voice, speaking Sylvanesti.

Ambrose looked up at the girl and then at Dalamar. “How old is she? What is she doing here? Does she only know elvish?”

Emery had remained unusually quiet through his Shalafi’s scolding and then looked up at Ara. “Great, and now we have to baby-sit this little shit when you’re out? Come on!” Emery grumbled and went back to writing out the arcane alphabet.

Dalamar blinked and then his eyes widened and moved his gaze to Ambrose with the onslaught of questions. “Hold on,” he said and zapped Emery lightly. “You should be glad I took you in. I can kick you out now if I feel like it!” The half-elf yelped as he was shocked and bit back a smartass remark, not wanting to be kicked out of the tower without having taken his test. Dalamar smiled as the half-elf did not answer. “As I thought.” He looked back at Ambrose and replied, “In order: I do not really know for sure, but for the last question, yes.”

“How old is she?” Ambrose asked.

Dalamar sighed and asked her in the Sylvanesti tongue. Ara blinked and answered him. Dalamar looked back at Ambrose and replied, “She is three. As I thought.”

Katima watched the child from afar, scanning her and listening in, knowing the elvish language somewhat herself. Ambrose cocked an eyebrow. “She is young. I thought you only plucked those with magic in their blood off the streets.”

“This is a special case… One of the homeless ones that seemed to find me instead.”

“Oh,” Ambrose replied and smirked slightly. “This should be interesting. Fresh blood.” He grinned and looked at Ara.

Ara spoke, her voice soft and trying out the words in common, “Fresh blood…?” She shivered and clung to Dalamar once again.

Dalamar gave Ambrose a warning glance then looked down at Ara. “It’s okay; he means it in a different way.” Dalamar looked back at Ambrose, telling him not to say anything else on the subject with his eyes. Ambrose was about to speak until he saw the gaze and then went silent. “This is one of those times where you are to shut up, Ambrose.”

Ambrose nodded and replied meekly, “Yes, Shalafi.” With a sigh he went back o his work on writing down simple spells on his scroll. Dalamar nodded as Ambrose went back to his writing and then looked down at Ara. Ara was still shivering and clinging to Dalamar.

“Now behave and pretend that you are actually working,” Dalamar said and walked out of the room, bringing Ara with him down the hallway towards his own room and thinking. Ara was looking around at the Elven paintings on the walls and smiled slightly, feeling almost as if she were in the Speaker’s Tower, and then looked up at Dalamar. The dark elf came to his door, opened it to the warm welcome of shelves and shelves of books with one painting on the wall, and then looked down at Ara. “Let me guess. You aren’t going to let me out of your sight, correct?”

Ara looked up at him and replied in common, “Scared…”

Dalamar nodded slowly, not sure what she meant by that but didn’t give it much thought. “Now…” He looked around his room and then down at her. “Tired?”

She nodded and went back to speaking her native tongue, “New daddy?”

Dalamar stared at her for a few seconds, not sure exactly what to do or say. With a sigh he said, “Sure, why not? Just… Sleep here. I need to tend to some things.” He moved his hand away from her and turned to the door.

During that silence Ara was thinking. No… Not daddy… Mommies and daddies die… She shuddered at the thought of taking another parent. She wouldn’t, fear of losing them kept her from doing it. For one reason or another, Dalamar turned back to look at her and the look in her eyes made him feel relieved, for he could read her thoughts though her eyes, but also confused.

“What happened? You don’t have to tell me if you do not want to,” he said softly.

Ara looked up at him and replied, her voice soft and haunting, “Evil knights… mommy and daddy died… New mommy… died in dark place.” The dark place was the alley that she had run from. She shuddered and said in a scared voice in common, “Fresh blood…” She switched back to Elven. “Warm blood…”

Dalamar stared at her piecing the broken sentences together, trying to decipher what she meant and then he nodded and said softly, soothingly, “There will be no more warm bloodshed around here…” He patted her gently on the head with a smirk and said, “Now, are you going to let me go or must I be followed by you for all time?”

Ara sighed and glanced at the couch before climbing onto it where she curled up into a ball. She watched him for a few seconds before replying, “Just come back…” In her mind she felt that if she lost sight of him then he would never return, like what happened with her parents. Yet his self-assured voice was a comfort to her she allowed him to go, trusting that he would be back.

The dark elf chuckled and said assuredly, “I will, I will. I promise.” He shook his head and walked out of the room to gather the pouch he had left on the table near the fireplace then back to his personal stash in his lab where he began to organize it all. Ara remained lying on the couch, listening to his receding footsteps. She strained her ears to hear him, to hear anyone else that shouldn’t be there. Her eyes traveled his room and she noticed all the bookshelves covered in books that lined the rest of the back wall and more or less every other wall that wasn’t yet covered. The painting hung over his bed; it was of the Sylvanesti forest. The bed rested across from the couch which she was lying on. Beside the couch was a desk with candles on it.

Ara’s ears twitched to the sound of boots on the stone ground as Dalamar returned. She listened as he rummaged through his lab, which was on the other side of the wall that separated his lab from his room.

Dalamar frowned as he looked through and organized his lab. Someone had been inside the lab, even though it was practically covered in spells to keep people out and to keep the experiments from destroying the Tower. He figured that it had to be Katima who had infiltrated his lab. Once he was done organizing everything he walked out of the lab and into his room to see Ara still curled up in a ball. The dark elf couldn’t help but smirk at her. Ara looked up as he entered the room and smiled slightly.

Dalamar shook his head and said matter-of-factly, “See, I’m back. That wasn’t so bad. Are you hungry at all? The gods only know when you had any sleep or food last.” As he spoke it finally dawned on him that her clothes weren’t exactly in the best of shape. They were rags from the traveling and the wet and they were torn. No sooner had he spoke a few words of magic and snapped his fingers that a new pair of clothes appeared on her. Ara blinked and then widened her eyes slightly at the sight of the new and dry clothes. She plucked at the clothes and then looked up at him to answer his question.

“Yeah.” She was hungry. Very hungry.

Dalamar chuckled and snapped his fingers again, this time food appeared on the side-table next to the couch. “I’m not exactly sure what you like, so I simply got you everything I could think of. Go through it and see what interests you.”

Ara listened to him speak and then cocked her head and said as she pointed at him, “Magus?” She glanced at the food, plucked a piece of fruit from the buffet, and began munching on it.

Dalamar nodded slightly. “Yes. Does that bother you?” What he didn’t say was ‘And if it does, too bad.’ Nevertheless, he was thinking it.

Ara shook her head and said simply, “Makes me feel gooder, I guess…”

Dalamar sighed and said softly, “I can sense some ability for magic… dark magic.” His eyes hardened slightly and then softened again, knowing at least that she wouldn’t have to go though the Ceremony of Darkness on top of everything else that has happened in her life and would happen to her.

Ara looked at him, saw the expression changes in his eyes, and then blinked. “Me? Magus?”

The Master of the Tower nodded slightly. “Yes, but later will your magic surface. I can sense it now, though it is a weak pulse.” A pulse that can be sensed in future mages of six, not three. To be able to sense her magic at such a young age unnerved him yet thrilled him at the same time, for he would be the one to teach such a powerful mage. A mage more powerful then myself, perhaps… It was something he didn’t like to think about.

The smile Ara had worn when she found out of her magic had faded. “Dark magus? Like you?” She kept the tremble from her voice. As an elf that was an exile, not an outcast, she was still blinded by the light; or rather, she had been until she realized that Paladine was not watching her parents or family. Yet the idea of being a dark mage scared her still.

Dalamar sighed and said softly, “No… Darker then even myself…” And I thought I was evil… he thought uncomfortably.

Ara blinked, her fear of being a dark mage rising yet not saying anything. She continued eating and as she did so the fear dissipated leaving only cool resolve as she accepted her destiny.

Dalamar shook his head and said, for her assurance but mostly for his own, “Maybe I am just sensing something else; who knows what will happen…” It didn’t help. He still felt uncomfortable. He looked at Ara whose fear had vanished, her expression that of acceptance of one’s fate. He shuddered involuntarily even as he kept his face emotionless and hoped the shudder was not seen through his robes. Ara was not paying attention to his shudder, yet she noticed it and felt a strange feeling of power come over her as she watched him shudder. He was afraid of her. Yet who wouldn’t fear a three year old who could understand and accept fate? A three year old, who’s magic could be sensed and sensed so clearly as dark magic at that? It was unnerving for Dalamar, and he was regretting having taken her in. I shall see what the future brings, and only then will I make my final decision, he thought.

[Bard with a Thousand Faces]

I hope you don't mind me replying to your story, but I was compelled to do so. I does have the potential to be quite a story, though not quite the background I was anticipating. No problem however as I see you'll continue to do fine work creating it. Let me know if the Dandelions become too much to handle.

[Arcane Darkness]

Oh... lol, no no. This isn't the story me and you are gonna write. This is a story that's been out there in the wood work for a few months and I decided that it was time to start posting it. I already have about 6/7 chapters typed up with this story. We still have to start on the one we're writing, but first I need to get all the characters together... I know, it's been quite a long time but I haven't had time to create the rest of the characters for the story we'll write.

[Arcane Darkness]

Chapter 2

Ara watched as Ambrose worked on a light spell. True, he was only eleven but it seemed that the three children were all strong within their magic, with the exception of Emery perhaps. Ara listened carefully to the incantation and rolled the word around on her tongue. The young elf cupped her hands and muttered the spell, a ball of light appearing and then flickering out instantly. Ambrose put aside his spell casting to watch the four year old. He cocked an eyebrow as he saw the ball of light appear and then disappear as if it had never been. “Shalafi!” Ambrose practically screamed it.

Dalamar had been attempting to help Emery with his spells when Ambrose had called. He looked up from the spell book impatiently. “What?” Ambrose pointed to Ara as she continued working on the spell, each time the ball of light appeared and then flickered out. And each time the ball of light remained in the palm of her hands a little longer then the last. Emery had been watching since Ambrose had called the attention to Ara and even the bitter half-elf was slightly impressed.

“So what? The little shit can do a spell… Whatever,” Emery said bitterly. It was a blow to his ego to have a four-year-old make a ball of light appear when he was still trying to figure out how to pronounce the spell. Dalamar smirked as he watched her do the light spell and looked back at Emery as he spoke, zapping him more forcefully then what was normal. Emery flinched and yelped, “Ow!” He rubbed his arm furiously where the lightning bolt had struck him. Ara watched Emery get zapped and began laughing, Katima had been in her own corner of the classroom reading a spell book when she looked up to see what was going on and watched Emery get zapped. She smiled to herself; it was pleasing to watch the little brat get what he deserved.

Emery glared at Ara as she laughed at him and flicked her off. Ara narrowed her eyes, the normal shade of violet taking on a darker color at Emery’s rude gesture. Katima had seen Emery do it and zapped him harder then Dalamar had. Ara laughed again at Emery’s pain before smirking and walking up to Dalamar.

Dalamar sighed and placed his face in his hand shaking his head as he muttered, “Gods…” He stepped back, knowing what would come next between Emery and Katima.

The half-elf snarled, “You fucking bitch!” He launched himself at Katima. She would pay for taunting him. Dalamar easily sidestepped as Emery launched himself out of the chair.

Ambrose looked up from his studies again and shook his head muttering, “Here they go again.” And let out a sigh. He was tired of these stupid bouts between the two.

Dalamar and Ara watched as Katima placed a levitation spell on Emery as he attacked her, watching him hit the ceiling over and over again and then dropped to the floor with a hard thud. Dalamar smiled slightly and said in mock innocence as if nothing wrong had been done, “Now Katima, play fair.”

“Heh,” she replied emotionlessly and glared at Emery before going back to her studies, now slightly drained from the spell. Emery stood up from the floor, his body bruised and aching, and walked over to his desk where he sat down and flinched.

“Bitch,” he muttered softly. Katima could not help but smirk at Emery’s nickname for her.

Ambrose looked up at Dalamar in disgust. “It wouldn’t kill you to lay down some laws, shalafi. Quite honestly I am getting tired of those two ruining my scrolls.”

Dalamar shrugged and said carelessly, “Nah. I’m letting them sort it out themselves. It builds character.” Something that wimp needs in the worst ways, he thought with a smile.

As the two had quarreled, Ara had set aside her spell casting to watch. She giggled softly to herself and when the frivolous fighting had ended, she went back to working on her spell. “Shirak!” Ara’s eyes widened as a small ball of light floated just above her palms, the light giving off a soft warmth that felt nice on her skin.

Ambrose watched, more like stared, in complete awe and said softly in an unbelieving voice, “She’s so young…”

Katima looked up from her book once more, her reaction the same as Ambrose’s. Her eyes widened at the sight before her very eyes. “Amazing,” she whispered mostly to herself.

“Indeed… Very young to be able to perform a spell,” Dalamar said softly, also in awe. He watched her with a mix of pride that was normal for him whenever one of his students succeeded in spell casting and another emotion, fear. He suppressed a shudder. It was hard for him to accept the fact that such a young child was capable of casting the spell. Yet he tried to push the emotion of fear from his mind, finding it ridiculous that he should fear Ara, and yet he didn’t find it all that ridiculous. He thought he had long lost the sense of fear with the death of Raistlin, yet now he found it again in this small child. He shook his head. I will wait… I will wait a little longer before I make my decision. A year is not nearly long enough.

Ara wavered on her feet as the magic drained her of all but a small amount of energy. She was tired and weak. She found herself falling backwards to lean on Dalamar, trying to regain her balance. Ambrose stared for a few moments before speaking again, “I think… I think it’s time to start teaching her, shalafi,” he said softly.

Dalamar nodded slowly, still caught up with his thoughts. Still trying to fathom how a child so young could work a spell. “Indeed…” he said softly. With a shake of his head, he managed to free himself from his thoughts. Emery had been glaring at her, and still was. She doesn’t even know how to write her name for Nuitari’s sake! And yet she manages a spell! I can’t believe this shit! He thought angrily.

Ara whirled around to look at Emery and pinned him with a cold glare. “I do to know how to write my own name!”

Emery’s eyes widened. “Holy shit! She can read minds too!” He shouted. He couldn’t believe this!

Ambrose’s eyes had widened as well and he said softly, his voice carrying disbelief, “But that… That spell is advanced… Unless— unless she can just… do it?” Ambrose looked at Dalamar for an explanation of this phenomenon.

The dark elf shook his head in amazement and disbelief. “She can. It is possible, though I have never seen it happen with someone so young. Usually it is a skill that takes years and years to perfect. At this young age, it is possible that a mind reader could pick up a few thoughts, but only after staring long and hard at the other. I have never heard it happen so young where one can capture complete thoughts without staring at the other for many minutes.” This was getting to be too much for him. Dalamar was leaning towards giving her up to an orphanage but knowing of her past and the fact that a mage so powerful would be unleashed upon the world kept him from doing it. One so young and powerful could be considered a rogue and a threat, highly unlikely but not impossible, and as Head of the Conclave, he’d have to kill the rogue. Not something he would look forward to, but something he would do. Even Dalamar the Dark would have trouble taking the life of a child.

During the elf’s brooding, Ambrose had gotten out a book on the subject of mind reading and flipped through it. With a smirk, he said smugly, “It says those with the power to read minds without a spell can only read the minds of the weak-minded.”

Katima chuckled. “I agree.” She smiled crookedly, something that was extremely rare for her and looked at Ara. Amazing… Amazing what she will be like, she thought fondly, almost sisterly. Emery looked at Ambrose and threw a paper airplane at him.

“You can all kiss my ass,” he said bitterly.

Katima rolled her eyes at Emery, thinking how stupid he was to actually think a paper airplane could hurt someone. Ara smiled as well, managed to regain enough strength to stand up without using the dark elf for support, and looked up at Dalamar, still smiling.

Dalamar looked down at her and returned the smile. “Yes, you will go far and accomplish much with that power,” he said proudly.

An ominous, almost cruel smirk crossed Ara’s face. The smirk was not normal for a child of four years. It was an unsettling smile. Dalamar blinked and suppressed yet another shudder. The child’s smirk reminded him unpleasantly of Raistlin’s cruel smile. “Back to the lesson,” he said by way of getting his mind off of his thoughts. He turned around to the large black board behind him. Ara walked to her chair and sat down, excited because she was finally going to learn magic. Katima looked at Ara and then back at the board before going back to drawing. Emery sighed and grumbled, he was tired of going over the basics and he made sure that they all knew he was tired of it.

Ambrose glanced at Emery and smirked. “You, out of all of us, need to learn the basics repeatedly. How else will you get any better?” He said matter-of-factly.

Emery growled and went to launch himself at Ambrose but then decided against it, not wanting to be zapped again. Dalamar looked back at his students after writing the arcane alphabet on the board to see the two boys ready to kill each other. His gaze shifted to Katima and he set fire to her drawing and said in a scolding tone, “No drawing, you know that.” That having been said he turned back to the board. Katima looked down at her burnt drawing before using a spell to revive it and then she silently slipped it into one of her pockets.

Emery pointed and laughed at Katima. It was about time she got into trouble. Katima looked at Emery coldly before turning her attention to Dalamar. Ara narrowed her eyes and threw a ball of light at the half-elf. Emery watched as the ball of light touched and burned his skin, a yelp of pain escaping his mouth. With a smirk, Ara turned back to face the front and watched Dalamar as he put the finishing touches on his letters.

Dalamar turned back to look at his students and smirked. “Time for a little pop quiz. Each of you will come up and recite the letters as you write them on the board.” After a few more moments, he let the letters of the arcane alphabet disappear and continued speaking. “Now to see who pays attention.” He glared at Katima who shrugged, not caring. “Ambrose, you first. Then Katima, Emery, and Ara last.”

Ambrose stood up and bowed politely to Dalamar. “Yes shalafi.” He said obediently before walking up to the front of the classroom. He picked up a piece of chalk, began writing down the alphabet, pronouncing the ‘A’ as ‘Ai’, and continued with the rest of the letters, reciting as he wrote them down. After finishing, he stepped off to the side for Dalamar to inspect his work. Ara looked at the letters and read them to herself, pronouncing each letter as Ambrose had pronounced them.

Dalamar eyed Ambrose’s work slowly and critically. There were no mistakes and with a smirk the dark elf said, “Good. Sit down. Katima, get up.”

Katima glared at Dalamar, telling him with her gaze that she refused to get up. Dalamar sighed softly and zapped her gently. “Get up before I kick you out too,” he said reluctantly. Ambrose looked at Katima, giving her a reassuring smile.

“Heh,” she said simply before looking at Ambrose, her gaze still cold though not nearly as intense as she looked at most of them and smiled slightly back. She stood up, walked up to the board, and watched the letters disappear. With a sigh she began writing the letters down and pronouncing them with some difficulty. Once she finished she looked back at Dalamar who was staring at her intently with a smirk on his face.

“Interesting way you pronounce the letters. Sounds foreign.” Dalamar watched her stare back at him intensely. “You may sit down. The letters are fine, though it may as well not matter much, considering you can do spells without words, anyway.” He looked at Emery. “You’re up,” he said as the letters disappeared.

Emery remained sitting in his chair. “Um… I’d like to do it when the class is not present, shalafi,” he said a bit uncomfortably.

Dalamar chuckled. “When you are in battle, would you ask the enemy to please go away so you could do it alone?”

Emery glared at him but said nothing. Dalamar smiled. “Get up wimp,” he said tauntingly.

Ambrose smirked and played with his quill. “Shalafi, if I may speak?”

Dalamar’s gaze shifted to Ambrose. “Yes…?”

“I would like to point out that when Emery is in front of his enemy, by then he would have already taken the test and passed it, we can try and figure that logic out later. But I don't think Emery could do very well on the battlefield, he isn’t war-mage material. He'd prefer to sit at home and use his magic to plant flowers.”

Emery growled and jumped out of his chair, ready to strangle Ambrose who smirked. Dalamar smiled and said casually, “Sit down Emery. But to your comment, Ambrose: Indeed, though an enemy can enter the room right now. Good thinking though.” Dalamar looked back at Emery. “Are you going to ask us to leave?”

Emery sighed and continued standing. The half-elf replied with a no, albeit reluctantly. Ara snickered and said tauntingly, “He can’t do a lot.” Emery whirled around to look at Ara and lifted his hand to smack her in the back of the head but stopped himself and shrank away from her when her eyes began to darken.

Dalamar smiled. “Fine.” He waved his hand at him. “Suit yourself. Ara, would you like to come up?”

Ara looked up at him and practically hopped out of her seat with an excited ‘ok!’ Ambrose watched Ara, wondering how she’d fair on this little ‘quiz’. Dalamar and Katima both watched her, Katima’s gaze more distant then actually focused. Ara took the chalk and began writing the letters and pronouncing them softly and slowly, trying her best to write the letters perfectly as well as pronounce them perfectly. Emery watched her with a sneer. Ambrose cocked an eyebrow, straining his human ears to hear her, noticing that some of her letters were written too big or too small. Ara finished and put the chalk down with an excited and expectant look at Dalamar.

Katima blinked and looked at Dalamar. With a smile, he said proudly, “Not half-bad… not half-bad. Just work at it.”

“At least she is better than Emery,” Katima said as she looked down. Emery heard the insult and glared at Katima, a sneer contorting his features. Ara smiled and sat back down in her seat. Katima looked at him as he sneered, giving him one of her coldest glares, a glare that could make someone’s heart beat slow down almost to a complete and deadly halt. Emery shivered and practically shrank into himself and quickly turned around. With a curse, he looked down at his desk, avoiding her glare yet still feeling it seer through his robes and into his back. Katima’s eyes turned back to a light gray as Dalamar stood in front of her desk staring down at her.

Dalamar’s eyes narrowed in thought. “Look at me, Katima.” He watched as she continued to stare at his chest and not his face. He cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her head up to only feel her pull back and look away. With a shake of his head, he walked over to the board and erased everything with a simple wave of his hand. “Everyone get out of here. Emery stay. You can do it in front of me alone,” he added as the half-elf began to creep out of the room. Katima was looking down at her desk a bit shaken up by the short ordeal, her long brown hair covering her face.

Ara glanced back at Katima, not really caring nor worried about her and walked out of the room to wait for Dalamar. Ambrose looked over at Katima and then walked up to her desk. “Class has been dismissed. Come on,” he said gently. Katima nodded slowly, still shaken up. She stood up, still avoiding eye contact with Ambrose and walked out leaving Dalamar to be alone in the same room as Emery. Ambrose followed Katima out of the room and closed the door before glancing at Ara who was sitting down, waiting. The human shook his head slightly, wondering why she never talked to anyone else except Dalamar. Ara glanced up at him, staring at him emotionlessly where a normal four year old would have blinked several times with a smile.

Katima walked down the hallway towards her room to be alone to draw and clear her mind of the scare. Ambrose watched her go and then turned to his room.

Emery stood up and looked at Dalamar. “The new kid’s creepy,” he said as he walked over to the chalkboard.

Dalamar watched Emery in annoyance and replied, his voice taking on an annoyed tone as well, “Are you just begging for me to shock you again?”

“No!” He said hastily. “All I did was make a comment on that Ara girl! She’s creepy!”

Dalamar sighed. “You aren’t exactly the most pleasant person to be around. Did you know that?”

Emery shrugged and said bitterly, “So said my bastard father. Like I give a damn.”

“Just start writing,” he said with a shake of his head.

“Yes, shalafi.” Emery began writing the letters, they were a little more perfect then Ara’s and recited them as best as he could.

Dalamar listened to him recite the letters and watched as he wrote them down. With an approving nod, he said in pleasant tones, “You are improving. Soon you will be able to use a light spell.” He smiled at Emery.

Emery snorted and replied ungraciously, “Whatever.” With that, he walked out of the room. Dalamar sighed and said to himself helplessly, “I try to be kind…” He shook his head helplessly and walked out after erasing the letters. Ara stood up and looked at Dalamar. The dark elf looked down at her and smiled before starting down the hallway to his chambers.

She followed Dalamar and said hopefully, “Lessons?”

He nodded. “Yes,” he said and opened the door to his chambers, closing it behind him as she entered.