~Go north. Follow the dragon. Find the Diamond of Darkhold. Restore your honor~
Or so Alyss Winterstorm was told after she allowed the Shattered to steal the Diamond of Darkhold, destroy Queen Nerial, and scatter the forces of the Dark Elves so badly they might never rise in power again. The leader of the Shattered had controlled her, dominated her utterly, and twisted her mind so, through her, he had slain the Queen and struck down the almost last of the dragons. Now she was bound to him with oaths unbreakable, forced to betray her friends and allies. None of this could be blamed on Alyss. She was a victim of cruel Fate, always and forever.
If only the rest of the world could see it that way, Alyss thought bitterly, flicking her silvery blond hair out of her face and sliding another stone across the frozen water.
~You know brooding won't help~ said her dragon inside her head.
"Go away, Na'vyn." Alyss grumbled, throwing a stone with unnesscary force.
~I can't. I am bound to you, so if you are upset, I am as well. Beside, the sky is clear and the air crisp. Let us fly, and forget our worries?~
"Blast you, dragon!" Alyss cried, but a grin was already sliding across her face.
Na'vyn shook out her wings, her scales gleaming in the early sunlight. Alyss thought, as she knew many others did, that Na'vyn was the most beautiful creature in Alanirael. Her scales were midnight blue, but her wings, claws, and the spikes along her back were a silver white. Black scales gleamed on her wings like jet. Na'vyn's very name meant both Ice and Majesty, a name well deserved. |