Aww, bless! (Blessed are the cheesemakers...I love that movie..."And my fwiend Bigus Dickus"....roflmao!)

Galsy, I wuv it still! my keyboard is screwed again though....grrrr... [img]graemlins/1pissed.gif[/img]

Glad you are enjoying it, Kaltia. BTW, Attalus says that there is a thread on GD about you marrying Caelethis? Sorry about your keyboard. Did you spill tea on it? ;)

The highway ceased after a few days and they followed mere tracks. The way led through the high passes of the Ebulia Mountains, and thence into the Taliburnian Desert itself. Hellish in summer, the desert was chill during the day with scouring winds. The nights were quite cold as the winds picked up even further. Sefa was glad of her cloak with the fur-lined hood that Cythera had bought her. As she sat by the campfire on the third night of their desert traveling, the lady herself sat next to her.
"Lady Cythera," she said, smiling sunnily, "I want to thank you again for my nice cloak. I don't know what I'd do without it in this cold."
Cythera beamed in return. "Sefa," she said, "I've told you that you must call me Cyth. I'm not your Mistress, and rescuing me should make us friends on a first name basis."
Sefa wriggled uncomfortibly. "Oh, L...Cyth, I didn't do so much. Lady Galadria could have killed everybody in that village. Let alone the rest. You are a lot of really powerful people. I sometimes feel like just a tagalong."
The blonde mage's smile widened. "Dear heart," she said reasonably," they could have killed me before your Mistress got to me. Or, held me as a hostage. Gal wouldn't have risked that. Don't feel yourself such a nuisance. We may all have our power, but we all started just as you, if not as resourceful. I know that your Mistress is very pleased with you, and, not that it matters, so am I. When I was all tied up in that awful temple, being mauled by that horrid man, I felt pure relief to see you dropping in like that. I am doubly glad that you like the cloak I got you, and, as soon as we are back in Baldur's Gate, I'll buy you two more." Sefa laughed, but felt a warm glow to hear that her beloved mistress was pleased with her.
Odo, Attalus, and Galadria were conferring over their map. "Maybe two days travel," Odo was saying,"before we get to that blasted temple. We had better start making preparations."
"Don't fear, dear Odo," the dark mage replied serenely, "I've been doing little else these past weeks. You just do everything you can to ensure Helm's blessing, and I'll do my best."
Attalus grunted."For my part," he stated, "Corhydras is sharpened already. Gal, if you and Cyth and Noemi can keep him magically disabled, I'll answer for him."
His wife patted his armored shoulder appreciatively. He had seemed rather glum at the start of the trip, but the little brush with the barbarians seemed to have restored his disposition. "That's my Attalus," she said, "If you and Odo carve him up, Cyth, Em, and I will try to keep him from casting any spells or protections." She rolled up the map and stashed it in one of the many pockets of her mage robe.
Noemi was sitting by herself with her arms around her knees, staring out at the wild vista. Eerie under the moonlight, shadows seemed to dance menacingly upon the white sand. The mountains whence they had come loomed upon the horizon, black to the sight against the sky, fiery with stars.. Her sister saw her and, concerned that she might be brooding, sat down beside her. Noemi turned to her, smiling as she recognized her. She scooted over to be closer to her dark sibling.
"Hi, Gal," she said happily,"are you through plotting with Odo and Attalus? I'm just looking at the desert. It's so pretty at night."
Relieved, Galadria answered, "Yes, it is pretty. I have had so much on my mind, lately, that I haven't noticed the scenery. Are you going to write a poem about it?"
Noemi, basking in this unexpected attention from her idolized but distracted sister, laughed. "No, Gal, I don't write poetry about deserts and mountains. I just write them about you."
"Silly," the dark mage returned severely, "what's there to write about me?" as the redhead's face lit up, she added. "Never mind, I can guess. Em, I swear, I thought you were getting over that."
Noemi resumed looking out on the vista, with a pleased look on her face. "Never, Gal, in a hundred million years. Not even if I died for it this instant, will I stop loving you. You're the only thing that keeps me going." She scooted closer, until their bodies touched. "Serving you is my only purpose in life."
Galadria put her arm around her shoulders and sighed. "Well," she stated, resignedly, "if I can be all of that, I don't mind the occasional poem."
Noemi sat stock still, not wanting the moment to end. But, finally, Galadria gave her a one-armed hug and a peck on the cheek, then got up to join the rest at the fire. "Sleep well, little sister." she said with a smile.
Sure I will, Noemi thought, as long as I can dream of you.

Hmm...I'll be damned if Downunda is giving me away [img]graemlins/1pissed.gif[/img]
I like it, Gal, but if you excuse me, I'm being married to someone...and I haven't the foggiest what is going on. [img]graemlins/1pissed.gif[/img] when i catch the buggers there will be some serious [img]graemlins/whipitgood.gif[/img]

The next two days of travel brought them to a rise scattered with scrubby trees. Topping this, they finally sighted their goal: an ancient temple of whitish stone. It stood by itself at the bottom of a shallow valley, with nothing growing nearby. It consisted of a large central area topped by a huge dome. At each corner stood a tower, each fallen to some extent. A door gaped open, leaning crazily on one hinge.
Attalus snorted. "The place reeks of evil," stated. "This is a suitable place for a demon. Let us not go in as the light is waning, and darkness will lend him more power."

They made camp and began preparations for the invasion of the ruined temple and the battle they were sure would come. Weapons were polished, the last touches were put on spells, and each stiffened their resolve to enter the edifice and end the resident evil's existence. Sefa found herself to be very frightened indeed. The pale building exuded fear, she thought. She crept miserably over to the tent where Galadria was resting. Entering, she found the dark sorceress seated on the ground, intently studying the very scroll that had brought them together. A mage light floated in the air over her head, illuminating her. Sefa plopped down next to her and buried her face in her robe. Her Lady turned to her, smiling.
Seeing her distress, the wizard put her arms around her, holding her close. "What's wrong, Sefa? " she asked gently, "Worried?"
"Yes, my Lady," Sefa answered tremulously. "I've never seen a demon, let alone tried to kill one."
"You aren't supposed to kill it, silly," Galadria responded, stroking her curly hair,"we are. You would just be there to help, and learn. The next time we face some horrible thing, then you will be more confident. I f you don't want to go in, no one will blame you. After all, you aren't even grown yet. We all have fought, and killed worse things than demons, but none of us started so soon, either. You can just wait here. Rest assured, we won't forget you."
Sefa stiffened at the implication. "No, my Lady, I couldn't do that. I have to be there. What if you were all killed, because I wasn't there to help? What would be there for me, then, alone in the desert? Never to see you again, and all my fault? No, I want to come, but it's just that I'm so scared. What will I do? What if some mistake I make dooms us all, or even just one. I'm as frightened of messing up as I am of...whatever it is."
Her mistress smiled at her again, concerned,. "Sefa, this you must leave to me," she replied firmly, "I am the leader. It is my job to put no one in a place beyond their capacity, unless the situation is desperate. Trust me, sweetheart, all right? I do not say, have no fear,for our enemy is indeed fearsome. I say, do not panic. Watch me and the others. And, above all, do not go near it. That is for Attalus and Odo, and perhaps Noemi, if circumstances warrant. Stay back with Cythera and me, and watch our backs, for the thing may have allies. We cannot know, though it's kind, if I read it rightly, are usually solitary. But we cannot assume it to be thus. So, my dear, be our sentry. Do not worry about confronting it directly. All right?"
"It's just that I'm so scared," Sefa repeated,"what if something happens to you? I just couldn't bear it!"
"I can look after myself, sweetest," Galadria responded, amused but touched, "you have seen me act. Do I seem so defenceless to you?"
Sefa remembered the orcs around Odo and Attalus bursting into flames. "No, my Lady," she said in answer, " I know you to be very strong."
"So, stop fretting." the mage responded," Worry will not help. Preparation and courage does. I know you to be brave, I watched you down that orc, and crawl through that window. Just learn to rely on yourself, and don't fear the morrow."
Sefa felt better, though she still didn't sleep very well.

Aww, likkle Sefa is sweet [img]smile.gif[/img] Keep on going [img]smile.gif[/img]

Here is some more. We are getting near the end.

The next day they crept carefully into the temple, Noemi and Cythera scouting ahead to detect traps or ambushes. Noemi went the farthest, to sneak through the shadows and feel, soundlessly, for irregularities in the floor. The floors were of marble, but cracked and chipped in places. The little mage made her way cautiously along the dark halls, every sense on full alert. Suddenly, she froze. The floor beneath her softly extended foot had given slightly! She pulled back immediately and went down on hands and knees. She carefully drew Questioner, her magical sword, free. Its usual rosy glow was gone, giving out only a pale bluish light. She was immediately joined by Cythera, still enrobed but of dark and dull colors. Campaign wear. Curious, Sefa came forward cautiously to watch. The two women were conversing in low undertones as Noemi was attempting to work Questioner into a crack immediately before the suspicious area. They spoke in quick exchanges, which would of been mysterious to a casual listener, but Sefa quickly recognized as thieves argot. Strange to hear the aristocratic beauty say such things to her leather clad friend.
"It's the slewed flange."
"Sure? The boz is rather narrow."
"I tell you. See the spim, there?
"Okay, are you going to poubesse it?"
"No way. It'll pop"
"Watch it."
"No, I'm silver."
There was a sharp click, as if a powerful spring had been released. The happy and relieved women got up carefully and called back to their confidently awaiting friends. "All clear," whispered Cythera. Noemi was already inching ahead. Where there was one trap, there could be more.
They came finally to a large room, the ceiling soaring up to disappear in the gloom. A beam of light just sufficed to reveal a tremendous, brooding presence standing before a solitary altar. It turned to them.

wow you have wrote a lot now i have ´jsut started reading and it is good!
i promise u i am going to read it all. it is expensive for me to be on the internet beacuse i dont have any broadband=( do you mind if i print it?
PLEASE i must read it all

Christian, I just asked her, and she said, sure. She'll reply herself in just a sec.

[ 09-12-2002, 09:25 AM: Message edited by: Attalus ]

Sure, Christian, just don't forget where you got it. ;)