[Mara]

Mara slowly leaned back in her chair, her eyes were wide, and she felt as if she had been hit between the eyes once again. She had never been told that she could ever feel the things she was suddenly feeling, and the voices in her head were screaming at her. ~He only wishes to bed you. All men are the same. They only want one thing from you, and once they take that, they will drop you by the way side~

Mara shook her head and pulled her knees up to her chest as she bit her lip and looked out the window. "Carriac? How do I know that you mean this? Is this just some ploy to bed me? I've never been..." and Mara suddenly clamed up as she pulled her legs up tighter against her chest. "You can't be in love with me..."

[Carriac]

The waiter had returned to take their order as Mara replied. He gave Carriac a suspicious glance and then hurried on to the next table.

Carriac, himself, was floored by Mara's response. She had just thrown his feelings back into his face. This was not at all what he had expected. The warmth within him evaporated as his heart fell into the pit of his stomach. The little voice in his head 'tsked' and blathered something about unheeded warnings.

It took him a moment to get his mouth working and when he did, it was very dry.

"W-what? I...I can't believe...."

He took a long swig from the water glass and tried again.

"Mara, what are you saying?"

A sudden, unexpected surge of anger hit him. How dare she question his motives! His eyes darkened, the pupils expanding. He placed both hands on the table and made to rise...then swallowed the anger and pushed it aside as reason called forth a memory from only a day earlier. He had had this conversation with Mara once before - back at the Dragon's Inn in Montfort when they had first met. She had offered herself to him in exchange for helping her. She had been so vulnerable then, closed off and withdrawn - much as she was right now.

A suspicion came to Carriac at that moment, one that eased his mind and appeased his injured pride. Mara had switched to another persona - the soft, childlike persona, withdrawn from reality. This was her 'protection mode'. Something in her past had driven her to seek refuge in this quiet place when she felt threatened. Something in Carriac's declaration must have triggered this response.

It wasn't about him anymore. Carriac's heart went out to the woman he loved as he tried to ease her hidden pain. His eyes softened and he spoke very soothingly in Elvish.

"A'maelamin. (My beloved). I don't know what has happened to make you feel this way. But I want you to know something very important."

He lifted her chin slightly so he could look into her eyes. "I have no intention of 'bedding you.' All my love requires is that I can remain close to you to cherish you and protect you. If this offends you, then I will never speak of it again. If you cannot bear to have me near when I possess such feelings, then I will leave. I cannot change how I feel, but I would not have you disturbed by my presence.

"I love you. I cannot help it."

[Mara]

Mara's eyes started to tear up as she watched Carriac. She wanted to jump up and throw herself into his arms and bury her head into his chest, but she sat there, holding her legs tighter to her chest. When he took her chin in his hand and raised it, causing her to look into his eyes, tears started to fall, and her chin quivered in his open palm. Drake Silverclaw: "I know this Carriac..." she said as she tried to stop the tears from falling. Glancing around the run, she threw her legs under her and jumped up, throwing herself into Carriac's open arms. "I...I love you too," as more tears fell down her cheek. "But I'm frightened by it..." she whispered as she rubbed her nose on his chest. "I've never felt this way before. I...I don't know what I should do...or how I should act. No one has ever told me that they loved me before. What should I say? What should I do?"

[Carriac]

The shaper's heart melted as Mara leapt across the table. Salad was thrown into the air, glasses tipped and spilled, plates hit the floor and shattered and the people in the room stared openly.

Carriac didn't care.

He gave Mara a tight squeeze and settled her comfortably in his lap.

"The wonderful thing about love, Maelamin," he continued in Elvish, "Is that there IS no set way to act. Just follow your heart and it will come naturally."

He smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Now, then. What say we sample one of those delicious looking sweet rolls, then reserve a couple of rooms for the night - one for each of us. We can both take baths and wash this awful alchemy smell from our clothes. Then we'll have a quick look around the market and maybe pick up a few provisions. What do you say?"

[Mara]

Everything around her seemed to have suddenly stopped. The only thing she heard was Carriac's gentle voice and the beating of their hearts. Looking up, and into his eyes, she could only nod before looking away, catching the looks from the other patrons. She heard someone in the back say, "They are just in love," and she blushed as she slipped from Carriac's arms. "I would like that, thank you. But lets get the one room, to save what coin we have left. I'll sleep on the floor, next to the bed. I...wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression about me," and she bite her lip and blushed as she took her seat.

The waiter came back, picking up the plates and glasses, rushing away before bringing back two fresh glasses. Setting them down, he smiled and winked at Mara, before glancing towards Carriac. "He would like one of those rolls, with the white icing and two forks please. We're going to share it," and she giggled and blushed.

[Carriac]

The sweet roll arrived and the two shared it. It was delicious. Mara made a mess of Carriac's face as she tried to feed him, not quite having the hang of the fork yet. Carriac only laughed. The rest of the people in the dining room smiled knowingly.

Carriac paid for the meal and then the two walked up the stairs and across the small-enclosed walkway that connected the restaurant to the inn on the other side of the river. The glass windows on the bridge were clear, and though the glass was old and in need of some repair, it was still good enough to allow Mara and him to see the river rushing past below them.

When they reached the other side, they rang the bell at the front desk of the inn. A small clerk hurried to greet them. Carriac asked for a large room, complete with a bathtub. One look at the two, arm in arm, and the clerk suggested the whirlpool suite. Carriac subtly checked his money pouch, as Mara's eyes lit up brightly. Carriac sighed. He signed for the room and handed over a suitable deposit - all of his remaining gold. The clerk produced a key and Carriac escorted Mara down the hall to the suite.

The room was extravagant. A large fireplace sat along one wall of the sitting room, flanked by a plush divan and two velvet upholstered easy chairs. There was a cherry wood desk in the corner, replete with a gold tipped ostrich feather quill and crisp linen parchment for conducting business. The pile of the carpet on the floor was so think, their feet sunk in almost an inch.

Mara led the way into the next room and gasped in delight. A large four-posted bed took up much of the space. The mattress and pillows were stuffed with goose down. The sheets and pillowcases were red satin, the heavily brocaded curtains of wine colored velvet. Classic art in the form of paintings and tapestries adorned the walls. The room oozed opulence. Carriac swallowed hard, as Mara skipped into the next room.

The final room was smaller. The plush carpeting ended here, to be replaced by imported tile laid out in a beautiful mosaic pattern featuring merfolk joyfully playing in the ocean. A large tiled tub sat in the middle of the room, sunk into the floor. Steps led down into the water so warm that steam rose from its surface. Scented soaps and thick towels sat by the edge.

[Mara]

Mara was beside herself as she slipped past Carriac to inspect the room. Everywhere she looked, her eyes grew wider, and she had to run and touch everything. Running her cheek across some of the curtains and across the sheets of the bed, she ran on, bouncing around like a small squirrel after a fallen acorn. But when she came to the sunken tub, she stopped and turned back, blushing.

"This...Oh my! Everything is so...so...beautiful. It's hard to describe. And did you see the bed? It felt so soft, and looks so inviting..." and she started to bite her lip as she stepped up to Carriac, one fingers playing across his chest.

"I've not slept in a bed like that before..." hinting that she would do anything to bed in it for a forth night. But just as quickly, something else caught her eye and she made a giggling sound before running away. Soon she was bouncing everywhere, from the bedroom, back to the bathe, where she dipped her hands in the warm water, before splashing them on Carriac's face.

"I get to go first," and she started to slip out of her clothes, right in front of him. "Well? Are you going to wash my back, or stand there, with your mouth open? That's a great way to catch flies you know. And if you chew them real fast, you don't choke on their wings..."

[Carriac]

The words he had spoken at the table reverberated in his skull. One minute Mara was cringing at the thought of him 'bedding' her, the next she was practically throwing herself at him. Wash her back? As if he could keep his mind on such things with Mara's nude form before him! What was a self-respecting elf supposed to do?

Carriac settled on a simple explanation. Mara really had NO idea what such suggestions did to him. She wasn't kidding when she said that these feelings were new to her. He was harshly tempted, but his sense of honor - and a certain bit of embarrassment over his weight - caused him to choose a practical solution.

"Why don't you just go ahead, Maelamin. My experience is that hot baths are much more relaxing when they are enjoyed alone. You go spoil yourself and I'll go find out where the best shops are here in town."

He then beat a hasty retreat back to the sitting room.

[Mara]

Mara turned as she started to undo her last button, and watched as Carriac made a hasty retreat out the door. Pouting, she stomped her foot and finished undressing. Leaving the clothes in a pile by her feet, she slowly stretched and yawned, before stepping over to the tub. Reaching her toes out, she tested the waters, glancing over to see how deep the tub was, before slipping into the water. "Oh, this is nice," as she slipped in deeper until the water was just touching her chin.

"Carriac, you don't know what your missing," as he hands started to run up and down her body.

She spotted some type of controls along the far edge of the tub and she decided to see what they did. One hand broke the surface and slipped it way over, before pushing the first button. A strange humming noise was heard then the waters around her started to bubble. The next button caused the waters to spin, as if a great current was pushing the water around and around. She felt a number of jets striking her, and she placed her hand down one, and felt the pressure, but it soon started to calm her worries away. Before long, she was resting in a tub full of bubbles, after finding the bubble bath soap. The rich scent of roses tickled her nose as she leaned back, sticking her toes just out of the water.

"Oh Carriac...Why did you have to go," she sighed before leaning way back, and sinking into the tub. Later he would find her with just a towel wrapped around her head, asleep on top of the bed sheets, snoring like an old bear in hibernation.

[Carriac]

Carriac breathed a bit easier as he left the suite and headed back out to the inn's lobby area. He had an idea that would make all of this much more enjoyable - and affordable. He found the desk clerk, who immediately asked if the rooms were acceptable. He reassured the man and asked to see the owner. After a moment, a small, plumpish woman came to the desk.

"How can I help you?"

"Actually, I was thinking I could help you...."

The owner was doubtful at first, but a small demonstration sealed the deal. He spent a few hours on the project and both he and the owner were well pleased with the result. He returned to the suite a happy man, the bill paid up for a week and a satisfying jingle in his money pouch.

Carriac entered the rooms quietly. "Mara?" he called out gently.

Hearing no reply he padded softly into the bedroom. He saw Mara, in all her glory, laying upon the bed, fast asleep. He averted his eyes, but not before he noticed the goose bumps running up and down her creamy skin.

He went to the room's bureau drawers and found a soft cotton blanket, which he laid gently over Mara's still frame. She stirred slightly, grasped at the edge of the blanket and pulled it tightly around her before settling in comfortably once more.

Carriac smiled and made for the hot tub.

It only took him a moment to strip out of his clothes and then he was lowering his bulk into the hot water.

"Ah, a nice hot bath does a body good!"

He reached for some soap and washed himself down, happy to be completely clean again. His hands rested on his ample belly...and he frowned. The size of his stomach bothered him, suddenly, as it hadn't for some time. He called to mind the image of Mara on the bed. Her body was so lithe, so elfish, and so perfect. But his....

How could she really love someone who looked like him?

Carriac berated himself for doubting Mara's sincerity and sank back in the bath up to his neck. He laid his head back on a padded cushion and began to dream of Mara.

He awoke with a start. The water was cold, but he was hot. His temperature was rising within him. His eyes opened, black as night. With hardly an effort, the shaper heaved himself out of the hot tub. Water streamed from his body as he marched into the bedroom. The plush carpeting drank thirstily of it.

He stopped before Mara's still form. She laid on her back now, the blanket rising and falling with the movement of her chest.

He gripped the edge of the blanket and ripped it off, flinging it to the floor with disdain.

Mara's eyes flew open. "Carriac, what...?"

One hand went over the woman's mouth, silencing her protests. The other went lower....

Mara's eyes went wide with shock, and then flared a brilliant red. She erupted into flame. The heat was intense, more than he could bear....

Carriac awoke, gasping. The dream had been intense, so real that he was trembling. He was burning up!

It was then he realized that the water was much too hot. His hand rested on the hot water faucet. He must have turned it on in his sleep.

Carriac struggled out of the hot tub and threw a thick terrycloth robe about his shoulders. He cinched it about his waist. It tied a quite a bit tighter than he expected, but he gave it little thought as he stumbled into the bedroom.

Mara lay on the bed, sleeping peacefully. Carriac breathed a sigh of relief. He crawled on the bed next to her, close enough to know that she was there, but far enough away to give her, her privacy. He was soon asleep.

By the time they awoke, the thick oily sheen floating on top of the water in the hot tub would be gone.

[Elsewhere]

The bird flew into the cave just as the sun was setting. It was dark, but then, the dark had never bothered those of its ilk. A short flight down a twisting tunnel, followed by a sharp drop of several thousand feet took the bird to a place deep within the earth. The way grew brighter up ahead, and as the bird rounded a final turn a cavern opened up before it.

The cavern was awash with a brilliant white light. Five great crystal monoliths stood near the center of the cavern, the source of the light. Hundreds of mirrors surrounded them at even intervals, reflecting the light back towards the middle. At the very center of the cavern, trapped within the pentagram formed by the monoliths, was a wrought iron cage. Within the cage stood a man.

The bird flew to the edge of the pentagram and landed. The man could not see it with his natural eyes. It invisibility assured that. But he could see it's shadow branching from it in all directions. The man smiled at the humor of it. They were opposites, he and the bird. The bird could see him, but _he_ cast no shadow.

The man looked to the place where the bird sat. His two eyes, completely black with no touch of white, seemed to throb with some inner darkness.

"So. What have you to report? Is there any change?"

The bird cawed. The man understood. ~I believe so, my Master. His emotional detachment is beginning to waver. The partition in his mind is weakening. Especially at night.~

"Most fortunate. And what is the cause of this weakening?"

~I think it's the woman, Master. He let's down his guard for her. I believe he's falling in love with her.~

"Excellent. The wall will fail further as he gives in to his passion."

~That hasn't happened, yet my Lord. He maintains a certain amount of restraint.~

"Then you will see that that restraint is removed! I am wearied by my prison. Free my brother, and you will free me."

~I understand, Master. Your will be done.~

The bird fluttered away, leaving the man to contemplate his freedom, and his revenge. In a short time, Shadowlords would again walk freely on Ifreann.

(to be continued...)