With a deep sigh almost of resignation, he continued his hurried wander, satisfying himself for now that he would realize all his dreams one day with patience. His movements were swift and he covered ground fast now, determination coursing through his blood and muscles. If Am�naelihn were in this village, her son would find her.

��I searched and love said no��

-

Tears streaked the curved cheeks of the elven maiden, dampening the pale skin as Am�naelihn wept freely, knowing no shame within the solitude of her own home. For it was her home; the home she had established away from her true home in Rovandon, away from Kaehlin and Koell. That�s how she had intended it. The newborn child wailed along with its mother, its tears not as evident as hers. She hadn�t even named the child yet, for such a thing seemed an elaborate unimportance in contrast to all that was going on around her. Even now, after she had left her home and even had her physical appearance changed, she was still being made to endure the hungry lips and tongue of her own son as he let his immoral emotions display themselves to her in his every touch. And she had welcomed them on more than one occasion, meeting his every gentle movement. As he had kissed her she had wondered for just the smallest of moments if it was allowed, if it were proper now in her Elven form, but her motherly instincts had pulled her away; she was who she was, pointed ears and a lost wing could not change that, she was Am�naelihn and he was her son.

She tried to soothe the little boy squirming in her arms, tapping a finger to his lips and rocking him gently in her arms, trying to ease her own trembling and the tightness in her throat. She could still taste him on her. He had been pained, she�d felt that pain in him as he screamed at her; he cared much, too much, and deep down she knew that Koell would seek her until his dying day. Straightening her robes, the elven lady stood to her feet and moved for the door, carrying with her the child now as it fell into a gentle sleep. Am�naelihn dried her eyes, finding her strength, murmuring a prayer of begging to her Goddess.

��I cried and love said no��

-

Cassius looked across the marketplace with his eyes narrowed to a point of them being almost slits, his darang-crafted armor shining under the high moon. The guard�s knuckles turned white as he tightened his grip on his longbow, the arrow raised and pointed. Its target was a large man of fiendish blood, horns atop his head, eyes aglow with fire and skin as gray as ash, his muscled body within tightly fitting leather, black as shadows, studded and spiked in the darkest of metals. Cassius set his jaw as he put the man who had killed his best friend within the arrow�s sights. It would take a single twang of the bowstring and the tiefling would die, yes, he would fall and go to the nine layers of hell for what he had done. He�d regret that foolish act of murder.

Cassius pulled the arrow back as far as the bowstring would let him, so as to get enough distance in the projectile that it would reach its target. But before he could release the arrow, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see his captain staring at him with dark eyes. The man shook his head, gently taking the arrow out of Cassius� hand.

�That would be the biggest mistake you�d have made in all your life, Cassius.�

The guard bit his lip and sighed, giving the captain a small nod but protesting in a quiet voice nonetheless.

�He must pay for what he did to Kent! Kent shan�t have died in vain��

The captain nodded, for he understood how Cassius was feeling. He himself had lost many comrades to criminals like Kaehlin, but with that loss had come wisdom and the understanding for the need of patience. The more who trusted their emotions to aid a charge would mean the more who died.

�Yes, but not yet. That arrow wouldn�t have killed him; he�d have had your head resting alongside Kent�s and if you listen to your head, you�ll agree with me.�

�Yes, sir.�

The captain smiled and handed the arrow back to Cassius before turning away from him and heading back for the barracks. Cassius looked across at the tiefling who still stood in the marketplace with Skylos, more than likely threatening the storekeeper to lower his prices. The guard then looked down to the arrow in his hand, enchanted to freeze on impact, and with a sigh he returned the weapon to his pocket and headed home to enjoy the rest of his night off.

�� I sighed and love said no��

-

The lengths he had fallen to now managed to amaze even Koell as the old woman shrugged and told him she had not seen the woman he described, before moving fearfully away and making a track for her home with haste. He�d looked everywhere he could think to, and had even began to ask the townspeople who were out this late if they might know where he should take his search to find Am�naelihn, his mother, his love. If his efforts continued in vain at this rate, he would soon be breaking down house doors and hijacking passing carriages to find her. Not for the first time, Koell let his aching legs give way and he fell to sit on a doorstep nearest to him, not caring to whom it might belong. Tears began to fall down his pale face as he saw the images of his mother in his head. He could feel the frustration within him, sorrow mixed with anger and aggravation. He cried out to the skies, not a word but an animalistic growl and then lowered his head to his hands, panting with each strangled breath. It was drawing almost to a couple tendays since she had left him to the violent hands of his father, and still no word�

Koell froze when he felt the fingers on his shoulders, his head lifting cautiously out of his hands. He brought his fingers to his face, wiping away the tears and turned around slowly; much to his surprise there stood the one-winged elf from the house that he had been told his mother was staying. Her long hair had clearly not been combed, though it rested easily over her shoulders. Her pale golden eyes looked down at him, soft and almost mourning; an expression he failed to understand. He cast a side-glance at her hand rested on his broad shoulder, his wings rubbing absently against her chest, causing them to give a flutter.

�Come back with me; you�re not going to find her tonight.�

Her voice was soft, gentle and would have been enticing if he weren�t in the mood he was. He let his eyes drift down again but she reached over him, taking his hand and tugging on it gently. Koell let himself be lifted to his feet and turned around to stare at her; such a curious moon elf, the way she looked at him reminded him painfully of his own mother. It was unfortunate that she was otherwise so very different; her hair, her shape, her face and her wings. She looked down at his hand and frowned, but he did not follow her gaze, choosing instead to stare at her blankly.

�You�re freezing, Koell. Come inside. I can�t leave the baby much longer.�

And she walked, tugging his arm so he followed behind her. They didn�t speak as she led him back to her home, out of the cold night.

��I followed and love said no��

-

She had wrapped him in a blanket and was out of the room now, making him a drink to �warm him up.� His arms were folded beneath the blanket, as he got comfortable in the armchair, silently murmuring curses to himself. He should have been seeking Am�naelihn, not allowing himself to be pampered by this elf in her home. Something caught his eye across the study, stood upright on the desk. It was a small statuette, made of granite it seemed, sculpted in the shape of a horned demon. But the demon was no longer horned, for where once the jagged protrusions had been there was now a gap in the stone, serrated as though they had literally been torn off the statuette by bare hands. Strange.

As Koell stared at the sculpture, Am�naelihn entered the room, her single winged tucked in at her back and her dark hair finally combed down. She placed a cup of mint-scented drink down in front of Koell and went to move quickly from the room but his sudden words ceased her in mid-step.

�I may have lost my mother, but that does not mean you need to fill the position, by the way.�

Am�naelihn swallowed heavily and turned back around with a sigh, staring across the room at him. He gave her what seemed a mocking smile and then took a long sip of the drink she had given to him. It was hot, and he felt his blood warming just from the first taste.

�I�m not filling any position, Koell, I�m ju-�

�Where is she?�

Am�naelihn blinked as he cut her off mid-sentence, and very nearly scolded him for forgetting his manners with her, only managing to stop herself just in time. She bit her lip, staring at him through her almond-shaped eyes for too long a moment and then looking away she looked down.

�I have nothing I can tell you, I�m sorry.�

Koell clenched a fist; the fact that she was hiding something from him was glaringly obvious. It was not her right to keep such secrets, he should know! He had to know where his mother was! He was about to leap up when he noticed something; the tears filling the bottoms of her eyes. Koell took another long sip from the warm drink and then stood up, placing the cup down on a small table beside the chair. He moved to her, bringing his arms to her shoulders and staring at her. Am�naelihn lifted her own hand and tried to rub away the tears, her mental anguish distracting her from his amber stare. Slowly she let her arms move around his waist and he looked down to them, frowning and shaking his head as he murmured to her.

�I never bothered to ask your name��

She snapped out of her thoughts at his comment and nodded slowly, frowning as she realized how close she was to him, and to how subconsciously she had wrapped her arms around him. She nodded her head and smiled weakly.

�Uhm� my name? Oh� my name is Atara... yes, Atara...�

She grinned a little and then let her head lay to rest on his chest, slowly closing her eyes. She was so tired, the newborn child had kept her awake most of the previous night, that she felt she could just fall asleep against him there and then. Koell was more than awake though; he was surprised.

�Mother?�

�What?� came her murmured reply and she lifted her head to stare up at him with a sudden frown and a look of shock that drained the tiredness from her eyes.

�Atara� it means mother in Elven.�

Am�naelihn furrowed her brow, staring up at him, her chest still leaning on his, her arms still about his waist and his on her shoulders and neck.

�Who taught you Elven?�

A small smirk curled his full lips and he narrowed his eyes, his gaze so intense on her that she was almost tempted to look away from him.

�I did; I taught myself.�

She bit deep into her lip, silently wishing she had chosen a more obscure word as her fake name. There eyes were on one another for a long and awkward moment, but the sounds of a baby wailing drifted down to them from upstairs and she pulled herself away from him, stammering as she hurried towards the door.

�I� I must see to him��

But Koell leapt forward, grabbing her arm and tugging her back to him, ignoring the child�s cries. She stared up at him in a horrified fear, her single wing absently spreading out behind her. She swallowed heavily as Koell tilted his head, the anger and the frustration lost in his eyes, replaced by something of a fatigue.

�Mother? How the��

The words of sudden realization hovered on his lips and he faltered a moment, his eyes flickering before falling closed; he hit the carpeted floor at Am�naelihn�s feet and she sighed softly, taking a deep breath. He knew.

�Sorry, son��

She stepped over his unconscious form and moved to the table, picking up the glass off the table that Koell had almost drained of the drugged contents. Leaving him to sleep there on the study floor, she hurried out of the room to attend to her still wailing newborn child�

��I knew and love said no.�