Epilogue - In Ehosia

Getting to Kadijah ended up being relatively simple. As a military officer, she had a certain schedule of duties. It was a simple matter to observe the schedule, anticipate it, and strike.

Escape wasn't even particularly difficult, since she had Rashiqua close at hand. Khadijah's fellow soliders had rushed right past her as Rashiqua keened in fright. The elven assassin had seemly disappeared or become invisible, as they always did.

That was when she should have used the ley gates to return to Sommayid, and then travel on to the Great Forest and home, to receive her next assignment. Instead, she started walking. And walking. She was careful to keep Shariz in sight, but otherwise ventured as far out into the desert sands as she dared.

She needed to think.

She sat underneath Eho's unflinching gaze for several days. It was very clear, on the one hand. To kill without permission broke one oath. To accept more favors from the Dark Lord broke three. It was a path of pride and of evil, and it allowed the Masked One more power - something they were all enjoined to keep from occuring.

But it might work, at least temporarily. Could an evil act result in good fruits? Or would it spawn only more evil? Would she, in solving one problem, only create a greater one? But if she did not act, what would happen?

One thing the dae faroth learned was to appreciate the human scale of time. From a human point of view, they could still afford to be almost supernaturally patient. From the elven, their thinking and decisions bordered on reckless. How long, she wondered, would the debates go on if she took this home and proposed it? Too long?

If she were righteous, the choice would have been easy. If she had already been corrupted, she wouldn't even have questioned it, either. As it was, she hung between the choices, terrified of choosing either.

Finally the visions came. The darkness taunted and teased. The moon begged piteously. Blood ran over the sand like a river, flowing towards her, covering her ankles. She was already a part of the darkness. She should embrace it fully.

She had almost started to walk away into the dark when the dawn came. And the dawn spoke in a soft voice and reminded her that choices do not always come in mere pairs.

And she thought on that. And stepped back. And started towards Shariz.

Fin