Night and Day

Night has begun to fall as the rhythm of the drums rise.  An ancient and primal sound beats the sun into submission and calls the moon down to take its place on the throne.  The beat, loud and fiery, beckons my body to bow down to the new throne holder.  The air is filled with the sounds and pulse of the drums. Pounding at the few who refuse to bow to its will and wrapping the ones that have into a loving cocoon of passion and grace.  Harbour of Rhye sure knows how to put on a party.  The moment Garrett became King, Nocturnus and Nomad grabbed drums and Rath started singing. Not soon after there was a fire and dancing and mead everywhere.  The Harbourites love many things but nothing more than a celebration.  Having a member of their village and family being named King of the Realm is certainly worth celebrating. I watch in awe at how lighthearted and happy everyone seems to be here. I feel myself slowly losing the battle with the drums and my self-consciousness along with it.  I am brought home by the drums’ calls and to a place I longed to be again.  No longer able to resist the drum’s call to celebrate, I dance.  And dance.  I dance so long, I’m no longer aware of who is leading and who is following. I remember this feeling and I go to it longingly. Honey juice flowing freely on a hot Algrenian night. The sense of community, family and love thatfills the air.  I’m in a trance and can do nothing more than simply move, a slave to the drummers’ energy and heart.  And I move until that energy has filled me and left me warmed inside. I honor my family, my tribe, and my Gods with my dance.  This is a dance of history, telling the story of my life, my turmoil, my victory. Turning and twirling, showing joy and love with every step.  I am lost in this routine, one that I have done many times before. I have done this dance surrounded by loved ones and the many familiar faces of my home. The drums change from heat-filled and loving to wild and strong.  A warrior’s anthem comes from the drummers’ now.  I am torn from my reprieve by the change.  The change serves as my reminder that I am no longer home, no longer among familiar faces.  No longer warm, even with the raging bonfire, I try to make my way to my new home and away from all the joyous noise. “It seems the drums call to you also, Nsia.”  I am startled out of my head. How Malacity continues to sneak up on me is still a mystery.  Her scent alone should give her away, a heady smoke mixed with something not quite identifiable, but alas she bests me every time.  “The drums reminded me of home, is all.  How are you this evening, Malacity?”  I ask before she can delve into where home actually is for me.  A lot of the Harbourites are still trying to figure me out.  Partly because I’m quiet and partly because when I do speak it's’ usually just to reassure or comfort.  I never talk about myself or my home so naturally everyone is curious.  Granted some of them are too perceptive for their own good.  I watch Malacity cautiously, she scares me terribly and as under-fey, a drow, I’m smart enough to understand that fear is a good thing.  My homeland didn’t  have any drow that I knew of, but I have heard stories of their viciousness, and cunning.  It makes me tread carefully.  “I’m enjoying watching Aldfalric answer the drum’s call as well.”  She points to the fires.  I take in the scene as a whole.  The roaring fires, the drummers pounding out their hearts, the people making merry, and the dancers moving through a blue, black and starry backdrop.  In the center is Aldfalric, backlit by the fires, looking like a dark angel fallen from the heavens.  He moves with a surprising gracefulness, and that overwhelming confidence that he is known for.  His movements are strong with an edge of danger, like a lion stalking its prey.  He moves to the beat with no fear or doubt in his movements, lost to his own battle with the drums.  I stand mesmerized by this at ease and unguarded side of him.  As the drums go from a warrior’s call to a soothing lullaby, I rack my brain for memories of this Aldfalric in my short time at Harbour, finding none in the search. Its just images of Aldfalric the warrior, the leader, the executioner.  I’ve been at Harbour of Rhye for all of six Full Moon cycles and the lack of comforting memories leaves me feeling even more like an outcast. I have made two friends since getting here, my squad of mysterious outcasts. La Zorra and Nazira, are both out on assignments from their guild. I wish they were here now so I didn't feel so out of place.  But I have little time to think about that, since Malacity has just realized that I am no longer listening to her.  “You live in your head a lot.  I wonder what you think about.”  I scramble for a reply.  “Everything, I’m afraid.  Turning my brain off tends to be something of a challenge.”  I look back to the bonfire and all the people are still drumming, dancing and merry.  I must have looked wistful because Malacity presses further.  “Was there a lot of drumming around your home?” Time passes as I try to come up with an acceptable answer.  “We had celebrations like this for special occasions, although now that I think about it, anytime was a special occasion.” She actually laughs. Her dark skin stood out even more against the whiteness of her teeth. The drummers change beats again, this time something steady and calm like a serenade. We stand there in silence for a while with Malacity swaying, her rhythm matching that of Aldfaric.   Shaking myself out of my reprieve, I remember I should be trying to escape the somewhat dangerous company of Malacity, only to turn and run face (mine) to chest (his) into Dax, another person of dangerous company.  “My apologies, Dax, I didn’t see you there.”  I get a stone faced glare for my troubles.  “The girl was nice enough to apologize for your mistake, Dax. The least you could do is acknowledge her.”  I’m certain I didn’t hear Malacity correctly. How did me running into Dax end up being his mistake? I fixed my mind to ask but then thought better of it looking at the fang-showing grin that he was flashing her. “But if I acknowledge her, then she’ll just bother me like she does you all.  At least until I get tired of it and kill her, anyway.”  He says between gulps of his drink. “I’d like to see her bother you, actually. It would be fun to see which of you two would outlast the other.” My mind screams “Danger” at me and I decide that now would be a good time to leave the two of them to their discussion about whether I am smart enough to beat Dax and make my escape to somewhere safer. Why on earth would I want to engage Dax in any kind of battle? I’ve watched him practice and know that standoffish nature, lean build and rather good looks belie both his intelligence and his strength.  Yes, escape is a much safer bet for me. But the Gods are not kind to me because I get all of ten steps away and come face to face with yet another dangerous person, the fallen angel himself.    “Good evening, Aldfalric.  You look like you are enjoying the celebration?”  I mentally smack myself. He is his normal self again, stern and uncompromising. “I wish to speak with you about how you are getting along.  You seem to have found your place working with Luna.”  Not sure if he’s asking me a question, or stating a fact, I simply wait for him to continue. My brain ponders how his five foot two frame holds as much malice and danger as Dax’s 6 foot one.  It seems as though my quiet contemplation isn’t the reaction that he was looking for however, because he stands there silently waiting for me to reply. Some time passes before I sigh and form a reply. “Luna has been trying to show me the ropes. The babies are her first priority so the learning has been a very slow process. I am having fun though.”  More silence passes between us as he lets what I say sink in.  “Are you finding what you are learning to your liking?” Do I like what I am learning? Luna is Regent of Harbour of Rhye. She handles all the administrative tasks for the village, the bookkeeping, and just generally making sure the village has everything it needs. I look up at Aldfalric the answer on my lips when we are interrupted by black wings and squawking.  Augury, my raven and one of two friends I had before coming to Harbour, is more excited than usual, her wings flapping so wildly that Aldfalric touches the sword on his hip as if he’s being attacked. I hold out my arm. “Augury, show me what you have seen!” I am thrown into a vision of chaos, destruction, ships and wings.  There is a lot of smoke, grey and billowing like a fire was just recently put out. The room, yes I’m sure I’m in an enclosed space, is filled with the smell of singed wood and burnt carpet and iron. The heat of the place is mixed with a humidity that  leaves my hair sweaty and stuck to my forehead and the back of my neck.  Painstakingly beautiful winged creatures with red lips, are poking at a cage. Clawing, biting and hanging on to someone inside. The build is male in stature, shoulders broad, the hands slapping the creatures away large and knarled… I lose the vision as someone screams in pain, before I see who these things have in their clutches.  I am certain that it is one of Harbour’s male warriors. I look up at Aldfalric, who was kind enough to catch me and keep me from falling to the ground, panic stricken. “What just happened?” Aldfalric looks at me expectantly.  “Sometime the visions that Augury shows me, hits harder than I’d like them too.  This one is bad and we need to warn…” I trail off not knowing who I should talk to about what I have just seen. What did I see? Winged creatures, someone being tortured and … Are we heading into battle?  Aldfalric studies me intently as if he knows what I am thinking. How did Garrett get to be King of the realm with Aldfalric around? I am pulled out of my thoughts by his voice. "We will talk to Nocturnus, Luna and Garrett. They should be advised of the situation at any rate.”  He turns to walk away when I grab his arm. “Someone’s going to be taken. We should be on guard at all times now.” As he helps me stand, he studies my face as if trying to learn all my secrets. It's the look on his face that reminds me that I should be very careful around this one. Straightening my clothes and stealing myself for all the questions to come, I look at Aldfalric "Yes, let's find the leaders." The look on my face tells him more about how I'm feeling than the words ever could. He signals for Malacity and Dax to join him. Who is this guy?