The night was thick around them and the shadows clung to the walls when they reached the dark gates of Shadow Daine, a wolf looked up at them while they thought about what will happen when they would all step inside the walls of Shadow Daine as they knew that few people who went in never came out alive or totally whole in either body or in mind.



Then with sudden bust of motion Geraldine ran through the gate leaving her two friends behind her as she left. Aziza was about to dash after her when a cold grip took her wrist “I wish to speak with you my mermaid friend.”

Aziza gave a small smile “what is it you wish to say with me?” Vanlanthiriel could hear a slight hint of fear in her voice as she asked her.



Aziza turned to look at Vanlanthiriel trying to hide the fear and worry that was inside of her about being near Shadow Daine and what was about to happen. “Aziza have you sensed the queen’s powers upon our group?” she asked her.

A nod from Aziza was given as an answer she gave to Vanlanthiriel “yes I have sensed but I thought that all came from you. If you ask so then ... It must be someone else but then who is amongst are group of traitors?”



Vanlanthiriel gave her smile “why of course, it is not you but are fair witch Geraldine.” silence fell after those words were spoken.

Aziza nodded with some sadness “yes... I thought that could be the case but why would she do that Vanlanthiriel?”



“Aziza you must understand that what she has done is not for ill but for love, through that I fear that she has sealed her fate. The queen once told me that the temptation for something that was forbid would make the person fall into such much desire that they would do anything to get it. In this instance for love of another has driven Geraldine to lust and hopeless longing after Arthion. I know that she will no longer be on our side after are venture inside Shadow Daine.”



A gasp from Aziza made it clear that she was worried “then what are we do? Leave Shadow Daine? Or slay both Geraldine and Arthion?” Vanlanthiriel shook her head “no this would happen anyway she would become a blood eagle. We need to know what she is doing so we can stop her.”



With a clam air that concealed worry which followed both Aziza and Vanlanthiriel , they joined Geraldine and walked into Shadow Daine.



The shadows inside the throne room of Shadow Daine seemed to whisper to them as they walked towards the throne. They had noticed with some fear that they were expected for Kalian sat their watching them as they approached her.



She smiled to see Vanlanthiriel was there for it had been years since she stood before her “Vanlanthiriel it has been to long since we have last spoken my friend. I am glad that fears of your death were proven false or through if you were alive all this time then why have you not have returned to me sooner?”



A small giggle from Vanlanthiriel as she bowed to her queen in respect “you do not miss a thing my queen. For my time in apparent missing state I was taken from the Dales and forced to serve a magister in the city of Neromenian in the Imperium thanks to those templars and magisters there it took me a while to return you my queen”



Kalian gave her a warm smile filled with her friendship and kindness. “I can see why it has taken you so long to return me as crossing warring nations to get back to the Dales” she looked around to see both Aziza and Geraldine standing their also.

“a question for you Aziza, my dear sea witch. What is your business here? as I have the potion and I use it on them both when we travel with both anywhere and I also have hind’s blood so I can no reason for your appearance”



Aziza almost let the worry sounded in her voice when she spoke “I... Wanted to know wither the potion worked and that honour of seeing you my queen”



Kalian looked at Aziza with more gaze and what seemed be a curious air of hidden evil. “Hmmm” she told her with a smile “for now with you, witch that claims to be pure and righteous in her goodness of light. Come to me so my may speak with you”



Geraldine walked forward towards the queen to see what she wanted from “what do you wish from oh queen?” she asked her with some annoyance as she did not really wish to speak with Kalian at all.



Kalian smiled at her with some small sense of evil. “oh please call me by my name, my dear Geraldine” she started to laugh slightly to see the expression on her face when she told to call her by her first name. A slight hiss of evil intent came from Kalian “you remember the deal we made together my dear witch?”



She blinked in surprise “what do you mean?” She stuttered in response. Geraldine waited for an answer from the queen who sat their silently for moment and started to laugh with all coldness and evilness of the slopes of hell.



“hah ha ha hah” she laughed “do you think that I am that foolish to forget what deal we made together. With your deal their is a price of that you like and desire so much is that of the love of that would be assassin who came to end my life not two or more hours ago. You have shown to me that your lust for love and sins of the flesh have brought out something that makes you of worth to me traitor of my rule for siding with those who wish me bead and my plan to not be victorious.”



Geraldine gasped in disbelieve but she was not surprised that the queen had lied to her about their being no catch to their deal. She fell to her knees in desperation hoping that her pleas may make her spare her for the fate she may give her my end her life. “please my queen, no Kalian” she corrected herself “spare me please I ... I do not deserve to die for my misdoings” Kalian raised a hand to silence her.



She lunged up like a flash to stand before Geraldine. Purple light streamed from Kalian and focused around the head of Geraldine. A cold laugh came from Kalian “your words of desperation fall on death ears for I shall not spare your fate. You see the good and the righteous do not how close they are to evil and darkness they truly are. You my dear cling to light when you have given your soul and so your body to me for your lust and desire have sealed your fate. Now standstill and expect my gift” Geraldine smiled for she now realised that she truly was lusting for what the gift the queen was going to be stall upon her.



Purple light streamed up her body turning her hair black and her dress to the colours darkness. She hissed as the dark powers of the witch queen flowed into flesh and deep into her soul. The feeling for her was amazing as it was making her feel warm and cold all at the same time.



“What's happening to her?” asked Aziza quietly to Vanlanthiriel. A sigh came from her “Geraldine that we know is gone forever replaced with darkness from now on she is with the queen as a blood eagle.”



After the purple light had gone she hissed at the queen “thank you, my queen, I have not felt this life in all my years. I ... I ... I am so great full to you” kalian smiled as she rarely got some much happiness from someone who made a deal that led to them become a blood eagle.



Kalian looked at both Vanlanthiriel and Aziza. Her gaze fixed on that Aziza, with her gazed fixed on her she started to give her orders “Geraldine welcome to the blood eagles. Now we have work to do, Vanlanthiriel, go and use the potion on are most honoured prisoners. Make sure she is tightly bond. Geraldine you shall protect whilst I prepare my self for this ritual. Now you Aziza, you have no purpose in this now but for your help I will let you live ... For now”

Vanlanthiriel rushed to obey her queens orders while aziza started to feel cold.



Then her vision went black and she knew no more. When she awoke she found that she had been lying on the cold black stoned fall of the throne room of Shadow Daine, another look around told her that she was all alone as it seemed to be that Vanlanthiriel had left with the queen.



Wondering wither Vanlanthiriel will betray them and their plans to stop the queen. Even if she succeeded in her plan and she knew off their plans they would be slain in the most gruesome ways possible for their evil plans against the queens. Not knowing if she would find him in their used her magic to appear in the dungeons of Shadow Daine.



Aziza heard something echoing around the dungeons, with a moment to think she remembered the song was by his clan. She walked over to the part of the dungeon to which the singing was coming from.



She looked through the bars of the door to see Arthion relaxing on a bed whilst singing “Arthion my dear Dalish, it appears that I have found and you should know that finding you here is both great and curious in that you here in these dungeons”.



Arthion stopped singing and arose from the bed to walk towards the locked door to speak with Aziza.



Arthion looked through the bars with a look of slight confusion when meet her eyes for a moment then looked for her companions. “aziza?” he gasped slightly “what are you doing here? Has the queen captured you to? And where is my love Geraldine and our former blood eagle Vanlanthiriel?” he rubbed his hands together to get some feeling back in them for the dungeon was freezing cold.



She sighed and meet his gaze with a look of sadness and pity. “my dear Dalish elf” she said to him with some sadness. “to tell you thus shall bring your rage and sadness hence why I shall not release you until I finished telling you. Geraldine made a deal with the queen for your love with Vanessa to be banished with hatred for her but love for you. But now she has paid her bet to the queen by becoming a blood eagle.”



He gasped in disbelieve to hear that as he could not believe that she would do this to him. “you may think that I am enraged but if we are to follow the queen I must put my rage and I think that ... Her love spell on me has worn of on me so I can stop Geraldine. Now we need to move fast to get to the queen and stop so you need to get me out” he commanded aziza who was taken a back by this change of events.



Taking his commands she told him to stand back while she cast a spell to open the door. Arthion took her command like she took his and within five minutes the door clicked open allowing Arthion to walk free from the dungeon in which he had been imprisoned in.



Arthion looked with a admiration for Aziza's powers “come with me and together we shall stop them all.” she shook her head and went pale as she gave her answer “for you and the deals people have made with you involved make extremely infamous elf even you succeed or fail and some how escape, so I shall not come with you as I am going to join my family.”



A sigh came from Arthion “shame but do you have a clue where they would have gone?” Aziza gave a question some thought before answering him “ this rather depends on the queen and how much protection she needs so that no one can stop her, if that is the case then she will go to the dark temple with the black priests protecting her and not even I know where that lies. She will more likely go to the mages tower of Falcon’s flight as it not that far from here and is protected by the queens magic.”



He turned and started to run towards the doors that led out of the dungeons of Shadow Daine, with a call over his shoulder to Aziza “I shall take a look a tower at the tower but if she is not then we are all doomed and thanks for your assistance in this, may the maker watch over you” she smiled slightly. Although he lived with a Dalish clan now he still acted like a elf from an alienage by his choice of religion and he also used the gods that Dalish worshipped to along with the maker. Aziza hoped that she may see him and answered him quietly as he just ran through the door “may he watch over us all in these dark times.”