In the Dark of the Night

[Valgærd]

I couldn’t believe I was here.

My uncle had worked so hard to keep me away. In fact, the entire time I’d been here, I felt the dreaded weight of guilt settle uncomfortably in the pit of my stomach. Every step I’d taken on the planet’s surface had felt like an insult to his memory. He had not wanted me to come back here. He had not wanted me to pursue the mystery that was my past and my mother.

In fact, he’d died because of it.

It hadn’t taken me all that long to track down a lead. In fact, one had literally found me. Apparently, I’d inherited my mother’s facial features, and a woman purporting to know her approached me, thinking me a ghost or a vision.

What a mistake that had been for her.

Upon finding out I was not my mother, she’d tried to leave, but I was not about to let my first clue to my mother’s past walk away from me. The girl, a young woman about my own age, had taken exception to me not letting her walk away with the answers I needed… so here we were, with her tied to one of the swamp’s trees with what remained of my jacket and me, standing over her with the nightsister dagger at her throat.

I leaned over her, my tracks through the swamp in my peripheral vision. They were hardly well-disguised, dragging an unconscious body through such terrain doesn’t make it easy. Luckily, Dathomir is in the outer rim. No one comes here. Let alone to this little swamp. This lass could carry on all she liked, no one was coming.

I held the blade against the skin of her neck, focusing my eyes on her,

“Let’s try this again.” I said slowly, gritting my teeth, “What do you know about my mother?”

I held the blade at her skin, but in truth I was in no hurry to start cutting. We had all the time in the world, after all. There was no way we’d be disturbed here.


[member="Ember Farseer"]

 

[Zef Halo]

Dathomir wasn't the safest place for a Jedi but a vision through his dreams led him here. The Force willed to reveal to him something, perhaps another artefact of the Light Side? Perhaps something else.

He wasn't really adept in sensing through the Force so he had investigated locations similar to those that occured in his dream. That is how he ended up basically in the middle of a nowhere swamp. Ember had wondered almost aimlessly when he caught odd tracks in the swamp that instinctively brought him to a decision to follow them thinking they were a landmark the Force desired to show him. Not really a tracker to define the tracks as those of a dragged body.

Not until his vision caught a tied to a tree woman and a dagger wielding one threatening her. His hearing couldn't make the words right due to the environmental noise of life in the swamps around him but her actions were clear. Ember knew it was not exactly his business, especially on Dathomir where he risked being exposed as a Jedi and the consequences following it but...the Jedi Code. He had left the New Jedi Order as he believed they had strayed from the path. The Jedi Knight shared the same opinion of the Silver Jedi Order who fled and left thousands of systems to the Sith.

Ember was torn in his decision but perhaps the secluded situation could work in his favor in minimizing any consequences upon his head while he was here. The last thing he wanted was to become a slave to Dathomiri Witches.

"Enough is enough. Let her go." Ember materialized out of the canopy in the clearing a dozen and more feet away from the two women. His lightsaber hilt was in his hand but the blade remained inactive. "I am sure we can solve whatever the issue is through civillity and not with violence."

[member="Umai"]

 

[Valgærd]

I'm going to say that I felt him before I saw him.

This queen and I were the only two this far out in the swamp, another force signature stuck out like a sore thumb. But if I'm truly honest with myself, I was so focused on extracting information from the lass in front of me, the man's words actually startled me. I flashed a brief glare at the woman, silently warning her to keep quiet, as I whipped my head around to face our intruder. I quirked an eyebrow at him, keeping my blade at the woman's neck.

"Firstly," I began, making sure my voice was its natural, flirty lightness and not dripping with the frustration I felt at being interrupted, "You can stop right there, another step, and I'll just slice her open and start again."

I tightened my grip on the blade. Even from his distance, he should hopefully see the slight movement in my bare forearm as I did... I wanted him to know I wasn't bluffing, even though I was. This girl was my best chance at finding out what happened to mother, I wasn't about to just let her die without giving up her secrets. The trick was just not letting him know that. I smiled sweetly, raising my eyebrows innocently,

"Secondly, what makes you think that I haven't already tried the peaceful route?"

I mean, I hadn't... but again, he couldn't know that.

Then I spied the lightsaber hilt in his hand. I hadn't felt that chilling coldness from him, that unmistakable taint of corruption, so if he wielded that weapon it meant one of two things; either he had stolen it or bought it on the black market, and was bluffing himself. Or... he was a Jedi. I'd been practising my magic pretty diligently, however, I don't know that I could defeat a Jedi knight. I nodded at the gleaming hilt,

"and thirdly," I continued, "why do I have to choose the peaceful option when you're clearly ready for the violent one?"

I pulled my dagger away from the girl's neck, her gasp of relief instantly quelled as I shot her another glare. Turning back to the presumed Jedi, I held my dagger out, indicating that while I wasn't ready to drop it, I wasn't threatening him directly with it... yet. I needed to know more before I was willing to bet my life on his skills.

"I don't know that this is any of your business anyway, Jedi. Why don't you go back to where you came from and let me finish what I'm doing? Darling and I were having a moment."

I smiled innocently at my prisoner, causing her to writhe against her bonds. It took only a slight tilt of my dagger to remind her that I still had control. She stopped, and I turned back to our visitor, waiting for his answer.

[member="Ember Farseer"]

 

[Zef Halo]

"I-" He began in response to the barrage of questions the woman fired at him but felt stupid when she pointed out at the hilt in his hands. Quite the smart one. "Well, no. I'd prefer to be ready in case you go at me with that knife of yours." Ember replied oddly before raising his hilt. "I won't use this unless I have to, you can trust me."

She had labelled him a Jedi and Ember wondered whether it was the natural reaction to someone with a lightsaber or perhaps she was a Dathomiri Force User. His Force senses weren't the most attuned ones out there but the chance of her being Force sensitive were massive considering they were on Dathomir. On the other hand - she didn't look anything like a Dathomiri witch. This was getting confusing with each minute gone.

Well, if she wanted to play smart, Ember could probably start playing the same game too.

"Firstly, you won't slice her open. You clearly need her for something important. Otherwise why bother the interrogation?" The Jedi Knight calmly explained. "Secondly, let's say, you don't look really peaceful to me." If anything, he could feel her hot temperament burning. Whatever the case was here, it had to be emotional or personal in some way to the girl.

"You are perfectly aware I can't go back witnessing this." A clear answer to any possible doubts she might've had whether he was a Jedi or not. "My name is Ember and I can help you out, only if you cease the violence." Little did he know that his namesake, Embe Rekali, was a Witch King in his lifetime and Dathomir was more or less his home.

The Jedi Knight gave another few seconds of thought before bravely taking a step forward despite the girl's earlier threats. The Force was called to him ready to act should she do anything radical like murdering the tied woman.

"Let me help you." He merely whispered that but the words were carried through the Force unbeknowst to him.


[member="Umai"]

 

[Valgærd]

Well chit.

The man standing before me had stuttered at first, saying that he wasn’t violent, just careful. I couldn’t fault him for that if I was honest… even I hadn’t fully decided what I was going to do just yet. But then he called my bluff, stating that he figured since I had gone to all this trouble, she must have had something I wanted. I scowled at him, raising my unarmed hand as eerie, glowing tendrils curled around my fingers. In that moment I didn’t care how he’d see it, I was angry, and the fury was boiling over into my veins.

I looked away from him, drawing in a deep breath and releasing it as I lowered my hand. If he was a Jedi… or was strong enough to kill one and take their weapon, I didn’t want him to have a reason to attack me… not until I knew more.

A heavy sigh uncoiled from my chest as he warned me that he couldn’t just walk away from this. Why not? It didn’t concern him. He wasn’t involved. It would be easy to just pretend that his wandering through the swamp had never taken him past me and my friend here. Unless… he was in fact a Jedi; they were so insufferably good. Now, I’m not a bad person, not all the time. But I’m sure that if an actual Jedi knew more about me, they wouldn’t just be unable to walk away, they wouldn’t let me do so, either.

I shuddered, shelving the thought.

He was drawing on the force, gathering it, getting ready to fight me if need be. I took a tentative step back, calling upon my magic to do the same, but I held myself back. No way was I going to be the first person to strike. My eyes moved again to the still-cold hilt in his hands, and I gasped as I saw for the briefest of moments a vision of that brightly-coloured blade plunging through me, illuminating my face as it ran me through.

What brought me back from that terrible thought were four whispered words,

Let me help you.

I glanced up at the man. He didn’t look like the type to stab me in the back, in fact, he was sort of handsome. But that couldn’t speak for his character, could it? I chewed my lip, eyeing him up and down.

“Help me! Get her away from me!”

The girl tied to the tree spoke for the first time, her large eyes desperately fixed on the man before us. She must have come to the same conclusion I did, that he was a Jedi. She was trying to appeal to that sickening sense of justice they had. I rectified that with a swift, sharp strike from my dagger arm, leaving a sting and a thin red line along her cheek,

“Oh I see how it is,” I pouted at her, “You won’t talk to me, but you’ll talk to him?”

I huffed dramatically, but otherwise turned to the man.
“If you truly want to help,” I began, “you can start by telling me your name. And uh… put that away. I’ll do the same.”

I tucked the dagger into the sheath on my thigh, taking a breath and shuddering. I was suddenly vulnerable, now that I’d disarmed myself. I was exposed, effectively at this man’s mercy. I took a deep breath, and waited for his response.


[member="Ember Farseer"]

 

[Zef Halo]

Ember felt the wrath burning through the woman's veins, even with his inefficient Force sense skills. Glowing tendrils materialized around her fingers and what Ember saw and felt was clear - she was a Force user indeed. How capable remained a mystery but her application of the Force matched his knowledge of the so-called Dathomiri Magick. The Jedi almost reacted but her sudden reluctance to unleash that which roared through her with rage eased his tension.

Numerous questions poked him about the woman, there was something about her he could not describe. Was he experiencing the effects of Force empathy? Was all this willed by the Force, was this part of the vision, part of what the Force willed of him?

The pressing questions remained unanswered and hindered his reaction when the plea of the tied woman was met with a thin, precise slash across her cheek. A moment later and the act of malice was replaced by some sort of semi-understanding from the interrogator. Perhaps Ember could find a way to solve this without violence after all and hopefully uncover the mystery behind his appearance to this...meeting.

"Ember." The Jedi introduced himself as he put away the hilt of the lightsaber to the clip on his belt. A sense of weakness caressed him. It was not the tied woman but the one with the dagger, the one that was most likely a witch. "What's your name?"

He boldly took steps foward towards the two of them reaching the two. Ember crouched next to the woman that was tied and inspected her wound. Not a medic himself but well enough aware the wound was not as deep.

"It's not deep." He voiced his observations to the woman before his call to the Force resulted in the untangling of the ropes. Ember stood up and locked eyes with the witch. From this close he could carefully inspect her features. Younger than him, not by much. No tattoos seemed visible, nor anything witch-like. The feeling of vulnerability emitted from the girl engulfed him and Ember shut his open senses to the Force. Emotion had to be suppressed with peace.

"What do you seek from her?" Ember enquired giving a glance to the previously tied woman. There were so many questions, he wasn't sure if he was asking the right ones. "And why do you refuse to disclose to her the information?" A question for each.

It'd been some time since the Jedi had mediated conflict. Skills needed polishing once more.


[member="Umai"]

 

[Valgærd]

Ember.

An interesting name. He gave it freely, a sign of trust, perhaps. He also replaced his hilt back on his belt. I felt a little of my fear subside as I watched him. With the given name and the gesture, he ceased to be some faceless, terrifying creature. He became a man. I was glad for a moment that I had chosen to sheath my dagger. The standoff was somewhat averted. He stepped a little closer, and my nerves instantly tensed up again. It was time to stay true to my end of our bargain.

"Umai." I replied, keeping my gaze fixed on him.

Ember the Jedi approached my captive, with me watching curiously. However for the moment, I did nothing. I stood over them, observing him. He inspected the wound I'd given her, letting her know it wasn't deep. I'd expected he might do that. Jedi did have a penchant for healing, after all. What I did not expect, however, was for him to untangle her bindings, freeing her. The woman glanced nervously towards me. I glowered at her,

Try to run and my dagger will find your spine before he even draws his blade. I let my magic carry the message directly into her mind.

The woman scowled right back at me, but made no attempts to flee... yet. She did scramble to her feet, standing close to Ember. I chewed my bottom lip, keeping my gaze fixed on the two of them. I didn't trust either of them, for very different reasons. The girl, I expected to try and run at any moment, despite my silent warning. Ember... I still wasn't sure about. He was a Jedi, but... I still feared him.

He posed us a question each. I replied first, stepping deliberately around the girl so that she was pinned between me, Ember, and the tree.

"She knows something about my mother." I replied, "she knew her before she died. But the queen won't say anything."

Oh I had chosen my words very carefully. Sure I was angry at the girl for keeping her trap shut, but if Ember was indeed a Jedi, they were suckers for empathy. All I wanted was to find out what happened to my mother; why she died, why she wasn't there to raise me, why she had left her spell tome and nothing else. Maybe I was aggressive in the way I went about it, but that's all I wanted.

The other woman spoke next, staring at me the entire time,

"She made me promise never to send her daughter down her path." She said, "she didn't want to see her precious child walk onto her own destruction, just like Eliariah did!"

I blinked.

"E-Eliariah... was that... her name?"

The rage had subsided almost completely, replaced with... something. I wasn't even sure what. But I had something, the first thing. I had a name.

[member="Ember Farseer"]

 

[Zef Halo]

The witch was still boiling with anger deep inside. Even Ember could feel it. It brought fear in the heart of the interrogated woman. Rightfully so, Ember thought. He tapped into the light side of the Force cautiously extending the harmonic and calm aura of the light side around him to the two others. Peace was needed, the witch clearly seemed hellbent on getting an answer from the woman one way or another.

But the reluctance of the other to give an answer sprung numerous questions in his mind. Yet, Ember's senses did not pick up any deceptive intent when Umai vocalized her wants. She sought her mother. Either that or she was a master of deceit. The Jedi remained skeptic about the latter thought, he could feel the raw energy Umai had but not the sharpness and precision to wield it. On the other hand, the Jedi had learned the hard way that his senses through the Force were...marginal.

When the interrogated woman finally spoke and revealed a name, Ember could see Umai's tension dissipate. As if the Force willed him to help the witch, Ember put a caring hand on the shoulder of the previously bound woman.

"I can only assume Eliariah is no more." The calming power of the Light Side used the Jedi Knight's presence as a conduit. "Perhaps in her pursuit to protect her child, she had taken away from her the most important - the truth." Ember was unaware whether he was guessing wildly or the Force helped him in unraveling this mystery.

"The truth has always been the key to set anyone free." The statement rang true with the Jedi due to his own experiences. "A harsh truth is always better than a noble lie."

He gave a glance to Umai before turning his head back to the woman. "Do what you know is right." Ember locked his eyes with the one Umai sought answers from.

A Jedi was no enforcer but simply a mediator. That was the Jedi Code.

It would be good if the remaining orders around the galaxy remembered that.


[member="Umai"]

 

[Valgærd]

I could feel a calming aura surrounding us and flicked a glare of fury at Ember. I knew it was his doing. My reflex was to put up my magic barriers, to reject this aura of peace. My fury served me just as well as anything else. But I bit my lip, I’d met Kalee only once, but the woman was so much older and wiser than me. What would she do in this scenario? She, like me, was no stranger to fury. Yet… I felt as if she would tell me to stop being so stubborn.

So, I let out a sigh, and let the Jedi sap away my rage.

The girl’s word had stopped me in my tracks. I almost didn’t notice Ember reach out and place a hand on my shoulder. After a moment, when I noticed it, I shimmied it off, taking a step away from him. He could think I was a queen all he liked, that was better than the knight finding out that I actually shied away from him because I was verging on tears. He spoke, assuming that mother had passed. He then said something I hadn’t expected… he said that she had sacrificed truth in her pursuit to protect me.

But what did he know? Had he met her? I wasn’t as full of fury as I had been, but I still scowled at him,

“Did you know my mother?” I snapped, unable to stop myself, “did you know why she did what she did?”

“But I did.”

I turned my glare from Ember to my former captive. Ember turned to her as well, telling her to do what she knew was right. I scoffed. Out here on Dathomir you didn’t do what was right, you did what you had to to survive. That’s what mother had done… fat lot of good it had been in the end.

But to my surprise, the girl spoke up, reaching towards me. I stiffened, but after glancing at the Jedi, I let her do whatever she was thinking about. She reached into the belt around my waist, pulling out mother’s leather-bound tome. My eyes widened and my heart began to race. My entire body ached to lunge forwards and snatch it back away from her, but I forced myself to watch on.

She flipped it open, thumbing through the pages.

“There’s more in here than you realise, girl.” She said, clearly secure in the assumption that Ember’s presence would keep me from slitting her throat, “she gave you much more than just a few spells.”

“I just want to know where you saw her last” I retorted, grabbing the tome back as she held it out.

The girl pointed to a mountain about a half hour walk from us,

“There’s a cave in that mountain. We met there the night before she disappeared. She had you with her, you might even remember it.”

The girl looked to Ember, as if for permission to leave.

I looked to Ember as well, raising my eyebrows. We weren’t really just going to let her go… were we?


[member="Ember Farseer"]

 

[Zef Halo]

Ember's hand fell from Umai's shoulder back to its usual position while he observed the mixed emotions that materialized on her face. The search for a mother seemed to be a matter of life and death to the witch, the Jedi wondered whether he'd act the same were he in her position, as he had never known his parents. The thought of searching them out has passed by his mind more often than not, and its become an idea that keeps recycling in his head more often with each day.

He thwarted the spiral of emotions coming from his gut and took control of them. There is no emotion, there is peace.

The Jedi's mind went back to the two women, the interrogated one finally revealing what she refused to in the first place. A book, that Ember did not notice, was taken from Umai's belt by the other woman. It had the looks of a Dathomiri Witch's grimoire, an artifact he had only seen during his time at the New Jedi Order. The Knight's knowledge of it were just a bit above superficial. Then the woman gave a vague explanation about the grimoire after Umai snatched it back, and gave her a location linked with her mother. The newfound information made Ember frown but his features eased when he fell two pairs of eyes upon him.

"We'll go together, Umai." The Jedi stated, there was a note of authority in his tone that did not fit him. In any other situation he would've left after clearing the dispute but Ember felt that there was something concerning the Force here, something concerning his vision too. Perhaps this was why he had to come to Dathomir. In the end, he would only help a girl find more clues about her mother.

"We thank you for your help." Ember turned to the woman who had given them the answer. She was free to leave but Umai's gaze upon him said otherwise. The Jedi turned to face her but changing the topic as to remove disputing his decision from the table. "She said you might remember that event with your mother, do you?"

"Cause there might be more to play to this than you think." He added vaguely. Even with his mediocre sense abilities, he could feel the Force weaving destiny and events before them. "In either case - I will help find your mother." Ember stated with a calm tone but with some vigor behind it as well.

"Lead the way."


[member="Umai"]

 

[Valgærd]

I felt the something from Ember.

It was only brief, difficult to even catch before he apparently smothered it. Something about this seemed to be intensely important to him. However, it didn’t last long, and I was unable to dwell on it. He seemed somewhat interested in mother’s tome as the girl grabbed it and flipped through the pages. I flashed him a glance as I shoved it back into its pouch on my belt. He seemed to be frowning, but spoke up. So, we were going to go together? I narrowed my eyes for a moment, but soon relented with a sigh.

There was authority in his tone, a sense that this was something on which he did not wish to budge. But in truth, I felt a strange sense of almost gratitude. I had no idea what awaited me at that cave, perhaps having someone else wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.

“Very well.” I replied, not sounding quite as upset about it as I wanted to.

Not that it mattered. He was a jedi, he’d be able to feel the relief I felt regardless of how I hid it in my words. Then he turned and granted my prisoner freedom to leave. A hot flash of rage momentarily ignited in my gut as he did, taking charge of my situation and freeing my prisoner. However, it burned hot and bright and fizzled out quickly. I had all I suspected I’d get from her, so I offered nothing but a dismissive wave of my hand as she darted off into the swamp.

With just the two of us remaining, I turned to meet Ember’s gaze. At his question I shook my head,

“I don’t remember anything,” I began, pausing to bite my lip, “not yet at least.”

He mentioned that there might be more at play than I thought. As I turned towards the mountain I nodded,

“I’m beginning to wonder if I hadn’t been giving mother enough credit all these years.” I replied, glancing at him, “and… thanks for the help I suppose.”

I began the long walk towards the mountain, the Jedi at my side.


[member="Ember Farseer"]

 

[Zef Halo]

The trek up the mountain wasn't as easy it initially seemed, both canopy and bog water getting thicker. For now, the space leather held on refusing to let the dampness within his feet but the Jedi knew he wanted to be done with this sooner rather than later. The walk would have bothered him had he not been almost entirely focused on what may lay ahead and Umai's role in his vision. Ever since the freed woman mentioned the tome, the Jedi Knight couldn't help but wonder if it was also a piece of the puzzle in his Force induced dream.

"Uh, no worries." Ember blinked coming back to reality. The witch's words had gone unnoticed by the thoughtful Jedi. An unnatural mist abruptly thickened before them. His danger sense flaring and most likely Umai's too. He frowned as he gestured for her to slow down.

"There's darkness here, Umai." He stated with a whisper. "If this is the place your mother disappeared..." Ember let his sentence remain unfinished.

While unbeknownst to the Jedi, the grimoire - personally connected with Umai - beckoned her. It called vigorously for her. Ember could not sense it due to the exclusive link the spellbook possessed with the witch.

With each passing moment, the feeling of malice grew intensely while the mist almost entirely had wrapped around the two leaving them blind to anything but each other.

Perhaps the spellbook contained an explanation or some sort of a clue.

Somewhere, an astral gaze watched.

[member="Umai"]

 

[Valgærd]

Ugh.

Trekking up a mountain was not how I’d envisioned this day was going to go. However, up we went. Ember seemed wholly absorbed in himself, lost in thought perhaps. To distract myself from the difficult climb, I set my thoughts on the Jedi, wondering what was going around in his mind. Was he judging me for the way he’d found me? Was he devising some way to punish the witch for almost killing that girl?

No, that couldn’t be it. He was helping me now, and without my asking, to boot.

There was something else in his mind, dominating his thoughts. However, before I could investigate further, a thick mist enveloped us, rather suddenly. The moment it did, I felt a tingle race down my spine into my fingertips. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

Ember must have sensed it too, for he slowed, reaching out to indicate I should do the same. I did, nodding at his words,

“I feel it too.” I murmured, “I… don’t remember this place, though… not... not yet.”

My brow furrowed. Why didn’t I have a memory of this place? Was it… intentional? Had mother left me any clues at all? Perhaps I should have been focussing on our surroundings, on searching for whatever had us both on edge. But for some reason, I couldn’t shake the thought from my mind that there must be something in mother’s old tome.

So I pulled it out, flicking through the pages.

I just hoped that nothing would come through the mist while I squinted at the grimoire, searching for my answer.


[member="Ember Farseer"]

 

[Zef Halo]

While Umai sought an answer in the tome, Ember reached out in the surroundings through the Force and almost immediatelly regretted it. There was an intense 'noise' in the ethereal that reminded him of standard sensor jamming. Not only did the mist impair their visibility but also made it near impossible for someone not versed in the shool of sense like Ember to gain greater awareness of his surroundings.

He could hear the pages being flipped and even sense Umai's intense concentration as she sought the key to this riddle.

A key she needed to find really fast as a terrifying roar froze their spines. Out of nowhere the large figure of a rancor materialized and a swipe with its massive clawed hand sent Ember backwards like a sack of potatoes. Clothes were ripped where the sharp claws passed through and bloody wounds now marked his chest. Only the Force saved him from immediate death.

The other clawed hand was now headed towards Umai. Instinctively, but under intense pain, the Jedi Knight raised a barrier of the Force before her to meet the claw.

"Watch out!" He called out, the voice leaving his lungs in a whispering groan.

The astral gaze still observed.

[member="Umai"]

 

[Valgærd]

I don’t know what I expected to find in the pages of my tome.

Frustration and rage tore through my core. Why wasn’t it here? Why had mother left me this book, this riddle, and then just run off to die? Why, if she had the time and presence of mind to do this, did she choose to leave me instead? A scowl clawed its way onto my features. Damn this book. Damn the mist, damn that Jedi and damn it all!

I raised the book to throw it at the ground in anger, right as I heard it.

He cried out, the sound accompanying the sickening rip of claws meeting with fabric and flesh. I gasped as the jedi was flung backwards, blood seeping through the wounds that opened up on his chest.

“Ember—!” I cried.

But as the words left my lips, I heard his own whispered groan of a warning. Well he was alive, at least. But just as the thought entered my mind, a barrier came up around me. I knew this magic, this was the force. The rancor’s claws shattered the shield as they came towards me, but it did its job, my arm barely took a scratch as I dove out of the way.

The book flew out of my hands in the panic but I barely even noticed. Tucking in my shoulder, I dropped into a roll, coming up in front of where Ember lay. I wasn’t much of a fighter. My magic was subtler. But I guess now’s as good a time as any to learn. Standing protectively over the jedi, my mother’s book lost somewhere in the mist, I raised my hands, magic snaking around my fingers as I faced down the monster.


[member="Ember Farseer"]

 

[Zef Halo]

Ember squinted his eyes in pain and silently groaned at the stinging pain of the wound. He wondered whether its claws were dipped in some form of natural poison, the pain was barely tolerable and the Jedi Knight was exerting a lot of strength and will to dampen it through the Force.

A sound of a roll and Umai appeared before him from the mist. He could feel the Force running through her and the adrenaline rushing through her veins. It surprised him that his senses seemed stronger when under immense stress. The question of why she had come over to protect him passed over his head and dissipated in the back of his mind, it was not really the pressing matter at the moment, was it?

The behemoth made its way through the thick mist and its hideous form appeared before them but there was something different about-

-the woman Umai interrogated earlier rode it!

A look of fear and determination was painted on her face, the tribal markings of a Nightsister now clearly visible and the primitive, but rune inscribed spear in her hand was aimed straight at the pair.

"Exactly where I wanted you to lead me to, little queen! Finally, a live heir to Eliariah. I thought that all her secrets would be gone with her pathetic demise and here you are - the key she had left behind materializing right in my hands." What she said remained a completely mystery to Ember but he could only assume Umai had caught the woman with her guard down earlier. Whatever she sought seemed to be tied directly with Umai.

The rancor's bellow rang once more and the Nightsister did not waste time to ride it forward to attack the two.

The Jedi Knight focused and strengthened his resolve calling the Force and extending it to [member="Umai"].

 

[Valgærd]

I couldn’t believe it.

My eyes widened as I gazed through the fog, not up at the rancor, but at the little queen riding atop it. My heart stopped in my chest for a moment, my breath pausing mid-gasp as my mind shut everything down, processing the shock of what my eyes told it. Several things ran through my mind. I had been so much closer to the answers I sought than I’d believed. She’d been in my grasp. I’d almost fallen for her little game, believed the façade she’d spun.

I flicked a glance at the Jedi.

He should’ve let me kill her. I’m quite sure the raging fury in my glance told him exactly what was going through my mind. It was all fine and dandy to be good, to want to do nice things and be a light in the galaxy… but some people just aren’t worthy of it.

But there was no time for an I told you so now. I narrowed my eyes as the woman called down from atop her beast.

I opened my mouth to call up to her, but in that moment, I felt something. Mother’s tome. It was growing warm in my hands. There was… something here, something mother wanted me to find. It wasn’t… in the cave after all, it was here.

While my hands fervently worked to feel through the pages, searching desperately for my clue, I turned my eyes up to the woman. I had to keep her talking. I had to do… something that would catch her off-guard, give her pause.

I laughed.

Maybe it was the fear coursing through my veins, driving my mind towards a fog of delirious confusion. Maybe it was the bubbling fury that I’d almost had this girl right where she had me now. Maybe a small part of me just is this crazy. But I laughed.

“A rancor?” I chuckled, calling up to her, “really? No wonder mother didn’t trust you with anything! That’s so… tasteless. Well… in any case I—”

I stopped, feeling a sudden jolt through my mind and body. I threw Ember a glance. It was him. Somehow, he’d used the force to bolster my own power. I sought to meet his eyes, before turning back to the woman,

“In any case,” I continued, feeling something under my fingers. Something hidden in the tome’s spine. Keeping my gaze on the girl, I carefully worked it free, “I think you owe that beast an apology!”

It was a ring.

The moment those words left my lips, I slipped it free of the book’s spine. Thanks to Ember, I was now much quicker than normal, and was able to tuck the book into my belt and the ring onto my finger in a single, fluid motion. I could feel the power coursing through me. I had no idea how to activate it, or what doing so would even cause. But I couldn’t spare the time to think about it as I suddenly dove out of the way, throwing myself to the right as the beast lunged for me.

Using the power Ember had given me, I darted around behind the creature, hoping to tie up the lumbering beast in its own legs as I poured all of my power into the ring, hoping, praying that I could activate it soon.



[member="Ember Farseer"]

 

[Zef Halo]

The Jedi Knight didn't need the Force to realize how furious Umai was at the sight of the witch from before. The same witch the Jedi had spared from the girl's wrath. Not that he regretted it, at that point Ember did not really know that she'd turn out to be a blood-thirsty Nightsister. Dark side aura emanated from her and from the rancor she rode hinting at subjection through the Force. She had dominated the beast's will.

With each passing moment, the Jedi's stamina was quickly depleting. Vision blurred but his connection to the Force remained empowering Umai. She darted rapidly away from him and around the rancor with the Nightsister following suit. The dark sider had no interest in him, she seemed consumed in her desire to kill the witch. The Jedi Knight only watched from the sidelines and to an extent fell useless but remained determined to utilize whatever he could to survive this ordeal along with Umai, too.

The nightsister wasted no time talking responding to the witch.

A dark side infused bellow erupted from the Nightsister aimed to stun Umai and following up with a brutal slash at her with the claws of the beast aiming to lacerate her fatally in one move.

Ember's arms came up raised calling on the Force to chain the powerful rancor and its master but his deteriorating stamina and already empowering Umai had drained him resulting in only a brief moment of complete immobilization of rider and beast.

Perhaps that might give the witch enough time to cheat death.

[member="Umai"]

 

[Valgærd]

The rancor let out a horrific, deafening bellow.

No, wait… that was the Nightsister that had screamed. The sound was horrific, the brutal cry travelling through the force and straight into my core. It was like being punched in the gut so hard the wind was knocked out of me. My limbs refused to respond, time seeming to slow for a moment. I felt my body stunned, refusing to respond to my fervent commands. The ring burned on my finger, my fists clenching even tighter.

I watched in slow motion as the beast, controlled by the girl atop it, raised its claw. I wanted to jump out of the way, I had to jump out of the way, but my body just refused to move. The ring continued to burn on my finger, the energy of my own magic plus Ember’s strength coursing through me. There… might have been something else there, too. I recognised my own magic, and this… this was not it, not completely.

But the creature seemed to stop for just a moment. In that single instant, I saw Ember reaching out, using whatever remained of his strength to stay its terrible arm.

Then… something happened.

It began with… a scent, of all things. The aroma of my mother’s perfume; one of the only things I can accurately recall of her. Something about this place, right here, in the fog, on this mountain, there was something of my mother, here. An echo, a remnant, a mote of her power. All at once it seemed to engulf me, rushing through my core, through the ring, through everything.

All I knew was that I wanted to leap out of the way of the rancor and its possessed rider. My entire body suddenly felt as if it had been engulfed in flame. Searing pain tore through me as I leapt backwards, out of the way.

But I didn’t just tumble back a few feet.

With the sound of the beating of a great pair of leathery wings, I was suddenly flung into the air. Limbs that weren’t my own; but long and black and clawed, flew out in front of me from the force. The tremendous wings I’d heard flapped again, appearing in the edges of my vision. I realised all at once, that they were mine.

My mind had precisely zero time to process what had just happened. Perhaps it was the ring, perhaps the power of the mountain, perhaps the very force itself. It didn’t matter in that moment. All that mattered was stopping the beast before it killed Ember.

Letting my instincts take over completely, I flapped those wings again, circling around the beast so I had a clear shot at the rider sitting atop its back. I didn’t know what I was going to do, I didn’t know what I could do. Right now, I didn’t even know what I looked like. Something else was guiding me right now, something much more experienced. I opened my mouth, and just let forth a cry.

What erupted from my throat was not a scream, however, but a torrent of crackling, blinding, burning lightning, headed directly for the Nightsister and her beast.



[member="Ember Farseer"]

 

[Zef Halo]

To say the Jedi was shocked at what just transpired before him would be an understatement. Gaping mouth and widened eyes followed the...Umai? Gargoyle? Thing. The young witch had disappeared, no, transformed into a creature he had only heard from folklore shared by Outer Rim explorers who had 'seen it all'. Umai, the Gargoyle, pierced through the fog upwards while the beast and its rider watched it stunned and slow to react, perhaps shocked as much as him.

Its dreadful mouth opened and a bolt of lightning crackled through the air itself striking with furious anger the Nightsister and the rancor beast. The smell of burned flesh didn't wait long to arrive in the Jedi's nostrils as the behemoth and its rider collapsed in death and defeat on the ground. With that, the mist faded away revealing the grassy slope they were on and the hills of the mountain before them.

He collected himself and immediately realized the pain he was in wasn't declining. Ember knew the Force could only sustain him so much, he would need medical attention. The Jedi dragged himself to sit upright and put forth his backpack seeking the bacta salve and bandages. He glanced up at Umai but refocused back on himself, the instinct to survive had shoved away all the questions he had about what had just happened.

Should Umai return back to her normal form her attention would briefly be taken by a small necklace totem ripped off the neck of the dead Nightsister.

Perhaps she'd find interest in taking it. (OOC: It's the submission which I really have to do already, lol)


[member="Umai"]