Sharalae stared in shock at Zirvaliel Sha'nul. "I thought we were allies!" she cried. "Do not be deceived, Akorbreena (First Matriarch)!" She pointed an accusing finger at the dark skinned elf standing beside the drow matron. "Sinafae seeks your downfall and the destruction of your goddess with the aid of your other daughter, Raelona!"
Zirvaliel laughed. "As befits a strong daughter, fool! And besides, I hate you," she smiled, "more than I hate her."
She turned to Sinafae. "I have other business. See to this Micararra (lost queen)," she ordered, gesturing to Sharalae with contempt as she strode away.
Sinafae turned her crimson eyes to gaze upon a stricken Sharalae. "You know what happens to failures," she purred. A wicked smile parted the priestess's face and she gestured, murmuring words of power to her demon goddess.
Sharalae's body warped and twisted. She screamed in agony.
Waking with a gasp, sweat coating her black skin with an ebony sheen, Sharalae looked about wildly, for a moment forgetting where she was. Regaining her wits, she allowed her torso to sag against the wall of the small cave in which she hid. The cool stone chilled her bare flesh and she cursed Sinafae to the Seven Hells for not sparing her at least some clothes, but mercy and compassion were not in her people's makeup.
As she considered her plight, Sharalae felt tears of bitterness and rage fill her eyes, but she gritted her teeth, refusing to let them fall. That is, until she reached up to touch her roughly shorn hair. She had always prided herself in that particular physical feature, her long, luxuriant locks white as an albino cave rat's fur and softer than...what was that material used to stuff pillows and mattresses that came from the World Above? Oh, yes, down, they had called it.
She narrowed her scarlet eyes, brushing the tears from her face. Fool! she cursed herself. Get your wits about you! If you're going to sit about in this pathetic state, you deserve what has been done to you!
She considered what to do, deciding she would be a fool to remain in the Underworld. She didn't trust Zirvaliel to leave her punishment to this. Sinafae certainly wouldn't! That traitorous little bitch would try to kill her if she could find her. It would be most unwise to stay.
Yet, Sharalae hesitated. She had never been to the World Above, but she had heard many stories about it--and the terrors it held in store for those foolish enough to trespass in it! Blinding light that would burn your eyes from their very sockets, a multitude of dangerous creatures, and enemies abounding everywhere, not the least of which were the drow's distant kin, the Siavaedi. She would not be welcome in that world to be sure, but she was no longer welcome here either. And if she was doomed to die, then she would make her death count for something against those who had betrayed her, if nothing else.
She smiled grimly. She may be cursed, exiled, forsaken by her people and the demon goddess she had worshipped, but she was far from helpless. And she knew of House Sha'nul's plans. Perhaps she would just have to see what she could do to disrupt them.
First things first, though, she cautioned herself. She would have to find her way to the surface. Then she would have to somehow find the books Sinafae and her little sister Raelona Sha'nul so desperately sought.
Feeling more confident now that she had decided upon a plan of action, Sharalae crept cautiously toward the entrance to her hiding place and peered out before scuttling into the tunnel, still awkward moving the eight slim black legs of her arachnid lower body.
To be continued...
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