Khy'eras

Katarya's eyes snapped open at the knocking on her door.

She had not dreamt that night, the first night in the house of Fëanáro Larkain, the Elf to whom she had bound herself. Her abused, battered and abused body had kept her still and her mind, whatever had become of it, had lent itself only to darkness. Her physical wounds would heal, in time. But time would also reveal what she had now become, after the horrors inflicted on her, not just by the actions of sadistic, perverted guardsman, but of the enchantments that had strove day and night to sap her of not only her magic, but her very essence - her soul.

When the knock came again, she sighed and swung her legs round so she was sat, perched on the edge of the luxurious bed she had been assigned to. It was with great reluctance that she did so, feeling like she could have slept for years. "What?" she demanded, at last, rubbing her eyes and pulling a face as her body reminded her of the aches and pains that seemed to throb in every part of her body.

The door opened, and in walked a tall Elven woman. Her plain coloured, practical dress spoke of a servant, but the fabric was gorgeous, and she wore her long tawny coloured hair in an elaborate braid. "Good morning, miss." the woman said. Her face was stoic, however. Her eyes were heavy with disapproval as she looked at the witch.

"Is it?" Kat rose and stretched gently, wincing. "Who are you?" She did not look at the servant while she did so. If she were to be treated with disdain, then she would act accordingly.

"Vaeli, miss."

Kat then turned to look at her, raising a brow. "And what is it that you want, Vaeli? Other than to wish me a 'good morning', which I suspect you don't mean with complete sincerity."

The Elven woman's demeanour did not change, but her stunning green eyes seemed to darken a little. "The master has assigned me to be your maid for the duration of your stay in this house." she explained, crisp and professional.

Katarya was beginning to like her. She was always drawn to these types of women; such a refreshing change from the simpering, emotional and unbearable sort she had encountered all too many times in her life. The Witch gave a small chuckle. "I can tell from your exuberance that you are positively thrilled by your assignment." Kat's smile deepened when the woman gave no retort. She didn't have to - her eyes said it all! "I would like a bath, if I may, then a walk around the house, and then into the garden, Vaeli."

"Yes, miss." Vaeli answered, with a very small nod. "And what would you like for your breakfast?

Kat thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Anything. I don't care. As long as it doesn't contain the spittle from a disgruntled maid forced to wait on a lowly Human Witch, then I will be quite satisfied."

The maid did not flinch. "I shall have the cook prepare something, and shall draw you a bath." She turned to go.

"Oh, and Vaeli," Katarya said, as she walked across the thick carpet to the closet. "I'd like you attend me when I bathe."

The Elven woman stopped and turned, her lips thinning to become a fine line. "Miss?"

The woman was angry, and Kat was amused she had managed to make it so. "I didn't stutter." she said, simply. "That's all."

When the servant had left, Kat had to hand it to the Elf for not giving her a good slap! She knew that she would never have tolerated that! Larkain had his staff well trained... or very loyal. She rather suspected the latter.

The Lord of the Castle was an enigma, and one she intended to unravel in time. Her impressions of him were that he was old, clever, creative, intelligent, resourceful, and deadly. Though she made a vow right then never to say such things to him, she was incredibly impressed by him. In fact, he reminded her of Aurae. Not in the obvious ways; he was a killer with a sharp tongue who was a rogue to his core. But they shared that same easy sense of authority and power. She wondered if they might even be known to each other. One could never know with Canó Aurae, and she hadn't the slightest idea of Larkain's history.

But before she delved too deep into pondering her situation and the man to whom she was bound, she had her priority.

What would she wear, today?

***

As she lounged in the near scalding hot water of the tub, massaging oils into her skin and pulling rich soap through her hair, Vaeli stood silent behind her. The Elven woman's presence was a heavy one, with an aura of distaste and irritation as she stood still waiting for any instruction since she had been commanded to 'attend' her charge.

Kat was not at all phased by this. Perhaps, though, she should have tried to befriend this woman! It would do well to have an ally in this place; someone to tell her the secrets of Fëanáro Larkain, and to eventually be used as a pawn when needed. But Katarya's instinct was that this woman would probably fall on a sword before betraying Larkain. She couldn't know for sure, but someone as cautious and wary as he would not surround himself with people he was not completely sure of. No doubt every person in this grand house had been carefully selected for their loyalty, either through familial bonds, bonds of honour... maybe even friends? Would Larkain have friends? True friends? "How long have you known Master Larkain, Vaeli."

"A long time, miss."

Kat smiled at that. "And how did you meet him?" she asked, expecting no real answer.

"I don't recall, miss."

Kat rinsed her hair and stepped out of the tub, accepting the thick towel from her maid and wrapping it around herself. "And where does Master Larkain hail from?"

"I don't know, miss."

Laughing, Katarya began to dry herself, wrapping another towel around her head to keep her hair up. "And if you did know, would you still give me the same answer?"

Vaeli did not bat an eye. "Yes."

"I thought as much." She had selected a plain dress of midnight blue, which she slipped on once she was fully dry, and then set about putting her hair into a loose braid. Strands hung down the sides of her face, but it did nothing to soften her look. As she looked into the mirror, she stopped for a moment, her hands on the varnished wood, her dark eyes roaming her own face. "I need a sharp knife."

There was a short pause. "No weapons are..."

Kat shook her head. "I don't want a weapon, I want a sharp knife. Something from the kitchen, if necessary. And I am quite sure you could snap me like a twig if you so wished, so do not think I am intending on being a fool."

Vaeli - much to Kat's surprise - reached down and moved her dress aside from her boots, from which she produced a small dagger. She strode over to the Witch and held it out.

Katarya's dark eyes went from the dagger to Vaeli, raising her brows slightly. "Someone is prepared." she said, giving the woman an appreciative nod. Then she took the dagger and turned back to the mirror.

When Katarya pressed the tip of the dagger to her forehead, causing blood to run down to her brow, the Elf spoke up suddenly. "Miss Katarya!"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Vaeli!" She was secretly pleased she had managed to actually get a genuine response from the woman. "It's nothing to worry about, and your master won't mind, I assure you." She could feel the heavy disapproval from the maid as she carefully pulled the blade across her skin. She first worked in lines, creating an inverted five pointed star, and then slowly dragged the blade to create a circle just inside the points. The blade had been sufficiently sharp that she smiled at the work, before holding the dagger up. "Thank you, Vaeli. I would recommend not touching the blood... I am quite unsure what has happened to my body, but suffice to say it's not normal for blood to look like that."

Indeed, the blood that dripped from the wound onto the towel she had placed on her lap had veins of black running through each drop. It wasn't darkened blood, it was as if there was a completely separate substance running through her system, and she hadn't the faintest idea what it was.

But that didn't matter for the moment, for after a few seconds her body started to feel something. Magic. It wasn't a flood, nor was it anything close to what she had been before she had been imprisoned, but the carving of this symbol into her flesh - something that only witches of a darker bent were wont to do in times of desperation - brought with it a trickle of power, like a dripping tap, slowly dropping a shadowed essence to augment her own.

She reached out and touched the mirror, her eyes fixed on the symbol. Where her finger rested and after a few moments of silence, a tiny patch of darkness spread about a centimetre out from where she touched the glass.

Katarya's black eyes became wells of darkness as a smile crept up on her lips. "I'd like to be alone for a moment." she said. "That's all."

As the door closed, the Witch watched as the face in the mirror distorted slowly, shadows dancing over the glass like little spirits painting a picture. They dove this way and that, weaving a portrait on the surface until her face was completely shrouded. When at last the shadows retreated, creeping back to her finger and fading into her flesh, the mirror did not show the witch in her room, but a handsome young man walking a busy street, head down and in a hurry.

Katarya smiled. "Good morning, Helo."

Katarya sat back, touching the rim of the glass she held to her lips. Despite whatever changes had happened to her, her love for good red wine had certainly not diminished, and the wine here was excellent!

After dismissing Vaeli, Katarya had stared into the mirror for the rest of the morning, only covering it when Vaeli had knocked asking her if Kat required lunch. A beautiful meal had been brought to her and the glass of wine as requested (only one, sadly), and Katarya had made sure to cover the mirror with a sheet when the Elf had entered. No doubt this would be relayed back to her host, but she didn't mind. She would be more than willing to show Fëanáro what she had managed to do, as she would have to earn her keep somehow and so far, this was all she had managed to do.

Though her outward demeanour when Vaeli was around was one of lazy insolence, in truth Katarya was frustrated.

Though her cell had near stripped her of her magic, and had only been saved (if in some new, unusual and darker form), it had not severed the ties of the spells she had had active before her imprisonment. This meant that her magical energy was being used to keep these spells going. It had proven useful in being able to establish a connection to Helo, but others were still taking from her and, despite her best efforts, she had not been able to break them.

The curse she had placed on Artemis - which seemed like a hundred years ago - was still very much in place. Though it was significantly weaker, it was still drawing from her. So to were enchantments she had placed on a few items; the dagger given to her by Dáire, and her grandmother's pendant. These might prove useful if she wanted to one day retrieve them, but for now she was annoyed that what little power she was gaining, a portion of that was being siphoned off to spells she could not break. Her very own spells were hurting her!

When Vaeli had gone, Kat had nibbled at the food, then taken her glass and uncovered the mirror, seeing once again not her reflection, but Helo. If was simple idle curiosity that made her watch her former friend and lover. What was he doing now? He didn't look as good as he did; he was thinner, and his clothes were a little shabby. She wondered what had happened to him in the months since they had last met... since the day she had nearly killed him with a command enforced by the binding spell she had cast on him. She wondered if he were bitter about it... she also didn't care, so much.

In her room was a bell attached to a wire that vanished into the ceiling. Putting down her glass, she covered the mirror once again and summoned Vaeli. As she waited, she looked at the cloth draped mirror and sighed. "A Witch with a magical mirror? How unutterably unoriginal."

Vaeli appeared promptly, as if the Elf had been waiting outside the door (perhaps she had?). "Yes, miss?"

Katarya turned in her chair. "Has Larkain returned, yet?"

"Master Larkain is still away, miss." Vaeli said, primly. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Kat sighed. This place was beautiful, but she yearned for information on the city and Vaeli would answer no question with any decent answer. "Unless you have a cure for boredom, then no." she said, reaching for her glass. "When he returns, please let him know that his pet witchling would like to see him."

Vaeli's brow raised. "If the Master wishes to see you on his return, I am sure he will."

Kat chuckled. "I'm sure."

"Dinner will be served at 7pm, miss. If you need anything..."

"What I need," Kat said, "is your absence. You may go."

To her credit, Vaeli didn't respond except to nod her head and leave. Kat would find a way to truly rattle that damned woman somehow!

Getting to her feet, she walked around the room like a bored cat, before standing at the window and looking out into the trees that obscured the house from outside eyes, and obscured inside eyes (namely, hers!) from seeing anything at all. The sun was coming over the house and a beam managed to find it's way to the window, shining through the glass a few inches wide. Kat cocked her head, and then put her hand within it's ray.

Though it didn't hurt her, Katarya pulled her hand back quickly, puzzled. It felt ... wrong to have the sun on her skin. Was this something to do with the change in her? Of course it must. She could only guess then that, whatever her magic had become, it had truly become something of darkness and shadow. In the light of the sun, she could feel the rays fight with the shadow inside of her. She would be weaker in the sun, she surmised. Not powerless, but not at full strength ... if she were ever to regain her full strength, that is.

So, with little else to do, she went back to her mirror and her wine, and waited for Fëanáro Larkain to come home and relieve her of her boredom. She might not want to be in anyone's service - least of all a man's! - but he was witty, intelligent and very mysterious. Katarya found herself looking forward to another verbal sparring match with him.

Sipping the wine, Katarya Frost lounged back in her comfortable chair and watched the drab little scene of Helo talking with a handsome young man, and she yawned. "This is tedious."