The opening scene of Valkyrie II: Darkness Rising! :P

The opening of Chapter 1 of Valkyrie II: Darkness Rising... :P

“How is he feeling this morning?” Tisiphone inquired as Lithia stood watch over Khor. Her long, black locks hung down about her face and her eyes swirled with flecks of gold and gray. She looked, more sad than concerned and Tisiphone felt the madness slipping away, replaced by a calm only the love for another could bring. She did love Khor, that big old brute that he was. Dark haired with a goatee to match and one hell of an attitude, laying in a bed, flat on his back and surrounded by all sorts of machines. Nothing at all like he’d once been, before he’d toasted himself in radioactive whatever it was. “He will live!” She replied, leaving Tisiphone a little anxious. “The idiot says we dock in the morning!” “And then a two-day trek into the forest.” Lithia looked up from Khor and smiled at her. “There have been rumors, some of which speak of an Elven clan, whose minds were lost to madness.” “A whole clan?” “They are but rumors, but there is always some truth to them.” She smiled again and returned her gaze to Khor. “Loki told me of your encounter the day before last.” “Oh, I bet he did!” Tisiphone laughed and shook her head. “You should have seen what he made me wear.” “White hair is common in these parts. Your black and violet streaks would have stood out in a crowd and these are still, Isles of the Guild.” Lithia laughed back, but her tone took on a more serious note. “He too, was lost to madness.” “Who?” “The Elven male behind the tavern.” Lithia replied. “He wanted something from you.” “Yeah, my body!” “No, something more than that.” Lithia shook her head. “So many females, and to use them like that. No, he was not looking for love.” “Okay, so, now you’re getting all weird and creepy…” Tisiphone started, but the arrival of Markhon had them both looking over Khor in silence as he approached the bed. “How much longer do we have to stay on this bloody ship?” He cursed and mumbled about as he moved each monitor back to where he wanted it. “Every damn wave sets the instruments of balance…” “Hello, to you too!” Tisiphone chuckled and the male turned about fast as if he’d not seen either of them when he’d come in. Tall, shoulder-length black hair, stern jaw and a scowl that could knock you on your ass, the half Vampire, half, whatever his mother was… “You should really put a cap on those thoughts!” He shook his head and she growled at him. “I’m sorry, did you want to continue on about how crazy and annoying I am?” “You’re not crazy!” She laughed back. “Well I feel like I’m going crazy. There is nothing to do on this ship.” He groaned and flopped down on the bed across from them. Markhon was going mad, so far away from his norm. Instead of a battleship orbiting the Null, complete with thirty-nine holo-labs, he was stuck here with her, on an old wooden frigate. He wasn’t used to being confined and spent more time on deck that anyone. “You should try and read something!” Tisiphone offered. “Says the one who actually got to leave the bloody ship!” He spat back and brought a pillow up over his face. “Yes, and I had oh, so much fun!” She shook her head and looked to Lithia. “I’ll be back later!” She smiled and made for the door. The last thing she wanted was to deal with his mopey ass. They’d be docking soon enough and then it was on the moon pools. Khor would get better and actual be able to get up off that bed and she could get back to finding her mother. With or without the mirror, she was determined to figure this shit out. Down one corridor and up a set of stairs, she came to her own cabin and slipped inside. It was smaller than Khors and didn’t have any portholes, but she cared not for it was hers and she could try and relax for a while. “You want to talk about it?” His voice filled the room and echoed through her ears. “It’s been days, Tisiphone, you have to tell me what happened!” “Nothing happened!” She shouted, throwing a pillow in the direction of his voice. “The Elf went mad and tried to get in my pants and the male made him stop.” Loki was shaking his head when he came into view, then ran one hand through his rusty-brown hair. “Tisk, tisk, Tisiphone. You should know better than to lie to me.” “He saved me.” “No he didn’t, you saved yourself.” Loki snapped back. “You used your gifts to defend yourself.” He grinned. “Don’t worry, that’s a good thing!” “If you already knew, then why did you keep asking?” “I wanted to hear you say it. Take some pride in your gifts, child.” The trickster chuckled. “So, tell me, was it a fireball? No, we would have seen the flames. An orb perhaps?” “No, and no!” She shook her head and made for her bed. “You conjured a dagger and put him out of his misery?” “No!” “Cast a spell on him and set him to stone?” “Holy fuck, no! Would you stop?” She pleaded with him. “I choked him for a while.” She let out with a yawn and climbed beneath the sheets. “I choked him, with my mind.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “Wait, you what?” He inquired. “Tisiphone, what did you do to him?” He went on. “Tisiphone?” “Fuck off, Loki!” She growled, growing rather impatient and annoyed with his lack of respect towards her personal space. “Go pester someone else.” “No one else has spoken with a ranger in a hundred years, but I take you to one tiny village and you…” “What’s a ranger?” “Only one of the Realms elite. Think Ninjas, but Elven style. They’re so secretive and so selective of those they reveal themselves too….” “Can you go, please?” She shook her head and put it back down on the pillow, though sleep was far from claiming her now. Who was that ranger? What had he been doing there? Why had he revealed himself to her? And when was Loki going to fuck off? “If he spoke to you, I would listen to whatever he said.” Loki frowned at her and then turned for the door. “I will be above, find me when you wish to talk some more.” He added and disappeared out into the hall. Talk some more? She didn’t even want to talk at all, but there was something in Loki’s eyes as he spoke about the ranger, as if he almost admired them. Perhaps she would inquire more about this ranger, if only to thank him for saving her life. She giggled to herself as she thought about him, standing there in that long, black coat. Morning had come sooner than she’d thought and that ranger ad accomplished many incredible tasks, according to her. She’d imagined him doing everything from rescuing children from a Nightflyer, to conquering an army with one massive blow; and in all of them, he reigned supreme.