The Crystal Thief

Occult Exchange

Aledai had managed to slip out of the forest with the Lunar crystal and the torn page from the old mystic tome. Now, she poured over the page, eagerly soaking up its secrets. Avarin was just overhead, now and soon would be in place for the dryad's ritual.

She breathed in deeply and sighed out, clearing her mind for the incantation.

"Ant'al ash'jir nor talé noré" she whispered, drawing a circle in the dirt. Around the circle, she drew the runes exactly as she saw them on the page. When she was finished and pleased with her work, she placed the gem at the heart of the circle.

"Mother moon, lend me your light, and guard me on this darkened night." She prayed softly. The she stood at the northern side of the circle, directly beneath the moon and seconds later, she was bathed in Avarin's light. "Ar'can dor, dele'na, ishnu fal' té dal dié." She said aloud. She repeated the words, growing in volume, not caring whether anyone heard her or not. She was in full ritual mode now, her eyes glowing brilliantly beneath the light of the moon. A furious wind tore through the forest, whipping her hair around her face and tossing leaves into the air. Suddenly, a thick, white beam fell on Aledai and the crystal arose into the air. The beam changed color as it passed through the facets of the crystal and could be seen all the way from the cleared patch of forest where the dryads began their ritual.

"That light!" Vithir exclaimed. "It's the crystal!"

"What shall we do?" asked another dryad.

"The ritual is to begin any moment now. Proceed as usual. I will retrieve the crystal." The purple-haired dryad raced off in the direction of the chromatic beam, intent on returning before the ritual began.

In the distance, Aledai heard hoof beats fast approaching and her arms wavered in the air. "Just a moment more," she pleaded under her breath. She was met with an arrow that passed straight through her raised arms. She lowered them instantaneously, but the beam remained. She looked back, though she could see no one in the darkness. She then stepped into the beam and suddenly her eyes shined with the brilliance of a thousand moons. She came to life with magical power and the lunar crystal disintegrated into dust and was carried away by the wind. Just as the beam faded away, Vithir exploded through the bushes.

"Fool! What have you done?" She screamed, incredulously. She loosed another arrow at Aledai who narrowly missed the arrow, ducking to the ground. The dryad gave her no time to answer.

"You have ensured the end of the dryad race and your demise as well!" She charged towards the elf, bow aimed, arrow nocked. Aledai had never seen any of the dryads so angry and it was a positively unnerving sight to behold. She leapt to her feet and dashed through the woods. The dryad was much faster than she was, but she easily traversed the rough terrain, leaping over stones, racing between trees and dodging arrow after arrow.

All seemed quiet and calm within the moonlit reaches of the grove, though in the other parts of Farendale chaos ensured. Suddenly Aledai burst through the red-orange leaves on the bushes of the forest. She ran as quickly as her lithe elven legs could carry her, but they were hot on her trail and as she emerged from the shrubbery, she found herself standing at the edge of wide, open grove, moonlight pouring into it, like a river flowing into a lake, and she realized she'd reached a dead end.

Instinctively, she dashed across the grove, shrugging off the shadows and adorning the light that gave away her location. Aledai reached the opposite side where an old, hollowed-out tree stood tall, like an ancient giant, silently watching over the grove, just as another figure burst through the trees.

She looked back at the dryad who nocked another arrow in her bow, leveled it, aiming for the fleeing elf and loosed it into the old tree, just above her head. She had narrowly dodged the arrow, but the dryad was soon flanked by two others who raised their bows synchronously with the first dryad. Wasting no time, she leapt into the hollowed-out tree, only to be swallowed up by the portal inside.

Vithir stood dejected at the edge of the grove. Dryads couldn't enter portals and there was no way that Aledai could ever return from the one she'd just stepped through. She regretted that she wouldn't get her revenge, but was relieved that Aledai could never return. She never belonged in Farendale to begin with. She destroyed the lunar crystal to gain the ability to use magic, which left the dryads without a focusing lens. They would have to procure another somehow.