The library was dim, but its gloomy appearance also held a sense of sanctuary. As she weaved through the labyrinth of bookcases, Alinaya inhaled the aroma of the ancient tomes and scrolls that overflowed the shelves- a dry scent mingled of yellowed parchment, dust, and the leather covers that bound the volumes. When she emerged from the maze of bookshelves into the faint glow provided by a candelabra, Alinaya was met with the sight of Drayin, poring over a musty tome and surrounded by mountains of books- some with runic titles she could not read burned into the leather covers, others with titles written with ink in a scrawling hand. The nearest was titled Magicka Arcanum, and the young woman studied the cover of the volume silently while she waited for Drayin to speak.

“What troubles you, my child?” a weary, but concerned voice spoke from behind the ancient volume.

“I…I think Alaundo is a werewolf.” Alinaya uttered softly, her eyes still resting on the cover of Magicka Arcanum. The outline of an eye etched into the cover gazed blankly back at her.

Drayin snapped the tome shut with a soft sigh and the young woman looked up at him. The worn face that greeted her was a shock. His brow was creased with stress, and dark crescents rested like shadows underneath his eyes. It was so easy to forget age when they were working side-by-side at the training field that Alinaya had never thought of her mentor as being aged, but in the dim light of the library, Drayin suddenly became an old man.

His short brown hair was grizzled with gray, and there was a fatigued look in his steel-blue eyes. In the flickering glow of the candles, the young woman could just make out the scars Drayin bore on his face and arms, souvenirs of battles long past. They stretched grotesquely as the old man flexed languidly, wincing at the stiffness in his joints. He raised a questioning brow at Alinaya, his gray eyes glittering coldly.

“How did you reach such a conclusion?” Drayin inquired harshly, his voice still holding a note of concern, but now containing the bite of impatience as well.

Alinaya felt Drayin’s piercing gaze search her soul, and quickly dropped her eyes, studying a crack in the floorboards as if intrigued by it. It would be difficult to make Drayin picture the beast-like way in which Alaundo moved about, and impossible to explain exactly the feeling of dread that washed over her when he drew near- words hardly seemed enough. But as the tension continued to accumulate like water behind a dam, Alinaya decided that she would try.

“He acts strangely, father. The way he slouches when he walks, the color of his eyes and the wild look in them…he is like a beast. And I have never had a lesson with Alaundo during the full moon.”

Drayin sighed again, rubbing his chin as he often did when irritated. A long silence followed this exasperated expulsion of breath, as the aging man looked over the child he had adopted and trained. Alinaya was still young, but seemed closer to adulthood every time Drayin laid eyes upon her. Her wiry build had slowly developed over the course of their intense training sessions, and now resembled more the muscular build of the warrioress she would one day become. And her face had changed as well; once childishly round and innocent, it had hardened, and now carried the familiar lines of concentration Drayin could trace on his own brow.

He looked at Alinaya as if seeing her for the first time, watching the tiny embers that burned in each strand of her fiery hair as the faint glow caught it. She looked up at him now, and the candlelight reflected in the depths of eyes that were like two brilliant amethysts. Drayin felt the familiar surge within as he gazed into Alinaya’s eyes, and felt the power of the soul mirrored within their depths. Somewhere inside, past the violet eyes, there was a secret deep within the child…one that even she did not know. Yet Drayin pushed aside the feeling of paternal pride, and forced himself to speak.

“Alinaya…” he began in an exasperated tone, as if speaking to a small child. “Alinaya, my dear daughter, you have the makings of a great warrior…but the imagination of a bard. You spin tales as extravagant and passionately as a child but it is time to set your childhood, and these foolish fairy tales, aside.”

Alinaya gaped in disbelief at the man she knew as father, and Drayin immediately regretted his words. She had the warrior’s spirit and body, but Alinaya’s heart was still fragile, like a platter with a hairline crack- a crack formed ten years ago, when she had arrived at Drayin’s home, a young girl orphaned by a tragic fire. Since, the young woman had put that life behind her, and recalled little of her past before her adopted father. Time and time again Drayin had considered recounting it to her only to decide against it- it had taken great strength for Alinaya, as a young child, to erase the fire and its cause from her memories. She wasn’t ready to relive it…not yet. He would let her live with the whimsical fantasies she had created to replace the horrors, until the day came that she could accept them wholly.

Drayin knew he had spoken true when he’d lectured Alinaya for her overactive imagination, but it was that creative mind, and the passion in her soul, that had made her such a wonderful pupil. When focused, it became a weapon far more dangerous than any blacksmith could put in her hands. Of the others he trained, all of them men, none could hold a candle to Alinaya…they might have their skill, but never her spirit and mind. She was one of a kind, and the child of his heart.

“Alinaya…” he started, his tone gentle.

“I am a failure,” Alinaya interrupted, her tone hollow and her violet eyes overflowing with tears. “You want me to fight like a man, to think like a man…but the fact remains that I am still a woman. Father, you were mistaken to believe that I could grow up to be a great warrior, mistaken to take a girl under your wing.”

“Do you know why I chose you, Alinaya?”

“Because I had nowhere else to go-“ Alinaya began, but her words were cut off when Drayin shook his head vigorously, his tired eyes containing a light she had never seen before.

“Because I saw something in you, Alinaya. I saw a power of spirit that is far more important than a power of body. Don’t you see, my daughter? A warrior is not made by the size of his sword arm, but by the size of his heart.”

“What power-?” she began to ask, but once more, Drayin interrupted her, holding up a hand in a sign that Alinaya should not finish the question.

“That is an answer I cannot give you now,” he spoke gently, rising slowly to a stand from his chair. Though his bones might have been old and his body weary, the retired warrior moved with the lithe grace of a lion as he took Alinaya’s hand in his and began to lead her from the library, that mysterious glint still glittering in his cold gray eyes.

“Come,” he beckoned the young woman. “I have something I want to show you.”

Though she appeared as calm as a spring breeze on the outside, inside Alinaya was trembling with a force like a brewing storm. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts- questions she would like to ask, questions about the power of which Drayin spoke, questions of her forgotten past. Questions as abundant as raindrops pattering softly down to earth- where, gods willing, something grand might bloom in their wake. Yet while it was difficult to fight against the torrent of inquiries longing to be answered, Alinaya silently followed his lead across the library and out the door.

**************************************************

Guided by only the moon’s faint light, Drayin led his pupil across the field behind his cottage. The breeze whispered through the trees, and the grass whispered with their passage, and the young woman’s crimson skirt whispered with each step she took. With these gentle murmurs surrounding them, and the humid air that felt like the spray of the sea, Alinaya could close her eyes and imagine she was sailing across a vast ocean- or look up at the endless black sky and feel as if she had been thrown into a sinister abyss. It was a lonely sight, this pitch-black sea with only a moon floating in it, and Alinaya shut her eyes, trying to picture a peaceful sea- but the blank, silver eye of the moon still filled her vision, and the desolate feeling remained.

“Do you think the moon ever gets lonely?” she asked, so gently that her words could have been mistaken as the whisper of the breeze. Drayin stopped in center of the field, glancing up at the sky in silence for so long that Alinaya thought he might not have heard her inquiry. Finally, the old man turned to face her, his eyes brimming with sadness.

“I’ve never considered it,” Drayin uttered in a soft tone that Alinaya had never heard before. “But I suppose it does, with only a black void to keep it company.”

“I know just how it feels,” Alinaya spoke quietly. The sky was like a blanket of ash, or perhaps the thick plume of smoke that had led the young woman back to her destroyed home that day ten years ago. And the moon, it was as blank and without response as the eye of the charred corpse of her mother, staring vacantly up through the rubble at the girl. Suddenly Alinaya found herself in Drayin’s arms, crying the years of loneliness and loss into the shoulder of his robes, until her throat ached and her tears ran dry.

It was a moment before Drayin broke the embrace, taking Alinaya’s hands in his. She shivered at the touch of his callused but gentle hands as he cupped her palms together, puffing his breath on her hands as if to warm them. As Alinaya watched, a glimmer appeared between her palms, and when she opened them, the young woman found herself to be holding a handful of what appeared to be tiny, crystalline embers burning in her hands. Drayin met her gaze, his steel-gray eyes boring into the depths of Alinaya’s soul.

“But there is no need to be lonely, Alinaya. One day, you will learn for yourself that even in the darkest of hours, there is always a friend to be found, and hope in your heart.”

In a sudden, graceful motion, Drayin blew into his own palms and tossed the fiery crystals that appeared into the air. The young woman watched in awe as they sailed upward into the night and, instead of falling back to earth, clung to the pitch-black canopy of the sky. Alinaya did the same, and found that with these tiny pinpoints of hope among the endless void, she could bear to look at the heavens again.

“Let the stars guide you, my daughter, and beneath them, you will always be home.”

Without another word, Drayin turned and headed back to the cabin, leaving Alinaya standing in the faint light provided by the moon and newly-created stars. He looked back over his shoulder as Alinaya, overcome by a surge of emotion, raised her palms to the sky and began to spin a circle, laughing softly. With her hair of embers fanning out around her, and her childish innocence, she was beautiful. Even when she fell back into the grass and lay still, tracing pictures in the stars, Alinaya was an angel who had fallen to the earth.

**************************************************

The night deepened around the young woman as she lay in the grass, silently pondering the events that had occurred. She had no way of knowing that her destiny lie in the distant lands that the newly-created stars now watched over, but a sense of urgency overwhelmed her when she gazed upon them. In her mind, she asked them many questions...questions that Drayin either could not, or would not answer. What secret knowledge of her did Drayin possess? What was this 'power' of which he had spoken? So engrossed was Alinaya in her thoughts that she did not hear the sounds of a creature scuffling through the grass towards her, until its haunting howl sent chills up her spine.

Alinaya leapt to her feet, fear chilling the blood that coursed through her veins as she squinted through the darkness that surrounded her. Looking up, she saw that smoke-like clouds had blanketed all but the dead stare of the moon, and for a moment, Alinaya travelled again into the depths of her memory. A red-haired child sank down next to a still body, tears streaming down her ash-streaked face. The smell of charred wood - and flesh - overwhelmed her as she screamed an agonizing cry. 'Motherrr!' The word echoed across the void of years as the present-day Alinaya, too, sank to her knees, wailing this single word. Another howl roused her from her vision, and she staggered to her feet, whirling around with her hand on the dagger sheathed at her side. Her face froze in a silent scream at what she saw.

A shadowy figure was hurtling across the field towards her, its two yellow eyes reflecting in the night. As the clouds shifted to fully reveal the moon, it illuminated this wraith-like figure, revealing what resembled a wolf…but only in the same way that an ape resembled a man. Its limbs were far longer than that of a normal wolf and while it ran on four legs, when it stopped to howl at the moon once more, it stood upright like a human. The muzzle that jutted from its shockingly human face was short and lined with half-inch teeth, as well as four dagger-like canines at least twice as long. Its chest also resembled that of a man, broad and muscular, but covered in shaggy slate-gray fur. Its front paws were like hands with claws instead of nails, and a tail waved eagerly behind it as it resumed its lope towards Alinaya, who stood paralyzed with shock and fear.

With the grace of a silent killer, the bipedal wolf sprang upon the young woman, its teeth clipping shut on the empty air with a loud snap as Alinaya barely managed to twist her throat away from its oncoming jaws. The wolf was at least twice her weight, and empowered as well by the savage strength of a feral creature, proving Alinaya's efforts in vain, but she continued to shove upward with all her might, panic inviting the weakness that caused her arms to tremble with her efforts. For a moment the two pairs of eyes, violet and amber, met…and Alinaya realized that this was no beast or monster, but a human. She drew her dagger and slashed wildly at the werewolf’s face, which leapt back with an enraged snarl, bleeding freely from the gash Alinaya had opened. She lost no time in gaining her feet, but by the time Alinaya had started to run, the werewolf had turned its attention back to her.

Alinaya tore across the field towards Drayin's cottage, unable to cry for help - it felt as if her voice had been left back in the grass. She had made it only fifty yards when the beast caught her, its jaws sealing like a deadly vise around her arm, pulling the woman to the ground. Alinaya raised her dagger once more, thrusting it out, but her strength had waned and the werewolf deflected the attack easily with a clawed hand, sinking his fangs even deeper into her flesh. Through a distant haze of pain, Alinaya could hear the snap of bone, then darkness consumed her, and she knew nothing more.

**************************************************

“Alinaya? Alinaya!”

The warm touch of the sun brushed against Alinaya’s cheek as she turned her head, groaning in agony. Her face was streaked with a grime of dirt, blood, and tears, and her entire right side was without feeling; the young woman had been lying on it. She attempted to roll over, and the faint stirring motion planted a dagger of pain in her broken left arm. Alinaya cried out, struggling to sit upright and using her legs to push her backward away from the foggy figure before her.

“Alinaya, my child, what’s wrong? The gods…you’re bleeding!”

Alinaya’s vision slid in and out of focus as she fought to stand, barely holding on to the tether of consciousness. Her hand sought the dagger's sheath at her side, finding it empty; the weapon had been discarded in the grass. A gentle pressure held her firmly down and, squinting through the fog of delirium, the girl made out the form of Drayin in front of her.

“Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” He said, his voice anxious and fearful for the first time since Alinaya had met him.

She mouthed soundlessly, as Drayin straightened into a stand and turned to go, but the words were lost along the way; all that escaped was a whoosh of air. Frantic, she shot out her hand and gripped Drayin’s arm in the same unrelenting vise with which the werewolf had held onto hers.

“Don’t leave me,” Alinaya managed to plead at last. “Don’t leave me here alone…he…he’ll find me.”

Drayin’s steel-blue eyes bore into Alinaya’s violet for a long moment, brimming with so much concern and apprehension, that only the greatest restraint on his part prevented them from overflowing with tears. His daughter sounded delirious with pain, and it was obvious that she was shaken,  no doubt having been attacked by an animal. Silently, Drayin cursed himself for having left her outside alone in the night, especially so close to the forest, where a number of dangerous beasts were known to live. Finally, he bent down and lifted Alinaya, cradling her gently in his arms as he carried her to the cabin.

“I know it might be difficult for you to think clearly,” Drayin began as he laid Alinaya down on a cot, “but it is imperative that I know what happened, and what attacked you, before I can heal your wound. Tell me as best as you can remember.”

Alinaya inhaled deeply, willing her vision to clear, and then turning her focus inward, on what memories she retained of the previous night. It came to her in brief flashes…the full moon, the chilling howl, and a dark figure approaching from the forest. Her pulse raced as things started to come back more clearly, and she remembered the face of the beast, cut open by her dagger, with eyes that were both human and animal. Drayin waited in patient silence as his daughter relived the experience, and listened without a word when she began to speak.

“I was looking at the moon, and I heard a strange howl…like a wolf’s. It came from the forest…a wolf that looked like a man, it ran on four legs but stood on two. And its eyes when it pinned me…I could almost see the human behind them. I tried to kick it off, but it was too big…stabbed it in the face with my knife, and it let me go…tried to run away, but it chased, caught me by the arm…broke it. I passed out.”

Drayin’s face registered shock when Alinaya described the wolf, and he immediately felt the icy grip of shame take a hold of his heart. He had scolded his daughter for speaking of a creature that did not exist…a creature that had attacked her last night. Drayin couldn’t meet Alinaya’s eyes as he placed his hands gently on her arm, and the flesh and bone began to meld themselves until the only visible evidence of the wound that remained was a jagged scarring where the wolf's teeth had rent her flesh. He couldn’t look at her even when the tears in his eyes would have blurred any accusing stare beyond recognition. He was supposed to be the guardian and trainer of the young woman, but he had failed her.

“Alinaya, I’m sorry. I should have believed you- you are a bright young woman, and I am nothing but an old fool. Forgive me, my daughter…I beg you to forgive me.”

Before the young woman could answer, there came a thunderous pounding at the door, and a demanding voice called out.

“Open up, Drayin, in the name of the governor!”

Drayin peeked through the thin opening between the drapes and turned back to Alinaya, his face ghastly pale.

“It’s Hralti and Alaundo. Alaundo…he…” The words caught in his throat for a moment before Drayin managed to swallow hard and continue. “He has a scar across his face.”

**************************************************

Drayin twitched the drapes shut quickly and turned to Alinaya, his brow so deeply furrowed that the scars of his past appeared distorted. In all the years she could remember, Alinaya had never seen him as frightened as he seemed now. He gripped her shoulder with a calloused hand, pushing Alinaya gently in the direction of the library sanctum. The words he hissed at her were barely audible over the voices of the men outside.

"Go. Hide. Do not make a sound. Do not come out unless I say it is safe."

Alinaya opened her mouth to protest, but something about her foster father's fierce gaze silenced the words of argument before she could even speak them. She turned instead, her expression just as intense as Drayin's, a stubborn set to her jaw. Moving soundlessly save the whisper of her crimson gown, Alinaya disappeared into the shadows of the library.

She wove her way through towers of books to the single, grimy window. The place did not feel as much a haven as it had the previous night, and the must of tomes, whose scent normally comforted her, only irritated Alinaya's senses. Through the window she could make out the figures of Alaundo and Governer Hralti as they rapped impatiently on the door. It flew open suddenly with a great bang, and Alinaya ducked out of sight of her father.

From where she crouched, her body cramped between more volumes bearing that mysterious eye sigil, Alinaya could make out Drayin's voice, shouting something in anger. There was a low, murmuring response, and although Alinaya pressed her ear firmly against the wall, the thick wood would not relent to sound, and she could make out no words. With a quick glance at the sanctum's doorway to ensure her continued solitude, Alinaya uttered a hasty incantation to extend the awareness of her senses past physical boundry.

"-says the girl attacked him last night as he was seeking monkswood near the forest. He also tells me Alinaya was...not herself."

"I am sure he says many things," Drayin retorted, his tone venemous with anger, "but his words are neither irrefutable truth nor law in these lands."

"No," Hralti said slowly, his voice also raising in anger, "but mine are, Drayin, and I will not allow you to shelter a monster! You will turn her over to my custody by next full moon, or face the consequences. And if she shows even a sign of transformation..." Hralti trailed off, his voice grim.

Drayin remained silent, apparently too furious to speak. Alaundo, taking advantage of his speechlessness, addressed the governer in his rasping growl of a voice.

"But he is likely sheltering the girl within his domain, Hralti. We could search the premesis and take her into custody now-"

"-but unfortunately, dear friend," Hralti responded, the dislike evident in his tone, and far too much emphasis placed on the two words for them to be truth, "-your word alone is hardly evidence enough to imprison the girl. Now, if the matter has been settled-" ere he paused, apparently waiting for disagreement, and continued when there was none, evidently satisfied, "-I have other pressing matters to attend. Good-day."

Alinaya heard the sounds of the governer's mount as it galloped alarmingly close to the window under which she crouched. Having drawn back long enough to ensure her presence would go unnoticed, she pressed her ear to the wall once more.

"-are lucky, Drayin, that Hralti has not yet forgotten the favor he owes you, else we might have seen her pretty little head roll today."

"You disgust me," Drayin spat, and Alinaya had a sudden vivid image of him clenching his fists in rage, "What reason have you to hate this girl? Why should you wish death upon my charge?"

"And you, Drayin," Alaundo responded in a silky tone, his manner composed, "are a fool to believe that it is her I seek to harm. You may have forgotten old feuds with the years, partner, but revenge has never been far from my mind. My, my though, how sentimental you have grown with age...I have seen the love between you and the girl. None of your previous charges earned such devotion, not even brave Farrell. How old was the lad when he died for you, fourteen years?"

Drayin spat on the ground at Alaundo's feet.

"What about the girl is so special, Drayin? Why do you protect her so?" Alaundo's tone had lost its silky quality; it was now serious, buisness-like, not entirely managing to conceal the unsteadiness beneath his words.

"You do not understand," Drayin said impatiently, some of his rage seemingly abated, "and fear power that is greater than your own, Alaundo. But the only thing I see to fear is you...a werewolf seeking shelter among mankind, using his infection as a weapon amongst them! I shall agree with you on one thing, however- I am a fool, to have ever trusted you again."

"Enough!" Alaundo yelled, his words carrying an inflection of insanity. "You will feel regret one day, Drayin. Perhaps two heads will roll next moon."

And, with a cold laugh, Alaundo turned on the spot and vanished, leaving Drayin's fist only empty air to collide with.

**************************************************

"What is special about me?"

"I cannot tell you that, Alinaya."

"Why was my mother murdered?"

"You are too young to understand!"

"Well isn't that convenient," Alinaya shouted, nostrils flaring, looking fit to breathe fire in her rage. "I'm more years than that Farrell character when he was old enough to die for you, but to understand my own past? To be given answers? My childish mind not be able to cope with that! I've only fought alongside you in battles, almost got killed by a werewolf - but clearly I am too young, too fragile, to recieve the truth!"

The young woman spun away from Drayin with an angry huff, knowing that to look him in the eyes now would bring the tears that would only make her appear weak. She glared instead at the copy of Magicka Arcanum which still lay, staring up at her, on Drayin's table. The longer she gazed upon the sigil of the unseeing eye, the greater her fury became - how much this blank, blind eye reminded her of herself, and how she could not see the truth she longed to know.

"Alinaya, I-"

"I'm not interested in hearing your excuses."

"Daughter, please, you don't understand..."

"And that's just it, isn't it Drayin? There's so many things I don't understand...so many things I need to know. But you won't tell me."

A lengthy silence stretched the seconds between them, until it seemed even time's elasticity would give. Alinaya finally faced Drayin again, her violet eyes blazing.

"But the joke is on Alaundo, isn't it? I'm not a werewolf, so his little plan-"

"Alinaya, you were bitten."

The young woman's expression slowly transitioned from anger to horror as the meanings of these words dawned upon her. How much, in that moment, she yearned for the comforting embrace of her adoptive father's arms - but she held back, not wishing for him to see just how vulnerable she truly was without his guidance and love. Alinaya strode instead to the single window, peering out at the leering eye of the moon. The familiar weight of Drayin's hand fell on her shoulder, and, despite her resentment, Alinaya drew comfort from the touch.

"Daughter, I can understand and...accept your hatred of me from denying you truth." He seemed a different man, transformed as drastically in the few hours since Alaundo's visit as Alinaya would be by the next full moon. The dispute with his daughter had extinguished the fire of his empassioned clash with Alaundo; now, he looked like nothing more than a lonely, defeated old man, and Alinaya's heart went out to him, her bitterness drowned in a sea of pity, concern, and most of all love for the only father she knew. "But I must ask you to put such thoughts and questions aside, even if- even if the feelings remain. There is much work to be done, and not nearly enough time in which to do it, I'm afraid."

She quirked an eyebrow at him inquisitively.

"There is a story I must tell you first, however, for your sake as well as my own. You must hear this, Alinaya, for you will soon be venturing into the realm of magic, a powerful and dangerous weapon, and I do not wish you to repeat the mistakes of this tale.

"I met your father-" Drayin interrupted himself at the beginning of his tale, raising a hand to stifle the inquiries he saw in Alinaya's eyes as she opened her mouth to speak. "-and I must beg you to ask me no questions of him, Alinaya, for that will only lead to more questions, and those I cannot answer.

"I met your father about thirty years ago. I was a mercenary back then, a hired sword to protect whoever paid top coin. A noble outside Dempsey hired me one day. Said he was having problems with your father - Karum had a knack for drawing attention to  himself, see, and it usually meant trouble. I was no thug, but my pockets were almost empty, so I agreed to do him in for a hefty price, and pushed my conscience aside.

"Course, when I finally tracked him down, not only did I discover that he was way out of my league, but also that I'd been misinformed," Drayin said gruffly, his displeasure still apparent even after years had passed. "Karum, he didn't know a single noble, nor did he deal with their kind - you'dve known why, had you seen him." A smile tugged at the corners of Drayin's grizzled beard.

"So it turned out he'd done that noble no wrong, and the price on his head was put there so that, once he was dead, the filthy rich liar could claim it as his son's good deed, to turn everyone's eyes and ears from some scandal his family had been goin' through. Once I heard that, I could hardly agree with killing him - not that I could have managed, mind. Instead, I made it my task to defend your father - secretly of course, as Karum had told me to get lost if I valued my life. And sure enough, that noble didn't give up easy. He sent another couple mercenaries like myself - easy pickings for Karum - and then, a seasoned bounty hunter who managed to catch your father off his guard.

"And that's where I came in. Rescued Karum from the hunter with a well-placed arrow. He was so grateful that he asked me to travel with him to the Academy of magic in Telthoril. And when we got there, he spoke to the Archmage and got me in as a student. Don't ask me how he knew it had been my life's dream to study magic, but I was thankful for the chance, and even more so when he took me on as his own apprentice.

Here Drayin's gaze made a shift from dreamy and distant to hollow. Alinaya could tell from personal experience that he was no longer merely retelling the past - he was reliving it.

"For years I studied underneath Karum. He taught me alot of magic...powerful, dangerous spells his kind were not supposed to share. Magic I would have likely been better off never knowing. He trusted me, though - another of his mistakes, as I still believe to this day.

"Karum had asked that I never perform one of these spells in another's presence, but I was young and defiant. My colleague, Alaundo, asked to see this magic with what I assumed was innocent curiousity. I should've seen the thirst for power in his eyes, but I was a fool.

"Alaundo was so impressed with the sheer destructive force of the spell that he immediately tried it himself. I tried to stop him...but he lost control. And the flames...they blazed across the countryside...burned down a home in the nearby village...

"Alaundo feared the consequences of his foolishness. I told the Archmage at the Academy what he had done, and Alaundo was promptly expelled - which, as you witnessed today, he loathes me for still. But it did not end there. Karum had witnessed the destruction, and sought me out for answers. He overheard my conversation with the Archmage and hunted Alaundo down, his desire for retribution making him reckless.

"He did not expect what was to come. Alaundo...he used Karum's own magic against him. And Karum...he was not quick enough, he could not prevent it..."

Drayin's words were barely intelligible between sobs.

"All he could do was contain it...it would have destroyed everything - the village, the academy, even Alaundo. But Karum...he sacrificed his life. He saved us all.

"Mea Culpa, Karum. I failed you..."

**************************************************

Alinaya could barely stand upright but, drenched in sweat and struggling to maintain a grip on her weapon, she forced herself to keep moving. Her every step mirrored her opponent's as together they circled - Alinaya determined not to present a moment's weakness, her foe awaiting just that. Already she bled freely from a number of minor cuts - another mistake could mean her defeat.

Suddenly she stumbled, and with a flash of steel her opponent rushed forward.

"Ouch!" Alinaya cried as the flat end of Drayin's blade rapped her wrist, causing her to drop her sword. Tears streamed out of the corners of her violet eyes as she cradled her arm. "That hurt, Drayin!"

Once Drayin would have rushed to embrace Alinaya at the sight of her tears, or at least hurried to assure himself that her injury was not severe, but those days had passed. Though his love for Alinaya was no less, and his heart ached at the distance he was forced to keep betweem them, subtle changes had recently been made in their relationship. Alinaya was an adult now in his eyes, bearing an adult's burden, and he could not afford to coddle her with her very life at stake.

"You can't let your guard down, Alinaya," Drayin spoke solemnly. Your enemy will not relent if you are fatigued. You must build up your stamina, keep them constantly on the defensive, and tire them out first."

Alinaya gave him a doleful look.

"Easy for you to say," she grumbled. "You kept me up all night practicing those spells, and you've been drilling me since sunrise."

"Relax, Alinaya. You performed very well for that being your first duel."

"Why the swordwork anyway, Drayin? I thought you were supposed to be training me how to magically prevent transformations?" Alinaya pushed her sweat-dampened hair out of her eyes and leaned on the hilt of her sword wearily.

Drayin sighed.

"But in order to do that, Alinaya, you must first possess a discipline of body and mind. That is the purpose of these lessons, daughter - the more control you have over each individual muscle, the more you have over your body as a whole. Such control will enable you to prevent the monthly transformations."

Alinaya remained silent. With the full moon looming ever closer, her potential fate was not something she wished to consider. Already she had been training for a week - and despite long, arduous sessions with both spell and sword, she had so far experienced no success. She was still unable to throw off Drayin's spells of transformation, and was growing quite weary of being turned into a sheep every night.

Drayin had been observing Alinaya's inner musings, lines of concern etched into his brow. He feared that he might be pushing Alinaya too hard, and that she would give underneath the pressure. However, at the same time, Drayin feared the consequences of not pushing her hard enough. Shielding his eyes with one hand, he looked up at the sun and gestured to Alinaya.

"We're due in the library, Alinaya. There's a new incantation I'd like you to try."

How he hated to see her face, which had once been beautiful and joyous with a child's innocence, now weighted with such sorrow and anxiety that she appeared twice her years. Alinaya's mind reflected her appearance; she felt more aged than Drayin as she followed him back to the cottage, her muscles stiff and screaming their protest with each step, her hope bleak.

**************************************************

Alinaya could feel her body beginning to change; it was a curious, tingling sensation that spread from the extremities of her body inward, as if she were going numb. Her mind, too, yielded - thoughts becoming fuzzy and incoherent, speech impossible.

"Concentrate, Alinaya! Feel your body - it is your own, not a beast's! Control it!"

She rose into a stand, face flushed with shame. Alinaya didn't need to guess as to how she had wound up on the library's floor on her hands and knees. She had failed again. With only a week until her sentence would be determined, all panic had subsided, and only resignation remained. In her heart, Alinaya was already dead.

Her eyes could not meet Drayin's as she steeled herself for another attempt. Drayin was speaing words of encouragement that Alinaya could not hear. Her focus was turned inward as she mused over this morning's swordplay session and how she'd finally managed to disarm him. If only these lessons could be making such good progress.

Again came the feeling of being immersed in warm water, spreading throughout her body, forecasting the impending transformation. Alinaya disregarded it, still reenacting the glorious moment of her victory against Drayin in her mind. She could feel it again...her muscles responding before the thought...mind and body working in perfect harmony...

"Alinaya!"

She finally became aware that the tingling had receded. Her mind in too much shock to grasp the reality of what had occured, she turned her bleary gaze to Drayin.

"You did it, Alinaya! You prevented the transformation!"

At last, everything clicked into place in the depths of her mind. She had! Alinaya stood before Drayin, and her mind and body were her own! She flexed the fingers of a hand in front of her eyes, never so overwhelmed, never so aware of the beauty and miracle of the human body - of her body - as she was in that moment. In jubilation, the recent chasm between Drayin and Alinaya was bridged, and she threw herself into his arms once more, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Alinaya..." spoke Drayin, his voice somewhat choked, after he had finally overcome the shock from her sudden rush of affection. "I am sorry that I kept such a distance from you. I was afraid, Alinaya, afraid that my love would blind me into sheltering you from any possibility of success.

"Alinaya, you are not the daughter of my blood, but you have always been the child of my heart. I was afraid I would lose you, Love, and that fear caused me to act like a fool.

"I love you Daughter, and I promise...nothing will ever come between us again."

"I love you too, Father," Alinaya breathed, burying her face deeper, as if by shielding her eyes from seeing, she could prevent tears.

"I will always protect you, Alinaya," Drayin completed, feeling the emotion swell within his heart, which would surely burst soon.

Alinaya wept tears of joy and sorrow, love and pain. Drayin's soon followed.

**************************************************

The eve of the full moon arrived, dank and chilly. A light mist permeated the air, weaving phantoms who whispered sinisterly (or perhaps it was merely the wind, toying with the leaves) as Alinaya strode in Drayin's wake. The tension invited by their silent passing was thicker than the fog; it hung before Alinaya, a tangible cloud, obstructing her senses and hindering her ability to breathe.

Perhaps this was the reason Alinaya did not note that the sun was setting until it had sunk well below the tops of the trees, and all that remained of the fiery orb were the orange and yelllow hues it had spilled into the sky, slowly fading into blackness. One by one the familiar stars peeked out from behind this ashen blanket, until all their faces shone down upon her.

This sight did nothing to comfort Alinaya - rather, it made her even more distressed as she realized that soon, the moon would rise into view among those glittering diamonds, and her moment of truth would arrive with it. Alinaya's heart fluttered like a captured bird within the cage of her ribs as the familiar voice of the governor hailed them from among the trees.

"Over here, Drayin! Bring the girl."

He indicated a pair of armor-clad men, whom Alinaya presumed were his bodyguards. At the gesture, the men rose from the side of the fire that crackled merrily in the forest clearing, and took positions on either side of Alinaya. She felt a thick rope wind its way around her ankles and wrists, binding them tightly together so that she could not move. A wad of cloth was also forced into Alinaya's mouth, gagging her so that she could not speak.

She glared reproachfully at Hralti.

"Sorry," he grunted. "Can't risk any of us getting bitten."

There was a tug on the rope binding Alinaya's arms and legs, and she observed the two guards tying the loose end securely around the trunk of a tree.

"What's all this," Drayin spoke, his tone agitated. "Why are you treating my daughter like a beast?"

"The accusations against her...quite serious...surely you understand..." Hralti met Drayin's furious gaze and muttered something about 'precautionary procedures' before falling into an abashed silence.

"It's no better than she should be treated, Drayin," a voice growled from the shadows of the forest. Aluando emerged from the trees.

Drayin looked, if possible, more furious still.

"What are you doing here, Aluando?" He spat. "Your business with this case is done."

"It was Hralti's request, not my desire, that brought me here Drayin," Aluando retorted - and indeed, the scowl on his face plainly illustrated his displeasure at being within arm's reach of Drayin once more. Drayin was clearly thinking along the same lines; his fists were clenched at his sides, and only the governor's presence prevented him from springing upon Aluando and thrasing him. Hralti glanced between the two men, his mouth thin, but made no comments.

The clearing was bathed suddenly in a silvery glow, and the eyes of all raised to the perfect circle of moon that had cleared the treetops. Moonlight illuminated the men's expressions; Drayin's anxious, Aluando's smug, the remaining three uneasy. Everyone save Drayin edged away from Alinaya as her body stiffened suddenly, the luminescence of the moon surrounding her like an aura. Her limbs twitched rapidly and she fell to her knees, feeling the curse seek to grip both mind and body. She warred against it, concentrating on the feeling of the grass beneath her palms. Slowly, ever so slowly, the darkness of her soul receded, and she tilted her chin upward to observe the men.

Hralti turned his back to her finally, triumph in his expression.

"Cleared," he announced, "Of the charge. Untie her, men."

A sudden snarl cut through the gloom. While everyone's attention had been turned to Alinaya, Aluando had transformed. Hralti gaped at the wolf before him, standing upon its hind legs, upright, like a man. His bodyguards rushed forward, shielding the governor's body with their own, but it was not Hralti that Aluando's scarred face turned toward - it was Drayin. Alinaya struggled against her ropes, screaming curses at the werewolf, pleading with the men to free her, but it was as if all the creatures in the world, with the exception of herself, had been paralyzed.

As she fought the ropes that bound her, an inward battle went ignored. With no force holding it back, the curse took a hold of Alinaya, and it was an auburn-furred werewolf that raged at the end of her bonds. The roots of the great tree creaked ominously, and the branches swayed, raining leaves down upon the beast. Alinaya took no notice, but struggled harder still, and with a great snap, the frayed ends of the rope fell to the ground, and Alinaya drove her shoulder into Aluando's just as his jaws snapped closed on Drayin's throat. He was thrown backwards, but managed to twist his body in midair like a cat, landing upon all fours facing Alinaya.

Alinaya and Aluando glared at each other, fangs exposed in a silent snarl. Where there was only madness in Aluando's eyes, Alinaya's retained clarity and reason. Her body's thirst for revenge against this man who had hurt Drayin might have weakened it to the curse of lycanthropy, but the desperate grief within her mind kept the same curse at bay, enabling her to think as a human, despite her lupine body.

The dark-furred werewolf sprang suddenly for her throat and Alinaya, whose two conflicing natures of human and beast had been waging war upon one another, had no time in which to react. She was knocked upon her back by the impact, front legs pinned beneath Aluando's so that she could not deflect his attack. Dagger-like teeth gripped the folds of skin and fur of her neck, but were unable to penetrate the life-vein beneath. Alinaya panicked as she felt Death brush so close, and redoubled her efforts to unseat Aluando, thrashing her limbs. Her hind claws found the flesh of Aluando's belly and dug in deeply, but aside from a grunt of pain and a tighter vise on her throat, the werewolf offered no reaction. Alinaya's struggles ceased as her air was slowly cut off, then instinct seized control of her actions, and Alinaya, turning her head with the reflexes of a viper, snapped her jaws shut on Aluando's foreleg with such force that a sickening crunch resounded throughout the clearing.

Aluando's teeth grip relented immediately, and Alinaya took advantage of his shock to shove upward with both sets of legs, throwing the other wolf off. He did not attempt to regain his feet, but remained there, crumpled upon the ground in defeat. His piteous whimpers did little to awaken her sense of humanity - having tasted her foe's blood, Alinaya's mind, too, had given into bestial ways. She advanced toward Aluando slowly, a predator stalking her prey, the very purpose in her step foretelling Aluando's death.

Her fangs were inches from his yielding flesh when the ragged gasp sounded from the grass yards away. Alinaya turned her head, and the sight her eyes were met with instantly restored her mind. Leaving Aluando to whine his pain to the merciless night, she rushed to Drayin's side.

His jugular was torn clean open, and much of his blood already ran a red stream in the grass. The auburn werewolf knelt before Drayin, taking his head in her paws, and gazing into the depths of his eyes, where the brilliant sheen of life had now gave in to darkness. A werewolf's howl gave way to a girl's anguished sobs as Alinaya resumed her human form, the curse retreating as the lust for revenge - and the only father she had even known - died.

**************************************************

The first rays of the sun had brushed the sky, their tips the palest lavender, when Alinaya's vigil was interrupted by a gentle tap on her shoulder. Releasing her gentle hold of Drayin's cold, still hand, Alinaya turned to face Hralti.

Hralti's first thought was of how terribly aged Alinaya appeared since the events of the previous night. In fact, beneath the grime of dirt and tears, the girl's face was pale and waxen, and quite as lifeless as Drayin's. The loss of mentor and foster father had, no doubt, left a profound impact on her. Hralti knew how close the pair had been - like father and daughter. They'd overcome many hardships together. When Drayin had first settled here after the mishap at the Academy, he had spoken to no one. His personality then had been that of a hardened warrior - cold, distant, and weary. Shortly thereafter, the girl had arrived, and over the years her love had softened Drayin's heart.

"Alinaya, I cannot express how deeply sorry I am for your loss. I know Drayin was like a father to you, and I feel as if the weight of his death rests upon my shoulders. Had I not been so blind to Aluando's hatred for him..."

"Hralti, please," Alinaya interjected. "Do not blame yourself. You were bound by your duty to law and land...and still are," she finished quietly. Her eyes had dropped to the sword at Hralti's side. A layer of blood encrusted the blade - had Aluando met his fate already?

The governor allowed his gaze to follow Alinaya's. Alunado's execution had been swift, carried out at first light. His people would not allow the plague of a werewolf to live among them. With a resigned expression, Hralti drew his sword. Alinaya closed her eyes expectantly, unafraid - in death, she would be reunited with Drayin.

Hralti thrust the sword downward with all his might. Alinaya's eyes flew open and she saw the hilt of the sword quivering, its blade buried deep in the ground inches before her. Hralti had turned away.

"I told Drayin that I would not shelter a monster. You are no monster, Alinaya, despite what you have become. You fought to defend the man you loved as a father, and I cannot fault you for that.

"The people of these lands knew a werewolf was to be executed, and witnessed it. They need not know that there was another."

"Hralti, I-" Alinaya stammered.

"I ask only one favor of you in return for your life, Alinaya." Hralti glanced over his shoulder at the girl kneeling beside Drayin's lifeless body. She thought she saw the gleam of tears in his eyes. "Leave here, Alinaya, and do not return. You understand why."

Alinaya nodded in silence, her throat aching too much for speech. She took one long, last look at Drayin. His unseeing eyes stared blankly back, and the image of a leather-bound book embossed with a strange sigil flashed before her memory, then was gone. Rising unsteadily to her feet, without the courage to look back, Alinaya left the forest clearing - and the only life she had ever known - behind.

**************************************************

She approached the smoldering house slowly, heart beating a frantic tattoo against her ribs. Her eyes roved through the destruction, searching. The ashes were still hot beneath her bare feet as Alinaya stepped into the wreckage, but she took no notice - her every sense was on a still form half-concealed by a fallen support beam. With a keening wail the child fell to her knees, crying out, 'Motheerrr!' Then she glimpsed the familiar lined face, and the grizzled beard, and it dawned upon Alinaya that this could not be her mother...she had died years ago...

Alinaya woke with a start, still inhaling deeply the vivid, overpowering smells of charred wood and death from her dream. Night had fallen since she had stopped to rest; it wrapped itself around her, a dusky cloak, until she felt that it would suffocate her.

As the dream slowly retreated to the dark recesses of her mind, a new and more terrible truth surfaced. She was alone. Alinaya groped around, as if finding a tangible object to hold would strengthen her resolve. Her fingertips brushed the cold steel of a sword's blade and she pulled it close, almost caressing the weapon. Before her departure from Jalud, she had visited Drayin's dwelling to gather her possessions for the journey. At the last moment, however, she had forsaken her own blade for Drayin's. It was a comfort to hold something that had been so close to him, and Alinaya knew he would have wished her to inherit it.

The weight of her solitude pressed heavily down upon Alinaya, and the thought of continuing through life without Drayin's sympathetic, insightful guidance made living a burden. Alinaya slumped to the ground, sobbing in grief. She wished she could erase the happenings of this past month, she wished Drayin was still alive - or that she were dead. Anything would be better than being so alone, so lost.

Lost? Alinaya raised her tear-streaked face to the heavens, and remembered the words Drayin had spoken the night they had created the stars. Let the stars guide you, my daughter, and beneath them, you will always be home. Lifting a trembling hand, Alinaya traced her finger through the sky, as she had in a past that now seemed as distant as the stars. A picture of a great warrior slowly took form - Alinaya's final expression of love for the man who had been teacher, guardian, and father.

Her sorrow now somewhat abated, Alinaya rose to her feet and began to pack her belongings into the rucksack she carried. She could not bear to sit still another moment - as if she could outdistance memories and tears, Alinaya was soon on her way, walking at a steady pace through the darkness. She did not know exactly where she was headed, but intuition kept her in the path of the brighest star, the Eye of the North.