The Silencing of Beauty

Blood dripped down her alabaster skin, slowly tracing a path of crimson to drip rhythmatically upon the cold, flagstone floor. Her childlike hands pressed futilely against the long ragged gash across her slender throat, trying desperately to stem the flow of her lifeblood. Those small, delicate hands, meant to play the ivory flute that now lay in the pool of her own blood, clutched at her ruined throat as her pale-blue eyes glanced into the face of her slayer. Her flawless lips parted slightly and she struggled to speak, her once melodious voice only able to produce a single hoarsely spoken word.

"Why...?"

The bard slumped to the flagstones, her beautiful voice silenced forever. The world seemed to stand still and take notice of such a beautiful soul's passing for the birds, chirping merrily a few moments ago, became silenced. Only the sound of blood dripping off an unsheathed blade could be heard in the secluded courtyard. The emerald hilted dagger, its wickedly curved blade now smeared with the blood of an innocent, was wiped clean on the fluttering cloak of the fallen bard. The dagger slid silently into its equally ornate sheath at the side of the woman's murderer. Orbs of complete emerald malice stared down at the pool of blood and the stained robes of the Sunite bard. Long white hair hung in a simple ponytail down his lithe shoulders, pulled back by an elaborate strand of spun emerald silk. A tall and imposing figure, he moved to stand over the diminutive elven woman and glanced down at her with a look of sadistic glee.

The darkly robed man wrapped a long fingered hand around the woman's holy symbol and pulled it off of her neck with a resounding snap of bone and silver. The symbol of Lady Firehair, splattered with the blood of one of her faithful, lost it's luster as it was pulled from it's rightful owner and placed in the hands of her killer. He smiled slightly, a pair of well-pronounced fangs hiding behind bloodless tiers. Her last word played over and over in his mind.

"Why...?"

"Why not...?" He asked quietly, his voice cultured and deeply intoned. There was a hint of a throaty chuckle in his voice as he placed the holy symbol into a well-made leather satchel at his side and turned on his booted heels. His measured footsteps were the only sounds in the courtyard as he departed, leaving the horror stricken gaze of the bard to stare after him.

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"Sabrina...I have something for your little collection..." Danon whispered softly into his lover's ear, his long tapered fingers playing across the ivory skin of her slender arm.

A quiet moan escaped Sabrina's crimson lips as the moon elf turned her gaze up at Danon. Her hand brushed a lock of her raven tresses from her eyes and she sat up, sinking back into the numerous pillows that they both lay upon.

"Mmmm...and which collection might that be...? You know I have many...such passions." Her sultry voice whispered back at him, hinting at the many other "meetings" such as this that she had arranged in the past...and not just with him.

Danon smirked playfully, well aware of the fact that she was not the most chaste woman in Arabel. Sabrina was good at her trades, whether it be pleasure or some other darker business. He kissed her forehead and stood amongst the silk sheets, his unclad form bathed in Selune's light that streamed in from the open windows of Sabrina's bedroom. His pale form was almost wraithlike against the backdrop of moonlight and his pointed fangs gave him the appearance of a vampire. Danon had once heard a bard compare him to such but the bard had been corrected. He moved across the thick midnight blue carpet to his satchel and pulled a leather wrapped item from its confines. He stopped briefly to partake of a settling glass of feywine and slide back into the silken harem of Sabrina's bed.

"I think you will enjoy this one...It's owner was quite the lovely singer. Pity she sang the wrong songs..." Danon chuckled maliciously, placing the bloodied pouch in Sabrina's outstretched hands.

She hastily opened the pouch and pulled the blood-splattered symbol of Sune out. The moon elf smiled deeply and threw her arms around Danon, kissing his pale neck hungrily. It was a hunger that could not be denied...nor would it be.

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Sabrina's rhythmic breathing reassured Danon that she was deep in trance and would not be disturbed by his stirrings. He glanced up at the wooden board nearby, the symbol of Sune now nailed to it and joining the other bloodied symbols of various goodly faiths. Danon could not help but smirk at Sabrina's collection. Perhaps it was a hobby he should take up himself, he thought as he pulled himself from the warm confines of Sabrina's bed. Perhaps he would keep the cleric instead of just the symbol. He did know a wonderful taxidermist. His dark mistress approved of his practices. Now it was time to see that she, too, was appeased in exchange for the vile powers with which she had graced him. Danon quietly dressed in his dark robes and fastened his sword belt around his waist. His twin bastard swords would come in handy once again for his absence from his home had surely not gone unnoticed. His wife was quite the bothersome one when it came to the business of his mistresses. No matter though, Danon thought, for soon that would come to an end. His marriage was nothing more than a social charade that was intact only for the sake of his reputation. His reputation, once that of a wild half green dragon sorcerer who fought to preserve Corymr, was now turning too dark to avoid notice. Mik had noticed, Mother May had noticed, Balthasar had noticed...even rage-blind Lanka, his wife of ten years, had finally begun to catch on. Perhaps Sabrina's talents as an assassin would be in need once again. Lanka needed to be dealt with one way or another.

"Goodbye Sabrina..." he whispered quietly as he slipped out of her door, off into the night and towards his waiting wife. Danon Emeraldstar's descent into darkness was complete and there was no going back now. Shar demanded devotion and tonight she would have it. A sacrifice would be made. What better sacrifice than a woman who had taken many of the Dark Lady's minions? Tonight would end in blood, one way or another.