Role

Chapter 3

It came suddenly and without warning. The whole House of Mal'Akith Verth
would have been slaughtered if not for Undaraxyl's late night kitchen
foraging. She had awoke around midnight, her stomach bemoaning a lack of
sustenance, and had walked through the deserted halls towards the kitchens.
The candles had been snuffed for the night and only the nebulous glow from
the magical orbs her mother had created shed any light. Not that she needed
them, her eyes were as keen as a cavefisher, even picking out the lifeglow of
the guards in the foyer as she headed down the back stairs. On entering the
darkened kitchen she pulled over a three-legged stool, and used it to climb
up to the pantry cabinet, it was here she knew the cook kept the candied
sweetmeats, the quarry of her hunt. No sooner had she opened the jar to revel
in her prize when a dull 'click' filled the room. She froze, there would be a
whipping if she was caught in petty theft, or at best a stern rebuking from
the cook if it was she who discovered her, but when she glanced around there
was not guard, cook nor mother in sight. Instead she could see the lifeglow
of someone rising up from the floor, like a spectre from a tomb. Then
another, and another, three in total entered from below the ground and
heading straight for the stairs, not a one looking back to see her frozen
like a statuette on the counter-top. On silent feet they moved into the
house, and with agonizing clarity Undaraxyl heard the gurgles of the house
guards, in her mind's eye she imagined the slash of the blade which opened
their throats. She knew only too well what was afoot, she had been warned
about such nocturnal 'political' activities, but the plan was always to leave
by the secret door behind her mirror, which lead to the school her uncle, the
archmage. However that was no longer an option of flight. She stared at the
black square of darkness in the floor, what lay beyond she did not know, but
what lay within the walls of her house was certain, and she did not relish
that option.