Sanria woke to the sound of pages being turned. She opened her eyes a bit and watched as Carlaugh leafed through her book, reading - undoubtedly - her private entries. She sat up as he looked at her. "Quite a collection of thoughts."
"Private thoughts," she said, reaching over to take the book from him.
"They make you seem - lost."
"I suppose there are a lot of times when I am."
"Sanria-"
"How do you know my name?"
Fenlauch chuckled and pointed at the book. Sanria felt a twinge of shame.
"Right," she said.
"I believe it's time for you to go."
"But you haven't even told me where I am or what you are."
"We have been here a very long time. Since the fall of your forest and the spawn of the demons. We've been watching and keeping our eyes upon your material plane."
"What forest?"
"Your kind here know it as Myth Drannor, I believe."
"But... why?"
"Balance," Fenlauch answered matter of factly. "We keep balance - from here, to every corner of every plane. Good, evil - it matters not so much that one should not outweigh the other and bring about destruction."
Sanria sat up a bit more, staring at Fenlauch. "You keep balance - and nothing more?"
Fenlauch inclined his head with a small smile. "It is our destiny."
"Does that mean you have balance in your personal life?"
"That I do believe is personal - but it is the nature of my kind. Yes."
"Can you teach me?"
The question hung in the air, Sanria leaning forward, her face showing a measure of desperation. Fenlauch stood up and let out a sigh. He touched a symbol on his armor. "Enmach - a word." From the air, the silver woman shimmered into view, bowing deeply. "She wishes me to teach her. Balance."
Enmach glanced at Sanria, her mouth parted slightly. "Sir, you have a kind heart, but this is no place for one of the material plane."
"I promise you," Sanria began, "I will not interfere, but if you could teach me... I could help others learn."
"Sir-"
"And you will not interfere, but one alone cannot learn the balance we seek. You will have to find others to balance your search."
"Sir, are you inviting-" Enmach began, but found herself cut off.
"Evil cannot exist without good, nor good without evil - for they must have one another to define themselves."
"I don't understand..." Sanria said.
"Through creating balance, you find truth, and when you find truth, you will know how to create balance. When you can create balance, you can spread truth. And when you spread truth and balance, harmony is attained."
"But I don't know where to begin, my life is in shambles right now and I would love to find harmony but there isn't any to be had."
Fenlauch smiled. "Meditate upon it in your times of turmoil and you will know." The man waved his hand and in an instant, Sanria was back in the forests, a light in her hand to brighten the night.
Advance Warning
"Why would you bring her here?"
"I couldn't leave her, it was my fault she got scared and bolted."
"With all due respect, Sir, you could have put her at the sawmill and her own kind would have looked after her."
"She was in the mist, Enmach."
"She wouldn't have found anything had you just let her be. You should just put her back where you found her."
"Your tone, Enmach."
"Sorry, Sir. I merely mean we could place her back below and have this all go away. I'm certain one of the concordants could even erase her memories."
"No!" Sanria sat up with a start and stared at the two beings - the gold one in armor that she had run from, and a silver woman, much like the one in the forests. "I won't have my memories wiped."
"Easy," said the gold man. "We won't hurt you." He reached out his hand and Sanria jerked back. She looked around the room for escape, but found nowhere to go. A window looked out over a manicured grounds and her path to the door was blocked by the two beings. "My name is Fenlauch. I mean you no harm."
"What are you?" Sanria asked, her heart thudding in her chest. "Celestial?"
The gold man chuckled audibly at this while the silver woman, Enmach, let out a hiss of contempt. "Far from it. You were wandering our woods."
"Your woods..." Sanria said, her voice trailing off.
"Well, our mists at least," Fenlauch said.
"Sir," Enmach interrupted, leaning to Fenlauch's ear. "Put her back and let us not get embroiled in their affairs."
"Enmach," Fenlauch said, "Will you excuse us please?"
"But... sir..."
The silver woman rose and bowed, her long silver hair sweeping the floor. She passed a look at Sanria before leaving the room. "Now. I found this in your bag. You'll pardon my searching it, but I did not want trouble." Fenlauch pulled out the book, 'Ideals behind Balance.' "Does this subject interest you?"
Sanria stared at the man, then the book, then back to the golden figure with brightly glowing eyes. She let out a long breath, sensing that the man truly did not mean her harm. "It... is something that I would love to have in my life."
"A great many of us would. How serious are you in seeking it?"
Sanria's eyes narrowed a bit as she sized up Fenlauch, who chuckled politely before setting the book down on the bed beside her. "Rest. You had quite a nasty row with that tree." He rose and walked to the door.
"Where am I?" Sanria asked.
"Safe," Fenlauch replied as he closed the door behind him.
Sanria got up from the bed and tried the door. It held fast, not locked, but simply unable to be opened. She walked to the bed and with nothing else to do, drifted into an uneasy sleep.
"I couldn't leave her, it was my fault she got scared and bolted."
"With all due respect, Sir, you could have put her at the sawmill and her own kind would have looked after her."
"She was in the mist, Enmach."
"She wouldn't have found anything had you just let her be. You should just put her back where you found her."
"Your tone, Enmach."
"Sorry, Sir. I merely mean we could place her back below and have this all go away. I'm certain one of the concordants could even erase her memories."
"No!" Sanria sat up with a start and stared at the two beings - the gold one in armor that she had run from, and a silver woman, much like the one in the forests. "I won't have my memories wiped."
"Easy," said the gold man. "We won't hurt you." He reached out his hand and Sanria jerked back. She looked around the room for escape, but found nowhere to go. A window looked out over a manicured grounds and her path to the door was blocked by the two beings. "My name is Fenlauch. I mean you no harm."
"What are you?" Sanria asked, her heart thudding in her chest. "Celestial?"
The gold man chuckled audibly at this while the silver woman, Enmach, let out a hiss of contempt. "Far from it. You were wandering our woods."
"Your woods..." Sanria said, her voice trailing off.
"Well, our mists at least," Fenlauch said.
"Sir," Enmach interrupted, leaning to Fenlauch's ear. "Put her back and let us not get embroiled in their affairs."
"Enmach," Fenlauch said, "Will you excuse us please?"
"But... sir..."
The silver woman rose and bowed, her long silver hair sweeping the floor. She passed a look at Sanria before leaving the room. "Now. I found this in your bag. You'll pardon my searching it, but I did not want trouble." Fenlauch pulled out the book, 'Ideals behind Balance.' "Does this subject interest you?"
Sanria stared at the man, then the book, then back to the golden figure with brightly glowing eyes. She let out a long breath, sensing that the man truly did not mean her harm. "It... is something that I would love to have in my life."
"A great many of us would. How serious are you in seeking it?"
Sanria's eyes narrowed a bit as she sized up Fenlauch, who chuckled politely before setting the book down on the bed beside her. "Rest. You had quite a nasty row with that tree." He rose and walked to the door.
"Where am I?" Sanria asked.
"Safe," Fenlauch replied as he closed the door behind him.
Sanria got up from the bed and tried the door. It held fast, not locked, but simply unable to be opened. She walked to the bed and with nothing else to do, drifted into an uneasy sleep.
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