The sun shorn high above them as they walked towards the entrance of the lake of the night. The ruins before marked the border between the rest of dales and the lake, few made this journey as Aziza was known for being a witch, second to none save Kalian herself. She had been in the dales for hundreds of years as she was immortal by some twist of the fate.



Arthion looked round a tree to see that the entrance of the ruins was not guarded by the mermen who had watched the entrance of the for those who wished to see the witch needed to pass him.



Arthion’s worry started to bloom in his heart amongst the love and lust for Geraldine he had in him “this cause for worry if the merman is not here then the chances could be that the witch Aziza has joined the queen forces or have been slain by that demon woman Vanessa. Or that the Kalian has come to slay us both and through are deaths to find all those who wish her death”.

His lover turned him a smile on her lips from the pact that her deal with the queen had worked.



“I’m glad that you see that your old lover Vanessa would lead you to your demise my love” she hissed to him reaching a hand to touch his face. Her desire for him and her lust was getting stronger than ever for Arthion, her thoughts went to that of her deal with Kalian for his love with Vanessa to turn to pure hate for love with her.

She stroked his check and he rubbed his face all around it with a smile on his lips as he did so.



He then grabbed her tightly and kissed her passionately. Arthion whispered in her ear “when we have slain Kalian we will marry with the keeper’s blessing and we will be happily web to grow old and watch are children have children” she giggled as she hoped that this would happen to them both or that she would have to join the Dalish.


After they had kissed and dreamt of their future together passing through the entrance off the ruins and running to the far east of the runs. Sand flow around their feet, into their hair and covering there skin in sand making their body’s look golden from the sand. There gaze fixed on to the merman who sitting near the edge of the surf, watching the waves on the lake.



Slowly she approached him in case it was a trick, illusion or disguise for them to be fooled by and captured by the blood eagles. Geraldine moved towards him “man of the sea tell us now or your life will be for fit to me for not telling me” Arthion skipped towards them muttering about what he would do with her when they on their own that night.



“do not take a tone of violence with me” he smiled slightly as he examined his new hair style in the reflection of the lake’s surface “if you wish to speak with my lady like that Werecat Amaris all you have to do is ask me.”



Anger flashed all over her body as she asked him with all her rage in her voice “then summon your mistress then so that I can speak with her instead of speaking with a fool like you” he stood and said with a smirk on his lips “why should I when she is coming hither to speak with you”



She blinked back her rage when she noticed that the mermen had been speaking truth from his lips. Aziza was swimming towards her gracefully through the water of the lake of night. Her yellow eyes looked up at the face Geraldine as she drew near.



Aziza arose from the lake to stand before them “well it is a strange pleasure I have been sent to give what a strange comfort of company. My old apprentice who could not take that pressure of power I tried to teach and the tail of fish joined to your flesh after you legs were cut off and the hero of the Dalish with is heart of the purest heart to all now but soon to be blacked by the shadow. Now what is you wish of me”



Arthion looked at the lake with a look of sadness he felt shy all of a sudden “we wish for your help with” Arthion whispered in response to Aziza's question, Aziza nodded and gestured for them to follow her down the beach towards the cauldron and her witchcraft implements.



When she reached their Aziza turned to them both “I know what you both seek” a shine were in her eyes with that statement “my aid with your quest for death and failure of both the queen and her plan to become a goddess but alas I cannot aid in this quest”



Geraldine’s anger that had vanished had resurfaced on her face and one the rest of her body with her refusal to aid them in their quest “why not? I have that idea that you are a coward and weakling to her will”



No anger flared in Aziza only sadness glowed in her eyes to see that anger although she sensed a change in her soul although she could not sense why this was. “I am afraid that I am for this will spell my end and that of my daughters from my own flesh would also meet in either hell and heaven”



A glance showed them Aziza's two daughters. A rumour had spread across the Dales about these daughters of Aziza. They were hardly ever seen by their mothers victors who always wished for something from her. Rumours said that they along with their mother visited a sister of Aziza on a island in the Boeric ocean where they sung to passing ships and brought sailors to their doom by their singing.



The youngest one of them turned her head to look at her mother with a look of fear and doubt. “we are leaving soon to are sister until the queen fails in her plan” she told them before getting hot water from the spring she was sitting in splashed into her face by her sisters tail.



“Why are you here Geraldine?” she asked her. An angry silence that came from Geraldine that did not stop her from continuing “you were my mother’s apprentice for a time until you changed when that witch of light came and persuaded you to become her own apprentice in secret but when you were truly going to become a sister to me you fled and turned your back on us all for the light”



The anger of Geraldine surfaced once more sending her lover into a shy silence “shut up you creature of darkness. I am here to speak to Aziza and not to you” the mermaid just smirked and fell silent.



Arthion raised his head as her rage became shame for her actions is this was not in character for her to do. With her rage cooled made his shyness fade also, he fixed his blue on eyes on those yellow eyes that were those Aziza “I wish that we has another to ask for help but you are our only chance. We all have been in the grip of fear around are necks sucking the hope out of us but I know that you are not sacred by this, please could you tell this why thus maybe so”



Worry was now apparent on her face making her slightly cute in a witch way. “a witch as myself has seen the tyrants of this realm come and pass with a rivers of blood flowing behind them and fear devouring those who live Galroa, the dales have suffered because of these to. The witch queen will be victorious and dominate this world, for the shadow will fall upon the world along with death for those who stand along with her. I wish I did not have to do this but I fear my demise”

She looked around to see Geraldine. Aziza still sense that something was changed with in not just Geraldine but Arthion but it felt more like vial over his soul. Geraldine's change to her manner may be caused to darkness but she was not sure what this meant for her.

Aziza decided until she had time to deal with this more carefully to forget about this, she raised her hand towards her workstation which caused a bright red light to appear and then vanish into the ether leaving behind a vial of golden liquid behind on there.



She pointed with a finger to direct their gaze to the vial “the witch queen needs this for her plan to make it complete with a death of a god to seal his power with in her making her the goddess of darkness. In that vial is hind’s blood, a deadly poison to mortals which would kill them in a week very painfully and also kills immortals by making them die most painfully and will take a while to kill the poor unfortunate victim but in this high dosage it will kill the victim in one to two days with a painful death”

Silence fell between the three of them, only the sounds of waves could be heard until a gasp of shock from Arthion broke the silence.



“you were planning to give this vile substance to the queen?” a nod from Aziza was the only sign of an answer she gave him. He could sense the anger that was about to come the mouth of his lover Geraldine “please witch, come with us and help us slay the or at least tell us how we could stand a chance” his request of her made her smile slightly, it seemed to have calmed down Geraldine.



Aziza eyes filled with a strange inner most glow as she smiled “with some due thought to your plight I will make the choice to give my aid but first I must become a woman who can walk on land as thanks to my powers I can move and breath on land in this form to a spell which behind these ruins of stone I can be on land but with the spell I may led you my aid and that of another”.



Blue magic started to twinkle around her body as her spell started to take effect on her almost instantly. Aziza did not answer Geraldine when she asked a question “who are you talking about?” no answer came to her as Aziza rose of the ground. With her magic taking effect on her making her keep silent so that she could concrete while Arthion and Geraldine watched with wonder.



More magic appeared around her body as the power of the spell increased. She did not wonder what would happen to her when the spell is complete as this would lead her on an adventure with them both. She usually used this spell for her own purpose when she wanted to leave her ruins and her palace which lay under the water of the lake of night.





Aziza was then transformed into bright blue flash of light making Arthion and Geraldine avert their gaze from the brightness of the light that was Aziza. Then suddenly the light vanished to reveal Aziza wearing a white dress now that her mermaid tail was gone making her now human.



A smile was on her lips as she saw the look of surprise and wonder on the face of Arthion at her new appearance. “you ... You look pretty” he told making her smile and Geraldine grip his hand. “now I can take you to she who can also aid you in the demise of Kalian and her plan.”



She led the way out of the ruins towards a dark path that lead into the darkness of the Arbor wilds. In those wilds is where not only did the headquarters of the blood eagles, the unholy temple and Shadow Daine were located in the dark wilds. Galroa was on the edge of the wilds with few daring to enter their depths since even when the witch queen was ruling their horrors in those dark trees.

It was the perfect place for someone to hide from the queen as she and her minions where weary about venturing to deep into the wilds but soon that may all change with the growing powers of queen’s minions.

Arthion wondered to himself of who Aziza was taking them to and what he should do his former lover Vanessa when he saw her again maybe kill her or torture her for he now wish all the pain that he could muster from his soul to fall upon her. Those thoughts kept him and his new lover Geraldine silent as they followed Aziza.