Mature: Desert Moon

[Emora Deen]

Talon glanced up at Knight from where he stood urging them to go through in lines of two. He stepped away from a moment but insisted they keep the line going.

"We'll be done shortly," he advised the god.

[Soran Nightblade]

Sho hurried the others through until it finally came down to her and one younger boy. With the child tightly by the hand, she moved to the edge of the portal and looked back at Talon. She narrowed her eyes to scoop the gathering moisture back into them. "Goodbye, Talon," she said proudly.

Knight tilted his head from where he was watching at the edge of the room. He was curious about the child's frantic heartbeat.

[Emora Deen]

Talon stepped away from Knight and went to the portal where Sho stood. "Good bye, Sho," he replied, bending down to be eye-level with her. "I will visit you soon. Enjoy your new home. I opened it near the capital of Hajara. The people of Hajara are very warm and welcoming of all race. Some people say it is the birth place of all things, but I'm not too keen to believe in legend. I live off and on in the capital, so when I go back I will see you."

[Soran Nightblade]

Sho's expression shifted at his words. Confidence that hadn't been there since he disappeared into the portal earlier rebloomed in the color of her cheeks. "I will see you, then," she said carefully. She leaned forward and kissed him primly on the chin. Gripping the little boy's hand, she turned and stepped through the portal.

The light rippled as they passed through, and then they were all gone.

Knight crossed his arms and stepped toward Talon and the portal. He stopped next to the young vampire without looking at him. "A well crafted device," he acknowledged, his tone low.

[Emora Deen]

Talon touched his chin as he straightened and watched the portal ripple where Sho had been. He smiled faintly before turning his attention to the God. "It is the product of no sleep," he sighed, going to the rune in the center of the floor. "I'm surprised it worked. I half expected to end up in another world all together. But, its done. Now everyone has a home other than this wretched place."

Talon kicked his leg out and scraped his shoe across the chalk rune on the floor. As he destroyed it, the portal flickered and died. The young vampire straightened and turned his red eyes on the being made of his master, waiting for orders.

[Soran Nightblade]

"Don't tell me you tested that on yourself," Knight said flatly.

[Emora Deen]

Talon chuckled warily. "It was the best option considering... It worked. It was a risk, but it worked."

[Soran Nightblade]

"A stupid risk," Knight said, slamming the vampire into the wall with enough force to drive the air from his lungs. He didn't even need to incross his arms to do it. "How would your master react if you were suddenly gone completely over such a folly?" He demanded.

[Emora Deen]

Talon blinked, sucking in a hard breath though he had no need for it. He glared at Knight. "I don't know," Talon muttered. "Sometimes we take stupid risks... Vlad takes them, Tenele takes them, Atul takes them. It is in our nature."

[Soran Nightblade]

Knight's lip curled in disapproval. "You have barely begun to understand your nature. If you did, you would not presume to place yourself at their level.

[Emora Deen]

Talon smiled. "I know I'm not at their level," he admitted as he straightened against the wall. "I have more in common with the family dog than I do with them, but that's okay. That's why it was okay for me to risk what I did for Sho. So, instead of reminding me of my place, Knight, why don' we get my sister home to her daughter?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Knight didn't look amused as he turned away and released the invisible grip that was pinning him to the wall. "You overestimate your cleverness, and underestimate your importance to your master," he muttered as he turned to head back to where he'd left Tenele. As a combination of atul and vlad's sensibilities, he had a very mixed opinion of the newblood.


When he finally reached Tenele, he greeted her with a calm "it is time."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele smiled at Knight as she hoisted the bag that contained a combination her and Atul's things. She spotted her brooding brother just behind the God. She wasn't sure what the look on his face meant, but assumed it was from saying farewell to the girl he'd grown so fond of.

"Great," she sighed, moving to stand close to him. She took Knight's hand in hers. "Let's go to our daughter."

[Soran Nightblade]

Sinead carried a small domed tray down the hallway and knocked lightly on the child's door before pushing it open. "Dinner time, Tenara. I thought I would eat with you today," she said kindly as she entered.

Knight returned her grip on his hand. "Let us go," he said. His other hand reached out and took Talon's firmly. He gathered his focus for the extremely long jump he was about to make. Vlad would have needed a long series of smaller jumps to achieve this much distance. Knight focused instead on the palace in Lowight, the elegant throne room where Sinead held her council.

They disappeared in a flash. The darkness was long, much longer than usual with Vlad, but also smoother and less draining to the passengers. When they emerged, they were in Tenele's council chambers. The room was empty, as the council had already adjourned for the day. Only a few guards her the sound of their arrival and ran inside. "Who goes there!" one demanded, slowly recognizing Tenele and Talon Raider. He held his spear half-raised and tried to decide what to make of the third figure.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara looked up from her toys on the floor. Her blue eyes followed the queen as she entered the room. She went back to playing with the doll, instead of going to the food Sinead brought. She hung her head a little lower, silver hair falling all around her face as she hugged the doll to her.

Eventually the child rose up from the floor and carried her doll over to Sinead. "Cake?" she asked, sitting in one of the child-sized chairs at the child-sized table.

* * *

Tenele took a step in front of Knight. "He means you no harm," she told the Guards. "He is a friend. That is all." She reached out and took Knight's hand in her own. "We need to find Queen Sinead, do you know where she may be at the moment?"