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[Mallory Ventrue]

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(Warning, this is long and a bit graphic.)

Mallory was lying on the shore of Minoc looking over the cliffs at the boats. She turned her face to the sun and let it warm her. She heard a familiar, low voice call to her and she turned towards it. What she saw caused her heart to skip a beat. There was Vaen. She shook her head in disbelief and smiled as she walked towards him. She reached her hand out to him, happy to see him and eager to tell him all of the news, but he shook his head slightly. Puzzled she pulled her hand away and tilted her head as he began to speak to her…”Mallory… I was sent here with a special purpose. You are an incredible woman. I knew that when I was alive and many people know it now. The only one that has never known it has been you. That is about to change. Do you remember how my life was spared when I was thrown to the void? It is your life that is now being spared. You have much left to do in your life. Do not live in the past, and do not worry about the future. Live for the present and do not regret a minute of your life. I do not regret my life. I lived and I loved and was loved by others. I could not ask for more. Do not hold onto anger and do not regret your life…”

Mallory shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked around and back at Vaen only to find he was no longer there. She buried her head in her hands and suddenly felt a soft tap on her shoulder. When she turned her breath caught in a gasp. There stood Mister Poet, the man that had very much been a father to her. The tears streamed freely now. He smiled softly and began to speak to her. ”Why do ye cry me poppet? Poppa bear is here, always watching over you me precious dove. Ye have made me very proud. Your time is not over and you have much left to do. Do not cry any longer for me, poppet. I am where I belong and you are as well. You have a tender heart that is yearning to be loved and yet you fear the pain of it being broken. Your young heart has already known pain, and for that I am sorry me dove. Do not fear the pain you have endured, but welcome the joy that is promised... “

Mallory could stand it no longer and she ran to hug Poet, but he was no longer there. She collapsed in a heap on the ground and laid her head on her arms. She could no longer contain all of the tears she had held in for so long. Her sobs became softer and Mallory sensed someone else was there with her. She looked up quickly and standing before her was a woman in a soft white cotton dress, with a glow about her. Mallory recognized her… she was her mother. She had died when Mallory was still very young, but the scent of lavender and the sea brought memories rushing back, of her mother holding her close and singing to her softly. Her mother reached out as if to touch Mallory, but drew her hand back. She smiled softly at Mallory with tears in her own eyes. ”My darling daughter… How I wish I could be there to watch you as you have grown into the beautiful young woman you are. So much of what we do, we do in the names of children; our own and those everywhere whose world we may destroy if we if we hesitate for a moment to stand tall and resolutely with our convictions. Sometimes, the words we share with those we most love inspire those still silent most of all. You have become someone that many will remember. You have made me very proud. Never think otherwise, no matter what anyone may tell you or say. Always follow your heart, let it be your guide, no matter where it may lead. You will never be alone.”

With those final words the vision began to fade and Mallory was left alone not on the shores of Minoc, but in a strange and dark room trying desperately to piece together all that had come to her. She tried to sit up, but the sharp pain in her stomach reminded her of the horror that had come to her the night before…

Mallory returned from Vesper, having dropped off a surprise for her beloved Smiticles on his writing desk. She had mischievously contemplated staying until he returned home, but she seeing as she had a few things to finish in Sanctus, she returned to the Hostel, hoping perhaps he would come and seek her out when he found the gift. When she arrived she found Sanctus quiet and no one within the hostel. She sat close to the fire and pulled out some paper and began writing. She looked up as Lord Jonas and a lady that Mallory had seen him with before entered. She smiled and said hello to them both, but they seemed engrossed in their own conversation so Mallory remained where she was and continued writing her plan for the coming year in Sanctus.

She finished her writing and was debating on retiring to her quarters or returning to Vesper to surprise Smiticles when there was a commotion at the door of the Hostel. She looked up as the leader of the skulls entered the room and made his way to her table. She looked up at him evenly and asked him simply if she could help him. She had been told that earlier their treaty had been broken, so seeing him in Sanctus was not a good omen. She stood up slowly and warily looked around as she was surrounded by other members of the Ebon Skull. She looked to Lord Jonas as he began to stand and then to one of the military personnel that she noticed was there. She asked the soldier to go get the others that were patrolling the town, but before he could take even three steps he was brought down by one of the lich lord’s minions. Mallory watched as they continued and brought down Lord Jonas. She reached for her sword only to have her arm painfully pulled behind her. The lich lord leaned in closely and hissed, “You have mocked us… you have come and insulted us… the treaty is now broken and we will make all larkal'da suffer for their insulting behavior."

With that a portal was opened and the lich lord grabbed Mallory by the hair and with incredible strength dragged her as she kicked and screamed the entire way. They made their way though an intricate passage way to a small room that smelled of mold and blood and horror. Mallory saw the bloodied instruments strewn about the room and her stomach churned as the room about them began to spin out of control. She again tried to run away, but one of the minions picked her up and laid her on a cold slab table. She kicked out at him as hard as she could muster, catching him squarely in the jaw. He grunted from the force of the blow. One of the other minions that were binding Mallory backhanded her across the face sending her head slamming onto the hard table. The pain from the blow caused Mallory to cry out in pain and a small trickle of blood began to come from her nose. The lich lord looked at Mallory and shook his head. “You will suffer for your sins, larkal'da. Don't make it worse on yourself.” Once her arms and legs were bound to the table the lich lord proceeded to slice her shirt so her stomach was exposed to them all. Mallory screamed and screamed for help until her voice was hoarse. He handed the dagger to one of the minions and hissed…“You may do to her as you wish, Ceinwyn…Make sure to save a few vials for me...”

Hearing the name Mallory’s eyes flew open and she began struggling again against the ropes. Her heart raced and her chest heaved up and down as Ceinwyn drew closer to her. Ceinwyn placed the dagger on a table behind her, and pulled out a bone harvester and beseeched the lich lord of what to do. The lich lord gave the instructions to cause her pain and scarring, but to leave her alive. Ceinwyn leaned down close to Mallory’s ear and began to whisper to her…

“Sweet little Mallory… always picking fights with me… Why did you never fight with Brianha? She was the one who took him…” As Mallory’s eyes filled with fresh tears a smile of satisfaction appeared on the lips of Ceinwyn. She then proceeded to slice more of Mallory’s shirt off of her, knowing the lack of modesty would almost do more damage and scar the young paladin more than the blade would. Mallory eyes widened with fear and pain as the lich lord brought out a dagger and began to lightly trace upon her stomach. He looked down at her, the orbs of violet energy in his eye sockets glowing wickedly. He dipped the dagger into a liquid and began to trace the image of a skull on her stomach. The liquid burned as acid and several times Mallory screamed in pain. Ceinwyn continued to whisper in Mallory’s ear, saying horrible things. Suddenly she brought the bone harvester to Mallory’s arm and dragged the tip of it along her arm where her previous scar had been from an encounter with the Ebon Skull…

Mallory was suddenly aware of noise and commotion below them and she mustered all the energy she had left and began screaming. Someone placed a hand over her mouth and all she could think to do was bite as hard as she could, for which she was promptly backhanded. The lich lord opened a portal and grabbing her up and carried her through and shackled her to a cold pillar in a dark room. Mallory looked up at him and pleaded quietly for him to stop the torture, to which he answered “You would not stop with us, larkal'da.”

He removed a dagger and held her leg and began once again tracing runic symbols into her leg. She pleaded with him for no more. He looked at her, his eyes again glowing, and told Mallory to say etheng, to praise oblivion and the one truth. Mallory shook her head defiantly, saying she would never praise a lie. To this the lich lord replied, ”then it will be spelt on your body…”Mallory once again struggled, the knife cutting at her flesh, but with the other foot knocking the knife from the lich lords hand to the ground. The lich lord stood and looked down at her only a few moments before backhanding her with incredible force, causing her head to hit the stone pillar and knocking her unconscious. By the grace of the virtues she did not remember what happened next, until she was lying on the grass of the cathedral in Sanctus…

When the sun began to filter through the windows of the room she was in, Mallory struggled to open her swollen eyes. She looked down to see a cat sleeping contently at her feet and she raised the blankets to examine her injuries. The bruises would fade in time, and there were no broken bones. The scars on her legs and stomach were barely noticeable, but the pain remained. She gingerly touched her hand to her face, her face still swollen, but not nearly as it had been when she was brought home last night. Bits and pieces of the evening came back to her, and she pulled the covers up closer to her. Feeling the disturbance the cat opened his eyes and looked at Mallory quizzically. She patted the bed next to her and he came up and she stroked his soft fur, not realizing she was crying until he sniffed her nose and gently licked a few of the tears away. She brushed the tears away and continued to pet the cat until she was back asleep, fighting the horrors in her dreams.
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Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them but you always know they are there...

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