The Wicked Demesne of Butterfly Sunrider

Clack! Clack! Clack!

The cool, smooth ivory tiles clicked against each other as I and three others shuffled for my third mahjong game of the night. I was on a roll. My last game had finished before it had even begun with a "heavenly win" and the less serious players had either retreated to other, less competitive tables, back to their tea to lick their wounds, or if female, hovered around me like honeybees, buzzing with appreciation for every crafty move I made. They especially liked it when I flipped my chips downward along the knuckles of my hand. I was so buried in the part that I had started to wink back at them and let them pour my tea, peel my lychees, and pop the fruit's sweet white flesh into my mouth for me.

Magnos, I think, would have been pleased.

Eighteen stacks, two tiles high...

The dealer threw three dice. Next game, it would be my turn to deal, if I didn't clean everyone out first. I tented my fingers and took a moment to notice my current opponents.

The Dowager was one of my most stubborn opponents, an ancient but clearly wealthy woman that no one wanted to make eye contact with who sat across from me. She had kept changing in her jewelry for more chips and plum wine and was now almost completely bereft of any ornamentation beyond her sumptuous silken robes, tiny slippers and the little lion-faced dog that perched on her lap. The diminutive pooch looked vaguely familiar to me at the time, but I could not place where I'd seen him.

The Doctor sat to my left. The current dealer, she was a soft-spoken blind woman in what I guessed to be her early 30s. She wore a plum colored cap and matching robes. Despite her condition, her fingers were nimble and precise, and whispers I'd overheard led me to believe that she was a doctor!

The Thief, on my right, was a man said to be the leader of the Guild, a semi-criminal organization operating out of the Imperial City. Semi-criminal, as this new leader was weeding out the slave traders from his employ, but certainly had no problem with poisoners, thieves, or loan-sharks working under him. His personal bodyguard, a huge, bearded bear of a man wielding twin axes, drank heavily with a much shorter, skinnier and harried-looking man by his side at a table near to us. The Guild Leader didn't look like he needed the protection. His muscles rippled under his open, sky-blue vest. Strapped to his back were twin sabers, still sharp. His wits were as keen as his blades and his fingers were so quick, that I consciously kept my chips near so that he didn't surreptitiously make off with them.

The Doctor took four tiles to the the left of the divide. The rest of us followed suit until we each had twelve tiles. The Doctor slid a fingertip across her tiles and frowned. The Dowager looked at her tiles, looked at the board, looked at the tiles again and sighed wearily before pouring herself another drink. I looked at my tiles, did not smile, but sipped my tea and smacked my lips. I may have been cleaning up, but it was soon apparent that I still had a lot to learn about playing mahjong in Shou Lung.

The Thief watched me closely, smiled to himself, and then called over his shoulder, "Hou, you'd better fetch my wife. It looks like this game and the next will be brief."

Surprisingly, it was the small, hen-pecked looking man who answered. "Are you sure that's necessary?"

The Thief smiled. "Yes, tell her I want her to blow on my dice when it's my turn to deal. For good luck." The short, harried man took off into the night.

The Doctor started first. "Discarding nine wan."

I chuckled at the Thief and scooped up the desired tile. "You think your wife can save you from the sound thrashing I'm giving to your wallet? Discarding one suo."

The Thief smirked at me. "Not my wallet, no. Discarding xi wind."

It took six turns, but I had my desired hand by the end. I spread out my hand proudly. "Baiban pung (three of-a-kind). Nine wan kong (four of-a-kind). Seven suo sheung (straight of three). Dong eyes (pair)."

The crowd that had gathered to watch our game gasped as the Dowager pulled a small headpiece from from her hair, causing it to fall around her face in grey tangles. She slapped it on the table and demanded more chips. The Thief mumbled under his breath, "Any moment now, Ling!"

Everything came to a stop as an imposing-looking young woman walked through the door. It was odd, the respect commanded by one so young and so informally dressed. She dressed in an elegant dark blue and gold pantsuit and wore her hair in a practical style that was parted down the middle in the front and drawn into a conservative bun in the back. The circular jade pendant she wore matched the one the Thief also wore around his neck.

Ah, I thought, she's his wife.

And then she turned and stared at me, narrowing her eyes. A not unfriendly smile crept across her face. She crossed the room, whispered in the Thief's ear, whereupon he got up and she sat down in his place. It was my turn to deal, so I threw the dice, and we began to shuffle the tiles again.

I turned to her and said, "So, you've come to rescue your husband from the slaughter?"

You can imagine my shock when she answered me in Elvish. "No, I'm here to rescue the Princess." She gestured towards the Dowager. And then I remembered that I'd seen a portrait of the old woman and her little dog in one of my books. My eyes popped, but I said nothing. I was in way over my head and I could only hope at that point to get back to Silverymoon alive.

She let that sink in for a while, until we started to take our four tiles at a time, and continued with "and I'm here to make you a deal, as I can see that you mean no malice."

Crap.

She must be able to see through the disguise other spell. I looked at my hands to see if the spell had worn off. Still Magnos' hands. True seeing, then. Must be a powerful mage.

Tentatively, I spoke in Elvish back to her. It sounded lovely uttered by Magnos' voice. "What do you want?"

The woman chuckled heartily and then pinned me down with her eyes. "I want you to lose, little creature. You did not come in here to drain the royal coffers. You came in here because you want something."

I gulped, and ransacked my mind for information. If this woman was here to keep me from bankrupting the Princess Dowager, then who was she? And then I remembered. Out loud. "Scholar Ling. A Wu Jen. Rose from an obscure fishing village to become the chief adviser to the new Empress, Sun Lian. Some say you disposed of her father yourself."

"That's part of the story, yes. But what is it that you want, curious little creature?"

I sighed and looked at my tiles. Another "heavenly win" sat in front of me, mocking me. What did I want more? To win everything or to get what I came in for? I drew a deep breath and exhaled as I pushed all my chips in. "There is an amulet in the market. Ruby, surrounded by pearls on a gold chain. I want it."

Ling sat back and thought a moment while I drew a worthless tile and discarded a valuable one. "Ah, I know the one. It once belonged to a Wu Jen of the previous dynasty. It is an artifact of some arcane power, now being peddled for some collector to snatch it up. But why would you want that, little druid?" She smiled playfully. Like a cat about to devour a mouse.

I smiled back. "I never said I wanted it for myself."

Ling's face softened, as she looked from the Thief, who was now chatting it up with his bodyguard, back to me. "I cannot give you what your heart wants, but the amulet will be yours, I promise you."

Every turn was a small blow to my ego as I threw away strategically vital pieces and kept useless ones. As my hot streak ended, people returned to their tables and their homes. My attendants dissolved one by one into the background. It was not enough for me to simply give back what I had won, indeed, the Scholar refused me on that. I had to lose. I feel as though Ling was trying to teach me something in my voluntary defeat, about pride, about temperance, about sacrifice. I hoped that I had learned enough so I'd never have to go through something so humiliating again. At least I was allowed to lose everything in one game.

When the game ended, the Doctor bid us all goodbye, and she patted the arms of the Scholar and the Thief as she left. The Princess Dowager sat pliantly as her finery was returned to her person by the Scholar and the Thief together.

The Scholar, slipping earrings back on to the Dowager's ears, whispered to the Thief, "You don't have to stay. I've got this under control."

The Thief, slipping rings back onto the Dowager's fingers, whispered back, "You have everything under control. Always. I'm still here because I want to be near you." He took her hand gently and kissed her fingertips.

"Always." Ling replied. Then she shook her head as she began to re-arrange the Dowager's hair. "Sky, we've talked about this."

Sky smiled wistfully and handed the Dowager's headpiece to Ling. "And we'll talk about it again, I'm sure. I realize that Lian needs you daily for guidance and counsel so that she will become a more wise and compassionate leader, but she doesn't need you to tuck her into bed at night! What I want to know is, will I see you later?"

Ling scowled at Sky, her mouth a tight, forbidding line. But when he smiled and waggled his eyebrows at her, her eyes began to dance and she snorted out a laugh. Ah, we are all fools for love, I thought with a smile. "Tomorrow," she said. Sky nodded and turned to leave but she told him to follow us.

As we walked out, I walked past Methrammar, who was watching me with a bewildered expression. I shrugged, mouthed for him to follow us and continued out into the cooling night air with the Scholar and the Dowager. A handful of the Imperial Guard was waiting. Ling instructed them to take the Dowager back to the Palace.

"Shall we wait for you, Scholar?" asked one of the guards.

Ling considered. "No."

The guards all smiled.

Ling rolled her eyes and waved them off. "Oh, stop it. You're like a bunch of old women!"

After the royal carriage pulled away, Ling took me by the hand and returned to speaking elvish. "Come."

The Scholar kept her word, and where it would have taken a life's savings from one such as me, the amulet was given to Ling with just the mere pointing of her finger. She tucked it away in a pocket over my heart and said, "Do not be afraid to let your heart lead you, little creature."

She smiled at me one last time and ran to Sky, taking his hand, and stealing away with him into the night.

Methrammar was waiting for me. I ran to him. We walked back to our inn in silence. Finally, when we reached the bottom of the stairs, he asked, "Did you win big?"

I smiled, and answered, "I got what I came for."

We mounted the last flight of the stairs together. Methrammar laughed and said, "Good. Now, let's get that silly man-suit off of you!"

I...miss them.

It had only been two days spent in Shou Lung's capital city, never leaving my lover's sight when that thought crossed my mind.

I missed the constant bickering. Whether it was between Magnos and Kronk, Magnos and Ralenthra or Magnos and myself, our lively arguments kept the long journey to the shrine honoring Berronar Truesilver from becoming tedious or frightening. It was...oddly comforting, like being part of a family. Almost.

I missed the energy of battle. Dorn had been right about one thing; the four of us, when working together towards a common goal, were a force to be reckoned with. Kronk could be a whirlwind of destruction, efficient if you know how to play him. Treat him with the respect befitting the warrior he is, return his kindness, give credence to his sometimes deeply hidden gems of wisdom; these were the keys to leading a man such as Kronk. Magnos shocked me with his sheer capableness, his cool head in the heat of battle made one believe that mentally, he was at least 10 steps ahead of everyone else around him. Arrogant he may be, but even I could not deny that he was perhaps the most naturally gifted spellcaster I'd ever met, including my parents...and Aelthas. Ralenthra, my best friend, my confidante; even she had surprises for me. It was fascinating to watch her nimble fingers disable a deadly trap or take down a distracted enemy with a calculated shot from her crossbow; finally I had images to go with the scant stories she had told me about her work.

But no one surprised me so much as I had surprised myself. Already, the battle against Ugurth's men at Olostin's Hold seemed decades away. Sure, I had a few nicks and bruises to show for my relative lack of experience, but I loved the pulse of blood in my veins as I fought our enemies, loved the clanging sound of metal on metal, loved the completely palpable feeling of victory as I had never felt it before in my life; four working as one living, breathing entity...and Dorn, whatever he was.

I missed the discomfort of traveling long distances by foot, the sleeping on the ground in tents under the stars, the hunting and foraging for food after Magnos ate all of our rations, the wilderness between the towns and settlements of Luruar where danger lurks behind every bush, inside every cave, and even in the skies above.

It had been two days since I had returned from Berronar's Monastery and he still remarked about the new scar on my right shoulder. He traced the raised flesh absentmindedly when I dressed, when we bathed, when we made love, as if to remind me of the consequences of the adventuring life. "I would hate to see a scar like that on your pretty face, Seledra. I am glad that your...obligation to Silverymoon is at an end."

Ah, but I did have a scar on my face. I had neglected to take a potion to mend my split lip that I received courtesy of Nim Tagen. Odd that he hadn't noticed. Needless to say, I hadn't felt compelled to bring up my feelings to him on the subject of the adventuring life...until now.

We sat across each other in the dining room of our suite, partaking of a soup called Liuwei tang, said to help counter the sweltering summer heat. Gently, I dabbed my mouth with a starched white napkin.

Methrammar spoke first. "This is delicious."

I smiled. "Yes it's quite lovely, darling. Perhaps we could finish it off with some ice cream. Although, you'll have to have a hand in the last stage of making it as Ray of Frost is a little out of my area of expertise."

Methrammar smiled, "I could teach you if you like."

I demurred, "No, I'll have to make do with Entangle for now. You know that as a druid, the arcane is forbidden to me."

Methrammar chuckled. "How could I forget? Selune's shared your bed more than I have! "

I countered, "I guess you're not the only one that doesn't want to let me out of their sight!"

My lover reached out and caressed my cheek. "Do you chafe, my love?"

I shook my head demurely. After a pause, I continued. "Darling...do I snore?"

Methrammar nearly spit out his soup. "Of course not, dearest! Whatever gave you that notion?"

I wrinkled my nose. "One of my traveling companions claimed that not only do I snore, but that I am a blanket hog! Me!"

Methrammar paused, as if he was listening to the wind chimes outside our window, then spoke. "Oh Seledra, don't be silly! Of course you don't snore. Everyone knows elves don't snore, even when they elect to sleep."

I sipped some of my plum wine and then continued. "And the blanket hog thing, that's not true either, right?"

Methrammar blinked and looked down at his soup, as if to examine it. "Don't. Be. Ridiculous, darling! You are the very model of graciousness even in your sleep!" He slurped some more of his soup and looked at me again. "But...just out of curiosity...which one of your companions accused you of these things?"

I spoke before I thought. "Magnos, that ungrateful bastard! His blanket got all wet, so I let him share my dry one. My blanket! I didn't have to share it with him! I could have let him tremble, half naked and damp all night long!" The vision of Magnos half naked, wet and trembling entered my mind's eye suddenly, and with my voice suddenly feeling thick, I cleared my throat. "Nothing happened, darling. I assure you!"

Methrammar looked a little suspicious, so I endeavored to change the subject. I returned to slurping my soup, and after a while, I leaned in conspiratorially. "Do you want to know a secret?"

Distraction success! He took my hand in his. "If it's from you, of course."

I looked right into his eyes. "I loved it. Adventuring, you know? It wasn't a punishment at all! I felt..."

I was about to say alive, free, purpose-filled, but the look of disappointment spreading across Methrammar's face stopped me. He sighed. "Seledra, mercenary work is a dangerous business."

"I can handle it..."

"It changes people."

"My faith will keep me centered..."

Methrammar paused and gently laid his spoon down onto the table. "I don't like the company you'll be keeping."

"Darling, we've talked about this. Ralenthra..."

"Oh, so you're calling her by her real name now, are you?"

"That's not fair. I was only trying to protect her."

The color was rising in his face. "Protect her from me?"

"Protect her from the whole world, if I could. But I...failed, so I don't see what the point is in going over this yet again."

"Well, for your information, I wasn't referring to your drow friend."

"There's a shock."

"I was referring to the mage."

I froze.

Methrammar smirked knowingly and sipped at his soup. "Touched a nerve, have I?"

"What? I don't even-"

"I'm not a fool, Seledra. Nor am I blind. He's handsome, charming and intelligent; I've seen the way he looks at you... and every other female in the room."

"I guess you could say he thinks of all women the same way..."

"That's not what I meant. I saw the way he looked at you...and I saw the way he looked at every other woman in the room. It's different."

He likes me? Oh Sweet Sune, he likes me? I cleared my throat and tried desperately to curb the flush to my cheeks by fanning myself. "So he thinks me pretty. Aren't I? Who cares if he finds me attractive! He's young, he turns his attention to a different girl each week, I'm sure! Besides, I could drop him like a sack of potatoes." I picked up my spoon in the most decisive way possible, and resumed eating my soup.

We sat in silence for a while. Methrammar picked up his spoon and began to eat as well. After a while, he spoke. "So it's settled, then."

I sipped at some ice water and crunched some ice between my teeth before answering. "Yes."

My handsome half-elf grunted and stirred his soup briefly before looking up in confusion. "Wait. What did we just decide?"

I picked up my glass of chilled plum wine as if to toast and exclaimed, "We decided that I can take care of myself and that I am to resume my new career as an adventurer. So, I am to gather my
companions to me when such a time arises as I see fit." Then, I heartily drank down the whole glass and grinned.

Methrammar blinked. "How did you...I don't even..."

I laughed as I flicked at the now-empty crystal goblet with my fingertip, but when I spoke, I distinctly heard a slight edge to my voice that instantly recalled my mother to mind. "Don't argue with me, darling. You will always lose."

Methrammar stood up abruptly, fiercely grabbed me by the wrist, upset the table and pulled me to him. I felt my skin flush with excitement. He whispered low. "You may have won the battle, my dear Seledra, but the war is still anyone's game."

And with that he kissed me hard and carried me to bed.

Down, down down.

I saw a giant eagle flying west, it's cries filling the air...Tordrin and Ralenthra reaching across a table...a lunar eclipse...Ralenthra in prison with a festering wound...a great fountain exploding in color...fire coming from the sky, setting buildings aflame...a faerie queen, running through the streets of Silverymoon despite having wings...a blast of snowy air rustling the mistletoe hanging from the ceiling of the Dancing Goat...

I awoke, bleary-eyed, to the sound of a soft wind ruffling the drapes, the smell of spices in the air and the sensation of being ensconced in silk sheets.

"Mmm, where am I?" I mumbled.

It took me awhile to figure out where I was, that is, until I felt the familiar sensation of Methrammar's long leg brushing against my naked thigh. Even then, the answer to the question I awoke with was in bed with Methrammar. He must have realized that I wasn't merely talking in my sleep, because he kissed my neck softly.

"Good morning, darling." he whispered. "Would you like some dim sum and tea? I know you are very fond of it."

I rolled over to face him and gave him a little kiss. "Oh, you're sweet. You got me takeaway from Seven Little Wonders?"

Methrammar smiled. "No, I was thinking we could get room service."

I blinked.

Methrammar gestured towards the window. "Why don't you look outside?"

I drew the sheets up around me, walked to the window and looked out below. Before my eyes were scores and scores of wooden buildings with paper windows and doors, thousands of people in clothes of every color of the rainbow bustling through the streets and haggling in a language I didn't understand. In the distance was a gigantic palace that looked vaguely familiar to me, but only so much as an object you've only previously seen in books looks familiar when you see it represented in real space before you.

I whispered reverently. "Shou Lung. The Imperial City." Methrammar laid his hands gently on my shoulders and I turned to look at him. "How did you..."

Methrammar looked rather sheepish. "Well, the palace in Silverymoon has a portal and I'd set the location for Shou Lung for when you concluded your...business."

I turned my back to him again to gaze outside. "I don't remember any of this."

Methrammar chuckled. "Well, you were pretty deep in your cups when I came to pick you up from the Dancing Goat. You were dancing on the table with your wizard companion and some woman from Baldur's Gate." He slipped a menu into my hands. And I remembered...

After Magnos and I had finished dancing, Erdri flagged us down and asked if she could join us at our table since Tordrin was going back on stage. Drinks and conversation flowed. Kronk eventually took a room upstairs for the night. After playing a few hands of Three Dragon Ante, Erdri had the brilliant idea of playing Truth or Dare. Some time during the game, I took Dare, which is how I ended up dancing on the table. The music was so hypnotic that I didn't want to stop and soon Erdri decided that I looked like I was having way too much fun to be dancing all by myself. Seeing two reasonably attractive elven women dancing together may have been the impetus for Magnos to hop up, although I may have beckoned to him in some way. Like with my fingers and tongue. I don't remember for sure.

Huh.

I looked down at the menu in my hands. "How hungry are you?" I asked, rhetorically. I knew I was starving and started checking items off: char siu bao, har gau, steamed chicken feet and mango pudding with green tea.

While we waited for our food, I bathed, and Methrammar set out my next surprise for me when I stepped out; an apple green, mandarin-style gown with the most intricate embroidery I've ever seen. I attempted to give him a crash course in how to use chopsticks, but he had little patience for the native dining accoutrements.

The food arrived and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had to cajole Methrammar into eating his share as he was a little squeamish about the chicken feet. I poked at him playfully with my chopsticks. "Come, Methrammar. Just because it hasn't been boiled in a pot until it's mushy and gray and tasteless doesn't mean it's not suitable for consumption!" Begrudgingly, he ate.

As we made our way downstairs so we could explore the Imperial City together, I casually asked, "So when are we going back?"

Methrammar slipped my arm around his and said, "I was thinking we could spend two weeks here in the city and-"

I stopped. Something was bothering me. I tried desperately to recall the details of my vision. After some time where I must have seemed catatonic, I spoke. "No, I have to go back. Tomorrow."

"What? But I made plans for us!"

I shrugged. "You should have consulted me first."

Methrammar smacked himself in the forehead. "By the Nine Hells, woman! If I consulted you about everything we'd never get to do anything!"

"Look, I'm sorry that I have a life-"

"Is this about Ralenthra?"

"What?"

"Is this. About. Ralenthra. Again?"

I stood there like a stone, staring up at him. Finally I relented. "Yes. She's in trouble."

"How do you know that?"

I started walking again. "I just know."

"How is that even possible?"

Why does this even matter? Exasperated, I blurted out, "I don't know, Methrammar. Maybe I bedded a diviner once and his power of prophecy rubbed off on me."

"That's a bit crude, don't you think?"

I shrugged. "I have a complicated relationship with magic." It was now his turn to stare blankly at me. Frustrated, I threw up my hands and said, "I had a vision, Methrammar!"

Methrammar crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You had a vision."

I nodded. "Yes."

"And this vision told you that Ralenthra is in danger."

"Yes. Somewhat." Er...

Methrammar sighed laboriously and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll make you a deal, Seledra."

"Speak then."

"Give me one more day. I'll have you back by the morning of the 8th, Silverymoon time. I'm sure she won't get herself killed in the meantime."

I pondered his offer for a minute or two. "Alright, agreed."

And with that, we stepped outside our inn and into the greater city beyond.