3 Chapter 3: Portents

It was a cold day, the wind bristled against her skin. She could smell the rain in the air. She was born during a storm, one of the worst to hit the Principality, her mother had told her about how the entire alienage flooded, forcing thousands to survive on rooftops or upper stories if they had them. untold hundreds died in the city of Saleah, most of them in the alienage. The humans would call it the great typhoon, but the elves would come to call it the season of sorrows. Her birth was perhaps the only thing good that came out of it, and her mother believed it was a sign.

Regardless if it was, with each new rainy season the elves always looked up to the sky with dread. Today was no different. Even only half elf there was something about the clouds brewing in the distance that made her blood run cold. She gazed out of the windows wearing a sleeveless tunic and gown, custom tailored to her size, and couldn't turn her eyes away.

"It's thundering," she said quietly, she thought no one could hear her.

"Is it? I didn't hear anything," Maxine Bellatrix had stumbled up behind her. She was almost as short as Rain was, with dark black hair and a jagged looking scar on the side of her face. She would have been beautiful if it hadn't been for that and her missing ear's. She covered most of her head in a cowl of satin and gold trim. She was only a few years older than Rain and was the easiest to talk to. She had asked her how she had come to such ghastly injuries, only to be met with silence. It was possible she suffered from extreme frostbite, or it could have been a sentence for adultery?

Rain jumped and turned around in surprise, "How long were you standing there, how did you sneak behind me?"

"How is it you can hear thunder that far away but not hear me simply walking behind you?" She shrugged while giggling, "Seriously though is a storm really coming?"

Rain collected herself and turned around looking outside again a silent fear continued to resound in her very bones, "yeah, it will probably be here in an hour."

"Thats amazing, I still can't believe you can hear something so far away," Maxine smiled, her smile didn't seem to belong to her face. It belonged to a beautiful noble woman who should be in silk robes and wearing jewelry around her neck, instead of a head covered sister wearing thick wool garments of the cloister.

"Rain are you shivering?" She reached out to feel her shoulder, "You poor thing why aren't you wearing your robes."

"I'm just not used to them yet, they're itchy." Rain preferred her sleeveless tunic over the wool robes. The tailored gown and was new to her as well and she found it annoying. They didn't help with the cold, but she was used to feeling a chill.

"But they look good on you, and not to mention they suite you figure." she cocked her head to the side teasing her.

"If you say so, but the itching! How do you get used to them?"

Maxine leaned toward her with her hand next to her mouth to hide what she was about to say, "you never do, now come on we should hurry up and finish our routine before the storm hits." she led Rain away down the hall. Since arriving she had been asked by several of the women in the cloister to assist in cleaning the rooms, sorting the library, and tending to other chores. She refused at first, but since meeting Maxine she felt ashamed to sit back and do nothing while waiting for whatever Sir Olsen had in store for her. She still hadn't figured out why he brought her here, and while she didn't have any fear of him she couldn't help but feel she was being manipulated.

Just as she predicted within the hour the storm did finally arrive, like an omen from a bad dream the storm wasn't the only thing that came to batter the cloister walls. There was something else that bothered Rain. The sound came deep within the walls, and was almost impossible to hear. Rain caught the sound by accident and when she put her ear next to the cold stone. She swore she could hear the sounds of beating hands against them. When she consulted with Maxine about the odd sounds her answer was nothing but confusion. No one else could hear whatever it was that Rain was hearing.

As the day came to an end Rain and Maxine parted ways and like every other night she walked down to the guests wing of the cloister. A small guest room had been prepared for her, and continually maintained during her absence. Even though it was an old room it was the finest she had ever seen. She was looking forward to laying down on linen sheets when she ran into Knight Olsen who had been waiting for her.

After explaining to her that she was needed to talk with the lord deacon she prepared herself for what was going to be a rude meeting.

The Deacons chambers was near the very center of the structure, tucked away between the library and kitchen. It was just large enough to house a solid oak desk along with several private bookshelves. Each piece of furniture had a thin layer of dust, and some cobwebs seemed to grow from the corner walls. The Deacon himself was an older heavy set man with a scruffy beard and only a few teeth. As a Pious man he owned little and what he did have was far from wealthy. His sigil rings were wood and polished stone rather than gold or silver, and his robes were also the same as many of the monks and made of the same itchy material. As the Knight stood across from him the two looked nearly the opposite in every way.

"It's about time you showed up, and you brought the knife ear with you. Tell me are you inclined to propose your resolution to her presence in my sacred house?" the deacon never looked at her, his dark grey eyes staring at the Knight in front of him as if demanding answer. The candlelight in the room casted a shadow over him that made him appear even more menacing.

"I'm not joining the cloister as some sister or novice," Rain interjected.

"If you think we want you as part of our cloister you're surely mistaken Knife Ear," she didn't like the way the deacon refused to look at her while insulting her, "few of your kind ever get the chance to enter these sacred halls, fewer to actually be given the comfort you have been afforded. You should be grateful."

"What the good deacon is trying to say is this is not an indoctrination opportunity," Sir Olsen was not amused by the deacons rhetoric, or for her own aggression. He brought his attention back to the deacon, "We are grateful for you hospitality, and I thank you for the opportunity to bring Rain up to speed and teach her the proper skills that are required of her."

"Excuse me? what skills are you talking about?" This was the first she heard of actually being tasked to learn anything?

"How to not be a degenerate, how to live honorably-" the deacon froze as Sir Olsen gave him a tense look, "What I'm trying to say is even those born through sin can achieve spiritual enlightnemnt, or in this case a proper education especially when they are requested by a knight of the realm."

Sir Olsen gave him a crooked stare, "you don't have to be an ass about everything you know that?"

"That tongue is not required in this hall Sir Knight."

There was a long pause as the two held their ground glaring at each other. Their loathing was palpable.

Rain just continued to stare at the wall, her arms crossed. Phasing out the bickering as much as possible to the point where she could hear the sound of thundering again even through the stone walls.

"Regardless as your ward she is permitted to stay as long as necessary for whatever it is you need her for Sir Knight, just don't think that my graciousness doesn't have limits," the deacon stood up from the desk obviously ready for the meeting to conclude.

"As you will Lord Deacon," the Knight bowed and lead her outside the chamber. the door closed behind with a violent creaking noise.

Rain didn't know why she was here in the first place, or under what circumstances she was allowed to stay. She suddenly realized she was being used. Her fear of manipulation only intensified. They were a distance from the deacons private quarters before the sound of thunder grew louder. Rain froze listening to the sound. The lamps on the walls seemed to waver as the other noise she was hearing continued to manifest.

"you asked me why I took you from the jailhouse? Why I brought you here," Sir Olsen looked at her. She suddenly realized she had been standing next to the wall facing it.

"yeah about that? you still haven't answered," Rain found her voice waiving slightly again. She cleared her throat hoping to speak clearer.

Sir Olsen walked to her side of the hallway, keeping himself at arms length. He always seemed to keep a healthy distance between himself and others. "We'll I have a job for you, it might seem small or maybe even like an insult at first...actually it will almost certainly seem like one but I believe it necessary."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" So far not a single answer had been given, and she was starting to wonder if there ever would be one.

"just take this with you, keep with it you at all times. Don't let anyone have it." he gave her the emerald ring, "Keep it safe, all will be explained soon."