Mistaken Identity I

Velahndra ran. Her muscles burned. Her lungs were desperate for air. Her legs shook. And still, she ran. She had been attracted to the lush, rolling green hills of the Valley of the Four Winds.; it reminded her a little of home, in Nagrand. But the massive expanse provided no cover, no trees, nowhere to hide. That was until she spotted, off in the distance, a tree line. She knew not what lay inside; all she knew was that she had to get there. And so she ran as if her life depended on it.
Well... It did.


Saelyron Amrunelen paced his study. It was tastefully decorated with two walls covered in books, another with windows to view the forest below, and the last with a roaring fireplace. A coffee table and several large wing-back chairs sat in a semi-circle around the fire. An overly large desk and plush chair sat near the windows; the desk was scattered with tomes, scrolls, jars of ink, quills, parchment, and a poster that Saelyron had stole from within the city. A poster that gave him his first clue to finding his sister in ten years. A poster that had a sketch of Velahndra. She was more mature than he had remembered but ten years would do that. But most importantly, this was a poster that accused her of murder.


Velahndra hit the treeline and rushed inside. She unsheathed the daggers at her hips and kept running while trying to find a safe place  to hide. Her adrenaline pumped and it was as if her heartbeat reverberated through her entire body. She spotted a tree nearby with thick foliage and sprinted towards it. Jamming her daggers into the wood, she used them as handholds and scaled the trunk until she was safely perched on a sturdy branch. She slumped down with her back against the trunk and breathed quickly, trying to catch her breath.
“What the Fel is going on?” She whispered as she sheathed her daggers and peered down between the leaves. She spotted her pursuers below her and kept completely still and quiet. Which normally would have worked to her advantage, except it gave a hidden attacker a clear shot with his dartgun. Velahndra felt the dart pierce her skin. She pulled it out and as she realized what was happening, her eyes slid shut and she felt herself slipping down from the branch and rapidly to the ground below.


A knock came from outside the study. Saelyron looked up as the door opened and his assistant walked in.
“Master Amrunelen, Taelorn Sunchase is here to see you. He says he has an appointment.”
“Yes, he does. Send him in, along with tea and refreshments.” She nodded and scurried out. The man she spoke of entered in several minutes later, accompanied by another employee of the house with a tray of tea. She set it on the table, curtsied, and exited, shutting the massive oak doors.
“Mister Sunchase, thank you for seeing on such short notice. It is greatly appreciated. Please, have a seat. He gestured to a chair by the fire. “Would you care for a drink? The tea is made from the petals of jasmine from the Twilight Highlands.”
“Do you have anything... stronger?” The man asked. Saelyron laughed and pulled a glass from the bar near his desk.
“What's your poison?”
“Whiskey, if you have it.” Saelyron pulled out a bottle and poured the brown liquid into the glass and handed it to him before sitting by the fire and making himself a cup of tea. “It's good.” Taelorn said raising his glass. “Some of the best I've had.”
“I only have the best.” Saelyron smiled. “Which is why I called on you.” He sipped at his tea and added more honey.
“Ah, yes. What is the subject of this meeting, Lord Amrunelen? I don't mean to rush you but as you know, time is money.” He grinned and tossed back the rest of his whiskey.
“Do not worry about money, Sunchase. You will be compensated generously. He handed the man a bundle of papers. “This woman. I need her found.” He narrowed his eyes. “Before the authorities do.” Taelorn took a moment to flip through the papers.
“Murder? You didn't mention that in your letter. That's going to cost you extra; the authorities will be harder to work around on a case like this.”
“Cost is not a concern. I will pay whatever is needed. I just need you to retrieve her, alive, before anyone else does.” Saelyron stated crossly.
“Alright, alright, I got it. Why the importance and urgency of this? Who is she, anyways?” He glanced down at the wanted poster and grinned. “I'd totally tap that if she wasn't a fugitive.” He paused for a second and laughed. “Who the Fel am I kidding? I'd hit that either way.” Saelyron's eyes flared with Fel energy as he glared at Taelorn.
“You will not lay a hand or any other body part on her, let you lose them at my hand. Am I completely understood?”
“Clear as crystal.” And with that, Taelorn swept out of the study with his bundle of papers.


Velahndra awoke to darkness. Not the 'it's the dead of night' kind of dark, but the kind of dark that resulted from other things. Like blindfolds and hoods. Like the blindfold that bound her eyes and the hood that fell to her shoulders. She tried to move but found that she had been bound at the wrists, elbows, ankles, and knees. She squirmed around, trying to throw the hood off, but was only met with a swift kick to the ribs. She breathed in sharply and gasped out in pain.
“Knock if off.” Someone gruffly said. It was then she realized they weren't moving like she had originally though. She stilled and listened to her surroundings. A fire burned nearby. She counted the voices around her; three males, one female, all Thalassian. They weren't amateurs; she saw, albeit briefly, from the way they moved and more obviously, their uniforms, while she was perched in the tree.
And then the pain set in. She remembered falling. And running. And...
“Raziael!” She hollered out for her feline companion. She was kicked again, but she heard the female scold whoever did it.
“Your cat is safe. Tranquilized, but safe... He put up quite the fight though.”
“As well he should have! What is the meaning of this? What's going on? Who are you and why have you taken me?”
“Don't play dumb with us, Morningstar. You know what you did.” One of the men commented.
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. That's what they say, not that it's any excuse.” Another said.
“No fraternizing with the prisoner. You all know the rules.” The woman admonished them. “You've been arrested for the murder of the wife of the High Magister Teonor Nehmara. You're to be returned to Silvermoon City to be tried for your crimes. That is all the information we're authorized to give you. You would do well to cooperate.”
“Murder? Murder!? Seriously!? This is outrageous! I never murdered this woman that you speak of. I've never even met her before!” Velahndra screamed in outrage. “I have friends in high places, you know! I demand that you let me go this instant!” She heard a series of clicks and a sting in her neck. The familiar drowsiness from before set in as she fell into a limp pile.


After Sunchase had left, Saelyron remained in his study finishing the pot of tea. For a decade he searched for his lost sister. An entire decade with nothing even resembling a clue. And then she shows up on a wanted poster for murder. The Velahndra he remembered wouldn't have done that. Yes, she was quick to anger and her temper was quite legendary but he never thought she would be capable of murder... And why hadn't she come home? Especially if she was in need, of anything. She knew that she was always welcome at the family estate... didn't she?
The entire situation bothered him immensely. He needed to know what went on, needed to talk to his sister. He finished off he tea and made his way to the bar to pour himself a glass of wine. Removing a book from the shelf behind it, he pressed on a panel that caused an entire section of the wall to move inwards. Replacing the book, he stepped inside and seated himself at the long desk, scattered with springs, various metal pieces, tools, and random baubles, and began to tinker with the pieces with seemingly no direction.