Lily sat huddled upon the bed in her room in her aunt’s apartment. Her back was tucked into the corner of the wall, her head tilted to the side to lean against the wall.. Her eyes stared unseeingly out the open window across the room as the rain fell softly across the city of Darnassus. Flashes from her nightmare still played out across her mind. Only, she was very sure, they weren’t just nightmares.

Ever since she and Eius had been bonded together by the shadow priestess, Lily had been having nightmares. Of course, she didn’t tell Eius. She had told no one. Thinking possibly that it was just her nerves or bad food eaten when in the Plaguelands, she hoped they would stop. But they continued now for the past month. It was starting to effect her waking hours.

As the last flash left her eyes, she blinked and rubbed them hard with the heels of her hands. This needed to stop. She could not function this way. She was irritable and snapped at everyone. She completely embarrassed herself coming onto Orivelin after drinking with Hotara. Lily shook her head in self-disgust, her long blue-black hair, free from it’s customary braid, shifted and then settled down around her on the bed, covering her like a shawl.

One last rub to her eyes, she tucked several strands of hair behind her ear and peered back out at the rain. She was going to have to speak with her aunt. Perhaps Aunt Naiad would know what do to. A small smile touched Lily’s lips. Just like when she was younger, running to her aunt for kisses that would heal any trouble Lily may have had.

Letting out a sigh, Lily crawled from the bed, grabbing her discarded robe from the floor. Putting on her robe, she padded quietly down the short hall to the main room of the house. Her uncle was sleeping in his favorite chair, totally oblivious to the rain coming in the window, sprinkling water onto the papers in his lap. Taking a lap blanket from the chest next to his chair, Lily covered her uncle, giving him a loving pat and kiss on the forehead. She continued through to the main sleeping chamber where she knew her aunt would be.

Entering quietly, Lily walked over and lightly touched her aunt on the shoulder to rouse her.

“Auntie” Lily called. “Auntie, wake up. I must talk with you.”

Naiad rose on one elbow and sleepily blinked at Lily. “What’s a matter, dearling?”

Lily stood there for a moment in indecision, twiddling with strands of her loose hair. “I just wished to speak with you and it could not wait until the morning.”

Naiad scooted up in the bed to rest her back against the headboard. “Sit, baby, sit. What is wrong?" Naiad pushed her moon white hair from her forehead to peer enquiringly at her niece.

Lily sat on the edge of the bed, her shoulders slumped as for the next hour, she told her aunt everything that had transpired the past year, knowing her aunt would be disappointed with her. She told of being left by her human lover, being kidnapped , her training, falling in love, believing her new love to be her soul mate so she wanted to get married, only he didn’t believe in marriage so she compromised and found a priestess to ‘bless’ them being together only to find out the priestess had actually bonded their souls together, so one could not die if the other would not let them. She then told her aunt of his changed personality and how he now called himself the Deathbringer and how hard it was to be around him when he showed no remorse at killing. She finished telling her aunt about the nightmares that were now plaguing her.

“Only,” Lily continued. “I do not believe them to be nightmares but more of visions. But sometimes it is as though I am seeing through his eyes as he kills.” Lily wrung the edged of her robe in her hands. “I…I can see them, some are angry, some…some are pleading with their eyes and then I hear their voices, begging to saved from him and I cannot help them, I can only watch in horror as blood is continuously spilled.” Lily turned to her aunt. “Even if I was with him, I would not be able to save them. He has looked upon me with soulless eyes before, Auntie. I told him,” Lily shakes her head. “I told him, he would bring about my death.” And now that their souls were bonded, she was sure the only way she could be free was to die herself.

Lily turned to look at her aunt, fully expecting to see the disappointment in her eyes. Naiad was just sitting there with her eyes closed. Naiad opened eyes filled with sadness to look at her niece.

“Why did you not come to me sooner?” Naiad asked. “How long have you been suffering from these visions? Because that is what they are, dearling. That is all part of you being a druid. You will hear those that cry out in pain. You will hear the very dirt beneath your feet cry out to you for healing. Night Lily, as you progress with your lessons, more wonderful possibilities will come to you. But also, you are going to feel the pain of those around you. And now,” Naiad shook her head. “Now you have exposed your soul to dark forces, dark magic. It is as if you have opened the door to your heart and your soul for all those who are evil to trample upon them.”

“Now , do not take me wrong,” she leaned forward and patted Lily’s hand. “I am not saying that your Eius is evil, but this ‘Deathbringer’ business concerns me and now you have bonded your souls together and you are experiencing these visions, we must get help.” Naiad pushed the covers back and got out of the bed. She walked across the shadow filled bedroom to light the lamp on the dresser.

“Ah, that is better. The light is good.” Naiad turned towards the only chair in the room and picked up her dressing robe. Shrugging into it, she watched her niece with concern eyes. “What to do, what to do?” she thought. Cinching her robe at the waist, she bade Lily to follow her into the main room. As the women walked through the house, Naiad light all the lamps she could on the way. Upon entering the main sleeping chamber, she walked over and poked her husband in the arm to wake him up. Lily’s uncle grumbled as he shuffled off to the bedroom, leaving the two women smiling after him.

“Alright dearling,” Naiad began to shuffle things around a table near her husband’s chair. Finding what she wanted, she walked over to the dining table where Lily sat. She sat down across from Lily and laid a clean sheet of paper and a pen upon it. “I am going to write a letter to an old family friend. You are to take this letter to him. If anyone can help you, it will be him.” Naiad began to write on the paper. “I want you to listen carefully to every and anything he tells you. You are to heed his every word.”

“Who is he, auntie?” Lily asked, leaning forward to rest her arms on the table, strands of her long hair falling forward to rest on the table top. “Why have you never mentioned him before if he is an old family friend?”

“Because , sweeting, he is not Kaldorei.” Naiad finished off her letter, folded it and sealed it with some wax from the candle burning on the table. “But it does not matter what he is, what matters is he a very wise druid. Had there been anyway possible, you would have been sent to learn from him, but as it is, you had to learn here. But never mind that,” Naiad waved a hand dismissively in the air. “You will have to travel far but you must not be daunted. You are to find him and give him this letter and ask for his help.” Naiad pushed the letter across the table to Lily.

Lily sat there staring down at the sealed letter, chewing on her bottom lip. Picking up the letter in her slender hand , she turned it over to read the name her aunt had written across the front. Her eyes flew up in shock to her aunt‘s face. She had heard of the druid who’s name that was scrolled there in her aunt neat script.

“You must begin your search right away.” Naiad reached out and patted Lily’s hand. “I do not send you to him lightly, Lily. I have great trust that he will be able to help you. He is very knowledgeable in both the ways of his Earth Mother and of our beloved Elune. Unfortunately, sweeting, I have no idea where he is now.” She said reaching up to push Lily’s hair away from her face and patting her niece on the shoulder.

“Come, let us get you ready for the journey. You have much to prepare for.” Lily’s aunt grabbed her niece by the arm and pulled her away from the table. “ You can get started right away.”