The dark room was only lit with three candles, yet even from his position at the door, he was overwhelmed by the beauty of the figure. The figure turned its head towards the voice and smiled.
The man walked towards the create with a sense of awe. He stepped right by her feet and lit a lamp. As he stared into her eyes, he let out a strangled cry before collapsing at her feet, dead.
A rustle of silk was heard, a small cry as the figure dropped down, stroking the cheek of the already cold man. Tears ran down her face as she gathered the man in her arms. Just then, a bright light flickered one, yet this yet unnoticed by the grieving figure.
A figure walked into the room and paused by the scene.

"Sha..." he said softly. "I'm sorry."

The figure didn't move, and instead let out a strangled cry. She searched through his pockets and pulled out a jewel encrusted object. Vanya... I want you to give this to someone who can do some good... her voice was soft and so fragile that the man knelt by her.

"Sha..." he said softly. "I've known both of you for a long time... please..."

She kept her head down, knowing the curse she carried. Cutting a lock of her hair and a lock of his, she pressed them into his hands. Please, I know what you can do... so for me... please do it for me...? she kissed the lips of her loved one once, then opened the object to reveal a mirror.

"Sha!" Vanya said sharply, knowing the effect of what she was to do. "You can't be serious! Maybe Engell or I could help you...?"

Vanya... do you still not understand true love? with that, she lifted the mirror and stared iunto her own reflection, stared int the face that had caused the death of her loved one. One last favor...

Vanya looked up impatiently at the figure in frton of him ."Its Kalkin." he said absentmindedly. The man was dressed in a pair of long black trousers and a long sleeved chinese cheonsam top. It was white with heavily embriodered flowers decorated the chest. His hair was rather long, mid back length and a blue black color. His eyes were a lime green and filled with a smug smile. He had a slender frame and a sharp, rather feminene face. Dressed like that, he didn't fit in with the white washed laboratory. The man raised a glass and arched an amused eyebrow.

"Well?"

"Listen Shy, I only came because you're the only one I know who can accomplish this." he said softly, his eyes glinting.

"You mean, you didn't come because you missed me?" he said, pouting. "We've known each other for so long..." he purred.

Vanya ignored the comment and pulled out two test tubes; each heal a lock of hair. As Shy pryed it out of his hands, he all but danced over to a counter. "Sha and Nero were friends of mine. They got together a year ago... friends... don't look so amused Shy. I know your the only one who can create something out of this... this... I need more substance to work with then... hair." he looked around the room. "Does the Weyrwoman know?"

"That I moved here? Of course. I'm legally under her employ... she doesn't like being called Weyrwoman. Prefers to be called Leader of the Vella Crean. Fancy name, isn't it? But I've got this whole place to my self... did I tell you I was legally under her employ?"

"Which means you can mess around with almost anything." he said softly. "But about the DNA..."

"Do I have the right to... play around with what I have? To... create something out of their genes? A balisik and a human... a shape shifter at that... what a pretty package!"

"Yes." Vanya coudln't help but wonder if this was a good idea. He had known Shy for some time, but this was the first time they had approached each other. Shy was known to be dangerous, not because of his mental capacities, but because he could create the ultimite weapon if he desired. He himself had wanted to experiment, yet he could not do much with hair! He didn't like giving up such an important piece to a man like this...

"Thank you." he cooed, walking up to Vanya. He wrapped his arms around the other man's waist, causing him to stiffen slightly. "Come back in three years... will you?" he smiled. "I will have something prepared by then."

"Vanya." Shy said softly, gliding towards him. "You haven't changed a bit."

He nodded. "You haven't either." he walked into the laboratory to find a small table set out with dainty lace table cloth, a small fragile looking pot, three cups and a small tray filled with pastries. He raised an eyebrow. "And the product?"

Shy smiled serenly. "Please, take a seat... would you like some tea? Or perhaps something cold?"

Vanya sat down. "Lets cut the chase Shy."

Shy poured himself a cup of tea. "I heard about Ten... congratulations, he impressed a male gold did he not? What about that boy... Jalemar? I wish I had met him... I would have loved to tamper with his genes... a fine man, is he not?"

"..."

"Ah yes... the product. You are impatient today. But then, Nero and Sha were friends of yours... I must say, I had alot of fun searching through their DNA.... their heritage and picking the attributes to use... our product has been altered again and again to see what her limit is. Yes, it is a her. A male side, although attractive... lacked a certain sense of mystique. The female you will see today, is the equivalent to a 14 year old... physically, she may seem much more, but their kind has a odd way of aging. I am still examining all the data that is being sent to me by... colleuges." he smiled at that word. "It would have been grand if I could have added Jalemar's satyr heritage into the mix... but what a treasure she already is!"

Vanya's lips curled into a smile. "Sha and Nero do have strong blood lines..." he fondly remembered the dark skinned couple. "But where...?"

Shy smiled. "But first the deal... I created this creature for you, and infront..."

Vanya nodded. "Yes yes... I will supply you with samples of DNA of all those I come across... as long as we keep this between us."

Shy smiled sweetly. "We wouldn't want others to find out that there is a soft side to you, would we? Well then... please." he motioned towards the door. The lights dimmed until it was barely there. A figure glided in, and the lights brightened. Vanya took in the figure head to toe, yet could not help but start from the beginning.
Her skin was a pale, glittering translucent color. She had a string of pearls around her neck, dripping down towards her chest. At the end of the pearls, a long dress started. It was a pale, glittery white material which shimmered under the light. It ran down to the ground, and Vanya noticed the extra meter or two of the dress pooling at her feet. Her arms were slender, and from the elbows another string of pearls and the same white material that trailed down her arms and into the ground. She had a slender frame with a small waist and long legs. Her face was covered in silk, revealing only a small amount of forhead and chin.
Her hair was a silverish color, yet so bright it seemed to be gold. It was neatly parted down the middle and lay straight against her head just around her base of her neck, it was split into two and held with pearls which also wove its way down her hair. Her hair ended about the top of her thighs, one 'pigtail' was behind her, and the other infront. It was extremely straight and seemed to pulse with its own light.

"Her... face?"

Shy's lips curled into a sly smile. "No material blocks off the deadliness in her eyes.... but by giving her eyelids..."

At that, she slowly unraveled the silk revealing pouty, crimson lips, a small nose, arched pale eyebrows and clear skin. Her eyes were closed, and pale lashes rested against soft cheekbones.

"Vanya... please meet Sha-ne." Shy said smugly.

"Her skin... hair... legs?" Vanya frowned, remembering the 'parents'. Sha had a tail, making people mistake her for a naga... and both had been dark skinned.

Shy smiled. "It seems that Sha holds the rare albino gene... recessive yet we have managed to make it more dominant. As for shifting..." he smiled.

SHa-ne's lower half of the body lengthened then, and from below, Vanya saw the hint of pale scales and let out a low whisper. He remembered Savistahni, the half naga he had first sold his twin sons to. Even she had not had such scales! Albino balisik's were rare...

"Her personality and skills have been tampered with slightly. She cannot speak, yet like her mother she has the ability to speak telepathically without speaking in one's mind... we know you are sensitive when spoken to telepathically... so, you like?"

Vanya's lips curled into a small, smug smile. "Very much."

Remember Vanya, she is yours... I tampered with her genes, but when it comes to her personality, there are some things I cannot change. So please follow these rules...
1. Never let her fall in love... we know the effct it has... I have made her cold hearted, but that is a risk you must not take. Do not let her fall in love, as she will do everything to aquire her love... she might kill.
2. Never let another fall in love with her. Unless they return the love, the creature will only become food. It seems her kind has the ability to attract both men and women to fall for her. Yet when they do... they go under a sort of hypnosis which makes them lust after her, and gives them an intense desire to see her eyes. I suggest you keep those you value away from her, or tell her that they are your friends.
3. Do not let her cry. Her personality has been set so that nothing can effect her mentally enough to cry... yet if you break the rules above, she will cry. If she cries, she will never stop, never stop even if her throat bleeds. She will cry until she dies... which is impossible, if you find her crying, my best advie to you is to give her a mirror, and to end her suffering. Vanya remembered his conversation and turned to Sha-ne with a smile.

"You have been with me for a month... it is time for you to meet others." he had to teast her reactions to other creatures, to see if she could be trusted with others. "I have some bsuiness to attent to at the Healing Den vinvoling a... study of mine. You will accompany me there." he smiled. Sha-ne was suppose to have the ability to captivate both genders as did Jalemar... how would they reach to each other?

Who is this? came two curious voices. Jalemar looked over at the same figure wrapped in silk.

Sha-ne stilled and raised her head, letting the silk fall off her face and land loosely around her shoulders. Her hair framed her face, her lids were closed yet she sensed someone was watching her. She didn't need eyes to see. Jalemar paused, and his eyes widened as he took in the ethreal beauty. Sha-ne heard the gasp, her lips curled into a smile and she raised two arms as if she was beckoning towards him. The material covered her hands and draped to the ground in a pool. Jalemar walked forwards when a musty smell hit him. It filled his hed, causing his blood to rush. His hands quivered with excitement. It was as if a potent drug had entered his system. He walked towards her, wondering what her eyes looked like. He held her hands and watched, entranced as her lids quivered.

"Sha-ne! Jalemar, step away from her!" Vanya ordered. He walked towards them, and looked between the two creatures. He had been watching the escapade and he had seen the balisik in action. So it was true, the balisik could capture the attention of any creature, whether it was mortal or immortal! He would have loved to see more, yet he did not want to see Jalemar.... he smiled, amazed and pleased at what had happened. "Jalemar... I was going to introduce you to her anyway... meet Sha-ne."

The middle aged woman turned from her desk with a smile frown knitting her forhead. "Va... Kalkin... what a..."

"I need to stay her for a few days, need to check up on Jalemar... I need a room where privacy is garaunteed."

"Of course. As always..."

"I've got a... guest with me."

"Guest?" Baeris shot him a troubled look. He never brought... "May I know who this is?"

"She's a... subejct of mine. I need complete privacy, no... not yet." he said, he was not ready to show her to others yet. After her reaction to Jalemar... he needed to test her out a big more.

Vanya frowned and opened his eyes. Yawning, he looked up wearily at Baeris. No one disturbed him. "Whats wrong?" he looked outside. "Its barely dawn!"

"Someone died a few minutes ago. A dragon discovered the body floating in the lake. No signs of struggle, no wounds, no traces of poison. He just died in the lake." her eyes narrowed. "There has been no sort of deaths such as this one until you and your... guest came along."

Vanya's eyes had widened with surprise. So the balisik had claimed her first victem... at the sound of rustling silk, both turned to see Sha-ne entering. She had a pale white sheet wrapped around her self with a nother one over her shoulders, covering her arms. Her hair was straight, her mouth set in a curious smile, and she looked bewitching.
Baeris stared at her, momentarily taken back by the unrealness of this girl. She felt some sort of force draw her to this girl... she wanted to touch her... to see her eyes... to love her.

"Sha-ne... stop."

Baeris suddenly felt as if a cold bucket of water had been poured over her head. The warm, happy feeling disappeared as if she had been thrown out of a room. Something in this girl had pulled her... drawn her. But that was gone. The girl was looking at Vanya with a hurt and confused look in her eyes. She glided towards him on her two feet and wrapped her arms around his waist.
She shuddered, remembering the desperation and lust she had felt. It was not a pleasant feeling... but it was. At first, she had felt as if she was in a small, fluffy cloud... but that the cloud had tightened its grip around her until all she wanted was this stranger... it had been a long time since someone had scared her like this...

"She's a friend." Vanya said, as if explaining Baeris to the balisik. He turned to Baeris. "Baeris, meet Sha-ne. She was the cause of the death, and she could have been the cuase of yours. It is her instinct as a balisik which gives her the power." he said briefly. "She was created by a... aquaintance of mine..." he was not going to call Shy a friend!

Sha-net stared at Baeris curiously and raised her arms towards her. Baeris flinched away slighting, not because she was scared of the creature, but because she was scared of the feelings the balisik had caused.

"Sha-ne."

All turned to see a tal, slender man dressed in black trousers and a pale white cheongsam with red flowers imprinted on it walk it. He seemed agitated, yet Shy still held an aura of gracefulness about him. Sha-ne stilled then, and snarled at him, her hair flying around her. Shy stared back at her, and she let out a low shimper. She dropped to the ground, and Shy ran forwards to hug the balisik.

"I apoligize for Sha-ne's behaviour" he said softly.

"I suggest you come and see me in my office." Baeris said, her voice steely. "This is the sands, and the girl agitated the mothers on purpose. I will see all three of you now."

"I do apoligize for the scene just caused. But you must understand, it is natural instinct for a balisik to kill. I have tried to tone it down os that she is docile to her master, yet when faced with so many females... those dragons may not be of the same species, but when she is faced with so many females who have bonded to each other in a way -all are mothers- it is natural for a dominent balisik to feel as if she is in danger. She just listened to her natural instincts which told her to kill. These instincts have been engrained into her genes, that even I cannot alter it."

Never again. Sha-ne muttered, causing them to stare at her. Never again will I go in there.

Baeris turned to Shy. "Does this mean she will react that way all the time?" her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "And what do you mean by 'you' have altered her genes?"

"As you can see, she does not react that way in public. And as she said, she will never go into another room such as the sands again. A balisik always keeps her word." he smiled. Getting up, he bowed. "I never introduced myself properly. My name is Shy, and I am under the employ of Naeodin of the Vella Crean."

Baeris added it to her 'to-do' list; to talk to Naeodin about the oddities that kept appearing from the Vella Crean.

Baeris? came a curious voice. Dulath chuckled at something. I have something to say...its very interesting...

"Yes?"

The mothers... they want the creature to stand at theirclutch, but they don't want anything to do with her. They want her to impress, but they don't want to see her again.

Baeris listened to this and couldn't help but chuckle. What a strange bunch of contradictions!

"Shy?"

Shy looked up at Vanya. "What?"

"I know enough about balisiks to know what you told Baeris was not the truth... they love the company of other females, its the men they despise... so why..?"

Shy's mask fell. Vanya realised that Shy had built a friendly, worried and honest looking mask to fool Baeris, only that he realised only when it was taken off. Shy's lips curled into a smile. "Very perceptive of you..." he purred. "But do not worry, I will not keep you in the dark... as you will know very... very... soon." he smiled. "I will see you when the clutch is to hatch, as I will be the first to be there."

"Baeris?"

"Whershe?"

"Who?"

"Where is she?"

"She...?"

"That creature!"

Jalemar frowned, then light dawned to his eyes. He paused, and his brows furrowed worriedly. "I don't know." he said finally. "The last time I saw her was..." he paused, and his eyes widened. "Three days ago." he whispered. He turned to Baeris. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Baeris let out a snarl of anger. "Wrong? Starting from two days ago, the Pernese dragons here at the Healing Den have been going between like mad!" she stared at Jalemar. "And I mean between. Many other dragons have been going crazy in grief! Do you know what that means?! Their riders are dead. No bodies are appearing except for one which we found this morning... dead, no wounds, no signs of struggle, and no poison detected in the body. And.." she hesitated. "It had a mark burned into its body... I don't know how... but it was the shape of a small triangle."

Jalemar raised widened eyes. "You mean..."

Baeris nodded. "The body had the same... well, characteristics as the one before... it is very... fresh." she swallowed bile. "We need to find her before she kills any more people." she shuddered. "At an estimate, it has been... 35 dragons going mad with grief... 10 people have reported missing family or friends, 45 on three days... who knows how quickly it will move up? No one else really knows... well, the riders are willing to help... we've got a group of 10, but we do not know where she is..."

Jalemar's eyes turned grim. "I'll help."

"No." he said. Baeris turned questioning eyes at him. "Its that way."

"How can you tell?"

Jalemar pointed to a figure. Baeris turned, and her eyes widened when she saw that it was made out of stone, yet the face staring back at her had been one of the occupants of the Healing Den. A rider leaned over into the bushes and reched, recognizing the figure.

"We've got to move one." Baeris said softly. Anger grew inside her, she didn't know why she hadn't sent the dragons after her. But you know... a voice whispered in her head. You know she has the ability to kill the dragons as well....

They walked for a long time, passing one or two more stone statues. As they moved more deeper into the forest, the statues turned from stone into granite, then marble at its finest. Many of the riders felt uneasy, yet the sight of these... people, made them move more quickly, it refueled their anger.
Jalemar suddenly raised a hand and pointed into the direction. They realised that some sort of glow was coming from the woods. All twelve of them advanced to see a figure sitting within the glow. As their eyes adjusted to the bright light, they realised the figure was in some sort of cacooon. One rider unsheathed a knife and threw it at the cacoon when...

"Desino!" came a sharp command. The knife stopped in mid air, and the voice started to mutter a few more odd words. The knife dropped to the ground. From the shadows, Shy stepped forwards dressed in a white cheongsam. He stared at them. "Do not harm her."

"She killed my riders." Baeris said softly. "Surely even to you, that must be a crime."

Shy stared at the older woman. "When life is taken away, it is to make room for new life." he said softly.

"What is that suppose to mean?!" came a harsh voice. It was the rider who had reched upon seeing the first stone statue.

Shy merely pointed to the cacoon. Just then, it seemed to tear open, causing many of the riders to back away at the sudden harsh light. As it faded, it left a tall, graceful figure. If Sha-ne before had been mystic, this was much... much more...
The figure was tall, with a slightly more voluptuous figure. The scale markings were still the same, yet the scales now seemed to bleed into one and other, so that it reflected all the colors of the prism at the same time as it stayed white. Her hair was alive like little snakes and few looked around its surroundings. Although it had no faces, even Baeris could feel the very being of the hair vibrate towards her. She was much more graceful looking, her skin pale, and it gave off its own odd light, making itself look transparent, yet at the same time such a wholesome white color. She stood there, her tail was twice as long since before, and she seemed to 'stand' on the middle of it, so that she still had an extra two meters to use as a weapon.

"I... lied to you last time Baeris." Shy said softly. "Sha-ne was not reacting to instnct. She was only 14 then, and was about to fully mature into the grownup you see now. What you saw then, was a female balisik claiming her territory. She considers the Healing Den to be her territory, as she is the only true balisik. She considers anything else inferior to herself... even dragons. Yet, she compromises because she has human blood. Those figures you saw, were feeding her with the essence to mature. They also treaded on her domain without permission... she considers the whole of the Healing Den to be hers... no one can knock any sense into her... and she considers the forests to be her home..." Shy bowed, kneeling at her feet. "I apoligize... I know I cannot give life back to the creatures, but I cannot take her back either... unless I want her to start crying..." he hesitated, and looked away. "SHa-ne considers this her home, she is a female ripe in her prime... and she has staked out her territory... she will not leave these woods for long, because she considers other females to be... rivals... competitors... she is..." he gulped. "Looking for a mate."

Baeris looked down at him. "Indeed, I have promised the mothers that she will stand at the clutch. If she does not leave the woods and does not impress, it is not our problem any more... I know what tears are to a creature such as herself yet... how can I trust what you are saying now, to be the truth?"

"Because I vouch for him."

They turned then, to see a woman in her 30's approach. She was dressed in white, her blonde hair piled high up her head. Her blue eyes crinkled. "Baeris... it was just a hatching ago we met." her eyes hardened then. "Shy is under my employ, which means I am responsible for him. I am... sorry for the deaths of the riders..." her eyes softened. "But we cannot change the currents of time... I should have come earlier, but I only found out a few days ago about Sha-ne's existence... she will not move... no... she is not willing to move, but I will send in my own riders to protect.... defend...." her lips quirked into a small smile. "Well, to watch over her." she frowned. "In fact... I was suppose to see two arrive with me..."

Bombs away! thundered a voice. Yeah... move move move! They all turned to see a large shadow moving quickly towards them. Suddenly, it screeched to a halt in front of Baeris. Two heads, a tail split into two, and no wings... a rider pulled off her helmet, revealing cascading curly blonde hair as well as straight black hair. Ela/Luci grinned. Naeodin looked over with a slight frown.

"You two..." her voice was rimmed with worry. Luci saw this, and cackled.

"Don't worry Leader dear, we promise to behave this time.."

Ela frowned. "Luci... don't be so rude..." she smiled. "Yes, since we have to take care of our charge, we promise to be nice... Delly couldn't come because she's taking care of Chalak at the Pelar sands... same with Vino... and De should be right behind us." she smiled sweetly. She looked over at Baeris and grinned. "It has been such a long time, Master healer." she said, her eye twinkling.

Ela grinned. "Did you miss me?"

Baeris frowned... the name De was very... familiar. Just then, a large dragon crashed through the trees. A large queen with a large crest stood there, her hide glimmering. Then the hide started to shift colors, causing many people to blink. Baeris smiled... De had been a young girl and so fragile when she had arrived at first. The pale skinned woman pulled her goggles over her head revealing warm, dark blue eyes. She smiled. "Baeris! I have been meaning to visit you before... you have so much to catch up on."

Naeodin nodded. "Baeris, these two... three." she corrected quickly, seeing Luci's glare. "Will take charge over Sha-ne. I have sent my Healing Den riders for a reason." she smiled. "They know this place pretty well, and most of them should be used to... unusual creatures long enough, so that they won't freak out." she chuckled. "I will come myself to check up on things every two days... things are slightly hectic at the moment back at the Vella Crean..." she nodded, and her eyes suddenly turned buisness like. "Until the clutch hatches, we will keep complete watch over the basilik..."

"Its Balisik."

Naeodin frowned.

Shy smiled. "The Basilik is the real... 'term' for the creature, but that is the lizard half. When even slightly human form, it is known as the Balisk."

Naeodin nodded. "We will take responsibility for the actions of the Balisik... as long as she can stay..." she turned to the crowd, and her eyes froze into the crisp buisness like look. "Several more riders will arrive and make them selves comfortable... only the healers, telepathics, and such will be sent over, the more... 'normal' riders we need, as several of our riders are still at the Pelar Protectorate with their frenzy and all." she nodded. "They will be here on a job, so you should be able to recognize them with a crest. That is... if you don't mind?" she asked, turning to Baeris.

"Your saying that your riders will camp out here taking care of Sha-ne, making sure she doesn't kill, as well as several riders making a home in the Healing Den just in case there is a emergency."

Naeodin nodded.

Baeris smiled. "That is fine with me."

[Healing Den] {If you want to read more of her, click next... there might be something, but there might not be}