Crystalline Sorcery

It was a long, twisted way down into the heart of the mountain. Heid felt the full weight of her chain armor on her back and shoulders and the full weight of what they were doing on her mind. They had left their companions behind them, powerful warriors Heid had worked with for years. Their journey from the deep elven glades would all be for naught if the priestess they guarded was killed at the end of it all. To say Heid felt vulnerable would be an understatement: the completion of their journey would all hinge on her.

Samed had told her she would not need the armor. Heid wore it anyway.

Samed walked ahead, her glowing staff throwing her slender form into sharp relief, clearly visible in silhouette through the delicate fabric of her robes. Heid tried not to look. She failed. The thin fabric threw gossamer light behind Samed, highlighting instead of hiding her slender waist and strong shoulders.

When at last they reached the bottom, Heid realized she had lost all sense of how long they had been walking and how far they had come, she had been so enraptured by the movement of the beautiful form of the elven priestess. She sat heavily on the earthen floor and took off her traveling boots, shaking her head as if sloughing off a spell.

"I don't look forward to going back up," she said.

"We won't," Samed said. "We will go out the other side. The others can...