Starshadow, Myrkir

Sonja Starshadow sat at her desk in the expansive Starshadow Castle. In her hands was an unopened report that had just been handed to her by the person across from her. She set it down on her desk. "Any trouble? I expected you back some time ago," she said quietly.

Dahlia Blackheart shook her head. At the moment, the shape-shifting Onyx Dragon was in what was closest to her natural form. Her olive toned skin was slightly darker than other Onyx Dragons. She had yellow-ish eyes and long white hair. She was dressed in easy to move in leather, and with highly androgynous features with sharp contours. She sat in a chair across from Sonja's desk. She crossed her legs and tapped her fingers on the arm.

"No trouble," she said in a slightly husky tone. "Aside from curbing the desire to go on a murder spree," she added.

A few weeks earlier, Sonja had bumped into a young Dragon girl who seemed to be mistreated by her family. For reasons even Sonja can't explain, she felt drawn to the girl. So, she had Dahlia Blackheart investigate the girl and her family.

Dahlia was a mercenary and with her ability to change her appearance, she was good at investigating things. And with the right spells, she was even able to hide the fact that she was a Dragon from other Dragons. The Darkbane clan of Elmdale was the last known holder of an ancient artifact known as the Shadow Blade. The previous matriarch had been friends with Sonja's grandmother. But that wasn't why she was interested. For a family to abuse a Dragon daughter was an unheard of taboo.

Sonja tilted her head and waited for Dahlia to continue.

"Argyle Darkbane is the last of that direct Darkbane line. He was the youngest at the time of the Plague, all his older family members died, leaving him as the sole inheritor. There are some more distant cousins but they're separated by several generations and have no claim to his family properties," Dahlia explained. "He has some interesting contacts. I think you and Zane will recognize some of the names," she added pointedly.

Sonja raised her brow. There was only one reason she would say that. "People who also had contact with Ludvig?" she asked.

Dahlia nodded. These people haven't done anything criminal, but the overlapping points of contact were interesting if tenuous. "He doesn't seem to be involved in the kidnapping plot," she stated. "It's just that these people have some interesting views on men and women and their places in the world," she said. "It's all in the report," she said. She didn't want to rehash the part where she shifted into a henpecked man and hung out with these people in various inns and bars for awhile.

Sonja nodded slightly. "I understand. We'll mark them for surveillance," she said, referring to herself and Zane Darkwynde, the High Sentinel of Myrkir and the person in charge of military matters. He was also Dahlia's older half-brother. "What else?"

Dahlia wrinkled her nose in disgust. "He married some flighty Elf woman and had a few children. Two older sons, Melaina, and the youngest Ellerby. The boys are treated like princes, and the girl like a servant. Even the mother doesn't intervene to protect her daughter. From what I can see, aside from a town school for a few years to learn the basics, she wasn't allowed further education," she explained flatly, not letting any emotion color her voice.

Sonja frowned. "Is there a problem with the woman?" she asked.

Dahlia nodded. "She's part of a small displaced group who came to Emphyralis before the end of the War," she explained.

Individuals and groups of people coming to Emphyralis has been happening for as long as anyone can remember. Which is why the public outcry against "foreigners" is strange. 

"I don't remember that," Sonja said with a frown.

Dahlia shook her head. "I didn't either, but I checked the records. It was a fleeing group that hid in a cave, and ended up on Emphyralis. They're former slaves in their world, so their personalities have been formed by these experiences. The woman appears to be numb to the violence toward the girl, and seems to be grateful for the rich life she's currently living as the wife of a wealthy Dragon," she explained.

Sonja shifted in her chair. "I understand. I'll read your report and decide my next move," she said. "Will you be heading to Thale now?" she asked.

Dahlia stood and stretched, her body lengthening, her chest flattening, and the contours of her face changing slightly, becoming more masculine while still retaining the usual androgyny. Even her hair was shortened. "Hmm. I plan to deliver myself via Drake," she said, her husky voice now slightly deeper.

Sonja nodded and dismissed her. After the shapeshifter left, Sonja opened the report and began to read it.

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