CharacterHistory/Betrayal

Betrayal

Tissendra, Choosen of the Crowned Sun, who had forged wonders and made the Fae themselves honor their word, ran. She could hear the thudding of the trio of Black Jade Warstriders behind her, the Terrestrials closing in. She had known those Dragon-Blooded, lowest of the Exalted though they were she had talked with them. One of the ones behind her, she thought his name was Kell, had come to her once for advice on some Jade trinket or another. What had it been? She couldn't call the event to mind. It didn't matter. Now he was hunting her. Her! Like some animal! She didn't understand. Why, what had happened? There was no warning, no negotiation, nothing! At all! She'd heard explosions, seen fire and gone to investigate. The Deliberative should not have caught fire, it was designed to be indestructable! She herself had helped create the plans and enchantments that should have held that hall up, in perfection, for all time. It had not, to her dismay, been the hall burning. It had been the Animas of hundreds of the Dragon-Blooded, mostly their Crimson Dragon warriors, attacking the Deliberative as it met for the First Day celebration. Treacherous, treasonous creatures they were.

Bolts of elemental power flew past Tissendra, a handful of Dragon's Breaths and some lesser Elemtental Bolts. They though such petty Charms could destroy her, a Solar Exalted? Fools! She almost slowed her pace, glancing behind her for a count of her persuers. It took only a moment to realize her mistake as she saw the seven elemental Animas behind her, all the blues and blacks of the Ebon Water Dragons, merge together into a single monsterous totem, a midnight black Dragon breathing gouts of steam, claws of ice tearing the air around it. Tissendra may not have respected the Dragon-Blooded themselves, but she was a Savant of the Solar Deliberative and knew of these Circle-Charms, almost half spell. A single Terrestrial stepped forward and she noticed it was the one she had thought she'd know, Kell. He looked almost pained as he raised both hands toward her, seeming to guesture the Anima-Dragon to attack. From the seven Dragon-Blooded rose the monsterous shriek of superheated steam, rushing for her. It would boil her alive, steal the beauty and life from her flesh as she watched.

Stiffening her legs and arms, straightening her neck and spine she adopted the form of the Heron and slowed for a fraction of a second. That was all the time it took. As lethal clouds of steam conjured by the Dragon-Blooded billowed toward her, Tissendra leap into the air, paused and lept again almost seeming to race atop the lethal cloud in her effort to escape it. One arm outstretched, Tissendra's peacock Anima spread around her in a brilliant fan of semi-transparent gold, silver and bronze as she flew. Flight of the Landbound Bird was one of her secret tricks, now exposed for all the world to see. A terrible price, but now she had a chance. Not even their Cloud Dragons could follow her into the heights of Air she now inhabited. She was safe. For the moment.