Elemental Planes

Ixenjii jumped up onto the stump. He blasted a powerful torrent of water at the fire-lord. Kethul was dodging the streams, the air around him a vacuum as his natural body heat consumed the air around him. Fireball after fireball flew at the jumping figure, hitting him easily. Ixenjii just laughed as he regenerated from the water-vapor around him.

"Nothing will come of this, Ixenjii. I cannot destroy you without tearing apart the entire elemental plane. Forget your hatred toward me so this can be over."

"I will never forgive you. Haelynn's love is now endebted to you because of that damned staff. I am her patron. To force fire into the life of a water-blessed is unforgivable. Therefore, I am giving you one last chance. Destroy the staff, or I will destroy you.

Kethul sneered, increasing his body heat. "There is no law against that, water lord. I saw him as a powerful candidate to be my minion, that is all. Need I bring Drakitara to settle this dispute?”

Ixenjii stopped at the mention of the drago-woman. She governed the elemental planes; either you listen to her, or you were destroyed. ”I will stop this. You had better stay away from me, you fiend. I will end whatever it is that you are planning, even if it means eliminating Euthelis.”

Storm Chaser and Silver Wind entered the plain of Elements and at once saw the lords of Fire and Water at.

Silver Wind called upon his element of the earth and made a wall of solid stone rise up between the two. Storm Chaser and him then approached the other two element lords.

"What is the meaning of this?" Storm Chaser asked of them.

Ixenjii looked at Storm Chaser, his eyes a crystalline blue. "You have no business here. This is between me and Kethul. Stay out of it." His icy blue eyes began to turn a deep indigo; he was getting angry.

Meanwhile, Kethul chuckled to himself and burst into flames, disappearing with the remaining smoke. He looked down on Euthelis and Haelynn walking through the forest behind Keena. 'What's so wrong with me admiring a young elf? I don't understand why fire and water cannot live happily...'

Drakitara and Draden watched the lords in their never ending squabbles.

"Should we move in and stop this yet again?" the silver and blue dragon asked his mistress.

"No Draden, this spat is almost at an end. There are other issues that are more pressing at the moment. Besides, I think the Lords have had enough of our 'interfearing' with their battles."

The Dragon Mistress and her companion watched the Elemental Lords for a moment longer, and seeing that the battle was over, headed back to their 'lair'. Both were troubled about the increasing anger between the Lords. Usually the Lords only fought every few days, but now tempers were flairing whenever any of the Lords were close to each other. Drakitara wondered exactly what had happened on the world below. But that area was not her concern. Here was her domain; her word was law. And the Elemental Lords had come to learn that on more than one occasion.

Silver Wind growled, baring his teeth. Storm Chaser shook his mane and stomped an enormous hoof.

"It is not worth it." He said to Silver Wind.

He turned his silver-blue head towards Ixenjii once more. "The Goddess Gaia has warned my mistress that something evil is coming, and it will effect all realms including this one. It is time we stand together instead of fighting, perhaps you should think on it Ixenjii. Because without all of us together all will be lost."

He then turned followed by Silver Wind to join their mistress once more. It was strange that all the Element Lords fought except for Storm Chaser and Silver Wind, but then Keena had seen an end to that eons ago.

Ixenjii lowered his energy. Kethul was gone, the coward. There was no point in argueing; it would only bring Drakitara into the matter, something the water lord didn't want. He walked off in the direction of Silver Wind and Storm Chaser to rejoin his companions. He would have to come up with an explanation as to why Kethul wasn't there. Or perhaps he was.

Kethul leapt out from behind the rocks that he observed Ixenjii from. It seemed he was going back to the mortal plane. He hsould probably go as well. But first, he planned to find out why, despite her obvious presence, Drakitara hadn't interfered with the quarrel. She always did, but this time was different. It made the fire lord uneasy, and he hated fealing uneasy. Unsteady patterns in the air meant his flame could go out, and that worried him deeply.

Draven returned from his hunting on the mortal plane to find his mistress still deeply troubled.

"Mistress, why are you so troubled? you have not spoken a word since we returned from the fight between the Lords. Please tell me what is going on!" the dragon begged of Drakitara.

Slowly Drakitara turned her head towards her most trusted companion. "Draden, you have been with me for how long? Eons? You know better than any being alive that I would tell you if I knew. Somthing is out of balance, yet nothing seems out of the ordinary. How can that be? You saw nothing of intrest on the mortal plane, other than that Kethul has been checking up on his 'pet'. Why he has so much intrest in that mortal's life is beyond me. I wish the Godess would impart some of her wisdom to me"

The dragon seethed beneath his scales. Never before had he seen his mistress so upset. Draden decided it was time for him to befriend the Eemental Lords, spread his wings, and headed to find the tempremental beings

Kethul stalked closely to the base of the seemingly endless staircase which led up to the entrance to Drakitara's lair. These parts of the land were dangerous. Numerous angry spirits roamed the area, and Kethul, despite being an elemental lord, still feared their powers. Being spirits, they were immune to the elements, so he was bound to his own abilities. He began to climb the staircase, anxious to find out what this disturbance was.

Drakitara watched the Lord accend the stairs, perplexed that this particular Lord decided to be the first to enter her domain. The Elementals tended to stay as far away from her as possible, and none had dared attempt to gain entry to her domain. She silently sent a command to Draven to return to her at full speed, knowing that the dragon would not make it before the Fire Lord was in her presence.

The gaping entrance to the half-cave lair surrounded the fire lord. None of the elemental lords had ever DARED to enter the domain of Drakitara Dradenbeck. Now it was time to break that boundary. He sensed it was time.

The Dark Lady flicked her wrist and the main doors flew open. Inside the vast opening was a warm, inviting hallway with rooms adjoined all along the way. Straight ahead was a monstrous staircase leading up to Drakitara's private quarters. One of the spirits stood at the door, waiting to escort the Fire Lord to the Queen of this castle

Kethul flinched when he saw the spirit at the door. He then realized that it wasn't there to harm him, but rather escort him. He nodded to the half visible ghost-of-a-man and proceeded to follow it down the long hall. They came up to a giant bronze door adorned with intricate details and sculptings. The door began to creak open, unassisted, leading into a huge throne room. Atop a pedestal stood a throne designed to replicate a dragon's open claw. Every single scale was carved perfectly into the obsidian rock. Sitting within the claw's grasp was Drakitara, dressed in her pitch-black cloak.

He watched as the spectre left the throne room, and then dropped to his left knee. "Lady Drakitara, I thank you for granting my prescence in your realm. I'm sure you have an idea of why I'm here. He stood and stared directly into the dragoness's sapphire blue eyes. "What is going on? Something is out of balance, and I want to know what."