Priestess In Shadow

"You see then, I was no dreamer you awoke from sleep," said the shadow.  "I was in a self-induced exile from the world to shield it from whatever harm I may do to it."  The priestess took a step back in shock.  "But how can that be?"  She asked desperately.  "You were our savior before, when,"  "I know what I did before!"  The shadow interrupted.  "That does not change my essential nature, or what I might do if once again released upon the world."  The priestess was confused.  How could it be so?  Only twenty years ago this shadowy form had saved the entire temple complex from an Elvish invasion.  Now it was saying it would destroy them?  "But this doesn't make sense!"  She blurted out in desperation.  "Why would you have saved us before if you were just going to kill us later?!"  All her hopes dashed, the young priestess sank to the floor, uncaring of the dust that settled all over her black robes that were the sign of her position.  Against her will, she began to silently cry, large fat tears rolled down a face made thin by fasting and the toll that her necromantic powers took whenever she used them.  She felt a long, slender finger lifting her chin and she could just barely discern the silhouette of the shadow's form, where before all she could see were its eyes.  Those eyes stared into hers now, large orbs of mercurial silver, shot through with veins of red and black.  "By the Dead Gods, you're just a child!   What were they thinking, letting a mere child release me!" The shadow cried.  The priestess replied in a very small voice, "I had to.  There was no one else.  There was so much blood.  None of the others survived.  I had to try."  She then began to sob again.  To her great surprise, she felt herself being picked up off the ground by the shadow.  Its arms felt like cool, yet resilient liquid.  She could hear it whispering next to her ear and feel its breath in her long black hair.  "Hush little priestess," it whispered.  "I'm going to take you away.  Will you come with me?"    She could hear the shouts of the invaders, the shudder as the thick wooden door was struck by their makeshift battering ram.  She knew if she went with the shadow, she would never again see the temple, with its high spires and twisting passageways.  Never again would she collect herbs with her fellow acolytes under he watchful eyes of their teacher, or sit and study among the many owls and raven in the temple mews.  She turned to look at the shadow holding her, and thought she could just make out the face of a young man, not too much older than her twenty-two years.  Looking once again at the oaken door that was all that stood between her and the invaders outside, the priestess gathered up all her courage and breathed one word into the shadow's ear;  1

"Yes"2