Chasing Dead Ends

Chasing Dead Ends is the seventeenth chapter of Tales of Sheol'gotha:  Shadow of the Abaddon.

Synopsis
In the wake of Valon's departure the palace of Nazrin seems to descend into silence. Sharess notes that the families are remained separated, but also that Abaddon has locked himself away and refuses to see anyone. Despite the curfews and restrictions, she moves freely and travels through the territory of other families, looking for a specific room. Upon finding it she locks the door and lights a candle, and waits.

She is joined a minute later by Lyn'sust, an arcanist capable of traveling through the shadows. She carries with her a large tome, and is revealed to have anticipated meeting Sharess here. Using the location of the room she agrees to scry on the throne room to find out what Abaddon has been doing, but she quickly recoils in horror at something she sees. As she recovers she points Sharess to her tome, identifying two vampires as brothers who were in the room who were speaking to Abaddon, and may have been aware of her presence.

Sharess reads the tome, seeing entries on vampires who were the masters of blood, power, and souls, but her questions are not answered. When she asks Lyn'sust, the demoness reveals that she was on the Blight Council the book references. She describes herself as unequalled in intellect, and capable of manipulating the arcana like no other, but when Abaddon made demands of her and another demon, Obahrdiyre, she refused and entered exile rather than die. She left, and states that she has been on the run ever since, but with the vampires in the room she is uncomfortable with the idea of staying and states her intention to leave. Sharess presses her for more information, but Lyn'sust refuses.

When the arcanist recognizes Sharess' despair she suggests the succubus talk with the royal guard captain, and admits that she's sorry, but doesn't explain why or what for. Before anything else can be said she disappears back into the shadows she entered by.

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