Tessa meets her mother

[moonshadows]

After half an hour sitting on a rock by the side of the road, Tessa had learned two things. First, she had badly misjudged how long it would take her mother to travel up the road, and second, that this part of the planet was miserably hot and dry. She would have been soaked with sweat, but it evaporated instantly, so she just wilted instead. Lesson number one gave her plenty of time to wallow in the fresh misery of learning that her half-brother was a terror that she, the daughter of dreadlord Mal'Ganis, would never be able to match. Tessa was so caught up in reflecting on this that she almost missed it when her mother did come into view.

Well, almost missed it except that the giant flying serpent of blue-white lightning practically blinded her.

Lesson number three, Tessa thought dully. Her mother did not travel alone. This close, the sound of her mother's soul was more than just the heartbeat that had led Tessa here. Underneath that steady rhythm was a faster, wilder one that invoked images of something running for its life from a predator, and the predator's growl overlaid both beats. The half-breed raised her head to get a view of her mother, and was not surprised by the drawn bow that was aimed in her direction. The big black beast her mother rode was unexpected, but it was by far the least-scary of the three. The giant serpent whose soul was pure power left Tessa with the certainty that she would not win a confrontation, but even it was not as terrifying as the seething black presence of her mother. Like the half-brother Tessa had seen, her mother's spirit had condensed into an impenetrable shell. Red so dark it was nearly black flickered along the surface, and glowed menacingly where her eyes would be.

At this point, it was just beating a dead horse. Tessa already knew she was a worthless failure, driving the point home so forcefully only pushed her past fear and into hopelessness.

"Why are you here?" The question was full of threat and menace, just in case Tessa had somehow gone blind and not been able to see how futile fighting would be.

"You handed me to my father with the understanding that you would never see me again," Tessa said with a sigh. "I wanted to see what the face of a woman that strong looked like."

The bow lowered slightly. "Mal'Ganis gave his oath that he would leave this world to me in exchange for you."

A world? Her father had given up claim to an entire world in exchange for one child? Tessa laughed bitterly. "You got the better bargain."

"Are you here at his request?"

Not even the threat in the question could keep more bitter laughter from bubbling out of the girl. "I never even met him. He ditched me just after I was born. The only ones who might even care where I am are probably glad I'm gone so they can try to forget he ever saddled them with his defective half-breed child."

The bow lowered, relaxed, was stowed on the beast's tack and his rider swung down off his back. Tessa watched her mother walk towards her, the beast staying where it was but watching alertly, the serpent of sparkling blue-white flame holding itself ready to attack. The half-breed didn't bother to change position at all, staying in her defeated slump even as the terrifyingly untouchable figure stopped an arm's length away. Her mother even moved dangerously, every inch a predator Tessa would never be.

"What's your name?"

Tessa blinked at the tone of forced neutrality emerging from the menacing form before her. The form which was now scowling, making Tessa want to sink further into herself.

"Your name, girl."

There was a growl in the voice now, and Tessa cringed from it. "Jentessa," she whispered. "Tessa."

The other woman sat gracefully on the ground and the black beast paced warily towards his mistress. "Tessa. Look at me."

That was the last thing Tessa wanted to do, but her mother's voice gave her no choice. Red eyes burned behind the solid black spirit.

"I am Ryxl, daughter of Kalika Ironheart. I have no love for you," the older woman said, but there was no menace in that calm statement of fact. "Your father tortured and raped me, and you were a weapon in my fight against him. You are the reminder of the pain he put me through." The black shell got even darker, the deep red flashing brighter. "You are my daughter and your father's sins are not yours, but I have no love for you."

"I know." It was Tessa's turn to be matter of fact. "I didn't expect you to, and I wouldn't deserve it even if you did. I'm a failure."

Ryxl blinked at that. "What do you mean?"

Tessa gestured at her mother's black soul-armor. "I can't do...that. I only have a fraction of the powers a Nathrezim should have. I'm defective." Tears burned in her eyes and she scrubbed at them with the heel of one hand. "I'm not good enough to take the place that was my father's, and I'd never be strong enough to make a place for myself here even if I was welcome."

Ryxl relaxed a tiny fraction at that, predator nature satisfied that this potential challenger was not going to make a grab for her territory, feeling both guilty and glad that she didn't have to tell her daughter that she wasn't welcome on Azeroth. It wasn't that she wanted to hurt the girl, but she'd feed herself to the Blood God before she let the dreadlord's bastard child anywhere near her family or her Warchief. She relaxed Champion Mode just a little bit.

Tessa watched in raw envy as the terrible black soul-shield shifted, red-shot plates moving back to reveal the vulnerable spirit-stuff all sentients had, but still hovering protectively in case Ryxl needed to snap them down in a hurry.

"I wish I could do that," she said miserably.

Ryxl gave her daughter a wary look. "Do what?"

Tessa gestured. "Your spirit. The way you defend it. I know I should be able to make mine form that armor, but-" she sniffled, tears starting to leak out. "I just can't make it work. My grandmother was right, I'm worthless."

The slap that dashed the tears from her eyes was such a shock that Tessa forgot to cry.