"I must have that dress," I declared harshly, hearing the words before I realized I was saying them.
"No, I need it!" whined the Priest. I could see the garment was exerting power over us even as we looked at it. The Priest and I glared angrily at each other. For a moment I thought we would fight for it. I was ready to kill this whining Priest if he tried to stand between me and the beautiful dress. I knew Breitan would have my back, but the Priest had two of his friends, and my mind raced as I tried to calculate how to take on all of them.
Breaking the powerfully charged tension, the Warrior said, "Just roll for it, you two, and get it over with."
Grudgingly, we each reached for dice from our bags, never breaking eye contact. All of my power focused on the die I tossed to the floor, willing it to serve me. I know that dice are immune to magic, but I felt at that moment my passion was strong enough to overcome that. As the two dice clattered to the floor, the Priest and I looked down. My black die showed 67, his red one 45.
A heavy sigh of relief escaped me; I realized I had been holding my breath in anticipation. I knelt down and carefully picked up the dress, treating it with the utmost affection. I felt everyone's eyes on me as I held it up, admiring the stunning color and the magical forcefield sparkling around it. When I examined it closely, I noticed feminine script on the inside of the neck. "Alanna."
"Well, I can't put it on while you're all staring at me!" I shouted, suddenly self-conscious. "Give a girl some privacy!"
The others shuffled out of the room, the Priest still grumbling. I tossed my dull tunic aside and slipped into the silky dress. It felt so natural, so perfect. I knew it was meant for me.
But who was Alanna?
Every day, I feel her presence, and I am desperately curious about who she was. It seems like somehow, she feeds me this power.
