A/N: I don't own most of this stuff, except Virea, Tarin, Prior, and Rothman. I just really wanted to write a Diadem story, and felt the need to introduce a new character to do so. Also, later there will be sweet, mild Score/Helaine, Pixel/Virea, and Oracle/Shanara (!) relationships Read and review, but don't flame: Pixel will control the flames and send ’em right back at you. ^^ Enjoy!

A dark tear in space opened up, and out stepped two figures. The sorceress glared at her partner. He cowered.

"Are you sure this is the right planet?" she snapped. He bowed his head.

"Yes, milady."

She glared at him a moment longer, then spun around and began to stalk off. "You'd better be," she snapped over her shoulder. Her partner just stood there for a second, trembling, then started to run after her.

"Ugh," said Tarin, wincing. "I hear magic users coming through."

Virea glanced over at him. Ptarmigan was her best friend, of course, but she'd never told him her biggest secret -- she was a magic user.

Yes, she knew it was impossible. Elves worked their own magic, but not the kind of magic that shaped and ruled the Diadem. They could travel through portals, if they wished -- though none of them wished, of course! -- but none of them could, say, turn invisible.

None, that is, except for Virea.

"Let's go back to the city, Tarin," she begged. "I don't want to meet up with any magic users." Tarin gave her a little bow. "Sure thing, Anise -- just let me grab the bag." Anise. Of course, that was Virea's real name, but Tarin hardly ever called her that, and no one else ever did... except her dam and sire, of course. Anise Ellaura. Just like Tarin was Ptarmigan Celindin. When magic users were around, everyone was referred to by their nicknames... when referred to at all. Virea and Tarin, being youngers -- not yet seven hundred, in her case, and Tarin just barely -- were to hide with the much younger hundreds, and the oldsters tried to leave them out of the conversation.

They reached the Tree, nimbly leaping to a branch some six feet above their heads. Not magic, just catlike skill and energy and balance. They had reached the city in no time.

The sorceress found the Tree some time later. She smirked up into its branches. "Well, I guess we've found our little tree elves." The smile disappeared almost at once. "Rothman! Get your lazy ass over here!"

"Yes, milady," Rothman panted. He leaned over to catch his breath. "What now, milady?"

"Now," she said, "we meet the locals." Very gently, she knocked on the tree trunk. A few moments passed, then half a dozen elves dropped from the trees. They held bows, and though they didn't have their arrows notched, the sorceress had heard enough to know they could still shoot her dead before she had a chance to use any magic. She held up both hands to show she had no weapon -- except, of course, her magic. She smiled again, a kind and gentle smile. "Please, wonderous people, I mean you no harm. My name is Prior. I wish simply to speak to your leader."

Virea sat the the tree's stronghold, thinking. To one side of her was Tarin; to the other was one of the smallest youngers, a girl of barely twenty years. She sat there silent for a long while, then stirred, as if pulling herself out of sleep. She stood up.

"Excuse me," she said. "I need to, er, use a facility. Tarin, could you watch the youngers for a while?"

"’Course," he replied. "Go ahead, I'll be fine."

Virea stepped quietly into the other room, a storage room, but didn't head for the "facility." She just stood there for a moment, then shook her head. She needed to find out what was going on outside. She felt drawn to these magic users, and she wanted to see who they were. More than that, she needed to see an Off Worlder, just once.

She would be severly punished if she got caught... So don't get caught, she thought, and pulled her Diamond out of her quiver of arrows.