STORY
Crimes
Malae is wanted for- Theft, fraud, poaching of rare magic creatures, illegal possession of potions, & murder
Past
Malae was a convict. He ran a con tent on the poor side of the shadowlands, tricking everyone out of their coin before mysteriously vanishing before the law arrived. Cocky because of his past successes Malae went for a bigger target: the boss of the biggest gang in town. Ever so carefully Malae moved his tent and set up at a pub the gang frequented, and waited with his rigged game.
Malae couldn’t believe his luck, two days into his stake out, the boss arrived with a fat sack of gold tied to his hip.
“Come one come all! Try your luck at the cups!” Malae’s voice rang out, easily getting his targets attention,”you there! Why not give it a try? It’s simple if you guess which cup has them gem underneath after I’ve switched them around you get a fabulous prize! And it only costs you 50 gold around! So do we have a deal?”
The gang leader looked at his two followers and nodded, dropping 50 gold on the table. “Aright see here the cups are completely normal, no tricks about them, just luck” Malae handed a cup to the leader for inspection before putting a gem underneath it “ alright around and around it goes which cup hold the gem, nobody knows! Ok valued customer which cup is it in, left? Ooo or maybe the right!” Malae watched with glee as the leader’s chosen cup lacked the gem. Again and again the leader played working up a rage until he had spent all his coin.
You see being a shadow dragon Malae had powerful illusion magic, and the gem? It never existed, it was only ever an illusion. Soon enough the gang leader found that out. Out of anger he knocked all the cups off the table revealing that no gem was ever there. “Hey that wasn’t very sportsmen like!” Malae screeched, panicked.
“There was no gem YOU FILTHY CON-ARTIST, YOU MADE ME LOOK LIKE A FOOL” the leader roared. “Come on boys, we know just the place for trickers like you.” His henchmen laughed as they dragged Malae, screaming, with them.
It had been five days locked in a cell before Malae had any chance at escape.
“Well you look like a reck” a voice said from the corner of Malae’s cell. Startled he backed into the opposite corner of his cell “relax I’m not going to hurt you, in fact i have a proposition,” the voice said.
It happened very fast in Malae’s mind, though he was sure it took at least five minutes. The voice offered protection, if he pledged his life and services to her. He eagerly pounced on a new opportunity of freedom and just like that they were running away, leaving behind a burning camp and dead dragons.
Malae had never killed anyone before that night, in fact he never meant to he had simply grabbed what he thought was a rock and looked up to see the dragon he had thrown it at was dissolving into ash.
“So you’re a potions maker?” Asked the fae who he had pledged himself to.
“Y-yes i am a potions maker and an illusionist, they…they stole these from me when they took me to the dungeon” he stammered grabbing a belt of potions from one of the gang’s crates that 100% did not belong to him previously.
“Excellent! You're the exact type of dragon we’re looking for, OH Raspberry’s going to love you’” said the fae excitedly. “ well come on now, i know you don’t want to stay here.” And just like that Malae vanished like one of his illusions, never to be heard from again, unless of course you’re a Nightshade.

He conjured the thing, a spirit of shadow, was this his life was meant to be now?
She saved his life all that time ago, and later he saved her, the debt was paid. But then she asked for more, for him to become one of her shadows and for this favor, he asked for her to birth his children. It was a dangerous melody they danced to, spiraling and twisting until the deadly crescendo. An eye for an eye in this world they had made for themselves, a world hidden from the rest.
A sly glance here and there was the only indication a debt had been paid. Or another made.
They rollicked this dance willingly, eager to win a point against each other, to have two debts owed to them by the other. To get out of this vicious cycle.
Though both were slick and cunning in wit, clever in words and both able to bend the rules without a second glance in their direction.
Little did she know she had scored that point they so desperately pined for because, behind all his manipulative words and cool confidence, he loved her. He wished to be her mate, but life didn’t work that way. So, onwards went their twisted dance and onwards his life of conjuring, being the bewitched, the shadow, the holder of curses. Until one of them scored the last point of their cruel dance or until he became king.
“Until death due is apart,” he said sweetly, his voice filled with his usual sound of manipulation.
“Until death” she said sweetly, her voice filled with her usual sound of deadly cunning. They bowed to each other, a simple nod of the head, and walked to the pathway behind the other. Another debt was owed.