She's never been shy about disappearing. Of course, she's never entirely gone for long; it's just her way to weave in and out of things, like a needle through thread. But if she's the needle, she is also the thread, and the seamstress, and the fabric – she is everything, everywhere, at all times. It is her fate, to have a terminal, omnipotent understanding. And if she were anything more humble, perhaps it would be a bother to her.

But she isn't. She is Camrynn, the antithesis of everything that is humility. She wears everything about her like a badge of pride, stripped naked only before those she knows to equal or surpass her own powers. And that is truly her secret: she is never overwhelmed because she takes it all in stride, never doubting her extreme capacity to handle it.

And so it is that she stands on the sands, listening to the stories that this knowledge brings her. Since sharpening her focus on the Deserts, she can't help but notice a certain horse who's been making quite the name for himself. Mind you, she also couldn't help but notice him because of the way he stuck out in a certain half-aunt's mind (is that what Valkerine would be? Half-aunt? Her father's half sister. Who knows). She'd tucked the both of them away secretly, the two half-sisters who still didn't know what their relationship was. They were now just gently out of reach of anyone but those with magic, tucked somewhere where they'd never bother her, and never be bothered. In a freezer, if you will, like end of summer basil, frozen for possible needs during winter.

Creepy, right?

Creepy, but also secret. She can feel the two of them if she just reaches out with her mind, delicately brushing against the two of them like a butterfly's wing. They may be stopped in time, but she hasn't been cruel to them. Out there in the nothingness, they dream. Aletheia's dreams are of friends and family, of love and touching. Valkerine's dreams are of life in the Amazons, and Shahrizai always features prominently. Ironic, she thinks, knowing that the stallion has in fact settled in her own lands, here in the Deserts.

And then of course there's the third one. But the third one doesn't dream like the other two. The third one is…well, different.

Shifting smoothly from her reverie (or brief telepathic touchstone, or what have you), she appears beside the stallion. Of course he wouldn't know that she knows (and is more or less holding captive) one of Librette's twins, in the same way he wouldn't know that she killed Librette. And she isn't about to let it show on her face; she looks the same as always, a small, wry smile playing with her pretty lips, her face every inch as lovely as it always is. She is a vision, entirely black with no natural markings and a long mane and tail, unnaturally free of tangles. Across her chest the crook and flail of the Deserts crown stand in stark contrast to the black of her coat, gilded and shining. Across her cheek a trail of precious stones hangs like a necklace. And her eyes – today (or at least, for the moment) they're a rich gold.

"Shahrizai," she greets with a nod, pulling no punches. "Your hard work on behalf of the Deserts has not gone unnoticed and is to be commended." she speaks sincerely; she is many things, but even she values hard work. "I'm Camrynn, the less absent of your two absentee queens." she says the last with a distinct hint of humor, poking fun at both herself and Pevensie. And god knows, they deserve it.

How could she forget their first meeting? He mentions it, and she smiles a bit more widely than usual. It had been quite the thing, the Deserts competition. How easily he could perhaps have taken her place here, or Pevensie's. But no, the Deserts had known (do the kingdoms ever miss a trick?) and ejected him easily out onto the border. She is not surprised he has found his way back after all these years, and she knows that the kingdom is glad to have him.

He continues speaking and she continues to smile, giving him the hint of a teasing grin of her own at the mention of her being family. Little does he know that in a way, she actually is – little does he know that without her, there would be no Wrynn. And for that matter, she's absconded with one of his latest set of siblings. So…practically family in the same way that a natural disaster is a part of the family, sure. But much as she may think it, her face doesn't betray it, and she returns his teasing with a fair measure of her own. "Well, I'll be sure to make it to the next family reunion." her voice is light. "I'm sure Scorch would love to catch up."

She is actually really sure that that's the opposite of what Scorch would love. The once-queen isn't much of one to forgive and forget. But as Camrynn isn't really one to care, and the two kingdoms at least nominally needed/need each other, well, it all works out.

She feels the thing before Shahrizai ever reacts to it. Whether it's all in his head, or simply something that exists entirely for him isn't really relevant; if it's in his head, so is she. If it's something crafted entirely for him, well, she's all about rewriting the rules. She can see it terrifies him, and she doesn't doubt that there's good reason for that. If she weren't so perfectly equipped to fight back against, well, anything, she'd probably be terrified too.

But luckily for both of them, she's Camrynn, and she doesn't do terrified.

Before Shahrizai is even done speaking, a hard skin of magical diamond is spreading across his skin. It's transparent, translucent, almost invisible, moves and flows like a second skin – and will ensure that he's protected from any kind of shenanigans that this creature and its wicked object might want to impose on him. Sure, she could probably try to stop it directly, to destroy it or dispel it, but she can smell the scent of Beqanna's magic all over it – and quest magic is one of the few things that even she won't touch. It's not that she necessarily can't (this distinction is quite important to her), but rather that it is often much more trouble than it's worth.

Loyal subject protected, the black mare chuckles. "Well, that's new." she says in a completely calm voice that makes it entirely clear she's unruffled by the entire event. Hell, she's caused more significant magical shenanigans herself. "Been stalking you for a little while, and no one else can see it?" she speaks like a detective laying out a chain of events, knowing each answer before the question is even asked.

She reaches out and scrapes her teeth along his shoulder, causing a strange scratching sound as the teeth hit the diamond. He'll feel nothing, except perhaps a slight pressure. She pulls back. "That's diamond. Flexible, transparent, translucent, and functionally impenetrable." She turns her gaze to regard the wraith.

"How did you earn the pleasure of its company?" Her voice is wry, crisp, and dry, and she continues to watch the creature even as she speaks to Shah. Again, she hesitates to poke around too closely in the happenings of the quests – into his memories, maybe, but not deeper than that – but she knows that these kinds of apparitions don't just show up out of the blue. It takes some real shenanigans, and she's in the mood for a good story.