Chapter 1
Celestia stretched, waking up to the morning light shining in on her face. She blinked and rubbed the evidence of the Sandman out of her eyes while she slowly sat up, pushing back her thick blanket. It was time to start a new day.
She pulled on her two layers of fern-green skirts, laced up her low-cut, ivory bodice embroidered with dainty flowers and vines, then slid on her stockings and brown, heeled boots. She finished by tying on her bewitched, fern-green cloak; if she chose to wear the hood over her head, she would be rendered invisible to anyone who wasn’t already aware of her presence. She brushed and braided her waist-length, white-blonde hair, tying it off with a brown ribbon. She then dipped a brush in black makeup and lined her laurel-green eyes. They shone in the sunlight, the yellow around her iris appearing like flower petals. She dabbed her finger in red paste, made with tulips and red rose petals from her garden, and rubbed it onto her naturally light-pink lips. She lightly rubbed a little on her high cheek bones, not too much but just enough to add a bit of color to her ivory-white skin.
“Today will be great,” she declared as she grabbed her knitted satchel with hopes of finding treasures. “Come on, Violet. Let’s start our day, shall we?”
Violet, her twelve-year-old, majestic, cougar-sized lynx-Maine Coon hybrid, stretched out over her bed, meowing her acknowledgment. She licked her mostly brown fur then hopped down and followed after Celestia as she went out the door. Celestia grabbed her wooden bucket, filled with dried corn from a wooden table beside the cottage, and went out to the barn. She pulled open the door so as to let the animals out, then walked out into the clearing in front. She was careful not to step on the chickens clustering around her feet, clucking excitedly in anticipation of their food. Mingy and May followed behind them, baaing happily. Celestia tossed corn in front of her and the chickens scattered to it, cocking their heads and picking at the ground where it had fallen. The sheep followed after them, finding dandelions, sweet grass, and other goodies to munch on.
She went back to the barn and traded her bucket for a milk pail. She then opened the gate for Hean, her white-and-brown spotted horse, so that he could go out to graze with the others as she walked by on her way to Betty. Betty mooed happily as she approached her, ready for her morning milking so that she could graze as well. Celestia milked and brushed her, then let her join the other animals. She then went to Hean and brushed him as well, feeding him a few carrots and an apple that she had harvested yesterday afternoon. She took the milk and eggs down to the cellar, which had many large ice soul stones within so as to keep it cold. She had more crystals farther back in the secondary part of the cellar to keep things frozen. This is where she would be taking this milk batch. She would later take the batches of frozen milk she had stored over the past fortnight to the village market or inn. They would likely be needing it soon.
She took two eggs and a few vegetables upstairs. She then waved her hand over marbled, red, orange, and yellow soul stones and they began to heat up. They were fairly common, found in every home and frequently carried around with someone, especially during the cold months. They were used for cooking, warming areas in the winter, and, if used properly by a trained sorcerer, could be used for more elaborate fire spells. She split the food, giving half to Violet and eating the rest herself. When they were done eating she drew water from a deep-blue crystal and cleaned everything, including the dishes from the night before.
She went outside to the gardens, took in a deep breath, and extended her hands. As she exhaled she felt a small tingle go down her arms, into her hands, and down into the earth to the blue crystals that she had previously buried in the ground. The ground swelled with moisture as she walked down each of the aisles. In a moment she had watered the vegetables, herbs, and flowers. She looked up at the sky. It was still only noon.
She gathered the frozen milk, a few dozen eggs, fruits, and vegetables that she had harvested this week and put them in the back of a small, wooden cart that she would use when she didn’t have much to take into town. Walking out the door, she grabbed her staff. It was tall and strong, made from wisteria vines that she had used soul magic on to harden. The leaves and wisteria flowers had turned to crystal themselves when she created it. There were rounded compartments wherein she had fastened soul crystals of many different colors, shapes, and sizes that looked akin to fruit on the twisted tree. When the soul crystals reached the end of their lifespans they would crumble away into dust and she would replace them. She stepped out into the sun and the staff glimmered and glistened in the light. It was truly beautiful.
Violet rubbed against her leg, drawing her attention away from her staff. “You’re right, of course. We should be off,” she replied to her. With that she waved her staff over the cart and it, in turn, followed after her as she walked the short way into town. After fifteen minutes or so she could already hear the commotion as she neared the first of the many houses that made up Atreus. Atreus was a moderately sized village, a town really.
Atreus had three inns. Bernadette's was the high-end inn that wealthy visitors would stay at when they traveled through. It was regal, all white and golden. Many wealthy sorcerers had stayed there hoping to get close to Borealis Mountain and the river that ran from the lake atop the mountain, down, and right through the heart of Atreus. Rodger’s was where normal people with average means would stay when traveling through or visiting. For the most part it was where many of Celestia’s clients would stay. The owner, Rodger, was a nice man and his daughter was the best cook in town, better than Bernadette's cooks in Celestia’s humble opinion. Then again, she had never cared much for Bernadette. Bernadette had inherited the inn from her mother who couldn’t be bothered with it anymore, not that Bernadette could either. She spent all of her time chasing after the attentions of Byron Atreus, both the burgomaster’s son and Celestia’s lifelong best friend. Then there was Bunkerton’s Saloon, where most of the riff-raff spent their time gambling, drinking, fighting, and *ing their days away.
It was this same establishment that Celestia walked past now. She saw a few brownies stumbling out of the door, holding onto each other for dear life and cackling about some misdeed they had done together involving a man and his horse. They were short, almost half the size of an average, full-grown man. They were skinny like homeless nomads who didn’t eat properly. Celestia could have wrapped her hands around the waist of one of them so as that her fingers would touch at their tips. They had large, almond eyes that took up most of their faces. The women both had hair down to their knees and short, intricate, layered dresses, no doubt made of spider silk. The men had on pants made of the same material. All of them had intricate art drawn on their skin in white paints, all of vines, flowers, and small creatures. Celestia knew from experience that they would come to life on their skin when they used magic. Brownies were of the dark court, though, and seeing their art come to life was never a good thing for those they worked their magic on.
Celestia watched as they sauntered off into the forest, disappearing to the naked eye within seconds of passing the woodline. Two men followed behind them, either enchanted or thinking to rob them. Either way they were stupid and likely wouldn’t be heard from again, at the very least not with sound minds. Celestia had tried to save someone from them before. The man had tried to kill Celestia and a brownie intervened. The brownie had preyed on him for his dark thoughts and emotions, and showed Celestia what he had planned to do to the two of them that night. Celestia consequently left him with the brownie, his screams filling the forest around her as the brownie tore into his mind and devoured his soul. She never interfered with a brownie’s hunt again after that. The man had been found two weeks later, walking around as a hollow, a shell of a person cursed to roam the woods until their body is killed. Hollows could be dangerous as well as they sought to fill the void left behind when their souls were ripped from them. Celestia had made an agreement with the brownies in the area, dictating that if they preyed on anyone they would subsequently put down the body as well so as to reduce casualties but, of course, that didn’t mean they always did so.
Celestia continued walking into town, past private homes, the library, the school, and finally the temple of Xenojiva. She bowed her head to the worshipers as she walked by them and they did to her. “May Xenojiva be with you,” they said in unison.
“May Xenojiva be with you,” she replied.
A few moments later she arrived at Rodger’s Inn. She walked around the back and knocked on the door. Rodger’s daughter, Rosie, opened it. “Celestia! How are you?” she asked as she wiped her hands off on her ivory apron. She had yellow-blonde, curled hair that she kept pinned in a bun on top of her head even though a few curls always escaped. Her bangs framed her heart-shaped face perfectly, making her sky-blue eyes almost pop out at you. She had a tiny button nose and plump lips. It was no wonder Rodger hid her in the kitchen of his inn. Otherwise she would have been married off already at twenty. Apparently he hadn’t hidden her well enough, though, because Brendan, the butcher’s son, politely excused himself with a kiss on Rosie’s cheek and a whisper in her ear that made Rosie blush and giggle. “I will see you later, Brendan. Now go before my father has me serve you for dinner instead of the pork roast.”
“Brendan,” Celestia said as both a greeting and goodbye, bowing her head as he walked by in a hurried manner, checking both ends of the alley as he ran off. “Rosie, you are going to get that poor boy killed.”
Rosie giggled again and sighed. “Not if I can marry him first. I’m plenty old enough that Father can’t stop me anymore and I’ve loved Brendan since the day I kicked him in the shin for pulling my hair when we were only five.” Celestia simply shook her head and stepped aside to show the goods she had brought with her. “Oh, goodness, look at that!” Rosie said delightedly. “You brought so much this time too!” She practically ran past Celestia to examine the cart. “Oh, fresh apples even! You’re such a doll, Celestia. Here, help me get this all to the cellar. Daddy will be happy you came by. We are supposed to be having an influx of customers for the fair next week,” Rosie went on as she bit into the apple. “You will come see us, right? We would be happy to feed you on the house. Will you be doing the light show again this year?”
“Slow down, Rosie,” Celestia laughed a bit. She waved her staff and the items floated into the door behind Rosie, who had grabbed a sack of apples and walked into the kitchen. Celestia followed after them and waved the items down into the cellar. She didn’t need to follow them to know they went where they needed to, as she had been supplying Rosie’s kitchen before it had even been hers, when it was still her mother’s.
“I’m telling Father at the fair, about Brendan, I mean,” Rosie said around a bite of apple. She counted the contents of a sack of coins and handed ten gold coins to Celestia, who tucked them into a coin purse she had on her hip.
“When are you getting married?” Celestia asked as she took a small piece off of the roast Rosie had chopped up on the table. “Or have you decided yet?” She knelt down to give a piece to Violet, who was sitting patiently beside her.
“The end of summer. We have secretly been seeing each other for years anyway. We both agreed that there wasn’t any reason for a long engagement and this way Daddy has less time to thwart the wedding.”
“Let me know what day and I will attend. I will be sure to harvest more around that time as well.”
Rosie nodded. “I will tell you as soon as we have chosen the day.”
“Well, I best be off,” Celestia said. “I’m going to the base of the mountain today. Going soul crystal diving.”
“Again? Isn’t that dangerous, shug?” Rosie said as she folded her arms over her chest.
“If you don’t have my cloak, it is. But I do, so it isn’t. You know I have been going since I was a child, Rosie. I’m not going to stop simply because there have been more dragons spotted around lately.”
Rosie sighed and hugged her. “Come by later tonight if you’re up to it. I’m making pot roast. My treat, as always.”
“We will see,” Celestia replied as she went out the door. Violet followed close at foot. Celestia walked out of the alley and back home the same way she had come. She dropped off the cart and coins, then set off in the direction of Borealis Mountain. She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head for safety; one never knew when a dragon could be near and it was always better to be safe than sorry. Plus there were many manners of magical creatures in the forest that Celestia, just as well, preferred to avoid if she could. She had watched too many things happen from the safety of her invisibility cloak, things she couldn’t do anything to stop, to not know she needed it. Violet followed along for a while but turned back somewhere around halfway, seemingly done with Celestia’s adventures for the day. Celestia continued without worry; Violet knew these woods just as well, if not better, than Celestia did.
Roughly an hour after Violet left, Celestia could hear the waterfall that fed the river below. She could feel the magic surging in the air around her. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it seep into her. She sprinted the rest of the way to the river, feeling it come closer with every step. When she reached the bank of Atreus River, she removed her shoes and garments, laying them in a neat pile next to an old oak tree. It had to be hundreds of years old, with roots and branches winding and spreading over at least forty yards, if not more, before turning to brown and green soul crystal toward the ends due to extended exposure to the river.
She hung her netted bag back around her naked torso and walked into the river until she was waist-deep. She then dove beneath the water. The river waters were so crystal-clear that you could see everything within them. Fish swam away as she drew near, finding shelter in fallen branches and underwater, crystal root systems, still watching her cautiously. She was not there for them but, instead, the soul crystals that covered the riverbed.
Crystals of every shape and size littered the ground below. She swam down to the bottom and started digging through them. She found a large, flaming, red soul crystal, good for pyrokinesis. There were also smooth, round, clear-blue crystals, good for aquatic spells. A beautiful, shimmering, green stone looked as if it held a million stars. It would be good for tending her gardens, promoting growth, and even healing, when combined with a water crystal. Hazy, light-blue crystals were everywhere. If you looked into one closely, they almost looked as if they held a roaring blizzard. She dug through and filled her bag leisurely. She also came across a crystal so clear she would have missed it if she hadn’t touched it. She then looked down at the crystal she had in a necklace she wore. The once clear crystal was now a hazy gray. She took a deep breath, pulled the crystal out of its fastening, quickly replacing it with the new one, and let go of the breath she had been holding. As she did a shadow passed overhead. She looked up to see the white dragon passing by. It must have not seen her; dragons didn’t take kindly to humans, or any other creatures for that matter, being so close to a dragon nest, hence the cloaking spells she used on her home and on her cloak when she went out. It didn’t help that people in town often gawked at her and whispered to each other every time they saw her. She was the only practitioner in town; the new kingdom’s fondness for science over magic was starting to take its toll.
She was still staring at the sky through the water when she felt something brush against her leg. She looked down and gasped in disbelief. It was an extremely rare prism crystal and a huge one at that. It was shaped like a large heart. She had never seen one larger than a copper coin and certainly never so pristine and clear. She gently picked it up, afraid she might somehow damage it even though she knew full well that she couldn’t. It was much lighter than she had expected, iridescent, and as clear as the water around her. She ran her hands over the smooth surface, rolling it within them, wondering at the shape and the beautiful colors. She carefully slid it into her bag and swam to the surface. She kept her hand on the stone as she waded out of the water, still in disbelief that she had even found such a soul crystal and afraid that if she didn’t keep her hand on it, it may disappear just as quickly as it had appeared, like a good dream when one awakens in the morning.
Reluctantly, she sat her bag down just long enough to put her clothes back on. When she had picked her bag back up and put her cloak on with the hood up, she began her walk home. She walked at a quick pace, wanting to secure her treasure in the safety of her cloaked cottage, hidden in a secret cubby only she and Violet knew about. As she drew closer to her cottage, she drew closer to civilization in turn. She kept her head down as she passed people traveling near her who, of course, couldn’t see her. She saw a few fae children playing in the woods. One of them started crying, causing the other two to panic and shush him. A man stopped up ahead and looked for the source of the sound. The older two children looked terrified when his eyes locked onto them. The man grinned a sickening, cruel grin. His teeth were black, no doubt from black dust; black dust was made with fae blood. When used on fae it had healing properties but for humans it was a highly coveted drug. It didn’t require much thought to know what this man was thinking.
As the man took a step toward the children, she unveiled herself and summoned her staff to her side. She could feel it soaring toward her as the man stumbled, startled by her sudden appearance and looking around him for more people to materialize from thin air. A loud crack rang through the air as her staff flew into the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. She caught her staff as he hit the ground and walked over to stand over him. She nudged him with her foot and when she was satisfied that he was out cold, she lifted her staff up into the air. Vines, she thought to herself. At that, vines grew from the ground and encircled the man, tying him up like a present for the enforcers. He floated upward into the air when she was done. She turned to look at the children but they were gone. Instead a dark fae stood where the children had been. She already knew what he wanted as he walked over to her. He was tall with black skin and black eyes. He had long, braided hair that reached to his knees. Even the dark clothes he wore had more color than he did. His shirt was a dark green and tucked into black leather pants. He had a blade down his back, a dagger strapped to each of his thighs, and, even though Celestia could not see them, she knew there were more where those came from.
“Greetings,” he said once he had stopped beside her.
She turned to face him. “Greetings to you as well.”
“You protected the children even though it meant exposing yourself,” he said matter-of-factly.
“I’m not the sort of person who lets things like what this man had planned happen to children.”
He turned his head in the direction of the man. “What do you plan to do with the black dust user?”
“I was going to take him into town and hand him over to the enforcers.”
He was quiet for a moment, obviously pondering how to word his next sentence. “I wish to take him to my people,” he said bluntly.
She was not surprised by his request; she knew what would happen next the moment she saw him. “You are an enforcer for your people.”
“Yes,” he replied.
“Then I have done what I set out to do in the first place.”
He stared at her now. “You have no qualms about handing him over to me?”
She shook her head. “No. In fact I am glad you came. The justice I feel he deserves, as well as the justice your people deserve for what he does and intended to do to those children, would not be served well if done by my village. A few fae who frequent the taverns would have seen it but that wouldn’t have been true justice.”
“You know he won’t be seen again?” he asked.
“I am very well aware of it,” she said and then paused a moment before continuing. “I saw the look he gave those children. If I had not been here they would not have been seen again. His teeth are black which means he has already abused your people. As far as I am concerned he has earned his fate. I do not recognize him from our town so it is also likely no one will come looking for him. He won’t be missed by anyone aside from his supplier.”
The dark fae folded his arms over his chest and pondered what she had said. “What do you wish for in return, sorceress?”
“Protection, that you and your fae will not harm me or mine from present to future.” It was a simple request: Just don’t kill me or my friends.
“I will accept these terms with the condition that you do the same; you and yours will not bring harm to me or mine.”
She opened her palm and presented it to him. He unsheathed one of his daggers, extended his hand, and then made a quick, concise cut on their palms. They pressed their hands together. “Should either of us break this vow, may Xenojiva take us. It is sealed in blood,” they said in unison. With that the unnamed dark fae took the man over his shoulder and disappeared into the woods. Celestia watched him shudder out of existence then finished her journey home.
When she arrived Violet was waiting in the windowsill, watching her as she approached. She let out a deep, purring meow in greeting. “Hello, Violet. Did you have a nice evening sunbathing?” Violet hopped down and walked past Celestia into the cottage as she opened the door. Celestia took off her cloak at the door and leaned her staff back against the wall. She went to the table and emptied her bag onto it one crystal at a time, saving her favorite for last. When she finally pulled out said stone, evening sunlight shining in a nearby window refracted from it, covering the room in what looked like a plethora of colorful stars, illuminating it. For a moment she thought she saw someone moving in the stars but when she looked directly at the area, there was nothing. She sat the stone down and rubbed her eyes. “I must be more tired than I realized.” She yawned and stretched before putting the crystals away. She wrapped the prism crystal in fabric and hid it under a loose board in the cabinet below the sink. She placed a purple stone with gold flakes within it on top of the board and closed the cabinet door, placing a protection spell on it so as that no one aside from her could open it.
With the crystal now protected, she went down into the cellar, grabbed a loaf of bread, some fruits, nuts, and vegetables. She cut, pulled apart, shelled, and put together a salad with a piece from the loaf of bread. She ate it quickly, then went to bed. Violet curled up against her and she fell asleep to the sound of the huge, warm cat’s relaxing purrs.
Celestia was in a cave. Soul crystal was everywhere. So were dragons. They were all talking about her but she couldn’t make any sense of it; she couldn’t concentrate on what they were saying for some reason. There were people there as well. Some of them spoke to the dragons, others amongst themselves. She couldn’t see their faces; everything was muddled and blurry. A man walked up to her. She didn’t know why but he was familiar to her. He felt safe. He was tall and broad. He skin was so pale, more so than even her own fair skin and his hair was short and stark white. She couldn’t make out his face, though; it was as if a child had smudged his face in a drawing. The man was saying something. She tried to concentrate on his voice but it sounded as if she were underwater. She couldn’t understand anything. Just as she thought she could hear him say her name, she was sucked away, as if a current were pulling her under.
Celestia awakened to the sound of someone knocking on her door.
“Cel? Are you in here?” Byron asked as he poked his head in the door. Celestia groaned in response as she pulled her blanket over her head. Byron let himself in. “Are you not feeling well? It’s not like you to oversleep.” He grabbed the kettle, filled it with fresh water, and sat it on the stove. He waved his hand over it, activating the fire crystals beneath it. As he waited for the water to boil, he pulled down two cups from the cabinets and dropped the tea infusers which he had given to Celestia for her birthday one year in them. Once the water was heated, he filled the cups, added a spoonful of honey to each, and walked over to Celestia, who was still hiding beneath her blanket. She still felt the weight of an ocean crushing her in its depths, the icy cold darkness that washed over her. It stuck to her like maple syrup. She pulled the blanket in closer.
Byron sat the cups down on the bedside table and rubbed her back through the blanket. “Hey… you okay in there? I have hot tea, rosehip, strawberry, orange, and peach with black tea leaves.”
Celestia poked her head out of the blanket and looked at him, then the tea cups. Byron picked up her cup to offer it to her. The smell of the fruity tea filled the air. Celestia sat up and accepted it. “Thank you,” she said meekly before sipping the tea. It warmed her to her bones, washing away the feeling of the icy waters. When she finished the tea, she felt like her usual self again and less like a hollow.
“Feeling better?” Byron asked as he took her cup and replaced it with his untouched tea.
“Much better,” she answered, already sipping on the second cup.
“So what had you so down?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I had a strange dream last night. There was a man. And humans talking to dragons. I couldn’t really see anyone or hear what they were saying. It was all so fuzzy. Then suddenly I felt like I was at the bottom of the ocean. It was so dark and cold…” she trailed off, staring into nothingness, lost in that feeling again.
“Cel,” Byron said, a little louder than usual.
Celestia snapped back into reality, firmly grasping her cup which had almost spilled. “Yes?”
“You’re spacing out. Welcome back to Eternia.” He smiled a bit but it looked forced. He was clearly worried.
“So what brings you this morning?” Celestia asked, changing the subject.
“I can’t just want to spend time with my lifelong friend?” Byron threw up his boyish grin, playing coy.
Celestia rolled her eyes at him. “Now I know you have a reason.”
“Father wants you to come for dinner. He said it was imperative that you come,” Byron said sheepishly.
“Do you know what it’s about?”
“I’m not a hundred percent but I think it has to do with some traders being found murdered near the village. It’s the third time in one month. I’m not really supposed to tell you any more than that, though.” He was looking away. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to tell her any more than Uldin did.
“Were there any survivors?” She was pressing. She knew that. She also knew she could get at least that much from him.
“One survivor from this last attack.” He was almost whispering. When he turned back to look at her, his face was drawn. He had obviously been losing sleep over this. “We can talk about it tonight, with Father.”
Celestia didn’t press any further. Uldin would tell her everything she wanted to know when she came for dinner tonight. “Okay. Well I need to get dressed, feed the animals, and water the garden.”
“I did before I woke you. You have the day to yourself, well what’s left of it; it’s almost noon.” She felt the surprise on her face; she never slept past dawn. “Enjoy it, sleepyhead.” With that he got up, placed the empty teacups in the sink, and was out the door.
Celestia got up, dressed, and wasn’t far behind him. Violet wasn’t anywhere to be seen. She probably got tired of waiting for me and is out hunting or napping somewhere, she thought to herself. She grabbed a fresh apple from one of her apple trees for breakfast and walked to town. She tried to keep her dream pushed from her mind but it kept creeping in. She thought of the man, his body language, and how he felt so familiar even though she hadn’t seen him before, at least not that she could remember. She thought of the humans and dragons together. It was insane; dragons hated humans. They had hated humans for centuries according to all the books she had read. To think of them being together like that just didn’t make sense. She shrugged it off. It was just a dream after all.
She was in the heart of Atreus now. She looked around, pondering where she should spend her time. She decided on the library. When she walked in, the librarian lit up like a candle. Albus was an old man. His gray hair and beard were always well maintained despite their length. His beard reached down to his waist while his hair only went to his upper back. He always wore tiny spectacles, better for reading, he always insisted. He had strained his eyes from too many years of reading in the dark and needed them now. He wore a long, royal-blue and silver robe of sorts, embroidered with tiny, silver stars here and there. He always did his best to look nice. He had once told her that a librarian should always keep high standards because if a learned man such as himself didn’t, why should a less learned person? Celestia had always kept that thought close and tried to set a good example like her favorite librarian, Albus Ignatius.
“Celestia, my dear girl! What brings you to the library today?” Albus asked as he hobbled over to her, waving for her to come in.
“I was wanting to know if you have anything on dragons,” Celestia replied as she walked over to him.
“Dragons, you ask? Hmm… yes, I do believe I have a book or two on them. Why the sudden interest? You haven’t asked about dragons since you were a child,” Albus inquired.
“I had a strange dream. I would like to brush up on my dragon knowledge,” Celestia answered.
Albus stroked his beard as he pondered her answer. “A strange dream, you say? What happened in this dream, dearie?”
Celestia recanted her dream to Albus. “It has been weighing heavily on my mind since I woke up. I also overslept, which I never do.”
“Hmm… very interesting.” He was quiet for a few moments, clearly thinking over what she had told him. “Dreams often have a way of warning us of things to come or serve as a way of working out current things plaguing us in our everyday lives. Perhaps a good book will help sort things.” Albus gestured to the library, indicating that she was welcome to help herself. He hobbled back over to his office, leaving the door open so he would hear if Celestia needed him or if someone else came in. She was sitting down reading for what seemed like hours when she came across a passage in one of the oldest books that Albus had. It was written by one Barthalamule Burnston almost five hundred years ago. Carefully utilizing her magical arts, she levitated the book and turned the pages so as that she didn’t damage the book in any way.
At the beginning of time, there was Xenojiva. Xenojiva created all life on Eternia. All living creatures lived in harmony. It was a utopia. Then the dragons and the orithuns rebelled against Xenojiva, demanding that Xenojiva take the gifts of the soul crystal from all other lifeforms. Xenojiva refused so they sealed Xenojiva away, therein beginning the war of the ages. Dragons sought to be the only ones with the power of the crystals while the orithuns sought to remove magic from the world altogether. This fundamental difference is what caused their alliance to crumble. After centuries of war with other races as well as between themselves, the dragons and the orithuns retreated to their respective homelands; the dragons retreated to their dens and it is said that the orithuns retreated underground, further than even dwarves dared to go. It is in these places that they each wait, regrouping and readying their ranks to strike against the magic-using races of the world.
Celestia read on for a while but they all said the same thing, just in different ways: Dragons and orithuns wanted magic stripped from the world and were willing to kill for it. They had retreated to regroup and attack again. They had killed hundreds of thousands of humans and millions of other magic-using creatures. Nothing helped to explain if or why humans would be talking to dragons. The dream had felt so real, even if contorted.
“I am afraid I must close for the day, dear,” Albus said, interrupting her thoughts. “I wanted to wait until you were done but it has gotten quite late.” He looked a little disgruntled.
“I’m so sorry, Albus. I hadn’t realized it had gotten so late. Uldin will be cross with me as well,” she said as she gathered her books to put them away.
“I’m not at all upset with you, Madam Celestia. I just don’t do well being out after dark. Leave the books. It will give me something to do in the morning to keep the Sandman away,” he said as he ushered her out. “Please be safe out there. You never know when you are being followed.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you for letting me read so late, Albus.” With that she was off to the burgomaster’s home.
She arrived at half past seven. She let the thoughts she had brushed off all day start creeping back in. What attacks? Was the survivor okay? Where were they keeping them and how much of the attack had they seen? Just as she went to knock on the door, it creaked open.
“Good evening, Celestia. Come in. We have been waiting for you,” Byron said in greeting.
“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long,” she replied as she stepped past the threshold. “I’m afraid I lost track of time while refreshing myself on dragons at the library.”
“How is old Albus?” a voice boomed from the next room. Celestia followed it to find Uldin waiting at the dinner table by the hearth. It wasn’t the season for it to be the raging flame Celestia knew it could be but it was still imposing with the crystal dragon carvings on each side of it, one red and one blue. A larger, marbled, black, white, and gold carving of a flying dragon with a gaping mouth was above it. In the winter months it looked as if it had breathed fire into the hearth. The stone was good for protecting against evil and those who would wield magic to harm those in the home. Celestia bowed her head to the dragon. “Xenojiva, please grant us your blessing and protect us from harm,” she whispered in prayer. “Albus is well, Lord Uldin. He is still the best librarian this town could hope for and looks as if he isn’t a year over sixty.”
“Good. Good. I will have to pay him a visit soon. A good borough master listens to his people, most especially to his librarian,” he said with his deep, rumbling voice. Uldin was a large man, very large; he towered over even the tallest sidhe. It was rumored that he had giant blood in his family history, orithun blood at the very least; Byron, himself, was only a few inches shorter than his father after all. Uldin was broad and strong, strong in a way that working out alone couldn’t achieve. Rather, his strength stemmed from years of fighting and manual labor on top of his genetics. He was very quick-witted and book-smart too, which made him a dangerous man. More than one man had sought to outdo him in some fashion only to come out with the short end of the stick. He used all his strength of body and mind to better Atreus. He knew everyone and did everything he could to help them. He was just that kind of man. He had a hard face with a scar on his cheek from a brawl with an orithun in his early years. His steel-grey eyes complimented his starlight-silver hair, both on his head and in his beard. He braided the hair on his head in a single, long braid down his back that contained smaller braids within it. His braided beard reached down to his chest and similarly contained smaller braids within it. His braids were adorned with small, golden clasps and large ones enclosing at set intervals down the largest one. Phoenix feathers attached behind each of his ears added a striking red to his hair. His clothes were just as you would see on any person, a plain but thick, ivory, cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled up and brown leather pants that ended in black leather boots. He wore a golden band on his left ring finger in honor of his deceased wife, Theresia. She died to a hollow when Byron was only five. Uldin never remarried or even so much as looked at another woman in that way; Theresia had been the love of his life and she was the only one he would have.
“Have a seat, Celestia. We have things to discuss and food to eat,” Uldin said as he gestured to the seat to his left. Celestia removed her cloak, draped it over the back of the chair, and sat next to him. Byron sat across from her, looking grim.
“Byron said there have been attacks but wouldn’t say anything else,” Celestia said.
Uldin nodded. “Right. Straight to it then. Yes. There has been a serious series of attacks around the borders of Atreus, violent and bloody attacks that left no survivors. We had our suspicions as to who was carrying out the attacks, of course, but we didn’t know for certain until last night when they slipped up and left a witness alive,” he replied.
“Who was the survivor? Where are they?” Celestia asked quickly. This had been her primary question all afternoon.
“It was a child. The parents had hidden the child in a secret compartment within their wagon. The child saw everything through cracks in the boards. Travelers found the scene when coming here by the same road some hours later. They sent a messenger to report what had happened. The child came out when we arrived. She is here now in the guest room. She spoke enough to tell us what happened but hasn’t said much else,” Uldin said in a sullen voice.
“So she wasn’t harmed?” Celestia asked.
“Her body is intact; her mind, however, will have deep scars,” Uldin replied.
“Who did she say is doing the attacks? Is it hollows again? Or dark fae?”
Byron answered her now. “Orithuns.”
Celestia felt herself pale. “Orithuns? What are they doing above ground? And so far from their caves at that?”
“No one knows. It’s extremely unusual behavior,” Uldin said as he stroked his beard.
“What can we do?” Celestia asked.
“That’s why we asked for you to come. Can you cast protection spells on the main roads?” Uldin asked. “You would be accompanied by guards, of course.”
Celestia thought it over. “I may have enough soul crystals to do it without risking the use of my own soul. The ones near the river will be the easiest. I will be able to draw on the soul crystals in the river as well as the soul that the river, itself, possesses. The river will also help fuel the protection spells after the fact. The ones farthest from the river will be the ones I’m worried about. We might be able to place some soul crystals near the roads in the forest to help keep the spells in place but they will have to be watched closely after a few weeks. Without the river nearby to maintain the energy flow, they will inevitability dissipate.”
Uldin nodded as he listened to what she was saying. “How long do you think it will be before that happens?”
“Without powerful soul crystals to maintain the energy flow? Two weeks tops. With them, it could be a few weeks longer but that’s completely dependent on how powerful the crystals are,” Celestia answered.
“We will get a team together to gather the crystals tomorrow. We should be prepared within a fortnight,” Uldin said.
“What will happen to the child?” Celestia asked. It was a hard question. She felt for her. She knew what it was like to suddenly lose both of one’s parents. She felt fortunate that she was in her teens when she did as opposed to when a small child.
“There is a family that has offered to take her in if no family comes to claim her. They are a nice family with two children of their own. She will be well cared for,” Uldin answered.
Celestia nodded in relief. She knew Uldin would take care of the child but hearing it had already been done was a comfort that she hadn’t even known she needed. “So, dinner?” she asked. She was starving; it had been hours since she had eaten her late breakfast and she hadn’t had anything since.
“Indeed. Helga! Bring in the food!” Uldin bellowed.
Helga, their middle-aged maid, brought in beef and vegetable stew with large bread rolls. She was a nice woman and had been with the family since Byron’s mother passed away. Uldin payed her well and she had become attached to them. They were like a family.
Today she had on a high-collar, white, cotton blouse tucked into a blue, cotton skirt. Her salt-and-pepper-brown hair was in a loose bun on top of her head. Her light-brown eyes were like pools of honey. She had brown freckles speckled across her nose and cheek bones. She had a fair complexion and was thin but curvy. Many men had asked for her hand in marriage but she had turned them all down; it was no secret that she was in love with Uldin, even if he was ten years older than her.
As she served everyone their food, a young girl came into the room, holding a pitcher. It had to be the girl from the orithun attack. She must have been eight, maybe nine, and was all skin and bones. She had wild, curly, red hair, freckles all over, and striking, green eyes. She wore a white blouse embroidered with ferns and wild flowers atop a mossy green skirt.
“Well, hello there,” Celestia said, smiling warmly. “My name is Celestia.”
“My name is Merry,” the little girl reciprocated in a soft voice, worn from hours of crying.
“Sit down and eat with us, Helga. It’s been a long day and I’m sure little Merry is hungry by now,” Uldin said.
“Would you like to sit next to me?” Celestia asked. The little girl nodded and took the seat to her right. Helga sat next to Byron after she had served everyone their food and drinks. They ate their food quietly, all clearly having missed meals.
“So, you’re a sorceress?” Merry asked some time after they had finished and were exchanging small talk.
“Yes, I am,” Celestia replied.
“My mom could do magic,” she said sadly.
“Did she teach you anything?”
“A little, only little things like about fire and water crystals. She was a healer,” she said, trailing off a little at the end.
“A healer? That’s impressive. I would have liked to have met her.”
The little girl stood up suddenly and left the room, hiding her face behind her hair so no one saw her crying.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset her. I was just trying to get her to open up a little,” Celestia apologized.
“No harm done. She has cried all day. She likely would have done the same even if you hadn’t said anything,” Uldin said.
“I’m afraid it’s getting late. I should head home for the night,” said Celestia.
“Thank you for coming. We will keep you updated as our plan progresses,” said Uldin.
Byron stood as Celestia did so as to soon walk her to the door. “I should walk you home.”
Celestia held up her hand and it glowed lightly. Come to me, she thought. She turned to address Byron. “Thank you, Byron, but I will be alright. You have had a long day and probably not much sleep. You should rest,” she replied.
“But what about the orithuns? We have no idea where they are right now. They could be anywhere,” he said, his brow furrowing, frustration plain on his face.
“I will be alright. I can protect myself and, besides that, they have to already know I’m there to see me,” Celestia said calmly as she put on her cloak, raising the hood. “No one outside of this room will be able to. You know how my cloaking magic works.”
“But Celestia—”
“But nothing, Byron. She said she can handle herself and she is right. You need to rest. You haven’t slept in two days and it is starting to show,” Uldin said, cutting him off as he stood up and walked Celestia to the door before Byron had the chance to. “You’ll have to come see us again soon, Celestia. Hopefully we will have lighter topics to discuss.”
Celestia opened the door and retrieved her staff which was floating just outside, waiting for her. She stepped outside onto the porch and turned to bow her head to Uldin. “Thank you, sir. I will try to visit again soon.” With that she disappeared into the darkness, invisible to anyone not already aware of her presence.
She had made it just outside of town when the creeping feeling that she was being followed washed over her. She turned around but saw no one. She turned back to continue but only a few moments later she heard a branch snap to her left, in the forest, and her hair stood on end. Someone was following her. For them to be able to see her they had to have been watching when she put on her cloak. How long had they been following her? She took off running. She could hear their footsteps behind her. There were at least two, maybe three, sets of them, clearly chasing her. She had to shake them before she reached her home. She turned and took off into the woods. They, of course, followed suit. She could hear them gaining on her. She raised her staff into the air above her and it glowed with the green of the nature around her. Briars and vines sprouted from her steps, quickly growing into large, thorn-riddled obstacles behind her. She could hear her pursuers cursing behind her as they fell victims to the thorn-covered vines. When she was certain they were trapped, she harnessed the power of the wind so as to help her run faster and vanished into the woods. She raised a fog in the forest around her to make sure there was no chance of them being able to follow her.
An hour later she walked out of the wood line behind her cottage. She stood there in the shadows for a few moments, scanning her surroundings for movement, before Violet swiftly approached her, rubbing against her and meowing.
“Shhhh! Quiet, Violet,” she whispered. Violet responded by using her body to push her toward the cottage. Celestia lowered herself down to the ground and sneaked through the back garden, around the side of the house, and finally in through the front door. Once inside she peeked through the windows for movement. Violet seemed to be doing the same. When Celestia felt they were both convinced that there was no one outside, she relaxed enough to sit on her bed. Violet curled up next to her and they fell asleep, watching the front door.