The only thing that gave Iarion any
warning as to the danger in the school was the dead silence that had settled
over the grounds. He stood on the topmost tower, his gaze turned toward the
mountains where the sun had set only hours before. The warmth of the sun was
still lingering in the air. Normally, the grounds were filled with night sounds
– crickets, frogs, toads, or an occasional owl. But tonight there was nothing.
He sighed, flicking his ears back and forth in annoyance.
A student had died today.
She had been careless in her spell
and had died when her spell backfired. Iarion had been unable to save her and
had walked her to the edge of the Netherworld where she was taken away over the
Glass Sea. She had cried but as they had stood watching the silent waves on
the shore he had told her, “Only tales tell what lies beyond this shore,” he
had said softly as she clung to his neck fur. “Be glad, little one, that you
get to see it for I am bound to this immortal life until my soul is destroyed.”
She had slipped from his back then
and stepped onto the water. Like the substance it was named after, it remained
solid as she began the long walk to the Afterlife. He had only watched; watched
when the sun rose for a moment over those crystalline waters and taken her soul
to a safer, happier place. Then the light vanished and the Netherworld was dark
once again where not even a moon shone to light the way. He sighed, turning his
gaze to the waters at his feet, wondering like he did many times if he could
touch those waters and turn them to glass and walk to the City Across the Sea.
But he knew that the water would only shimmer and break before him, feeling wet
on his paws and so cold that the only thing once could compare it to would be
the nothingness the riders of Pern traveled through when they’re dragons
teleported.
“Aenon told me,” a voice said
behind him. Kesukiath landed behind the phoenix and flipped his tattered wings
to his side. “What you did today for Breah.”
Iarion only snorted softly. “It was
once the duty of my kind, to escort souls to the Glass Sea and send them to the
City.” He turned slightly as the wraith settled next to him, resting his head
on dark talons.
“Yes,” Kesukiath said. “You
mentioned something like that. Have you ever been to this City?”
“No. We are forbidden to enter it
or even cross the water. Long ago the Firstborn were banished from the City and
sentenced to live eternal lives in the Netherworld. Never to die, never to
live. A physical form was taken in the Material World but those bodies are
temporary and we must abandon them for a time and continue our work in the
Netherworld. That is why it takes three to five years to return to this world.”
He looked at the dragon who only
stared out into the darkness. “Iar, do you sense that?” he suddenly asked,
jumping up and leaning forward.
“Yes,” Iarion said. “I feel it
though I sense no threat unless it is something I know nothing of from this
world.”
They turned there gazes northward
toward the Wall and watched. Both soon began to feel uneasy and Kesukiath shook
with anticipation before snorting once. “It is inside the Wall,” the dragon
said. “And it is defiantly undead.”
“Well then,” Iarion said standing
up and arching his wings to give them a little stretch. “Shall we investigate?
After all, it is right up our ally, so to speak.”
The two took off and flew over the
school grounds and into the city. There was still quite a bit commotion going
on below, late night crowds that often stopped or left the taverns. Few noticed
the pair flying above them for both were dark as night itself and made little
sound as they glided on the night winds. Whatever had decided to slip into Treval
City this night was not trying to hide itself, something that was expected as
few expected necromancers to be on the friendly side these days. Many had been
killed in the war.
A scream told them where there
quarry was and immediately Kesukiath turned on his tail and dove straight into
the backyard of an inn – The Dragon Heart. There, a red dragoness stood
over the body of a young girl seeming to be fighting an unseen foe.
A foe that Kesukiath instantly saw
and Iarion sensed as a high glass demon.
From the night sky, Kesukiath
appeared, smashing his body into the demon and sending it flying. He screamed
his defiance and crouched as it rose and gathered itself.
It was one of the demons created in
the Wars, a scaly dragon-like creature with red eyes and a wispy form that
wasn’t not always there. Instantly, Kesukiath recoiled slightly for this was
not something he should have tackled alone if he had known that it was one of
the Greater Demons. He was about to gaze up toward Iarion when it cried out and
sprang – toward the red Asandae and her fallen bond.
Kesukiath braced himself before
flicking his fore claw and sending a ray of fire at it. The demon went flying,
skidding sideways from the impact until it turned to Kesukiath. The wraith
snorted as if to say “It’s about time you notice me.”
“Kesu!” Iarion cried. “Take care of
the demon!” He landed quite suddenly before promptly falling to the ground –
dead.
The Netherworld was silent despite
the battle that he knew was raging outside. Here, his black coat took on a
metallic sheen of dark silver and his gold-tipped feathers seemed to be more
silver-white then in the real world. It was a form commonly referred to as his
‘ashen stage’ in the Material World and was his spirit form. The only
difference between the two was here his body seemed to have a slight glow and
his color was whiter. This was his true form.
He knew he had to be quick or he
would be trying to save the life of a dragoness as well. Spirits were only
doomed to death if they lost all connection to the mortal world. Life ribbons
bound a soul to that world and should it be severed then they had no choice but
to walk the dangerous path to the City. Dangers lurked here, demons of many
worlds that roamed freely waiting to devour any soul that was lost, alone, or
helpless. The girl was nearby and if he was correct she was still bound to the
Material World. He flew through the rocky wasteland known as the Soul Wastes.
Here was where souls entered the Netherworld and there fate decided. Others
would be able to sense her, hungry for a fresh kill. The Khaurane were few now
and due to there numbers the predators and demons in the Netherworld had
multiplied. It was a dangerous place to be left alone without any powers in
ones defense.
Iarion found her, curled in a fetal
position among a stone ring. Below her, faintly glowing, was a circular symbol
that would remain until her ribbon was broken. He grinned and leapt forward.
Something cold and foul struck him
on the side and he snarled, twisting his body in midair to meet his attacker.
He fell, landing on all four paws, blood trucking down his legs from the wound
created by large, angular teeth. “Damit,” he growled. “Of all the damn things
in this world it has to be a kastur.”
“Little kitty, little kitty,” the
squeaking voice gloated from above as it circled. “Come to play, come to play.
Either way, either way, you shall die, you shall die!”
“Highly unlikely,” Iarion growled,
gathering his power and letting it erupt with an ancient command of authority.
The force gathered around him and shot out like a ray of sunlight through a
window in a dark room. Brighter then the sun it expanded as it raced toward the
fleetly creature.
“Not going to work, not going to
work!” it crowed, zipping around – the light flashed harmlessly away from him. “So
long, so long, little kitty, little kitty!”
Iarion leapt and landed on the
girl’s soul – her thread was still there, faint thus she had been dead longer
then he thought. “Sorry,” he growled as the kastur continued to sing above him.
“I don’t have time to play.”
Before the stupid creature knew
what he was doing, Iarion activated the soul seal and sent both him and the
girl into the nothingness that marked the passage between the Material World
and the Netherworld. Here, there was nothing, only the sensation one was
falling (no matter the direction one traveled), and air that was neither hot or
cold or in between. He felt the magical web’s warmth as they neared it, the
girl caught in his forearms in an awkward hug, then the light as they slipped
back to the yard behind the inn.
“Alore! Alore!”
Alore Calenn blinked, warmth
flooding back into her body even as Retinea nuzzled her neck. “Reti?” she asked
softly, looking up into her bond’s panicked eyes. “Reti…”
Kesukiath was still standing his ground,
blood oozed from his side though he took no heed of his wounds for this demon
had really pissed him off by now. He knew he was being toyed with and was
wishing Aenon was with him as his bond was much better at staying calm even in
the face of defeat – then pulling through just before they both died. The
creature lunged again, seeming to laugh, and opened its mouth for another blow.
“Kas suhonia! Kas taurora! Khaur
ven iros meshiem daro! Ianon zarhtia!”
Strange symbols appeared around the
creature mid air, strange and unworldly to Kesukiath’s eyes. The last command
caused the runes to explode in a silver-white light and with them, the demon
vanished also.
Kesukiath rose from his fighting
crouch and blinked as the shimmering dust settled on the ground, flickered once
then died out. “Whoa,” the wraith said softly. Then he looked up and glared at
Iarion who walked calmly toward him. “Damn you! I spend how long trying to kill
that thing and you just show up and poof, it’s gone as if…”
The phoenix chuckled and flicked
his feathered tail in Kesukiath’s face. “Ah, but do you have any idea how much
you weakened that thing for me? That spell is a strong spell, my undead friend,
and takes much control on my part. Ah, but you’re all beat up,” he added,
trying to sound very pathetic and concerned. Kesukiath only set his jaw and
glared at the wall of the yard in controlled anger. “How ever are you going to
explain this to Aenon – again?”
“Why you…” Kesukiath snarled,
leaping at Iarion quite suddenly. The other laughed and playfully defended
himself.
“Um, excuse me,” Retinea said, her
voice rather annoyed at the two males as they wrestled in front of them. “I
would like an explanation, please. Now!”
Ducking one of the wraith’s
attacks, Iarion trotted over to where the dragoness and the tavern girl stood
watching them. Alore still looked a but shaky and pale but other then that she
would be find, Iarion knew. Her ribbon would have to reform to full strength
within the next few days but there hat been little damage done, just some wear
from being in the Netherworld where the air erodes them until they vanish. He
sat down, regarding them while Kesukiath went to sulk and nurse his wounds,
still very pissed at the phoenix and most likely would be for the next few
days.
“Are you two alright?”
“That is not an explain…”
The girl raised her hand to Retinea’s
muzzle to silence her. “We’re fine. But what was that thing?”
“A demon,” Kesukiath said, still
licking his wounds. “A really nasty one that likes to eat live souls and blood.
Cool stuff like that.”
“Cool! What is so cool about
having one’s soul ripped out and eaten!” Retinea glared at him.
“Actually, they are quite tasty,”
Iarion muttered, blinking thoughtfully. The Asandae’s mouth fell open in
horror. “What? I have to live off something when I life in the Netherworld.”
“Netherworld?”
“Places dead people go before you
go to what humans call heaven,” the phoenix replied. “Glass Sea, the City Across
the Sea, Crystal Shore…don’t worry, you needn’t worry about it. Anyway, I am
glade you are safe but we must report this attack to Kesukiath’s bond so he can
figure out why it wasn’t detected.”
The dragon raised his head and
glowered at Iarion. “Maybe that’s because it was a Greater demon,
feather brain. Most of those half-wits on the wall are only able to catch the
weak, pathetic ones that can hide. Even we didn’t notice it until it was
actually in the city.”
Taking a deep breath and closing
his eyes, Iarion shook his head. “Oh, whatever. Lets get you home and clean you
up. I can’t wait to see what excuse you try to make up this time.”
“Did I ever tell you I hate you and
someday you are going to be my lunch?”
“Physically or spiritually?” Iarion
asked, rising and turning to his companion. “Because spiritually you would be
out of luck.”
The look Kesukiath gave him only
made him grin and laugh – so easy to anger. Iarion loved it.
“What…are you?” Alore asked coming
forward to touch his shoulder. She knelt, her hands resting lightly on his
black coat. He turned his head to her, watching her hand a moment before
stepping away with a polite bow of his head as an apology to his actions.
“I am a Khaurane,” he said. “A phoenix
gryphon.”
“I prefer major pest and show off,”
the wraith said. He was ignored.
“A phoenix?” Retinea asked, tilting
her head to the side, looking a bit puzzled. “You look nothing like the
picture…”
Alore slapped her bond’s shoulder,
hissing something to her before turning to Iarion and smiling. The phoenix
nodded and spread his wings to lift himself in the air. Rarely did he tell
those he had saved from the Netherworld what he had done. They didn’t remember
and they didn’t need to know. Kesukiath’s injuries proved deeper then at first
thought and Iarion ended up carrying the wraith back to the Keep. He hummed softly,
pleased with the night though wishing he could go back to the Netherworld to
kick some kastur butt! It would have to wait, unfortunately.
Aenon sent for a healer to take
care of Kesukiath’s body and healed what he could himself as his bond was a
wraith and required a different kind of healing. By morning, the wraith was up
on the roof of the Great Hall with the phoenix, watching the students below as
they mingled in the afternoon sun in between classes.
“There you two are!” a familiar
voice cried. Retinea landed behind them, and scowled. “Do you have any idea how
long I’ve been looking for you? And what I’m missing back at the inn.”
“No,” Iarion said, “but I bet
you’re going to tell us.”
“Best time of the week to be in
that tavern! All the young men coming to eat, drink and drool over me like I’m
some human girl!”
Kesukiath and Iarion looked at each
other, blinked, then turned back to her. “And they think you’re human because?”
“I can shape shift,” she replied in
a ‘duh’ tone of voice. “But I came here to talk to you,” she said looking at
Iarion. “You said you are a phoenix?”
“Yes, humans call us that.”
“So you can see dead things – well,
you can do necromancy?”
He nodded. “Your bond Alore died
last night. I was able to save her before she was lost.”
Retinea paled. “Oh…” she said
quietly. “I thought something was wrong but…” her voice drifted off, her mind
obviously distracted by his words.
“You came to ask me that?” Iarion
asked, tilting his head. “Or something else?”
“Oh, well, I heard that the Abstract
Destiny, where Alore found me, had a new synth and phoenixes were part of
it. Thought you might want to take a look as I’ve never heard of phoenixes like
you.”
Iarion smiled, turning away, his
gaze falling on the buildings of the modernized fantasy city of Treval. “This
world is large and strange, as are those that are in it. Never did I think I
would be living in a world where dragons were kind and…well, most of them are
kind,” he said, blinking. Kesukiath snorted, glaring at him, his tail flicking against
the roof in annoyance. “The Abstract Destiny,” Iarion mused.
“Interesting name, and intriguing. Well, it can’t hurt to look and since I’m sure
Aenon has last night’s attack well under control, I can spare a look.”
“Ha! Good! Now, I’m going to warn
you, the Destiny might be a little weird at first but you’ll get use to
it. After all, it is in space.”
She was already walking to the edge
of the roof, her tail waving behind her happily. Iarion blinked, his mind
skipping the space part as he wasn’t quite sure what ‘space’ was in her
context. He looked at Kesukiath and smiled, an eyebrow lifting in amusement.
“Well, I guess I’m going to be leaving, friend.”
“I am not your friend, you
backstabbing liar,” Kesukiath grumbled, his head plopping down on his paws as
he drifted off to sleep. “I am never going to forgive you for last night
and you know it.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Iarion said, standing
and walked toward Retinea. “You’ll get over it. After all, you are dead.” |
