Realms of Magic: The Realm of the Gryphons

by TheEighthDayofNight


Chapter 11

“How fast do elves mature?” Aquila asked.

Kathranis blinked at the sudden question. They were on their way to the castle gardens, with Aquila leading the way for a fully healed Kathranis and Secil, as well as Valan, who yawned repeatedly as they walked through the castle halls. After the feast had concluded, he had escorted Kathranis back to the healing ward. The elf was only able to sleep with his kin once the castle physician had finished mending his leg, so he was stuck in the ward for one last night. Valan, despite Kathranis’ protests, had spent the night on the bed next to him; another rule of his life-debt. As long as Kathranis was injured, Valan needed to remain glued to his side, especially while he slept. No doubt used to his personal bed, the gryphon had tossed and turned much of the night, and so had gotten very little sleep.

With a sunrise appointment with the castle healer, however, Kathranis was back on two perfectly functional feet, and he made it clear that he expected Valan to sleep in his own bed once the day had ended. The tired gryphon had tried to refuse, but they both knew he was more than grateful for the boon. Unfortunately, he wasn’t allowed to leave Kathranis’ side during the daylight hours, and so despite his lack of sleep, he followed dutifully, yawning every few steps.

They had met up with Aquila for a light breakfast of eggs and toast, then Kathranis had asked for a place with some wildlife to conduct his prayers, leading to their march to the castle gardens, and Aquila’s out-of-the-blue question.

Kathranis couldn’t find his tongue quickly, so Aquila clarified.

“You mentioned last night that elves matured slower, closing the age gap a little. Is there a precise ratio, or is it more… aloof than that?”

Kathranis mulled it over in his head, then shrugged and answered.

“It can’t be simplified to a ratio, but its… Essentially, an elf spends his first forty to fifty years developing, much like the first twenty for a human, or for I assume, a gryphon.”

“I am twenty-three and I became of mating age five years ago,” Aquila stated.

Kathranis bowed his head.

“Precisely. As I stated, most elves don’t reach “mating age” until well into their nineties. We spend the first portion of our life growing and learning, deciding what we want to be. For me, that time was split between the grove of my Lady, and the Academy of Blades. For Fordred, that time was spent in the College of Wizards. Essentially, until we reach one century, we are developing ourselves. Choosing what gods we believe in, what skills we want to develop. Think of our birth to one-hundred as your birth to eighteen.”

“So what would you consider the next age?” Aquila asked. “When do you stop seeing yourself as a young elf?”

“Somewhere around two-hundred,” Kathranis said. “Most elves spend their second century trying to begin a family, to find their first, second, and third loves.”

“You have multiple wives?” Valan asked, his voice at a grumble.

“Occasionally if all agree to such a marriage,” Kathranis answered. “Though that is relatively rare. No, rather young elves are encouraged to make as many children as possible. Because of our long lives, we do not create large families, because most elves want to explore the wider world. That world is, however, fraught with danger, and when elves die, there are none to replace them. It is why we train to be the best fighters we can be, because the survival of the individual is paramount to the survival of our race, mighty though it may be.”

“Mighty?” Aquila echoed.

Kathranis let out a longing sigh.

“More history I’m afraid, but some that I’m somewhat familiar with. Elves were one of the oldest races in our old world of Faerun. Our empires were built and collapsed before other races, like humans, were even born. Our greatness began to wane when the younger races began expanding, and in their youth, they did not understand our beauty. Countless wars were raged for ancestral homelands, and elves died by the thousand.”

He frowned.

“By the time the humans and other races developed their own civilizations, their own beauty, it was too late, the damage done. Most elvish strongholds laid in ruin, while the rest began their slow decline. The humans by and large began to help us, but they couldn’t make new elves, and half-breeds were frowned upon by the elders. There were never enough full-blooded elf babies, and we fell to ruin as darker powers took advantage of our decay.”

Aquila reversed her step, and swept behind him, quickly and quietly embracing him with her wings.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean for this talk to be so dark.”

Kathranis smiled at her, feeling more than a little happier in her embrace.

“It is no issue Princess; it is merely what happened. My grief for what was lost changes nothing, it merely brings out a melancholy in me.”

He let out a sigh.

“But it was why my family was so well-respected in its day, why I was even accepted as Blademaster in fact. My parents formed a life-bond, and they produced well over a dozen little elves, Huron and I included.”

“What’s a life-bond?” Aquila asked.

Kathranis frowned in thought, thinking on how best to word it.

“Think of a life-bond as an emotional marriage,” Kathranis said. “It’s not altogether uncommon for elves to marry, grow apart, and then marry someone new, just out of boredom. Despite our longer development, we are still intelligent and mentally active from an early age. An elf who gets married at one-hundred may get tired of the routine of family life by three-hundred, and he or she is still young and spry, so they move on.”

Kathranis smiled.

“A life-bond, however, is what it sounds like. It is the binding of two elves to each other for life. It is a sign of true love, of true devotion. Very few elves ever truly find life-bonds, and fewer still that fall in love with younger races experience such a thing.” He let out a small, somewhat dreamy sigh. “But I must express a touch of jealousy to my late parents. I would love to have found a life bond, to be one with somebody in such a way.” More melancholy crept into his thoughts. “But that opportunity is long past, and unfortunately, all of the elf maidens that made the journey here are spoken for, and I have already viewed them more as sisters, or cousins for some time. Approaching a romantic relationship with any of them would be… inappropriate at best.”

Aquila hummed in thought as they continued to walk. By the time she spoke next, they had reached the door leading out into the castle gardens, but though Kathranis began to make his way free of her wings, the feathery limbs tightened, keeping him pressed to her chest.

“What of your goddess?” Aquila asked. “You mentioned her as your first mating, could you not form a life-bond with her?”

‘Oh yes Kathranis,’ Secil thought, his tone amused. ‘Do attempt to court a goddess, that should go well.’

Kathranis let out a chuckle and looked up at the gryphoness.

“No, I am far below my Lady, and though I have great love for her, and her for me, our relationship is not one of romantic nature. She is far more a mother.”

Aquila’s eyes flashed with what Kathranis thought was excitement, but about what, he didn’t know. She nodded and finally let him free.

“Very interesting Shadowsong;” was all that she said.

Without the gryphon’s wings, Kathranis very suddenly noticed how frigid the outside air was, particularly when a freezing gust of wind slapped him in the face, causing him to recoil. His next reaction was to hold his arms tight around his chest and shudder as his leather armor and the light clothes beneath failed to hold even a slight bit of heat. His eyes narrowed against a second gust of wind that blew his carefully tied hair askew.

“What circle of the Nine Hell’s is this?” he hissed.

Aquila laughed, and while Valan was too tired to join in, he did manage a grin at the elf’s obvious discomfort.

“There’s a reason we have fur Shadowsong,” Aquila teased. “And why staying nice and close to each other is a cultural norm. We live on a mountain; in all times but the very height of summer it’s freezing until the sun is at its highest. Then we can stay in flight long enough to calm the winds and make it livable.”

Kathranis cast a withering eye over his shoulder.

“Then why was it so warm when we were walking toward the city? I don’t remember it being this cold!”

“We started in the valley forests,” Aquila explained, “but Stonetalon Peak is at the top of a mountain, with the castle partially dangling over a sheer cliff that drops into the sea. It’s why we get so much wind up here, even in summer.”

Kathranis shivered, but sniffed the air.

“A sea? But I don’t smell any salt.”

Aquila’s eyes lit up.

“Very sharp nose Shadowsong! That earns a nice warm hug.”

‘Sharp nose my tail,’ Secil grumbled. ‘Should have noticed that hours ago.’

‘I didn’t know we were next to a sea,’ Kathranis shot at the panther.

While Secil mocked him silently, Aquila’s wings grabbed onto him, followed by her strong arms, and Kathranis once more found himself fully smothered in fluff and feathers. Incredibly warm fluff and feathers that instantly blocked out all trace of chill and set to work warming his frigid frame. Aquila smiled down at him as he settled against her chest.

“Somebody is beginning to like physical contact…” she giggled.

Kathranis put on a faux scowl and directed it at Valan.

“I wouldn’t if somebody hadn’t cost me my cloak.”

The gryphon sighed.

“The tailor I like opens up at noon, just like everyone else. I’m sure he’ll have something, and if not, I’ll personally commission a cloak ten times warmer than anything you’ve ever seen.”

A slightly smug grin appeared on the gryphon’s beak.

“Or you can just become Aquila’s little pet. She never shuts up about not getting enough hugs.”

The grin vanished as Valan let out a yelp, the result of a swift punch from Aquila. When her younger brother gave her a pained look, she jabbed a finger at him and softly growled. Valan’s look shifted to one of confusion, and he glanced between Aquila’s wings to Kathranis, who shrugged lightly. A possessive arm clung tighter to his chest and her chin rested atop his head.

“Don’t listen to him Shadowsong,” the gryphoness mumbled. “As long as you’re my friend, you’ll stay plenty warm. I’ll see to it.”

Kathranis’ teeth flashed in the dark of her wings.

“And your own desire for hugs will be satiated?”

Aquila groaned and pushed him away into the cold air.

“Fine, you want to joke? Be cold like Valan. Maybe when you start freezing you can cuddle up with each other and come begging on your knees for my hugs.”

Kathranis suppressed a shudder as a gust of wind threatened to throw off his balance. He smiled back at the gryphoness, doing his best not to show the fact that he was once again, instantly cold.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, resting his hands on his scimitars to prevent them from rubbing his arms for warmth. “But for now, my Lady calls.”

His lungs chilled by the frigid mountain air, Kathranis began to wander carefully along the stone paths of the gardens, appraising the numerous cultivated plants. Despite the freezing temperatures, and the icy wind, none of the vegetation seemed affected, and when Kathranis asked Aquila about the strange phenomenon, she replied;

“Mom keeps a few earth ponies on staff. We’re not sure how, but they keep everything alive year-round. It’s easy in summer, but now?”

Kathranis tucked away the information for later. He hadn’t thought about the possibility of there being different kinds of ponies, but that made quite a bit of sense. There were different types of elves after all.

He didn’t focus on anything in particular as he walked, merely let his feet guide him. Secil trotted at his side, occasionally sniffing the air in search of prey. When he found a scent, the great cat shifted to his smaller form, then darted through the bushes in pursuit of a small mouse that had been nibbling away on sunflower seeds. Kathranis smiled faintly after the cat, but didn’t stop his silent wanderings. Once his prey was secured, the cat would find him.

Kathranis turned a corner on the path, then stopped, blinking with a stunned feeling at the sheer compulsion to make his sacrifice under a strange looking weeping willow tree. Instead of the long green leaves he was familiar with, or even the rarer pink, or white blooms he had seen in passing, this willow tree seemed to glow with prismatic light. The branches swayed, not in the wind that beat against his back, but in its own unique wind, something soft, that vaguely reminded him of the warm embrace of a summer’s breeze.

The elf looked back to Aquila and Valan.

“What is this tree? I have never seen anything like it in all my years.”

Aquila clicked her tongue.

“You sure know how to pick ‘em Shadowsong. That is a branch of the Tree of Harmony, gifted to us by the Warlords of Equestria when our decades long wars came to an end. It was their peace offering to us, and is said to connect to the Tree of Harmony itself.”

Kathranis regarded her with a curious look.

“And what is this Tree of Harmony? In fact, who is Harmony? Princess Luna mentioned her in passing and expressed concerns of power changes in the heavens, but I have no idea who this Harmony might be other than yet another goddess.”

Aquila frowned, her eyes flicking about.

“A word of advice Shadowsong, don’t say something like that again. Not here, not anywhere. Most people take their relationship with Harmony very seriously.”

Kathranis blanched.

“I- I meant no offense or disrespect, I am just used to a pantheon of gods and goddesses of varying power. Lady Sylvanus is one of dozens of goddesses, and some view her as a goddess of lesser stature.”

Aquila tapped Valan on the shoulder and waved him toward the entrance of a hedge maze. Though he gave her a look of slight protest, a silent glare from the gryphoness sent him on his way, and he flapped his way over, poking through the assorted bushes and shrubs.

“I know you didn’t mean anything Shadowsong, but I’m sure that even with your many gods, there were fanatics amongst their followers?”

Kathranis nodded silently.

“Keep that in mind here, where Harmony is all.”

Aquila nodded to the tree.

“While I don’t doubt your claims of your Lady Sylvanus, that is much more concrete, and has been in these gardens on public display since before my birth. People don’t believe in Harmony so much as know that it’s a fact that she exists. She empowered the Equestrian Warlords, she powers the Tree of Harmony, which spreads magic through the world. It is she that lets us control the clouds, and she that protects us from dark magic. My mother, the gryphoness you met briefly last night, is Harmony’s High Priestess for our nation. If word reaches her ears that you talk of Harmony as less than she is, there will be only trouble.”

Kathranis cast a glance toward the tree again, this time a bit more apprehensive in his wish to worship beneath its boughs. Was Harmony a vengeful goddess? Would she smite him directly for giving thanks to another goddess under her tree, or would one of her followers take offense on her behalf and drive his people out? The elf didn’t know, but decided to play it safe. Perhaps once he learned more about Harmony he could worship nearer to her, but until such a time…

Kathranis stepped down a different path, looking toward a bed of dragon lilies.

“Do you include yourself amongst those who view Harmony as a fact of life?” Kathranis asked, spotting Secil threading his way through the hedges with a mouse in his teeth.

“Yes,” Aquila answered cautiously, “but please don’t think I’m going to persecute you Shadowsong. I have seen your goddess acting through you. That’s proof enough to me that you’re not lying.”

“No, but it is evidence that Harmony is no longer all,” Kathranis said. He found a bare patch of grass before the lilies and knelt down, working his hair tie to let his long black locks hang free. “While you admit that you won’t persecute me, and I doubt many will, my goddess is a challenge to the order, as is Fordred’s, and Huron’s. I know not if they are still granted power, as neither rely on their faith for ability, but just between the three of us we worship three different goddesses. That will not be ignored.”

Aquila let out a sigh.

“Then what do you want to do? You’ve hardly been quiet about your goddess, so hiding her is out of the question.”

“I wouldn’t hide her even if I knew I was going to be persecuted for my worship,” Kathranis said, drawing a knife and cutting away a thick strand of hair. “But I would like to speak with a few more devout followers of Harmony. I know it may be blasphemous to suggest I speak for my goddess, but if our faiths can be friendly to one another, perhaps our goddesses can take after our example and share the heavens as friends, or at the very least as separated equals.”

Aquila’s dour look shifted to a smile.

“Are you sure you’re not a follower of Harmony? Friendship is kind of the whole goal.”

Kathranis spread his hands and grinned.

“Friendship is part of the balance Princess, so you see? If we can come to such a conclusion so quickly, perhaps the same can be said on a broader scale. I ask only a chance to speak on equal terms, so that we may at least address this question before it becomes a problem.”

Aquila crossed her arms and sighed, though a grin drove away any inklings that the motion was made in any seriousness.

“You know Shadowsong, I’m beginning to think I’m more your administrator than your friend.”

“Didn’t you mention wanting to be a “politically savvy advisor”?” Kathranis shot back. “Wouldn’t making peace with a foreign religious sect do wonders for that?

Aquila snorted and rolled her eyes.

“Do your worshipping Shadowsong, before I get Mom down here to burn you at the stake for being a heathen.”

Kathranis grinned and turned to begin his worship when he caught something the gryphoness said under her breath.

“He listens to what I say and remembers it besides? Should I be bending over for an egg or what?”

Kathranis frowned lightly, trying to parse what the words meant, but his mind kept getting hung up on “egg”. Closing his eyes, the elf decided that it must be some inside joke, and that he needed to focus on the task at hand. He had kept his goddess waiting long enough. Secil dug a small hole at the base of one of the lilies, then placed the mouse he had caught in it. Kathranis placed his offering of his lock of hair on top of the mouse, then let the small cat shovel dirt over top it.

Kathranis bent over at his waist and prostrated himself, whispering soft prayers of thanks. Secil curled into a ball at his side, his eyes closed as he mentally shared in Kathranis’ communion. Unlike his short ritual in the forest, Kathranis took his time, going through each of the dozen prayers of thanks he had learned to offer Sylvanus. He took his time, remembering each and every word, understanding their meaning, all before reciting them carefully and dutifully. The wind died away around him, and Secil purred as warm embrace smothered them both. Kathranis couldn’t keep a smile from his face, but didn’t let the small gift distract him.

The feminine giggle that sounded in his ears, however, distracted him greatly, provoking no small amount of irritation at Aquila. Though he desperately didn’t want it to happen, his respect for her diminished slightly, but he powered through his prayers, hopeful that she wasn’t laughing at his back, but rather something else in the gardens.

“Oh my champion, don’t blame that adorable gryphon of yours on my account.” The voice was light, decidedly female, but was definitely not Aquila’s. “Now come, rise Ranger Shadowsong. While I do enjoy hearing you sing my praises, they are not needed this day.”

Kathranis frowned slightly in confusion, but did as the voice bade and sat up, only to rock back on his heels in awe at what he saw. Gone was the frigid, gray-skied, but beautiful royal garden, replaced by a sunny blue sky, with greenery alive in the vibrant golden warmth. Amidst it all was a lone being sitting on a royal red cushion, waving her hand in the water of a pond so clear that it looked like a mirror despite her disruptions.

Kathranis gaped at it all, but Secil, again the size of a housecat, yowled in joy and sprinted toward a fluttering insect.

“Look Kathranis!” he said aloud. “She’s got dragon-wing butterflies! I haven’t seen those since I was a cub!”

The cat sprinted after the bugs as they fluttered toward a bush, and with another yowl and a flying leap, the cat sailed at the butterflies, only to miss and wind up with his lower half poking from the shrub his face was embedded inside. The cat’s tail flicked back and forth in excitement, then the fuzzy black rump disappeared into the shrub as Secil wriggled himself free to begin his joy-filled hunt anew.

The sound of a feather light giggle brought Kathranis out of his stunned watching, and his eyes flickered over to the tall elf maiden lounging by the pond. Her golden eyes shined as she laughed at the cat’s antics. He tore through the wild gardens in pursuit of a butterfly that seemed to always dodge his leaps at just the right moment. If Secil cared about his continuing failure to catch the insect, he didn’t show it, instead letting out happy yowls as he tore after the butterfly. The goddess giggled again as he raced past her in blind pursuit.

“Oh I do love seeing him so lively. I shouldn’t judge, he is ancient by his own standards, but still, when he’s happy like this, in pursuit of prey,” the maiden giggled and her eyes shifted to Kathranis. “well, it just makes me smile in a way that truly can’t be matched in my Grove.”

Kathranis gaped at his goddess, realizing quickly that she was absolutely naked. That wasn’t an unusual thing for elves, nor for Sylvanus, but it had been decades since he had seen the goddess in a barer form, and he couldn’t help but avert his eyes as blood rushed to his cheeks. Sylvanus let out another laugh at the sight of his fluster.

“Oh Shadowsong, still as easy to fluster as you were half a century ago. I had hoped you would have grown out of this by now.”

“A-apologies Lady,” Kathranis mumbled.

Sylvanus smiled and tapped her soft pink lips with her fingers.

“Hmmm, I could remedy it myself…” she giggled and spun her legs into a cross-legged position. “But I prefer to wait. I have a good feeling that the issue will be remedied soon enough.”

Before Kathranis could fully process her words, or protest them, the elf-goddess conjured a small table and another cushion with a wave of her hand.

“Come Shadowsong, take a seat. We have a great deal to talk about in a short time.”

Kathranis immediately did as she bade and approached the cushion, then felt a great deal of awkwardness before he sat down. His eyes flicked from the cushion to his goddess’s eyes, then back again as more heat rose to his face.

“Apologies Lady… but shouldn’t I finish my morning prayers? I still have three to recite.”

Sylvanus clicked her tongue, the smile never leaving her face.

“I never thought I would see the day when Ranger Kathranis Shadowsong questioned my commands. It would seem his faith in me has waned, and some other beautiful goddess will come in to sweep him away.”

She put a hand to her forehead and pretended to faint.

“Woe is the Lady Sylvanus; she did not hear Shadowsong’s final three thanks!”

Kathranis flushed even further as she jokingly mocked him, but he understood her point and took a seat, doing his best not to apologize. That would only compound her teasing. Sylvanus beamed at the lack of apology and sat up. Secil trotted through a clump of ferns, his tongue hanging low as he panted. Sylvanus merely offered a hand, and the cat switched his direction, quickly moving to her lap to flop down. Sylvanus giggled and rubbed the cat’s belly, drawing loud purrs from him; then she looked to Kathranis.

“Let’s start with the difficult, shall we? You are no longer a Ranger, Shadowsong, you are my Champion.

She clapped her hands together and two pristine crystal cups appeared on the table: one before Kathranis, and the other before Sylvanus. His mind blank as he struggled to process, Kathranis took the offered drink with a mumbled thanks and sipped at it, letting the icy water chill his panicky thoughts to allow logic to shine through. When it did, he broke her words apart piece by piece, sorting through their meaning to find what he had questions about. When he had those brought to the forefront of his mind, he took a second sip to cool his giddiness at a direct conference with his goddess, then set the glass down and met her eyes.

“May I ask why I have been bestowed this great honor my Lady?”

Sylvanus smiled, this one less excited and far more motherly.

“I’m afraid it isn’t so great an honor anymore Champion. You have ever been a strong member of the faith, and not once have I ever questioned your loyalty or devotion, but I think we can both agree that you are not the most powerful, or knowledgeable of my clergy.”

Kathranis smirked.

“Which is a kind way of saying you can’t make me sit still long enough to learn truly powerful spells.” He bowed, placing a hand over his chest. “You have my thanks for being so forgiving with your criticism.”

Sylvanus rolled her eyes and smiled.

“More like too attached to those darling little blades of yours. You have witnessed firsthand the acts my druids are capable of, yet continue to play with those little magical toys.”

“Magical toys that have slain many a blighted beast in your name Lady,” Kathranis sparred. “Those blades have served me well in your service.”

Sylvanus inclined her head in agreement.

“True, but you understand the reason that never before have you been considered for direct patronage of this nature. You simply lacked power and the desire to bend to my will to increase your might, so ever have you been nothing but a devout, well-loved ranger.”

Kathranis rubbed his thumbs up and down his glass.

“But… Lady I express confusion, because I have not changed. I still do not wish to abandon my blades. I find myself in a situation where I consider settling down for the good of my people, but that wild spirit has not diminished in the slightest. It is merely… focused for the time being.”

Sylvanus giggled.

“Fear not Champion, I will not ask such a thing of you now. I merely must tell you of your importance to me now, and I must inform you about what has happened with your… travels.”

Kathranis’ eyes smoldered with confusion and curiosity, but he remained silent, unwilling to interrupt the goddess. Sylvanus stroked Secil’s belly and continued.

“I am sure you have many questions for me, but I have but two for you. First, what do you know about this world?”

Kathranis pondered the question for a moment before answering.

“I know that it is a magical place, but in what way I don’t yet know. I know this world has great amounts of nature, but again, my exposure has been limited. It is peopled by the ponies, and the gryphons. I know that some humans, and my elvish kin, found their way here, likely through the same method that brought me, and that for some reason, the humans have alienated themselves to all the other races. I know that this world has humans of its own, but they are dull, goblin-like creatures.” He took a breath and met Sylvanus’ eyes. “I also know that this world has a single goddess, who is viewed as all. Her name is Harmony, and while I haven’t seen absolute evidence of her power yet, I don’t doubt that I will see such in time. I believe Aquila when she says that she is everywhere.”

Sylvanus’ eyes lit up with delight at the mention of the gryphon’s name, but her next words didn’t indicate his mention of her at all.

“Very good Champion, you have learned much already. Yes, your summations are correct, but I ask you my second question, what have you noticed this world has, or rather, what is absent?”

Kathranis’ brow creased in thought, and he sipped at his water, mulling through his many encounters, searching for what he had left out. He traced all the way back to the first conversation he had with the gryphons in the cave, and his mind stuck on one part of that conversation.

“Dark magic…” he muttered. His eyes moved up. “The gryphons reacted negatively at my mention of dark magic, as if to speak about its destruction would bring it about.”

“Very good,” Sylvanus purred. “I am glad that my Champion is so wise.”

She rolled Secil over and brushed his ears. The cat slowly grew to his panther size, then larger, growing until he was almost as large as a horse. He got sleepily to his feet and trudged around the goddess, then plopped down, his face curled up in a smile as Sylvanus leaned back into him like he was a large couch.

“Yes Champion,” Sylvanus continued, “there is no dark magic, or at least none that is not squashed and purged immediately. Since I arrived here, I have searched every place on this planet for even a trace of corruption, but I have found nothing. Not even a pool blackened with demon blood. I have found nothing.”

She let out a sigh, and for the first time, her smile dipped.

“It is why I abandoned the rest of your brethren to Faerun. It is why you, and Secil are the last of my followers now.” Her golden eyes met his. “It is why you are now Champion. I have no other followers, no other worshipers. This is not an honor I bestow upon you Shadowsong, it is a warning. You cannot fall, I will not allow it. Not yet.”

“That’s why you were so generous with your gifts,” Kathranis breathed. “Why your magic was so strong even when I asked for nothing.”

Sylvanus nodded.

“Yes. Your slightest injury is a risk to me, for while I can draw power from the wild itself, that is not enough. I need one of two things; worshipers, or an alliance with a goddess that has such.”

“You mentioned abandoning your other worshipers; what happened? Why would you do that? I don’t believe I was enough to warrant such a move.”

Sylvanus chuckled.

“No Champion, I’m afraid I can’t inflate your pride by saying that that was the case. It is, rather, this world.”

The garden around them vanished, replaced by star-filled blackness. Kathranis looked beneath the table to find a marble of blue, green and white.

“Look at it,” Sylvanus sighed happily, “a world equal, if not greater to Faerun in size, completely free of dark magic and corruption. Yes, it is less developed, and the magic tastes strange, but it is perfect.

The image gradually faded, and the two elves met each other’s gazes as Sylvanus continued.

“I caught the barest glimpse of this world when I felt your soul tear from reality. In that moment, I saw a chance. The smallest, barest chance, to finally find my truest wish, to free myself of the black corruption that forever haunted Faerun.” Her face became writhed in shadow as her godly anger made itself known. “To think of all those wretched little humans, playing with forces they didn’t understand, creating immortal liches, and other polluting wretched undead abominations.” The trees around them blackened and lost their leaves, and the butterflies caught flame, still fluttering as they turned to ash. Secil’s eyes took on a haunting green glow, and he looked to Kathranis with a hint of worry. “To think of the lands they polluted beyond repair. To think of my druids, my beautiful followers corrupted and turned against me because of their foul selfishness!”

Kathranis couldn’t help but flinch as the pool of clear water turned into a stinking oily slick. The cup in his hand held the only clean water, and he closed his eyes, taking a sip before reaching out a hand to touch the fuming goddess. He winced as a lightning bolt ran up his arm, clenching his heart in a vice as the heat of her fury bore down on him. He saw the many mistakes he had made, saw the many lives lost that had been solely his fault, but he didn’t remove his comforting hand.

Sylvanus calmed a moment later, and the grove returned to normal. The grip holding his chest hostage lessened, and Kathranis began to withdraw his calming arm, only for pain to lance through his body. He fell on his side and coughed, but rather than blood, a faint silvery mist flowed from his mouth, weaving slightly as it traveled toward the center of the pool. Sylvanus let out a slight gasp, and then Kathranis felt power flood his form. The mist resettled in his chest, the call of the pool vanishing as healing magic cooled his pained soul.

He opened his eyes to find a furious pair glaring down at him.

“That was a foolish thing to do,” Sylvanus hissed. “I could have ripped you asunder without noticing!”

Kathranis chuckled.

“I guess Secil would have been Champion then.”

Sylvanus’ glare softened at the joke, and a smile briefly touched her lips. She let out a sigh and planted a soft kiss on his forehead.

“Oh Champion, too good for your own health.”

She sat him up, then sighed again as Kathranis began to flicker and fade.

“I’m afraid our time has come to an end with that little accident.” Brushing a hand along his cheek, Sylvanus stared deep into his soul.

“Dream tonight Champion,” she whispered, her lips drawing closer. “Act on your plan to speak with Harmony’s priestess. There is much you don’t yet know, but the pieces are not yet moving, and we have time to talk, to plan.”

Kathranis melted into her embrace as her lips met his, so soft, yet so very filled with power as she kissed him. In his mind, he heard her whisper…

Sleep my champion, sleep…. Come back to me Shadowsong…

Kathranis opened his eyes to find somebody kissing him. A beak, surprisingly soft and malleable, pressed against his lips, and he felt heat entering his body. It took the elf feeling his lungs inflate with warmth to understand that someone was blowing air into him. As his vision cleared, her realized that that person was Aquila.

The gryphoness had a steely look on her face, one that very nearly hid the worry and concern flowing from her eyes. Her lip-soft beak withdrew, and her hands crossed over his chest, her muscles tensing to perform compressions. Not wanting to risk his ribs breaking, Kathranis grasped one of her wrists with a free hand, and he blinked to make sure that he could see fully.

“I’d rather you didn’t,” he croaked, his throat feeling all too dry, especially considering he had been drinking water.

Aquila’s serious look vanished, and she let out a crow of joy before scooping him and wrapping him in a tight hug that pinned his cheek to her breasts. The elf couldn’t help but blush, and that heat created a feedback loop, with Aquila’s body heat answering in kind, forcing her warmth into him.

With one eye forced closed, Kathranis looked up with the other and found Aquila crying and laughing as she held him tight.

“I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“What happened?” Kathranis mumbled, trying not to focus on the mounds pressing into his head.

Aquila, perhaps sensing his discomfort, or perhaps just out of a desire to see his face as it moved and worked with the machinations of life, pulled back.

“You were praying, then you began to… glow.” She looked back to Valan. “You saw that too, right?”

Valan nodded, giving Kathranis a morose look.

“I did. Your whole body was glowing in this white light, and when I touched you to make sure you were alright, you felt warm, almost feverish considering how chilly it is.”

“But,” Aquila added, “we thought it was just a result of your prayers. Mom glows sometimes, though not very often, and not unless she’s being gifted power directly from Harmony for a specific purpose.”

Kathranis felt her grip again tighten, and a hint of panic entered her voice as she continued.

“But when we left you alone, you began to shake, and the glow turned black. It didn’t last long, but you collapsed when it faded. When Valan checked you again, you weren’t breathing.”

She blushed.

“Then… I may have panicked just a little and I started trying to get you breathing again.”

Kathranis let out a light cough, then smiled up at her.

“A little panic?”

Aquila flushed harder, and her wing slapped the back of his head, followed quickly by a tightening of her grip.

“Hush you,” she mumbled. “I’m not letting my new friend slip away before we have our day out, or a nice bath together.”

Her eyes lit up with vengeful light, and she grinned wickedly.

“In fact, because I saved your life, now you owe me. You and I are paying a visit to the royal bath house tonight before you go to bed.”

Kathranis smiled weakly.

“Technically I wasn’t in any danger…”

Aquila’s beak formed into a hard scowl, one that brooked no argument. Kathranis let out a chuckle and nodded in agreement.

“Very well. Another bath sounds nice.”

Aquila’s scowl immediately formed into a smile, and she slugged his shoulder.

“You make it too easy Shadowsong.” She gave him a wink and turned on her heel, stopping only to grab his hand and pull him toward the exit of the garden. “It’s almost like you enjoy being led around by a big strong gryphon princess…”

Kathranis let out another, more genuine chuckle.

“Only you Princess, only you.”

His words seemed to make Aquila’s smile grow, and she pulled him into her warm embrace, once more shielding him from the freezing cold of the morning air. As she hugged him with her wings, Kathranis briefly wondered what it would feel like to press back against the gryphoness’s bare fur.

Aquila’s voice brought him out of his musings, however.

“So what happened Shadowsong? What was all that glowing?”

Kathranis smiled faintly.

“Well, I can safely say that I’ve spoken with my goddess for a fourth time face to face. We spent most of the time catching up, discussing your world and the implications our arrival here has.” He sighed. “That “black glow” as you describe it, was my goddess getting angry for a moment. She gets passionate when discussing corruption and all the other nasty things brought on by dark magic, and her temper can flare. I… did something mildly foolish while she was ranting angrily.”

“And what was that?” Aquila asked.

“I… may have touched her,” Kathranis admitted, “and touching a goddess whose power bleeds into the world around her when she’s angry wasn’t a… safe decision.”

He could feel Aquila’s scowl, aimed squarely at the back of his head.

“Which is to say you stupidly risked your life, and you nearly died.”

“That… is one way of saying it.”

Aquila mulled in silence, the heat of her stare never leaving Kathranis’ head. The elf decided to try and alleviate the pressure with a light joke.

“If it’s any consolation, Lady Sylvanus wasn’t happy with me either, and has stated that I will continue receiving greater gifts from her.”

“And these greater gifts will help keep you alive?” Aquila mumbled in question.

“That’s her plan,” Kathranis answered.

Aquila hummed in thought, then her grip tightened.

“Good. With all the trouble you’ve already stirred up, you need some good shieldmaidens watching your back. I’ll protect you in the physical world with sword and shield, and your goddess can bring the magic power to make sure you never stay down if I manage to fail.”

She winked down at him.

“Not that that’s going to happen.”

Kathranis scoffed, keeping his tone playful.

“Please, I am a hundred years your senior. I am more than capable of defending myself, thank you very much.”

Aquila’s eyes lit up.

“Is that so?” she replied. “Well, I don’t believe you. Especially given how affected you were by that adorable little cut you got on your leg.”

“The blade was necrotic!”

Aquila shrugged, as if the detail didn’t matter.

“It doesn’t matter. Magical or not, you need protection, and I will provide.”

She patted his head, putting a scowl on Kathranis’ face.

“I don’t need protection,” he reiterated, “In all likeliness, I’m probably a better fighter than you!”

He heard a sharp intake of air from Valan, and a glance at the gryphon found his eyes focused on Aquila’s face. Kathranis looked up to see the gryphoness staring down at him with a mildly sadistic grin.

“Is that so?” Aquila said. “Well then Blademaster, I suppose I must accept your challenge to single combat. We can duel tomorrow.”

Kathranis thought quickly, his voice acting as his brain processed.

“I… I hope I haven’t impugned your honor,” he said. “This… was mostly in jest, yes?”

Aquila’s grin softened into a smile.

“I know you’re joking Shadowsong, but I would like to duel you. The only person who got to see any of your fighting was Valan.” She looked to her brother and winked. “And he spent the fight on the ground. Hardly an accurate viewer.”

Valan rolled his eyes.

“Hey, Shadowsong saw the brute I was tangling with. He was way too strong for his size.”

Aquila matched his eye roll.

“Sure Valan, dig the hole deeper with your savior. Not like you’re going to escape this life-debt anytime in the next decade.”

Kathranis winced.

“Really, that long?”

Aquila nudged him back toward the castle, and Secil and Valan fell in behind them as they walked.

“I know you detest it, but yes,” Aquila said. “You did a great thing Shadowsong, and gryphons repay their debts. As the head of the family, Dad owes you for saving his son, and seeing his daughter returned safely, and then Valan owes you directly for saving his life. It’s why you and your people have had a nice, warm reception, and why you get a princess for an escort until we are officially allies, or until your people move on.”

“And here I thought it was my winning personality,” Kathranis mumbled.

An entire decade, or longer. Kathranis wondered briefly if he should fling himself off a cliff and have Valan save him. Perhaps that would end the debt, or at least trim off some time. He glanced toward the young male gryphon, who trudged along silently, and tiredly behind them. Kathranis frowned, knew that the gryphon could use some additional energy if he was to survive a day of activity. His belly rumbled at a perfect moment, and he smiled up at Aquila.

“Say, could we have some breakfast before we hit the town?”

Aquila grinned.

“And here I thought you’d never ask, you skinny thing you.”