Cassandra Pendragon

I knocked on the door softly, effectively shutting up the conversation going on behind.

“Come in,” Viyara immediately replied. “We’ve been waiting for you.” I didn’t bother asking how she knew, it was me. She had probably felt me approach ever since I had left Ahri and the others.

“And why’s that,” I inquired as I pushed open the door. The cabin was pretty much the same as the one Ahri and I shared, while on board. A bed, a table, two chairs and a small cupboard, complemented by a low hanging oil lamp. Behind the porthole, I could see some stars shimmering in the velvety black sky. Viyara’s scent of molten gold had already filled up the room and the dragoness herself was watching me intently, sitting across from Aurelia, half filled mugs and the sad remains of a sparse, late night dinner arranged on the table between them.

“Curiosity, mostly. Neither you nor Ahri were here and there’s still so much we don’t understand. For example…” smiling, I raised a hand to interrupt her.

“And I’ll answer everything I can, but first,” I quickly strode over to them and hugged her tightly. “I was worried,” I whispered in her ear. “What happened to you?” She froze for a moment but quickly wrapped her arms around my waist, the scent of molten gold engulfing me.

“That’s… not that easy to answer. Why don’t you say hello to Aurelia, first?”

My gaze travelled to the vampire, who was watching us intently. Her wings were gone again, she could, presumably, manifest them the same way we did, and she looked much better, vibrant even, as if she had finally woken from a nightmare. I offered my hand and said: “sorry, I shouldn’t have ignored you. It’s nice to meet you. The last times hardly count, do they? I’m Cassandra. I imagine you already know a bit about me, so I’m going to leave it at that. Should you have any questions, though, don’t hesitate to ask. How are you holding up? Anything I can do for you?”

She took my hand hesitantly but shook it with sincerity, a shy smile spreading across her regal features. “Thank you, but I’ve everything I need, more than, in fact. I owe you quite a bit, don’t I? I can’t remember, ever since I’ve woken… it all seems like a dream, hazy and surreal, but you saved me, didn’t you?” I shrugged and disentangled myself form the dragoness.

“In a way. But you should probably thank Ahri for that. I’m not proud if it, but if it had been solely up to me, I don’t think you would have opened your eyes again. I’m glad she insisted, though.” I watched her closely while I spoke, trying to judge her reaction, but she didn’t seem to care. In fact, if anything, her smile became even more pronounced, maybe even a little mischievous.

“I expected as much… but I’m no threat to you or yours, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t bring harm to any of you. My mistress won’t allow it,” she added quietly, a faint blush rising in her cheeks.

“Your mistress? You mean…”

“Me,” Viyara interrupted. I slowly turned on the spot, my mouth hanging open, but the lizard only chuckled. “Don’t look so surprised. Every time you immortals meddle with us, something like this always seems to happen. Your… sister, when I was infected with her power, thanks to that little devil, Layla, I met her and she… she relinquished her hold over Aurelia and gave it to me.”

To say I was surprised would have been the understatement of the century. “But how… why,” I stammered and leaned against the table for support. Of all the things, this was something I hadn’t expected, hadn’t even dreamed of. Not to belittle Viyara, but considering how young she was and how little time my power had had to change her, she shouldn’t be able to claim someone as deeply transformed by transcendent forces as Aurelia. I had only tasted the vampires strength, but she truly was a force to be reckoned with. I couldn’t possibly fathom how Viyara might even survive the creation of the shackles, that could tether the two of them together.

“I haven’t got a clue how she did it,” the dragoness replied nonchalantly. “But as for why… guilt, regret, an urge to protect us, the chance to do so… take your pick. Sarai… she’s struggling and I think she’s trying to make amends for what she’s done. She couldn’t free Aurelia, she’d die without a source of transcendent powers, but I think she believes that I won’t repeat her mistakes and since I was there, she took a chance. For better or for worse, as long as your power runs through my veins, Aurelia will be bound to me and judging from everything I’ve seen from you, that might turn out to be a damned long time.” I blinked and then I chuckled.

“What’s so funny,” the vampire wanted to know.

“Oh, nothing really. It’s just… the dwarfs have been speculating what’s going on between the two of you, but I imagine that no one is even close to the truth, no matter how wild their fantasies might run. And to be completely honest, it’s also a load off my chest to know that you’ve got a very real reason to not turn against us. At least for as long as I don’t manage to infuriate Viyara beyond belief. Still… I’m wondering, though… do you… maybe I could…”

“There’s no need,” she replied, still smiling. “We already talked about the possibility that either you or Ahri might supplement the transcendent spark I need directly, but I’m content as it is.”

“Really? It’s not my place to pry, but would you mind telling me why?”

“It’s safer. I… my past is still a part of me, a dangerous part, and I don’t want to weather it alone. Also, I trust Viyara and I like her. We’re more similar than I expected. Truth be told, for the first time, I actually enjoy having someone… I can’t leave her and neither can she abandon me. That’s a bit of peace and stability I’m not willing to give up, just yet. Maybe one day, but for now… anyways, it surely isn’t worth risking my life for, now that I have it back.”

“I see. It just seemed right to offer, though, even if I’m not sure whether I could have been of any real help. Does that change anything,” I asked the dragoness, who had followed our exchange curiously. She shook her head, as if to clear it and focused on me.

“Not as far I am concerned. I might be a little less clingy,” she added with a laugh, “but we’ll have to see. Between now and the time we meet my kin, a lot could change. We’ll have to see how it goes. Until then… I’d love to chat for a while and you better make some time, not too far in the future, for us to do so, but I assume there’s a reason why you’re here. There always is with you. Care to enlighten us? Or do we have to guess?”

“You’re right. I… would you come with me? We’ve encounter a strange form of magic and I hope Auguros might be able to shed some light on how it works. As for the rest… I’ve to tell Xorlosh anyways, so you’ll hear all about in a minute. That is, if I can convince you to leave your cozy togetherness for a while. Don’t worry, you’ll be back here in no time,” I added teasingly. Unfortunately, my efforts were in vain for they either didn’t understand what I was insinuating or they simply didn’t care. Probably the latter, since even a blind man would have been able to pick up my meaning, considering what I had told them before, about the dwarfs already speculating.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Sure,” Aurelia replied after exchanging a quick glance with Viyara. “Lead the way.”

We left their cabin, the two of them walking side by side, a few steps behind me. The soft murmur of their whispered words barely reached me and I had to push aside the impulse to boost my hearing and listen in on their conversation. It just wasn’t my place and even though I had already proven that I wasn’t the best at reading people, I was decently convinced their voices were filled with care and tenderness, similar to how I would speak to Ahri. Smiling, I made my way down to the stone chamber, while I tried to ignore their flirtatious tone. They probably weren’t even aware of it, themselves. At least not yet. I had always known that Viyara would sooner or later find someone, but I’d never have dared dream that it might turn out to be an undead relict from ages past. Well, she wasn’t exactly your run of the mill girl, either, and from what she had told me, the two of them were stuck together for a while.

The deeper we went, the warmer the air became until I felt like I was walking through an oven, including the smells of burning coal and heated metal. A faint vibration could be felt through the floor, gravity and the pull of the stone exerting pressure on the core of the ship. When we had climbed down the last staircase, a reinforced, half opened door in front of us led on while another, to our right, protected the ship from the heat of the furnace behind it. Erya’s voice could be heard, floating though the gap. She was in the middle of a lecture, explaining how ingenuity had made it possible for the lesser races to overcome their inability to fly. From where I was standing, it seemed a bit tactless, since neither her granddaughter nor Auguros could be considered anything other than human for the moment, but the two of them obviously didn’t mind and judging from the excited questions Morgan asked from time to time, she was seriously fascinated.

“May we interrupt,” I asked, while I pushed the door open completely. A maze of iron beams and pipes greeted me, delivering scorching hot air to the stone and anchoring it to the ship. Beneath the contraption, at the centre of the chamber, the three fey were standing with the obligatory dwarven guard, keeping them company. He was nodding along with Erya’s words, while she gesticulated wildly, indicating different parts of the machine, while she explained their usage.

“Welcome back,” she greeted me. Her eyes lit up when she saw the two girls trailing behind. “Are you looking for a quiet place? Somewhere out of the way? Because if you do, this one is, unfortunately, already taken.” I wasn’t sure, but it definitely sounded like she was hinting at more than just a place to talk and I couldn’t stop myself from blushing. It had taken only a few days without her continuous company and I had already forgotten how irksome she could be.

“Quite the opposite,” I still managed to reply calmly. “I was looking for you. I hate to cut your family time short, but could you spare a few moments? All of you?”

“Why? Aren’t two ladies enough to keep you entertained for the night?” She was smiling brightly, but I failed to see the humour. She wouldn’t be as sassy if Ahri was around. The next time I had to deal with her, I was definitely going to bring her along, if only to see the fey choke on her more than inappropriate remarks. I rolled my eyes and replied:

“Quite so, I also invited my mom, to make it extra spicy. Should we go on, or do you actually want to know what’s happened?”

“Huh, you didn’t sleep much, did you? Fine, I’ll try to be serious. So, what’s up?”

“Trouble, maybe. The attack… it was probably orchestrated by two of the Captains and their obedient clergy. The magic they used… I was hoping you, Auguros, could tell us what we have to expect. None of us has more than hearsay knowledge and with your intimate connection to the web of energies on Gaya, we hoped you could explain, what we’re up against.”

“I’ll try,” he replied, “but aside from some general information, I fear I won’t be of much use. You see, all deities, as far as I’m aware, are nothing more than an expression of Gaya’s…” I raised my hand to cut him short.

“It might be better if you held off until the others can listen as well. You’ll have to explain it all over again, otherwise. Come on then, they’re waiting for us in Xorlosh’s cabin.”

A few minutes later, we were squeezed around a table like sardines in a can, the small space hardly able to contain us. With the three fey, two dwarfs, a dragoness, a vampire and myself, it felt more than crammed. Only my mom wasn’t overly encumbered, since she didn’t need a chair and happily watched us squirm around her. I quickly narrated what had happened and why I had returned, reiterating my warning that, even though it was unlikely, some of the Captain’s minions might decide to pay the ship a visit. Afterwards, I described in detail the spells we had encountered and what I had seen with my second sight, prompting Auguros to take over.

“Much of what I can tell you, you already figured out yourself. Gaya… I talk about her like she’s an individual, but that hardly even scratches the surfaces. She’s an accumulation of energies and purpose, a spirit of what this world truly is. Her strength… it’s immeasurable. I don’t think there’s anything comparable to it, except for you kin, Cassandra. Ultimately she is but a reflection of everything that was and is on this world and consequentially, she can give birth to living, breathing ideas, quite similar to the nightmares you encountered in the tomb you razed. Simply put, if enough people believe in something, they can convince her that it’s actually real and then, it becomes real, bolstered by the very fabric of creation.” He paused and his eyes travelled along the table, meeting our gazes in turn.

“In a way, every deity, every devil, is, but another aspect of her existence. She’s the ultimate schizophrenic, if you so will. Now, if the worshipers expect their patron to help them out, either through guidance or by lending them strength, so will she. It’s not on purpose, but that part of her truly becomes the thing the people envision. From what you’ve told me. The two… sides of her you’ve encountered are bound by a very specific belief, but I don’t know what it is. I’ve never even heard of the Broken Wheel or the Immortal Sun. All I can tell you is, that the power behind those ideas is very real. What you witnessed, that was her, bolstering the strength of the priests to make this kind of magic possible. Which, incidentally, also shows why they are so darn dangerous. Neither their strength, nor their knowledge, affect their magic, at least not to a degree that matters. It’s only their conviction that makes a difference, the more firmly they believe and trust in that imaginary aspect of Gaya, whether it’s a deity, or something else entirely, the stronger they are. And judging from what you’ve told me, the priests around here seem like bunch of lunatics. Usually that would make them weak, but in this case…” his words trailed off, but we had gotten the gist of what he was trying to explain.Supposedly, the more fundamental, the more blind and moronic a true believer was, the stronger he became.

Unfortunately, that also meant the most powerful of the bunch were the ones, we could hardly expect to reason with. They were already lost in a quagmire of lies, prejudice and pride that would make it impossible to reach them, otherwise they wouldn’t even be able to use their magic, in the first place. Unless we were willing to eradicate the lot of them, we would have to act within the confines of their convictions. That meant, figuring out what the different churches actually stood for. None of the people I had met before seemed to be of the religious kind and while the mercenaries had been able to name the churches, at least, I didn’t expect them to know anything substantial about their inner workings. As for Pete, our resident Free Lander, he probably had never even stepped inside a place of worship, never mind actually taking the time to learn what and why they were worshipping.

No, if we wanted to figure out the rules, we’d have to either deal with the churches directly or find someone who was involved enough to understand, what each deity stood for. Either that… or we could try ignoring the whole bunch of manifested ideas and brute force our way through. I might even have been in favour of the latter, but the last few times I had rushed in, without prior knowledge, had either led to unimaginable pain or another catastrophe. This time around, I wasn’t willing to risk more of my friends getting hurt or even dying, only because I hadn’t been patient enough to wait for a few hours.