By late afternoon we arrived in the hidden monarchs keep. Cast in the fading sunlight as the bird is on the table looking over the various platters of food. The spell to speak with it is ongoing between us all, including the monarch.
“alright, you see there’s all sorts of food for you as promised.”
[bird] “good good.” he pecks into some food up into his gullet then hops over to another plate to devour a different morsel.
[morgan] “alright so you deliver messages yes?”
[bird] “if you mean those thin things she rolls up.”
[morgan] “yes, do you know what they say or are about?”
“better yet who do you deliver them too?”
[bird] “another woman with two different eyes and a green and ugly old one.”
[morgan] “old one? Could you describe her more?”
[bird] “very old, grey hair, often near her big pot of stuff.”
[Hidden monarch] “does the pot often smell foul?”
[bird] “yes, smell like gas from corpse.”
[morgan] “ugh, that’s nasty. Um so do you know anything else about her?”
[bird] “no, old woman doesn’t like me hanging around.”
[morgan] “I meant caela, the one usually at the place where we found you.”
[bird] “oh, sometimes I see her walk through the woods, sometimes the big green men meet her.”
[Hidden monarch] “tall, lanky, but muscled with warty-like skin?”
[bird] “yes them.”
[Hidden monarch] “well that is good proof. You my little bird friend are welcome to eat as much as you want from the table until tomorrow night.”
[bird] “Yes, yes! Good food, good deal.”
[Hidden monarch] “for you my hands go to the holding cell of caela and wait for me.”
“sir, may we try something there before you speak with her?”
[Hidden monarch] “so long as I see it and you do not need to enter her cell.”
“thank you, well meet you there.”
I motion for morgan to follow as we walk through the teleport pads escorted by Ittip. We wait in the room, looking at caela through the barrier. I simply keep my eyes on her, staring her down… we wait until the monarch is seated.
Ittip walks in and gives us a nod, I give a light push to morgan.
[morgan] “caela, you are involved with the disappearances of orphans throughout Galunsha, we have the evidence.”
[Caela] “then you lied because there’s no evidence to find I’m innocent.”
“we found the bird.”
[morgan] “it had all the evidence we needed, it was nice to intercept a message as well.”
[Caela] “ah.” She reaches into a pocket and pulls out a piece of wood then twists it.
I didn’t know then, but she’d just killed the bird.
[Caela] “well, that’s done now what are you going to do?”
[morgan] “so you’ve stopped lying about kidnapping orphans?”
[Calea] “I never said that. But as you’re convinced we might as well move on to what you’re going to do.”
[Hidden monarch] “the proof is convincing to me and for the crimes you HAVE committed you will be executed, such is the reward of treason.”
[morgan] “no more dead orphans.”
[Caela] “as if I’d kill an orphan, each and every orphan under my care is precious.”
[Hidden monarch] “regardless there is nothing else to say, your execution will be arranged soon.”
[Caela] “so you say, your highness.”
We walk out leaving her in her cell and return the garden space, finding the bird dead. After waiting for a while a halfling comes up to us.
[Halfling] “I will be taking you back to your housing, you will be contacted again later. For now you will wait until the monarch has need of you.”
[morgan] “is something wrong?”
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[Halfling] “yes but that will wait, follow me.”
At our home we eat our dinners slowly, taking bit and pieces occasionally.
[Al] “ah at last, you’ll have some time to yourself, time to hone your powers… perhaps morgan would do well visiting the local mage's guild? Learning new spells as well.”
[morgan] “what’s with the blank look again?”
“oh uh, well I was just thinking. Perhaps getting some new spells while we wait would be good?”
[morgan] “yeah actually that would be good, I could use adding some to arsenal.”
I wait for a bit, eating in silence.
[morgan] “you mean tonight?”
“why not?”
[morgan] “it’s late and I want to sleep early rather than stay up late”
[Al] “oof too bad, well I guess you’ll just have to wait since you’re squeamish about anyone seeing you practice.”
“well something for tomorrow then.”
[morgan] “and what will you do?”
“just wander around, try to get my mind off of why we were escorted out like that. Do you think caela escaped?”
[morgan] “I’d be surprised if she did.”
I nod and the rest of our dinner is silent; I settle down on my bed, in my room ready to sleep.
[Al] “knowing hags I bet she escaped, or was rescued more likely. The real question is did she manage to lose the monarchs pursuers? I’m not sure how much those ladies were given in magical capabilities.”
I let out a groan. “really al? It can’t wait till tomorrow?”
[Al] “what you don’t want to talk to me after we’ve been occupied for so long? Come now I almost think you don’t want to be my friend.”
“no I just want to sleep, we’ll have all the time tomorrow.”
[Al] “probably, though be careful of putting things off. You rarely get as much time as you think you will. Tomorrow my friend.”
I fall asleep easily after he goes. I dream and the dream is filled with things I don’t know, a tall- no giant figure walking my homeland while shrouded, beings flying and walking along it. The creatures killing those in front of them, my kind or another all are slaughtered. The creatures I know, I can feel are evil… not evil like one of us can be but made that way, evil throughout every part of them. I wake panting; it was vague in the specifics but the general idea was clear, another invasion of the world, one far worse than the first. I get up and have breakfast with morgan.
[morgan] “you alright?”
“huh? Ohh yes I’m fine.”
[morgan] “um, alright. If you say so buddy.”
“it was just a bad dream, today you get to add some spells to your book right?”
[morgan] “probably. Hey moon, do your kind… date? Court each other?”
“yes of course… though I never saw or knew anyone that was.”
[morgan] “so it’s just historical for you guys?”
“I guess...”
With a solid breakfast morgan heads off and I walk out around the city for about an hour before returning back to our house. I calm myself down as much as I can and focus, working on my power and seeing what else I might be able to do with it now…
“wait, Al. Why did I… get stronger?”
[Al] “you faced a challenge you struggled, and that has made you stronger.”
“so by struggling I can use greater magical power?”
[Al] “yep, that’s the basis of how it works. Oh it applies to capabilities in general, so fighters, archers, clerics, all become stronger through struggle.”
“why do wizards have to study then?”
[Al] “the struggle improves raw power and ability, to be useful it has to be honed by something. Martial skill, theology, refined formulas, the specifics vary.”
“huh, well I guess I’ll find out what I can do then.”