He had been making his way up along the ridge for maybe an hour as the grey of early morning slowly turned to the rosy glow of sunrise, when he heard it - the screech and beating wings of a patrol bird. Instinctively he shrank back into the rock face as he calculated the direction and distance of the bird from his position. Satisfied that he would not be seen if he moved, he cautiously continued to move along the rock face until he spotted a crevice ahead that was big enough for him to slip into until the bird had passed overhead and turned toward the citadel.
Being careful to stay as close to the rock as possible and underneath the ridge where he could not be seen from the air, he stepped into the crevice, heart pounding. The screeching grew louder and he swore he could feel the movement of the air from the great wings - as he cocked his head slightly to listen, he counted three birds and Pilots overhead, and froze as he saw the shadows pass.
He could see them now from where he was hiding - three enormous brown-feathered birds in harness, each with a Pilot in leather armour seated on its back. Their wingspan was at least 20 feet, and they flew in formation, with one in front and two behind. He shuddered involuntarily at the sight of the Pilots' shiny scaled skin, and felt the tiny spider of fear scurry up his spine as he watched them bank to the left and head back to the citadel.
He realised at this point that he had been holding his breath, and exhaled slowly as he stepped back out against the rock and continued moving, more urgently now that he knew the patrols were out already. He froze again as a fist-sized rock clattered past him from above, then relaxed slightly as he saw that it was dislodged by a deer and not a Ranger. He had to keep moving, because he knew his time was running out before the Rangers would be this far up in the mountains - he needed to reach the cave he had in mind, and fast.
Finally he reached the top of the ridge, but not before two more airborne patrols had flown overhead - he had taken note of the intervals between them, and calculated that he had about another twenty minutes to reach the cave and get out of sight before the next patrol appeared. He knew it was risky using any sort of magic, but the distance between the top of the ridge and his cave was largely open space, and if he had misjudged the timing of the patrols and they spotted him, he was dead, guaranteed.
Taking a deep breath, he framed a silent prayer to Eona for protection, and drew as much energy as he could from the earth, through his feet and up through his body. He channeled the energy into his hands, then slowly raised them above his head and allowed the energy to pour out as he traced the air around him in the shape of a protective egg. As the energy filled the shape he formed, the air around him buzzed and grew hazy, enveloping him until he disappeared and the only indication that there was anything at all where he had stood was a slight shimmer in the air.
Satisfied that he was now no longer visible to any observers, he sprinted across the rocky flat toward the next ridge and climbed up the rocky face, hauling himself up over the last ledge to the mouth of the cave and diving inside. The air around him buzzed and shimmered as he reappeared and moved toward the back of the cave, taking stock of the shape and any formations that would provide cover if it was required. The entrance to this cave was a narrow crevice in the rock face that did not look like it had any depth to it, and was only discernible as a cave once you actually got close enough to step inside. The cave itself was quite narrow for about the first ten or twelve feet, being about 3 feet across and then widening out into a chamber that was almost perfectly round and about 18 feet in diameter, with tunnels leading to two further chambers.
He wasn't sure which of his ancestors had widened this cave and hewn the extra chambers from the rock, but he sent them a prayer of thanks as he inspected their work. In the smaller chamber off to the right, there was an alcove carved into the back wall - he dropped his pack to the floor and opened it, taking out a small carved figure and placing it carefully on the ledge. He placed three small bowls on the ledge - one on either side of the figure and one in front.
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He poured water from his flask into the right-hand bowl, and from the pouch on his hip he took a small handful of dried berries and nuts and placed it in the left-hand bowl. Into the centre bowl he placed a small piece of charcoal. Taking a few steps back from the alcove, he pressed his hands together and formed an ancient sign, and the charcoal suddenly sprouted a bright blue flame that danced and flickered in the bowl.
He dropped to his knees, resting his hands on his thighs, and bowed his head in gratitude. The words spilled out of him like a quiet waterfall:
"Ei Eona, nam duras e horam. A khi Eona, tirith am donas. Na keis an storam, Eona imis do gheisan a hei!"
The walls seemed to vibrate in response to the ancient prayer, and the blue flame grew stronger, throwing light that rippled like water on the hewn rock. Llyraien stayed perfectly still, his lips still forming the words but now making no sound as he continued to pray to Eona, Mother of All, the words pouring out of him and flooding the small chamber with their energy.
Behind the veil, Eona sat in front of the mirror and watched her charge with compassion. She had a lot of time for this one, he had been through so much pain and loss and yet had never turned his back on her - even when he couldn't feel her presence and doubted that she existed at all, he never failed to pray to her or give her offerings and thanks. She only wished there was more she could do to ease his pain, to right the wrongs that he had suffered - perhaps a long time ago she could have, but she was ancient and there were so few Elves who still believed in her and in the Old Ways any more, and her powers were not what they once had been. She felt a pang of regret at this, and shifted her attention back to his words. She had noticed a distinct shift in the energy behind them now; he had started out with a standard prayer of thanks, but his words now carried a weight of grief and loss that took her breath away. She reached out her hand toward the mirror, and the glass rippled as she laid her hand on his head to comfort him.
Llyraien felt the air around him buzzing with energy. His eyes flew open as he felt her presence, then closed in gratitude as the calming warmth of her touch flowed through him, filling the gaping hole left by his grief. He continued to pray as the tears ran down his face - Eona kept her hand on his head until she could no longer stand the depth of his pain, then reluctantly drew it back behind the veil. As she looked away from the mirror, a single tear rolled down her cheek. She brushed it away, and swore she would find a way to restore to him what he had lost. She knew that even she could not bring back the dead, but she could at least find a way to bring the perpetrators to justice and give him vengeance and, she hoped, peace.
He stayed there, praying, for what seemed like hours. Finally, when all of his emotions were spent, he slowly stood up. Picking up his pack and flask, he left the flame burning and went out to the small space on the left side of the main chamber. Here, there was a large wooden box against the back wall. He placed his pack and flask beside the box. He lifted the lid to see what the previous occupant had left for him, and was pleased to see that there was firewood and a number of containers of dried and preserved food, along with some tools and other equipment that he would find useful. He offered silent thanks to whoever had been thoughtful enough to leave supplies for the next visitor, while briefly wondering if they'd be back to use them again.
Picking up several pieces of firewood, he took them back out to the main chamber and stacked them neatly against the wall to the right of the well-used fire pit. He would have to wait till after dark to light the fire, or the smoke would likely attract the attention of the patrols. He spread his cloak out on the floor and brought out some of the dried foods that had been stored in the box - there were nuts, different kinds of berries, grains, roots and herbs. He had some water, but would need to find a water source to refill his flask. He knew there was a spring nearby, but wasn't keen on venturing out in daylight and possibly running into a patrol. So he took his time in setting himself up in the cave and making himself reasonably comfortable, all the while keeping an ear out for any sounds that would indicate a patrol was nearby. They were unlikely to come particularly close to this cave, since the entrance was hidden and on a very narrow and high ledge - but the aerial patrols would still see him if he left the cave, so he decided that for now it was safer to stay put.