They see the gate lowering when they are still a half mile away. Persival breaks into a run. His legs feel like lead. They need that temple; to get there, they must get to the other side of that gate. They make it another eighth mile when the gate mercilessly thuds closed.
Aranark says, “Let me try to get us in.” he reaches into the bag and pulls out a few coins, then goes back in and pulls out a small gem bag, twirls the bag around, and says, “Just in case.” They walk the rest of the way to the gates. There is a smaller door at the base of the gate.
Persival comes to a stop but doesn’t dare to sit down. He’s afraid he may pass out if he does. He rechecks Kara’s breathing and heart. Both are steady but seem weaker. Persival says, “I’ve never been much of a believer, preferring to believe in science instead, but Elirae, Dawn Bringer, whatever you prefer to be called. If you’re listening, Kara needs you.” Kara lets out a little sigh. Persival moves the hair away from her forehead and checks her temperature. She’s burning up.
Aranark pounds on the small door, but nothing. He pounds again, but still nothing. He picks up a rock and smashes it against the door as hard as possible. Finally, a slit in the door opens. “Do that again, and a spear will come through this slit, and I’ll skewer you. What in the hells do you want, boy?” Aranark says, “Please, Sir, Dame Cinderblade is gravely wounded, and we need to get her to the Temple of the Dawn Bringer.” “Gate’s closed, boy, won’t open for nothing till morning, now get.” Aranark tosses a gold coin through the slit before it closes, and it almost immediately opens back up. Aranark says, “There’s a few more, and maybe The Dawn Bringer’s blessing on you if you could find it in your heart to open the door so we can save her. She’s a follower of Elirae.” The voice on the other side says, “How many more?” Aranark tosses another coin through, then another. He digs out a gem and holds it up to the slit. A grubby hand reaches through and grabs it, and then a few seconds later, the musical sound of locks and latches can be heard.
A hunched-over, ugly man missing an eye is on the other side. “Well, hurry up before someone sees you, and we all get killed on the spot. You ain’t never seen me or know anything”. They all move in through the door. Inside is a bustling city, vendor calls, people talking and yelling to be heard, and lanterns on poles light the streets. Persival asks, “Which way to Elirae’s temple?”
The doorman gives them some quick directions, and Persival hurries off with Aranark at his side. Avallie asks the doorman, “If we ain’t never seen you or know anything about you, how is the Temple to bless you?” The doorman, both a little flustered and a little embarrassed, says, “Josel is my name; I’m here every evening at sundown till after sunrise.”. Avallie surprises him with a quick hug, and she takes off up the street at a run to catch up.
Persival rounds the last corner and sees the temple, it’s unmistakable, and the same symbol is tattooed on Kara’s back. As he starts up the stairs, some acolytes run down to take her from him. They are asking questions, but his mind has gone as numb as his muscles. Avallie and Aranark speak at the same time, “She’s hurt bad, please….” The acolytes tell them, “Calm down. We’ve got her now. What’s her name?”. Avallie speaks first, “Karael, she’s one of you, a paladin. She says she’s been here, or her journal says she’s been here before. We fell out of the sky, and she somehow took all the wounds we would have.”
They enter a treatment room as a halfling priest with a scar across his face comes over and directs them to a bed. The acolyte continues to ask questions, “You fell from the sky? Did it have something to do with the giant fireball that passed over? How long ago has it been since she was here last?” Avallie answers, “Yes, I mean no. Crap, I mean, yes, but please don’t tell anyone. I don’t know, it’s in her journal, so it was a long time ago, fifteen or sixteen years, I don’t know.” The halfling priest looks at Kara, says a prayer to Elirae, and casts a spell. Her wounds close, her bruises fade, and bones can be heard popping back into place. An acolyte gives Persival a Restoration Potion, and he can feel his strength returning. The fog in his mind starts to clear.
The halfling priest says, “This girl can’t be more than sixteen years old. How is it possible she was here that long ago? Not even elves age that slowly. I don’t doubt she is a servant of The Dawn Bringer, but how?” Persival’s head has finally cleared. He walks over to her and takes her hand. “I don’t know, but she’s been with us for fifteen years, and I’ve never seen her age a day. Right now, I need to know if she will be okay?” The priest says, “They will be fine. She needs to rest for a while. She was hovering at the edge of death when you got here. Now, from the looks of it, all of you need to rest.” Persival says, “Thank you, but I’ll stay here until she wakes up.” Aranark asks the priest, “You said. “They” What did you mean by that? It’s only her?”
The priest says, “It’s very early, but she is carrying a child, maybe only a few days to a week. I doubt even she knows yet. The child will be fine.” He looks at Persival. “I’m sorry, are you the father?” Persival turns a few shades of red and stammers, “No, no, not in my wildest dreams. I do know the” he squeaks out “the father. She will be delighted.” Avallie and Aranark look down. Avallie mumbles, “They made it. I know they did. They have to. Princess Sasha is, well, she’s unstoppable.” Tears fall from Avallie’s eyes as she turns and leaves the room. Aranark looks at Persival and then follows her. The priest looks from Kara to Persival, “I’ll have you a chair brought in. I want to hear this story about a princess being the father later. Until then, I’ll have some food and water brought in. By the way, whoever bound her wounds probably saved their lives. Now rest.” The priest leaves, giving some instructions to the acolytes.
Persival snaps out of sleep when he feels Kara squeeze his hand. It’s still dark outside. Her eyes are still closed. “Could it have been my imagination?” he relaxes and starts to doze back off, “Is everyone okay?” He snaps back to consciousness. “Dame Cinderblade, can you hear me?” Her left eye slightly opens, “I am, thanks to you. I hurt all over. That must mean I’m still alive. Do you know where we are? It looks like a temple; it hurts too much to turn my head, plus I think I’d puke if I did.” “Yes, My Lady, we’re in Everwind, on Veniethea. This is The Temple of the Dawn Bringer, and you saved us too.” Kara turns her head to look at him and immediately regrets it as the world begins to spin. She uses an old trick she learned in Azura’s prison to ignore the pain and other things and imagines her mind away from her body, somewhere else. She’s rusty and hasn’t done it in a long time, but the pain subsides, and the spinning stops. When she returns to her body, Persival is standing next to the bed, yelling for the priests. She softly says, “It’s okay, trust me, I’ve been in worse shape.”
The halfling priest enters the room. To Kara, he looks familiar, but she doesn’t remember a halfling priest from the last time she was here. He has a scar across his face. Then the memories come flooding back. The day she learned Azura had brought her brother back to life and forced him into service to track her down. She was so mad that she went into the back alleys of Everwind, looking for someone to take her anger out on. A halfling tried to assault her. She beat him to a bloody pulp, then she scared his face with her holy symbol and rubbed whatever shit was on the ground in that alley into it. “I wanted to force him to remember that night every time he looked in a mirror what he had tried to do that night.” It’s one of the things she’s long regretted doing.
Before the priest can ask or say anything, Kara breaks out in tears, “I’m so sorry, please forgive me.” The priest says to her, “It is you; how? Never mind, you can tell me later. There’s nothing to forgive. I tried to do something to you that was wrong. Fortunately, it was you I tried to do it too. You dragged me here. After I was done being angry, I asked for help. Since then, I’ve been in this temple, serving The Dawn Bringer and Everwind.” He runs his finger across the scar, “This is my reminder that I needed to find redemption myself. We all have something we’re ashamed of.” Tears are flowing freely from Kara. She asks again, “Please forgive me. I acted out of anger that night, not for the sake of bringing someone to the light. I was looking for vengeance, someone to take my anger out on. I need to hear you say it.”
Persival is listening to this exchange with a look of pure confusion. The priest says, “Not only do I forgive you, but I also thank you. I would have been dead long ago if not for my decision to attack some little blond girl in a back alley that night. Thank you for not killing me, dragging me here, and saving me. That’s enough apologies from both of us. Now let’s see how you are doing.”
He begins to check her and comments, “We couldn’t figure out how to get these clothes off you to get you cleaned up. Every time we cut them, they seal back up.” She focuses her mind on her clothes, and they begin to change quickly and crawl off her, folding themselves up neatly at the foot of the bed. Persival looks away. Kara doesn’t notice. She’s never been modest, so she doesn’t care if anyone sees her naked. The priest sees the Girdle of Trials with Elirae’s symbol on it. His eyes light up in amazement. He’s heard that one was created for The Temple of the Dawn Bringer but never thought he would see it. Something else he would have to ask about later. “May I remove the Girdle of Trials?” Kara nods. He undoes the buckles and sits it to the side, along with the other items she is wearing, including a Crown of the White Dragon tucked under her hairline and around her ears until needed.
A few acolytes have entered, bringing some food and water. Persival is still staring at the ceiling and the wall. She would probably laugh at him if she weren’t hurting so bad. She decides not to embarrass him. He did save her life. The priest finds nothing physically wrong, covers her with a blanket, and casts a Greater Restoration on her, making the spinning stop, and some pain subsides. He says, “You should be fine in a few days with some rest, drink water, and eat if possible. If we’re lucky, you may even be on your feet tomorrow.” An acolyte steps over and starts to cast Prestidigitation on her. She recoils as memories of her time in Azura’s prison come back. She’s never been able to shake that feeling when she hears the words that spell. It usually meant she was about to be raped. The acolyte stops when she sees the look of horror on Kara’s face.
Kara takes the acolyte’s hand, then says, “I’m sorry, go ahead and use it. I wasn’t expecting it. That spell triggers bad memories for me.” The acolyte looks from Kara to the priest. Kara says again, “Go ahead.” She finishes the spell this time, and the rest of the dirt and blood from the battle and falling thousands of feet disappear. Kara exhales when she realizes she is holding her breath. Kara asks the priest, “What is your name?” He says, “Noric Leaffeet, Lady Proudshard. I will leave so that you can rest. Please excuse me.” She says, “Thank you, Noric. Just call me Kara. Plus, it’s Cinderblade now.”
Kara looks around, “Where is Nirne? High Priestess Nirne Kitsk?” Noric looks at the floor, “She went on to serve the Dawn Bringer directly a few years ago. Nirne died defending an acolyte from some assassins out in the streets. I’m sorry. She spoke of you often, and her words made me realize you did me a great service by bringing me here.” Kara says a silent prayer and smiles, “She chewed me out for days over going out, looking for a fight, then scaring you.”
Kara looks at Persival, “Thank you. I can’t say that enough. I have one more request I must ask of you.” He says, “Anything for you.” She reaches and takes his hand, “Go find Camiella and bring her back here, Persival. I would send Fearless with you, but I don’t think I have the strength to summon him right now.” Persival gives a small sigh of relief, “Fearless scares him. He’d be afraid the thing might decide it needs a snack or who knows what.” Kara grins at Persival. “Fearless wouldn’t hurt you unless you were trying to hurt me or some innocent. He can be a bit scary, but he can’t help that. Look in my pouch. There, you’ll find a black cloth. Take it out and unfold it on the floor over there. See what you can find to help you find Camiella. I hate to send you alone. Maybe someone from the Temple can go with you?” Persival says, “I can take Aranark. He was one of the kids you saved from the fall. Well, they’re not kids anymore. We probably wouldn’t have gotten you into the city without them. He knew exactly what to say to the doorman and how to get him to open the door for us. Then there’s Avallie. A patrol stopped us, and she spun a tale even I believed to get them to leave.” Kara smiles. “My heroes, take whoever and whatever you think you’ll need to find Camiella.”
Persival says I have one more thing I need to tell you. He stands there staring into nothing, trying to find the correct words. Kara snaps him out of it. “Come on, whatever it is, it must be important.” Persival looks her in the eyes and yells, “YOU’RE WITH CHILD.” Now it is Kara’s turn to stare blankly, with her mouth hanging open, as she tries to process those three words. “I’m, huh?”
Persival says, “The priest Noric, he confirmed it. You’re pregnant. He said you and the child will be fine.” Kara remembers her vision when she was fading in and out after hitting the ground. Elirae said, “Both of you will be fine.” Kara chuckles not once but twice which startles Persival as she thinks of what Sasha will say, “If I had known, I would have evacuated with the rest to protect this one. Did Noric say, boy or girl?”. Persival shakes his head. “No, My Lady,” Kara takes his hand in hers, “No more of this, My Lady, Dame, or whatever other titles you think I’m worthy of. You saved my life and my baby’s life from here on out. I’m just Kara to you and my other two young protectors. We have a journey ahead of us if you’re willing. We’ll find Nexus. Sasha and everyone else will be fine, just rebuilding, and we will get to help them finish. You may even get knighted yourself, Ser Persival.” It takes a moment to register what she just said, “No, My Lady, I mean Kara, I’m not worthy of such an honor. We just did what needed to be done.” Kara squeezes his hand. “Doing what needs to be done is what makes heroes. I’ve never cared for glory seekers. Right now, what needs to be done is for us to continue. I have a baby to protect now. You need to find Camiella.”
Kara uses every lesson she has learned to keep her emotions in check. She is torn between everything that has happened, losing one of her best friends, and knowing she will be having another child. “What will Sasha say? What will her children say?” Her memories drift to Camiella. “Did she know? I will send you home, sister. Your oath and your pact have been fulfilled.” Kara wipes away some tears, “Not now. Later”
Persival finds the Portable Hole, unfolds it, and climbs into it to search. He sees a display cabinet with strange items, jewelry pieces, holy symbols, dolls, and locks of hair in it. He keeps looking: a mace made by a master blacksmith; some leather armor; she has everything in here; some masterwork bracers with arcane runes I may be able to find a use for these; some more survival gear; several chests full of gold, platinum, and gems of all kinds. Persival tosses out the items that he thinks may be useful, then takes a pouch and fills it with various coins and gems. “Money will be needed.” Then he climbs out. Kara has her clothes back on, but her stomach is exposed. Her hands glow as she runs them over her stomach. She looks happy. Her cheeks are wet. He doesn’t interrupt her. He folds the portable hole back up. Then, he sits on the floor to focus on the items he pulled out. The mace and the bracers all glow with magic. He focuses closely on those two items. The bracers are Bracers of Defense. Those will be useful. The mace is enchanted in a way to make it easier to strike. It never hurts to have a good weapon. “I’ll give the bracers to Avallie to grant her a little more protection, as well as the mace and the leather armor to Aranark. He looks like someone who loves a good fight.
“The sun will be up soon My,,” He stops himself from saying Lady, “Kara.” She’s still looking at her stomach. She mumbles, “Huh, yeah, be safe. Oh, some scrolls of Locate Object are in my Bag of Holding. Anya made them a while back and fixed them so anyone can use them.” She looks around. “Did it survive the fall? I don’t see it?” Persival says Avallie has it. We used several items in it to get you here.” Kara says, “Well, there are several scrolls in it. If you use them to find Misery’s End, Camiella should be somewhere close to it. She pulled herself away from me seconds after I dropped it. Please bring her home, Persival.” “On my honor.” He replies.
Persival leaves the room and realizes he doesn’t know where Ananark and Avallie went. The hall stretches off to the left and right. Then, he hears Kara begin singing.
(Vocals – Soft, gritty, with a hushed, haunting tone)
Baby, don't you cry now, dry those eyes,
He rode to the war with fire in the skies.
They said he'd come back like the rising sun,
But the nights are long, and the war ain't done.
(Verse 1 – Bluesy groove with a dark undercurrent)
Mama tells us, “Keep holdin’ on,”
He’s ridin’ hard, but it’s been too long.
She lights a candle at the windowpane,
But it flickers and fades, just like the rain.
(Pre-Chorus – Tension building)
They said he'd be back, they swore he'd be here,
But shadows whisper, and I can hear the fear.
We'll search the roads, through dust and stone,
Gotta find him, gotta bring him home.
(Chorus – Powerful, gritty, soulful with heavy blues-rock groove)
He will return, that’s what they say,
But the world gets colder every day.
We’ve been runnin’, chasin’ down the wind,
But all that’s left is the storm within.
He will return, don’t say he’s lost,
We’ll find the road, no matter the cost,
Through fire and war, through blood and rain,
We’ll bring him home, break these chains.
(Verse 2 – Tempo building, more edge in the delivery)
Mama packed the bags, said, “Let’s go now,”
We’ll search the fields where the bodies lay down.
We heard he fell, but I feel him still,
Through these haunted lands, we walk uphill.
(Pre-Chorus)
They said he’s gone, but I don’t believe,
We’ll find him somewhere, can’t let him leave.
Through broken roads and whispered names,
We’re runnin’ wild, searchin’ through the flames.
(Chorus – Explosive, gritty rock, full of desperate hope)
He will return, that’s what they say,
But the world gets colder every day.
We’ve been runnin’, chasin’ down the wind,
But all that’s left is the storm within.
He will return, don’t say he’s lost,
We’ll find the road, no matter the cost,
Through fire and war, through blood and rain,
We’ll bring him home, break these chains.
(Bridge – Slows down, atmospheric, haunting vocals)
We came back home to an empty place,
The light in the window, shining on a ghost's face.
I held the kids close, heart heavy with doubt,
But then I saw him, and I screamed out loud...
(Builds up with rising tension and emotion in the vocals)
His eyes were tired, like he’d seen the end,
Thought we were gone, thought he’d lost his friends.
But then our worlds collided in the glow,
The war was done, and we let it go.
(Chorus – Final, triumphant, soulful rock chorus, explosive energy)
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
He has returned, no longer lost,
We paid the price, we’ve crossed the cost.
Through fire and war, through blood and rain,
We found our way through all the pain.
He has returned, back from the fight,
We’ve torn the dark, we found the light,
With hands held high, hearts on fire,
We’ll ride this road, liftin’ higher and higher.
(Outro – Bluesy, raw and soulful)
Hush now, baby, don’t you cry,
He’s come back home, now close your eyes.
Hush now, baby, don’t you fear,
The war is done, and Daddy’s here...
Persival stands there. He’s heard her sing many times before, at Nexus. Her voice is fantastic. It’s a wonder she didn’t become a bard. Persival realizes that several acolytes, along with Aranark and Avallie, are standing close to him. All of them were enthralled by the song, too.
Persival motions Avallie and Aranark over, “Kara is awake, in case you haven’t guessed. She is still frail, and she’s given us a task. Do you feel like volunteering for it?” Avallie looks so giddy and excited that she’s bouncing. Aranark seems to follow her lead, not with the same enthusiasm, but by doing the task. “Yes, anything for Dame Cinderblade,” Avallie exclaims. Aranark is looking at her like she may explode. “First,” Persival says, “No more Lady or Dame or any other titles. She wants us to call her Kara. Second, I found these items. Aranark, you take this armor and this mace. The armor isn’t magic, but it beats no armor. The mace is magic. Avallie, here, take these bracers. They will act like armor. I didn’t know what kind of weapon you prefer.”
Avallie thinks momentarily, “I’ve watched … Kara train and practice, and I used to sneak over to the smithy and borrow a big maul so that I could practice with something heavy, like Misery’s End. I want to be just like her.” Persival reviews what he saw inside the portable hole but doesn’t remember seeing anything like a maul or another full blade. The other weapons he saw looked like mundane, one-handed ones. “Maybe the temple will have something. Anyway, we need to find Camiella. Kara said there are some Locate Object scrolls in your bag. I never paid much attention to Misery, but from the sounds of it, Avallie, is it okay if I call you Ava from here on out?” She nods. Persival looks to Aranark. “And you, Aran?” Aranark nods but says, “Only if we can call you Persi.” Persival frowns as he responds, “Okay, fine, call me Persi. Anyway,,, Ava, I’m guessing you’ve paid a lot of attention to Misery? Tell me everything you know about it. Then, I can use the scrolls to try to find it. She said Camiella kicked free seconds after she let go of Misery to free its weight from us. If we find Misery, then Camiella shouldn’t be far.”
Ava thinks about all the times she watched Kara train and begins describing Misery’s End in great detail; “Misery is six feet, from tip to pommel, she filed its edges off when she found it, so it’s rounded, that way it can’t cut or slice, the steel is dark with darker patterns that run along its length. When Kara imbues Misery with divine power, those patterns form into the holy symbols of Elirae and Veleris, Elirae for redeeming those it strikes, and Veleris for bringing them to justice. She only used it lethally when she knew her opponent couldn’t be redeemed. She let me hold it once. I doubt she remembers. She had to help me. It’s heavy, very heavy. That’s why I started practicing with a maul, but even a maul isn’t as heavy as Misery. Misery feels warm when you touch it, like when the first light of dawn strikes you after a cold night.” She smiles, remembering what it felt like.
Persi chuckles a little, and Ava stops to look at him, “You really do want to be like her. I don’t own anything I could describe in that much detail, and I make things.” Ava pulls the journal out and opens it. “She has detailed her whole life here, the trials that brought her to Elirae, and what she went through before coming to Nexus. Did you know she sacrificed her life once, and her friends brought her back from the dead? What brought her to Nexus is she charged TIAMAT, THE FREAKING DRAGON QUEEN, and put a Portable Hole inside a Bag of Holding, with the full intention of dying to save this world, Veniethea.” Persi puts his finger on the journal and tilts it slightly down. “You know, that’s her journal. Maybe you shouldn’t be reading her innermost thoughts.” Ava blushes and slams it closed. “Oh, oh gods. What was I thinking?” Persi says, “Just put it back in the bag. She probably won’t know.” Ava drops it into the Bag of Holding, “No, I must tell her. I’ll tell her and accept the consequences.” Aran puts a hand on her shoulder, “Can the confession wait until we return; we need to get moving. We need a wagon, something to pull it, and you need a big hammer to smash things with.”
Ava smiles as she comes up onto her toes, “Smash.”
Kara sits on the bed, continuing to look at her stomach, talking to her unborn child, “A few years ago; time flies. It’s been fifteen years since I met your mother and a little over twelve years since your sister Lydria was born. You have an older brother named Gaelan and another sister named Phyrra. Before that, I never imagined being in love, much less a mother to four children. We’ll find your mother, and we will find a way to get to High Throne and your brother and sisters. Maybe, hopefully, Sasha is already bringing people and them home.”
She snaps out of her daze when she hears someone clear their throat nearby. Noric is standing next to the bed, “It’s nice to see that you’re not getting sick at the thought of moving anymore, and since you’re channeling divine power to your stomach too, I assume Persival told you?” Kara smiles and nods her head. She asks, “Do you know if it’s a boy or girl? I really, really can’t handle not knowing.” Noric holds his hand up and asks, “May I?” Kara places his hand on her stomach. He whispers a few words in the language of celestials, and his hand begins to glow, at first white, then the color slowly changes to a pink hue. He says, “You already know her name, don’t you.” Kara says “Camiella”. She will grow up to be a strong warrior, fighting for honor. I’ll teach her all about Galathor.” Noric says, “Yes, she will. Now, I have a question or questions if you’re feeling well enough to talk?”. “Only if there is food with the questions.” She replies. Noric calls for some acolytes to bring soup and water. “I had some food brought in last night, but Persival was out cold, so they returned it to the stores.”
Noric climbs onto the chair Persival was using and gets comfortable. “I just contacted a friend of ours in Shadowbel.” This gets Kara’s attention. “She is a sister of yours whom you saved from a “Prison” long ago, Vi Bilaz, or I should say, High Priestess Vi Bilaz. She followed in your footsteps after you left, or as most people thought, you died. She came here and trained, then once she became a priestess, she joined an adventuring company and ended up back in Shadowbel. Then, with the Night Queen’s blessing, she formed a small Temple of the Dawn Bringer for travelers to use when they pass through Shadowbel. Anyway, I had her confirm that there is a statue of Karael Proudshard in the courtyard, declaring that you died a true hero of all Veniethea when you sacrificed your life, hurling yourself and The Dragon Queen into the Astral void. If you’re a dead hero, how can you be here?”
Kara asks joyfully, “How is The Night Queen, Q’Athdrye? Is she doing good? I miss Vi and my other sisters so much. I’ll have to find them all after I’ve found Sasha and Nexus and got my family back. What about my brothers? Do you have any news about Donjo, Whelp, Valas, Thomas, and Malachi? I hope Thomas finally got a nice wardrobe and a title. I would imagine there’s an orphanage or two named after Whelp. Malachi probably has a brothel or four. He had better be treating his employees well.” Then she looks at Noric and turns deadly serious, “Q’Athdrye, Narcelia, and Physax will all tell you that I did return to Shadowbel. Secretly a few years after The Dragon Queen. Vi knows, as does the rest of my sisters, ask any of them. Tell them I have returned, and I’m doing well.”
Noric is a little taken aback by her sudden shift in tone. “I apologize if I’ve offended you. I want to make sure you are who you say you are. Tales of The Slayer of the Dragon Queen spread fifteen years ago. Many showed up here, at other temples, and in every bar and tavern from here to Stormspire claiming to be Karael Proudshard, hero of Veniethea.” Kara says, “Just cast Zone of Truth here and ask any questions. I have nothing to hide.” Noric bows his head, “I don’t think I need to. It’s just that you haven’t aged a day. You still look just like that sixteen-year-old girl that quite literally beat the shit out of me.” He smiles at her, “Seriously, I think I shit myself that night.”
Kara says, “It’s hard to explain, and I found out some years after I left. My grandmother was or is a very powerful Valkyrie, my grandfather is a Silent Star elf, my biological mother and father are Silent Star elves, and I was born a seraphin. That alone meant I would live for probably thousands of years, having both divine and high elf blood. But then,” she pauses, “I was tricked into signing an infernal pact with Arch Duchess Azura, and she merged her essence with my body. That made me immortal. That happened when I was sixteen. I’m not immortal, meaning I can’t be killed, and I’m most definitely not a goddess. I stopped aging at sixteen. I don’t grow old; if I do, it’s so slow it’s undetectable.” Noric shakes his head. “Every question about you leads to ten more questions. Let me know if you get tired of them.”
Some acolytes bring in some soup, bread, and water. Kara immediately starts eating. She feels like she’s starving. Come to think about it, it’s been at least two days since she ate, maybe three. The events of the last few days have all blurred together. Noric says, “Okay if you are Karael Proudshard.” Kara interrupts and says, “Karael Vala Elyslynn Proudshard Cinderblade. Vala and Elyslynn were my mothers. They raised me. Proudshard was their surname, and Cinderblade is the surname of my wife, Sasha Proudshard Cinderblade, of which I took her name, and she added Proudshard to hers. Yep, it’s a mouth full.” As Kara takes another bite. Noric says, “I stand corrected, but it still leads to my next question. How is a princess the father of your child or children?” Kara laughs. “Oh, that’s simple. Sasha is a half demigod and half succubus. She isn’t male or female and is both at the same time or any combination of them. She’s a shape-changer.” Noric coughs. “That’s what you consider simple?” She nods and says, “We have three.” She puts her hand on her stomach, “with the fourth on her way. Lydria, Gaelan, and Phyrra Karael Sasha Proudshard Cinderblade, with Camiella on the way. Now, if you want to know about them, you better be ready to sit here for a long time.”
Kara says, “Question.” Noric looks up. “I’ve been away for a long time. You probably saw the fireball, comet, or whatever you want to call it. It went west. I don’t remember what would be in the distant West. Are there any contacts you have in that direction you can do a Sending to find out who in that direction saw it? I must find them.” Noric calls in another acolyte, “I need a Sending to the Shae Skya Coast, all the temples, ask them if they saw the comet. Try Whitemere also and Timberunn. If they saw it in AeZuan, contact Stormspire and let me know.” The acolyte hurries off. Noric looks at Kara, “That brings up my next question. What is Nexus?”
Kara stops eating and thinks, “We’re not sure. From the outside, it’s a castle floating in the Astral void over a rift that leads to the Far Realm. It’s also alive in the sense that it thinks and can communicate. The elder gods built it to guard the realms from the Eldritch Horrors in the Far Realm. Our mission was to collect artifacts and magic items to help in the war when it started. We could either use or hide the things we couldn’t away from those who would use them against us. We could use its power to open portals to nearly anywhere, thousands of worlds. I was considered a Monarch of Nexus, meaning it chose me.” She shows him the ring “Crap, the ring” Noric asks, “What?” Kara says, “I can use the ring to create a portal to Nexus.”
She focuses on Nexus to summon a portal. It grows warm, but she doesn’t feel the connection forming. “Something must be wrong. I can feel Nexus, but I can’t make the connection.” Kara looks a little depressed because the portal failed, but then it dawns on her. She can feel Nexus. There’s a chance. “Anyway, not everyone there is a “Monarch or Guardian or Sentinel.” We can feel each other,,,” She pauses, “I don’t feel them, any of them.” She wipes away tears and clears her throat. “Anyway, It’s only a few of us. When one leaves or dies, another is chosen from somewhere in the multiverse. We’re not sure what Nexus uses to qualify the person, but Nexus chooses, and somehow, someway, they find themselves there. We’re the ones who can summon portals to us and whose responsibility is to complete the missions. Sasha is the Prime Monarch of Nexus, or I should say, The True Monarch of Nexus. She is the real decision-maker, the one who rules everything. I’m more or less just a teacher of sorts. The Speaker is Anya. There have been a lot of Guardians over the years.” Noric looks at her, even more confused.
She says, “Before you ask the question, the war has started. Two, maybe three days ago. I don’t know how long I was out. The barrier between the Prime and the Far Realm collapsed. We witnessed the Eldritch Horrors peel it open, specifically, The Old Gods tore it open. We evacuated as many as possible when the eldritch horrors came pouring through. Anya devised a plan to create a portal large enough to move Nexus itself, but it was risky. According to her, the more mass there is, the more it increases the chances that that mass will be ripped apart and thrown across the void. We figured it would be better to take the chance to destroy Nexus than to let it fall into the hands of the things that live there. I glimpsed it once and it nearly drove me insane. Anya did it. We ended up here, but I don’t think she intended for us to end up here. Nexus may have latched on to me and used Veniethea as an anchor since I was the closest to the Heart at the time.” She smiles, “I’m paid to bash, not think about complex equations. If all goes well, it will take The Old Gods a long time to figure out where we went, but the bottom line is, it doesn’t matter. Eventually, they will find this world, just like they will find all worlds if we don’t stop them. That’s the short answer to what Nexus is.”
The acolyte tasked with the Sending comes back and stands next to Noric. “Come on, child, out with it. Have you learned anything?” Kara pushes the food tray to the side and sits up, looking at the Acolyte. The acolyte clears her throat, “Varin Thrum and Varin Drumth both reported seeing the comet at some altitude moving fast to the west.” She takes a breath, “Gastulin reported that it took off a mountaintop to the east and passed just to the south.” Kara covered her mouth with her hand, in shock. The acolyte continues, “I contacted Timberunn and Whitemere. Whitemere reported seeing nothing but said people reported hearing low booms or felt them more than they heard. Timberunn reported the same booms, but there was also a small quake that shook the city. No damage was done. They are sending out a garrison to check the surrounding area.” Noric says, “Bring us maps of Eyeron and AeZuan.”
He looks at Kara. “You’ve already said you can feel it. They are just waiting for you. I foresee you sailing to AeZuan in the near future,” Kara pushes the feeling of dread down and fakes a smirk. “Did The Dawn Bringer give you some vision to show you that.”. “No, but the determination I see in you tells me that.” He replies. “I would tell you we’ll look at the map after you have slept a few more hours. If I did, you would crawl out of that bed and tear every door between here and the library off its hinges, wouldn’t you?” Kara says. “I would probably try, at least until some halfling priest dropped me with a sleep spell. I don’t think it would take much.” Three acolytes enter carrying map scrolls. Noric tells them to roll them out on the floor next to the bed so Kara can see, and they do as commanded.
Noric takes a string, hands one end to an acolyte, holds his end over Everwind, and has the acolyte hold the other over Timberunn. The line passes just south of Gastulin. Noric says, “I bet it’s somewhere in this area. Whatever this Mosshore is, I’ve never heard of it. But I’ll bet you can get a ship in Port Summereach to Roguehaven and start your search there. Now, will you get some sleep, please?” Kara says, “Thank you, Noric, thank all of you.” She sinks back down in the bed, and dreams start to overcome her before her eyes are completely closed. She’s too weak to control them. “She sees Ava crushed by a giant’s club. She sees a girl with hair like Phyrra’s. She sees a dwarf riding a triceratops?”
The acolytes cover Kara, and then they leave the room with Noric. Noric says, “I want two guards in this room, at all times. If word somehow gets out that Karael Proudshard is here, well, there’s no telling what we will get.” The acolyte that did the sending pauses, like she is listening to someone, “High Priest, that was Priest Dobog. He was visiting Roguehaven. They saw the comet pass low to the north. Should we wake her?”. Noric gives her a sarcastic look and says, “NO, we can tell her after she gets some sleep. Make sure everyone knows to keep their mouths shut. I’ll communicate with Vi in Shadowbel. I mean it, not a word.” The acolyte asks, “So she is the Karael, The Slayer of the Dragon Queen?” Noric says “Yes, I do think she is.”
Persi, Ava, and Aran walk down the steps of the temple. The sun is already up. The morning sounds of a city can already be heard. Carts are moving up and down the street. They turn toward where an acolyte told them the market would be. Ava remembers seeing a stable near the gate when they entered last night. Persi asks, “Were you two able to get some sleep last night?” He yawns. “I feel like I was up all night. Hells, I feel like I’ve been up for a week.” Aran coughs and says, “Yeah, we got some sleep. We found a room down the hall.” Persi realizes Aran said a combination of words that may lead to a conversation, “We” and “Room.” He looks at them.
Aran is smiling, and Ava does not react. Persi decides to let it go for now. They arrive at the market just as the vendors are opening their doors. He tells Aran to find some rations, nothing that will spoil, a couple of tents, and some blankets, just in case. He has Ava give Aran the Bag of Holding, “There should be plenty of money in there. Keep your hand on that bag.” Aran says, “I’ve been to places much rougher than this. I know the rules. Where are you going?” Persi points to a smithy, “Over there to find something she can use to smash things with.” Ava bounces and starts walking fast in the direction of the smithy. Persi runs to catch up with her.
In the smithy, a dwarf is busy working, moving a chunk of metal from the forge to the anvil. Other dwarves are pumping the bellows, holding different pieces of shaped steel on the anvil the blacksmith uses to shape whatever he makes. Ava has watched Felicity Earthforge work many times and has always been fascinated with how she shaped metal into whatever she was imagining. Felicity even allowed her to try once, but what she ended up with looked nothing like what she had pictured. Another dwarf clears his throat to get her attention. “What is the pretty little lady looking for today, a piece of jewelry, a ring, something shiny for that special someone?” Ava says, “I need a maul.”.
The blacksmith misses a stroke and lets out a profanity in dwarven Ava doesn’t understand. “I need a maul with a fifteen-pound head and a four-foot-long handle.” Persi sits down to listen to the exchange. The dwarf looks at her up and down. She can’t be more than 5’6” and may weigh 140 lbs. soaking wet. Her bright pink skin and curly red hair don’t say, “I’m going to kick your ass.” He says, “A maul is much too heavy a weapon for a dainty little thing like you.”
Persi thinks to himself that if Ava could fire lightning from her eyes, that dwarf would be lying in pieces on the ground right now. Ava growls, “Do you have a maul or not?” The dwarf backs away from the counter, holding his hands up. “I’ll be right back.” He walks toward the inventory he has and mumbles something dwarven to some of the others. They all look to see what their companion is talking about; he picks up a couple of mauls, tests them for weight, swings them like a pendulum, gets a smile on his face, then sits one down and walks back to the counter with the one he was satisfied with. He sits the maul down on the counter with a thump. “You better try it out. I don’t like dissatisfied customers, and there are no returns.” He points at a sign in dwarven behind him. The other dwarves have stopped their work and are watching now. Even Persi is enthralled.
Ava takes hold of the maul just under the head, on the eye, and picks it up. She places her other hand on the grip, extends her arm out, and releases the eye to momentarily hold it one-handed, at full extension, before letting it fall and swing. In mid-swing, she places her other hand on the grip and does a few test swings, then slides her left hand to the eye, releases with her right, and the maul spins around her back, and the grip ends up in her left hand. She brings the maul over like she’s going to smash the counter, changes the position of her hands, and spins her body under and around the maul, arresting its momentum just before it impacts. The dwarf jumps back, with what looks like tears beginning to form in his eyes, as a colossal grin begins to try to stretch from ear to ear, “My lady, I offer my sincerest apologies, and I must ask if it’s too late for me to ask you to marry me.” Ava blushes. “Well, I’m not spoken for yet. But right now, I have a quest. If I’m not spoken for by the end of this quest, I may come back here.” Now, it’s the dwarf’s turn to blush as the other dwarves return to work. Ava says, “This is perfect….” The dwarf stammers, “Kotehm, Kotehm Redbelt, my lady.” “Well, Kotehm, you know your craft and hammers very well. I’ll take this one. How much?” Kotehm looks at the maul. Persi can tell he has a high price, then Kotehm looks at Ava as she takes up a pose with the maul, “50 gold pieces for you, my lady, it is a masterwork and not a weapon for untrained. I can see that a master has trained you.”, Ava says “I’ll take it, and I’ll see you when my quest is over. It may be a while, but I will return one day, and I’ll come here looking for you if I’m not spoken for.” She lays 50 gold pieces on the counter. As Kotehm picks up the gold, Ava reaches out and touches his hand before she walks away.
Outside, Persi says, “I saw what you did there.” Ava shrugs, “I did nothing but make a good deal and make a dwarf feel happy today. Plus, I’ve watched Kara sweet talk better deals a hundred times at the tavern.” Persi says, “So you learned all those moves, I mean with the maul, by watching Kara practice with Misery?” She smiles, “Yeah, well, I had to adapt them; a maul handles differently than a full blade. You can’t put your hands in the same places, but for the most part, yeah. As I said, she is my hero. But she’s always seemed unreachable to me. It probably didn’t help that I ran in the other direction whenever she looked at me. That was until I read her journal. I never realized what she went through to get to Nexus. I thought my life was rough. Mine wasn’t a walk in the park, but wow. We need to get home, if for no other reason, so that she can be reunited with her family.” He says, “Let’s go find Aran. Then let’s get to the stables and get a wagon and a horse.”
It doesn’t take long to find Aran. He says, “I found the supplies you wanted and had enough to buy two healing potions. OOO, nice maul. I bet that cost a fortune.” Ava says, “No, just a date with a dwarf.” Aran turns to lead the way and stops. “Wait, what.” Ava smiles and bounces past. Aran looks at Persi. Persi says, “Don’t look at me and don’t piss her off. I watched her test that thing.” Aran stands there for a moment, then runs to catch up.
They secure a horse and a wagon at the stables without problems. The stable master wasn’t curious about anything; he only wanted gold. He mentioned that the Crownsguard had become interested in the forest to the east for some reason and told him they might want to be careful if they were headed in that direction. They hook up the wagon and head out by mid-morning. It seems like it may be spring, judging by the weather and the plants they see in the fields. Persi hands the reins to Aran, then focuses on his boots. He feels the magic in the boots fade, then turns to Ava. “Give me your maul. I want to infuse it.”
She looks at him curiously and holds the maul to the front for him. Persi holds the head of the maul, focusing his mind on it. Soon, he can start seeing the patterns of the folds in the steel, and shortly after that, he moves past the patterns into the grain. Deep down, the very molecules that make it, he can see the atoms’ chains forming the molecules. The maul begins to glow as arcane runes etch themselves across the surface. Ava watches, amazed. Persi releases his focus. “There, that should help. I can infuse four items”. Ava feels the maul. It seems to hum with power. She looks at Persi, “How long will it last?” Persi says, “Until I remove it, or if I die, the magic will slowly drain away.” Aran says, “Well, you’re not going to die, so..” Persi interrupts him “Never say that; anyone of us could go at any time. If, for any reason, you can’t find me and the magic starts fading from that weapon, you’ll know not to bother looking for me.” Ava wraps her arms around his shoulders, hugs him and says, “Thank you.”