Kara tells Elra, “When we get to Flamegarden, I need to visit the Temple of Bahamut. Would you come with me when I do?” Elra stares at Kara open-mouthed and nods. Elra reaches for the holy symbol hidden inside Kara’s blouse and pulls it out to look at it and sees that it’s Veleris’. “By The Prime Deities! But you follow Elirae?” Sister Stoutstorm stands speechless as Kara walks to the common area with Sylnoa, Shae, Ava, Aran, and Lines trailing behind her. Finally, she turns to the Sisters gathered, “Prepare the pyre. We’ll leave when it’s lit and properly burning.” Sisters and Crownsguard go to work disassembling tents, stacking wood, and bringing breakfast to everyone as they work. Kara, Shae, Aran, Ava, and Sylnoa help load the remaining items and tents, taking short breaks to eat. After everything is packed, everyone gathers at the pyre.
Shae, a Sister, and a Crownsguard light the pyre. Everyone watches until it’s fully burning. Kara calls for Fearless and Chomasuke.
Kara turns to everyone, “Lines, you ride with Shae.” She holds a hand out to Sylnoa, “You’re with me. Everyone keeps in close. We don’t separate. Clear?” Everyone says, “Clear.” She rides beside Sister Stoutstorm on her triceratops, followed closely by the rest. Sister Stoutstorm announces, “Two weeks, at this pace, to Flamegarden; I don’t want to push the refugees harder than that or separate from the supply wagons. Is that okay with you, Dame Cinderblade?” Kara looks up at her, “Fine with me, Sister.”
Sister Stoutstorm seems to smile and lights up at being called Sister by Kara. Kara rides in silence for the rest of the day, reflecting on Persi and Camiella. Sylnoa can sense her thoughts and motions everyone away so she can organize her emotions. Occasionally, Sylnoa lays her head on Kara's shoulder to comfort her. That evening, Sister Stoutstorm called for a halt and simple shelters while the cooks prepared meals. Elra laughs, "I heard someone made the ride from Flamegarden to Cragcall in three days. I don't believe it. Even if they had mounts along the way to switch to ." Aran says, "I bet I could do it." Everyone laughs. Aran looks almost hurt but lets it drop. Kara asks Elra, “Could we set up a single tent, in case Sasha tries to…” Sister Stoutstorm barks out, “Assemble my tent here.” Sisters instantly go to work, getting it ready without a complaint. Kara says, “Thank you.” To the Sisters.
Aran, Lines, and Ava get bowls of stew for everyone while Sylnoa prepares herself. Kara asks, “What’s it like?” Sylnoa thinks briefly, “First, I try to clear my mind, then when she connects to me, I just let myself go. At first, it’s like floating in the water. I can see, hear, and feel everything. I can feel her surface thoughts like they are mine. I allow her to see all of mine because I want her to know she can trust me. The way she sees you. It isn’t easy to describe. It’s like that feeling when you touch Elirae in your morning prayers, only more intimate. She feels a rush, her heart beats fast, and her cheeks warm.”
Kara asks, “Can she feel everything?” Sylnoa blushes, “Yes, everything. It’s like she’s here. I, well.” Sylnoa leans forward and whispers in Kara’s ear, “I got a brief image when you mentioned “shape change” to her, then another when she imaged other things she could do without shape changing.” This time, Kara blushes, and Sylnoa smiles, “Oh, my gods.” Kara grabs her, “You’re evil.” They’re both laughing when Sylnoa feels the connection form.
Sasha hears Kara laughing, spins, grabs her in a hug, and starts crying, “By Raventh herself, I’ve been so worried.” She looks around the tent and sees that Persival is not there, “Is he?” Kara nods, “Elirae herself assured me his soul is safe.” Sasha says, “I’m so sorry. I've known Persival since he joined me in Oakvale. He was just a boy then, so eager to learn. His parents brought him to me as a bargain for bringing the family to the Fey Wild so they could escape prosecution for a crime that another family committed. He was always so prim and proper. He always followed orders but was still willing to push limits when he thought they needed to be pushed. If not for him, Anya wouldn't be around. Did you know that he talked me into not destroying her?” Kara shakes her head, "He told us about Anya arriving at Nexus and how you almost destroyed her. The way he made it sound was as if you made the decision yourself." Sasha says, "No. He followed me out when I was about to cast her into the void, pleading with me to stop and think. He told me that she had been alone and needed help. Anya pleaded too, but it was Persival who stayed my hand. I can't imagine what would have happened if he hadn't been there." Kara holds Sasha, “First, Camiella had to save me. Now, he used Persi to punish me. I will kill that monster and ensure that sword never sees the light of day again.”
Sylnoa says to Sasha, “I’d like to show you something. Step back and look at Kara.” Sasha releases Kara and steps back. Sylnoa opens herself to the world, allowing the auras of everything into her mind; the world around her lights up with auras of all different colors; to Sasha, it’s like seeing for the first time. She looks at Kara and sees Kara’s blue aura, then at her stomach, she sees a bright blue star. Sasha goes to her knees, throws her arms around Kara’s waist, and presses her ear against Kara’s stomach, “Sylnoa just showed me your aura and our baby’s aura. She’s as bright as a star.”
Kara gives her a few moments, “Sasha, Ava has a question. Think it through before answering.” Sasha lets Kara go and stands. Ava feels a little weird calling Sylnoa, Your Highness, but says, “Your Highness, we think we have a solution to protect us from that blade if the worst happens.”
Sasha sees that Ava glows with that same blue aura that Kara has. She looks at Aran, his is white and pure, the same as Shae. Lines is a prism of colors. She doesn't need to see Sylnoa's to know that her's is pure. Sasha says, “I’m listening.” Ava says, “Well, Shae gave me the idea. We could swear our souls to Kara, then she would own them, and the blade wouldn’t be able to steal them.” Ava gives a forced smile while Sylnoa stands there with a pondering expression. After a while, Sasha looks at Shae and then at Ava, “Shae, Ava, you are geniuses. That would work. But understand, Kara would own your soul. If you don’t word this right, it could be for eternity. Understand, immortality doesn’t mean you can’t die.” Ava gives Kara an “I told you so.” look. Kara rolls her eyes. Sasha says, “I’ll leave it up to all of you to do or don’t do. If no one else has anything, could I have a moment with my wife?” Everyone leaves, and Ava throws Shae into a mock headlock on their way out. “You beautiful genius.”
Sasha turns back to Kara and then sits. Kara sits in front of her. Sasha takes Kara’s hands, “I talked to Anya.” Kara nods, “Yeah?” Sasha shakes her head, “No, I really talked to Anya. She told me about all the times you two talked, about your fears, about the things that happened to you. She even told me about her fears and how you two helped each other.” Kara starts to feel sick, and Sasha squeezes her hands. “Don’t ever be afraid to tell me anything. There is nothing that could ever make me regret being your wife and your lover. Do you understand that?” Kara’s eyes tear up, “When I get home, we will have a long talk.” Kara laughs, “Only after you make love to me.” Sylnoa and Sasha blush at that. Kara holds Sasha as close to her as possible, laying her head on Sylnoa’s chest.
Kara laughs. Sasha says, “I like hearing you laugh. I missed it so much. Please don’t scare me like that again. And you, Sylnoa, you stick by my wife’s side.” Sylnoa tells Sasha, “I owe her my life. I’ll follow her to hell and back.” Kara says, “I know you two are talking about me.” Sasha says, “I’m discussing what I can get away with in this body.” Then she laughs; Kara grabs and kisses her, then says, “Tell Anya it’s okay; she can tell you anything I told her. I was afraid; I didn’t know if I could return your love when we first met. I can’t promise I won’t get pulled into some memory again, but Sylnoa knows how to get me out, and Shae might as well be the clothes I’m wearing since she swore that oath. I’ll ensure their oaths have outs before they say them, sign them, or whatever we do.” Sasha says, “Make them practice them, word-for-word.”
Sister Stoutstorm comes barging in, with Ava hanging on to her, trying to stop her.
Kara looks at Elra, “What’s wrong?” Sister Stoutstorm says, “I heard you were talking to this Princess of yours, and you didn’t invite me. That’s what’s wrong.” Kara laughs, “Sasha, this is Sister Elra Stoutstorm. Elra, this is Princess Sasha Proudshard Cinderblade.” Elra bows, then looks at Sasha/Sylnoa, “This girl of yours, let me tell you. She affects people. This morning, she had the entire camp in prayer; not only that, Veleris herself came to me in a dream and told me Kara sent her.” Sasha smiles, “She does that. She’s wrapped a Raven Knight and his Queen around her little finger. I expect to see flowers and butterflies in her footprints.” Kara says, “Flowers and unicorns.” Elra laughs, then says, “I just wanted to let you know that I will watch out for her as long as she lets me. I’ll leave you two now.” Sasha says, “I’m happy to hear that, Sister Elra.” Sister Stoutstorm leaves with Ava behind her. Kara says, “Just hold me until you have to go.” Sasha sits behind and holds her, and Sylnoa sits and holds her after the connection ends.
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Sasha hugs Anya and swings her around, “She’s okay. Kara is okay.” Anya grunts, “That’s great. You’ll get me sick if you keep twirling me around.” She stops twirling Anya around, looking her in the eyes, “Sylnoa showed me Kara and the baby’s aura. Anya, Camiella is as bright as a star. She is beautiful.” Avvaran leaves quietly before being asked to do so. “She also said we, you and I, can talk about anything.” Anya says, “Floor.” Sasha looks at her, “The floor? Oh,” Sasha sets Anya down. Anya asks, “Can we get back to work now?” Sasha straightens her dress, “Of course. The first shipment of fish should be arriving.” Let’s go down and see.”
Anya pulls the doors, but they don’t budge. Sasha reaches over her and pulls them open, “Pipsqueak.” The two guards outside snap to attention as Anya leads the way with her nose in the air. Several dwarves are at work in the hall rebuilding it, from when Kara destroyed it, to save them. Outside in the courtyard, Galga is yelling at some mages creating blocks of ice, something about wimpy guards having a hard time breaking it up; no, actually, it sounds more like she’s making fun of the guards.
Gunthar is on the battlements, inspecting the construction. Ugly is waiting at the teleportation circle. "He’s in charge of provisions now since Kara isn’t here. Her other jobs also haven’t been filled, which included weapons training in the Pit and seeing over the classrooms for the children since there are no children here yet. She could go from beating a warrior into sawdust to cradling a crying child in a heartbeat. She could be steel in one second and silk in the next. How does she manage that?"
Someone yells, “DRAGON!”
Ava sits next to Chomasuke, looking at Dawnbreaker, running her finger over the runes carved in it, her eyes glistening with tears in the firelight. She asks, “What is Ava thinking about?” Ava looks up at Shae, being drawn out of her thoughts, “Persi. Ava is thinking about Persi. Persi enchanted Dawnbreaker the day after we arrived here. Persi said that if he died, the enchantment would fade. It’s almost gone, Shae. Ava can feel the magic draining from it.” Shae moves over next to Ava and squats down. She reaches out and touches it, then sits against Ava.
Aran asks Lines, “What do you think about this, oath, contract, whatever it is?” Lines says, “It brings me closer to Raventh. Things such as that sword should not exist. They are abominations. It denies Raventh of her right to judge souls and send them on. It is worse than undead.” Aran shakes his head, “I still don’t know. I would follow her anywhere, and I want to get home. I don’t know about swearing an oath to give my soul to her.” Lines looks at Aran, “Would you swear an oath to become a knight?” Aran nods, “Yeah, but that’s different. My soul would still belong to me.”
Lines says, “Ah, so you would swear your life away for an ideal, but not your soul. I assume you follow no god?” Aran shakes his head, “No. They mostly followed Raventh on Nexus, but that was because of the Princess. Kara follows Elirae, Camiella, and Ugly follow Galathor, and others follow many other gods. I just figured I’d do my thing; I don’t like the idea of some god willing me to do this or that.” Lines looks at Aran curiously, “I’m sure she wouldn’t let you swear this oath if you didn’t have a way to back out.” Aran shrugs, “Hey, Ava. How are these oaths coming?”
Ava stops thinking about Persi, “Well, this is what I have so far; everyone gathers around; let me know if you hear any loopholes.” Aran and Lines scoot closer to Ava, “I swear my soul to Karael Vala Elyslynn Proudshard Cinderblade….” Lines nods, “Yes, and?” Ava shrugs, “Well, that’s it. This isn’t easy.” Shae smiles, “Yes, it is. Shae did it and didn’t even mean to.” Ava pushes Shae over, and everyone laughs, “No, seriously, I need help with this. If one word is wrong, we end up eternally bound or damned. I mean, the Princess speaks this contract stuff; she’s been doing it for… How old is she?” Aran shrugs, “She looks younger than we do. But she and Kara have been together since Kara came to Nexus, and I think she’s thirtyish?” Ava says, “Thirty-five, or around there. But I think the Princess is much older.” Maybe Kara will have some ideas, “I haven’t heard anything from inside the tent. Doesn’t someone want to check, make sure she’s okay?” Shae is already in motion before Ava finishes the sentence. Shae moves to the tent without a sound, listens, then moves to the flap, peeks in, then returns, “Kara is just sitting there, her eyes are closed, with Sylnoa sitting behind Kara, holding Kara.” Ava stands and walks next to the tent, “Kara?” After a second, they hear Kara inside the tent, “It’s okay, you, all of you can come in.”
As they enter, they notice Sylnoa is moving and sitting beside Kara. Kara looks up at them, “Sorry, just caught in the moment. Well, what’s up?” Ava says, “I’ve been thinking about our oaths and haven’t gotten much further than, “I swear.” This isn’t as simple as I thought it would be. Do you have any idea as to what you would ask us to swear to?” Kara thinks hard for a while, “How about this, “Ava, swear your soul to me until such time that I willingly release your soul, or you willingly release your soul, breaking no prior contacts or the ultimate ownership of your soul to your god or goddess, if such contract exists.”?” Ava says, “I like it.” She looks at everyone else. Lines nods. Sylnoa says, “I’ll swear to anything you ask.” Aran says, “I don’t know. I don’t like the idea of anyone owning me, real or otherwise.” Kara looks at all of them, “Each oath would be personal and for you only. I will not ask you to if you don't want to.”
The dragon disappears in the sun, and the only surviving ballista is turned in the direction it was last seen. Sasha can see the dragon in the sun; the light doesn’t burn her eyes. It’s in a power dive, coming in to attack and headed straight toward her and Anya.
Sasha only has a split second before she sees it breathe a stream of acid; she shoves Anya back into the Main Hall before the acid breath hits her, melting most of her clothing and much of her skin away. The pain is intense, beyond anything she has felt before. The ballista fires, but the dragon is long gone from where the bolt passes. Arrows and crossbows fire, but the few that hit bounce harmlessly from its scales as it climbs for another attack. Sasha crawls from the pool of acid that is melting the stone around her.
Gunthar barks orders from the battlements. Anya grabs Sasha under the arms, trying to drag her inside, but Sasha is too heavy for her tiny frame; Sasha screams in agony at her touch, and Anya’s hands burn as the skin on the palms of her hands melts. Sasha rolls onto her back so she can at least look up. She sees it already banking for its next pass, and it’s looking straight at her. She growls, “My turn bitch.” And casts her most powerful spell just in front of the dragon. Space and time distort just a few feet from the dragon as a blackhole forms; it tries to change course, but this is pulling at it. The air around Nexus seems to want to be sucked into it. From a hundred feet away, banners rip from their poles and fly into the Void that Sasha spawned in the sky. Loose papers fly into it, consumed. The dragon breaks free, leaving pieces of its wings and scales to be sucked into it. Sasha concentrates, but the pain overcomes her, and she releases the spell. The dragon flees, flying as fast as possible. Sasha laughs as her vision fades.
Ava says, “I’m ready. Do I use a dagger or something?” Kara feels an intense burning sensation across her skin. It reminds her of the ooze she and her brothers encountered. If her pain threshold weren’t so high, it would be crippling. She rubs her arms and looks but sees nothing. Then it ends. Ava asks, “Is something wrong?” Kara shakes her head, “I just felt strange for a moment.” She turns her attention back to the subject at hand and laughs, “Whoa, slow down. We will come up with one for each of you. You will rehearse it, and once you have it memorized, then we will do it. No dagger is needed; you must mean it from your heart.” Lines says, “Kara is right. We’re in the middle of a huge camp of Crownsguard and Sisters, plus Sister Stoutstorm, all ready and waiting for him to try it again. I doubt he is stupid enough to try anything. He surprised us the last time, but that won’t happen again. I saw Sisters casting wards all over the place.” Aran says, “I would feel better if we kept watches also, and I think we should sleep out in the open with everyone else.” Kara stands, “I was going to recommend exactly that. It sounds like we’re in good hands. Aran, you’re in charge of watches. Leave no one out.” He nods.
Sasha opens her eyes; Anya is on one side, High Priestess Avvaran on the other, “Sorry, Anya.” Anya glares at her, “Sorry for what?” Sasha smiles, “I can’t be one of your undead minions yet.” High Priestess Avvaran looks shocked at the suggestion. Anya says, “I’m only a necromancer because that is what I learned. I don’t create undead, and you would…” Sasha starts laughing but stops abruptly when her throat burns.
Gunthar clears his throat to get everyone’s attention. Everyone looks at him, “The black dragon flew off when it escaped your spell. The Laughing Ogres said they fought a black dragon in a cavern below the mines. They didn’t know whether they killed it because it slipped under the lake. I guess we know now. From the way it looks, it blames or hates us because we’re here.” Anya says, “Black dragons hate everything. Did anyone see where it went?” He shakes his head. Sasha sits up, being careful to hold the sheet. She has never inherited her mother’s lack of modesty, and Kara’s lack of it drives her crazy sometimes. She asks, “Have we explored that cavern yet?” Gunthar shakes his head, “We’re sending in a group now, along with some of the dwarves. Technically, our deal works with them because they own the mine and everything below us.” Sasha looks at Gunthar, “I know, I wrote the contract.” Gunthar bows his head, “I apologize, Your Highness.” Sasha shakes her head, “No, I apologize, Gunthar. You’re just trying to be helpful, and you are. Thank you for taking care of the expedition. Keep me informed.” He bows his head again and leaves.
Sasha looks at Anya, “I need to redo his pact and Knight him. But I would like Cyndra to be here to bond them.” High Priestess Avvaran says, “Binding souls to keep them from dying goes against the natural order.” Sasha looks at her like she is trying to make sure Avvaran’s words are directed at her, “Avvaran, I know what the natural order is. As I’m sure you’re aware, I’m the daughter of a Raven Knight, and I fully understand the tenants of Raventh. I’m not keeping anyone from dying. I’ll bond them so they can feel for each other the same way Kara and I feel. They are already immortal, so nothing changes there. It’s not to cheat death, Avvaran. When I can live for potentially eons, I don’t like the idea of having to train person after person. Gunthar is Captain of the Guard now. He has assumed Camiella’s role.” High Priestess Avvaran bows, “Apologies, Your Highness. Now that I’m the High Priestess, I feel it’s my place to point out these things.”
Anya says, “I would threaten to kill her so she can carry a message to your father, but she would enjoy that.” High Priestess Avvaran looks from Anya to Sasha, trying to figure out if Anya is joking. The girl scares her. Sasha says, “I’ll consider your advice, Avvaran; you may go.” The High Priestess bows and leaves. Sasha looks at Anya, “I assume I was the only one injured?” Anya nods, “Just you and the palms of my hands when I tried to drag you. The dragon will need to be dealt with. Next time, don’t shove me away. I’m more powerful than you. I could have taken it. Hells, maybe if you didn’t shove me out of the way, I could have my own dracolich now.” Anya grins as she thinks. Sasha looks at her to make sure she’s just joking.