"The Singers of Fate Have Spoken"
Starshadow Castle
Roark arrived in his office. "Go home. Don't bother going back to school," he instructed Troi.
Troi frowned. "What's going on?" he asked.
Roark shook his head. "You'll know soon," he said. He didn't know how to tell anyone else his father was dead. He didn't even know how to process it himself.
Troi hesitated but eventually nodded. He left Roark's office and headed to the High Guard's Residence. If he needed to know, he would know.
Roark watched him leave and let out a long breath. Ludvig Shadowclaw was a decent father. They weren't very close because as he grew older, he discovered his father was not interested in weapons and combat training while Roark was. That wasn't to say they ignored each other. Ludvig took time to do something with him at least once a week. But in general, Ludvig always seemed proud of him.
Roark walked into the shadows and appeared in his mother's office; it was empty. He then tried Zane's office. It was also empty. He thought about it and stepped into the shadows again. He ended up in the Healing Corps. As well as treating living people, Healers were also usually in charge of dealing with the dead. He came out in the coldest part of the Tower, the morgue in an underground layer. He finally saw Zane.
"Your mother informed you?" he asked lightly. He was in a waiting area with his arms crossed.
Roark nodded. "Hmm. Have you seen Mom?" he asked.
Zane shook his head. "You know your mother. She needs some time to herself. Did she explain everything?" he asked.
Roark nodded. She went over what happened without going into much detail. She assured him that she'd be bringing his younger sisters home in the evening, so she wouldn't completely disappear. She just needed some air.
He looked at the closed door where a Healer was examining the body. "What happened?" he asked. It was incredulous that a perfectly healthy young Dragon died in a cell alone.
Zane shook his head. "We don't know. No one who isn't a Starshadow or Darkwynde can shadowwalk in the dungeon," he said. What he meant was the associated permissions carved into their identity tokens. The wards prevent all but the most basic type of magic, and the inner cell door and walls are completely magic proof. There was no way for someone to use magic or other ways to teleport in.
As expected by the little monk, no one would consider a peace-loving Jade Dragon to abuse their ability to commit murder.
A Healer walked out helping another one come out to sit down. The usually slightly tanned olive face was pale, nearly bloodless. A young woman with long dark hair in a bun and light gray eyes. She wore a gray and black healer's robe. The other Healer was an older human man, also wearing a gray and black healer's robe, but had a darker gray apron covering his upper and lower body.
"What's happening?" Zane asked.
"Ah, Lord High General," the older Healer bowed slightly. "This is Cordelia Darkdream. She's a Silver Hybrid with Healing. I asked if she could take a look using her ability to avoid any unnecessary operations that the family may not appreciate," he said, depreciating and bowing slightly to Roark guiltily.
Roark raised a brow. "An autopsy is standard practice for suspicious deaths? Don't you know how taxing using Healing is for Silver Dragon Healers? My father is dead. Your job is not only to poke around his insides but gather any evidence you can. Are you shirking your responsibilities to a junior Healer?" he demanded in a sharp cold tone.
The man sweated slightly and bowed lower. "It's not that, my Lord. I swear. I did the preliminary inspection. I asked Cordelia for help only because of the seriousness of the situation," he assured hurriedly.
Cordelia gave a light cough. "It's fine, my Lords. Since I didn't have to heal anything, it wasn't as taxing. I just scanned through Lord Shadowclaw," she said serenely.
Roark pursed his lips but didn't berate the older Healer anymore. He crossed his arms over his chest.
Zane said in a slightly softer voice than his usual hard tone. "Did you see anything?" he asked.
Cordelia shook her head. "Nothing. There's no sign of trauma anywhere on or in his body. There were only slight indications that he asphyxiated. He stopped breathing and then his heart stopped," she said. "But there aren't signs of struggle," she reported honestly.
Zane blew air from his nose slowly. He nodded. "Work slowly. Gather all the evidence you can. Call a Mage and see if it's some sort of spell that activated when he was caught," he said to the older Healer. "Rest well before writing your report," he told Cordelia.
The two bowed slightly to the two. "Go in peace, my Lords," they intoned.
Roark nodded at them. He and Zane began walking away from the morgue. "It might be time for Healer Tomas to retire. He's been working as Morgue Supervisor since I was a child," Roark said.
Zane didn't agree or disagree. "File a report with your mother," was his only answer.
"Should we contact the Order of Seers?" Roark asked. There was a slight possibility that if the person died unwillingly, their ghost could remain behind for a while.
Zane paused. He nodded. "It's worth a shot," he agreed. "Come to my office. I'll send for someone. You can brief me about the situation in Silvermoon," he said. Roark agreed they stepped into the shadows.
--
Sunfyre, Varmur
Sonja did need air to clear her head, at first, she didn't have a destination in mind. Yet she found herself heading further east, flying over Varmur, the continent to the south of Silubra. It was a part tropical, part desert, and past forest. She flew to the southwest coast and saw a glittering giant sandcastle, resplendent with giant seashells and pearls and corals. The sandcastle is glistening white sand and is a sprawling complex, like most capital buildings.
Sunfyre City was also mostly made of sand buildings with golden sand streets. It was the capital city of Varmur and home of Elektra Sunfyre. Elektra was outside by one of the many pools located around Sunfyre Palace when she saw the black shadow flying nearby. Her younger brother, Nicodemus Sunfyre, and their friends Declan and Mila Brightstar, and Evangeline Brightwing were with her as well as the High Priest of the Gilded Temple of Orro, Adonis Brightflame.
Elektra was the youngest of the Dracosenati. Strangely enough, she was very close with Sonja, who was the oldest of the Dracosenati. She was only seven years old when the mature Dragons died, and she had to become the Duchess of Sunfyre. Nico was only one year old. Sonja became a sort of big sister-motherly role for her. The other members guided her as well, but they were all floundering as much as she was, if not more in some cases.
Adonis saw her distraction and looked up. His interactions with members of the Dracosenati and the Conclave of Scales was actually limited, but he did recognize Sonja as she got closer. He had to hide his smirk behind taking a drink of something. If she had time to come here, that must mean that she was reeling from the death of her husband. He had to hand it to Vikkernoff; he knew how to get things done.
Elektra stood up from the lounger she was reclining in. She was a typical Gold Dragon. She had elf ears, long golden hair, sun-kissed skin, and gold eyes. She and most people in Sunfyre wore loose, lightweight, flowing clothes and sandals.
Nicodemus looked up as well. He was slender, tall, and had short golden blonde hair, also wearing flowing clothes. "Oh? It's Sonja?" he wondered.
Their two friends, Declan and Mila, are also siblings. Declan is older than Mila and had long golden hair, and Mila was the younger sibling. While Elektra was the Duchess who oversaw Varmur, Nicodemus was her Chancellor who oversaw Sunfyre.
Declan and Mila were originally just a merchant family that was close to the Sunfyre family with members serving on the Gold Council, City Council, Lower and Upper Parliament, Ambassadorial, and Military positions before the Plague. However, after the Plague, Sunfyre found itself without its protectorate family, so when he came of age and had enough confidence in his skill, he stepped up to become the Commander General of Varmur. Mila was still a merchant who had several shopfronts in different areas of Sunfyre City.
Evangeline Brightwing had lighter, more yellow hair, paler eyes, and even slightly lighter skin. She grew up with the Sunfyre's and Brightstar's. She was close friends with Elektra. She was a busy and helpful girl. She owned a shop, worked in the Sunfyre Library as a Librarian/Historian and an Events coordinator.
Adonis was older than them, but his family had been prominent in Sunfyre for generations, so he "looked out" for the young Sunfyre's. He was darker than the others, and even his hair was black.
"Something must be wrong," Elektra said. "High Priest Brightflame, thank you for visiting," she dismissed him politely.
Adonis' smile almost stiffened. "Of course. It must be something official. Thank your Grace for having me," he said as he stood. Oh, well. He had more chances, and even something to report to the others that they may not know.
Evangeline and Mila were quick on their feet. "We'll walk out with you," Evangeline said. "See you later, Elle. Bye, Nico," she said casually.
"Bye-bye," Elle said, waving.
"Later," Nico returned just as casually.
Declan glanced at her. "Should I go, too?" he asked. He was sure Sonja's visit wasn't official, but one never knew.
"Stay for now," Elle said.
Sonja landed as the other three were leaving, and she transformed to her humanoid form and approached. "I didn't mean to make your guests leave," she said apologetically.
Elle smiled at her. "No worries," she said and hugged Sonja in greeting. "I think the High Priest likes me but it's weird to reject someone who hasn't actually made a move yet," she whispered, cringing slightly.
Nico snickered. Declan frowned. He was closest in age to Adonis and while he was more or less neutral to him hanging around, ever since becoming High Priest, his ambition has become clearer to him.
Sonja raised an eyebrow. "Better to cut it off at the root before it grows crooked," she stated with a slight smile.
Elle thought it over and nodded. "You're right," she said and took her hand, pulled out a lounge chair, and sat down with her. "Should I tell the boys to leave?" she asked.
"What do you mean? I'm one of the girls," Nico declared and sat down next to Sonja and batted his eyes at his sister. Elle snorted at him.
Sonja laughed. "No need. I just needed to get away for a while. Thank you, both. Just being here helped," she said, wrapping her arms to pat them both on the cheeks gently.
Declan didn't even pretend to be fooled. "Is it important?" he asked.
Sonja took a deep breath. "Yes, and no. Chrystianna went to get her children today. I don't know if she's back yet, but it shouldn't be long," she said. There was a slight pause before they could react. "Ludvig is dead. We got a report this morning pointing to him being behind the plot to kidnap them. He claimed it was a convoluted plot to make me Grand Duchess, but before we could interrogate him with a Truthcaller, he died," she finally explained in an emotionless voice.
To say the trio was surprised was an understatement. "There'll be a briefing soon. Chrystianna will surely hold a banquet to introduce her children. We'll probably have a meeting with them, at that time, I'll disseminate all the information we've been able to collect at that time," she said.
Elle nodded seriously. "Are you alright?" she asked.
Sonja smiled reassuringly. "I'll be fine. I'm more worried about Phaedra and Ophelia," she said. "I'm going to go to the school and pick them up. I'll tell them at home," she said.
Elle hugged her again. Nico hugged her too. "Stay here however long you need to recharge your energy," she assured Sonja.
Sonja chuckled. "Thank you," she said. She didn't intend to stay long, but it was nice to stay and recharge her emotions. Gold Dragons were usually warm and cheerful and staying with her favorite Gold Dragons for a while was sure to cheer her up.
--
Nova Aurelea, Terranthea
Nova Aurelea was a city in a southern state in the most powerful country on Terranthea. It was the hometown of the Crowley family. They've grown here for generations from both white and Afri ancestors alike. Their foremothers were both slaves and slave owners. They had an ancestral home that was now in ruins. Some form of the Crowley family had lived in that home for around four hundred years, from a simple building when the area was first settled, to a grand plantation house. The Crowley's were always Witchborn.
Once the demons began to exert their influence over the humans, the good god-fearing people of the surrounding areas burned the house down...with people inside. One person died in the incident. It was a man named Clancey Kyteler. He was a witchborn man, or a warlock, who married into the Crowley family. He died to make sure his wife, Helena Crowley, and daughter, Phryne Kyteler escaped. They were the only ones home at the time.
Shortly after the fire started, the other Crowley's returned in a hurry. Helena and Phryne hid until the others arrived. As soon as they did, they came out of hiding. Helena had water-based magic abilities, and she teamed up with her sister, Lysithea, who had light-based magic abilities to put out the fire. By then it was already too late. There was only a blackened half a shell of a house left.
The seven women made a huge deal about the funeral to shame the ones who were responsible. They weren't little nobodies in town. A funeral dirge played throughout the city with more than one local marching band playing as they led Clancey's body through. People whispered. Some felt remorse, some felt smug. They, the chosen few, knew what the Crowley's were, godless witches, and did the Lord's work.
The Crowley's had a family mausoleum where they lay Clancey to rest. Less than a day later, they saw where someone attempted to vandalize the mausoleum but were unable to. The place where the bodies of witchborn were laid to rest was sacred ground, and bodies were precious, and generations of their family continuously magically warded this place. The mausoleum was actually called the Heck Mausoleum. Their ancestors, before surnames became a thing, and before religion ruined everything, they often called themselves "e Hecate". They later shortened it to Heck to hide themselves.
After marrying into the Crowley family, which was also a prominent witchborn family, they used it, but still honored Hecate to protect their dead by using the Heck Mausoleum.
Afterwards, the family seems to have fled Nova Aurelia as the modern witch hunts began in earnest. In a sense they did. The Heck Mausoleum was a rabbit warren of tunnels and chambers. It was connected to the underground basement of Crowley House, which was also magically protected. It also led to various other magically hidden exits.
They split up hoping to find and save other witchborn under attack from demons or humans. The Witchborn couldn't hurt mortals by malicious means. They could protect themselves but could never kill. Once a witchborn killed a mortal, it created a crack in their souls, allowing demons influence. They were no longer witchborn. They were Forsaken. They lost their original powers, but demons could grant them new ones, becoming new demons if they so choose. This was a rare occurrence, which the demons always lamented.
Perhaps part of their plan of using humans against witchborn was to create situations where witchborn would be forced to willfully kill mortals, creating opportunities to influence them.
As for those of the Upper Realm, they never cared much for what the mortals got up to, or how much havoc the demons of the Lower Realm caused. They lent power when they were prayed to, but they had long sealed the connection between the Upper and Mortal Realms. Only the occasional new god would even bother to break through, such as Mafe, a young warrior cat-deity, who just wanted to explore the mortal plane and fight demons and put his skills to the test.
Doing so was illegal. He'd been in the Mortal Realm for over a hundred years and had even started a family with a Mortal Realm witchborn by the time anyone in the Upper Realm noticed. They sent sentinel guards to bring him back, but he fought back, and they killed his mortal body, but his divine soul was still brought back to the Upper Realm, where he watched his daughters' hard lives. Others told him it was his fault. If he hadn't fathered such powerful children, the demons wouldn't have taken these steps and the balance between the Mortal Realm and Lower Realm would have continued for thousands of years still. He upset the balance, which was why the Upper realm had been sealed to start with!
No one in the Mortal Realm knew these things. They merely had to survive. Mafe believed he did distort the balance, but he learned a lot of things while in the Mortal Realm. He knew that once demons completely controlled the Mortal Realm, they'd turn their attention to the Upper Realm. The ensuing war would tear Terranthea apart.
When he noticed his granddaughter begin to travel to different worlds looking for a safe haven, he turned his attention to doing the same. He may be young, less than a thousand years old, but he was still born of gods and mortal worship of cats. He sent his divine consciousness into the universe.
There were many places with magic and knowledge that could help them, but not a place where they could make homes for themselves. If Terranthea was doomed to be torn apart, he would see his family safe. It was during his exploration that he encountered other beings similar to those of the Upper Realm that watched over a world they created.
Though most remained aloof, he was welcomed by a few. A glimmering dragon with multi-colored scales of Jade greeted him, calling himself Eiryu. Ever curious, Otir, a giant dragon with glittering red scales, also greeted him. They listened to his plight. Before they could answer, three smaller, yet still giant silver scaled dragons circled his divine consciousness and sang sometimes with one voice, sometimes a singular voice.
"We see you, Mafe of Terranthea. We see the Witchborn. We see the Fate of your world. We see the fate of Emphyralis. Lead the Watcher in the Shadows to Emphyralis. Start with Thelessia," they sang. Sometimes the voices were child-like, and sometimes they were old and craggy. "The fate of both our worlds resides with her," they finished in a whisper and flew away from him, disappearing in flashes of light. Each becoming one with one of three moons circling their planet.
"The Singers of Fate have spoken," Otir said.
"Go with peace of mind," Eiryu took a deep breath and blew it at Mafe.
Mafe had abruptly returned to the Upper Realm, feeling at peace. He did as he was asked. He found Thelessia and the next time Delaney prepared to leave Terranthea, he used his divine power to redirect her to Thelessia.
The Crowley's of Terranthea had no way of knowing that. They one by one, snuck back into Nova Aurelea in the dead of night, tired and bedraggled. Six large cats run through the streets of the city, heading toward the Heck Mausoleum. One at a time, they returned home.