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<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 2815385" data-attributes="member: 5203"><p><strong>Frozen Heart</strong></p><p></p><p>“Kyle, can I talk to you for a minute?”</p><p></p><p> Kyle looked up from the sea charts he was studying. They had taken careful notes while crossing through the Great Southern Reef, led by the famous pirate Captain Starke, and hoped to use the same passage on the way home, as it had shaved nearly two weeks off their travel time.</p><p></p><p> “Sure, Raz, come on in.”</p><p></p><p> The tracker came into the cabin and shut the door. “We done interrogating that half-giant yet?”</p><p></p><p> “Arrie and Xu are in with him now. I don’t think it’ll be too much longer, why?”</p><p></p><p> “We’ll be killing him, right?”</p><p></p><p> Kyle sighed. “Yes, we will. As much as I hate the idea, there’s no way we can keep him contained. Even if we could, what would we do with him?”</p><p></p><p> Razael scratched at the side of his head. “Well, if you could just hold off on cutting his throat for a bit, I’ve made an arrangement for disposing of the body that’ll help out one of Starke’s crew.”</p><p></p><p> “I’m surprised to hear you wanting to help out Starke’s crew, considering you’ve spent the last two weeks just a hair shy of shooting them.”</p><p></p><p> “I guess I have to admit that they didn’t cross us like I expected,” Razael admitted, “and besides, this is sort of a mutual benefit arrangement between myself and Nhura.”</p><p></p><p> “Nhura? The naga? What’s she have to do with this?”</p><p></p><p> “She wants the half-giant for herself. She says someone his size will keep her from being hungry for weeks.”</p><p></p><p> Kyle turned pale. “You… offered to let Nhura eat the half-giant?”</p><p></p><p> Razael shrugged again. “Throwing him in the ocean’s a waste of good meat.”</p><p></p><p> Kyle buried his face in his hands, shaking his head slowly. “Please, please tell me that it’ll at least be a quick death.”</p><p></p><p> “That was my understanding,” Razael said, “she said that a fresh kill was best.”</p><p></p><p> “And do I want to know what she’s giving you in exchange?”</p><p></p><p> “Probably not, I’d wager.”</p><p></p><p> Kyle uncovered his face and leaned back in his chair. “I’m going to end up in the Shadow Plane for this,” he said to himself. “Why come to me? Why not just talk to Arrie?”</p><p></p><p> “Well, you are the captain,” Razael said, “and since you seem to be intent on being the moral watchdog for this group…” He left out the part about secretly enjoying watching the wizard squirm.</p><p></p><p> “The only reason I’m agreeing to this is that we were going to kill him anyway, and it will help out Starke,” Kyle said. “I’ll tell Arrie to turn him over to you when they’re done.”</p><p></p><p> As Razael turned to leave, Kyle spoke again. “You know, I’d kind of hoped you being with Lanara now would have given you a better perspective on your fellow humanoids.”</p><p></p><p> “Takes more’n a few days of sex to reverse five hundred years of experience,” Razael said. “But I didn’t know you knew about the two of us.”</p><p></p><p> “Raz, everyone knows,” Kyle said. “If I’d had an inkling that the two of you were going to be so… boisterous, I’d have iron-plated the interior walls too.”</p><p></p><p> “You’re one to talk,” Razael said.</p><p></p><p> “Out,” Kyle scowled.</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p> The half-giant, who identified himself as ‘Wave-Dancer’, held little information. This was somewhat expected; the party would have preferred interrogating one of the psions, or a soulknife, but they decided that it was too dangerous to let any of them regain consciousness. Wave-Dancer had revealed that they had been sent by none other than Xerxes to eliminate the ‘Mind-Killers’. They learned that they had been located by psions known as ‘seers’, and that the two psions that had been in command were ‘kineticists’ and they were the ones propelling the ship. As far as they could tell, Xerxes did not know why the party was so far south.</p><p></p><p> After delivering the last of the supplies to the Youth’s Vengeance (including a very large, lumpy bundle carried straight to Nhura’s quarters), the party and crew of the Armadillo bare farewell to Captain Starke, and continued their voyage south.</p><p></p><p> Two days later, there was another knock at Kyle’s cabin door. Arrie opened in and poked her head in. “Are you all finished in here?” she asked.</p><p></p><p> “Just wrapping up,” Maddie said, taking off her headband and rubbing her temples. The rest of the party sat around the room, surrounding the favored soul. Kyle was at the desk, writing.</p><p></p><p> “Great.” Arrie came in and sat down. “So, what did Erito have to say?”</p><p></p><p> “Well, if you’d been here in the first place, you’d already know,” Autumn chided.</p><p></p><p> “It’s all right, Autumn,” Kyle said, “no harm done. It’s not like she has to be sitting here for the commune to work.” Kyle handed Arrie a sheet of parchment. As she took the paper from him, they exchanged a knowing look.</p><p></p><p> Arrie scanned the contents of the parchment. Kyle had written down the questions they had posed during the commune, and the answers they received. The first nine questions she had already seen; they were asked last month, when Maddie had last used her headband of communion.</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p>1. Is the information in the book given to us by the dragon Andariel in regard to the dragon Auxariel hoarding negative energy accurate? YES</p><p></p><p>2. If Auxariel continues his current activities, will the consequences result in harm to living beings elsewhere in the world? YES</p><p></p><p>3. Does Erito want Auxariel to be destroyed? YES AND NO</p><p></p><p>4. Can Auxariel be stopped from continuing his current activities through means other than destroying him? YES</p><p></p><p>5. Are there psionicists aiding Auxariel in any way? NO</p><p></p><p>6. Is Auxariel’s lair at or very near the location shown on the map on Madrone’s back? YES</p><p></p><p>7. Will the information found at this location reveal what truly happened during the Cataclysm? YES AND NO</p><p></p><p>8. Will the information found at this location reveal the meaning of the term ‘Scion’? UNCLEAR</p><p></p><p>9. Will the information found at this location aid us in defeating psionicists or foiling their plans? UNKNOWN</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p>1. Is Auxariel using a device or object to hoard negative energy? NO</p><p></p><p>2. If this device is destroyed, will it stop Auxariel without unduly harming people, other than the members of The Legacy?</p><p></p><p>2. Is the oathbond dagger of Bail that was stolen by Marrek somehow important to their plans? UNCLEAR</p><p></p><p>3.Would Erito prefer that The Legacy deals with Auxariel without destroying him? YES</p><p></p><p>4. Is the group known as the Scion-Watchers attempting to keep Autumn’s bloodline pure? NO</p><p></p><p>5. Will the information found at the location shown on Madrone’s back reveal facts about Kyle’s ancestry? YES</p><p></p><p>6. Does Erito intend for The Legacy to remove any physical objects from this location? NO</p><p></p><p>7. Is Auxariel currently aware that The Legacy is coming? NO</p><p></p><p>8. Is there information at the location shown on Madrone’s back about psionics in general? YES</p><p></p><p>9. Have any members of Kyle’s immediate family been ‘purified’ by the Scion-Watchers? NO</p><p></p><p> Arrie handed the parchment back to Kyle. “I told you the Scion-Watchers were after your family, Kyle,” she said.</p><p></p><p> “I know, I know,” Kyle said sadly. “I was grasping at straws. When Lanara suggested that it was Autumn’s bloodline that they were trying to keep pure, not mine, well…”</p><p></p><p> Arrie put a reassuring hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “Well, at least you know they haven’t found anyone else in your family.”</p><p></p><p> “For now. But it’ll be three months before we’re back in Affon, and who knows how long after that before I find them myself.”</p><p></p><p> Arrie let Autumn take her place by Kyle’s side, then picked up the parchment again. “So, we’re supposed to try not to kill Auxariel, I see.”</p><p></p><p> “Yeah,” Razael drawled, “and I’d like to know exactly how we’re supposed to fix this problem without killing the dragon.”</p><p></p><p> “We don’t know,” said Autumn. “Maybe something will present itself when we get there. I say we do our best to solve this diplomatically, but if that fails we’ll have no choice but to try and destroy him.”</p><p></p><p> Maddie looked up at Razael. “At least you’re not still saying that this is all a conspiracy to get us to do the dirty work for the other dragons,” she said.</p><p></p><p> “I’m still not convinced it isn’t,” he replied, “but Erito seems to want the same thing, and the Goddess is one of the few people that has never steered me wrong, even if I don’t always know where she’s headed. Why else do you think I’m here watching your butt?”</p><p></p><p> “Well, at least we won’t have to drag you into this kicking and screaming,” Maddie said. “For me, although I doubt we’ll be able to end this problem without violence, I will do my Goddesses’ will. I won’t try and kill Auxariel if we can help it.”</p><p></p><p> “How long before we get there?” Osborne asked.</p><p></p><p> “We’ve got another two weeks of sailing before we reach the edge of the ice,” Kyle said. “From there I’m guessing at least two or three weeks on foot to get to the actual pole.”</p><p></p><p> “Well, super,” Lanara said, standing up. “That’s two more weeks with my cabin boy.”</p><p></p><p> “And your masseur, too,” Osborn observed, holding back a smile and glancing at Razael.</p><p></p><p> “Yeah,” Lanara winked, “him too.”</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p> The Armadillo made icefall two weeks later, just as predicted. The ship carved through the thick ice easily, until they reached the point where they could go no further. The crew dropped grapples and pikes into the hard ice, and the party made their way down the ramp once the ship was secure. All of them, save Maddie, were heavily bundled. The favored soul wore close to her normal traveling clothes.</p><p></p><p> “Forget something, Maddie?” Arrie asked.</p><p></p><p> “Erito has graced me with an immunity to deadly cold,” Maddie explained. “I’m quite comfortable, actually.”</p><p></p><p> They set off due south, using Lanara’s wand of know direction to locate true north, then going in the opposite direction. The eight adventurers trudged along steadily through the snow, pausing occasionally to marvel at the continuous presence of the sun in the middle of the night, or to gaze upon the unearthly colors of the southern aurora. Within a few days, they came upon what could only be described as an ice desert; drifting snow and ice piled up into dunes like sand, and the air was bone-dry. They made their way across the desert, shuffling across the blowing snow with snowshoes.</p><p></p><p> A day or so into the ‘desert’ crossing, Razael and Osborn motioned for everyone to hold still and be quiet. In the distance, they both heard the sound of approaching footsteps carrying in the wind.</p><p></p><p> “Mix of biped and four-legged,” Razael hissed, “coming this way, but doesn’t sound like they’re hurrying this direction, either. I don’t think we’ve been spotted.”</p><p></p><p> “Quick,” Osborn said, “everyone lay down.”</p><p></p><p> The elf and the hin quickly threw snow over the top of the rest of their companions, burying them to hide their location. Then the two of them waited for whatever was coming to appear.</p><p></p><p> They didn’t have long to wait before two figures appeared over the top of an ice-dune. One was a tall frost giant carrying an enormous scythe, the other was a winter wolf. The giant slowed as he saw the two strangers, but continued their way. Neither Osborn nor Razael could read the giant’s intent, although the tracker could tell that the wolf was hungry, but would obey the giant.</p><p></p><p> The giant stopped a safe distance away and bellowed out a greeting in a language neither of them understood. When Osborn shrugged to indicate they didn’t understand, the giant switched to Common.</p><p></p><p> “Greetings, small ones,” he said. “What brings you so far out here?”</p><p></p><p> “Exploring,” Osborn said.</p><p></p><p> “Looking for anything in particular?”</p><p></p><p> “Just having a look around,” Razael said, “heard some rumors.”</p><p></p><p> The giant studied them for a moment. “Well, let me give you two pieces of advice for fellow travelers. First, you will want to avoid my clan.” The giant pointed with his scythe to the west. “They’re about two days that way as I walk, so I imagine it’d be three or four for you. My clan is unwelcoming of strangers.”</p><p></p><p> “Got it,” Osborn said, “and the second?”</p><p></p><p> “There’s a blizzard coming in about twelve hours,” he said. “I’d suggest you find some shelter. I can tell by the way your breath steams that you’re not accustomed to this climate.”</p><p></p><p> Razael glanced up at the clear sky, then nodded. “Much obliged.”</p><p></p><p> “Farewell, travelers,” the giant said, before walking off. The winter wolf whined at the smell of a meal, but followed his master anyway. Razael and Osborn walked off in the opposite direction, circling back after a few minutes to unbury their companions.</p><p></p><p> “About time,” Lanara complained, as snow fell out of her pink hair.</p><p></p><p> The party marched for another six hours before they found a suitable site to make camp. The first wispy clouds heralding the storm had appeared overhead as Lanara conjured a tiny hut to use as the foundation for a shelter. They spent the next few hours building and stacking blocks of hard-packed snow just inside the magical hemisphere, as the wind started to pick up and the temperature dropped. Two hours into construction, they saw a huge bank of clouds roll in off the horizon, seeming to head straight for them. With the first flurries starting to fall, the party entered the igloo and settled in. The temperature inside soon dropped to barely below freezing, which was still much higher than the air outside. With the use of one of Tiranel’s sure-burning logs, the interior quickly became as cozy as they could expect under the circumstances.</p><p></p><p> A few hours into the storm, as the fatigue from their travel began to set in and the party started to discuss sleeping arrangements (with Razael encouraging both Lanara and Maddie to stay close to him for warmth), Kyle suddenly cried out. Everyone turned and saw him sitting next to one of the walls, with a clawed, ghostly hand protruding from his chest.</p><p></p><p> “That’s not right,” he said, blood draining from his face.</p><p></p><p> The next few minutes were very harrowing, seeming to stretch into eternity. Autumn was also struck by a surprise attack through the walls of the igloo, the unnaturally cold touch of the undead sapping her vitality as it had Kyle’s. The creatures darted in and out of the shelter, seemingly unfazed by the raging blizzard, swiping at those too close to the edge. It would be several months later, after the party had returned to Affon, that they would learn that these beings were known as rimewraiths. For now, they were simply an enemy. The party quickly gathered in a defensive cluster near the center of their shelter, forcing their assailants to fully enter the chamber to strike. Fortunately, they had prepared well for just such an attack; Kyle had spent some of his time during the voyage south making flasks of ghost oil. With their weapons so enhanced, the party soon ended the menace of the undead.</p><p></p><p> But long after the battle was over, long after they had removed their armor and settled in under heavy blankets, Lanara remained awake, staring up at the white ceiling, listening to the wind howling outside. Something… odd had happened to her, when the rimewraiths attacked, something she wasn’t ready to share yet. When she’d begun playing her bardic music to help her friends in battle, she’d felt something stirring in her mind… no, in her soul. She could sense it was coming from the bardic instrument she was using, her Fuirmach Fiddle. Or, to be more precise, the Fuirmach Fiddle. Lanara had come to possess three of the fabled True Instruments, the legendary pieces created long ago by the masters of the long-vanished Bardic Colleges. Though copies of those magical instruments were not uncommon, it was a rarity for even a world-famous bard to ever find more than one. Lanara had often wondered what the effects might be of carrying three of them, as rumors had it that the True Instruments held their own spirit, an animus that gave true life to the music they created. She had felt some of that spirit today, urging her to keep playing, to keep the song alive. It had been difficult to put the instrument down, even after the last rimewraith had been felled. </p><p></p><p> It took the storm two days to blow over, which in one sense was fortunate, as it allowed Autumn and Kyle a chance to rest and recover their stolen strength. When they saw light filtering down through their roof once again, they punched their way up through it, as the igloo had been completely buried. After getting their bearings, the party continued south.</p><p></p><p> Thirteen days passed in the dull monotony of walking ever forward in a field of unending white. The days began to blur in their minds, until checking their progress with Lanara’s wand almost seemed a pointless exercise. But fortunately, they overcame their ennui enough to keep up the routine. Still when the day came when the wand simply spun around in a circle without settling on a single direction, it took them all a few moments to realize what it meant.</p><p></p><p> A search of the area around the south pole soon revealed an ice cavern nearby, the opening yawning into darkness. Kyle took a moment to cast spells on the party that granted everyone darkvision as well as extra protection from cold before the party descended into the cave. They chose to travel in darkness, relying on Kyle’s spell for vision, in the hopes of not alerting any denizens of the caverns. Occasionally they would spare a miniscule amount of light to consult the copies of the maps they’d made, both of Maddie’s back and of the surrounding area that had been discovered long ago by dwarven explorers. Soon there was no doubt that the areas matched.</p><p></p><p> The caverns descended rapidly, and within an hour of travel, the party noticed that they had gone from compacted ice to bedrock. They found nothing living in the caves, though once or twice they did stumble across a small cluster of mindless skeletons or zombies that were quickly dispatched.</p><p></p><p> After another hour and a half, they reached an area just outside where Maddie’s map revealed a massive cavern. There were no exits from the chamber beyond.</p><p></p><p> “That has to be it,” Kyle whispered.</p><p></p><p> “Auxariel’s lair,” Arrie said just as quietly. “So, now what?”</p><p></p><p> The party took a few moments to cast a few preparatory spells, just in case. Once they were done, they came back to Arrie’s question.</p><p></p><p> “Well,” Kyle said, “it’s safe to assume that Auxariel knows we’re here, right?” When everyone nodded, Kyle cast another spell, and suddenly the air around him was swarming with several magical ‘eyes’. Kyle began directing them into the cavern beyond, instructing some to fly along the left wall, some along the right, others up to the ceiling looking down, and so forth. The magical eyes darted off into the cavern, and a minute later returned, relaying what they’d seen to Kyle. He frowned.</p><p></p><p> “Auxariel’s in there,” he said, “at the back of the cave. He looks like he’s asleep, though I wouldn’t believe it for a minute. Behind him, on the back wall of the cavern, there’s a big, swirling portal. Between him and us there are three small skeletal dragons.”</p><p></p><p> “How small?” Razael asked.</p><p></p><p> “About the size of Rupert. There’s also a kobold off in the corner to the right, who looks like he’s doing menial labor. It’s strange, though. I got a good look at the skeletal dragons as well as Auxariel. Judging on the age of the bones, certain similarities in appearance, and whatnot, I’d guess that all four dragons in there are from the same brood.”</p><p></p><p> “What?” said several people at once.</p><p></p><p> “It looks like they’re siblings,” Kyle repeated.</p><p></p><p> “So, you reckon Auxariel turned his brothers and sisters into undead?” Razael asked.</p><p></p><p> “I doubt it. Those skeletons are of very young dragons, almost hatchlings. Auxariel would have been the same age when it happened, and somehow I don’t think he came out of the egg that powerful. More likely it was done by something else.”</p><p></p><p> “Maybe that’s why Auxariel’s doing this,” Autumn said, “trying to restore true life to his family.”</p><p></p><p> “It could be an angle we could use,” Kyle said, “find out what happened.”</p><p></p><p> “What about the swirly thing?” Osborn asked.</p><p></p><p> “Not sure, really. It could be something that Auxariel’s created with the negative energy he stole.”</p><p></p><p> “So, do we want to go in polite?” Razael asked.</p><p></p><p> “Well, we are going to try not to kill him,” Maddie reminded them.</p><p></p><p> “We have our ambassadors,” Kyle said, gesturing to Lanara and Autumn.</p><p></p><p> “We should announce ourselves,” Autumn said, “so as not to start off on the wrong foot if we’re trying diplomacy first.”</p><p></p><p> The party walked forward, with Autumn and Lanara in the lead, with Osborn walking invisibly between them. Arrie, Xu, and Kyle came in behind, and Razael and Maddie brought up the rear. They spread out as far as they could, wary of the dragon’s breath, though even the cavern’s wide opening did not afford as much space as they would have liked.</p><p></p><p> As soon as they came within sight of the great white dragon, a loud voice rang out..</p><p></p><p> “Foolish mortals! Why have you wandered into the lair of Auxuariel?”</p><p></p><p> The dragon spoke in its native language, which fortunately both Autumn and Lanara could understand. Kyle translated quietly for those in the group who couldn’t speak Draconic.</p><p></p><p> “Great Auxariel!” Autumn began, also speaking in Draconic, “we wish to speak with you on Erito’s behalf.”</p><p></p><p> There was a low growl. “I do not care to hear it. Be gone or be dead.”</p><p></p><p> “Erito would like to avoid your death,” Lanara continued, “even where others would actively seek it.”</p><p></p><p> “You are trying my patience,” Auxariel said, hissing.</p><p></p><p> “Surely a being as long lived as you would have immeasurable patience,” Lanara said, “surely you could hear us out, at least?”</p><p></p><p> “ENOUGH!!”</p><p></p><p> The dragon Auxariel began to rise.</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p> Razael handed a waterskin to Maddie, who sat with her back on a cold rock. She took it and took a large swallow, realizing suddenly that this particular waterskin didn’t hold water. She smiled as the warmth spread from her belly into her limbs.</p><p></p><p> “Feeling better, lass?” Razael said.</p><p></p><p> “Much better, thank you,” she replied. “Though my life-force is still diminished.”</p><p></p><p> “It’ll pass,” Kyle said, who was leaning on the wall nearby. “Osborn’s already feeling more like himself.”</p><p></p><p> “That’s ‘Osborn Wyrmslayer’ to you,” the hin said proudly.</p><p></p><p> “Oh, I forgot, you killed the dragon,” Lanara said, walking up to Maddie and taking the waterskin from her. “Of course, all the arrows and fireballs and spiked chain hits before that had nothing to do with it.”</p><p></p><p> “Lanara,” chided Osborn, “you of all people should know it’s all in how you tell the story.”</p><p></p><p> “Speaking of stories,” the cansin said, “I’m curious, Kyle. How exactly did you figure out that the kobold was the real Auxariel?”</p><p></p><p> “I didn’t, really,” Kyle admitted. “I just guessed lucky. When that big dragon in the back stood up and all its skin fell off, something didn’t sit right with me. Andariel and Tiranel had said that Auxariel wasn’t undead himself, so when that skin came away and there was nothing but a huge skeleton, I started to wonder. When it charged and attacked by biting and clawing, I got more suspicious. Why not blast us with his breath? Or use a spell? Then I realized that the kobold was just plain out of place. Why would Auxariel have a kobold all the way down here? It’d freeze to death. So, I took a chance, and sent the kobold a message telling him that we could still stop the fighting and hear what he had to say.”</p><p></p><p> “Yeah, unfortunately what he had to say was ‘I’m going to change back into a dragon now and breathe negative energy on you.’” Arrie observed. She chuckled a little, then stopped abruptly, grasping her ribs and wincing. “Or that damned force blast of his.”</p><p></p><p> “Yeah, and our side’s blasting seemed to start up a little late,” Autumn chided.</p><p></p><p> “I wanted to wall off that portal first,” Kyle said. “I didn’t want anything coming in or out of it.”</p><p></p><p> “You know I’m kidding,” Autumn said. “I’m just upset that I wasted so much time attacking the fake Auxariel.”</p><p></p><p> “Just because it was a false dragon, do not discount the threat posed by the large skeleton,” Xu said. “I fell victim to those teeth and claws, if you recall. I might have died had Autumn not healed me.”</p><p></p><p> “Yeah, I know how you feel,” Maddie said. “I thought I was a goner when Auxariel bit me. Next thing I knew, there was Lanara standing over me.” Maddie scowled a little. “And stepping on my clothes to keep me from getting up.”</p><p></p><p> “Someone had to keep you from just running right back into the fight,” Lanara said. “Sometimes I think Raz is right when he says you have a secret death wish. If I hadn’t held you down, Raz probably would have been forced to come get you, instead of shooting the dragon.” Secretly, Lanara was glad she’d even been able to come to Maddie’s aid; she’d felt the instruments trying to prevent her from stopping her bardic music again.</p><p></p><p> “And I’m a fair sight better with a bow than I am with a blade,” Razael said, “so the longer I can keep shooting, the better.”</p><p></p><p> “I’ll have to admit,” Arrie said, as she finished tying off the last bandage on her sister’s arm, “I was impressed by how many of your shots got through his hide. It almost makes up for your personality.” She grinned at him, and he tipped his cap in return.</p><p></p><p>Razael spat onto the hard stone ground. “I tell you what, though, that Auxariel turned out not to be as large as I’d expected.”</p><p></p><p> “Yeah, I thought dragons got bigger as they got older,” Osborn said. “Auxariel was about half the size of his fake.”</p><p></p><p> Kyle shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe the myth about a dragon’s size showing how powerful he is was just that – a myth. Not like we can ask him.”</p><p></p><p> “Yes, it’s too bad we couldn’t talk to him openly, and spare him for Erito’s sake,” Maddie said sadly. “But, he didn’t give us much of a choice.”</p><p></p><p> “No, he didn’t,” Osborn said. “I almost get the idea that dragons aren’t as smart as everyone thinks.”</p><p></p><p> “I’m just glad we all made it through that fight alive,” Autumn said. “But now what?”</p><p></p><p> “Well, we came here to find this knowledge Erito wants us to have,” Lanara said, “but I don’t really see any books around here.”</p><p></p><p> “The place we’re going may be through that portal,” Kyle said, pointing with his staff toward the swirling disc on the far wall that gently illuminated the cavern.</p><p></p><p> “Don’t forget we got us a dragon to carve up,” Razael said. “The cold should keep the good parts from spoiling before we get back to the ship.”</p><p></p><p> Kyle shook his head. “I’m torn between my general dislike of desecrating corpses, and knowing that there’s a lot of value in dragon bits.”</p><p></p><p> “And aren’t dragons supposed to have big treasure hoards?” Lanara asked.</p><p></p><p> “Not necessarily,” Arrie warned, “that could just be a human myth. I can’t see how Auxariel would be able to find anything to hoard all the way down here, anyway.”</p><p></p><p> “Well, in that case,” Razael said, “best we get to the skinning and gutting now. Care to lend a hand, Maddie?”</p><p></p><p> “Of course,” she replied, and the two elves walked over to where the body of Auxariel lay, drawing their daggers.</p><p></p><p> “It’s almost too adorable,” Lanara said, watching the two of them walk away, “it’s like a father-daughter picnic held by the church of Fiel.”</p><p></p><p> The group had a hearty laugh at the image, then busied themselves with packing away their gear and cleaning up the last of their wounds. A minute later, however, Maddie’s voice called out.</p><p></p><p> “Hey, everyone! Can you please come over here? Now?”</p><p></p><p> They all dropped what they were doing and walked over, curious at what was so important. Maddie and Razael stood over the still form of the dragon. Both of their daggers were still unbloodied.</p><p></p><p> “Auxariel,” Maddie said quietly, “is still alive.”</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p> The party stood around the still form of Auxariel, which they could now all see was slowly rising and falling as it breathed. Almost in unison, everyone turned to look at Kyle.</p><p></p><p> “What are you looking at me for?” he cried out.</p><p></p><p> “Because you have the big brain!” Osborn said.</p><p></p><p> “And that moral compunction not to just kill the thing,” Lanara added.</p><p></p><p> “I think it has more to do with Erito’s moral compunctions,” Arrie said.</p><p></p><p> “That’s true,” Razael observed. “Erito did tell us that she’d rather we not kill this dragon if’n we can avoid it. Personally, I say we start pulling scales off until we figure out how many it needs to live, and stop just before that.”</p><p></p><p> Maddie was closely examining Auxariel. “I think he’ll be out for at least a day,” she said.</p><p></p><p> “Look, I know what Erito wants,” Kyle said, “and like I said before, I was willing to give it a shot just because she’s helping us out by showing us where this place is. But I’m not sure of our ability to contain a cranky dragon long enough to teach it some manners.”</p><p></p><p> “Maybe we should try and figure out what it was doing first,” Arrie suggested. “That might help us know what to do. Let’s try looking around for a while.”</p><p></p><p> The party spread out through the cavern, searching thoroughly. Unfortunately, they found little of interest other than the portal – no records, no indications of what Auxariel might have been doing with the negative energy he was hoarding. During the search, Kyle noticed Osborn crouched down, staring intently at the floor.</p><p></p><p> “What’s up?” Kyle asked.</p><p></p><p> “Something’s odd under the floor here,” he said. “Can I get some light?”</p><p></p><p> “Sure.” Kyle fished out one of his light-globes. They’d been working mostly in the dark, thanks to Kyle’s mass darkvision spell. When he activated the light, he easily saw what Osborn had seen.</p><p></p><p> Just under the hard, icy surface of the floor, coins and gems sparkled in the bright light. They had found Auxariel’s hoard. The others soon noticed it as well.</p><p></p><p> “So, how to we get it out?” Maddie asked.</p><p></p><p> “Fireball!” Lanara shouted, starting to pull out her wand. Kyle put a hand on her arm to stop her.</p><p></p><p> “A fireball’s too fast to melt the ice,” he said. “Something longer-lasting would work better. Like flaming sphere.”</p><p></p><p> “We also have ice picks,” Autumn pointed out.</p><p></p><p> “Either way, it’s a job that should wait until after we deal with Auxariel,” Maddie said. “Digging all that out could take days.”</p><p></p><p> “We also have that to reckon with,” Razael said, pointing at the blowing blue portal on the far wall. “So, you think that’s a portal to this place Erito’s sending us?”</p><p></p><p> “That’s my guess,” Kyle said, “but I haven’t really taken a good look at it yet.”</p><p></p><p> “Is there any way to test the portal without risking sending someone through?” Lanara asked.</p><p></p><p> “Not really. We’ll just have to tie a rope to someone and pull them back in.”</p><p> “I’ll go,” Arrie volunteered.</p><p></p><p> “No,” said Osborn, “because if something happens to you, we’ll have elves made at us.”</p><p></p><p> “I’ll go,” Arrie repeated. The rest of the party muttered their reservations.</p><p></p><p> “Come on!” she said. “I’ve been really moderate so far. Amazingly moderate for me.”</p><p></p><p> “She has,” Autumn admitted.</p><p></p><p> “And it’s good to see that kind of control in a future peer of the realm,” Razael drawled.</p><p></p><p> “But then, maybe she should get all those wild impulses out now,” Kyle said, “so that when she does have to go back she’ll be controlled.”</p><p></p><p> “No,” said Razael, “I want her controlled now, so that later she’ll make Herion’s life miserable.”</p><p></p><p> “Since when has she not done that anyway?” Autumn asked.</p><p></p><p> “Let’s finish looking around first,” Kyle suggested.</p><p></p><p> They went about searching the cavern again, with Arrie waiting relatively patiently by the portal and Autumn waiting close by her. Osborn’s attention remained on a large diamond he spotted under the ice, and he had to be dissuaded a couple of times from trying to chip it out with one of his daggers. After a while, they gave up on the search and gathered around the blue circle of energy.</p><p></p><p> “I have an idea,” Lanara said, “why not tie a string to one of Raz’s arrows, shoot it in, and see if we can pull it out?”</p><p></p><p> “Because if there’s a guardian on the other side, I’d hit it, and make it mad,” Razael said.</p><p></p><p> “Or what if there’s a kindly old man sitting there, waiting to answer all our questions?” Kyle added.</p><p></p><p> “Okay,” Lanara said, “how about we throw a rock in?”</p><p></p><p> While they talked, Arrie was slowly reaching toward the portal. Autumn glared at her, but then realized that they would probably be arguing about how to deal with the portal for some time, and there was no way her sister would wait that long. With a sigh, Autumn decided to get it over with.</p><p></p><p> She walked into the portal herself. Just as Arrie let out a cry of surprise and moved to follow her, Autumn walked through the energy curtain and smacked into the wall behind it.</p><p></p><p> Kyle was by her side immediately. “Are you all right?”</p><p></p><p> “Fine,” she said.</p><p></p><p> “Well, that’s going to make for a less than inspiring song,” Lanara said.</p><p></p><p> “So much for that!” Osborn said, “let’s dig the stuff out of the floor!”</p><p></p><p> “There’s got to be a way to activate it,” Kyle said. “Some sort of key or something.”</p><p></p><p> Arrie looked over at Maddie. “Why don’t you try touching it?” she suggested.</p><p></p><p> The favored soul slowly approached the portal, and touched it. From where her fingers met the energy, a wave of color spread throughout the portal, turning it purple in color.</p><p></p><p> “Look!” Arrie said gleefully, “I found the key!”</p><p></p><p> “Shall we go in?” Maddie said. “We could be letting cold air in.”</p><p></p><p> “Why don’t you try going in and coming right back out?” Osborn suggested.</p><p></p><p> Autumn stepped forward through the gate. Arrie was immediately behind her, and Xu followed as well.</p><p></p><p> They emerged into another cavern, which was pitch dark, though their darkvision allowed them to see that there was a tunnel leading off ahead of them.</p><p></p><p> “Should we go further?” Autumn asked.</p><p></p><p> “Let’s wait here a minute,” Arrie said.</p><p></p><p> A few moments later, they saw a light approaching from far off in the tunnel. As it drew closer, they realized that the light was actually a rainbow-hued sphere, about four feet wide, floating in mid-air. When it was only a few feet away, it stopped, and coalesced into the form of a radiant figure. The figure resembled a tall, thin elf, with dark blue hair and violet eyes, and wore dark robes. He radiated an iridescent aura of both power and calmness. Autumn recognized the figure as a tulani eladrin, one of Erito’s most powerful servants.</p><p></p><p> “Good evening,” Autumn said, bowing. The other two followed her lead.</p><p></p><p> “Welcome,” the tulani said, nodding his head slightly toward them. “You have been expected. Where are the others?”</p><p></p><p> “We were uncertain what lay beyond the portal,” Autumn explained. “The others are waiting on the other side for us to return and report.”</p><p></p><p> “I see. Would you please have them join you now? It would be most appreciated.”</p><p></p><p> Arrie immediately turned and went back through the portal, stepping out in front of the others. They all blinked in surprise.</p><p></p><p> “That was quick,” Kyle commented.</p><p></p><p> “There’s a dark-haired, elf-like being with a rainbow aura on the other side,” Arrie explained, “all kinds of power flowing off him. He’d like us to come in.”</p><p></p><p> The others looked at each other, shrugged, and stepped through.</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p> “If you will follow me,” the tulani said, after the whole party was together (apparently again seeming to come through the portal at the exact moment that Arrie had gone out), “The Librarian wishes to see you. He has things to discuss with you first.”</p><p></p><p> The group traveled down the rough cavern passage, which slowly gave way to worked stone. Autumn made conversation with the tulani in Celestial as they walked (though she knew that Celestial was the language of the archons, not the eladrin; no one knew what language Erito’s servants spoke or even if they had their own tongue).</p><p></p><p> They soon came to a large, brightly-lit hallway, flanked on either side by statues of elves. Each statue had a name carved on the base, but they all noted right away that none of the names seemed very elvish in nature. They also noticed that some of the statues were blank, with no name and indistinct features, as if they were still waiting to be sculpted.</p><p></p><p> “Any idea who they are?” Osborn asked Lanara.</p><p></p><p> “No clue,” the bard admitted.</p><p></p><p> “Something’s not right about these elves,” Razael said. “They’re too stocky, and the ears are too long. They look more like fey ears.”</p><p></p><p> “I beg your pardon,” Arrie said to the tulani, “but these statues are obviously of important personages, but their significance is lost on us.”</p><p></p><p> The tulani paused before answering, and his words almost seemed strained. “They are both exemplars and warnings,” he said, “but it is not my place to reveal more. The Librarian will be here shortly and can answer your questions. I must take my leave of you now.”</p><p></p><p> “Thank you,” Arrie said.</p><p></p><p> Nodding to the party, the tulani changed back into a ball of energy and quickly flew off down a side passage. After a few minutes, they saw a figure emerge from between two of the statues further down the hall and start toward them. The figure was an albino, and had the same stocky build and extended points on his ears that the statues possessed. As he drew closer, they also saw that instead of eyes, the man’s sockets were filled with a lightless void. The figure stopped in front of the party, regarding each of them, not seeming to have any trouble seeing them. His gaze was hypnotic, and they felt compelled to listen to whatever he had to say. There was a palpable aura of power surrounding him, yet there was no otherworldly feel to him, as they had perceived with the tulani or with other potent outsiders they had encountered.</p><p></p><p> “Hello,” Autumn said.</p><p></p><p> “Greetings,” the figure said. “I am the Librarian. This is Erito’s Library of Ages. You have come here seeking information, and information we have in abundance. But it is information that cannot leave this place. Before I can allow you access to the Library, I must have all of you… all of you… submit to a geas that what you learn here will not be communicated to any other being, in life or in death, ever. If you cannot accept this, then you may not go further.”</p><p></p><p> “So, this would prevent the knowledge from being taken from our spirits in death?” Arrie asked.</p><p></p><p> “Yes. It is more than a compulsion of the mind. The magic will also suffuse your very soul.”</p><p></p><p> “We’ll still be able to talk about it amongst ourselves, won’t we?” Osborn asked.</p><p></p><p> “Yes. The geas will not apply to those who share the knowledge you gain here.”</p><p></p><p> “How will we know who else has the information?” Autumn inquired.</p><p></p><p> “Simple. You will be able to speak of it with them.”</p><p></p><p> Most of the party, after a moment’s consideration, nodded their willingness to accept the Librarian’s terms. Lanara, however, seemed torn. Xu sensed her conflict.</p><p></p><p> “For one whose purpose is the sharing of information, such a vow must represent a great conflict of interest,” the monk commented.</p><p></p><p> “Yes, it does,” Lanara admitted.</p><p></p><p> “But if’n you don’t take the vow, you won’t learn anything to share anyhow,” Razael pointed out. “And if’n you know it, you can act on it, and ain’t nothing says you can’t tell everyone about what you did.”</p><p></p><p> “What you stand to learn here is earth-shattering in scope. I mean this in a very literal sense.” the Librarian told her.</p><p></p><p> The bard sighed. “I suppose you’re right. No fun being on the outside looking in.”</p><p></p><p> When everyone agreed to the vow, the Librarian began to recite words in a language that none of them understood, even when Lanara cast a tongues spell. The words seemed laced with power… no, they seemed to be power. Each of them felt the words seep into their minds and spirits.</p><p></p><p> “Follow me, please,” the Librarian said, switching back to Common. “Do not stray from my lead, or you will not find your way out again.”</p><p></p><p> The party followed the Librarian down the great hall. As they walked, Autumn stepped forward to address their guide.</p><p></p><p> “Excuse me,” she said, “but might I ask what race you are?”</p><p></p><p> “Of course,” he replied. “”No question is forbidden here. I am of the leShay.”</p><p></p><p> The others looked at each other blankly. “Where do you hail from?” Autumn asked.</p><p></p><p> “The leShay are the results of an unfortunate twist of cosmic fate,” the Librarian replied. “There are few of my kind, though it is possible to create more. In some respects, we are much like yourself and your cansin friend. The leShay are what happens when the servants of Erito interbreed with humans.”</p><p></p><p> “You mean the eladrin?”</p><p></p><p> “Yes. Those who choose to favor their human parentage become the leShay. But for reasons no one fully understands, a leShay inherits a much greater portion of their eladrin parent’s power than most outsider-touched, such as yourself. But our human natures separate us from the natural limits that the gods place on their servants.”</p><p></p><p> “What do you mean by limits?” Kyle asked.</p><p></p><p> “All outsiders are restricted in their functions by their natures,” the Librarian explained. “An archon must be Lawful, a devil must be Evil, and so forth. They exist in a balance. An eladrin is dedicated to the idea of neutrality, of maintaining that balance. But like the other Touched races, a leShay only has an inclination to follow their outsider’s nature, rather than a mandate. You, Autumn, as an aasimar have a proclivity towards goodness, but nothing would stop you from becoming evil if you chose that path. This is the danger that the leShay present. If they choose to stray from absolute neutrality, then the balance of power between the philosophies is shifted. A single leShay is powerful enough that their destruction would require many decades to accomplish and cost hundreds, if not thousands of lives.”</p><p></p><p> “So, that’s why the leShay aren’t seen in the world,” Autumn concluded.</p><p></p><p> “Correct. A nascent leShay is hunted down by the eladrin, and either killed or removed from the Prime before they realize their potential. Outside of the Prime, the ethical and moral choices an individual leShay might make have less impact on the overall balance. This is how I came to be here.”</p><p></p><p> “So, you said that more leShay could be made,” Kyle said. “Why would the eladrin take that risk?”</p><p></p><p> “In the beginning, many leShay were created, simply because no one knew that the results of unions between eladrin and humans would be so dire. Since then, most of Erito’s servants practice abstinence. But an eladrin is no less susceptible to temptation than a demon, or an angel, or an archon. Some succumb to their lusts, or to more noble emotions. Others are bound by mortal arcanists and forced to breed. Thus new leShay do come into being, perhaps one in a century at most.”</p><p></p><p> About halfway down the great hall, the Librarian turned left and walked through another violet portal. On the other side, the party walked into the bottom of what looked like a huge amphitheater, but instead of rows of seats a single pathway spiraled upward as far as they could see. All along the path, large black globes were set on pedestals. Inside each of the globes they could make out a humanoid form, wrapped as if they had been mummified.</p><p></p><p> “Who’s in the globes?” Kyle asked, after they had looked around in awe for a while.</p><p></p><p> “These are the Serenities of Erito,” the Librarian said. “Every one of them, since the beginning. Here, at the bottom, is the first Serenity.’</p><p></p><p> Everyone looked around the room again with renewed awe. The thought of being in the presence of every high priest of Erito that had ever existed was staggering, and somewhat intimidating.</p><p></p><p> “If you wish to communicate with them,” the Librarian continued, “simply place your hand on a globe and they will awaken. Each newly-arrived Serenity shares what they know with the others, but it is best to speak with the Serenity who has the knowledge first-hand if you have specific questions. Also bear in mind that the last Serenity arrived nearly two and a half centuries ago, so their knowledge of current events is nonexistent.”</p><p></p><p> “Are they being punished?” Razael asked.</p><p></p><p> “No, this is their reward. Here they will stay, asleep and unaware, until their knowledge is needed, until the end of time.” The Librarian looked straight at Razael with twin pools of darkness. “This is part of the knowledge that cannot be shared outside this Library.”</p><p></p><p> “I can thing of things I’d rather be doing with my afterlife,” Razael said, shivering.</p><p></p><p> Lanara, meanwhile, had wandered over to the first globe. The figure inside was very old, and looked like it had decayed significantly. Still, she could tell he was a human. At first it struck her as odd that the first Serenity wouldn’t be an elf, but then she thought about it and realized it made sense; elves didn’t even exist until after the Cataclysm.</p><p></p><p> Gently, she put a hand on the globe, and thought, who are you?</p><p></p><p> They all heard the response in their minds, in what they each perceived as their native tongue. I am Errial, first Serenity of Erito, and the third human to walk on Aelfenn.</p><p></p><p> “The third human?” Arrie asked.</p><p></p><p> Erito created first a female in her own image, and then a male in the image of her own Consort. Then, from their union, I was created to be Her first priest.</p><p></p><p> Everyone was startled by the reply. None of them had ever heard anything about Erito ever having a consort. “Can you tell us about this Consort?” Arrie asked.</p><p></p><p> It was he who helped shape this world. It was he who impregnated Erito, and she gave birth to The Four, and then The Many.</p><p></p><p> Now they were in shock. Not only had this Consort apparently existed, but he seemed to be Erito’s peer, and had an equal hand in the creation of the universe.</p><p></p><p> “What happened to him?” Lanara asked.</p><p></p><p> It is my understanding that he was destroyed by his creations, the psions.</p><p></p><p> It was several minutes before anyone else spoke.</p><p></p><p>“Okay,” said Lanara, “I’m officially at a loss for words here.”</p><p></p><p>“Why did Erito allow the psions to kill her Consort?” Autumn asked.</p><p></p><p>That is something you would have to ask Erito herself. I could not presume to know Her mind or Her will. But even Erito is not omniscient, not omnipotent.</p><p></p><p>“We already know that the gods apparently had trouble defending against psionics,” Kyle said, “Maybe she couldn’t stop them.”</p><p></p><p>“Tell us more about the Consort,” Lanara said. “What was his name?”</p><p></p><p>I cannot. The knowledge does not exist. He does not exist, and has never existed.</p><p></p><p>“But… you just said…”</p><p></p><p>It is difficult for me to explain. There is another Serenity who can help you understand, who was there when the Consort was destroyed. Seek him out.</p><p></p><p>The figure inside the sphere closed his eyes, and seemed to fall still.</p><p></p><p>“Great,” Lanara said, “how do we know who to ask?”</p><p></p><p>“We should be able to figure it out,” Kyle said. “Remember how Aran told us that the Cataclysm was really caused by the psions killing a god?”</p><p></p><p>“Yeah, but he said it was one of the Many,” Osborn said, “not Erito’s boyfriend.”</p><p></p><p>“Okay, so there are inconsistencies. Anyway, it’s safe to assume that the Cataclysm was really the result of the Consort’s destruction. We also know that the elves and other non-human races didn’t get created until after the Cataclysm.” Kyle pointed up the spiraling path. “So, we go up until we see a Serenity that’s an elf, and we know that’s post-Cataclysm. Then all we have to do is backtrack a bit to talk to the Serenities that were around during the Cataclysm.”</p><p></p><p>“Okay, I’ll go find it,” Razael said, proceeding up the spiral. “If any of y’all want to talk to these others along the way, go ahead.”</p><p></p><p>Autumn looked at the Librarian. “How much time do we have here?”</p><p></p><p>“There is nothing but time here. While in the Library, you will not have need of rest, or sustenance. You will emerge from the Library at the same moment you left it. To anyone who would have been waiting outside the portal for you, it would be as if no time had passed, even if you spent months or years in here.”</p><p></p><p>The party slowly spread out among the globes, speaking to people who had been dead for millennia. The vast majority were human, though there were a scattering of various element-touched and planet-touched races, though obviously no elf-touched or orc-touched. Most of the bodies were in far better condition than Errial; when asked, the Librarian explained that the state of the body in the globe matched its state when it was committed to its final rest on Aelfenn; Errial’s body had been lost for some time before it was found and consecrated.</p><p></p><p> Their questions were wide-ranging, from general queries about ancient history, to advice on spiritual matters, to knowledge about psionics. The psions had apparently practiced openly in the days before the Cataclysm, so many of the Serenities were quite familiar with their abilities. Eventually, they caught up with Razael, who was leaning against the wall next to a globe containing the mummified body of a female elf.</p><p></p><p>“This here’s Kertalla,” he said, “the first elven Serenity of Erito. The first elf, actually.”</p><p></p><p>“Ooh!” Lanara said, immediately putting her hand on the globe to talk to her.</p><p></p><p>“Okay,” Kyle said, “so let’s go back about five globes.”</p><p></p><p>As they walked back, they noticed that the Serenities in the globes appeared to have old wounds, as if they had died by violence. One even had her head separated from her body, floating nearby.</p><p></p><p> It took a bit of trial and error to find the right globe; many of the Serenities just before Kertalla reigned during the violent aftermath of the Cataclysm, and thus their service was very brief. One Serenity had held the office for only a few weeks before being killed. The party ended up going back about fifteen globes before finding the person they thought they needed.</p><p></p><p> The Serenity inside the globe was a human male, with black hair. He wore the traditional white robes of Erito, trimmed with dark blue. From speaking with other Serenities, they knew that this signified a priest that had arcane training as well as divine.</p><p></p><p> Kyle put his hand on the globe. “Hello. May I ask your name?”</p><p></p><p> The figure opened his eyes, and regarded Kyle with blue-gray pupils that matched his own. I am Justin Godscion, he said. Welcome to the Library, my descendant.</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p> Kyle’s hand jerked back as though the globe had grown hot. Autumn quickly reached over, grabbed his hand, and slapped it back up on the smooth surface.</p><p></p><p> “Now is not the time,” she said quietly to him. “You need to know this.”</p><p></p><p> Kyle swallowed, and nodded. “Sorry,” he said to Justin. “So, you were the Serenity just prior to the Cataclysm?”</p><p></p><p> I was witness to the events that led to it, yes, Justin said. He glanced over at the staff in Kyle’s hand. I see my staff has found its way to you. It assisted me in hunting down and slaying psions. I see you have unlocked some of its powers – with knowledge you will unlock more.</p><p></p><p> Autumn could feel that Kyle’s hand underneath hers was trembling.</p><p></p><p> “Okay, then,” Kyle said, “tell us about…well, tell us about the events leading up to the Cataclysm.”</p><p></p><p> A band of very powerful psions, led by a being who had learned to survive using only the energy of his mind, were becoming tyrants. They were speaking out against the gods, saying that they were not needed, that all that was needed was the self. They were garnering followers, and they claimed they would prove their claims. No one knew how they would do this, until it was too late. They banded together to slay their creator.</p><p></p><p> “Erito’s Consort,” Kyle said.</p><p></p><p> “What was the consort’s name?” Razael asked.</p><p></p><p> We cannot speak it.</p><p></p><p> “Why?” asked Autumn.</p><p></p><p> He was not just killed; he was eradicated, made as though he never existed.</p><p></p><p> “So you can’t speak the name because it never existed,” Razael said.</p><p></p><p> Exactly.</p><p></p><p> “But if he never existed, but you know there was a Consort…” Lanara shook her head. “This makes my brain hurt.”</p><p></p><p> “No, I can see how it works,” Kyle said. “Sometimes the absence of a thing can be as big an indication as its presence. It’s kind of like using an invisibility spell underwater; you’re technically invisible, but there’s a person-shaped space in the water – you know someone’s there, you just can’t tell who. In this case, there’s a hole in reality where the Consort was. You don’t know what’s supposed to fill that hole, but its there.”</p><p></p><p> Justin nodded in approval. It is difficult to fill a deity-sized ‘hole’.</p><p></p><p> “There is a group out there,” said Autumn, “Known as the Scion-Watchers. Does this mean anything to you?”</p><p></p><p> Justin’s body seemed to sag a little, as if recalling something very sad. When I failed to prevent Erito’s Consort from being slain, my descendants – my scions – were cursed. For seven times seventy generations, magic would not touch them. You are the first Godscion to be free of that curse. The Scion-Watchers were a sect of Erito’s church, charged with monitoring my descendants to ensure the curse was maintained. I have learned from other Serenities that have come here after me that the Scion-Watchers are no longer officially recognized by the church, and have become a splinter cult.</p><p></p><p> “If that’s the case, why are they still hunting Kyle?” Autumn asked.</p><p></p><p> I would assume that they have lost track of time, and believe that he should still be without magic. They have lost much knowledge since their founding.</p><p></p><p> “How to we rectify the situation?” Lanara asked.</p><p></p><p> “Eradicate them,” Razael replied immediately.</p><p></p><p> There are many possibilities. Which one you choose is your lot to decide.</p><p></p><p> “Maybe I can find this ‘Arcanamach’ person,” Kyle said, “and get them to see where they messed up.”</p><p></p><p> The Arcanamach was the title of the sect’s leader, Justin explained.</p><p></p><p> “Why would they have tried to kidnap both Kyle and I?” Autumn asked.</p><p></p><p> Most likely they were going to attempt to cleanse him of magic, and were only acting against you to prevent your interference.</p><p></p><p> “Cleansing?” Lanara asked, “One of them mentioned cleansing. Do you mean cleansing like with his adopted cousin?”</p><p></p><p> “He was killed, quite brutally,” Kyle explained to Justin. “They may not have known he wasn’t a blood relative.”</p><p></p><p> The cleansing ritual is not meant to be lethal, Justin said, though it is unpleasant. However, as I said the Scion-Watchers have lost much knowledge, and the cleansing ritual may have become perverted.</p><p></p><p> “So, they’d be out to ‘cleanse’ anyone in my family… our family,” Kyle said.</p><p></p><p> Possibly. It depends on how much information they have.</p><p></p><p> “And we can’t even tell ‘em they’re wrong,” Razael said. “Thanks to that vow we took.”</p><p></p><p> “It’s not like most fanatical cults listen when their victims try to tell them they’ve made a mistake, anyway,” Arrie observed.</p><p></p><p> “So, where will Kyle find the knowledge to work this staff to its fullest potential?” Lanara asked.</p><p></p><p> The knowledge lies within himself. By arriving here, some of what he needs to know will become available to him.</p><p></p><p> Kyle sighed. “Given your position, you’re probably very familiar with the workings of psionics.”</p><p></p><p> Yes. It was much more common in my time, and practiced openly.</p><p></p><p> “Is Kyle going to end up psionic?” Lanara asked.</p><p></p><p> No. Our family’s talents lie in the arcane, not in psionics.</p><p></p><p> “This being that could exist on pure thought,” Kyle continued, “the one who led the attack on the Consort. Who was he?”</p><p></p><p> His name was Silko.</p><p></p><p> For about the hundredth time since they had arrived, eight jaws dropped to the floor.</p><p></p><p> “The Hero?” Razael asked, incredulously.</p><p></p><p> “The Paragon that remained on Aelfenn when the others ascended?” Lanara added.</p><p></p><p> Yes. To many at the time he was a hero. He had many followers.</p><p></p><p> “Were the other Paragons also psions?” Kyle asked.</p><p></p><p> No.</p><p></p><p> “Were they even real people?”</p><p></p><p> I do not know for certain. The myths of the Paragons were created after the Cataclysm. Whether they were based on real people or not, I know no better than you.</p><p></p><p> “But Silko was real.”</p><p></p><p> Yes.</p><p></p><p> “Is he still around?” Razael asked.</p><p></p><p> Justin seemed to sigh. I don’t know. What I saw before I died was that Silko’s body was destroyed. However, one of the powers he had developed was the ability to shed his physical form and exist purely as mind.</p><p></p><p> “Kind of like a spirit.” Autumn said.</p><p></p><p> Similar, but not exactly. He did not shift to a transitive plane like the Ethereal or the Shadow. Perhaps it was another coterminous plane we are not aware of. Or perhaps on this plane but unable to interact with it. He had trained others in this power, but he alone possessed the skill to be able to manifest it in less time than the blink of an eye. When the Consort was destroyed, an eye-blink was all anyone present had. Regardless, when he did shed his form, his ability to affect this world was greatly diminished. Thus it would not surprise me if he were still in existence, but unable to affect the world around him.</p><p></p><p> “So, he’d have to find some other means of working in this world,” Lanara said.</p><p></p><p> He would still be able to communicate, Justin said.</p><p></p><p> “And train others,” Kyle said.</p><p></p><p> “If he had someone collecting energy for him,” Lanara asked, “would that bring him back?”</p><p></p><p> My knowledge of psionics is academic, and therefore flawed. So I don’t know all the nuances of their abilities. However, in order to interact with the world, Silko would need to re-corporate into a physical body. It’s possible that the energy released upon the Consort’s destruction had the same effect on Silko’s body that it did on the Consort’s entire being. Thus he may be unable to restore his physical form.</p><p></p><p> “Would any of the other psions that were with Silko when he destroyed the Consort still be alive?” Autumn asked.</p><p></p><p> No. They were obliterated with the Consort. As I said before, only Silko was skilled enough to shed his body fast enough to avoid that fate.</p><p></p><p> “Is there anyone in the world today who would possess the knowledge of what Silko might be doing?” Lanara asked.</p><p></p><p> If the knowledge exists, it would be among the psions themselves.</p><p></p><p> “Do you have knowledge of the psion named Aran?”</p><p></p><p> Oh, yes. He and I were good friends, actually. He did not agree with Silko with the direction that Silko was taking. He believed that the gods were necessary, but not for everyone. Silko felt that the god’s usefulness had ended at the creation of the universe. Because of who he was, he could not join with either side in the brewing conflict. Aran served as a messenger between the two sides, and I came to know him very well.</p><p></p><p> “Well,” said Kyle, “we’d offer to say hello for you the next time we see him, but we won’t be able to thanks to the geas.”</p><p></p><p> It is my understanding of the vow that it does not preclude you from speaking openly to those who also have the knowledge contained in this Library, even if it didn’t come from the Library directly. If Aran is still alive, then he is old enough to know these things firsthand.</p><p></p><p> “Can Aran be trusted if he communicates with us again?” Lanara asked.</p><p></p><p> I know that he could be trusted. It has been many thousands of years since I knew him, though.</p><p></p><p> “Do you know the name Xerxes?” Lanara asked.</p><p></p><p> Justin shook his head.</p><p></p><p> “What about Kristyan?” Razael asked. “That was one of the names you guys mentioned, right?”</p><p></p><p> If I remember correctly, Kristyan was a psionic acolyte who had just entered Silko’s service at the time of the Cataclysm, Justin said.</p><p></p><p> “Damn, we’re dealing with some old people here,” Kyle muttered.</p><p></p><p> The energy that sustains their bodies without food or rest also alters their physical selves so they do not age, Justin explained. Essentially, they become another race, known as the élan. It is a race that one cannot be born into; you must be transformed into it by unlocking the potential within – much as this young woman here has done. Justin’s hand pointed down toward Arrie.</p><p></p><p> The others turned to look at a red-faced Arrie, gasping. Only Kyle didn’t stare. Instead, he just shook his head sadly, saying to himself, “Well, now I know that putting your foot in your mouth runs in the family.”</p><p></p><p> Your companions did not know of your talents? My apologies.</p><p></p><p> “When were you going to tell me about this, sister?” Autumn said, eyes flashing.</p><p></p><p> Arrie ignored the question, instead addressing Justin. “I’m curious. Since the Consort is no more, and the Consort was apparently the creator of the psions… my understanding is that when someone dies, their soul is taken by the god they worshipped to their planet. What happens to those who have no god?”</p><p></p><p> Death still releases the energy that Erito requires to keep magic in the world, Justin said to her, upon death, all souls go first to the Shadow Plane. Those of the faithful are collected by their deity’s servants. Those without a divine patron remain on the Shadow, and either discorporate and merge with the essence of the plane, or if their will is strong enough, they will become undead.</p><p></p><p> “So, for a psion whose creator is now gone,” Razael concluded, “the choice is either achieve perfection or disappear.”</p><p></p><p> Yes.</p><p></p><p> “Are there any gods that will accept a psionic being as a follower?” Kyle asked. </p><p></p><p> None. All the gods now hate and fear psionics, and none will accept it into their fold.</p><p></p><p> Kyle scowled deeply. “So, regardless of who they are, just because they were born with an ability they have no control over?”</p><p></p><p> They were born with a Talent, like all others, but it is psionic rather that magical. In truth, many who live today have Talents which are psionic in origin, but with the decline of psionics in open practice, the ability to discern psionic Talents from magical ones has been lost – though my staff is capable of it. Those who do not develop their abilities beyond this point are still accepted by the gods. Only those who choose to develop their powers beyond what they possess at birth are rejected.</p><p></p><p> “That’s incredibly unfair,” Kyle said angrily.</p><p></p><p> “Okay,” Lanara said, sensing that Kyle might be ready to start an argument with his distant ancestor, “jumping topics again, is there anything you recommend we do about Silko if he’s still out there?”</p><p></p><p> If the destruction of the Consort has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is permanent. That which is done can be undone. Whether it wants to be undone, or whether it should be undone, is a different matter. Silko proved that destroying a god can be done; should he have done it? I leave that to others to debate.</p><p></p><p> Kyle looked up slowly. “But by extension, if something can be undone, then it could be restored.”</p><p></p><p> “Like the Consort,” Razael said.</p><p></p><p> Or Silko, Justin observed. That may be what his followers seek to do.</p><p></p><p> “Or maybe they’re going the opposite direction,” Arrie said. “In order to have some hope of an afterlife, maybe they’re wanting to undo what Silko did. But in a way that would make the new Consort more agreeable to them.”</p><p></p><p> “With enough negative energy, could Erito be destroyed?” Lanara asked.</p><p></p><p> Erito is positive and negative energy. It cannot harm her.</p><p></p><p> “Yes, but if enough negative energy were hoarded to disrupt the balance, would it disrupt her? The dragon that was guarding the portal here has been hoarding negative energy.”</p><p></p><p> It would take more energy than a single being, even a dragon, could possibly garner.</p><p></p><p> “But maybe he wasn’t trying to destroy Erito,” Razael said. “If’n he was helping the psions, maybe they were just trying to disrupt magic. After all, if there’s no magic, what’s there to stop the psions?”</p><p></p><p> “But we already know from the communes that Auxariel wasn’t getting help from the psions,” Kyle said.</p><p></p><p> “But Erito’s not omniscient,” Razael pointed out.</p><p></p><p> “And it doesn’t mean that he wasn’t helping them,” Lanara added. “Those communes are very literal.”</p><p></p><p> “I still don’t buy it,” Kyle said. “If Auxariel was in leaguer with the psions to pull off something that big, he would have been better defended. And besides…”</p><p></p><p>Do you have further questions for me? Justin interrupted. The longer I remain awake, the more of my essence is drained.</p><p></p><p>Everyone immediately turned their attention back to the former Serenity. “Sorry,” Kyle and Lanara both said.</p><p></p><p>“I do,” Autumn said. “Would a dagger consecrated by Bail have significance to the psions in regard to what we’ve been discussing?”</p><p></p><p>It would carry a portion of His divine essence. A miniscule portion, to be sure, but a portion nonetheless.</p><p></p><p>“Could such an item be used to destroy a god?” Lanara asked.</p><p></p><p>Unlikely.</p><p></p><p>“But it is a connection that could be used to contact or locate that god,” Kyle said.</p><p></p><p>Indeed. Why do you ask about this item?</p><p></p><p>“I had located such a dagger,” Autumn explained, “and it was stolen by a priest of Qin-Chu named Marrek, whom we know to be working for the psions.”</p><p></p><p>This could be a problem, especially if they are attempting to gather similar items from all the gods.</p><p></p><p>“Could we stop them from doing it?” asked Lanara.</p><p></p><p>There are probably hundreds of such consecrated items in the world for each god. They would only need one.</p><p></p><p>There were a few exchanged glances, but they had run out of questions. “I think we can let you sleep again,” Autumn said, “thank you.”</p><p></p><p>I am only performing my duty to my goddess. But if you wish to express your gratitude, allow me to speak to my descendant privately.</p><p></p><p>Autumn looked at Kyle. “Are you going to be all right?”</p><p></p><p>“I’ll be fine. Like you said, I need to know this.”</p><p></p><p>The sentinel smiled at him. “I had no idea you had such a prestigious lineage.”</p><p></p><p>Kyle smiled back. “Neither did I.”</p><p></p><p>“Yeah,” Lanara commented, “I think the spelling of your last name has changed a bit. It’s just too bad you won’t be able to tell Auror about your ancestry.”</p><p></p><p>“She wouldn’t believe me anyway.” Kyle looked up at Justin. “I’m ready to talk.”</p><p></p><p>Excellent. I would suggest that the rest of you continue to interview the Serenities that preceded me for information about psionics. Their knowledge of the subject is far greater than those who came after the Cataclysm, when the psions went underground.</p><p></p><p>Time lost all meaning, not that time existed in the Library of the Ages. Dozens of Serenities were interviewed, on a wide variety of subjects. Kyle spoke at length with Justin Godscion, then spent a good deal of time with Errial before moving on to others. Lanara ended up speaking to randomly chosen high priests throughout the Library, adding to her store of eclectic knowledge. She also asked about the strange effects she’d noticed recently from her Bardic Instruments, hoping to learn a way to counteract them. Autumn concentrated on techniques for combating psions and the psionic races. Arrie focused her efforts on learning all she could about the Consort.</p><p></p><p>Razael, in contrast to the others, spent most of his time speaking with the Librarian, after finding that his subject of interest was not well known by the Serenities – dragons. Razael learned that Auxariel had been one of the children of the previous spirit dragon guardian, thus accounting for the fact that he was not as old or powerful as they would have expected. The Librarian explained that the spirit dragon that guarded the southern pole had two tasks; guard the entrance to the Library, and regulate the birth and death cycle for living beings in the area. Auxariel, who had apparently been twisted from an early age, had arranged the deaths of his siblings (who he later raised as skeletal guardians), and when he assumed his mother’s mantle of power after her death, he soon began to neglect the birth cycle. Fertility among the arctic creatures had dropped to dangerously low levels.</p><p></p><p>Finally, they met together, compared notes, and realized they had gathered all the information they could use at this time. They knew it was time to return to Aelfenn. Immediately upon reaching their decision, the Librarian walked in to the room they were meeting in, with a ghaele eladrin next to him.</p><p></p><p>“I can escort you to the portal to Auxariel’s cavern,” he said. “But Madrone’s presence has been requested by the eladrin. She should only be gone a few minutes.”</p><p></p><p>Maddie nodded, and walked over to the ghaele eladrin, bowing. The two of them walked away down a corridor.</p><p></p><p>“I was wondering something,” Razael said to the Librarian after they left, “we’ve still got Auxariel to deal with when we get back. Now, Erito said she’d prefer if we didn’t kill him, but I don’t think we can keep him still long enough to give him a good talking to. But if we could bring him in here, it wouldn’t matter how long it took to straighten him out.”</p><p></p><p>“The dragon cannot enter the Library,” the Librarian said. “Spirit dragons cannot leave the Material plane; their connection to the spirit world would be cut off and they would die.”</p><p></p><p>“Well, so much for that idea,” Razael said. “But I’ve got another one. There’s no good way to say this, but is there any way we can borrow an eladrin?”</p><p></p><p>“What for?” the Librarian asked</p><p></p><p>“To take out there with us, to help us decide if it’s worth trying to save him, and if so, maybe be willing to pitch in. We don’t have the time to re-educate Auxariel, but an eladrin would.”</p><p></p><p>“I can make inquiries,” the Librarian said, “though my request may not be well received. Though the leShay and the eladrin have a cordial relationship now, many of them bear the scars from the days when we first arrived in this world, and were seen as abominations. We did slay a great deal of their number.”</p><p></p><p>“Maybe if you had Madrone do the asking, it’d go over better,” Razael suggested.</p><p></p><p>“Perhaps. Wait here, and I’ll see what I can do.”</p><p></p><p>Much later, the Librarian returned, along with another ghaele eladrin. “Ghyndall here will accompany you out of the library and observe your interactions with Auxariel, and advise you as to Erito’s will. Madrone must remain here for a time, though from your perspective she will emerge from the portal immediately after you.”</p><p></p><p>They followed the Librarian out of the room and through the twisting corridors and halls, going thorough two portals before coming to the cavern where they had first entered the Library. They stepped through, and immediately felt the snap of cold air around them. A second later, Maddie stepped out of the portal.</p><p></p><p>“What was all that about?” Kyle asked.</p><p></p><p>“Nothing, really,” Maddie said. “I had a decision to make, and I made it.”</p><p></p><p>“Okay, then,” Arrie said, “good to have you back, then. So, let’s deal with Auxariel, shall we?”</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p> The party busied themselves chipping or melting things out of the ice. The eladrin Ghyndall stood vigil over the dragon. At one point Autumn approached him and asked if he ever associated with his peers among the other gods, such as the archons or angels.</p><p></p><p> “My function is to interact with them in a violent manner,” he said. “We do not speak to each other otherwise.”</p><p></p><p> “You fight against angels?” Autumn asked.</p><p></p><p> “They embody an extreme philosophy, and upset the balance,” Ghyndall replied. “That you find their philosophy more appealing than others is irrelevant.”</p><p></p><p> The hours dragged on. After almost a day, it seemed that Auxariel still had not stirred.</p><p></p><p> “You think we could speed this up, Maddie?” Razael asked.</p><p></p><p> They gathered around the dragon, with Autumn standing ready with her axe just behind Auxariel’s head. Maddie reached down and touched the dragon, sending healing energy into him. Auxariel immediately stopped breathing.</p><p></p><p> “Damn!” she swore, and quickly invoked another rite, drawing on her own essence to pull Auzariel’s spirit back into his body. “I forgot that he’s infused with negative energy,” she said by way of explanation. “Positive energy will hurt him like it would undead.”</p><p></p><p> “So,” Lanara asked, “do you use negative energy instead?”</p><p></p><p> “I’m not sure,” Maddie admitted, “I don’t know if Auxariel was so infused that it would respond to negative energy like an undead being. Besides, the only rite I know of that nature is rather potent, and I’m assuming we want to keep him relatively weak.”</p><p></p><p> “Let’s just wait for him to wake up on his own,” Arrie suggested.</p><p></p><p> Hours later, Auxariel began to stir. They took up their positions around him, careful not to stand directly in front of his mouth. Auxariel’s eyes opened, and immediately narrowed as his vision focused. A low growl rumbled in his throat.</p><p></p><p> “You might want to suppress your anger just a bit for a couple of minutes,” Arrie said quietly.</p><p></p><p> The dragon took a moment to take in his surroundings. “Since I am not slain, I assume that you want something,” he snarled.</p><p></p><p> “Indeed,” Arrie said. “It seems that Erito, with whom you have had some recent disagreements, has expressed a desire for you not to be destroyed. Personally, I don’t care one way or the other.”</p><p></p><p> “Erito is not here,” Auxariel snapped. “You are. What do you want?”</p><p></p><p> “Well, Osborn wants that diamond over there,” Lanara said.</p><p></p><p> The dragon’s eyes flicked over to the cansin. “I am powerless to prevent it,” he said.</p><p></p><p> “Well, really all we want is for things to go back to the way they should be,” Lanara continued.</p><p></p><p> “They can. Leave here, and all will be as it should.”</p><p></p><p> “As they should be from Erito’s view, not yours,” Lanara snapped.</p><p></p><p> The hint of a smirk curled Auxariel’s lips. “If you destroy me, I will return more powerful than before.”</p><p></p><p> Lanara blinked, unsure if Auxariel was sincere or not. Then she returned the smile. “Not powerful enough to avoid us.”</p><p></p><p> Autumn glanced over at the eladrin, who had been silently observing the exchange. “It has no reverence for divine will,” he said. “End it.”</p><p></p><p> Autumn’s axe fell, and Auxariel was no more.</p><p></p><p> There was a moment of awkward silence, as everyone backed away to avoid being covered in the dragon’s blood. “Sorry, Kyle,” Lanara said.</p><p></p><p> “Don’t apologize to me,” he said. “Like I said before, it was worth a shot, but I’m not particularly obliged to carry out Erito’s will.” As the others moved away, he added under his breath “especially now.”</p><p></p><p> “I will report what has happened here,” Ghyndall said. “Another guardian will be appointed. Your efforts to redeem Auxariel are noted.” The eladrin turned and walked back through the portal, which turned back to its original blue as soon as he went through it.</p><p></p><p> “Well,” Razael said, pulling out a long knife, “no sense letting the parts go to waste.” The tracker walked up to Auxariel’s corpse and began cutting into it.</p><p></p><p> “Now that we’re back here,” Arrie said, “does anyone want to see some psionic powers being manifested?”</p><p></p><p> “Sure,” Osborn said, and others readily agreed. Arrie did a brief demonstration of her abilities, explaining how she called upon her powers, and allowing everyone to experience the signs of psionic manifestations, explaining how she had suppressed these side effects up until now.</p><p></p><p> “How did this happen?” Autumn asked.</p><p></p><p> “You remember in Miracle, when I was in that near-death state because of Neville? Well, I was… aware of my surroundings during all of that.”</p><p></p><p> “Wow,” Lanara said after a pause, “then the portable hole must have really sucked for you.”</p><p></p><p> Arrie nodded. “I… almost didn’t make it. But then Aran visited me, and helped me realize the truth and awaken my potential. For a wilder like myself, our experiences shape our developing abilities.”</p><p></p><p> “What truth are you talking about?” Autumn asked.</p><p></p><p> “I’ve always known I was different,” she said. “You know my Talent to detect poisons?” Arrie held up a beaded bracelet. “Our father gave me this when I was young to simulate that. I actually don’t have a Talent.”</p><p></p><p> “Sure you do,” Lanara said, “you have a talent for putting sharp things in soft things.”</p><p></p><p> Arrie smiled. “Thanks, Lanara.”</p><p></p><p> “And you kept it a secret all this time?” Osborn asked her.</p><p></p><p> “Well, it’s not exactly something you want known. Tolly was still with us at the time, remember? And Haxtha’s never been fond of me, so giving him an excuse wasn’t something I wanted to do. So other than Aran and Kyle, no one knew until now.”</p><p></p><p> “Wait,” Autumn said, “Kyle?” She turned to look at her fiancé. “You knew?”</p><p></p><p> “I figured it out,” Kyle said sheepishly.</p><p></p><p> “Look, it’s not a big deal,” Arrie said. “You all know now, and I know you can all be trusted. We should be looking at what to do now. Raz and I were talking, and we think we should make an effort to kill as many undead as we can on the way out. You know, kind of help restore the life-death balance a little.”</p><p></p><p> “Or we could have Lanara go to the frost giants and play a few romantic ballads,” Kyle quipped, “You know, get the birth rate going again?”</p><p></p><p> “How long are we thinking about taking to kill undead?” Lanara asked apprehensively.</p><p></p><p> “Not long, just whatever we can find or attract on the way to the ship,” Arrie said. “We need to get back to Affon as soon as we can, because our enemies aren’t waiting for us to get home.”</p><p></p><p> “I agree,” Autumn said, casting one last look around the cavern. “Let’s go home.”</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p> The stars shone brightly in a clear night sky. Only the lapping of waves against the Armadillo’s iron hull and the creak of rigging interrupted the stillness. Though still chilly, they were now well outside the area of deadly cold that marked the southern pole.</p><p></p><p> Kyle stood at the prow of the ship, watching the waves dance in the light of Aelfenn’s moons. There were only two out tonight, making it a relatively dark night. Kyle glanced up to see which two they were – Dathel and Shakar, the divine realms of Paccë and Tor. Peace and justice. Kyle had a sense of neither.</p><p></p><p> His gaze wandered back to the star he’d been staring at the whole time he’d been out here; the northern star, one of Silko’s Eyes. It wasn’t hard to find, considering it was setting their course home. For him, and for his friends, the significance of that star and its southern twin had been altered forever. Now, instead of comfort, it brought a sense of unease.</p><p></p><p> His head swam with the information he’d take from the Library, especially what his ancestor Justin Godscion had imparted to him. Some of it would take him months, maybe even years to fully sort out and understand. But none of it would ease the doubt that now gnawed at his mind and soul.</p><p></p><p> Kyle reached under the neck of his tunic, and withdrew a small silver pendant. He unhooked the clasp, and then held the pendant in his palm. The image of a raven in flight stood in stark contrast against the smooth silver circle. He remembered when he was given this by Kavan, after he’d chosen to name Erito as his patron deity rather than Bles. It had marked a transition for him, a time when he came to accept that we was no longer a simple farmer or carpenter, but a true wizard.</p><p></p><p> But now more change was on the horizon. Kavan was no longer Kavan, but Madrone (and now, as she told it, permanently so), and Kyle faced another transition, a new definition of his self that he found difficult to accept. But it was there, waiting for him.</p><p></p><p> Kyle let the pendant drop out of his palm, catching the chain with his thumb and forefinger so it dangled free, swaying and spinning. He slowly stretched his arm out until it was over the railing of the ship, and the pendant spun and flashed in empty air, with the cold ocean below, waiting hungrily for its prize.</p><p></p><p> He stood there like that, still as a corpse, for what seemed an eternity. Then, slowly, he brought his arm back in, dropped the pendant into the palm of his other hand, and after another long moment placed the pendant in a pocket.</p><p></p><p> The moment his hand left his pocket, he saw that Autumn was walking up behind him. She approached and encircled her arms around him as he turned to face her, pressing close to him. It was as much an expression of affection as it was an effort to ward off the night’s chill for both of them.</p><p></p><p> “What were you doing?” she asked.</p><p></p><p> “Nothing,” he lied, hating the words as soon as he said them. It wasn’t his intent to deceive her, but he simply wasn’t ready to explain his troubled thoughts to anyone. He could barely understand them himself.</p><p></p><p> “I’m worried about you,” she said, “you haven’t been sleeping well since the Library.”</p><p></p><p> “Too much on my mind,” he said; that much was true enough. “Hopefully with time it’ll go away.”</p><p></p><p> Autumn turned her head upward and began a row of soft kisses against Kyle’s neck, at the same time tightening her embrace.</p><p></p><p> “You’re affectionate tonight,” he said. “Not that I’m complaining.” Autumn’s sense of decorum usually made her leery of any displays of affection outside of the bedchamber; Kyle didn’t think he’d been that successful in breaking her of that trait.</p><p></p><p> “I don’t know,” she sighed, “maybe it’s just that I feel like we’re running out of time to just be us. Out here, I’m still just Autumn, and you’re still just Kyle. When we make port, I’m going to be Duchess Autumn, and you’ll be the Scion Reborn.”</p><p></p><p> “Autumn, please stop calling me that.” It was a title that Lanara had made up as a joke while they were walking back to the ship from the Library. Unfortunately, it seemed to keep popping up despite his efforts to squash it.</p><p></p><p> “Sorry,” she said, “but you know what I mean.” She reached up and placed one hand behind his head, and pressed her lips to his. It was a soft, yet passionate kiss, far more intense than Kyle had expected. He was suddenly acutely aware of her warmth, of the tantalizing feel of her even through the layers of heavy clothes they both wore. For the first time in days, the maelstrom in Kyle’s mind subsided.</p><p></p><p> Slowly, gently, Autumn pulled away, then laid her head on Kyle’s chest, sighing. “I know I shouldn’t say this to you, but I do wish you could come with me when I go to Vargas.”</p><p></p><p> “I know,” he said, stroking her hair, “but I can’t put off finding my family any more, not with what I know about the Scion-Watchers. And you don’t need me to tell you how to run your city. Besides, these plans are all just ‘maybes’. Who knows what’s going to be waiting for us when we get back to Affon?”</p><p></p><p> “That’s what’s been keeping me up at night,” Autumn admitted.</p><p></p><p> Kyle smiled. “Well, if neither of us is sleeping anyway…”</p><p></p><p> Autumn jabbed him playfully in the ribs. “Kyle! You’re incorrigible!”</p><p></p><p> “What, you plant a kiss on me like that and expect otherwise?”</p><p></p><p> Autumn laughed. “All right, guilty as charged. Shall we retire, then?”</p><p></p><p> “An excellent suggestion, Your Grace,” Kyle said, stepping out of her arms and giving her a mock bow.</p><p></p><p> “Keep it up, Kyle, and you’ll sleep alone,” Autumn said as they walked back toward the stairs.</p><p></p><p> “You forget, I’m the captain. I can have you thrown overboard, you know.”</p><p></p><p> They laughed and joked their way down to their cabin, leaving the cold night behind.</p><p></p><p></p><p>END OF PART TWO</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 2815385, member: 5203"] [b]Frozen Heart[/b] “Kyle, can I talk to you for a minute?” Kyle looked up from the sea charts he was studying. They had taken careful notes while crossing through the Great Southern Reef, led by the famous pirate Captain Starke, and hoped to use the same passage on the way home, as it had shaved nearly two weeks off their travel time. “Sure, Raz, come on in.” The tracker came into the cabin and shut the door. “We done interrogating that half-giant yet?” “Arrie and Xu are in with him now. I don’t think it’ll be too much longer, why?” “We’ll be killing him, right?” Kyle sighed. “Yes, we will. As much as I hate the idea, there’s no way we can keep him contained. Even if we could, what would we do with him?” Razael scratched at the side of his head. “Well, if you could just hold off on cutting his throat for a bit, I’ve made an arrangement for disposing of the body that’ll help out one of Starke’s crew.” “I’m surprised to hear you wanting to help out Starke’s crew, considering you’ve spent the last two weeks just a hair shy of shooting them.” “I guess I have to admit that they didn’t cross us like I expected,” Razael admitted, “and besides, this is sort of a mutual benefit arrangement between myself and Nhura.” “Nhura? The naga? What’s she have to do with this?” “She wants the half-giant for herself. She says someone his size will keep her from being hungry for weeks.” Kyle turned pale. “You… offered to let Nhura eat the half-giant?” Razael shrugged again. “Throwing him in the ocean’s a waste of good meat.” Kyle buried his face in his hands, shaking his head slowly. “Please, please tell me that it’ll at least be a quick death.” “That was my understanding,” Razael said, “she said that a fresh kill was best.” “And do I want to know what she’s giving you in exchange?” “Probably not, I’d wager.” Kyle uncovered his face and leaned back in his chair. “I’m going to end up in the Shadow Plane for this,” he said to himself. “Why come to me? Why not just talk to Arrie?” “Well, you are the captain,” Razael said, “and since you seem to be intent on being the moral watchdog for this group…” He left out the part about secretly enjoying watching the wizard squirm. “The only reason I’m agreeing to this is that we were going to kill him anyway, and it will help out Starke,” Kyle said. “I’ll tell Arrie to turn him over to you when they’re done.” As Razael turned to leave, Kyle spoke again. “You know, I’d kind of hoped you being with Lanara now would have given you a better perspective on your fellow humanoids.” “Takes more’n a few days of sex to reverse five hundred years of experience,” Razael said. “But I didn’t know you knew about the two of us.” “Raz, everyone knows,” Kyle said. “If I’d had an inkling that the two of you were going to be so… boisterous, I’d have iron-plated the interior walls too.” “You’re one to talk,” Razael said. “Out,” Kyle scowled. * * * The half-giant, who identified himself as ‘Wave-Dancer’, held little information. This was somewhat expected; the party would have preferred interrogating one of the psions, or a soulknife, but they decided that it was too dangerous to let any of them regain consciousness. Wave-Dancer had revealed that they had been sent by none other than Xerxes to eliminate the ‘Mind-Killers’. They learned that they had been located by psions known as ‘seers’, and that the two psions that had been in command were ‘kineticists’ and they were the ones propelling the ship. As far as they could tell, Xerxes did not know why the party was so far south. After delivering the last of the supplies to the Youth’s Vengeance (including a very large, lumpy bundle carried straight to Nhura’s quarters), the party and crew of the Armadillo bare farewell to Captain Starke, and continued their voyage south. Two days later, there was another knock at Kyle’s cabin door. Arrie opened in and poked her head in. “Are you all finished in here?” she asked. “Just wrapping up,” Maddie said, taking off her headband and rubbing her temples. The rest of the party sat around the room, surrounding the favored soul. Kyle was at the desk, writing. “Great.” Arrie came in and sat down. “So, what did Erito have to say?” “Well, if you’d been here in the first place, you’d already know,” Autumn chided. “It’s all right, Autumn,” Kyle said, “no harm done. It’s not like she has to be sitting here for the commune to work.” Kyle handed Arrie a sheet of parchment. As she took the paper from him, they exchanged a knowing look. Arrie scanned the contents of the parchment. Kyle had written down the questions they had posed during the commune, and the answers they received. The first nine questions she had already seen; they were asked last month, when Maddie had last used her headband of communion. 1. Is the information in the book given to us by the dragon Andariel in regard to the dragon Auxariel hoarding negative energy accurate? YES 2. If Auxariel continues his current activities, will the consequences result in harm to living beings elsewhere in the world? YES 3. Does Erito want Auxariel to be destroyed? YES AND NO 4. Can Auxariel be stopped from continuing his current activities through means other than destroying him? YES 5. Are there psionicists aiding Auxariel in any way? NO 6. Is Auxariel’s lair at or very near the location shown on the map on Madrone’s back? YES 7. Will the information found at this location reveal what truly happened during the Cataclysm? YES AND NO 8. Will the information found at this location reveal the meaning of the term ‘Scion’? UNCLEAR 9. Will the information found at this location aid us in defeating psionicists or foiling their plans? UNKNOWN 1. Is Auxariel using a device or object to hoard negative energy? NO 2. If this device is destroyed, will it stop Auxariel without unduly harming people, other than the members of The Legacy? 2. Is the oathbond dagger of Bail that was stolen by Marrek somehow important to their plans? UNCLEAR 3.Would Erito prefer that The Legacy deals with Auxariel without destroying him? YES 4. Is the group known as the Scion-Watchers attempting to keep Autumn’s bloodline pure? NO 5. Will the information found at the location shown on Madrone’s back reveal facts about Kyle’s ancestry? YES 6. Does Erito intend for The Legacy to remove any physical objects from this location? NO 7. Is Auxariel currently aware that The Legacy is coming? NO 8. Is there information at the location shown on Madrone’s back about psionics in general? YES 9. Have any members of Kyle’s immediate family been ‘purified’ by the Scion-Watchers? NO Arrie handed the parchment back to Kyle. “I told you the Scion-Watchers were after your family, Kyle,” she said. “I know, I know,” Kyle said sadly. “I was grasping at straws. When Lanara suggested that it was Autumn’s bloodline that they were trying to keep pure, not mine, well…” Arrie put a reassuring hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “Well, at least you know they haven’t found anyone else in your family.” “For now. But it’ll be three months before we’re back in Affon, and who knows how long after that before I find them myself.” Arrie let Autumn take her place by Kyle’s side, then picked up the parchment again. “So, we’re supposed to try not to kill Auxariel, I see.” “Yeah,” Razael drawled, “and I’d like to know exactly how we’re supposed to fix this problem without killing the dragon.” “We don’t know,” said Autumn. “Maybe something will present itself when we get there. I say we do our best to solve this diplomatically, but if that fails we’ll have no choice but to try and destroy him.” Maddie looked up at Razael. “At least you’re not still saying that this is all a conspiracy to get us to do the dirty work for the other dragons,” she said. “I’m still not convinced it isn’t,” he replied, “but Erito seems to want the same thing, and the Goddess is one of the few people that has never steered me wrong, even if I don’t always know where she’s headed. Why else do you think I’m here watching your butt?” “Well, at least we won’t have to drag you into this kicking and screaming,” Maddie said. “For me, although I doubt we’ll be able to end this problem without violence, I will do my Goddesses’ will. I won’t try and kill Auxariel if we can help it.” “How long before we get there?” Osborne asked. “We’ve got another two weeks of sailing before we reach the edge of the ice,” Kyle said. “From there I’m guessing at least two or three weeks on foot to get to the actual pole.” “Well, super,” Lanara said, standing up. “That’s two more weeks with my cabin boy.” “And your masseur, too,” Osborn observed, holding back a smile and glancing at Razael. “Yeah,” Lanara winked, “him too.” * * * The Armadillo made icefall two weeks later, just as predicted. The ship carved through the thick ice easily, until they reached the point where they could go no further. The crew dropped grapples and pikes into the hard ice, and the party made their way down the ramp once the ship was secure. All of them, save Maddie, were heavily bundled. The favored soul wore close to her normal traveling clothes. “Forget something, Maddie?” Arrie asked. “Erito has graced me with an immunity to deadly cold,” Maddie explained. “I’m quite comfortable, actually.” They set off due south, using Lanara’s wand of know direction to locate true north, then going in the opposite direction. The eight adventurers trudged along steadily through the snow, pausing occasionally to marvel at the continuous presence of the sun in the middle of the night, or to gaze upon the unearthly colors of the southern aurora. Within a few days, they came upon what could only be described as an ice desert; drifting snow and ice piled up into dunes like sand, and the air was bone-dry. They made their way across the desert, shuffling across the blowing snow with snowshoes. A day or so into the ‘desert’ crossing, Razael and Osborn motioned for everyone to hold still and be quiet. In the distance, they both heard the sound of approaching footsteps carrying in the wind. “Mix of biped and four-legged,” Razael hissed, “coming this way, but doesn’t sound like they’re hurrying this direction, either. I don’t think we’ve been spotted.” “Quick,” Osborn said, “everyone lay down.” The elf and the hin quickly threw snow over the top of the rest of their companions, burying them to hide their location. Then the two of them waited for whatever was coming to appear. They didn’t have long to wait before two figures appeared over the top of an ice-dune. One was a tall frost giant carrying an enormous scythe, the other was a winter wolf. The giant slowed as he saw the two strangers, but continued their way. Neither Osborn nor Razael could read the giant’s intent, although the tracker could tell that the wolf was hungry, but would obey the giant. The giant stopped a safe distance away and bellowed out a greeting in a language neither of them understood. When Osborn shrugged to indicate they didn’t understand, the giant switched to Common. “Greetings, small ones,” he said. “What brings you so far out here?” “Exploring,” Osborn said. “Looking for anything in particular?” “Just having a look around,” Razael said, “heard some rumors.” The giant studied them for a moment. “Well, let me give you two pieces of advice for fellow travelers. First, you will want to avoid my clan.” The giant pointed with his scythe to the west. “They’re about two days that way as I walk, so I imagine it’d be three or four for you. My clan is unwelcoming of strangers.” “Got it,” Osborn said, “and the second?” “There’s a blizzard coming in about twelve hours,” he said. “I’d suggest you find some shelter. I can tell by the way your breath steams that you’re not accustomed to this climate.” Razael glanced up at the clear sky, then nodded. “Much obliged.” “Farewell, travelers,” the giant said, before walking off. The winter wolf whined at the smell of a meal, but followed his master anyway. Razael and Osborn walked off in the opposite direction, circling back after a few minutes to unbury their companions. “About time,” Lanara complained, as snow fell out of her pink hair. The party marched for another six hours before they found a suitable site to make camp. The first wispy clouds heralding the storm had appeared overhead as Lanara conjured a tiny hut to use as the foundation for a shelter. They spent the next few hours building and stacking blocks of hard-packed snow just inside the magical hemisphere, as the wind started to pick up and the temperature dropped. Two hours into construction, they saw a huge bank of clouds roll in off the horizon, seeming to head straight for them. With the first flurries starting to fall, the party entered the igloo and settled in. The temperature inside soon dropped to barely below freezing, which was still much higher than the air outside. With the use of one of Tiranel’s sure-burning logs, the interior quickly became as cozy as they could expect under the circumstances. A few hours into the storm, as the fatigue from their travel began to set in and the party started to discuss sleeping arrangements (with Razael encouraging both Lanara and Maddie to stay close to him for warmth), Kyle suddenly cried out. Everyone turned and saw him sitting next to one of the walls, with a clawed, ghostly hand protruding from his chest. “That’s not right,” he said, blood draining from his face. The next few minutes were very harrowing, seeming to stretch into eternity. Autumn was also struck by a surprise attack through the walls of the igloo, the unnaturally cold touch of the undead sapping her vitality as it had Kyle’s. The creatures darted in and out of the shelter, seemingly unfazed by the raging blizzard, swiping at those too close to the edge. It would be several months later, after the party had returned to Affon, that they would learn that these beings were known as rimewraiths. For now, they were simply an enemy. The party quickly gathered in a defensive cluster near the center of their shelter, forcing their assailants to fully enter the chamber to strike. Fortunately, they had prepared well for just such an attack; Kyle had spent some of his time during the voyage south making flasks of ghost oil. With their weapons so enhanced, the party soon ended the menace of the undead. But long after the battle was over, long after they had removed their armor and settled in under heavy blankets, Lanara remained awake, staring up at the white ceiling, listening to the wind howling outside. Something… odd had happened to her, when the rimewraiths attacked, something she wasn’t ready to share yet. When she’d begun playing her bardic music to help her friends in battle, she’d felt something stirring in her mind… no, in her soul. She could sense it was coming from the bardic instrument she was using, her Fuirmach Fiddle. Or, to be more precise, the Fuirmach Fiddle. Lanara had come to possess three of the fabled True Instruments, the legendary pieces created long ago by the masters of the long-vanished Bardic Colleges. Though copies of those magical instruments were not uncommon, it was a rarity for even a world-famous bard to ever find more than one. Lanara had often wondered what the effects might be of carrying three of them, as rumors had it that the True Instruments held their own spirit, an animus that gave true life to the music they created. She had felt some of that spirit today, urging her to keep playing, to keep the song alive. It had been difficult to put the instrument down, even after the last rimewraith had been felled. It took the storm two days to blow over, which in one sense was fortunate, as it allowed Autumn and Kyle a chance to rest and recover their stolen strength. When they saw light filtering down through their roof once again, they punched their way up through it, as the igloo had been completely buried. After getting their bearings, the party continued south. Thirteen days passed in the dull monotony of walking ever forward in a field of unending white. The days began to blur in their minds, until checking their progress with Lanara’s wand almost seemed a pointless exercise. But fortunately, they overcame their ennui enough to keep up the routine. Still when the day came when the wand simply spun around in a circle without settling on a single direction, it took them all a few moments to realize what it meant. A search of the area around the south pole soon revealed an ice cavern nearby, the opening yawning into darkness. Kyle took a moment to cast spells on the party that granted everyone darkvision as well as extra protection from cold before the party descended into the cave. They chose to travel in darkness, relying on Kyle’s spell for vision, in the hopes of not alerting any denizens of the caverns. Occasionally they would spare a miniscule amount of light to consult the copies of the maps they’d made, both of Maddie’s back and of the surrounding area that had been discovered long ago by dwarven explorers. Soon there was no doubt that the areas matched. The caverns descended rapidly, and within an hour of travel, the party noticed that they had gone from compacted ice to bedrock. They found nothing living in the caves, though once or twice they did stumble across a small cluster of mindless skeletons or zombies that were quickly dispatched. After another hour and a half, they reached an area just outside where Maddie’s map revealed a massive cavern. There were no exits from the chamber beyond. “That has to be it,” Kyle whispered. “Auxariel’s lair,” Arrie said just as quietly. “So, now what?” The party took a few moments to cast a few preparatory spells, just in case. Once they were done, they came back to Arrie’s question. “Well,” Kyle said, “it’s safe to assume that Auxariel knows we’re here, right?” When everyone nodded, Kyle cast another spell, and suddenly the air around him was swarming with several magical ‘eyes’. Kyle began directing them into the cavern beyond, instructing some to fly along the left wall, some along the right, others up to the ceiling looking down, and so forth. The magical eyes darted off into the cavern, and a minute later returned, relaying what they’d seen to Kyle. He frowned. “Auxariel’s in there,” he said, “at the back of the cave. He looks like he’s asleep, though I wouldn’t believe it for a minute. Behind him, on the back wall of the cavern, there’s a big, swirling portal. Between him and us there are three small skeletal dragons.” “How small?” Razael asked. “About the size of Rupert. There’s also a kobold off in the corner to the right, who looks like he’s doing menial labor. It’s strange, though. I got a good look at the skeletal dragons as well as Auxariel. Judging on the age of the bones, certain similarities in appearance, and whatnot, I’d guess that all four dragons in there are from the same brood.” “What?” said several people at once. “It looks like they’re siblings,” Kyle repeated. “So, you reckon Auxariel turned his brothers and sisters into undead?” Razael asked. “I doubt it. Those skeletons are of very young dragons, almost hatchlings. Auxariel would have been the same age when it happened, and somehow I don’t think he came out of the egg that powerful. More likely it was done by something else.” “Maybe that’s why Auxariel’s doing this,” Autumn said, “trying to restore true life to his family.” “It could be an angle we could use,” Kyle said, “find out what happened.” “What about the swirly thing?” Osborn asked. “Not sure, really. It could be something that Auxariel’s created with the negative energy he stole.” “So, do we want to go in polite?” Razael asked. “Well, we are going to try not to kill him,” Maddie reminded them. “We have our ambassadors,” Kyle said, gesturing to Lanara and Autumn. “We should announce ourselves,” Autumn said, “so as not to start off on the wrong foot if we’re trying diplomacy first.” The party walked forward, with Autumn and Lanara in the lead, with Osborn walking invisibly between them. Arrie, Xu, and Kyle came in behind, and Razael and Maddie brought up the rear. They spread out as far as they could, wary of the dragon’s breath, though even the cavern’s wide opening did not afford as much space as they would have liked. As soon as they came within sight of the great white dragon, a loud voice rang out.. “Foolish mortals! Why have you wandered into the lair of Auxuariel?” The dragon spoke in its native language, which fortunately both Autumn and Lanara could understand. Kyle translated quietly for those in the group who couldn’t speak Draconic. “Great Auxariel!” Autumn began, also speaking in Draconic, “we wish to speak with you on Erito’s behalf.” There was a low growl. “I do not care to hear it. Be gone or be dead.” “Erito would like to avoid your death,” Lanara continued, “even where others would actively seek it.” “You are trying my patience,” Auxariel said, hissing. “Surely a being as long lived as you would have immeasurable patience,” Lanara said, “surely you could hear us out, at least?” “ENOUGH!!” The dragon Auxariel began to rise. * * * Razael handed a waterskin to Maddie, who sat with her back on a cold rock. She took it and took a large swallow, realizing suddenly that this particular waterskin didn’t hold water. She smiled as the warmth spread from her belly into her limbs. “Feeling better, lass?” Razael said. “Much better, thank you,” she replied. “Though my life-force is still diminished.” “It’ll pass,” Kyle said, who was leaning on the wall nearby. “Osborn’s already feeling more like himself.” “That’s ‘Osborn Wyrmslayer’ to you,” the hin said proudly. “Oh, I forgot, you killed the dragon,” Lanara said, walking up to Maddie and taking the waterskin from her. “Of course, all the arrows and fireballs and spiked chain hits before that had nothing to do with it.” “Lanara,” chided Osborn, “you of all people should know it’s all in how you tell the story.” “Speaking of stories,” the cansin said, “I’m curious, Kyle. How exactly did you figure out that the kobold was the real Auxariel?” “I didn’t, really,” Kyle admitted. “I just guessed lucky. When that big dragon in the back stood up and all its skin fell off, something didn’t sit right with me. Andariel and Tiranel had said that Auxariel wasn’t undead himself, so when that skin came away and there was nothing but a huge skeleton, I started to wonder. When it charged and attacked by biting and clawing, I got more suspicious. Why not blast us with his breath? Or use a spell? Then I realized that the kobold was just plain out of place. Why would Auxariel have a kobold all the way down here? It’d freeze to death. So, I took a chance, and sent the kobold a message telling him that we could still stop the fighting and hear what he had to say.” “Yeah, unfortunately what he had to say was ‘I’m going to change back into a dragon now and breathe negative energy on you.’” Arrie observed. She chuckled a little, then stopped abruptly, grasping her ribs and wincing. “Or that damned force blast of his.” “Yeah, and our side’s blasting seemed to start up a little late,” Autumn chided. “I wanted to wall off that portal first,” Kyle said. “I didn’t want anything coming in or out of it.” “You know I’m kidding,” Autumn said. “I’m just upset that I wasted so much time attacking the fake Auxariel.” “Just because it was a false dragon, do not discount the threat posed by the large skeleton,” Xu said. “I fell victim to those teeth and claws, if you recall. I might have died had Autumn not healed me.” “Yeah, I know how you feel,” Maddie said. “I thought I was a goner when Auxariel bit me. Next thing I knew, there was Lanara standing over me.” Maddie scowled a little. “And stepping on my clothes to keep me from getting up.” “Someone had to keep you from just running right back into the fight,” Lanara said. “Sometimes I think Raz is right when he says you have a secret death wish. If I hadn’t held you down, Raz probably would have been forced to come get you, instead of shooting the dragon.” Secretly, Lanara was glad she’d even been able to come to Maddie’s aid; she’d felt the instruments trying to prevent her from stopping her bardic music again. “And I’m a fair sight better with a bow than I am with a blade,” Razael said, “so the longer I can keep shooting, the better.” “I’ll have to admit,” Arrie said, as she finished tying off the last bandage on her sister’s arm, “I was impressed by how many of your shots got through his hide. It almost makes up for your personality.” She grinned at him, and he tipped his cap in return. Razael spat onto the hard stone ground. “I tell you what, though, that Auxariel turned out not to be as large as I’d expected.” “Yeah, I thought dragons got bigger as they got older,” Osborn said. “Auxariel was about half the size of his fake.” Kyle shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe the myth about a dragon’s size showing how powerful he is was just that – a myth. Not like we can ask him.” “Yes, it’s too bad we couldn’t talk to him openly, and spare him for Erito’s sake,” Maddie said sadly. “But, he didn’t give us much of a choice.” “No, he didn’t,” Osborn said. “I almost get the idea that dragons aren’t as smart as everyone thinks.” “I’m just glad we all made it through that fight alive,” Autumn said. “But now what?” “Well, we came here to find this knowledge Erito wants us to have,” Lanara said, “but I don’t really see any books around here.” “The place we’re going may be through that portal,” Kyle said, pointing with his staff toward the swirling disc on the far wall that gently illuminated the cavern. “Don’t forget we got us a dragon to carve up,” Razael said. “The cold should keep the good parts from spoiling before we get back to the ship.” Kyle shook his head. “I’m torn between my general dislike of desecrating corpses, and knowing that there’s a lot of value in dragon bits.” “And aren’t dragons supposed to have big treasure hoards?” Lanara asked. “Not necessarily,” Arrie warned, “that could just be a human myth. I can’t see how Auxariel would be able to find anything to hoard all the way down here, anyway.” “Well, in that case,” Razael said, “best we get to the skinning and gutting now. Care to lend a hand, Maddie?” “Of course,” she replied, and the two elves walked over to where the body of Auxariel lay, drawing their daggers. “It’s almost too adorable,” Lanara said, watching the two of them walk away, “it’s like a father-daughter picnic held by the church of Fiel.” The group had a hearty laugh at the image, then busied themselves with packing away their gear and cleaning up the last of their wounds. A minute later, however, Maddie’s voice called out. “Hey, everyone! Can you please come over here? Now?” They all dropped what they were doing and walked over, curious at what was so important. Maddie and Razael stood over the still form of the dragon. Both of their daggers were still unbloodied. “Auxariel,” Maddie said quietly, “is still alive.” * * * The party stood around the still form of Auxariel, which they could now all see was slowly rising and falling as it breathed. Almost in unison, everyone turned to look at Kyle. “What are you looking at me for?” he cried out. “Because you have the big brain!” Osborn said. “And that moral compunction not to just kill the thing,” Lanara added. “I think it has more to do with Erito’s moral compunctions,” Arrie said. “That’s true,” Razael observed. “Erito did tell us that she’d rather we not kill this dragon if’n we can avoid it. Personally, I say we start pulling scales off until we figure out how many it needs to live, and stop just before that.” Maddie was closely examining Auxariel. “I think he’ll be out for at least a day,” she said. “Look, I know what Erito wants,” Kyle said, “and like I said before, I was willing to give it a shot just because she’s helping us out by showing us where this place is. But I’m not sure of our ability to contain a cranky dragon long enough to teach it some manners.” “Maybe we should try and figure out what it was doing first,” Arrie suggested. “That might help us know what to do. Let’s try looking around for a while.” The party spread out through the cavern, searching thoroughly. Unfortunately, they found little of interest other than the portal – no records, no indications of what Auxariel might have been doing with the negative energy he was hoarding. During the search, Kyle noticed Osborn crouched down, staring intently at the floor. “What’s up?” Kyle asked. “Something’s odd under the floor here,” he said. “Can I get some light?” “Sure.” Kyle fished out one of his light-globes. They’d been working mostly in the dark, thanks to Kyle’s mass darkvision spell. When he activated the light, he easily saw what Osborn had seen. Just under the hard, icy surface of the floor, coins and gems sparkled in the bright light. They had found Auxariel’s hoard. The others soon noticed it as well. “So, how to we get it out?” Maddie asked. “Fireball!” Lanara shouted, starting to pull out her wand. Kyle put a hand on her arm to stop her. “A fireball’s too fast to melt the ice,” he said. “Something longer-lasting would work better. Like flaming sphere.” “We also have ice picks,” Autumn pointed out. “Either way, it’s a job that should wait until after we deal with Auxariel,” Maddie said. “Digging all that out could take days.” “We also have that to reckon with,” Razael said, pointing at the blowing blue portal on the far wall. “So, you think that’s a portal to this place Erito’s sending us?” “That’s my guess,” Kyle said, “but I haven’t really taken a good look at it yet.” “Is there any way to test the portal without risking sending someone through?” Lanara asked. “Not really. We’ll just have to tie a rope to someone and pull them back in.” “I’ll go,” Arrie volunteered. “No,” said Osborn, “because if something happens to you, we’ll have elves made at us.” “I’ll go,” Arrie repeated. The rest of the party muttered their reservations. “Come on!” she said. “I’ve been really moderate so far. Amazingly moderate for me.” “She has,” Autumn admitted. “And it’s good to see that kind of control in a future peer of the realm,” Razael drawled. “But then, maybe she should get all those wild impulses out now,” Kyle said, “so that when she does have to go back she’ll be controlled.” “No,” said Razael, “I want her controlled now, so that later she’ll make Herion’s life miserable.” “Since when has she not done that anyway?” Autumn asked. “Let’s finish looking around first,” Kyle suggested. They went about searching the cavern again, with Arrie waiting relatively patiently by the portal and Autumn waiting close by her. Osborn’s attention remained on a large diamond he spotted under the ice, and he had to be dissuaded a couple of times from trying to chip it out with one of his daggers. After a while, they gave up on the search and gathered around the blue circle of energy. “I have an idea,” Lanara said, “why not tie a string to one of Raz’s arrows, shoot it in, and see if we can pull it out?” “Because if there’s a guardian on the other side, I’d hit it, and make it mad,” Razael said. “Or what if there’s a kindly old man sitting there, waiting to answer all our questions?” Kyle added. “Okay,” Lanara said, “how about we throw a rock in?” While they talked, Arrie was slowly reaching toward the portal. Autumn glared at her, but then realized that they would probably be arguing about how to deal with the portal for some time, and there was no way her sister would wait that long. With a sigh, Autumn decided to get it over with. She walked into the portal herself. Just as Arrie let out a cry of surprise and moved to follow her, Autumn walked through the energy curtain and smacked into the wall behind it. Kyle was by her side immediately. “Are you all right?” “Fine,” she said. “Well, that’s going to make for a less than inspiring song,” Lanara said. “So much for that!” Osborn said, “let’s dig the stuff out of the floor!” “There’s got to be a way to activate it,” Kyle said. “Some sort of key or something.” Arrie looked over at Maddie. “Why don’t you try touching it?” she suggested. The favored soul slowly approached the portal, and touched it. From where her fingers met the energy, a wave of color spread throughout the portal, turning it purple in color. “Look!” Arrie said gleefully, “I found the key!” “Shall we go in?” Maddie said. “We could be letting cold air in.” “Why don’t you try going in and coming right back out?” Osborn suggested. Autumn stepped forward through the gate. Arrie was immediately behind her, and Xu followed as well. They emerged into another cavern, which was pitch dark, though their darkvision allowed them to see that there was a tunnel leading off ahead of them. “Should we go further?” Autumn asked. “Let’s wait here a minute,” Arrie said. A few moments later, they saw a light approaching from far off in the tunnel. As it drew closer, they realized that the light was actually a rainbow-hued sphere, about four feet wide, floating in mid-air. When it was only a few feet away, it stopped, and coalesced into the form of a radiant figure. The figure resembled a tall, thin elf, with dark blue hair and violet eyes, and wore dark robes. He radiated an iridescent aura of both power and calmness. Autumn recognized the figure as a tulani eladrin, one of Erito’s most powerful servants. “Good evening,” Autumn said, bowing. The other two followed her lead. “Welcome,” the tulani said, nodding his head slightly toward them. “You have been expected. Where are the others?” “We were uncertain what lay beyond the portal,” Autumn explained. “The others are waiting on the other side for us to return and report.” “I see. Would you please have them join you now? It would be most appreciated.” Arrie immediately turned and went back through the portal, stepping out in front of the others. They all blinked in surprise. “That was quick,” Kyle commented. “There’s a dark-haired, elf-like being with a rainbow aura on the other side,” Arrie explained, “all kinds of power flowing off him. He’d like us to come in.” The others looked at each other, shrugged, and stepped through. * * * “If you will follow me,” the tulani said, after the whole party was together (apparently again seeming to come through the portal at the exact moment that Arrie had gone out), “The Librarian wishes to see you. He has things to discuss with you first.” The group traveled down the rough cavern passage, which slowly gave way to worked stone. Autumn made conversation with the tulani in Celestial as they walked (though she knew that Celestial was the language of the archons, not the eladrin; no one knew what language Erito’s servants spoke or even if they had their own tongue). They soon came to a large, brightly-lit hallway, flanked on either side by statues of elves. Each statue had a name carved on the base, but they all noted right away that none of the names seemed very elvish in nature. They also noticed that some of the statues were blank, with no name and indistinct features, as if they were still waiting to be sculpted. “Any idea who they are?” Osborn asked Lanara. “No clue,” the bard admitted. “Something’s not right about these elves,” Razael said. “They’re too stocky, and the ears are too long. They look more like fey ears.” “I beg your pardon,” Arrie said to the tulani, “but these statues are obviously of important personages, but their significance is lost on us.” The tulani paused before answering, and his words almost seemed strained. “They are both exemplars and warnings,” he said, “but it is not my place to reveal more. The Librarian will be here shortly and can answer your questions. I must take my leave of you now.” “Thank you,” Arrie said. Nodding to the party, the tulani changed back into a ball of energy and quickly flew off down a side passage. After a few minutes, they saw a figure emerge from between two of the statues further down the hall and start toward them. The figure was an albino, and had the same stocky build and extended points on his ears that the statues possessed. As he drew closer, they also saw that instead of eyes, the man’s sockets were filled with a lightless void. The figure stopped in front of the party, regarding each of them, not seeming to have any trouble seeing them. His gaze was hypnotic, and they felt compelled to listen to whatever he had to say. There was a palpable aura of power surrounding him, yet there was no otherworldly feel to him, as they had perceived with the tulani or with other potent outsiders they had encountered. “Hello,” Autumn said. “Greetings,” the figure said. “I am the Librarian. This is Erito’s Library of Ages. You have come here seeking information, and information we have in abundance. But it is information that cannot leave this place. Before I can allow you access to the Library, I must have all of you… all of you… submit to a geas that what you learn here will not be communicated to any other being, in life or in death, ever. If you cannot accept this, then you may not go further.” “So, this would prevent the knowledge from being taken from our spirits in death?” Arrie asked. “Yes. It is more than a compulsion of the mind. The magic will also suffuse your very soul.” “We’ll still be able to talk about it amongst ourselves, won’t we?” Osborn asked. “Yes. The geas will not apply to those who share the knowledge you gain here.” “How will we know who else has the information?” Autumn inquired. “Simple. You will be able to speak of it with them.” Most of the party, after a moment’s consideration, nodded their willingness to accept the Librarian’s terms. Lanara, however, seemed torn. Xu sensed her conflict. “For one whose purpose is the sharing of information, such a vow must represent a great conflict of interest,” the monk commented. “Yes, it does,” Lanara admitted. “But if’n you don’t take the vow, you won’t learn anything to share anyhow,” Razael pointed out. “And if’n you know it, you can act on it, and ain’t nothing says you can’t tell everyone about what you did.” “What you stand to learn here is earth-shattering in scope. I mean this in a very literal sense.” the Librarian told her. The bard sighed. “I suppose you’re right. No fun being on the outside looking in.” When everyone agreed to the vow, the Librarian began to recite words in a language that none of them understood, even when Lanara cast a tongues spell. The words seemed laced with power… no, they seemed to be power. Each of them felt the words seep into their minds and spirits. “Follow me, please,” the Librarian said, switching back to Common. “Do not stray from my lead, or you will not find your way out again.” The party followed the Librarian down the great hall. As they walked, Autumn stepped forward to address their guide. “Excuse me,” she said, “but might I ask what race you are?” “Of course,” he replied. “”No question is forbidden here. I am of the leShay.” The others looked at each other blankly. “Where do you hail from?” Autumn asked. “The leShay are the results of an unfortunate twist of cosmic fate,” the Librarian replied. “There are few of my kind, though it is possible to create more. In some respects, we are much like yourself and your cansin friend. The leShay are what happens when the servants of Erito interbreed with humans.” “You mean the eladrin?” “Yes. Those who choose to favor their human parentage become the leShay. But for reasons no one fully understands, a leShay inherits a much greater portion of their eladrin parent’s power than most outsider-touched, such as yourself. But our human natures separate us from the natural limits that the gods place on their servants.” “What do you mean by limits?” Kyle asked. “All outsiders are restricted in their functions by their natures,” the Librarian explained. “An archon must be Lawful, a devil must be Evil, and so forth. They exist in a balance. An eladrin is dedicated to the idea of neutrality, of maintaining that balance. But like the other Touched races, a leShay only has an inclination to follow their outsider’s nature, rather than a mandate. You, Autumn, as an aasimar have a proclivity towards goodness, but nothing would stop you from becoming evil if you chose that path. This is the danger that the leShay present. If they choose to stray from absolute neutrality, then the balance of power between the philosophies is shifted. A single leShay is powerful enough that their destruction would require many decades to accomplish and cost hundreds, if not thousands of lives.” “So, that’s why the leShay aren’t seen in the world,” Autumn concluded. “Correct. A nascent leShay is hunted down by the eladrin, and either killed or removed from the Prime before they realize their potential. Outside of the Prime, the ethical and moral choices an individual leShay might make have less impact on the overall balance. This is how I came to be here.” “So, you said that more leShay could be made,” Kyle said. “Why would the eladrin take that risk?” “In the beginning, many leShay were created, simply because no one knew that the results of unions between eladrin and humans would be so dire. Since then, most of Erito’s servants practice abstinence. But an eladrin is no less susceptible to temptation than a demon, or an angel, or an archon. Some succumb to their lusts, or to more noble emotions. Others are bound by mortal arcanists and forced to breed. Thus new leShay do come into being, perhaps one in a century at most.” About halfway down the great hall, the Librarian turned left and walked through another violet portal. On the other side, the party walked into the bottom of what looked like a huge amphitheater, but instead of rows of seats a single pathway spiraled upward as far as they could see. All along the path, large black globes were set on pedestals. Inside each of the globes they could make out a humanoid form, wrapped as if they had been mummified. “Who’s in the globes?” Kyle asked, after they had looked around in awe for a while. “These are the Serenities of Erito,” the Librarian said. “Every one of them, since the beginning. Here, at the bottom, is the first Serenity.’ Everyone looked around the room again with renewed awe. The thought of being in the presence of every high priest of Erito that had ever existed was staggering, and somewhat intimidating. “If you wish to communicate with them,” the Librarian continued, “simply place your hand on a globe and they will awaken. Each newly-arrived Serenity shares what they know with the others, but it is best to speak with the Serenity who has the knowledge first-hand if you have specific questions. Also bear in mind that the last Serenity arrived nearly two and a half centuries ago, so their knowledge of current events is nonexistent.” “Are they being punished?” Razael asked. “No, this is their reward. Here they will stay, asleep and unaware, until their knowledge is needed, until the end of time.” The Librarian looked straight at Razael with twin pools of darkness. “This is part of the knowledge that cannot be shared outside this Library.” “I can thing of things I’d rather be doing with my afterlife,” Razael said, shivering. Lanara, meanwhile, had wandered over to the first globe. The figure inside was very old, and looked like it had decayed significantly. Still, she could tell he was a human. At first it struck her as odd that the first Serenity wouldn’t be an elf, but then she thought about it and realized it made sense; elves didn’t even exist until after the Cataclysm. Gently, she put a hand on the globe, and thought, who are you? They all heard the response in their minds, in what they each perceived as their native tongue. I am Errial, first Serenity of Erito, and the third human to walk on Aelfenn. “The third human?” Arrie asked. Erito created first a female in her own image, and then a male in the image of her own Consort. Then, from their union, I was created to be Her first priest. Everyone was startled by the reply. None of them had ever heard anything about Erito ever having a consort. “Can you tell us about this Consort?” Arrie asked. It was he who helped shape this world. It was he who impregnated Erito, and she gave birth to The Four, and then The Many. Now they were in shock. Not only had this Consort apparently existed, but he seemed to be Erito’s peer, and had an equal hand in the creation of the universe. “What happened to him?” Lanara asked. It is my understanding that he was destroyed by his creations, the psions. It was several minutes before anyone else spoke. “Okay,” said Lanara, “I’m officially at a loss for words here.” “Why did Erito allow the psions to kill her Consort?” Autumn asked. That is something you would have to ask Erito herself. I could not presume to know Her mind or Her will. But even Erito is not omniscient, not omnipotent. “We already know that the gods apparently had trouble defending against psionics,” Kyle said, “Maybe she couldn’t stop them.” “Tell us more about the Consort,” Lanara said. “What was his name?” I cannot. The knowledge does not exist. He does not exist, and has never existed. “But… you just said…” It is difficult for me to explain. There is another Serenity who can help you understand, who was there when the Consort was destroyed. Seek him out. The figure inside the sphere closed his eyes, and seemed to fall still. “Great,” Lanara said, “how do we know who to ask?” “We should be able to figure it out,” Kyle said. “Remember how Aran told us that the Cataclysm was really caused by the psions killing a god?” “Yeah, but he said it was one of the Many,” Osborn said, “not Erito’s boyfriend.” “Okay, so there are inconsistencies. Anyway, it’s safe to assume that the Cataclysm was really the result of the Consort’s destruction. We also know that the elves and other non-human races didn’t get created until after the Cataclysm.” Kyle pointed up the spiraling path. “So, we go up until we see a Serenity that’s an elf, and we know that’s post-Cataclysm. Then all we have to do is backtrack a bit to talk to the Serenities that were around during the Cataclysm.” “Okay, I’ll go find it,” Razael said, proceeding up the spiral. “If any of y’all want to talk to these others along the way, go ahead.” Autumn looked at the Librarian. “How much time do we have here?” “There is nothing but time here. While in the Library, you will not have need of rest, or sustenance. You will emerge from the Library at the same moment you left it. To anyone who would have been waiting outside the portal for you, it would be as if no time had passed, even if you spent months or years in here.” The party slowly spread out among the globes, speaking to people who had been dead for millennia. The vast majority were human, though there were a scattering of various element-touched and planet-touched races, though obviously no elf-touched or orc-touched. Most of the bodies were in far better condition than Errial; when asked, the Librarian explained that the state of the body in the globe matched its state when it was committed to its final rest on Aelfenn; Errial’s body had been lost for some time before it was found and consecrated. Their questions were wide-ranging, from general queries about ancient history, to advice on spiritual matters, to knowledge about psionics. The psions had apparently practiced openly in the days before the Cataclysm, so many of the Serenities were quite familiar with their abilities. Eventually, they caught up with Razael, who was leaning against the wall next to a globe containing the mummified body of a female elf. “This here’s Kertalla,” he said, “the first elven Serenity of Erito. The first elf, actually.” “Ooh!” Lanara said, immediately putting her hand on the globe to talk to her. “Okay,” Kyle said, “so let’s go back about five globes.” As they walked back, they noticed that the Serenities in the globes appeared to have old wounds, as if they had died by violence. One even had her head separated from her body, floating nearby. It took a bit of trial and error to find the right globe; many of the Serenities just before Kertalla reigned during the violent aftermath of the Cataclysm, and thus their service was very brief. One Serenity had held the office for only a few weeks before being killed. The party ended up going back about fifteen globes before finding the person they thought they needed. The Serenity inside the globe was a human male, with black hair. He wore the traditional white robes of Erito, trimmed with dark blue. From speaking with other Serenities, they knew that this signified a priest that had arcane training as well as divine. Kyle put his hand on the globe. “Hello. May I ask your name?” The figure opened his eyes, and regarded Kyle with blue-gray pupils that matched his own. I am Justin Godscion, he said. Welcome to the Library, my descendant. * * * Kyle’s hand jerked back as though the globe had grown hot. Autumn quickly reached over, grabbed his hand, and slapped it back up on the smooth surface. “Now is not the time,” she said quietly to him. “You need to know this.” Kyle swallowed, and nodded. “Sorry,” he said to Justin. “So, you were the Serenity just prior to the Cataclysm?” I was witness to the events that led to it, yes, Justin said. He glanced over at the staff in Kyle’s hand. I see my staff has found its way to you. It assisted me in hunting down and slaying psions. I see you have unlocked some of its powers – with knowledge you will unlock more. Autumn could feel that Kyle’s hand underneath hers was trembling. “Okay, then,” Kyle said, “tell us about…well, tell us about the events leading up to the Cataclysm.” A band of very powerful psions, led by a being who had learned to survive using only the energy of his mind, were becoming tyrants. They were speaking out against the gods, saying that they were not needed, that all that was needed was the self. They were garnering followers, and they claimed they would prove their claims. No one knew how they would do this, until it was too late. They banded together to slay their creator. “Erito’s Consort,” Kyle said. “What was the consort’s name?” Razael asked. We cannot speak it. “Why?” asked Autumn. He was not just killed; he was eradicated, made as though he never existed. “So you can’t speak the name because it never existed,” Razael said. Exactly. “But if he never existed, but you know there was a Consort…” Lanara shook her head. “This makes my brain hurt.” “No, I can see how it works,” Kyle said. “Sometimes the absence of a thing can be as big an indication as its presence. It’s kind of like using an invisibility spell underwater; you’re technically invisible, but there’s a person-shaped space in the water – you know someone’s there, you just can’t tell who. In this case, there’s a hole in reality where the Consort was. You don’t know what’s supposed to fill that hole, but its there.” Justin nodded in approval. It is difficult to fill a deity-sized ‘hole’. “There is a group out there,” said Autumn, “Known as the Scion-Watchers. Does this mean anything to you?” Justin’s body seemed to sag a little, as if recalling something very sad. When I failed to prevent Erito’s Consort from being slain, my descendants – my scions – were cursed. For seven times seventy generations, magic would not touch them. You are the first Godscion to be free of that curse. The Scion-Watchers were a sect of Erito’s church, charged with monitoring my descendants to ensure the curse was maintained. I have learned from other Serenities that have come here after me that the Scion-Watchers are no longer officially recognized by the church, and have become a splinter cult. “If that’s the case, why are they still hunting Kyle?” Autumn asked. I would assume that they have lost track of time, and believe that he should still be without magic. They have lost much knowledge since their founding. “How to we rectify the situation?” Lanara asked. “Eradicate them,” Razael replied immediately. There are many possibilities. Which one you choose is your lot to decide. “Maybe I can find this ‘Arcanamach’ person,” Kyle said, “and get them to see where they messed up.” The Arcanamach was the title of the sect’s leader, Justin explained. “Why would they have tried to kidnap both Kyle and I?” Autumn asked. Most likely they were going to attempt to cleanse him of magic, and were only acting against you to prevent your interference. “Cleansing?” Lanara asked, “One of them mentioned cleansing. Do you mean cleansing like with his adopted cousin?” “He was killed, quite brutally,” Kyle explained to Justin. “They may not have known he wasn’t a blood relative.” The cleansing ritual is not meant to be lethal, Justin said, though it is unpleasant. However, as I said the Scion-Watchers have lost much knowledge, and the cleansing ritual may have become perverted. “So, they’d be out to ‘cleanse’ anyone in my family… our family,” Kyle said. Possibly. It depends on how much information they have. “And we can’t even tell ‘em they’re wrong,” Razael said. “Thanks to that vow we took.” “It’s not like most fanatical cults listen when their victims try to tell them they’ve made a mistake, anyway,” Arrie observed. “So, where will Kyle find the knowledge to work this staff to its fullest potential?” Lanara asked. The knowledge lies within himself. By arriving here, some of what he needs to know will become available to him. Kyle sighed. “Given your position, you’re probably very familiar with the workings of psionics.” Yes. It was much more common in my time, and practiced openly. “Is Kyle going to end up psionic?” Lanara asked. No. Our family’s talents lie in the arcane, not in psionics. “This being that could exist on pure thought,” Kyle continued, “the one who led the attack on the Consort. Who was he?” His name was Silko. For about the hundredth time since they had arrived, eight jaws dropped to the floor. “The Hero?” Razael asked, incredulously. “The Paragon that remained on Aelfenn when the others ascended?” Lanara added. Yes. To many at the time he was a hero. He had many followers. “Were the other Paragons also psions?” Kyle asked. No. “Were they even real people?” I do not know for certain. The myths of the Paragons were created after the Cataclysm. Whether they were based on real people or not, I know no better than you. “But Silko was real.” Yes. “Is he still around?” Razael asked. Justin seemed to sigh. I don’t know. What I saw before I died was that Silko’s body was destroyed. However, one of the powers he had developed was the ability to shed his physical form and exist purely as mind. “Kind of like a spirit.” Autumn said. Similar, but not exactly. He did not shift to a transitive plane like the Ethereal or the Shadow. Perhaps it was another coterminous plane we are not aware of. Or perhaps on this plane but unable to interact with it. He had trained others in this power, but he alone possessed the skill to be able to manifest it in less time than the blink of an eye. When the Consort was destroyed, an eye-blink was all anyone present had. Regardless, when he did shed his form, his ability to affect this world was greatly diminished. Thus it would not surprise me if he were still in existence, but unable to affect the world around him. “So, he’d have to find some other means of working in this world,” Lanara said. He would still be able to communicate, Justin said. “And train others,” Kyle said. “If he had someone collecting energy for him,” Lanara asked, “would that bring him back?” My knowledge of psionics is academic, and therefore flawed. So I don’t know all the nuances of their abilities. However, in order to interact with the world, Silko would need to re-corporate into a physical body. It’s possible that the energy released upon the Consort’s destruction had the same effect on Silko’s body that it did on the Consort’s entire being. Thus he may be unable to restore his physical form. “Would any of the other psions that were with Silko when he destroyed the Consort still be alive?” Autumn asked. No. They were obliterated with the Consort. As I said before, only Silko was skilled enough to shed his body fast enough to avoid that fate. “Is there anyone in the world today who would possess the knowledge of what Silko might be doing?” Lanara asked. If the knowledge exists, it would be among the psions themselves. “Do you have knowledge of the psion named Aran?” Oh, yes. He and I were good friends, actually. He did not agree with Silko with the direction that Silko was taking. He believed that the gods were necessary, but not for everyone. Silko felt that the god’s usefulness had ended at the creation of the universe. Because of who he was, he could not join with either side in the brewing conflict. Aran served as a messenger between the two sides, and I came to know him very well. “Well,” said Kyle, “we’d offer to say hello for you the next time we see him, but we won’t be able to thanks to the geas.” It is my understanding of the vow that it does not preclude you from speaking openly to those who also have the knowledge contained in this Library, even if it didn’t come from the Library directly. If Aran is still alive, then he is old enough to know these things firsthand. “Can Aran be trusted if he communicates with us again?” Lanara asked. I know that he could be trusted. It has been many thousands of years since I knew him, though. “Do you know the name Xerxes?” Lanara asked. Justin shook his head. “What about Kristyan?” Razael asked. “That was one of the names you guys mentioned, right?” If I remember correctly, Kristyan was a psionic acolyte who had just entered Silko’s service at the time of the Cataclysm, Justin said. “Damn, we’re dealing with some old people here,” Kyle muttered. The energy that sustains their bodies without food or rest also alters their physical selves so they do not age, Justin explained. Essentially, they become another race, known as the élan. It is a race that one cannot be born into; you must be transformed into it by unlocking the potential within – much as this young woman here has done. Justin’s hand pointed down toward Arrie. The others turned to look at a red-faced Arrie, gasping. Only Kyle didn’t stare. Instead, he just shook his head sadly, saying to himself, “Well, now I know that putting your foot in your mouth runs in the family.” Your companions did not know of your talents? My apologies. “When were you going to tell me about this, sister?” Autumn said, eyes flashing. Arrie ignored the question, instead addressing Justin. “I’m curious. Since the Consort is no more, and the Consort was apparently the creator of the psions… my understanding is that when someone dies, their soul is taken by the god they worshipped to their planet. What happens to those who have no god?” Death still releases the energy that Erito requires to keep magic in the world, Justin said to her, upon death, all souls go first to the Shadow Plane. Those of the faithful are collected by their deity’s servants. Those without a divine patron remain on the Shadow, and either discorporate and merge with the essence of the plane, or if their will is strong enough, they will become undead. “So, for a psion whose creator is now gone,” Razael concluded, “the choice is either achieve perfection or disappear.” Yes. “Are there any gods that will accept a psionic being as a follower?” Kyle asked. None. All the gods now hate and fear psionics, and none will accept it into their fold. Kyle scowled deeply. “So, regardless of who they are, just because they were born with an ability they have no control over?” They were born with a Talent, like all others, but it is psionic rather that magical. In truth, many who live today have Talents which are psionic in origin, but with the decline of psionics in open practice, the ability to discern psionic Talents from magical ones has been lost – though my staff is capable of it. Those who do not develop their abilities beyond this point are still accepted by the gods. Only those who choose to develop their powers beyond what they possess at birth are rejected. “That’s incredibly unfair,” Kyle said angrily. “Okay,” Lanara said, sensing that Kyle might be ready to start an argument with his distant ancestor, “jumping topics again, is there anything you recommend we do about Silko if he’s still out there?” If the destruction of the Consort has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is permanent. That which is done can be undone. Whether it wants to be undone, or whether it should be undone, is a different matter. Silko proved that destroying a god can be done; should he have done it? I leave that to others to debate. Kyle looked up slowly. “But by extension, if something can be undone, then it could be restored.” “Like the Consort,” Razael said. Or Silko, Justin observed. That may be what his followers seek to do. “Or maybe they’re going the opposite direction,” Arrie said. “In order to have some hope of an afterlife, maybe they’re wanting to undo what Silko did. But in a way that would make the new Consort more agreeable to them.” “With enough negative energy, could Erito be destroyed?” Lanara asked. Erito is positive and negative energy. It cannot harm her. “Yes, but if enough negative energy were hoarded to disrupt the balance, would it disrupt her? The dragon that was guarding the portal here has been hoarding negative energy.” It would take more energy than a single being, even a dragon, could possibly garner. “But maybe he wasn’t trying to destroy Erito,” Razael said. “If’n he was helping the psions, maybe they were just trying to disrupt magic. After all, if there’s no magic, what’s there to stop the psions?” “But we already know from the communes that Auxariel wasn’t getting help from the psions,” Kyle said. “But Erito’s not omniscient,” Razael pointed out. “And it doesn’t mean that he wasn’t helping them,” Lanara added. “Those communes are very literal.” “I still don’t buy it,” Kyle said. “If Auxariel was in leaguer with the psions to pull off something that big, he would have been better defended. And besides…” Do you have further questions for me? Justin interrupted. The longer I remain awake, the more of my essence is drained. Everyone immediately turned their attention back to the former Serenity. “Sorry,” Kyle and Lanara both said. “I do,” Autumn said. “Would a dagger consecrated by Bail have significance to the psions in regard to what we’ve been discussing?” It would carry a portion of His divine essence. A miniscule portion, to be sure, but a portion nonetheless. “Could such an item be used to destroy a god?” Lanara asked. Unlikely. “But it is a connection that could be used to contact or locate that god,” Kyle said. Indeed. Why do you ask about this item? “I had located such a dagger,” Autumn explained, “and it was stolen by a priest of Qin-Chu named Marrek, whom we know to be working for the psions.” This could be a problem, especially if they are attempting to gather similar items from all the gods. “Could we stop them from doing it?” asked Lanara. There are probably hundreds of such consecrated items in the world for each god. They would only need one. There were a few exchanged glances, but they had run out of questions. “I think we can let you sleep again,” Autumn said, “thank you.” I am only performing my duty to my goddess. But if you wish to express your gratitude, allow me to speak to my descendant privately. Autumn looked at Kyle. “Are you going to be all right?” “I’ll be fine. Like you said, I need to know this.” The sentinel smiled at him. “I had no idea you had such a prestigious lineage.” Kyle smiled back. “Neither did I.” “Yeah,” Lanara commented, “I think the spelling of your last name has changed a bit. It’s just too bad you won’t be able to tell Auror about your ancestry.” “She wouldn’t believe me anyway.” Kyle looked up at Justin. “I’m ready to talk.” Excellent. I would suggest that the rest of you continue to interview the Serenities that preceded me for information about psionics. Their knowledge of the subject is far greater than those who came after the Cataclysm, when the psions went underground. Time lost all meaning, not that time existed in the Library of the Ages. Dozens of Serenities were interviewed, on a wide variety of subjects. Kyle spoke at length with Justin Godscion, then spent a good deal of time with Errial before moving on to others. Lanara ended up speaking to randomly chosen high priests throughout the Library, adding to her store of eclectic knowledge. She also asked about the strange effects she’d noticed recently from her Bardic Instruments, hoping to learn a way to counteract them. Autumn concentrated on techniques for combating psions and the psionic races. Arrie focused her efforts on learning all she could about the Consort. Razael, in contrast to the others, spent most of his time speaking with the Librarian, after finding that his subject of interest was not well known by the Serenities – dragons. Razael learned that Auxariel had been one of the children of the previous spirit dragon guardian, thus accounting for the fact that he was not as old or powerful as they would have expected. The Librarian explained that the spirit dragon that guarded the southern pole had two tasks; guard the entrance to the Library, and regulate the birth and death cycle for living beings in the area. Auxariel, who had apparently been twisted from an early age, had arranged the deaths of his siblings (who he later raised as skeletal guardians), and when he assumed his mother’s mantle of power after her death, he soon began to neglect the birth cycle. Fertility among the arctic creatures had dropped to dangerously low levels. Finally, they met together, compared notes, and realized they had gathered all the information they could use at this time. They knew it was time to return to Aelfenn. Immediately upon reaching their decision, the Librarian walked in to the room they were meeting in, with a ghaele eladrin next to him. “I can escort you to the portal to Auxariel’s cavern,” he said. “But Madrone’s presence has been requested by the eladrin. She should only be gone a few minutes.” Maddie nodded, and walked over to the ghaele eladrin, bowing. The two of them walked away down a corridor. “I was wondering something,” Razael said to the Librarian after they left, “we’ve still got Auxariel to deal with when we get back. Now, Erito said she’d prefer if we didn’t kill him, but I don’t think we can keep him still long enough to give him a good talking to. But if we could bring him in here, it wouldn’t matter how long it took to straighten him out.” “The dragon cannot enter the Library,” the Librarian said. “Spirit dragons cannot leave the Material plane; their connection to the spirit world would be cut off and they would die.” “Well, so much for that idea,” Razael said. “But I’ve got another one. There’s no good way to say this, but is there any way we can borrow an eladrin?” “What for?” the Librarian asked “To take out there with us, to help us decide if it’s worth trying to save him, and if so, maybe be willing to pitch in. We don’t have the time to re-educate Auxariel, but an eladrin would.” “I can make inquiries,” the Librarian said, “though my request may not be well received. Though the leShay and the eladrin have a cordial relationship now, many of them bear the scars from the days when we first arrived in this world, and were seen as abominations. We did slay a great deal of their number.” “Maybe if you had Madrone do the asking, it’d go over better,” Razael suggested. “Perhaps. Wait here, and I’ll see what I can do.” Much later, the Librarian returned, along with another ghaele eladrin. “Ghyndall here will accompany you out of the library and observe your interactions with Auxariel, and advise you as to Erito’s will. Madrone must remain here for a time, though from your perspective she will emerge from the portal immediately after you.” They followed the Librarian out of the room and through the twisting corridors and halls, going thorough two portals before coming to the cavern where they had first entered the Library. They stepped through, and immediately felt the snap of cold air around them. A second later, Maddie stepped out of the portal. “What was all that about?” Kyle asked. “Nothing, really,” Maddie said. “I had a decision to make, and I made it.” “Okay, then,” Arrie said, “good to have you back, then. So, let’s deal with Auxariel, shall we?” * * * The party busied themselves chipping or melting things out of the ice. The eladrin Ghyndall stood vigil over the dragon. At one point Autumn approached him and asked if he ever associated with his peers among the other gods, such as the archons or angels. “My function is to interact with them in a violent manner,” he said. “We do not speak to each other otherwise.” “You fight against angels?” Autumn asked. “They embody an extreme philosophy, and upset the balance,” Ghyndall replied. “That you find their philosophy more appealing than others is irrelevant.” The hours dragged on. After almost a day, it seemed that Auxariel still had not stirred. “You think we could speed this up, Maddie?” Razael asked. They gathered around the dragon, with Autumn standing ready with her axe just behind Auxariel’s head. Maddie reached down and touched the dragon, sending healing energy into him. Auxariel immediately stopped breathing. “Damn!” she swore, and quickly invoked another rite, drawing on her own essence to pull Auzariel’s spirit back into his body. “I forgot that he’s infused with negative energy,” she said by way of explanation. “Positive energy will hurt him like it would undead.” “So,” Lanara asked, “do you use negative energy instead?” “I’m not sure,” Maddie admitted, “I don’t know if Auxariel was so infused that it would respond to negative energy like an undead being. Besides, the only rite I know of that nature is rather potent, and I’m assuming we want to keep him relatively weak.” “Let’s just wait for him to wake up on his own,” Arrie suggested. Hours later, Auxariel began to stir. They took up their positions around him, careful not to stand directly in front of his mouth. Auxariel’s eyes opened, and immediately narrowed as his vision focused. A low growl rumbled in his throat. “You might want to suppress your anger just a bit for a couple of minutes,” Arrie said quietly. The dragon took a moment to take in his surroundings. “Since I am not slain, I assume that you want something,” he snarled. “Indeed,” Arrie said. “It seems that Erito, with whom you have had some recent disagreements, has expressed a desire for you not to be destroyed. Personally, I don’t care one way or the other.” “Erito is not here,” Auxariel snapped. “You are. What do you want?” “Well, Osborn wants that diamond over there,” Lanara said. The dragon’s eyes flicked over to the cansin. “I am powerless to prevent it,” he said. “Well, really all we want is for things to go back to the way they should be,” Lanara continued. “They can. Leave here, and all will be as it should.” “As they should be from Erito’s view, not yours,” Lanara snapped. The hint of a smirk curled Auxariel’s lips. “If you destroy me, I will return more powerful than before.” Lanara blinked, unsure if Auxariel was sincere or not. Then she returned the smile. “Not powerful enough to avoid us.” Autumn glanced over at the eladrin, who had been silently observing the exchange. “It has no reverence for divine will,” he said. “End it.” Autumn’s axe fell, and Auxariel was no more. There was a moment of awkward silence, as everyone backed away to avoid being covered in the dragon’s blood. “Sorry, Kyle,” Lanara said. “Don’t apologize to me,” he said. “Like I said before, it was worth a shot, but I’m not particularly obliged to carry out Erito’s will.” As the others moved away, he added under his breath “especially now.” “I will report what has happened here,” Ghyndall said. “Another guardian will be appointed. Your efforts to redeem Auxariel are noted.” The eladrin turned and walked back through the portal, which turned back to its original blue as soon as he went through it. “Well,” Razael said, pulling out a long knife, “no sense letting the parts go to waste.” The tracker walked up to Auxariel’s corpse and began cutting into it. “Now that we’re back here,” Arrie said, “does anyone want to see some psionic powers being manifested?” “Sure,” Osborn said, and others readily agreed. Arrie did a brief demonstration of her abilities, explaining how she called upon her powers, and allowing everyone to experience the signs of psionic manifestations, explaining how she had suppressed these side effects up until now. “How did this happen?” Autumn asked. “You remember in Miracle, when I was in that near-death state because of Neville? Well, I was… aware of my surroundings during all of that.” “Wow,” Lanara said after a pause, “then the portable hole must have really sucked for you.” Arrie nodded. “I… almost didn’t make it. But then Aran visited me, and helped me realize the truth and awaken my potential. For a wilder like myself, our experiences shape our developing abilities.” “What truth are you talking about?” Autumn asked. “I’ve always known I was different,” she said. “You know my Talent to detect poisons?” Arrie held up a beaded bracelet. “Our father gave me this when I was young to simulate that. I actually don’t have a Talent.” “Sure you do,” Lanara said, “you have a talent for putting sharp things in soft things.” Arrie smiled. “Thanks, Lanara.” “And you kept it a secret all this time?” Osborn asked her. “Well, it’s not exactly something you want known. Tolly was still with us at the time, remember? And Haxtha’s never been fond of me, so giving him an excuse wasn’t something I wanted to do. So other than Aran and Kyle, no one knew until now.” “Wait,” Autumn said, “Kyle?” She turned to look at her fiancé. “You knew?” “I figured it out,” Kyle said sheepishly. “Look, it’s not a big deal,” Arrie said. “You all know now, and I know you can all be trusted. We should be looking at what to do now. Raz and I were talking, and we think we should make an effort to kill as many undead as we can on the way out. You know, kind of help restore the life-death balance a little.” “Or we could have Lanara go to the frost giants and play a few romantic ballads,” Kyle quipped, “You know, get the birth rate going again?” “How long are we thinking about taking to kill undead?” Lanara asked apprehensively. “Not long, just whatever we can find or attract on the way to the ship,” Arrie said. “We need to get back to Affon as soon as we can, because our enemies aren’t waiting for us to get home.” “I agree,” Autumn said, casting one last look around the cavern. “Let’s go home.” * * * The stars shone brightly in a clear night sky. Only the lapping of waves against the Armadillo’s iron hull and the creak of rigging interrupted the stillness. Though still chilly, they were now well outside the area of deadly cold that marked the southern pole. Kyle stood at the prow of the ship, watching the waves dance in the light of Aelfenn’s moons. There were only two out tonight, making it a relatively dark night. Kyle glanced up to see which two they were – Dathel and Shakar, the divine realms of Paccë and Tor. Peace and justice. Kyle had a sense of neither. His gaze wandered back to the star he’d been staring at the whole time he’d been out here; the northern star, one of Silko’s Eyes. It wasn’t hard to find, considering it was setting their course home. For him, and for his friends, the significance of that star and its southern twin had been altered forever. Now, instead of comfort, it brought a sense of unease. His head swam with the information he’d take from the Library, especially what his ancestor Justin Godscion had imparted to him. Some of it would take him months, maybe even years to fully sort out and understand. But none of it would ease the doubt that now gnawed at his mind and soul. Kyle reached under the neck of his tunic, and withdrew a small silver pendant. He unhooked the clasp, and then held the pendant in his palm. The image of a raven in flight stood in stark contrast against the smooth silver circle. He remembered when he was given this by Kavan, after he’d chosen to name Erito as his patron deity rather than Bles. It had marked a transition for him, a time when he came to accept that we was no longer a simple farmer or carpenter, but a true wizard. But now more change was on the horizon. Kavan was no longer Kavan, but Madrone (and now, as she told it, permanently so), and Kyle faced another transition, a new definition of his self that he found difficult to accept. But it was there, waiting for him. Kyle let the pendant drop out of his palm, catching the chain with his thumb and forefinger so it dangled free, swaying and spinning. He slowly stretched his arm out until it was over the railing of the ship, and the pendant spun and flashed in empty air, with the cold ocean below, waiting hungrily for its prize. He stood there like that, still as a corpse, for what seemed an eternity. Then, slowly, he brought his arm back in, dropped the pendant into the palm of his other hand, and after another long moment placed the pendant in a pocket. The moment his hand left his pocket, he saw that Autumn was walking up behind him. She approached and encircled her arms around him as he turned to face her, pressing close to him. It was as much an expression of affection as it was an effort to ward off the night’s chill for both of them. “What were you doing?” she asked. “Nothing,” he lied, hating the words as soon as he said them. It wasn’t his intent to deceive her, but he simply wasn’t ready to explain his troubled thoughts to anyone. He could barely understand them himself. “I’m worried about you,” she said, “you haven’t been sleeping well since the Library.” “Too much on my mind,” he said; that much was true enough. “Hopefully with time it’ll go away.” Autumn turned her head upward and began a row of soft kisses against Kyle’s neck, at the same time tightening her embrace. “You’re affectionate tonight,” he said. “Not that I’m complaining.” Autumn’s sense of decorum usually made her leery of any displays of affection outside of the bedchamber; Kyle didn’t think he’d been that successful in breaking her of that trait. “I don’t know,” she sighed, “maybe it’s just that I feel like we’re running out of time to just be us. Out here, I’m still just Autumn, and you’re still just Kyle. When we make port, I’m going to be Duchess Autumn, and you’ll be the Scion Reborn.” “Autumn, please stop calling me that.” It was a title that Lanara had made up as a joke while they were walking back to the ship from the Library. Unfortunately, it seemed to keep popping up despite his efforts to squash it. “Sorry,” she said, “but you know what I mean.” She reached up and placed one hand behind his head, and pressed her lips to his. It was a soft, yet passionate kiss, far more intense than Kyle had expected. He was suddenly acutely aware of her warmth, of the tantalizing feel of her even through the layers of heavy clothes they both wore. For the first time in days, the maelstrom in Kyle’s mind subsided. Slowly, gently, Autumn pulled away, then laid her head on Kyle’s chest, sighing. “I know I shouldn’t say this to you, but I do wish you could come with me when I go to Vargas.” “I know,” he said, stroking her hair, “but I can’t put off finding my family any more, not with what I know about the Scion-Watchers. And you don’t need me to tell you how to run your city. Besides, these plans are all just ‘maybes’. Who knows what’s going to be waiting for us when we get back to Affon?” “That’s what’s been keeping me up at night,” Autumn admitted. Kyle smiled. “Well, if neither of us is sleeping anyway…” Autumn jabbed him playfully in the ribs. “Kyle! You’re incorrigible!” “What, you plant a kiss on me like that and expect otherwise?” Autumn laughed. “All right, guilty as charged. Shall we retire, then?” “An excellent suggestion, Your Grace,” Kyle said, stepping out of her arms and giving her a mock bow. “Keep it up, Kyle, and you’ll sleep alone,” Autumn said as they walked back toward the stairs. “You forget, I’m the captain. I can have you thrown overboard, you know.” They laughed and joked their way down to their cabin, leaving the cold night behind. END OF PART TWO [/QUOTE]
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