Cassandra Pendragon
"It happened when I… fell," Lamia began quietly. She, her mother and Reia had joined us a few minutes earlier. The girl was obviously uncomfortable being the centre of attention, but she still pushed through, the only sign of her anxiety the desperate, white knuckled grip with which she held onto her mother's hand. "Back then… I was so scared, but yet… elated. Whatever fate held in store for me, it had to be better than the life I had left behind." One glowing eye blinked owlishly through her mom's crimson feathers as she searched for Reia's gaze. "And I was right. A week ago, I'd never have imagined that I'd ever be… happy. But I am." A small smile tugged on the corners of my mouth as I snuggled deeper into the warm, scaled, golden belly behind me. In her dragon form Viyara was much more efficient than any heating system I knew of.
"I've heard the elders say," she continued, "to reach heaven you must first traverse hell. Maybe it's true. Maybe I had to… pay for my life in advance, maybe I'm just unlucky, whatever the reason… mom, when your magic touched me," I shuffled my tails around restlessly. I wasn't going to interrupt her, but technically it had been Sarai's magic. Not that I cared, but if she was ever going to tell her story to my sister that little detail might just make the difference between getting the protector of her entire species on her side or getting her wings clipped on the spot. "I… remembered. I didn't simply fall through the darkness and into a new life. I took a meandering path, a long path…" the one eye I could see darted to me before she nervously added: "you know… telepathy is also a kind of language. I can hear… or maybe feel it when the two of you talk. I think I… followed memories that every phoenix has, but we can't remember because…"
"My sister's magic made you forget," I finished her sentence for her, "and when the enchantment broke, you could finally recall what you never actually witnessed. Go on, then. What did you see?"
"You aren't mad," she blurted out, which made Viyara and me laugh. Unfortunately a dragoness' laugh was a force of nature in its own right and poor Mei, who got caught in the hot gust of wind, simply toppled over. With an almost satirically cute cry her head and shoulders touched the surface of the creek before she managed to regain her balance. From under her dripping, pink bangs she shot Viyara a scathing look which, of course, prompted the crystalline to flex her tail and push her into the icy waters entirely.
"Sorry," she sent over the spluttering of the drenched girl, "I didn't mean to interrupt, but she had it coming." Then she extended the mighty ruff along her body and pulled Mei into her, effectively silencing her complaints and warming her up at the same time. "We aren't mad. Curiosity isn't a sin, but you shouldn't make eavesdropping on people who can swallow you whole a habit. It's going to backfire. Still, please do explain what has happened to you. I'll keep the noisy one quiet in the meantime." I grinned as I watched Mei push defiantly against the golden membrane that had caught her in a gentle, but unbreakable hold until she slumped into the soft folds resignedly.
"I… of course," the young phoenix stuttered in a brave attempt to swallow her laughter. She even succeeded. More or less. "I've also thought about showing you, but I fear that's not going to work. You'd have to be a phoenix to understand." Highly doubtful, but I didn't mind getting an executive summary in the slightest. "I… I think to get to you, Reia, I had to follow the path my ancestors had left behind… like breadcrumbs in that fairytale you told me." The vixen in question was leaning against my shoulder and I briefly pinched one of her tails. Hansel and Gretel… Honestly, she was already using my stories, or rather the stories I had properly stolen from someone else, to impress her friend. The sheer audacity…
"This plane… it's been born from magic and most of the energy was taken from the remnants of the incarnation of fire." If I hadn't seen it in John's mind, I'd have been utterly lost, but she was referring to elements that had been sacrificed to stabilise Gaya's current structure. "We phoenixes, we are made of fire and life. This place… it's like a land of milk and honey for us. We've been nesting here ever since Gaya took her current shape. The battle you witnessed, it was the last fight between our ancestors. One wanted to claim the Immortal Lands for our race and our race alone, while the other married a human. In a fit of rage his sister burned her and his unborn child. The rest you've already watched." Another piece of the mosaic clicked into place.
The Fey Wilds were probably the mirror image of the Immortal Lands, born from the other elements. That was the reason why there were many different realms, or kingdoms, within the Fey Wilds, and also why Lancelot's intervention had entirely screwed up the balance of his home. Never mind the havoc Greta's growth was wreaking, even the puny ritual he had told me about had been enough to weaken the boundaries between different fey kingdoms. Mana was trickling from one kingdom to the next and destroying the foundation of the realm in the process.
"Our world has become a goddamn powder keg and every single idiot is running around with a lit torch," I groaned under my breath. I tapped against Viyara's scales and listened to the metallic sound until it was swallowed by the darkening night. "I hope you didn't make any plans for the next week," I then muttered telepathically. "Reia and you will have to stay here with them and keep an eye on Constantine and the two birds. We don't know their full story, yet, but I'm sure the current state of the Empire is linked to their past just as much as it is caused by Constantine's disappearance. They shouldn't be left alone for now. If Aurelia joins you, not even one of their ancient monster will pose a threat to you. Pick out a place to plant a cherry seedling while you're at it, would you? Something tells me that we'll need a more convenient way to travel here in the future." She huffed and a few golden sparks rose into the velvety black sky.
"Can't say I'm surprised. But it's too early to make a decision."
"Right you are." Out loud I added: "that's a single memory, but yet you've spoken of an entire path. What else have you seen? Why has your mother that memory stored in one of her tears?"
"Because she was there," the girl replied timidly and hid her face behind Miriel's wing. "She… died that day. Slain by her own brother… who succumbed to his wounds shortly after."
"I… what," the older phoenix spluttered. "I… it can't be! I've married a human! You… you're the living proof that I don't disregard…" I had apparently been wrong when I had told her she couldn't possibly have been there.
"People change, mom," came the quiet reply. "Us more than anyone else. You… learned, no, that's not right. You were punished, I think. Your twin… when he killed you he finally managed to let go of his suffering, of his pain, and he returned… I don't know where, but you were left behind. You were born again in this world, over and over… that's what I've seen. It only changed when I was born. The last time you died, you died for someone else… for a blighted phoenix sired by a human… your shackles broke. You…"
"I was whisked away to Earth, just like him," the redhead breathed. "But why? Why Earth?" A darn good question. Because of the Source? Possible, but unlikely. The powers a phoenix possessed wouldn't even register with a transcendent artefact on that scale. Sarai? That'd have made sense if my sister had had any connection to Earth. Unfortunately she didn't, not as far as I was aware. Usually the time constraints would have provided a hint, but unfortunately the natural laws weren't as irrefutable at the moment as they used to be. I couldn't even be sure that the connection was as old as the battle we had witnessed, even though a phoenix had been called to Earth upon its death, thousands of years ago… shit.
Maybe Sarai's connection to the place didn't stem from the past, but the future. Considering she had more or less pledged herself to our cause, chance were she'd soon spend quite a bit of time over there. Maybe she was going to fall in love? It'd make some sense, considering how her magic had been triggered before. Heck, if I hadn't known it to be impossible, I'd have even speculated that she might come to carry a child. That'd definitely explain why her power had reacted, as soon as mother and daughter had faced each other openly. A lock, a key, a dream to see… was it referring to an immortal offspring? Hadn't that been the reason behind creating the swarm of monsters Odin had used to battle Hekate? Frustratedly I massaged my temples. How I hated this vague crap. Best to ignore it until I could actually do something about it.
"I don't think it matters for now," I finally said and every head immediately turned to me. "Whatever the reason, Gaya and Earth are linked, intimately so. Chances are we'll know more once we've managed to accomplish our actual goal here. I've dallied long enough. Lin… would you lead me to the entrance of the caves? Now?"
"Sure. You're not going to destroy them, are you?" I shrugged helplessly.
"I don't intend to, but honestly that's not even worth the dirt on the street. I… I don't have the foggiest idea what's going to happen. Do you still want to accompany me?"
"Of course. More so than ever. But I've decided against bringing Mei." The girl in question complained weakly, but she was still stuck in Viyara's ruff and couldn't do more than groan in protest. Which was unanimously ignored. Even by her own spirit companion to be.
"Fine… one last thing. The humans I knocked out cold…"
"Wait," Miriel interrupted. "What about us?"
"Those two things might be much more closely related than you think," the sect master replied. "While you were out here the elder of the punishment hall returned. They've interrogated the prisoners Cassandra made. Unfortunately they've been under the control of a demon… a nightmare and don't remember much, but the few details they could still recall are unpleasant, to say the least."
"What have they told you," I hissed. "Wasn't it them trying to gain control of one of the gates to the land of dreams? Didn't they mean to turn your dragons in order to invade their homeland?"
"They couldn't tell us the nightmares' true intentions. They were… vessels, simply along for the ride. I think you're right, though, but that's just speculation on my part. What they told us pertains to their past, the rise and fall of the demonic cults in our world."
"Shouldn't you already have that information," Reia piped up for the first time, the glow from the fire dancing in her wide open eyes, "or have you never managed to take one of them prisoner?"
"Unfortunately we haven't," the blue haired girl answered and brushed her hair behind her ear sheepishly. "Before they become a captive, they always choose to burn their life in a last ditch attack. Cassandra knocked them out before they realised that the fight was already over. So… no, we've never achieved anything similar." I cleared my throat impatiently and she quickly continued:
"In the memory Miriel shared with you, spirit beasts fought hand in hand with humans, didn't they? It proves that even back then spirits could be called over, despite the lack of an actual bridge. It has been the same for nightmares, but they never answered the call unless they were being payed. Usually in blood." She exhaled deeply and raised her face to the starry sky. Her voice grew distant as she explained further:
"There is an exception, however. Even before the gates appeared, the denizens of the dark heeded the call of a single bloodline. The Qin family has always been able to marshal the strength of the other realm." She sighed and her her gaze darted from the silvery specks of light on the firmament to the two phoenixes: "from this point onwards I'm just guessing, but considering everything I've heard, I believe that your race is the fulcrum around which our past has revolved. You're made from fire and life… from mana and life, aren't you? You're the connection between the spirt realms and our world. Again I'm only guessing, but maybe your arrival all those aeons ago was the initial spark. You've said it yourself, Lamia, this place… it's like a land of milk and honey to your people. But we still only know about three. You two and your uncle, your mother's brother. What if there are many more? What if every major family in our realm has phoenix blood running through their veins? It would explain why we can all bind spirit beasts… from what I've seen, your people are just as varied, just as diverse as humans. There must be some who feel the temptation of darkness."
"And the current conflict, even though incited by my reckless destruction of their realm," I added sombrely, "is nothing but the continuation of an age old conflict? The battle between Miriel and her brother was just a fragment, a tiny part that has been repeated over and over again? A war for domination… rule the Immortal Lands, rule the spirit lands? Because…"
"Power," Miriel admitted quietly. She hadn't said much and simply listened for the most part. At first I had found her behaviour strange, but when I had realised that she was clinging to her daughter just as tightly as the girl was holding onto her, the answer had become obvious. She didn't care anymore. Her child was the only thing of importance. The love a mother held for her daughter… I probably wasn't going to tell her to her face, but I was as grateful to Sarai as I had ever been. "Our race draws its strength not only from within, but also from the places we're connected to… there's a reason why phoenixes, if they have the chance, choose to die and resurrect where they were born."
"Which means… war," I said, more to myself than anything else. "I've disturbed the balance and now it's desperation that's driving the ones who've thrown in with the realm of nightmares. They… the Imperial Court!" I was already on my feet when Viyara's tail, as thick as a trunk, wrapped itself around my waist. For a split second my power thundered against her and I already felt her tremble before I regained control. Despite the fright she marshalled her magic and said out loud:
"Calm yourself and explain. What do you mean?" I gritted my teeth and swallowed the angry response I already felt stirring in my throat. She was right. Running around like a headless chicken wouldn't accomplish much. Over the thundering beat of my heart I asked:
"In comparison to the Court, how powerful is this sect?"
"We're weaker," Lin admitted, "but not by that much. Ever since our mountain became a gate to the spirit realm the difference has continuously shrunk."
"Three nightmares nearly abducted you and your disciple from the heart of your sect. If it hadn't been for me, they would have succeeded. Why only three? They already had Baihe… there were hundreds of humans in that valley, but I've only seen two nightmares there. Where's the rest? I don't think only those two and the ones who attacked you managed to survive. What if…"
"They're actually trying to gain control over the Court while we're stuck here," Lin interjected anxiously. "Is it possible? There are exceptionally powerful cultivators in the capital…"
"Only by your standards," Miriel interrupted her. "I'm a bad example, I've just been reborn, but our race isn't weaker than true dragons. To us… to an elder phoenix, the achievements of a human are similar to… an ant hive. Sure, it's admirable and fascinating, but in the end it doesn't take more than a single stomp to crush them."