Ch. 17: The Return

After the Assessment Ceremony ended, Illesior decided for us to set off again as soon as possible, in hopes that we would reach The Capital in time for the banquet of the Summer Solstice.

About twenty or so aetyrim had been chosen to return, and while Sophi and Kirune were talking to them, I saw that Arius was interested in speaking with Zerhea.

While the rest of us traveled on foot across the plains, passing Undergrove, Zerhea had befriended the Hycross she had summoned, and was perched upon its back, riding it as she talked to my brother.

The sun began to dip below the horizon, but for once Illesior didn't seem worried. I guess he was confident that no monsters would try to attack us, with the Summer Solstice so near. He claimed that a special magic wreathed the plains as the seasons changed, protecting us from harm.

I sighed as I padded through the tall grass, envying the warm rooms that shone in the windows of the city as we traveled past. I then strained my neck, looking for my friends to see what they were up to.

Illesior was at the front, striding confidently and not slowing down. He held his head high, his snout pointed in the warm evening air.

I glanced around and saw Kirune and Sophi talking to a few other aetyrim. I dimly remembered their names: Nosim, a heavy set tan male aetyr with a large snout; Imal, a bright brown female aetyr, and Phofynn, a speckled teal and brown female. All of them seemed sociable and friendly, and I saw Imal teasingly poke Nosim's aptly named nose.

And behind me, I glanced up to see that Arius had joined Zerhea on the Hycross' back. Their heads were bent together, talking earnestly. For once in my life I saw with a jolt that Arius actually held admiration in his violet eyes, gazing at the elegant golden aetyr beside him.

I snorted. Now that he's got a girlfriend, maybe he'll finally leave me alone. 

Suddenly I felt a hand prod my back, and I turned to find Strubin beside me. "Hey, Av," He purred, nuzzling my mane for a moment before pulling away. His eyes softened when he saw my expression. "What's wrong?"

I shrugged and nodded to the Hycross behind us. "Nothing. I'm just glad that Arius is leaving me alone for once."

Strubin strained to see Zerhea and Arius, then laughed. "Looks like he's smitten," He chuckled. "Birds of a feather stick together, right?"

"At least Zerhea isn't a jerk," I mumbled. "Sure, she's cold, but I think she's just stand-offish. Some people are just like that. And she hasn't said anything rude to us." Then I snickered a little. "I just don't see how she can tolerate that gray furball."

Strubin shrugged. "True. She seems pretty okay. Likable, in fact. She might not be the most sociable, but that just makes her seem more powerful."

Before I could reply, Nosim came up to us, his belly jiggling with the run. "Hello!" His amber eyes shined as he looked at us. "You did the Assessments, right?" He pointed a chubby finger at me, and I nodded.

Strubin laughed. "'Course she did. Her name's Aven." He then placed a green hand to his chest. "And I'm Strubin."

Nosim dipped his head respectfully. "Good to meet you. I'm Nosim! Nosim Satrix! You've probably seen my sister Imal over there." He nodded to them, then turned back to us.

"What's your magic?" Strubin asked. "I think I've forgotten. Would you mind refreshing my memory?"

Nosim's huge nose twitched excitedly. "Of course! I can sniff out whatever magic another aetyr was born with, as well as being able to breathe in any situation. My nose can extract auras and oxygen from the air." He flipped his hair back. "It's like having another pair of eyes."

Strubin nodded approvingly. "What's my magic, then?"

Nosim took a long sniff. "Hm… poison immunity… poison manipulation?"

The tall green aetyr widened his eyes, looking impressed. "Yep! That's it."

Then Nosim took another long sniff and paused. "Wait… I can't sense… your magic…?" He looked at me closely, a confused expression on his face.

I shrugged. "I don't have any magic."

His eyes widened like Strubin's. "What! I've never heard of that happening before. How'd you come here, then?"

I shuffled my paws as we continued walking. "I'm the Bookkeeper. Since I don't have any magic, I can protect our Spell Book safely, without any fear of dying or turning into a monster."

"The people before her died because they had magic," Strubin added, nudging me as Nosim's eyes widened still. "She's amazing. So, so amazing." He nuzzled my mane again cheerfully. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"You're really brave, too," Nosim said after a pause, still shaken. "You wouldn't have me going into that kind of work!"

"I didn't really have a choice." I replied. "The Prince caught me at the Assessment Ceremony and whisked me away before I could figure out what was going on."

"She snuck into the Ceremony when she wasn't supposed to," Strubin murmured to Nosim. "She was technically too young, and even if she was old enough to attend, she never filled out the proper paperwork beforehand."

Nosim nodded with a smirk. "How old are you now, Aven?"

"Sixteen and five months," I replied.

"And I assume that you and Strubin are together?" That question caught me off guard, but Strubin was eager to answer for me.

"Yes, we are," He chuckled as he pulled me closer to him, my head brushing up against his chest. "She actually saved my life two nights ago!"

The heavy set aetyr tilted his head. "Really? What happened?"

Strubin grinned. "We fell into a ravine, and we were being chased by a Zenatile when we ran into a lake. I sprained my ankle, but Aven grabbed me and pulled me to an island in the middle of the lake. There she revived me, and I confessed my love to her."

"And it all went downhill from there," Nosim joked. "No, in all honesty, I'm happy for you. Congrats!" He gave Strubin a high five.

"Is there anyone you have your eye on, Nosim?" Strubin asked.

Nosim ducked his head embarrassedly. "Well, I… I suppose you could say that I've got my sights set on Phofynn. She's my sister's best friend."

Strubin craned his head to look, then smirked when he saw the aetyr in question. "...You sly dog." Then he wrapped his arms around me protectively. "But she's not as cute as Aven, I'm afraid!"

I swatted at him lightly. "You're just biased, you big lug!"

Nosim backed up. "Hey, don't worry, Strubin. I'm not gonna take your girl, I promise."

Strubin laughed with a gleam in his eyes. "You'd better not."

We continued on, talking as the sun faded and the first stars appeared. Eventually the lights of Undergrove were far behind us, and all that remained was the vast grassy plains and the dark sky.

Eventually my eyes began to droop, and I struggled to both stay on my feet and stay awake. My paws throbbed, and when I lifted up my foot to look at it I saw that it was grazed.

Strubin stopped talking with Nosim and looked at me. "Are you okay, Beautiful?"

I stifled a yawn. "I'm good. Just tired."

"We'll be walking all night," Strubin continued, sounding concerned. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I don't know."

He came to me and scooped me up, placing me on his back and letting my arms hang around his neck. "Get your rest," He murmured. "I'll wake you if something happens."

I nodded numbly and let my head rest on top of his, closing my eyes and immediately drifting into sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wearily opened my eyes, then gasped when I saw what laid in front of us.

We were back to the rolling hills, where we had encountered the Spectre on the night of the storm. But from here, I could see the walls of The Capital shining in the dawn light, gleaming spires reaching up to scrape the sky as the sun rose beyond the East Horizon.

I felt a shiver run down my spine. We were finally back where we started, and with time to spare!

The aetyrim around us all looked tired and weary, but brightened when the sun stroked their manes gently, making them gleam in the morning light like stars. Only Illesior's sleek mane remained dark, a stark contrast to the fluffy white around him.

I slid off of Strubin's back and twitched my tail excitedly. My limbs didn't feel as sore, and I felt like if I started running now then I could reach the palace before the sky turned blue.

Suddenly the ground rumbled, and I froze. I recognized this feeling, however much I didn't want to. "Gods, help us," I whispered.

I stayed back, stopping as I let the rest of the aetyrim pass me. None of them seemed to have the same sinking feeling that I did, and I began to wonder if I was just dreaming things. This place holds many dark memories, after all.

Suddenly, when I was about to give up and dismiss my concerns, Illesior's ear pricked. His tail rose.

I heard someone ask, "What's wrong?"

The Prince slowly turned to face us. "...Everyone, run to The Capital gates," He commanded. "As fast as you can. The quickest one there will be granted a great prize."

"Oh, like a race!" Someone said excitedly.

"Do we start running now?" Another asked.

I felt my heart sink. Obviously nobody knew the severity of the situation we were in.

"Yes, now." Illesior's fur spiked briefly.

As everyone began to push past him, I saw him stop Sophi, Kirune, Strubin, and the Hycross, who had Arius and Zerhea.

"You stay with me," He murmured.

Arius hopped off the Hycross. "What's going on?"

I padded towards the group who stayed behind, and after the prince acknowledged me with a nod, he began. "I can sense dark magic on the plains," He whispered. "But you managed to survive once. I need you to survive again." He fixed Zerhea with a sapphire stare. "I know you weren't present when we came to your city, Zerhea, but you are the most powerful out of your peers. I need you here as well." Before she could answer, he added, "It will be a way to prove your abilities."

The golden aetyr nodded after a moment, understanding, and stepped back, her lips moving silently to beckon the Hycross to her.

"Are you asking us to fight?" Kirune asked, narrowing his eyes determinedly.

Illesior flicked his ears. "It may come down to it. All I need you to do is make sure that whatever comes does not reach the river at the foot of the hill." He pointed to the bridge that crossed the river, then turned back to us.

I stepped forward. "Do you sense a Spectre, Illesior?"

His eyes darkened. "Worse. It is a Consumed."

My friends all gasped. Finally Strubin spoke. "...How do we defeat it?"

Illesior clutched his heart. "You go for the heart. It will not kill it, but it will drain it of its magic. You have to make contact with where the heart is and speak a chaining spell, and it will give you temporary power to give to others in need."

"How do we kill it?" Sophi piped up.

The prince's eyes darkened. "You rip its heart out, and the darkness that was within will return from whence it came. The body of the Consumed will die, but the darkness will live on."

The wind picked up as he spoke, and suddenly the prince stopped speaking altogether. Zerhea's tail stood up, and she gazed around with curiosity.

Darkness fell over the hillside, and for a moment I thought it had become night. The sun was swallowed up, and a fierce wind picked us up, sending us careening to the top of the hill with a howling scream. Were we being summoned?

I hit the ground with force and sat up with effort, dirt trailing the sides of my mouth and my sides aching.

The others were all beside me, strangely in a line, and they clutched the grass with terror, their ears flattened against the howling wind. Illesior was by my side, his eyes glazed with horror.

"Az's blood!" He cursed breathlessly, staring with amazement.

I followed his gaze and nearly let go of the grass. In front of us rose a rising hurricane, dark clouds covering the sky and screaming overhead like the wail of a banshee. Wind whipped my face and the grass on the hills seemed to more resemble a thrashing ocean rather than a giant field.

I squinted my eyes. In the center of the vortex was bright light, like the eye of the storm. Within it stood a figure, black against the flashing lightning and the cascade of rain and wind.

"She is here." Illesior growled. "An old ally, but now our greatest enemy yet!"

It hit me.

"Shefaris?" I called.

The figure strode out of the storm, walking on air. The whites of her eyes were now pitch black, overwhelming with magic, and her irises glowed with impending doom.

"Nay." Her voice was tinged with a reptilian hiss, the growl echoing louder in the vortex. Her stormy fur seemed so much like the fierce weather she had brought forth. Her black mane, now suddenly tinged with white, whipped wildly around her. 

"I am Maelstrom."