Zane thought about what Marius said about the Second Mage of Icestorme Mage's Tower. He left Icestorme, and headed to the local chapter of Inlil's Whispers. Inlil's Whispers were a messenger service made up of Quartz Dragons. Whispers weren't as popular as Drakes for sending messages long distance. However, they had their own conveniences.
Inlil's Whispers sent messages on the wind, utilizing the Aerokinetic abilities of Quartz Dragon. It may not seem very secure, but each Quartz Dragon had special routes they used the wind to deliver messages. Another bonus was confidentiality. One had to go to and from the Whispers' Roost to send and receive messages. Rather than one's own identity token, they responded to special tokens issued by the Whispers itself, keeping one's identity secure, without the fear of a Drake suddenly arriving at inconvenient times.
Disguised, Zane showed his service token and had a message sent to another specific token holder. It was a message for Dahlia. It was only a time and location.
When Dahlia was on mission, she often made herself untraceable by Drakes and checked for messages at the local Whispers' Roost.
He then went to the meeting place to wait for her. He'd tried the old Frost Elf's previous house, only to find it occupied by the original old woman. Dahlia had already changed identities and he wasn't sure where she was now.
He only waited an hour before he was approached by a gap-toothed child. "Hey, Mister. You wanted to see me?" the child asked with a grin.
Zane raised a brow. "Interesting disguise," he said.
The boy shrugged. "Why did you look for me?" he asked.
"This place is secure. Do you mind," Zane said drily.
The boy blinked. "Oh," he grumbled. He suddenly changed into the androgynous, black-eyed, white haired person Zane was used to. "Better?" Dahlia asked.
"In your investigations so far, have you come across any news about Kylian Pugoks?" he asked.
Dahlia raised a brow in an almost identical expression as his. "Quite a bit. Do you want me to compile what I have?" she asked.
"Is he connected to the outcry?" he asked.
"Yes and no. He didn't didn't start it but he stirred the pot quite a bit," she answered.
Zane considered that. It would be useful to someone wanting to keep Thale isolated for whatever reason. "I don't suppose you've discovered he's behind the Siege," he said with a sigh.
She gave a slightly surprised expression. "No. But...I can weave a story of why he would be," she said.
Zane waited patiently. She grinned at him before speaking again.
"He's in lust with Morganna Icestorme. Has been since she was a child. He also cozied up to her aunt and helped convince her to isolate. I also learned that he made sure the Plague came to Thale. Not that there was any stopping it, but even after the former Countess forbade travel to or from Thale, he brought in several Dragon acquaintances before the Gate here was destroyed. Ah, he convinced her to do that as well," she said.
Zane frowned. "How did he have so much sway? Wasn't he only a mage at the time," he asked.
Dahlia sneered. "Pillow talk."
Zane, who could weather any storm that came his way, was shocked to his core.
Dahlia shrugged. "Part of the reason the former countess initiated isolation was because Dragon Hunters killed her consort. Someone had to be there to comfort her," she said.
Zane sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Didn't you just say he was in lust with Morri?" he asked.
Dahlia shrugged. "Who knows what he was thinking? Either he fell for the newer and younger, or he got close to the aunt to the niece," she said. "I can find out if you need me to. I know who started stirring up the ministers. It was a merchant group. It seemed strange. Why would a merchant group care? Turns out there was a law on the floor that they didn't want passed and used this to run out the time to vote on it," she explained.
Zane raised his brows then grunted. "Greed," he sneered.
Dahlia nodded. "They paid some ministers quite handsomely in gifts. I almost feel like it's too simple. I'm a bit disappointed there wasn't a grand conspiracy," she complained.
"Hand over your findings to Morri then look into Kylian Pugoks. I'll pay your usual fee. Find out as much as you can about his activities before and after the isolation," he said.
Dalia nodded. "I'll send a Drake to her by the end of the day," she said. She shifted into the gap toothed boy again. "See ya, mister," the boy lisped and ran off.
Zane tapped well defined fingers against his strong thigh as he considered the possibilities. Kylian Pugoks was suspicious, but he was a little too suspicious. Why would he leave Icestorme right before an attack if he wanted to avoid suspicion? Perhaps he'd only be able to answer this when he returned. If he returned.
He frowned, his expression dark. He returned to Icestorme Hall and found Ulrik Icebridge. "Send your new people to find Kylian Pugoks," he said.
Ulrik nodded. "I was thinking of doing that and wanted to run it by you. I just hope we're not being led astray by following the obvious suspect," he added.
Zane shook head. "We'll know when we find him."
Ulrik agreed. He summoned Onika and Oberon Starsong and sent them to find the Second Mage, whose whereabouts were currently unknown.
"Let's begin bringing in our people," Zane declared. The other Generals agreed.
--
Eerie Sea, Cruinog
Delia could smell the foul, fishy smell of the sea long before they saw it. Soon they could see the dreary gray moors that made up part of the coastline of the Eerie Sea. They weren't that close to the sea yet they could still see the dead and rotting bodies of fish, and the seafoam that was a muddled murky brown-gray. Johan looked around, aghast. The moors themselves, which should be filled with fields of heather, were instead filled with dry, brittle, overgrown weeds of some sort that were hard when they walked through them.
While they were flying, the fog had billowed in. They'd hoped the fog was restricted to the area near the Bienskurr Mountains, but they flew for hundreds of miles, and the fog stretched as far as the eye could see.
The only spots where the fog didn't reach were some brightly lit cities, the occasional town, and small spots located along train tracks. They also noted several trains where the fog would split in front of them as they moved. Delia made note of these things to report back to Darius and Britiana.
They couldn't even find a spot to land. Delia turned her head to look at Adora. "Do you know any barrier spells?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Use it before we land. We can't let the fog touch us at all," she warned. "We'll lose each other, but we can't keep flying all night. You have to protect Jonah from the dawn," she explained.
Jonah knew about this particular weakness of the Earthborne on Cruinog. "We understand," he shouted.
Before they could make preparations, they heard several long, keening wails. Suddenly the fog rippled and was blown back as if in gail force winds. The two Dragons had to gain a bit of altitude to avoid it.
"Banshees!" Johan exclaimed.
Delia and Adora corrected their course a little, and headed toward the constant wailing. Soon they came upon an old house upon a craggy hill. The entire hill was clear of the fog. They could see women's figures milling around.
The women also noticed them. Johan jumped off of his wife's back mid-air. He turned into mist before forming into a large owl. He flew toward the women. He landed amidst them and changed back into a man. "Don't be afraid," he told them.
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The women, all of varying ages, were wary of him. "Why should we listen to you, hunter?" a woman demanded from the porch of the old house.
"My name is Johan Graylock. My sister is Julianna Gralock," he said.
The woman frowned and looked at the creatures circling the building in the sky. "Clear more room!" she shouted at the other women, her voice almost loud enough to be heard for miles around. "Julianna!" she shouted into the house.
The banshees wailed toward the fog while stepping forward. The fog billowed backwards again.
Adora and Delia landed before changing into their humanoid forms. A woman came out of the house. Like Johan, she was pale and blonde with blue eyes. When she saw him, her eyes lit up and ran to him, throwing her arms around him. "Johan!" she exclaimed and squeezed him tightly. Then she pushed him back by his shoulders, shaking him slightly. "What are you doing here? Don't you know how dangerous the fog is! Things lurk in the fog!" she scolded just like any big sister would.
Adora couldn't help laughing.
Delia was watching silently. She tapped the crystal on the piece of silver hooked around her ear. The crystal glowed, gave a stuttering hum and went silent. Delia scowled. "This fog acts like an isolation field," she said. She put the stone away and pulled out something that resembled a backpack. She put it on her back and activated it. A pair of white wings appeared on her back.
"Stay here. I'll report to the young lord," she told Adora and jumped. The wings flapped as she gained altitude. She pulled out the call stone again and kept fiddling with it, trying to get a signal.
The banshees were watching the entire thing with wide eyes.
Julianna finally realized the oddness. "Johan, what is going on? How did you get back to Cruinog?" she asked.
Johan shook his head. "I'll explain that later. Why are you all here together? Why did you leave the mountains?" he asked.
The woman who seemed to be in charge approached. "We're safer together than trying to depend on hunters," she sneered. "As you can see, this accursed fog doesn't like our wails," she gestured to the fog that was kept at bay even when the women weren't screaming at it.
She looked at Adora who was standing quietly nearby then glanced at the speck that was Delia. "Are they people from where you ended up?" she asked.
She wasn't polite, but Johan didn't mind. In his opinion the Banshees' low opinion of the hunters was well deserved.
Johan nodded. He excitedly moved to Adora and grabbed her hand. "This is my wife, Adora Silvermyst. She's a Silver Dragon from Emphyralis.That's the place we ended up. It's amazing there! We don't have to be afraid of the dawn, we aren't weak in the daytime, and the best thing is we don't have to drink blood to survive!"
The older woman's face softened a little as she watched him, chattering in such an excited manner with a bright face. She'd never seen a hunter like him.
"There's also a place I think can help the banshees to control their abilities. It's called the Temple of Elaides. There they worship the Goddess of Death and Judgement. Some of her followers are called Spirit Seers. My son is a Spirit Seer," he continued.
The faces of the listening women became complex.
Adora shook his arm. "You're getting ahead of yourself," she said. His words were getting a bit jumbled. She smiled at her sister-in-law and the other women. "What he's trying to say is that there's a way to send everyone to Emphyralis. When Johan saw that the no banshees were being sent over, he came to find his sister," she said and spent a few minutes explaining about the Bridging Array and introducing Britiana and Darius to them.
A young woman stepped forward. "Is this true? We can all leave Cruinog?" she asked.
"If it's true, how wonderful. Then we won't have to see it anymore," another woman almost sobbed.
"See what?" Delia spoke. Somehow, without them even noticing, she'd returned to the ground.
The oldest woman's face became nearly desolate.
"The death of the Fae."
--
Bienskurr Mountains, Cruinog
Darius, after hearing Delia's report that they found the Banshees, breathed a sigh of relief. At least they wouldn't have to go all over the planet looking for them. "After sunrise, we'll send a flying ship to pick them up," he said.
"I'll go now. You stay here and wait for Spencer and Wallace. Alistair needs to rest. A nice airship ride will do him good," Britiana volunteered. She didn't want to keep staring at this fog.
Darius agreed. "Take Aman," he said. He didn't expect any other trouble tonight. The Dullahan seemed to take this area as its own hunting ground. That likely meant anything else that might take refuge in the fog had been killed or run off.
He pulled out an airship and used a floating spell to keep it from falling. Aman materialized on board and went to the pilots cabin to start it. Soon Darius felt it floating under its own power and withdrew the spell. Aman lowered the boarding ramp to where Britiana was standing. She boarded lightly. Isa grabbed the barely conscious Alistair and helped him board.
The young guard had woken hours earlier, but he had a headache and wasn't feeling great. "Thank you, my lady," he said once he boarded.
Britiana shook her head dismissively. She looked over the side of the airship at those staying behind while Aman put away the boarding ramp. "I'll contact you when we arrive. As long as we're above the fog, the call stones work," she said. "Aman, let's go," she ordered.
The others watched as the airshift flew away, getting smaller and smaller. Soon it was out of sight.
Darius ordered everyone else to transform and try to rest. "Put your shielding cloak on," he told ZsaZsa.
They were all perched precariously on the highest peak they could find, but there were enough places for their humanoid forms to relax even if they couldn't pitch new tents.
ZsaZsa agreed. She transformed back to her humanoid form and put on the black cloak. She pulled out a soft mat and laid it on the ground and laid down it. Lazarus took up a position nearby. Imre told them they would keep watch until the sun rose.
Imre woke Darius, Amadeus, and Lazarus. Lazarus cast a barrier in front of ZsaZsa as a double insurance. They watched as the fog melted away as if it were never there. Darius flattened his lips. "I wonder..." He jumped off the mountainside and landed in the valley. Amadeus and Lazarus followed.
"Catch it if this doesn't work," he said. He tossed down the captured Dullahan and released it from the cloak.
The confused and groggy horse, whinnied and tried to rear, sensing enemies. Then it let out a blood curdling scream as the light of dawn hit it. It combusted in blue flames that eventually sunk into the ground. A patch of grass shockingly turned lush and green for several hundred feet around them. Then, almost to the naked eye, the grass began turning yellow again.
ZsaZsa was watching everything from behind the protective shield. She clenched her fists. Something was terribly wrong with this planet.
After the sun had been up for an hour, they returned to their previous camp and released Raven and Eve. Raven was used to the capsules, but Even found it thoroughly unpleasant. "I never want to do that again," she grumbled. Raven only snickered at her. The two Earthborne decided to go back to the ancestral hall to check on the progress of the evacuation. It should be done by the end of the day.
Darius chose to stay where he was. He didn't want to deal with the Earthborne King again. He just asked them to send Wallace and Spencer and whoever they brought to them.
However, when the guards finally appeared, they not only had a LandHealer and Technomage, but a Topaz Dragon.
And Chrystianna.
After situating the Icestorme boys, the more Chrystianna thought about what she learned from the guards, the more she realized she needed to assess the situation herself. She found the guards, who had actually had a stroke of luck when finding a LandHealer. A Landhealer in a Symbiotic relationship with a Topaz Dragon had been visiting Silvermoon when they came to request.
It wasn't just any Topaz Dragon. It was the Topaz representative in the Conclave of Scales, Baroness Tempest Icestorme. Chrystianna had also been surprised. In the middle of the night, they all headed to New Bienskurr because of the time difference.
When they appeared, Raven was also quite surprised to see Chrystianna. "It's not that I don't trust my children, but I thought I should at least meet the Earthborne King," she told her good friend.
Raven didn't know what to say to that. She led the way and introduced the two leaders. Chrystianna sent the guards and their guests to meet Darius without worrying about her.
And so Wallace and Spencer led the other three Dragons out of the ancestral hall.
Tempest didn't wear shoes unless the occasion called for it. She preferred feeling the earth underneath her feet. She looked down as soon as she stepped out. "I think I understand why the young lord wanted a LandHealer," she said. She was a tall, statuesque woman with dark tawny skin, yellowish-brown eyes, and blonde hair.
Lincoln Evergreen narrowed his green eyes and rubbed his temples with a warm walnut hand.. "Everything is dying," he said. He was an Emerald Dragon. Not only was a LandHealer, but he was also a Florapath, meaning he could communicate with plants to some degree. Not in a conversational way, but in the sense he can tell when a plant is healthy, hungry, thirsty, sick, or in the case of the grass in this valley, dying.
The other Dragon following them didn't have anything to say. He was a Ruby Dragon serving in the Knight Corps. He had red eyes so dark they were almost black, phoenix eyes, and sword shaped brows, making him look quite fiercely heroic. His long black hair was pulled back at the temples, and his gray uniform offset his powerful build and dark wheat skin. He looked like a pure warrior, but he did enjoy exploring technology as much as any Ruby Dragon with Technopathy.
Darius and the others came down from their campsite when they saw them approaching. Lincoln and the Ruby guard bowed to him slightly.
Wallace stepped forward. "My lord, this is the LandHealer, Lincoln Evergreen. The Baroness is his Symbiotic partner. This is the Technomage, Kael Sandstorme," he introduced.
Darius gave the Baroness a small bow. "My lady," he greeted.
Tempest waved her hand. "Let's drop the formalities," she suggested. "Let's figure out what's wrong with this land," she said, stomping on the dead grass.
Wallace cleared his throat. "My Lord, Her Grace also came."
Darius didn't show his surprise. "Lazarus, guide LandHealer Evergreen and her ladyship. Amadeus, take Sir Sandstorme to the city. Be sure to give him a camouflage cloak," he instructed. "I'll go see my mother," he said. He looked at ZsaZsa "What will you do?" he asked.
"I'll stay with LandHealer Evergreen and the Baroness," ZsaZsa answered.
Darius nodded. Everyone split up to do their different tasks.
--