Bienskurr Mountains, Cruinog

  Britiana stood at the bow of the airship, watching the familiar valley getting closer. Isa stood quietly near her. Some of the banshees also watched the familiar valley coming closer. Maeve was among them. She gave a quiet sigh. "It's been almost thirty years since we returned," she said.

  "You've been sequestered for so long?" Britiana asked curiously.

  "The visions started almost as soon as the others left Cruinog," Maeve answered.

  Julianna touched her chest where a talisman had been activated. "Thanks be to you, we won't have to see those visions when we arrive this time," she said with a shaky voice.

  "Is your sight passive? Have you ever tried to change things?" she asked.

  "If our warnings are heeded, death can be avoided. Sometimes, but eventually, death comes for everyone," Maeve said.

  Britiana was thoughtful. "What about us? What about Johan?" she asked. "What do you see?"

  The Banshees all shook their heads. "We see nothing when we look at any of you. Not even Johan," Maeve said.

  Adora smiled. "Of course not. Our fates are overseen by the Sisters of the Moons. Why would they allow outsiders to see them?" she said.

  This statement surprised them. "Perhaps that's true, but Johan is Earthborne," Julianna said.

  Britiana smiled. "If he married a Silver Dragon, he accepted the blessings of the Sisters and now his fate is overseen by them as well," she explained.

  "Are these Sisters also Dragons?" a young Banshee asked curiously.

  "They are gods. They are the Singers of Fate. They oversee the fates of all those of Emphyralis," Adora said reverently.

  The banshees listened in awe. Fae didn't have gods they believed in. Only nature, but they didn't deify nature. Nature was nature. They knew humans had various faiths but they did not. Maeve thought about it for a moment.

  "Elaides is also one of your gods? Johan mentioned something about it," she said.

  "Yes. Lady of Night, Mother of Stars, Goddess of Death and Judgment. Upon death, she welcomes you to her realm and judges your heart to decide what happens next," Britiana explained.

  "And Spirit Seers?"

  "Sometimes, spirits get lost on their way to Elaides' realm. Sometimes they're unwilling. Spirit Seers help them move on, either by helping solve their unfinished business, resolving their unwillingness, or by force," Adora explained. She knew the most about this since her son had manifested this ability.

  Thinking of this, she frowned. "Elder Graylock began to dislike him for this. He said it was ominous to see ghosts like Banshees. Can you all see spirits?" she asked. No one had mentioned this yet.

  The banshees nodded. "We also help guide them away with our wails," Maeve answered, her expression dark.

  Britiana's face cooled again. "I don't understand why the Earthborne never took the time to understand your abilities," she said.

  "Earthborne don't leave spirits. We return to the land when we die. Perhaps they fear, like the Banbawn, we're no longer Earthborne," Maeve said heavily.

  Britiana waved a dismissive hand. "Forget them. Go to Emphyralis, find some handsome Dragons and live the rest of your lives happily," she declared.

  The banshees couldn't help but laugh at the thought of that. A happy life? How far away that seems.

  The hunters around the ancestral hall didn't stay there full time. They took time to hunt in the half dead forests, hoping to tide their hunger with the blood of animals. They hadn't been able to hunt in the city at night for the past two nights and wouldn't be able to hunt that night either. Their strength was significantly weakened during the day, so they couldn't disguise themselves well among humans to feed.

  A few managed to find a deer and were draining it outside the ancestral hall when they saw the airship coming. Those with good eyesight saw the figures of the banshees.

  "King! It's the Banshees! The Banshees are coming!" one of the hunters shouted into the ancestral hall.

  The Dragons already spotted the airship. They hadn't been idle either. Though Lincoln still needed rest, Tempest had already recovered significantly thanks to the Draconite pendant Chrystianna had given her, so she helped the Dragons carve out a large cavern in the mountains where the fog couldn't reach. They were expected to be able to send the banshees to Emphyralis before nightfall, but Britiana had already sent word that they didn't want to wait with the other Earthborne.

  When she heard the dilemma, Tempest gladly volunteered to find a safe place to settle them.

  "Spencer, Wallace, guide the ship to the cavern," Darius instructed. They ignored the Earthborne King who hurried out to welcome his lost kin, only to see two Dragons fly off their campsite ledge, and guide the ship to a high peak. He saw a long wide board bridge the gap between the airship and a large black hole he'd never seen before. Then he watched scores of banshees walk along the board into the hole.

  They had no intention of coming to the ancestral hall.

  One of the hunters. "Who do they think they are to ignore the King!"

  Another hunter shook his head. "We ignored them first," he said and went back to the deer.

  "Come back inside. They'll come down before nightfall to use the Bridge. You can apologize to them then," Evanka told her husband.

  Corven flushed. "Who said I wanted to apologize," he said, turning on his heel and walking back into the ancestral hall. Evanka just smiled amusedly at his back and followed. There were only a little more than a hundred people left in the ancestral hall.

  Soon, the banshees had disembarked. They were happy to have a place to wait until it was time to leave. Britiana was pleasantly surprised to see that her mother was at the cavern to welcome the banshees.

  "Alistair, Delia. Go to Silvermoon's Temple of Elaides and ask someone there to come to escort the banshees," Chrystianna ordered. She, similarly to what Darius had done before, imbued their identity tokens with her authority. Though she couldn't order anyone from the Temple, they'd still give her face even if they were reluctant. But she didn't think they'd be reluctant when she learned about the Banshees.

  "Do hurry. It'll be nightfall in a few hours," Britiana reminded them.

  The two guards bowed. "Yes, your Grace, my lady," they said. They left the tavern, turning into Dragons long enough to glide down to the ancestral hall and disappear inside.

  Britiana looked around the cavern. A new camp had been set up here. The banshees were led to a large tent where there was a comfortable lounge area, some bloodwyne for them, and a few pieces of Draconite that gave off earthly energy. It was a very relaxing environment for the women. There was also a sectioned off place with beds for them to rest. They didn't have soil, but the earth attributed Draconite was soothing enough.

  When Maeve first looked inside, she had to step back out and circle the ten foot by ten foot tent, then look inside again. "Impressive magic," she said. "Let's go, ladies. There's plenty of room," she said and the banshees began to enter.

  Other tents had been moved here as well. Only Darius and some of the guards were still at the original ledge camp, keeping an eye on things. Even Raven and Eve were in the cavern, but they gave the Banshees their space. ZsaZsa stayed with them, but she waved her greeting when Britiana returned.

  The inside of the cavern was lit by several crystals floating around. Britiana was always in constant contact with her brother, so she knew the situation here. She knew what happened to the LandHealer and Baroness Earthstorme.

  She approached her mother and the two shared a quick hug now that everything had settled down. They had only just begun to have a chat when Darius announced that Kael Sandstorme had returned.

  Darius and Lazarus led him into the cavern, leaving Wallace and Spencer to watch over the valley.

  "Where's Amadeus?" Lazaurus asked.

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  "He's saving a few humans. My report has something to do with one of them," Kael answered.

  Darius led him to a table. Britiana, Chrystianna, Eve, Raven, and ZsaZsa joined them at the table to listen to the Technomage's findings.

  Britiana gave him something to drink, knowing he'd been busy for several hours. He thanked her and after satisfying his thirst he began to explain his findings.

  He set the flyer he got from Professor Snyderman on the table. "The humans call the unknown substance, xenomaterium. According to this formula, it absorbs energy from its surroundings and releases it after refinement, but in much lower quantities.

  "After studying their technology, I found out, they built a type of receiver that accumulates the energy released by the xenomaterium. I studied one of their power plants. It's just there as an area to hold the xenomaterium. It seems they cannot direct this energy because they cannot contain it, they can only use receivers to absorb it passively, which is how it's used. When a certain switch is engaged to activate the receiver, the power is "on" and when it's disengaged the power is "off".

  "This energy also only has a certain range, which is why the areas around power plants and cities are more vibrant than elsewhere. It's also why power plants have to be built at certain intervals to power the trains as they go by."

  Kael tapped the formula again. "The human who gave us this formula, I don't know if he's the sole author, but this formula lays out the truth. The xenomaterium takes in much more energy than it releases. It takes it in from everything and everywhere, but only nourishes a limited range. However, according to this, there won't be anything left to take in within the next decade."

  The table was heavy as they listened. Tempest had approached during his narration. She was going to inform everyone that Lincoln was rested enough to leave, but she stopped to listen. "Was it this xenomaterium stuff that tried to take Link?" she asked.

  "It likes Dragon energy," Kael answered. He didn't know what happened after he left, but he knew the Baroness came with a LandHealer. If he was in the land and something tried to "take" him, he had no doubt it was the xenomaterium. He explained that while he was taking apart the power plant, Amadeus, had studied the xenomaterium a bit.

  When Dragons approached, it was drawn to them, but when they released any magic or used their abilities, it would agitate into a whirlpool. However, when they left a human near it and they retreated, it returned to stillness.

  Kael shifted. "I hope her Grace and the young lord and lady don't mind, but I took a few samples of their technology. I believe the principles of the receiver for the ambient energy could be utilized on Emphyralis. I plan to draw up a proposal and submit it to the Obelisk for research," he said respectfully.

  "This is your freedom," Chrystianna said.

  Lazarus was curious. "What kind of proposal? How can this technology be utilized?" he asked.

  Kael didn't mind explaining. "Draconite is much more versatile than xenomatrium. If similar power plants and receivers are used, we can power many things with it instead of relying on individual sources of Draconite," he explained. Everything on Emphyralis relied on Draconite. As it was, most things relied on Draconite "batteries" and there were grades of Draconite and the costs likewise fluctuated and time usages could vary from a few days to a few thousand years. There was no such thing as a public power source like this.

  This proposal of the young Ruby Dragon's could literally change the world.

  Chrystianna's eyes widened then sparkled. "If Faina goes temporarily insane and doesn't agree, I'll fund the research myself," she declared. Britiana and Darius looked at each for a moment. They had the same thought.

  "First go to Terranthea and seek out Romily Scarletflame and Wilson Redstorme," Darius said.

  Chrystianna looked at them in surprise. "Why?" she asked. Kael was also listening.

  "Romily and Wilson are studying Terranthea's communication technology. Perhaps there's common ground between the two," Britiana answered.

  Kael's eyes lit up. He already knew a few things about Terranthea's communication technology from being a frequent patron of the Crowley House. One of the Crowley's had set up what she called a "local area network" inside so that the Terrantheans could continue to use many of their communication devices. "Then I'll do that. Thank you, your Grace, my lady, my lord," he said, standing up to bow to them several times.

  "Go back with the Baroness and LandHealer Evergreen," Chrystianna instructed. Kael thanked them again.

  With that said, Tempest did bid farewell to them. She left with Lincoln and the Technomage.

  Chrystianna stood and walked to the opening of the cavern. "We'll wait for this night to pass. I have a feeling it's better not to try to contact the Sisters during the fog. We'll begin tomorrow," she said.

  Britiana and Darius agreed.

  --

  Eveningstar, Emphyralis

  Seamus just learned about Chrystianna's movements the past day, starting from her hurried trip to Thale in the morning until the trip to Cruinog. He even learned about two little guards looking for a Technomage and a Landhealer. Aside from the reports of a sudden and hurried influx of more Earthborne in New Bienskurr, he had no way to find out what was happening there. However, it couldn't be good if Chrystianna went personally.

  Concerning the Earthborne, Seamus was conflicted on whether to target them or not. Something not even the other members of the Syndicate knew was that he was saved during a battle with the Dragon Hunters by the ones he was fighting with.

  Yes, the ever cold and calculating Seamus Eveningstar, after inheriting his position as magistrate of Eveningstar joined the local Knight Corps as a reservist when he came of age to fight against the Dragon Hunters. It was both a political and emotional move. He wanted to win the hearts of the soldiers and citizens of Eveningstar. He also wanted to punish the Dragon Hunters for the Plague just like every Dragon left alive.

  The Earthborne hunters were tough fighters. When fighting the Dragon Hunters, they'd even feast on their blood and become almost invincible and fearless. It was a sight to behold. He believed Vikkernoff Blackhollow felt similarly.

  Finally, unable to make a decision alone, he contacted the others. After a while, the five faces were looking at him. It was early for Vikkernoff, but late for Draycen. "What's this about now?" Draycen asked grumpily.

  "A few things. Chrystianna ran off to Cruinog. This is the perfect time for something to happen to Xolani D'a'kar," he said. He'd kept them apprised of the hunt for Chancellor in Silvermoon. He knew that without much thinking, Xolani D'a'kar would get the position. That alien had been learning at Chrystianna's side for a long time and was quite loyal.

  Although he couldn't guarantee who Chrystianna would ultimately choose, he had more than one candidate in the mix.

  Vikkernoff sighed. "Always with the dirty work for Vik," he complained, but his sparkling eyes conveyed that he didn't mind the dirty work at all. "Ah. I have an interesting thing to report," he said, suddenly remembering something.

  "What is it?" Lucien asked.

  "That woman brought a girl into the Castle. It's a girl from the Darkbane Clan, but they aren't anything remarkable these days, but I have been considering courting Argyle Darkbane. He has interesting views on women. It's just that he married a subservient ex-slave Elf from off-world," he said.

  "Aren't they the ones who last had the ShadowBlade?" Adonis asked.

  "That was generations ago. Who knows why that woman summoned that girl in reality. I managed to find out that she's meant to be a caregiver for the last of Ludvig Shadowclaw's spawn," Vikkernoff answered.

  Seamus raised an eyebrow. "It's not a bad angle. If Argyle Darkbane has complimentary views, it's not too bad to court him. Perhaps we can use this angle," he said.

  Vikkernoff nodded. "Just what I was thinking. I've already made contact with him in the past. It shouldn't be hard to bring him into the peripheral organization. If he can influence his daughter for good purposes, all the better," he said with a wicked grin.

  "I'll leave things to you," Seamus said. "How's it going in Thale? Any idea why Chrystianna went there?" he asked Yvor.

  The yellow-eyed man furrowed his brows. "I heard they captured a Nyxie. Maybe they were trying to get in its head," he said. "I do know she took the Icestorme brats when she left," he said.

  "Mm. They went to Terranthea. My guess is that Morganna sent them away from Icestorme for their safety," Seamus said.

  Yvor snorted. "That's all I know. With the Silvermoon girl still on the Earthborne homeworld, they haven't been able to build more Bridges to assemble an army to break the Siege," he said. He was annoyed, not knowing whether to be happy or mad about that.

  "That's also what I talk about. Hundreds of Earthborne have been sent over from their homeworld. None have left New Bienskurr, but the movement has been quite large, and races that have dealings with them noticed the uptick in hunting to make more Bloodwyne. Soon this matter will spread. I know whether to make an issue of this or not," he admitted.

  Lucien shrugged. "Why not? Isn't this exactly the kind of thing those groups are rallying against?" he said.

  "The Earthborne fought against the Dragon Hunters. Their young leader was gravely injured during the Wars," Vikkernoff argued. He, too, respected the power and bravery of the Earthborne during the Hunter Wars.

  "So did the Eoduun, but it doesn’t stop some groups of the Kaaduun demanding their confinement to Undirheim if not outright exile from Emphyralis," Draycen pointed out.

  Unlike the Eoduun who strongly worship Elaides and the other Dragons Gods, many groups of Elf Folk have less of a tie to Emphyralis and the Dragons. Therefore, they'd do something like spreading hate or not fighting the Dragon Hunters. It's not all groups, but some.

  Adonis snorted. "Don't push it directly, just let the news spread," he said.

  A knock sounded at Seamus' study door. It was a specific knock letting him know it was an insider. "Hold on a moment, gentlemen," he said. He cast a cloaking spell over his desk and leaned back. "Enter," he said.

  An attendant came into the study. He bowed. "You Grace. I just learned that two of the Silvermoon boy's guards went to the Silvermoon Temple of Elaides. Afterward, two Acolyte's and Spirit Seer left with them," he reported.

  "You can go," Seamus dismissed. The attendant bowed and left the study. Seamus removed the cloak and found his cohorts looking at him with expressions that mirrored his bafflement.

  "It's a shame we couldn't send anyone to the Earthborne Homeworld to find out what happened," Draycen lamented.

  "I don't care, but I just found out Morganna has been making some movements. She's assembling the Frost Guard," Yvor said. "I have to go find out what this woman is planning in the dead of night," he said and cut off contact without a farewell.

  Seamus sighed through his nose. "Then, I'll spread the word of the Earthborne influx. Let these groups decide for themselves how they want to react. It has nothing to do with me," he said. "I don't know how long Chrystianna will be gone," he reminded Vikkernoff.

  "Understood," Vikkernoff said. "Good afternoon, gentlemen," he said and cut contact.

  Seamus dismissed the others and cut contact as well. He summoned another attendant and gave him instructions. His conscience wasn't deep to begin with. After rationalizing his decision, he gladly began to spread the word to see what the haters would do next and how the women would deal with them.

  --