"It's My Grandfather"
Shortly before the dancing began, Chrystianna, the Dracosenati, and the Conclave of Scales left the Grand Hall and entered the Meeting Hall. Inside the Meeting Hall was a round table that was large enough to accommodate the entire Conclave. The Dracosenati were also technically members of the Conclave. The ceilings were vaulted, and the walls were adorned with flags representing each Dragon Race. There was even a flag representing the Copper Dragon race even though they were technically extinct. The bloodlines of Copper Dragons still lived on Bronze Dragons through intermarriage over the Ages.
Chrystianna used a call stone to contact Morganna Icestorme. A three-dimensional visage of her upper torso was projected from the stone in her usual seat in front of the Platinum Dragon flag. She then called the meeting to order and stood. "Thank you all for joining me for this impromptu meeting," she said.
"First, I want to explain the entire sequence of events concerning why I sent my children away," she said. She began to explain to them visions from the Sisters of the Moons, her preparations, and her sending them away and the subsequent investigation by Sonja. She then explained everything that happened when she went to Thelessia.
"Thanks to Sariya's shadowbane, we managed to get the edge on the Dragon Hunters, and we recovered the relics that belong to us. This is why I wanted the entire Conclave to meet today," Chrystianna began to pile the table with armor and weapons that had been reclaimed from the Hunters. She began to divide them to the correct representative.
Emotion welled in the room as they reclaimed remnants of their dead. Jassani, a well-known loud, rough and tumble woman, burst into sobs as she clutched the large Amber sword. "It's my grandfather," she managed to explain between sobs. Those nearest to her tried to comfort her. Tiny Aeris even hugged her and let her sob on her shoulder.
The others gathered the relics of their kind for proper death rituals, perhaps they could even find relatives of the deceased.
After Jassani and everyone else calmed down, it was Sonja's turn to explain her part in the investigation. "For a long time, we kept hitting walls, but a few days ago, we finally caught a break," she said and began distributing a file to each of them. This was the first time Chrystianna was also learning the updates. She opened the file and began reading it. Her eyes widened. "This is--" she gasped, cutting off her own words. "Oh, Sonja. I'm so sorry," she whispered.
Sonja looked uncomfortable. "I should apologize to you," she said.
Chrystianna shook her head in denial. "No," she said simply.
"He died?" Sigrunn was surprised. "Natural causes?"
"That seems..." Jassani didn't know how to put the feeling into words.
Sonja nodded. "There's no evidence otherwise. As you can see, we used a Spirit Seer, a Mage, a Silver Healer, and traditional autopsy. He stopped breathing and died," she said in a dispassionate and detached tone. "I'll be holding the funeral next week. There's no need for everyone to come. Sending flowers or something is fine. I won't be hiding the fact that he's a traitor," she said.
There was a murmur in the room, but no one argued with her decision.
"I'm just surprised his sisters haven't caused an uproar yet," Aeris mused.
"They don't know, yet. They can learn when the public learns," Sonja explained. "I want to know more about Delaney Crowley and the witchborn," she said, effectively changing the subject to one everyone was interested in.
For someone to find Emphyralis was fate. As devastating as it was, even the Dragon Hunters coming to Emphyralis was fate. They wanted to know more about this.
Chrystianna nodded. She explained the ins and outs of what Delaney had explained to them the situation of their world and her family.
She then explained the transfer spell that the mages were working on.
"Though I'm pleased about the possibility of re-establishing travel from Thale, the witchborn coming to learn and return to their world troubles me a little," Morganna posited.
Chrystianna nodded. "Please say," she encouraged.
"Will learning from us unbalance their world?" Morganna asked. "Will they abuse what they've learned?"
"For now, the mission is rescuing Delaney's family and scouting the planet. Future plans will be decided upon return. As for the other witchborn, I've realized something I don't think Delaney and her family have," Chrystianna said.
"The fact they've already unbalanced their world? They are effectively demi-gods, are they not. Isn't the reason the Dragon Gods left Emphyralis is because their presence here upset the balance of our world?" Isolde said. Before being made Marchioness of Wyntercrest, she was planning to be a mage. She continued her studies even after taking up the title.
Chrystianna nodded. "Delaney is a special case, with her father being a Shadow Demon, but even so, if her family have similar magical potentials to her, they could become fifth tier mages in their lifetimes. I don't believe any of the other witchborn were meant to be more powerful than lower fourth tier at their peaks," she explained. "Or, well, this is what Raven has reported to me. Even if the other witchborn learn from us, they still won't unbalance their world," she explained.
"But the Crowley family can't stay there any longer," Avalon said, concluding from their speculations.
Chrystianna nodded again. "I believe so, and I believe Delaney has already realized it, but hasn't completely acknowledged it. She even joked with Britiana earlier today about finding a Dragon partner. I think she knows that once they return to their world to normal, or even eliminate the demon threat for good, they cannot stay," she said.
The women were quiet for a moment. "Well, I for one, welcome the witchborn in Myrkir," Sonja declared. "I'm even considering how to recruit Delaney," she added with a smile. "I'll discuss it with the Onyx Council and Lower Parliament when I return, but I see no problem with them being unwelcome," she said.
Avalon nodded. "I agree as well. If there are more witchborn who have plant-based magic like Delaney's mother, it would be beneficial to learn at the Mage Guild," she said. "We can also learn from them. I'm curious to know what kind of plants they use in their alchemy," she added.
"Isaz is on board," Isolde said simply.
"Varmur, too," Elektra piped up.
"I'm curious to know how they combine their technology and magic. This computer network that only the witchborn can use? Very curious. I can't wait to learn from them," Faina said.
Morganna smiled. "If they can make it to Thale, they are welcome to learn. I'm not unwilling. I was just concerned for the repercussions," she explained.
"You made valid points. Don't apologize," Chrystianna assured her. Morganna nodded. "If there are no other points of business, we can return to the grand Hall and enjoy the rest of the evening," she said and waited. No one brought up any issues that couldn't wait until their official meeting.
Chrystianna nodded. She clapped a small gavel on the table. "Meeting adjourned."
--
The Banquet lasted 'til about midnight. Some guests left; some guests stayed the night to leave in the morning. After their dance, Isa escorted Britiana back inside and took his jacket back. She thanked him and gave him a wink. "If fate allows, we'll see each other again," she said and disappeared into the crowd before he could answer.
The next morning, the family, Sariya, and Delaney gathered in the living room. Chrystianna beamed. "I have things for you all," she said. She produced a small, simple shining jewel on a pendant for Britiana. "This is for you. I've meant to give it to you earlier. You aren't the first Silvermoon to be a powerful empath. This will block it for you until you can control it better. When you need to use the empathic ability, just cover it with your hand or take it off," she explained.
Britiana smiled. "Thank you, Mom," she said and hugged her briefly.
Chrystianna gave Darius a silver ring with Emphyralian Draconic symbols etched into it. "This will help control and boost Manifestations," she explained.
She handed Sariya a folded-up suit of Silver Dragon scales. "And this is for you. Don't reject it. It's made from scales from my first molt. This will protect you well," she said firmly.
Sariya was flabbergasted but took the suit. "Thank you. I don't know what to say. I'm so honored," she said solemnly.
Chrystianna beamed at her. "And this is for Delaney from Sonja. She said it would suit your Darkness attribute," she handed Delaney a folded suit of Onyx Dragon scales.
Delaney was even more flabbergasted than Sariya. She took the suit. "Please thank her Grace for me. I'm honored but I have no idea why she would give me such a thing," she said.
Elias chuckled. "I think she's trying recruit you. After all, not many people know shadow magic as well as Onyx Dragons and the mages of Myrkir," he said.
Delaney nodded and put away the suit. The four of them wore traveling clothes and the special cloaks Britiana and ZsaZsa made. Delaney's was smokey gray lined in shimmery black. Britiana, wearing pants for once, wore a plush purple cloak lined in silver. Darius wore an azure blue lined in silver. Sariya wore a silvery cloak lined in black.
Britiana hugged her father. "We probably won't be back before you leave. I'm sorry, Daddy," she said.
Elias hugged her back. "We'll see each other again soon. I believe that. You should, too," he assured her. "Besides, you gave me the instructions and supplies for the transfer spell for when we need it," he added with a warm smile.
Britiana nodded and broke away.
Elias then enveloped his big son in a hug. Darius hugged him back. "Take care, Dad," Darius said.
"You, too. Be careful," Elias said seriously.
Darius then hugged his mother and kissed her cheek before stepping away.
After a few good-byes, the foursome left the Keep and entered the inn. Amadeus, Lazarus, ZsaZsa, and Raven were waiting for them. The guards, except the Noxies, were flanking the storage room. They'd finally been briefed on the true purpose of the inn.
Darius paused when he saw them. "The team not on duty, go rest. We'll be gone for a while," he instructed. The two off duties saluted and did as he instructed. Only the Noxies had little curiosity.
The group entered the portal room. "I'll keep watching this end. I'll do everything in my power to make sure nothing goes wrong and try to correct it if it does," Raven said.
Darius nodded. "Are you ready?" he asked Delaney.
"I'm used to this. You're the ones who are shrinking and freezing," Delaney answered.
Darius nodded. "Then we'd better get started," he said. He said the activation word. His cloak glowed, and he was encapsulated in a series of interconnected hexagons and shrank.
Amadeus and Lazarus both blinked and looked at each other. They nodded and each said the activation word. Finally, Britiana, Sariya, and ZsaZsa said the word. Delaney collected the fist-sized capsules and put them in her dimensional pouch.
She took a deep breath. "See you when I see you," she said to Raven. She wrapped the shadows around herself and stepped forward. The girl disappeared in front of Raven. Delaney had to admit that even just a few days on Emphyralis had already boosted her ability by a small but noticeable amount. Stepping into the Shadow Dimension wasn't quite as taxing as usual.
Traveling worlds was different from traveling from point to point on the same world. There was darkness, resistance, an almost electric pressure on her body. If she wasn't half Shadow Demon, she might have been torn apart. If she brought other people, she had to use her own body as a shield, but it was doable. More than that would have been impossible. She was thankful for Britiana's ingenious stasis capsule.
As for finding one's way around, it was like stepping into a nexus with countless branches. She had to focus her mind to narrow them down to what she wanted when she didn't have a destination in mind, and then touch each one to get an impression of the place on the other end. Going home, however, was easy. There was only one path, and she stepped onto it. She felt her body lurch and she stepped out of the shadows, panting to catch her breath as if she'd just sprinted a thousand miles.
She was in the middle of her family's living room. Two of her aunts were sitting on the sofa, monitoring their entry points. More and more mortals were gathering. They'd called the police several times to report illegal gatherings, but they'd gather again as soon as they were dispersed.
"Delaney!" Lysithea exclaimed and stood, hugging her tightly. Amalthea was only a beat behind hugging her from the other side.
"Oof! Okay, let me breathe. I was already winded," she strangled out.
The two older women backed off. "We're just glad you're back. We have to leave soon, so we need to work out how to do it," Amalthea said.
Delaney frowned. She tamped down her curiosity. "Wait, call the others," she said and then began pulling out little glowing fist-sized capsules. The aunts watched with curiosity as they texted that Delaney was back in the group chat. Delaney set the six capsules a certain distance apart.
There was a clatter on the stairs. "Watch your steps!" Delaney shouted urgently. She didn't know if the capsules could handle being stepped on.
Several women came to a lurching halt. She let out a breath and set down the last capsule. "Release!" she said in the Emphyralian Draconic tongue, imbuing her voice with power.
The capsules glowed, grew, and turned back into cloaks. Six people sat groggily on the ground.
"Goddess save us. Where the hell have you been?" Deianira asked, mind mildly blown.
"There's time for that later. Tell me, why the sudden urgency?" Delaney asked.
Amalthea showed her the various video screens on the laptops. "We're under siege," she said.
Delaney saw the gathering people at a glance. Finally able to stand without feeling dizzy, the Emphyralians looked over their shoulders. "What does it mean?" Darius asked.
"It means demons have discovered that these spots may be the entrances to our hiding places. They're either trying to wait us out or smoke us out," Delaney said grimly.
"Then we'd better get started on drawing the array. Where do you want to set up the portal room?" Britiana asked.
Darius adjusted his cloak, and it shimmered until he appeared to be wearing a pair of work boots, jeans, a white tank and a blue flannel shirt. His otherworldliness was toned down and his ears were no longer pointy. "Are there any other ways out? We'll do recon," he said.
Lazarus and Amadeus adjusted their cloaks, and they're otherworldliness also faded until they also wore normal clothes a young man in Nova Aurelea would wear. Sariya's change was the largest, her skin tone shifted from gray to brown, and her eyes from yellow to amber, her hair from white to black. She, too, appeared to be dressed in jeans, flannels, and hunting boots.
The Crowley women looked at them in amazement and then looked at Delaney. "Just everyone takes a breath. Let me at least make the introductions," she said.
Britiana smiled sheepishly. "Right," she said.
Delaney suddenly let out a tense laugh, then she sat down.
"Here, let me pour you some everberry wine. It has restorative properties. You must be tired," ZsaZsa said helpfully, pulling a leather flask and a wooden cup and pouring some liquid inside. She handed it to Delaney.
Delaney thanked her and downed the smooth, light, refreshingly sparkling drink. She did feel less tired. The Crowley's crowded together and managed to squeeze six people on a couch meant for three, looking between Delaney and the strangers. Since ZsaZsa and Britiana weren't wearing their cloaks properly, they still looked as usual, pointed ears and luminous eyes and almost shimmering skin.
"The last planet I went to was a low magic, medieval style world. About the time I rejected it as an option, I encountered higher level magic, eventually discovering Emphyralis. That's where we'll be going," she said. She then began to explain all the events from running into Chrystianna and the Voidstalker, to finally completing the spell and coming back to get them.
She then introduced everyone to each other. Once the witches understood what was happening, they were enthusiastic. "We'll take you to the basement. You can draw the spell there," Helena volunteered herself and her twin.
"I'll take you out to the bayou with Delaney," Deianira said. "It's near the house but we rarely use it, so they don't seem to know about it," she explained.
"Is there another way out?" Darius asked.
"There's another exit in the cemetery," Lysithea answered. "It comes up in the tomb, and it's cumbersome to use, so we haven't used it either," she said.
"We'll split up. I'll go with Sariya to the bayou. You two go to the cemetery," Darius instructed Lazarus and Amadeus. "Only engage with the native if necessary. Don't take risks," he said.
"How far to go if it becomes necessary?" Amadeus asked.
"No blades, no magic. Detainment or incapacitation, if necessary," he instructed.
"Yes, my lord," they said at the same time.
Lysithea raised her brows. "Come on, Phryne. We'll take these gentlemen to the cemetery," she said.
Phryne nodded. "Ok," she agreed readily.
"I'll monitor from here. Keep your phones handy," Amalthea warned them.
The Crowley women agreed and went out the front door. That's when they realized they were underground. Deianira and Delaney led Darius and Sariya through one tunnel. Lysithea and Phryne led Amadeus and Lazarus down another tunnel.
Helena and Honora took Britiana and ZsaZsa to the basement to work on the transfer spell.