Sleetfall was a moderately sized agricultural Dome in the middle ring of Thale. To say that agricultural Domes like Sleetfall didn't in some way benefit from the Siege would be a lie. They had to produce on a larger and faster scale than ever before. However, to say the Siege didn't affect them negatively would also be a lie.
The magistrate of Sleetfall, Yvor Sleetfall, benefitted in many ways. He was the type of person to find ways to enrich himself. However, he disliked being stuck. He couldn't travel beyond the borders of Thale without a lot of work. This was something every denizen of Thale had in common. He might want to replace to replace Morganna Icestorme as the ruler of Thale, but we agreed with her that the Siege had to stop.
He was checking his accounts when one of his attendants knocked on his study door with an urgency. Frowning in annoyance at being interrupted, he allowed the entry. The attendant quickly reported the attack in Icestorme.
"I understand. You can leave," he said flatly. He sat back in his chair, tapping his fingers on his desktop. The Syndicate had many contacts in the underside of society. Even they didn't know the hidden hand behind the Siege.
An attack on Icestorme, even if it was just to try and kill some important children, was an unprecedented escalation. It also indicated several things. The other side had the ability to attack anywhere. The goal wasn't conquest. It seemed the Siege itself was the goal.
To what end?
With a scowl, he tapped the call stone sitting on his desk. "Seamus Eveningstar," he said. The stone glowed and began to tone lowly. Before long, the cold face of the Grand Duke was floating above it.
"Why are you contacting me?" he asked.
"Because you're in charge, aren't you?" Yvor responded. Seamus gave him a dark look. Yvor ignored it and told him about the attack.
Seamus was silent for a while. "This will definitely stir up those women. My guess is that their plans will be moved forward for dealing with the Siege. Don't obstruct them. In fact everyone should find a chance to contribute, especially you, since you're the closest," he said. He'd already donated a lot of goods for the relief effort.
Yvor nodded. He'd already planned on that. His dome specialized in a type of plant that could be woven into a special weather-proof cloth and he had a workshop that wove the cloth. Usually he sold to the military, but this time he would graciously forgo the easy profit and donate it all when it was time. He smiled faintly, imagining the gratitude and accolades that would come his way with that move.
"Keep an eye on things in Thale. I'll inform the others," Seamus said and terminated communication without another word.
Yvor sneered. If it weren't for the fact he was too lazy to rule the whole world, he wouldn't let Seamus boss him around like this. He called his personal attendant, and stood. The attendant came to him, awaiting instructions.
"Double production immediately. Even if the apothecary overcharges for growing agents, pay it without haggling. I'll check the weavers myself. We have to find a way to improve production speed," he said.
His weatherproof cloth was rare. By design. He had the ability to grow more, but he didn't bother. There was only the Thale military that could buy it. There was no reason not to pretend it was rare and overcharge for it. Truthfully, it did hurt his soul a bit to not only double production but also give it away for free. He knew it would be worth it.
If he ever found out who was behind the Siege, he'd make that person pay for it.
--
Icestorme, Thale
The Healing Hall of Icestorme was part of the Icestorme Hall complex. It was a large clean, building with Healers scurrying around. Like most healing centers, there was a healing wellspring located within its walls. Wellsprings were hidden grottos and secluded coves where Draconite enriched waters well to the surface. Almost every major healing center has one or more Aquamarine Dragon Healer.
While Darius was reporting to Zane and Marius, Britiana escorted the injured guards to the Healing Hall. Spencer, Alistair Moonwhisper, Wallace Moonlight, and Noxie Two were still in relatively good shape. They were taken by healer novices for cursory exams. Well, Noxie Two insisted on staying with Noxie One.
The kelp goblins only seemed to entangle, but they actually secreted a very corrosive substance. Anyone who was unfortunate enough to get caught up had burns of varying severity. Noxie One had his back leg entangled for a few moments before Britiana managed to save him. Delia had an injured tail and Isa had broken ribs.
Astaria took charge of the three of them and took them into the Healing Pools. The wellspring was slightly underground, so they had to go down into a large cavern. It was naturally carved of rock with a gentle trickle of water falling from high up a cavern wall into several shallow pools with wall ways between them, but interconnected by natural channels. The cavern walls were high, and many of the pools were large enough to hold Dragons.
Though there were no other patients, the cavern wasn't empty. Several merfolk were soaking in the pools. Merfolk could assume human forms, but they had to soak in water everyday. The Draconite enriched waters of the healing pools were open to them. Several of them even worked as nurses in the pools. There were also Healing Sprites.
Sprites were an interesting existence on Emphyralis. They were technically elementals, but they weren't purely and they weren't born. They seem to form naturally in certain places. They usually maintained child-like appearances when they corporealized. Healing sprites were a mixture of water and air elements. Healing centers were ripe for the formation of Healing Sprites. They usually worked as nurses for healers. Unfortunately they could not travel far from the places that nourish them.
Two of them with slightly blue skin and long white hair skipped over to them when they entered. "Healer Rainsong," they greeted.
"Sooji, take the Noxie to a pool to soak his leg," Astaria instructed one of them. "Minjoo, take him to another pool to soak up to his chest," she added.
The two led their patients toward smaller pools. Noxie Two followed Noxie One and Britiana followed Isa.
Astaria led Delia to a large pool to transform and soak her tail, taking on the largest, trickiest problem herself.
Isa followed the Sprite to a pool. "Please remove your shoes and shirt. The waters work best when they touch the skin," Minjoo instructed professionally.
Britiana helped him remove his tunic and undershirt, and despite his objections, his boots. They were easy enough. All she had to do was touch them and put them into her storage space. Isa then stepped into the pool. He sat on a ledge and the water came up to his chest. The Sprite flickered and turned into a small watery wisp glowing wind and mist and entered the water. The water glowed around his injury. Now it was only a matter of waiting for the injury to heal.
"Is it cold?" Britiana asked. Noticing he'd sucked in a breath when the Sprite began to glow.
Isa shook his head. "The water is just right, it was just a little cold where the Sprite is," he answered.
"Then just sit back and relax. Let the Sprite do its work. I'll go check on Noxie One," she said. Before he could answer, she knelt down and kissed his cheek. Then she quickly stood and scurried off. Surprised, he watched her back as it got further away. He touched his cheek and chuckled lightly. Then he grunted in pain.
Britiana walked to the pool where Noxie One was soaking his leg. The other sprite glowed around they're slightly corroded leg. "How is it?" she asked.
"My lady," they intoned at the same time.
"The wound is already healing. Thank you for your concern," Noxie One answered her question.
Britiana crouched down, resting her chin on her knees. "I just want to let you both know, you did good today. I thought of names for you. Give me your identity tokens and update them when we return to Silvermoon," she said seriously.
The Noxies shared a look of surprise then looked at her. They obediently handed her their identity tokens. She took them with a smile. She held up one of the tokens, her fingers tips glowed.
"From this day, Noxie One shall henceforth be known as Aman." The token briefly glimmered. She smiled and held up Noxie Two's token.
"From this day, Noxie Two shall henceforth be known as Imre."
She handed the tokens back to the Noxies. "Both names mean brave and faithful. I think they suit two brave and faithful people," she explained.
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The two Noxies bowed to her. Even Noxie One, now Aman, awkwardly bowed while sitting.
"We are honored, my lady," they stated.
Britiana hummed in acknowledgement as she stood. She fluffed her skirts. "Take it easy and get well," she instructed. With a flounce, she turned and went to check on Delia.
"Healer Rainsong," she greeted. "How is she?"
Astaria was standing in the pool holding her hand above the Bronze Dragon's tail. A cloud of glowing misty aqua-colored energy floated between her hand and the Dragon's tail. She glanced up at Britiana.
"Several crushed vertebrae, and skin trauma. Any other Dragon would have been in too much pain to even transform, much less fly. Fortunately her Regeneration ability has already begun to self-repair," she explained.
Delia had been in a perfectly still state as soon as she entered the water. The Bronze Dragon life philosophy Still as Bronze Statues helped her block out distractions and speed up her own Regeneration ability. She turned her head toward Britiana when she heard the conversation.
"I'll be fine, my lady," she said, her dragon face softening.
"Good. It'll be too much trouble to replace you for the trip to Cruinog," Britiana said lightly.
Britiana paused, surprised, when the voice sounded in her mind. After more than a month of trying, she and Darius formed weak Links with their mother. However, this was a very strong voice. It seems she underestimated her mother's reaction to her message.
Darius reported diligently.
Chrystianna let out a sigh of relief. Even though she got a message, she was still extremely worried. It wasn't until she heard their voices that she relaxed somewhat.
He raised a brow at her. "Is everything all right?" he asked.
She shook her head slightly. "Mom arrived. We'll probably be leaving Thale tomorrow," she said. She bent over and removed her shoes. Then she grabbed the hem of her skirt and pulled it to her knees. She sat on the edge of the pool and dipped her feet in.
She wasn't hurt, but just being in the pool made her spirit feel better. She inhaled deeply and let out a slow exhale. She noticed him watching her. "What is it?" she asked.
"You noticed them coming," he said quietly, a query in his voice.
Britiana nodded. "I'm an empath. A strong one. It can get overwhelming. Mom gave me a pendant our family uses for strong Empaths. But it blurs my perception a bit, so I have to block it every now and then," she explained.
Isa was mildly surprised. "Is your field that big?" he asked.
"Hmm. It gets weaker the farther away it is, but I think it's considered pretty wide," she answered. She hadn't realized it before coming to Emphyralis. She didn't compare herself with Darius since his abilities were on the more physical side. After coming to Emphyralis and observing other Silver Dragons around her age, she realized her field was probably abnormal.
It also seemed that her mother's field was large even for her age. At only a little over a century she was able to envelope an entire village in her field.
Isa smiled at her again. She gave him a questioning glance. His smile turned into a grin. She frowned. "What?"
"Nothing. I'm just beginning to think I have good taste," he answered, letting his gaze soften as it rested on her.
"Oh," Britiana blushed slightly and threw a lock of hair over her shoulder. "You have excellent taste," she said with a slight sniff.
Isa's chuckle turned into a groan of pain. "Hmm," he agreed, "Excellent."
"Behave. Don't laugh until you're better," Britiana scolded gently. He held a hand up in surrender.
A while later Darius and his two guards entered the Healing Hall. He sent Amadeus and Lazarus to see to their wounds and went to find his sister and their wounded team mates.
--
Silvermoon, Silubra
In developing the Bridging Array, several different iterations have come from it. There was the 100-person array they were building between the continents. There was the 10-person inter-planetary array they had used to connect the witchborne homeworld, Terranthea, to Emphyralis. There were also individual, disposal point-of-use arrays connected to a stationary array they use on Terranthea to help the witchborn get to safety.
To certain people, this individual, point of use array was available for travel and emergencies. The Crowley family had a five-person size Bridge drawn in Draconite ink in their study. This was for personal use among the family. It had its own anchor point and each of them carried several pieces of paper with the individual array drawn with the corresponding anchor symbol.
Delaney, Amalthea, the red haired, green eyed Deianira, and the youngest sister, the brunette, gold eyed Lysithea appeared on the Bridge. They had just returned from Isaz. Technically, they joined Silvermoon's Mage's Tower and therefore, Mages of Silvermoon. They were also among the few people who understood the array the best.
When Chrystianna assigned Mages to lay the arrays in the other nations, she asked Delaney to take charge of the matter. Delaney had been there during the development of the array alongside Britiana, Raven, and ZsaZsa. In order to produce a numerous amount of disposable arrays, she taught her family. The Crowleys felt like they could draw the array with their eyes closed.
Over the past more than a month, the Crowleys had met with officials and heads of state on more than one occasion, so they were familiar to them as well. Especially Deianira who'd been spending her time on Emphyralis in Vedanta.
This operation was done in secret. They'd deliver themselves where they needed to go in a pouch carried by the head Drake of Crowley House, Ptolemy, and when they were done, they'd return home via Bridge. Isaz was the last. After Delaney went to Cruinog with Britiana, ZsaZsa, and Raven, the rest of her family that wasn't on Terranthea would go to Thale.
The four women walked out of the study and collapsed on the comfortable couches in the living room. "Phew. All that running around stretching out the array is for the birds," Deianira complained.
Lysithea chuckled. "Is it any worse than running from demons?" she asked.
Deianira thought about it. "A bit more boring," she finally answered.
Amalthea shook her head at her younger sisters. "Get used to it. We have to do it five more times," she reminded.
"It's my turn to go to Terranthea, remember," Deianira said. "That's why I came back with you instead of heading back to Treestar."
"Ah," Amalthea said softly as she remembered the schedule. "Nora and Lena are there now. Where's Phryne?" she asked, looking around for her youngest niece. The sisters and cousins took turns returning to their homeworld. Lysithea had been there before with Phryne.
"She must be downstairs. She likes managing the taproom," Delaney answered. She'd been quiet until now because she was tired. She'd just been spacing out.
Deianira frowned at her daughter in concern. "You should rest. You have to travel through the Shadow Dimension in a few days," she reminded. It wasn't that her daughter forgot, but Deianira knew how much it took out of her to travel through the Shadow Dimension. It usually took her about a week to recover.
Delaney waved a hand dismissively. "It's just a one way trip. We'll be able to return using a Bridge," she said.
Deianira still pursed her lips. "It'd be great if you teach someone else how to do it so it doesn't always have to be you," she grumbled discontentedly.
Delaney smiled and laughed softly. "Why do you think I've been researching the Shadow Dimension lately?" she asked. "I might be able to teach ZsaZsa but I have to confirm a few things first," she said. Three other pairs of eyes stared at her in surprise. "It's not a guarantee and certain conditions need to be met," she said.
"What made you think of this?" Amalthea asked curiously.
Delaney was laying on a plush sofa on her back. She stared at the ceiling for a while. "I'm thinking of joining Starshadow's Mage Corps," she answered. "If that happens, I won't always be available if someone needs to travel interdimensionally here. Aside from going to Terranthea every few weeks, my time and energy will be concentrated there," she explained.
Her mother and aunts listened to her seriously. "Good," Deianira declared. "We came here for a better future. Finding a place just for us is part of that. Learning shadow magic at Starshadow is the best fit for you. Plus you'll be close to Sariya and your future niece," she added.
Though she'd been startled when she learned about the connection between the Eoduun girl and Delaney, she welcomed a new member of their family. Yes, she already considered Sariya's unborn child as a pseudo granddaughter.
Golgfelaket Sariya was a Dark Elf girl Delaney had met at the same time she met Britiana and Darius. She learned that the father of her unborn child was her half-brother. Golgfelaket Qazim's mother was a victim of the same Shadow Demon that fathered Delaney. Sariya had found her family in Undirheim and settled there to give birth. Undirheim was located in Myrkir, of which Starshadow was the capital.
Delaney nodded in agreement. With a long sigh and a groan, she sat up. "I'll go get some sleep. Y'all need to do the same. You'll be busier than me. I'm just a taxi driver. Y'all'll have to work," she reminded them and got to her feet.
Amalthea and Lysithea joined her in groaning. They also got to their feet to head to bed for a nap. They'll be busy. Luckily there'll be four of them and they can do two arrays in one night. It'd be busy, but in general, they all enjoyed being busy and doing the kinds of magic they'd never even dreamt of before.
Deianira was too lazy to move. She waved at them. She pulled a comfy throw off the end of the end of the sofa and covered herself with it.
Chuckling at her antics, Delaney took the time to remove her mother's shoes on her way to her room. Deinira grunted thanks. Delaney shook her head and went to her room. She'd be traveling again soon and she was looking forward to it.
She'd gone to a lot of worlds looking for a safe place for her family and found some truly unique ones, but none of them had suited them until she met the Silvermoons and came to Emphyralis. She looked forward to seeing Cruinog.
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