Moonlit Temple of Elaides, Silvermoon

  Shortly after leaving Crowley House, Britiana made her way to the Temple of Elaides in Silvermoon. It wasn't as grand as the Starlit Temple in Starshdow, it was perhaps the second grandest. It was made with stone imported from Mykir's Stormforged Mountains. Upon entering, they were met with a massive statue of a strong, heroic woman with long hair. She held a sword and a set of scales. She seemed to be sculpted completely of the dark gray stone that made up the temple, but her eyes contained black stones that glittered with shimmering stars as she looked down at all those who entered.

  Behind her was a stained glass depiction of a huge black dragon with its wings spread, containing the night sky full of stars with three moons hovering behind it. Because they all embodied the night, the Sisters of the Moons and Elaides were said to be close. The Sisters even gifted some Onyx Dragons with the ability to perceive the past, present, and future by touching objects.

  Britiana and Isa gave the statue a respectful bow. A young acolyte in robes swept forward to greet them. When he learned of their purpose, he led them to where the banshees were staying. The temple compound housed many initiates, acolytes, priests, and visitors. The Banshees were treated with the utmost respect. They were given a courtyard all to themselves.

  Maeve greeted Britiana warmly when she saw her. "You are here, my lady!" she greeted loudly, her joy evident in her voice.

  When the other Banshees heard her, they came out to greet Britiana as well. Maeve quickly led her to a place to sit and chat. "My lady, how did the prayer go?" Maeve asked. She didn't really understand what they intended, but she knew that it was something important.

  Britiana explained to them everything she knew and learned from her mother. The Banshees were saddened about their ancestoro's plight and devastated by the knowledge of what would be done to Cruinog, however when they heard about the Spark of Life, they were relieved.

  "As long as the Spréach na Beatha exists, Cruinog exists," Maeve said tearfully. "Even if we never intend to go back, it's still the place that gave us life," she said emotionally. The other Banshees agreed with her words.

  Britiana smiled at them reassuringly. "How has the Temple been treating you all?" she asked curiously.

  The women perked up cheerfully. "They've been amazing! That young Priest Darkdream has been teaching us about Elaides, and Spirit Seeing. We've been exchanging a lot of knowledge," Maeve answered.

  She trailed off. "I heard something happened to someone important. The Priests say she was a close confidant of the Grand Duchess. Please send our condolences," she said.

  Britiana smiled. "She'll appreciate it," she said, touched by the thoughtfulness. She sighed. "It's just a shame that there are still some things we don't understand about how she died," she lamented.

  Maeve frowned. "I heard the Priests say the murderer was caught," she said.

  "So it seems," Britiana said, but didn't say more.

  One of the younger banshees jostled Maeve. Maeve fidgeted, but finally spoke. "If it doesn't break any rules, can one of us see her? We're banshees. We see not only spirits and future deaths. We can sometimes see the moments of death," she explained.

  Britiana was surprised and her mouth dropped open slightly. Finally she nodded. "Very well. I've taken over this matter. But, we have to act soon. According to Xolani's traditions, she'll need to hold her funeral on the seventh day after her death," she explained.

  The banshees nodded. "Just, don't expect too much. We haven't seen deaths since we've come," Maeve explained.

  "But we have seen spirits! The Order of Seers have spirits wandering around as they attempt to help them, and sometimes we can see them, especially at night," Julianna Graylock proclaimed.

  Britiana smiled. "That's wonderful. That means you're accepting Emphyralis and adapting to it," she said. The women agreed. They liked it here.

  After visiting a little longer, Britiana made plans with Maeve to have someone escort her to the Healing Hall under the pretense of acclimation sickness. Then she bid farewell. She still had some things to take care of. The women bid her farewell and she and Isa left.

  --

  Morning's Edge Valley Village, Silubra

  ZsaZsa didn't linger in Silvermoon for very long. The morning after they returned, she prepared to set out for home to speak with her mother. Eve followed her back to explain everything to the King and the Elders. When ZsaZsa asked Lorena about the Voidheart Gem, Lorena and her two closest comrades immediately left New Bienskurr. With her mother riding on her back, they approached their hometown.

  Morning's Edge Valley wasn't the largest place. In fact, after the plague, only the more populous places like Silvermoon and larger cities with a more diverse population managed to bounce back within a few decades. Morning's Edge wasn't that lucky. Its population was almost completely composed of generations of Amethyst Dragons.

  Though it wasn't large, the village still houses almost ten thousand people at its peak. It was quiet and the stone houses were spaced far apart with what would once been stately with unique gardens and multiple courtyards. Now, less than a hundred people remain. Some are trying to rebuild, some have married and brought their spouses' families over, others have left. It would probably take a thousand years to get back to what it was, but in a Dragon's lifetime, it wasn't too long or too short.

  In the center of the village was a commerce, trade, and leisure area. In the center of that was the most majestic building in the area. The Morning's Edge Temple of Emosyne.

  It wasn't as grand as the Glittering Temple in Wyntercrest or the Glimmering Temple in Silvermoon, but it was just right for a village of a few thousand and the surrounding area. It was built with the gray stone of this section of the Eternal Mountains, and had a small compound, but it was still active.

  --(tapas break)--

  Daroc Everdawn, a shockingly large Amethyst Dragon, began to descend in front of the temple. Delicate Beryl Moonweaver followed. ZsaZsa descended more carefully, causing her fiery mother to smack her big head. "I won't break," she scolded. ZsaZsa rolled her eyes, but still took her time.

  Beryl and Daroc shifted back to their humanoid forms and helped Lorena dismount from her daughter's back. When ZsaZsa transformed, they led her inside the temple. A Priest, an original citizen of the village greeted them. When they explained their purpose, his face stiffened, but nodded and left them to it.

  ZsaZsa was curious, but they simply led her deeper into the temple, and then underground, through a tunnel that practically sparkled with uncut gemstones formed naturally in the stone walls. They finally encountered a door. It was a simple wooden door, but it was inlaid with complicated runes and patterns.

  Daroc, Beryl, and Lorena verified their identities with their glittering Amethyst Dragon scale identity tokens and entered a room. Inside was a circular room made of stone, but the entire thing was lined with what looked at first like stained glass murals, but upon further inspection it could be seen that the glass was actually gemstones. The murals depicted Aurelia Eventide's prayer to Emosyne, her quest, her finding the Voidheart Gem and the founding of the Eventide Enclave.

  In the center of the room was an empty pedestal. "We actually knew exactly where the VoidHeart Gem was. After Aurelia's death, the Order of the Shroud was tasked with protecting it. Only she had been able to use it, but it was a sacred object after all.

  "When the Plague began, the elders of the Order feared that the Dragon Hunters would get their hands on it, so they activated its powers with some powerful magic and sent it away. We have no idea where it is," Lorena explained as she patted her tummy.

  Beryl smiled wryly. "Dragon Hunters who could use the Dragon Gates against us were terrifying enough without them figuring out how to Voidjump," she complained.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Lorena wrapped her arms around ZsaZsa. "This is the last place it was used. If you need to pray to Emosyne for guidance, this would be the best place," she said. The possibility of new Voidjumpers, or even something different, was awe inspiring. To think her daughter may be the next Aurelia Eventide was almost too much to comprehend.

  ZsaZsa held out her chin firmly. "Mm. Thank you Mama. Thank you Uncle Daroc, Aunt Beryl, for bringing me," she said. She looked around the room. "It's not time yet. I'll wait until the Gemharvest Festival," she declared.

  The Gemharvest Festival may seem like just a fun time on the surface, but it was a day, held every five years, when Emosyne's influence was often felt the strongest. She often blessed people on that day in small ways. It might be a good time to ask for guidance to find the Voidheart Gem. The three older Dragons expressed their support and protection.

  --

  Angelopolis, Terranthea

  A black, sticky looking creature was running along a nearly deserted street in a big city on the west coast. It left sticky foot prints made of tar that smell terrible. The creature was a Demon from the Lower Realm. More specifically, a tar demon. It wasn't very clever, but it was powerful. It was usually the underling of a stronger demon. It was used to running roughshod over mortals and witchborn alike. It wasn't used to running for its life.

  It looked behind him, but didn't see anything. It didn't lower its guard, and kept running. Why was it running? It could usually turn into a puddle of tar and escape to the Lower Realm. It didn't know why. It didn't understand that it was now trapped in a magical formation that prevented its escape.

  It suddenly lurched forward. It's feet suddenly stopped working, but it's momentum barrelled it forward. It almost hit the pavement under its feet, but it was immobile from the knees down. Confused, it looked at its legs.

  They were covered in frost. The bone deep chill was penetrating deeper and deeper, causing it to scream in agony. However, it didn't have to suffer for very long. A whoosh of white wings brought a figure landing in front of it. A singing swing of a shining blade separated its head from its tarlike body.

  It wasn't dead yet, but then someone threw a glass bottle that released a strange powder when it broke. The tar creature was quickly dissolved in a sizzling agony.

  Mason Icestorme, wearing a pair of fake feathery wings frowned deeply at the black goop stuck to his sword blade. He began freezing it in hopes of easily cleaning it off.

  "That was awesome!" Maddox ran over to his brother, eyes shining brightly, wings fluttering, making every step seem like a low gravity bound.

  Following behind him more slowly was another Dragon disguised as a local, and Helena Crowley, who'd thrown the portion that finished off the Demon.

  Mason finally cleaned his sword. He shook his head at his little brother. "It was gross," he declared, throwing his slightly frazzled braid behind his head.

  Maddox gave him an eyeroll. "When can I hunt a Demon?" he asked.

  Helena laughed and ruffled the boy's hair. "Actually, there's a low level demon active nearby that I just learned about. It should be okay for training," she suggested, looking at Mason for confirmation.

  Mason looked at his younger brother. He still got regular updates about the situation in Thale. It was better to keep Maddox entertained so he didn't get bored and beg to go back anytime soon. At least not until the Siege was broken. Under his brother's big pleading eyes, he agreed. "Then, let's head over," he said.

  "Yes!" Maddox exclaimed, bouncing around. They dismantled the magic barrier before. They boarded a magically cloaked airship and headed to their next destination. There were worse ways to keep the boy distracted than saving lives by killing demons. And making them remember the warning they'd received.

  The witchborne were protected.

  --

  --(tapas)--

  Silvermoon, Silubra

  Britiana made her way to the Silvermoon Healing Hall. It was located within the Keep, built of the same stone. There were also underground healing pools there, but that wasn't her destination this time. Instead, she made her way to the morgue where Xolani's body was being held for examination and until her funeral.

  Her role as acting Vice Chancellor hadn't been announced yet, but as soon as her mother officially returned, she cracked down on the noisy ministers of Lower Parliament. They were behaving themselves for the moment, but there was still unease. It may only get worse.

  Before heading to the Healing Hall, she had to say good-bye to Darius as he headed off to join the generals in Thale along with Aman and Imre. Isa followed along behind her silently. She wasn't in the mood for small talk, so he didn't bother her. He was a comforting presence behind her.

  When she finally arrived at the morgue, Amadeus, Lazaurus were waiting with Maeve, and surprisingly, Priest Darkdream accompanied her himself. They greeted Britiana with a bow. The Healer in charge led them into the room where Xolani was being held. She wasn't old or young for her race, but her family had already dwindled to her. Chrystianna was personally to oversee her funeral.

  The body lay on a table with a cloth covering her. "Uncover her head," Amadeus instructed. The Healer obeyed, exposing her head and the wound on the crown of her head.

  Maeve approached. Her eyes suddenly turned white. Anyone familiar with Banshees would know that was what happened when they saw death. A moment later, Maeve let out a long keening wail that raised the hairs on their bodies. She staggered back, and Lzarus quickly steadied her.

  Her eyes returned to normal and she blinked, taking a deep breath. "Thank'e, lad," she said when she could speak again. "She saw a bright flash of light right before she died," she declared. "Then pain on her head. She didn't die immediately," she lowered her voice. "She was in a semi conscious state until she lost too much blood. There were no other people around." Her voice was soft as she explained everything.

  They knew she didn't die immediately. The healer had already told them that, but it still wasn't an easy thing to accept.

  Britiana touched the other woman's arm and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Thank you, Maeve. That must have been difficult," she said.

  Maeve shook her head. "It was quite mild compared to what I've been seeing," she said in a modest manner. "I'm just glad I could help. If you ever need us, just let us know," she said.

  Britiana nodded her agreement. Maeve was soon escorted out of the morgue by Priest Darkdream. He'd come to observe her abilities. He had a feeling that the Banshees will become beloved of Elaides one day.

  "Well, at least now we know for sure. This mage is quite cunning," Britiana said.

  "What do we do now, my lady?" Lazarus asked.

  Britiana gave a deceptively sweet smile. "Now we clean up Silvermoon. But first, we go to our new headquarters," she said. She, Darius, and her mother agreed that the investigation should be moved out of Crowley House and debated several empty properties before finally settling on one.

  It was very old, large, and had several basement layers that could be divided in cells. She intended to properly clean up the hate in Silvermoon. And find the real murderer. There was no statute on murder. He could hide for now, but could he always?

  With a flounce of her skirt, she turned to lead everyone out. Isa, Lazarus, and Amadeus followed obediently.

  --

  Icestorme, Thale

  While his sister was planning to clean up Silvermoon, Darius traveled to Inestorme with his two guards. He was quickly led to the war room. He saluted the generals. "Thank you all for giving me the chance to learn," he said.

  "What's to thank? You'll take over for your father sooner or later. At least you get the chance to gain some experience first," Ulrik Icebridge said wryly. Unlike most of them, who'd been thrust into the role with no warning and little experience.

  Declan Brightstar clapped the young man on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't hold back if you have thoughts. We're only scary to subordinates and bad guys," he said with a sunny smile on his sunny face. It was really hard to think that anyone found the friendly Gold Dragon scary to anyone.

  Pierce looked him over critically. "People are afraid of you?" he asked in a drole, but good-natured tone.

  "Keep at it, I'll show you why," Declan warned.

  "You'll have to beat Sorcha first," Pierce said.

  Declan hesitated and thought about what he'd seen from the Viragatrix. "Nevermind. I can't beat her," he said. The others laughed at him, and Darius relaxed a bit. Although he'd gotten somewhat used to interacting with Zane, the other generals had been a mystery to him when it came to interacting with them.

  "Och, laddie, just calm down. Watch and learn. These fools know what they're doing," Durik Jarnulf assured him. Because of the fall-out from Xolani D'a'Kar's death, it wasn't a good time for Ysandar Thorindale to leave Silvermoon. Durik would honestly rather be here than in that mess in Silvermoon any day. Slaughtering Wyrms sounded like a good time to him!

  Zane gave him enough time to settle in before getting down to business. "You came just in time. We're moving in five days," he said and gestured to the sand table. "The hostiles have been in contact with the Wyrms a lot lately. They may be planning another attack. We'll eliminate the Wyrms first," he said and then began explaining the plan.

  They were prepared. They had plans set in place for many contingencies. There was only one thing that was bothering Zane.

  He hadn't heard from Dahlia in nearly five days.

  --