Bienskurr Mountains, Cruinog

  Time slipped by day by day. More races passed through the valley and news came from Emphyralis. The seventh day came, and as the sun rose in the east, illuminating the valley, the time when the Moons of Emphyralis were just beginning their ascension over Silvermoon, something in the cavern changed once more.

  The pressure suddenly deepened, and the electric tingling became even stronger. The Silver Dragon guards became visibly excited. The three of them fell to their knees and prostrated toward the three deep in prayer. Even Lazarus and ZsaZsa knelt reverently. The two Noxies also bowed respectfully. Delaney was the only outsider and wasn't sure what to do at the moment, but she could definitely perceive that something was happening so she decided to bow as well to show her respect if not worship.

  The mother and children deep in prayer suddenly gasped and arched back, their invocations coming to an abrupt end. Goosebumps raised on Delaney's skin, and the others watched in rapt attention as they waited.

  Images suddenly began to flicker across their eyes as the electric tingling began to spread even more. There was a faint sound that they couldn't quite make out.

  "I am the Past. Una sings to me of what was," Britiana suddenly intoned. Then, in a voice not her own, she began to sing.

  "The ichor falls, the doom is sown,

  The Banshee Queen wails, yet stands alone.

  No ears to hear, no hearts to heed,

  The ichor spreads, the wild gods feed."

  She watched the scenes of the past of Cruinog. She saw meteorites hurtling through the depths of space. Thousands of them, and crash into the surface of Cruinog. Instead of solid mass, they hit ground like drops of water and permeated into the planet, leaving only craters that eventually eroded with time. She watches as energies began to be absorbed by the purple-green liquid and then released.

  She watched a white haired Earthborne Seer screamed as the meteors fell. She watched her try and try to convince her people that something must be done, only for them to dismiss her worries. As she neared the end of her life, she performed magic so that in every generation, women would always be born to remind them, thus was the beginning of the banshees. Almost a thousand years passed and humans discovered the liquid and its amazing properties.

  She saw many other things, almost too much "see" but she understood what happened.

  After Britiana sang, Darius spoke next.

  "I am the Present. Iah sings to me of what is.

  "The fog is roiling, the Wild Hunt starts

  The Ghost Riders near with hungry hearts

  The fae flee swift across the span,

  The Dragons lead as doom began."

  He watched the events of the present and near past. He saw the Earthborne discover the problems with their fertility, and the search for a new home. As more xenomaterium, the problems of not only the Earthborne, but all fae became more and more. He saw some humans argue against using the xenomaterium, suggesting it be destroyed. In around a hundred years, the entire society of humans began to evolve around the xenomaterium. The xenomaterium gathered energy from everything else but nourished them. There was so much to see.

  Chrystianna spoke last.

  "I am the future. Ara sings to me of what will be.

  "The Ghost Riders hunt, the Wild Gods devour.

  Run away, little Dragons, hide from their power.

  Run away, little Dragons, don’t let them follow.

  Run away, little Dragons, or Emphyralis they’ll swallow."

  The things Chrystianna saw as she sang were truly horrifying. The malevolent creatures using the fog to hunt was only the tip of the iceberg. She saw giant, spectral riders on huge horses galloping through the fog. Wild wolves the size of Dragons destroyed everything in their paths. It was a wild carnival of evil pillaging. They devoured what was left of the creatures on Cruinog, including those who had previously borrowed their power.

  Except the humans. They were safe in cities and near power plants.

  But the Ghost Riders were only the vanguard. What came next was something Chrystianna couldn't process, so she wasn't shown directly, but these "Wild Gods" feasted on the humans that had been nourished by the xenomaterium, and hollowed out the remaining planet.

  Then, to reinforce the warning, she was shown what could happen if they were noticed by the Wild Gods. Meteors flying through space and landing on Emphyralis. As the xenomaterium tried to absorb the power of Emphyralis and the fog began, wars broke out between the hostile races and the rest of the world. Though she couldn't perceive it, she understood. The Dragon Gods battled against the Wild Gods and devastation loomed over Emphyralis for countless ages as the war raged on a plane they couldn't perceive.

  The sounds everyone else couldn't hear began to crescendo as the three Dragons and the three foreign voices began to blend together

  "The Ghost Riders hunt, the Wild Gods devour.

  Run away, little Dragons, hide from their power.

  Run away, little Dragons, don’t let them follow.

  Run away, little Dragons, or Emphyralis they’ll swallow.

  The Ghost Riders hunt, the Wild Gods devour.

  Run away, little Dragons, hide from their power.

  Run away, little Dragons, don’t let them follow.

  Run away, little Dragons, or Emphyralis they’ll swallow."

  The Ghost Riders hunt, the Wild Gods devour.

  Run away, little Dragons, hide from their power.

  Run away, little Dragons, don’t let them follow.

  Run away, little Dragons, or Emphyralis they’ll swallow."

  The verse repeated three times becoming an almost deafening sound before abruptly fading, along with divine presence. The Silvermoons all nearly collapsed on the ground. Chrystianna was wracked with sobs and didn't even have the strength to move. The others quickly ran to support them.

  They were exhausted. Not only had they communed with their Gods, but they hadn't eaten and slept in a week. Not to mention the things Chrystianna saw.

  ZsaZsa quickly pulled out calming blankets for everyone and fed them something to help them rest. "Help me get them to their tents. They need to rest before we can find out what they saw," she told the guards urgently.

  Isa quickly lifted Britiana's boneless figure. Lazarus picked up the semi-delirious Grand Duchess, while Aman and Imre picked up Darius, who was out of it and dead weight. They took the three of them to their tents to rest then regrouped in the middle of the cavern.

  "I'm no expert in communing with Gods, but none of that sounded good," Delaney said, her expression tight.

  Lazarus and ZsaZsa shared a brief look and shook their heads. It didn't sound good to them either.

  Delaney frowned and paced a moment. "That xenomaterium stuff. It's what they're ichor isn't it?" she asked.

  ZsaZsa thought about it. "It seems so. If that's the case then it makes sense," she said, though her face paled a bit. She clutched at the skirt of her robe. If it wasn't wrinkle-proof, it'd surely be a mess by now. The thought of these "Wild Gods" doing to Emphyralis what they were doing to Cruinog terrified her.

  Lazarus put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't scare yourself. It's not written in stone. It's just a warning," he soothed her.

  ZsaZsa inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. She gave a firm nod. They'd find out when the others woke up.

  --

  Silvermoon, Emphyralis

  The days after the death of Xolani D'a'Kar were rife with turmoil. Though Amadeus hadn't given up on investigating the Chancellor candidates, finding the vandals who broke into the acting Chancellor's home had been relatively easy, but they were refusing to admit to the murder. The Healers were still examining the body and the condition of the guards. At the moment it was still too early to determine the murder weapon.

  Ysandar knew that this event would mean he needed to make his presence known in Silvermoon, so he secretly sent Durik Jarnulf to Thale to oversee the operation in his place. Durik's fears about the politicians were correct. They were making waves again. This time they were crying out over the process of selecting a Chancellor.

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

  To them, the direct appointment by the Grand Duchess was an affront to their body. Or so some claimed. Ysandar didn't have the authority to argue on the Grand Duchess' behalf, but he suddenly issued a warning. The Grand Duchess was praying to the Sisters of the Moons. If her prayer was interrupted because of them, they would pay the price.

  This was a serious matter. Not even the politicians would take it lightly. Ysandar also warned the hate groups that if they stirred up any more trouble during this time, he'd declare martial law. Under martial law, civil dissidents would be arrested directly and held for an indefinite time. There was finally a bit of peace in Silvermoon after that. The presence of guards in the streets had visibly increased as a show of his determination. He wasn't making an idle threat.

  Given the strange graffiti, Amadeus asked the Mage's Tower to look at them rather than relying on the mages in the Corps. After hearing about the death of Xolani, Raven returned to Silvermoon, bringing Eve along. Amadeus didn't object much.

  Eve sniffed around while Raven studied the graffiti. Using the dried blood of her friend as a reference, she studied a particular area of graffiti. She sniffed the area around it and then took the time to begin studying it magically. Eve wasn't a mage, so she couldn't help much with that, so she took in the scents at the scene and asked Amadeus if he could introduce her to everyone who passed through after the body was discovered, the guards at the scene, and the suspects.

  When Amadeus gave her a strange look she grinned and touched her nose. "I've tracked the Fallen who killed my family across the world with this thing," she explained simply.

  Not missing any potential avenue of investigation, Amadeus agreed. He gave her a guard's uniform and a spell to cover her aura, making her seem merely human. He then took her around everyone who was at the scene under some excuse or another without revealing who or what she was. People simply assumed she was just a guard working on the investigation.

  She indicated that there were several people missing from among the fresh scents she'd detected.

  Thus the vandals underwent another round of investigation, finally revealing several more people involved.

  Raven finally confirmed that one of the grafiti'd slogans had been painted over a killing mark. It would activate once the target came into range. In this case, the target was Xolani D'a'Kar.

  None of the vandals admitted to the murder. Raven even confirmed that none of them had the ability to use such a powerful sigil. They also swore that there was nothing on the wall when they began graffitiing.

  As for how the guards were incapacitated? They didn't know either, they were already like that when they arrived.

  Amadeus almost laughed when he heard that. He sent them to be formally arrested and jailed for trial, but they weren't the murderers. They never even saw Xolani. They ran as soon as they heard her coming downstairs. They were youthful cowards wanting to make a statement.

  The real murderer had left the door wide open for them. According to the group, they were complaining about what had happened during the day with other like minded people, when someone said they should teach the acting Chancellor a lesson. There was a chorus of agreement, but did anyone really intend to do that? Not at first, but somehow a group had been convinced. Liquid courage, and mob mentality played a big role. Who suggested it or how they were convinced, everything was too muddled to know. Even the Truthcallers couldn't sort it out.

  Someone had planned very meticulously. Maybe they would have never known if it weren't for a fourth-tier Mage like Raven personally taking an interest, or someone like Eve ruling out potential suspects.

  At the moment there were two lines of thought for Amadeus. One of the guards was more powerful than they let on and set it all up under someone's direction, or there was someone powerful enough to hide all their traces, prepare the murder weapon, and influence a group of hot blooded rebels.

  He leaned toward the latter, but he didn't completely rule out inside help. When the guards finally began waking up, he had them interrogated. What they knew, he would soon know.

  He'd temporarily set up an investigation office in Crowley house by apologetically commandeering their library. Amalthea didn't object to this. Guards often came and went from Crowley House because of the operation on Terranthea and the incoming witchborn.

  He'd set up a board with all his investigation notes, looking at it in frustration. He gave a frustrated grunt, and dragged both hands through his dark hair, leaving it messy. Lazarus was better at this kind of thing than he was. He was a big picture type, but Lazarus was more analytical. There were probably details he was overlooking that Laz would probably pick up immediately.

  "Don't take it out on your hair. Take things one step at a time," Raven told him as she poured some soothing tea for him. "Drink this and calm down. There's no solving it in a day," she said, putting on her aunty hat for this young man near her grand-neice's age.

  Amadeus let out a frustrated sigh. He sat down at a reading desk he was using and drank the tea. "I know, but when her Grace comes back, I had hoped to have some good news to offset the bad news," he said. He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

  Eve was silent as she looked out a library window into the garden beyond, views she hadn't seen in so many years outside a human city. "This person. You won't find them in a day or two. If it weren't for a series of coincidences, you wouldn't even know they exist," she said.

  In a serendipitous happenstance, a guard came to report that a blood covered candle stick had been found discarded near the acting Chancellor's house. It had the fingerprints of one of the vandals. Amadeus frowned and clenched his fist. "Fine. Then that's how it will be," he suddenly declared. "Arrest the culprit and charge him with murder," he stated.

  Raven and Eve watched him come to a decision. Raven sipped some bloodwyne. "Make sure to contact Maia and let her know not to allow him to be sentenced with execution," she reminded him quietly.

  Amadeus nodded. With the case wrapping up he began to write up his report. There were still some loose ends. Since the killer planned so well, let him think he wasn't discovered. It was easier to do some things in the dark afterall.

  --

  Bienskurr Mountains, Cruinog

  The Silvermoon mother and children slept for more than a day before they finally awakened. Darius recovered first. His visions were quite as impactful as those of the past and future. He didn't learn much that he didn't already know. He just learned a few more details.

  He ate a bunch of food as soon as he awakened, and drank a lot of dragonwyne. "I hope I don't have to do that again," he sighed as he finally felt alive again.

  Britiana was the next to recover. When she awakened, Isa escorted to the table where Darius was just finishing his meal. Then he hovered her, producing food and drink like a well qualified bodyguard. She smiled and thanked him. Neither of them asked for reports about what had been happening over the past few days, or even how long they prayed. They were waiting for Chrystianna to wake up.

  She awakened several hours later. She took some time to compose herself before joining the others. The visions were more distant now, not affecting her strongly as before. It was a type of protection for her from Ara. When she sat down to eat, she was very composed. "When we're done here, we'll leave. From now on, Dragons are forbidden from coming to Cruinog. Only Earthborne or other native Fae are allowed to cross," she declared.

  This wasn't an unexpected statement. "How long?" Darius only asked.

  "We'll only keep the Bridge open for five more years or until refugees stop coming before then. Afterwards, we'll destroy it completely. There will be no trace of Emphyralis left on Cruinog when the Wild Gods come," she answered. Her voice seemed cold, but she would do everything in her power to protect her home.

  Even sacrifice Cruinog.

  Allowing the feeing creatures here five more years was the extent of her compassion.

  She finished eating in the solemn silence that followed. They spent some time clearing the cavern of every trace of Emphyralian magic before entering the ancestral hall of the Earthborne. "We'll move the Bridge to Silvermoon. Only Earthborne or other natives vetted by the Dracosenati will be allowed through to guide refugees," she declared before she stepped on to the array. No one argued with her decision. She hadn't told them the content of her vision yet, but they didn't ask her. She'd reveal it when it was time.

  The delegation returned to Emphyralis where they were greeted by Spencer and Delia. Without saying a word, Britiana tossed a talisman onto the array. To the shock of the Earthborne in the new ancestral hall, the array glowed and began to crack. Then it shattered like glass before dissipating like dust.

  "What are you doing?!" Elder Graylock demanded. He rushed toward them, but was held back by Delia and Spencer. The old man's eyes turned animalistic and he tried to force his way through. Spencer reached out and restrained him with his arms twisted behind his back. Delia slapped a ward on him, locking his shape so that he couldn't turn into mist and disappear.

  "Elder!" Corven shouted. When he heard the Grand Duchess returned, he came over immediately. He didn't know what just happened.

  "They destroyed the Bridge! Now we can never go back!" the old man snarled, still trying to break free of the young Dragon, to no avail.

  Lazarus sneered. "Go back to what?" he demanded. "A dying planet?"

  "Not just a dying planet," Chrystianna said. "There's nothing to return to! In fifty years, the Wild Hunt will begin. The Ghost Riders will wipe out every remaining fae on Cruinog. Then the Wild Gods will devour the planet," she said with a cold, hard voice, unlike her usual serenity.

  Corven paled. "Stories! Tall tales told to scare children," he said.

  Britiana narrowed her eyes. "The first Banshee was a powerful Seer. When the meteors came, she tried to warn you. She created the Banshees with her last breath to continue to warn you! 'The Blood of the Wild Gods brings the Wild Hunt. The End of the Fae is nigh.' She warned everyone when the Earthborne were at their most powerful. You could have easily destroyed the ichor before it became strong enough to be noticed by the humans. Before it began to affect the Earthborne. You were the protectors of Cruinog and you failed," she said, remembering what she saw in the visions. Her eyes were red and tears threatened to spill over.

  Darius remembered the recent past he saw. "In a way, you still kept it at bay for a while, but once the majority of the Earthborne left, there was no stopping it anymore," he said. "You had a symbiotic connection to Cruinog, once you abandoned it, you hastened its doom," he said.

  That statement even calmed down Elder Graylock began to breathe heavily. Spencer finally let him go. Delia didn't unseal him. It'd wear off soon.

  "We won't judge you for that part. It was understandable. Your Seers led you to Emphyralis and it welcomes you," Chrystianna assured them. "We destroyed the Bridge because we'll move it to Silvermoon and access to it will be restricted. It's no longer a Bridge only for the Earthborne," she explained.

  Corven bowed slightly. "I understand. If you need us for anything, please let us know," he said. He had a lot to digest. His ancestors had a lot to answer for. All of the Earthborne owed the Banshees an apology.

  "We won't linger here. There must still be much to do settling your people. Excuse us," Chrystianna said, and swept through New Bienskurr. The rest of the delegation followed behind her, including ZsaZsa who made eye contact with her parents briefly. They nodded to her. She had her own things to do at the moment and they wouldn't hold her up.

  When they were finally away from the settlement, Chrystianna spoke again. "We'll go to Silvermoon. There must be a lot of trouble there. Ysandar had to work hard during this time," she said with a slight sigh.

  "Your Grace heard the messenger?" Lazarus queried, a little surprised.

  "We were aware of our surroundings," Darius answered. Lazarus nodded in understanding. "You did a good job keeping on top of everything while we were unavailable," he praised.

  Lazarus bowed, accepting the praise modestly.

  Chrystianna smiled. "You all did well. Let's hurry back," she said.

  Darius produced the airship, and the two Noxies boarded first to lower the boarding ramp. Once everyone was aboard, they took off toward Silvermoon and what awaited them there.