Cassandra Pendragon
For a moment I was convinced I was hallucinating. Maybe I had hit my head harder than I had thought. She couldn't be Erya's granddaughter, that would mean I had just watched a parent sentence his or her child, first to death and then exile… no way in hell, right? I surely had misheard…
"Is it really you?" A strange expression I couldn't place spread across Morgan's face and she hurriedly got up, ignoring the burning demon and shocked man at her side. If I hadn't been too busy extracting myself from Erya without moving my broken tails too much, I would have cursed colourfully. Seriously, what a messed up situation, unless she was lying, but judging from Erya's deer in the headlights expression, I assumed she wasn't. Oh well, I wouldn't deal with that just now, I had a demon to extinguish, literally, and a handful of excuses to prepare, for when the rest of our merry band of misfits would arrive. Considering how much power Mephisto had pumped into the air, it wouldn't take long.
"Go on, have fun, you can thank me later" I said and smacked Erya's behind before I limped across the clearing, completely ignoring the new arrivals, one was preoccupied anyways and the other seemed rather shell shocked. Not that I could blame him, one second a sentient tree in the Silent Glade, the next an unwilling part of our special brand of chaos, I would have stared blankly at nothing as well, if I had been in his shoes… roots… whatever.
Now, you might wonder why I wasn't more anxious, considering my mentor appeared to be well on his way to become the first barbecue from hell, but truth be told, I was more or less trying to get out of the way of what I expected to be a rather private and not to mention awkward moment, after everything we had just witnessed. As for the demon, he had been using my blood for his spell and even though I had about as much control over my magic as a toddler over his limbs, I was still very much aware that he had channeled a good part of it into an insulating layer around himself, a cloak of protection if you so will. Right now he was gradually releasing the left over energy into the air, hence the blinding display of lightning and thunder. It looked dangerous but he was probably saver than he had ever been before, at least for as long as he was still behind his shield.
As the aches all over my body started to vanish and my tails began to feel like normal again, I transferred Shassa's gem and the statuette to my hands and plunged my wings straight into the glaring vortex to take back what was mine. The searing lights, the intensifying smell of ozone and the deafening cracks when the discharges slammed into the earth vanished while an invigorating wave of heat raced through me. It became unnaturally quiet, the silence after the storm, and Mephisto appeared in front of me, disheveled and slightly singed but otherwise unharmed. He was smiling from ear to ear, pride flowing from every wrinkle on his face.
"Damn my dame, I'm good," he said and brushed an imaginary speck of dust off his shoulder. "I should get a medal for this." He paused and looked around. "No whole scale destruction and two breathing humans, fresh from the fey realms. And you're also not that much worse for wear. It could hardly have gone any better, but no need to thank me exuberantly, what is another miracle for someone like me, after all?" I rolled my eyes.
"Right, thanks. Why don't you tell me all about it in as much excruciating detail as you want?"
"I'd love to. So you see, when I used… wait a second. Was that sarcasm?"
"Not really, I just want to keep you occupied for a minute."
"And why's that?" I was only half listening, after I had become convinced that he wasn't hurt, I had glanced over a still gaping Fladrif and focused my attention on the other side of the clearing where I expected to see a tearful reunion, well, maybe not exactly tearful but at least friendly, frankly though, it was closer to a tense stand-off.
Erya stood rigid while Morgan was glancing from her, to me, to Mephisto and back again. Without the mayhem Mephisto's spells had caused, I could properly take in her appearance for the first time and I was surprised at how similar her human body looked to the fey in front of her. They had nearly the same figure and size but where Erya held a dark, alluring grace with her black eyes and ram like, shining horns, Morgan was bright. Her huge, emerald eyes and hair sparkled in the afternoon sun despite her ordeal. She seemed… young, more like a girl than a woman. She was slender but curvaceous and the way she held herself reminded me a little of Reia, confidence and pride warring with uncertainty and a deeply hidden fear. Combined with her unique colouration, there was no mistaking her for an ordinary human. Even if I had met her on the street, I would have guessed that she was either somehow related to the fey or a vain sorceress with a soft spot for the colour green. A pity she had no tails, otherwise she could easily have been passed of as one of us.
"Who are your parents, child," I heard Erya ask, more coldly and distantly than I would have expected, almost as if she was… furious? Scared?
"Uh, the Lady Guinevere is my mother, and… I don't know much about my father, I was conceived during the winter solstice, thirty years ago. You are Lady Erya, aren't you? I thought you were dead…" she was interrupted, when, for the second time today, a dragon's roar cleaved the sky, followed by a magnificent tongue of golden flames. Great, the cavalry had arrived.
Viyara wasn't alone, Ahri flew by her side, her four fiery wings beating fast enough to match the much larger dragoness' speed. With a final glance to make sure I hadn't overlooked anything important, like an opening portal to the fey realm, I took to the air to calm them down and explain what had happened. And maybe get some breathing room to decide how much I was going to worry about the treant.
Erya of the Silent Glade
My thoughts were in turmoil. At first I had simply been happy that my children were apparently safe and sound, even though I barely recognised them anymore. When I had first seen their faces, I could have cried, the growing knot of fear in my stomach I had buried deep down ever since I had been freed from my prison suddenly gone. Instead, sadness had claimed me, the years I had lost, felt like someone had stolen a part of my life, a part I would never get back. I didn't know what they had been through, how they had become the regal figures I had seen in front of me or why they appeared so… cruel. Of course I knew that cruelty and cunning were necessary to assert oneself as a ruler of a fey realm, I had proven time and again that I myself possessed these qualities in abundance but I had never used them against my own people.
I had felt elated, giddy, and from one moment to the next, I had realised just how much I had missed and that my children, while physically unharmed, hadn't escaped the aftermath of my defeat unscathed. Those three were as far away from the playful, curious beings I had nurtured as a deadly snowstorm was from a summer rain. And to top it off, Cassandra had openly voiced every single doubt that had poisoned my mind... and then some. No wonder I had snapped at her.
And now… now I was staring at a beautiful girl, whose eyes reminded me so much of how Gwen had looked when I had last seen her in person that I could barely keep from tearing up. Even without her exclamation, I would have known in an instant that she was a part of my family. And it wasn't solely her looks, the way she moved, the way she talked… Damn it, if I had seen her face a little sooner, I would have created a portal into my former home myself and told my daughter just how highly I thought of her decisions. And probably have regretted it not a second later. It wasn't my realm anymore, it hadn't been for a long time and I had no right to interfere, not that I would have given a rat's ass if I had known that my daughter was about to sentence her kid to exile.
By the gods, I was a mess, not eve a week ago I wouldn't have cared at all but now… I knew I had changed over the course of the last days but I had never thought it would be to this degree. Another week with Cassandra and her family and I'd be the one with the bleeding heart. Not that I minded, honestly, despite everything, I had felt happier, more fulfilled than I could remember and not just because I had finally escaped Shafeer's trap. There was something… magical in the way everybody here was willing to protect and fight for what they thought was right, even if it cost them, dearly. A kind of magic I had never seen before, but then again, maybe I had been looking in the wrong places. Also, I had never been big on hurting myself, for whatever reason.
Psychoanalysis aside, I didn't have a clue what I should do or say. Morgan was staring at me with wide eyes, as if she expected me to snap my fingers and everything would be back to normal, something I most definitely couldn't do. If I had understood everything Fladrif had said correctly, there wasn't much I could do for her. Neither could I take away the pain, nor could I raise the dead or lift her exile. All I could do was try and help her deal with a future that must appear as grim and dark as the void to her. Who would have thought, a fey trying to comfort someone else. The world truly was changing. But then again, at least four immortals were walking among us now, so maybe I should have expected a little chaos. But I still had no idea of how to console her. Well, I could, at the very least, tell her how she got here and what she had stumbled into… right, splendid idea.
Hey, I know you just escaped the guillotine but your head is still on the chopping block, more or less. We are going to war and you have been lucky enough to volunteer, or you can try to make your way through this world alone, but since you don't have a sky ship or any form of magic that's not really an option. An admirably stupid idea. Luckily I gained a few moments to think of something else when Viyara's roar made Morgan and Fladrif flinch and look up, a mixture of wonder and terror on their faces. A golden dragoness and a beautiful, woman with four wings made of fire descending form the skies could do that to you. Not to mention the iridescent star Cassandra turned into when she rose up to meet them and the slightly singed demon who stared at them as if he was contemplating whether he should ignore or eat them. If I hadn't already had some time to get used to it, I would have probably fallen to the ground, trembling, myself. Even a fey had her limits, after all.
As it was, I did what I had seen Cassy and Ahri do in these situations. I quickly crossed the few metres that separated us, dropped to my knees and hugged the insecure girl.
"Yes, I am, and I'm very much alive but if you're going to call me granny, we'll have a problem." I tried to sound nonchalant but truth be told, I barely managed to speak around the lump in my throat. The quivering piece of flesh and bones was a part of me, my grandchild. Words couldn't describe how I felt in that moment, happy, afraid, hopeful, angry, worried… there were so many emotions churning through me that I thought I was about to explode and best of all, I was crying.
Hot tears ran down my cheeks and into her soft, emerald hair while I held her tight as if she might suddenly disappear again. All hells, what was I turning into? Next, I would be saving kittens out of trees and found an orphanage. But when I felt her arms wrap around me and I heard her snivel, my cynicism evaporated like fog under the midday sun. This was real, she was real and I would be damned to all hells if I ever let her go again. I had found something I hadn't even known I had lost and now I was going to cling on for dear life, whatever the cost…
We didn't speak for a while, both of us rocking back and forth while our tears flowed freely, a river that gradually carried away most of my pent up rage and sorrow until I was able to form a halfway coherent thought again. Morgan smelled like freshly mowed grass and sunlight even though it was heavily layered with the still lingering stench of burned grass and ozone, as well as her fear and confusion, an acidic, sharp fragrance, almost like lemons.
"It's okay, I've got you. You're save here. It might not seem like it at the moment, but that dragoness and the winged girls are some of the best people I've ever met. Even the smirking idiot over there isn't half bad. Nobody will harm you again." She didn't relaxed, instead she clung to me even more tightly and buried her head in my neck.
I awkwardly patted her back, a paltry, insufficient gesture, but what could I have done? Mother magic, I could use someone to hold my hand as well or at least lend me a rule book. Every time I had watched others comfort a crying child it had seemed so easy, natural, but with my own emotions running wild, I just couldn't come up with anything better than holding her until she wouldn't feel like the world was burning anymore, however long it would take.
"She's right, you know," I suddenly heard a deep, smooth voice. "I don't know how we got here or where we are but I'd bet my branches… right hand, that we have nothing to fear anymore. We've finally come home, Morgan. So take heart and show us that smile I risked my life for."
I blinked through puffy eyes to see a wrinkled, elderly man in all his naked glory in front of me. Paired with his sincere, almost wise expression as he looked down on us, I couldn't help it, I had to chuckle. Within seconds I was laughing hard enough to gasp for air while my own insecurity and worries drifted away and all I felt was a growing bonfire of happiness as I pushed my granddaughter to arms length and studied her through the tears that still clung to my lashes.
"Damn my dame, if I'm subjected to their emotional reunion for another minute, I think I'll puke." Mephisto had almost been whispering but I had heard him clearly enough, as well as the soft thud when Cassandra smacked the back of his head.
"Could you shut up," she hissed. When I raised my head I saw that Cassy had landed close to Mephisto, Ahri and Viyara, still in her draconic form, by her side. Curiosity, contentment and no small amount of pride shone from the eyes of the two kitsune while Mephisto looked like he was staring at something distinctly unpleasant, a dead rat maybe. Viyara seemed… distracted. Even though she smiled when I glanced at her, it didn't truly reach her eyes and I thought I saw her gaze flicker to the two vixens from time to time, a cease of worry appearing on her forehead.
"Morgan, can I introduce you to my friends?" I said as I slowly got up, pulling her along with me.
"The one who looks like a flame spirit is called Ahri, that's Cassandra and the hill of golden scales is Viyara. The grimacing beanstalk over there is named Mephisto." Despite her apparent unease, she turned around and curtsied nervously.
"That's not necessary," Cassandra replied with an honest smile, that made her eyes light up. "I've seen enough people bow their heads to last for two lifetimes. It's a pleasure to meet you, Morgan the Fey. And you, Fladrif. You must be exhausted after everything you've been through and I'm sure you would like to talk to Erya in private. If you'll excuse us, we'll go and fetch some food and water for you, and maybe a pair of clothes, if we can still find any. We'll be back shortly." She blatantly ignored the curses from Mephisto as she bundled him up and took to the air again.