Chapter 1
The darkest hours of the day had come once the second sun had set. Massive thunderheads denied the light of thousands of stars entrance to the world below and promised an imminent storm with their booming clashes. Three dark figures took to the sky on their powerful steeds over a city in chaos. The only light to be seen was the red glow of the flaming fireballs being launched and the sporadic sparks that hurtled between the clouds. Any noise that was made by the beasts’ thundering hooves or buffeting wings had been covered by the roar of the ever-growing fire raging below and the wailing screams of where the fireballs fell. The riders all but ignored the destruction as they dutifully flew towards the mountains that encircled the city, the mountains that had been the city’s sentinels for ages. A lone woman watched sorrowfully out of a castle spire until she could no longer distinguish the riders’ flapping black cloaks from the darkness. She prayed that the treasure they carried would make it to safety and that someday she could arrange for its return.
 
Years later…
 
Mount Liriken gazed down from the dust-hazed clouds onto the rooftops of a small, dry village. Grey vapor spewed every so often from its top, blurring the intensity of the suns and sky from the village occupants. Red dust swirled up from the crossing of the two streets that lay at the village’s center as the occasional passerby hurried back into one of the wooden houses lining the roads before both suns would set for the day. Grass sprouted in greenish brown shoots above the clay-ridden soil in a field to the west of town before ending at the largest house in the area. The most color lay to the east of town, where the molten center of Mount Liriken’s belly warmed and nourished the ground, coaxing more flowers to sprout along a river silently weaving its way across the land, painting a sparkling blue streak in an otherwise colorless world.

Where the roads crossed, an impressive building dwarfed the rest of the town in size and magnificence. The walls were made of a rock that shined black in the sunlight, and a shimmering blue rooftop peaked high above the ground, swooping in an elegant curve away from the building. At the four corners of the roof, the head of a horse, dragon, serpent, and fish were carved and kept watch below. The obsidian walls of the building were etched with immaculate images that provided endless rumors and stories for those who lived in the town and made time to visit the library.
 
“Kylie! Where are you? I need your help with these new books,” boomed a woman’s authoritative voice down one of the many rows of dusty bookshelves. Kylie, sitting in one of her preferred alcoves that featured a purple, feather-cushioned bench encircling a gigantic geode rock sliced open to create an amethyst tabletop, quickly shoved the wooden figurine that she was whittling into her satchel and flipped a discarded book beside her open to a random page. Kylie loved the library and the librarian that she had been apprenticed to for five years now, but sometimes she just needed a break from all the reading. After all, she was assigned to read every book in this extensive library and attempt to memorize their contents. Who would begrudge her a little down time?  Unfortunately, she knew that Scilla would indeed. Sometimes that woman acted as though the survival of the worlds depended on Kylie memorizing as much written material as possible. “I’m back here Scilla, studying like always,” Kylie replied exasperated as her finger absentmindedly followed a crystalline pattern in the table while she firmly held a book with her opposite hand.
 
A chuckle sounded from a nearby corner, and Kylie whirled around to give the lanky young man leaning against the stone wall, book in hand, a frown. He was wearing a white linen button-down shirt, top few buttons undone, and casual brown working pants today. “What are you laughing at, Mory?” Kylie asked pointedly. He shrugged as he tossed his shaggy blonde hair out of his eyes. Kylie held a stare with his mischievous blue eyes long enough to give him a good angry look, then flipped her long, wavy, sandy blond hair out of her face as she turned back around to make it look as though she were intently reading the book in front of her. Mory, two years Kylie’s senior, had always seemed a nuisance while growing up with all his teasing and pulling pranks on her. Although, since she’d turned 14 five years ago and had been assigned the same apprenticeship as him, he’d become one of her closest friends. She could almost find the humor in the teasing and the pranks now. Mory was much better at his assignments than Kylie. Not that Kylie wasn’t talented, he just seemed to have a longer attention span than she did when it came to reading and memorizing book material of sciences and ages gone by.  It also may have come easier to him since he had been living with Scilla since he was found by her as a child, abandoned by the river on the east side of town.
 
Just as Kylie had situated herself, Scilla’s slight figure came into view from the corridor of bookcases. Her short, dark hair flicked past her dark eyes and pointed face as she made her way to the study area that Mory and Kylie currently occupied. Click, click, click, went the heels of the impossibly high, jet-black, leather boots that she was wearing as she approached. Scilla had always seemed to have a fascination with darkness. Her floor length dress was nearly as dark as her hair. It contained small, dark stones embroidered into an inverted triangle beginning at her neckline that shimmered blue when they caught the light. She wore the deepest of reds for lip color and had heavily shaded her eyelids. Both had the effect of severely accenting her ghostly white skin. Kylie always wondered if Scilla’s darkness fascination was why the library seemed to lack an appropriate number of windows to adequately light some parts of it during the day. The windows it did have were of a stained glass, which although beautiful, hardly let in enough light to properly read without an additional source of illumination.
 
“Kylie,” Scilla asked, “could you please help me organize this new batch of books that just arrived from Syrvio? They are of a unique nature, and I would like you to make them next on your reading list. I think you will find them most interesting.” Scilla was an ever-vigilant book collector and was always looking for new volumes to expand her vast library. As such, Kylie was not surprised that she was able to get books from such a faraway nation, but the fact that she wanted Kylie to bump them up in her reading order was intriguing. In the entire time that she had been working here, Scilla had never made that request before.
 
As Kylie stood to follow Scilla to the entrance of the library, Scilla looked her up and down and scowled at Kylie’s attire before scolding her, “Kylie dear, you turned 19 today. Do you believe that you will soon begin adorning appropriate attire for your age?” Like usual, Kylie was wearing tan trousers, plain green blouse, and riding boots instead of the customary dress or skirt that other women her age wore. Kylie simply ignored the comment and began to walk with Scilla. She found dresses and skirts highly impractical. How could anyone run or maneuver in such a monstrosity? Kylie’s mother agreed with this sentiment and had been the one to teach Kylie everything she knew about survival. Not that she’d ever need to use it, but it was always good to know.
 
It took a while to weave through the maze of bookcases within the Ancient Archives, as Scilla endearingly called this place, not because the library was in disarray, but for the exact opposite reason. Every place was extraordinarily neat and all the lines of bookcases were identical. It was hard to tell exactly where you may have been, if you didn’t know the place as well as the occupants. The quaint little alcoves tucked away in various locations throughout the corridors of books were the only way to help an outsider distinguish where they were. Each had its own unique twist to it, such as the wondrous geode table that Kylie favored.
 
The clicking of Scilla’s boots began echoing with each step on the smooth stone floor as they entered the maw of the entrance hall. There were four magnificent stone columns near the main entrance with ornate twists and curves engraved into them that towered to at least three times her height. The inside of the roof was made of a shiny black material that seemed impervious to everything. It came to a point in the center and swooped outwards beyond the edge of the building to produce an overhang of weather protection for those walking along the outside walls. The floors were a smoothed rock of some sort with worn images of animals and people painted upon it. They seemed to be telling a story that no one could ever decipher. The walls of the library were made of stones so large that nothing currently living on Thaer could have lifted them. It was truly amazing, and no one could explain how something of this grandeur could have been made with the tools and expertise that were currently available. To be honest, the entirety of the Ancient Archives was quite a marvelous mystery.  


The Ancient Archives had originally been found in a desolate area of Thaer, and the town of Liri had grown around it as the years carried on, taking advantage of the warm waters of the Zula River. The plains near the river would flood during the rainy season, and when the waters retracted, the fertile soil in between was ideal for growing various crops. Mount Liriken, in the distance, had never shown any signs of eruption as it burped steam into the atmosphere and only seemed to bless the waters and grounds surrounding it with a soothing warmth.
 
Scilla stopped walking and gestured towards a travel worn crate near the front door. Engraved into the door was an intricately carved warrior who was shrouded in an ornate cloak and carried an impressive looking sword and shield pair. Obviously, Scilla would expect Mory or herself to unload the books from here and move the crate as needed. Kylie refocused her attention to the task at hand and examined the new book shipment. The crate was labeled in a red ink: “Legends, Myths, and Tales of the Universe.” She thought that had an interesting sound to it. Noticing the sun’s angle through a nearby window, Kylie took a weathered book off the top of the stack, tucked it into her satchel, and turned to Scilla with hope, “My mother is going to be making me a delicious birthday dinner today, so I was wondering if I could take this book home to read and organize the shipment tomorrow morning?” Scilla showed her consent with a slight nod of her head, as most of her attention seemed to be focused on reading another one of the books from the recent shipment. Kylie pushed hard to swing open the heavy front door opposite the warrior, which also contained an intricate carving. This carving was of a muscular, demonic looking creature, and she barely cast it a glance before beginning her short walk on Liri’s well-packed dirt streets home.
 
As she was walking home, thoughts of her father who had mysteriously disappeared when she was 10 years old crossed Kylie’s mind. She wished that he could be there for dinner; it’d been years since she’d seen him. She remembered him lovingly and thought of all the great times they had together while she was growing up, as well as the valuable skills and lessons that he had taught her. Those memories were often one and the same. He always seemed to know what she was thinking and would protect her from any fears conceived by her overly vibrant imagination. Even now, she thought that she could almost feel his presence in the back of her mind, which made her believe that he was still alive. That gave her hope that one day she would see him again. She never believed the rumors around town that he had decided to abandon his family or had been killed during a hunt. Her father was too kind of a man who loved Kylie and her mother dearly and was a master of knives and swordplay. She was quite sure nothing alive could match his agility and accuracy with a knife or a sword. Kylie should know, he had helped train her.
 
As her mind wandered, she fingered the concealed knife that she always carried up her sleeve. Her father had given it to her years ago, and it seemed to be made of such a high-quality steel that it had never needed sharpening in the many years that she had owned it. It also shined as brightly as it did the day he had given it to her. Since he had disappeared, she had taken to carrying it everywhere, if just to keep his memory near. Her mother had seemed to approve of this acquired habit and had skillfully altered the sleeves of all her shirts so that she could carry it about unnoticed and with easy access.
 
As Kylie was about to turn down the road that passed a large, open grass field before arriving home, she was roughly awakened from her reverie by a loud resounding thump. A person had dropped from the last of the of the red, clay rooftops in the town, creating a small whirlwind of dust about them. Kylie instinctively pulled her knife on a very startled Mory. “Spirits girl! What are you thinking!” he exclaimed as he threw his hands up in the air to surrender to her.
 
“Sorry… I was deep in thought, and… and… you startled me,” she stuttered ashamedly. “How’d you get out of the library anyway?” It was a rhetorical question, as she was aware that Mory knew of a multitude of secret passages hidden throughout the Archives. Kylie hastily put her knife away, kicked the dirt, and continued walking towards her home. She should have heard Mory coming long before he dropped from the roof, she berated herself. Her mother wouldn’t be happy if she knew that Kylie had let her guard down enough to be startled like that, and by Mory nonetheless! Mory gave her a brief concerned look but didn’t question her further. He knew her talents in knives went far beyond whittling and began walking beside her.
 
“Never mind that, I got you a gift for your birthday!” Mory exclaimed excitedly. Kylie hesitated. She wasn’t quite sure if she wanted this ‘gift’. In past years, gifts had consisted of frogs, mud, sparking objects, or other things of that sort. Before she could object, he thrust out his upturned, clenched palms towards her with an enormous grin on his face. With a sigh, Kylie stopped walking, turned towards him, and reached out to slowly pull his fingers up from his palms. After all, she had to admit that she was a bit curious. She gasped at what she saw.  It was a beautiful rock attached to a durable cord. It was the most interesting rock she had ever seen. It had swirling color patterns that she had never seen before in a rock, and it shone vibrantly when the light hit it in certain ways.
 
“Mory… you got this for me?” Kylie was speechless as she looked up at him, mouth gaping open, and green eyes showing nothing but pure surprise. She then began inspecting the rock and cord as it begged her to do.
 
Mory replied proudly, “Well, more of I found it, shined it up a bit, and then gave it to the tanner to make a durable neck rope out of hides for it. You’re into strange things, so I thought that you may like it.” He was looking rather proud of himself and had a crooked smile on his freckled face as he cocked his head to one side. Before any more could be said, Kylie’s mother called out and beckoned them both to come eat the dinner that she had prepared. Kylie quickly put the necklace on and made her way alongside Mory to her home. As they neared the cozy cabin, she felt Mory’s arm brush up against her shoulder, and their eyes met for a moment. The smile he gave her seemed in some way different from others, and it made her cheeks flush slightly before entering her house. Maybe those freckles under his eyes, that she had often teased him about, weren’t so bad after all.

 
Chapter 2
Darkness seeped through the cracks of Thaer, coalescing into multiple shapeless shadows. A ghostly warrior with a great sword, impenetrable shield, and a magnificent cloak stood guard alone to protect his old home from the evil forces gathering within it.
 
“Well now, I suppose I won’t have to ask how your day has gone young lady!” Kylie’s mother, Zhannah, said with a smile as her gaze shifted from Kylie’s new necklace to Mory’s arm around her waist as the two walked into the house. At that comment, Kylie’s cheeks turned an even brighter color red than before, and she hastily shook off Mory’s arm. When had that mongrel done that! He was getting far too sneaky for his own good Kylie concluded. Twice in one day he had snuck something by her! This was absurd.
 
The house smelled too wonderful for her to remain concerned about Mory for very long. Kylie followed her nose to the dining room table and sat down, closely followed by her mother and Mory. Her home wasn’t nearly as grand as the library. It was just a simple wooden cabin that was large enough for her mother, father, and herself to live comfortably, yet it was the largest house this close to town. As she sat down, she took a moment to scope out the wonderful dinner that was laid out before her. It was her favorite: chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes smothered with savory gravy, mixed vegetables from the garden, and sweet cornbread muffins. Scilla always warned her about how eating meals like this would ruin her perfect figure one day, but Kylie had been eating like this for as long as she could remember. Besides that, her mother had always told her that muscle burned more energy than fat. Using that logic, she figured that if she ever stopped eating this way that she would become too scrawny and began gobbling away her portion of the delicious dinner.
 
As her mother was bringing out a juicy looking fruit cobbler for dessert, a low roar suddenly began rumbling from the direction of town followed by shrill screams of terror. Kylie, Mory, and Zhannah all paused briefly, dropped what they were doing, and rushed to the yard to see what was happening. The sight that met their eyes was one of chaotic confusion so extraordinary that it was difficult for their startled minds to grasp. Fire had been set to the Spirit’s Church, which was centrally located in Liri, across the street from the library.  The fire itself could be disastrous to most of the town since the buildings were mainly constructed of wood and hides with the exception of a few stone ones, but what looked more frightening than the growing crackling flames were the short black creatures with glistening fangs dancing around the fire. Though they couldn’t have been more than three feet tall, they were each wielding a torch and felt no remorse for flailing it towards anyone who looked as though they would try to put out the fire. Mory stood behind Kylie, gripping her shoulders protectively as they watched. Both were frozen in horror and disbelief.
 
Reality seemed to have suspended itself as Kylie stood in the yard. She didn’t feel as though a disaster of this magnitude could touch her small town, so it played before her like she was watching through eyes that were not her own. She could feel the heat of the flames billowing towards her, smell the tinge of smoke in the air, and hear its growing roar as it consumed more of the church as well as the shrill shrieks of the creatures wielding the fire. Even with her other senses corroborating, her eyes refused to accept that the imagery she saw was happening in front of her. She drew back into Mory’s arms, like she never had before, as she felt tendrils of fear begin to wrap themselves around her stomach. The gentle warmth of his body was comforting in contrast to the searing heat of the fire advancing slowly in their direction. Mory’s arms grasped her more firmly, whether in an attempt to protect her or in response to his own growing fear, Kylie was unaware.
 
***
 
Zhannah whispered, “Firelings,” under her breath. She had known this day would come, but any day would have seemed too soon for her. Kylie had been more of a daughter to Zhannah than she had been a refugee to be protected, and Zhannah was crestfallen to know that Kylie’s peaceful life would now be uprooted. But as the caterpillar was sure to emerge from its cocoon as a butterfly, Kylie had always been destined for something more. At least Zhannah had the peace of mind of knowing that Kylie had been as best prepared to face the future as she could have possibly been with her own and Regithal’s training combined with Scilla’s education. What troubled her the most right now was not being able to help the village as it rapidly burned to the ground. She had the ability and knowledge to help destroy the firelings, but she could not risk blowing her cover, not yet. There was too much at stake.
 
Zhannah decided to grab Mory and Kylie and herd them inside away from the mayhem. Their cabin was far enough away from the town that the fire shouldn’t bother it, for now. Until it reached that open grass field, she still had time.  Just as she was shutting the front door behind them, the cellar door flung open and slammed against the floor with an imposing man quickly emerging from it. He was near seven feet tall with broad shoulders, black hair that fell to them, and ice blue eyes. He wore all black clothing with occasional glimpses of steel where a knife had been made purposefully visible. The only splash of color amidst his figure was the hilt of his broadsword, which had been decorated with a pattern of sapphire, emerald, and diamond and tucked into his jet-black scabbard. Even that was only visible when he began his purposeful stride and his shadowy cloak swept back. Anyone in their right mind would be intimidated by him.  
 
Zhannah couldn’t help but smile as Kylie ran into Regithal’s open arms proclaiming him father, and he picked her up like a rag doll and twirled her around as though she were a small child again. Her laugh sounded like the first songbird of spring, and he smiled back at her with the proud twinkle of a father’s love in his eyes. After briefly watching the gleeful reunion, Zhannah hastened to Regithal’s side to give him a kiss.  It had been years since she had seen him, although not as many as it had been for Kylie, and her heart was racing in excitement to see him again. Simultaneously, it was drenched in sorrow at what she knew she must do. Curse her strategical mind and allegiances! They always seemed to turn her away from the trails she would prefer to follow. A tear trickled off her face and into her blonde hair. Regithal delicately dried the stream it left on her face with his thumb and asked, “Why the long face, my Z? I’ve come to take you and Kylie back home! A home that is in a time of war and troubles, but we will be together.” He held her at arm’s length and looked straight into her eyes with a jovial glint despite the terrors that were unfolding outside the house.
 
Zhannah swallowed her sorrow deep within to deal with another time and found her courageous self again. She drew him in closer so that she could speak into his ear conspiratorially, “The boy is talented in stealth and trickery. He even bests our Kylie when her guard is not up. With the right training, he could be of use to us in the future, if the need arises to return to this world. In addition, his affections for Kylie, will make him all the more eager a student if I tell him he could see her again,” she paused to let her words sink in, and then continued, “Scilla would agree. She’d have never let him out today otherwise.”
 
Zhannah leaned back and saw the agreement shaded with a hint of disappointment in Regithal’s eyes. She had almost wished that he would have a logical argument against it. Instead, his gaze became more intense, and he promised to her, “I will not be away as long as last time. Krael may need me, but I also need you.”
 
When she let go of his strong embrace, Zhannah made her way to Kylie. She was next to Mory cautiously peering out the window in dismay at the flames that were slowly, but deliberately, destroying their childhood haunts. She wished her ‘daughter’ the courage to survive her life’s journey, as she knew today would just be the beginning. If only she could take on some of the burdens for her instead, she would, but she had not what Kylie possessed, and as such, she could only support her as she had. She hoped it was enough. Zhannah gently pulled Kylie away from the window and hugged her tightly, speaking softly into her ear, “There are so many things left unsaid and many secrets that have been veiled from you. For that, I am truly and deeply regretful. In time, I promise you, these mysteries will be revealed, for better or for worse, and I can only hope that you will find it in the kindness of your heart to forgive us. There is no time to explain right now.” A fireling let out a piercing demonic screech as if to emphasize her point, before she continued, “So I ask you to trust in me and your father, until the immediate danger has past. I love you dearly, Kylie. I’ll miss you! Be good, and remember your training. I promise we will see each other again.” Releasing her embrace of the now trembling girl, she suggested, “You may want to say your goodbyes to Mory. Quickly now!”
 
Zhannah watched as a confused and glowingly angry Kylie received a hug from an even more confused and very cautious Mory. It would have been quite comical to watch in a different situation. It was a shame that those two couldn’t be together. At least not without certain complications. Kylie could expect to live a full 1000 years while Mory would probably live 1/10th of that, if he were lucky.
 
Regithal beckoned Kylie to come with him back into the cellar with an outreached hand. They hadn’t much time left now. The firelings’ chattering and clambering was increasing in intensity towards their little house. Luckily, the fire had died out before reaching the field. It seemed the church was the primary target. Kylie took Regithal’s hand, and they disappeared down the stairs into the cellar. Once the cellar doors had firmly shut, Zhannah, determined in her new mission, turned to Mory, “We have work to do. First, let me explain what must happen now.”

 
Chapter 3
Smoke and debris sting the eyes of a black dove as it circles a dragon’s lair ablaze in the fire of its own belly. Bursts of the grey smoke blot out the light from the sky. Gently grasped within the dove’s talons is a sleeping baby dragon. Barring fear from its mind, the dove swoops into the heart of the fire, into a burning building. Fruit is smashed everywhere in a colorful mess along the charred wooden beams that remain of the house. Sitting untouched under a fallen beam thwarted by a table is a bunch of purple grapes. The dove places the sleeping dragon under the table and retrieves the bunch of grapes, then flies until it can no longer be seen through the smoke cloud.
 
Kylie was beginning to be entirely irritated at the day as she clomped down the stairs to the cellar.  She did not like being held in the dark, and she did not like being forced to say good byes like that. Honestly, how far could she be going if her father was taking her to the cellar? It was not a very big area. And what was with all those dancing demons around the fire? “Father,” Kylie demanded, “it’s really great to see you and all after all these years, but could you please tell me what in the name of the Spirits is going on here?” Kylie was not usually an insistent person, but she thought that under the current circumstances, she was entitled a little more information despite her mother’s plea earlier.
 
“All in due time, my Ky, but for now you must take shelter beneath my cloak. And you shouldn’t swear like that, it’s unbecoming of a lady,” Regithal said with a playful smirk as he uplifted a muscled arm like a wing for a young bird to take shelter under. Kylie crept in close, and thankful for her father’s guiding hand in the darkness of the cellar, she took a few steps with him towards where she knew the back wall would be. Suddenly, an icy flash of cold engulfed her, like needles to her skin, and she felt her stomach drop as though she were falling down an endless pit. Then as fast as it came over her, the sensation was gone, and she was in a new dark place. This place reeked of fungi and dampness. The pungent odor paired with whatever she had just experienced, made her retch behind a nearby rock.
 
“I’m afraid you’ll have to get used to that eventually,” soothed her father.
 
“What do you mean!? What just happened!?” Kylie was on the verge of infuriation at this point.
 
“We just entered and exited a gateway that helps one to travel through the universe between various worlds. Your other questions will have to wait for now, as I am afraid that we might be followed from here. It would do you well to control that temper of yours just now.” Regithal strode lithely towards a boulder embedded in the wall that was larger than he was and placed both his hands on the boulder. He gently laid his forehead between his hands to touch the rock.
 
Kylie unceremoniously pulled herself onto the rock that she had retched behind, dismissing her father’s strange actions for the time being, and began to take in her surroundings. They had ‘landed’, for lack of a better term, in a cave just as dark as the cellar they had left. She listened as her eyesight slowly improved in the dark cavern. There was the dull thrumming of insects and the soft plinking of drips that were falling from the ceiling into a body of water slowly manifesting itself in front of her rock. The water was so still that faint ringlets from the drops could be seen merging with one another across its surface creating an intricate web. This fascinated Kylie.
 
Moss and fluorescent glowing mushrooms covered the many rocks and boulders surrounding the pool making them slick to the touch. She noticed that she had smashed a few of these mushrooms as she had hastily climbed her rock earlier and identified them as the source of the rancid smell of this place. As she was lifting her gaze to peer across the stagnant pool again, she caught a glimpse of her reflection. Did her hair seem lighter, and what was with her irises? She tried to examine herself more closely, but she didn’t want to lean much further forward, or else she might fall into the pool. She dismissed it as her eyes playing tricks on her in this dark cave.
 
Before she had time to contemplate more, her father called her over. She carefully descended her rock throne without crushing anymore of the rancid mushrooms and approached the boulder that her father had been touching before. There was an opening at the boulder’s base, just large enough to fit her father’s brawn through. She didn’t think there had been a hole there before, but she hadn’t paid much attention to her father after her eyes had fully adjusted to the darkness. In a short explanation he said, “This boulder is made from much smaller building blocks that are interconnected in such a way as to make an impenetrable rock. If you understand how these connections are made, the much smaller building blocks are easier to convince to sever their connections than dealing with the entire boulder itself. Surely this must sound similar to the information that you have read in Scilla’s books?” As if that explained everything she would have needed to know, he turned away, lowered himself to his stomach, and shouldered himself through the opening. Once through, he turned back and signaled her to hold tight for a moment. Then he stood up on the other side of the tunnel and disappeared for what seemed to be an eternity for Kylie.
 
Lying on her stomach on the moss-covered floor in this smelly cave, peering into a hole in a boulder that she was pretty sure her father had just willed into existence was not how Kylie had expected to spend her birthday. She thought about what her father had said about Scilla’s books, and figured he must have been talking about the molecular structure of the boulder. Severing molecular bonds required energy though… Her elbow slipped on the moss-covered stone, and she jarred her teeth as her chin smacked the floor. The drips that she had heard falling into the pond earlier were also trickling down her whole body resulting in a slight chill. The air seemed colder here than back home, but that may have had to do with the fact she was in a cave. As she was starting to envy that nice black cloak her father had, she saw his face appear on the other side of the short tunnel. He proclaimed, “It’s safe, you may come through now.”
 
Kylie shimmied herself through the tunnel, thankful that she was not claustrophobic and nowhere near the size of her father. Once she reached the other side, her father helped her to her feet and must have noticed that she was shivering slightly. He reached into the vast blackness of his cloak and produced another cloak for her to wear. It looked nice and warm and smelled like her father, even if it looked slightly worn and not as magnificent as the cloak that he wore. She gladly took it and wrapped it over her shoulders, tying the front shut. It seemed to fit her perfectly now, even though it had originally looked oversized for her petite body. The warmth it provided was intoxicating.
 
The cavern they now occupied was larger than the last. That must have been why it took so long to investigate. It was largely an open cavern, but off to one side there was a cluster of rocks, which her father led her towards. As they approached, it appeared to be a small hidden camp of sorts with the essentials provided for a night’s stay. There was firewood shoved into a tight cranny in the rocks as well as two bedrolls tucked into another corner. Thankfully, an overhang protected an area large enough for two people to sleep around a fire and be safe from the abhorrent dripping.
 
As her father began coaxing the kindling to ignite from a source that Kylie did not see, he began to explain, “I prepared this about a week ago,” his hand sweeping open across the camp, “when I had heard of Scilla’s predictions. She is not often wrong about happenings of this magnitude. She knew I’d be coming back for you when the firelings came but not exactly when.” He started wafting air to increase the intensity of the flames and sighed, “She used to be quite the seer back here on Krael before she was stationed on Thaer by her own choice. Her abilities are considerably dampened there, although the Ancient Archives help. Only one of her skill strength would be able to have any ability at all on that world. It’s such a tragedy that a talent so strong would have to be crippled in the name of duty. I expect that she will return here soon now that her players are in motion.” The last bit of what her father said seemed to be more to himself than Kylie.
 
Kylie set the satchel that she had carried with her from the library under a protective-looking rock. The book she had promised Scilla that she would read was in there, her half completed carving and knife, as well as other various items that she carried with her day to day. Kylie realized just how tired she was when she unrolled and snuggled into her bedroll near the welcome heat of the crackling fire, but she was not about to let her father escape more explanation with her sleepiness. As she was about to say as much, he looked down at her with a warming smile, “How about I tell you a bedtime story like I did years ago, but instead of a story, this will all be history leading up to this point. Don’t worry if you fall asleep midway through. Your rest is more important than your knowledge at this point, as we both need to be strong and alert for our travels tomorrow. As your mother promised, all will be made clear to you in time.” Kylie agreed to this as she sleepily laid her head down on the small feather-stuffed pillow that had come with her bedroll.
 
***
 
Regithal felt the heat billow off the growing fire as he watched the dancing flames. He now faced the moment in his life that he had been dreading for the past many years. Of all the horrors and truths, he knew that this bedtime story would reveal, the one he feared the most was the revelation to Kylie that he and Zhannah were not truly her parents. Although, he felt that she was a daughter to him nonetheless. He only could hope, as Zhannah had told her earlier, that Kylie could find it in the kindness of her heart to forgive them for what their duty had called for them to do. Being not only a member, but the commander of the Saliek was a venerated position that he was honored to hold, but the necessities of duty often weighed heavily on his heart. Wasn’t he getting too old for this? He ran one hand through his jet-black hair that did not betray any silver streaks as he stoked the fire with the other and began his story.
 
“Seventeen years past, upon this world of Krael, a great city known as Arbore was under siege. Arbore, surrounded by the Sentinel Mountains, had been thriving in relative peace for hundreds of years prior to that day, as it had been the home of the great peacemaker, Spirit Master Andolin. Andolin was no ordinary Kraelian. He was the thousand-year mage of that age. As such, he was the most powerful being in the known universe. Not only was he powerful, but his intentions were well-placed. He never used his Spirit to harm anything, only to heal and protect. Andolin passed away two years before the siege on his 1000th birthday, as is how the lifespan of those particular beings’ work, causing the 1000-year cycle of war to begin…again.”
 
“It is well known that on the day of the Spirit Master’s death, another will be born with his Spirit. The means through which this transfer is determined and completed is unknown. Around Krael, every child born on that day is carefully watched and protected by those who care for them as the caretakers hopefully, and often selfishly, await some sign indicating a manifestation of the Spirit Master’s powers. The Spirit does not discriminate between the noble and the common. Andolin himself had been the son of a woman who diligently pushed a fruit cart around the bazaar.”
 
“This uncertainty combined with evil locked within the hearts of many people generated an incredible number of false claims, which has unerringly culminated in war between various cities in Krael every thousand years. Wars in which many children that had the misfortune of being born on that day are slaughtered. This was exactly what the cause of the siege on Arbore was seventeen years ago.”
 
Regithal glanced down at Kylie to find her still holding her heavily drooping eyelids up and continued.
 
“The royal family of Mahashta, a city on the opposite side of Krael that is an oasis surrounded by miles of desert, had given birth to a daughter on that momentous day. She had shown signs of powerful Spirit, even as an infant. Mahashta royalty was not fond of their city’s location, as it was difficult to access for many types of trade unless the traders contained Spirit and understood portal magic. This increased the cost of trade significantly. So, they were usually limited to whatever goods they could grow and manufacture inside the oasis, unless they paid exorbitantly high prices. They saw their daughter’s possible status as a way to expand their boundaries and had openly spread the word that Elasche was the thousand-year mage reborn.”
 
“As news has a way of travelling fast, especially in worlds riddled with various magics, Elasche’s family soon heard about another talented child in Krael. This child was born in Arbore. It was not just a normal child of Arbore though, it was of the royal family of Arbore themselves. This gave the child a similar status to that of their own daughter and could not be tolerated by Elasche’s parents if they were to maintain their claim on her status, which they had decided they would not revoke, no matter how pressing the evidence was. And so, they marched to war against Arbore in ‘honor’ of their two-year-old daughter.”
 
“The Starbow family had attempted to keep all knowledge of their child’s talents secret as long as they could. They knew too well the heavy price someone may claim on their family if the secret was betrayed too soon. Andolin, the peacemaker, and his stories of years gone past had informed them as such. Unfortunately, this secret was indeed betrayed by someone close enough to the Starbow’s that they felt them trustworthy with this information.”
 
“So, for the first time in centuries, the Starbow family called upon Krael’s most trusted and talented guards: The Saliek. Many had dispersed to various locations on Krael in those centuries of peace, but all returned to duty once the call was given. The Saliek are those who are strong in Spirit and willingly devote their services to the protection of the world of Krael. The initiation ceremony includes a ritual that results in nearly immortal lives to those who serve. Through their longevity, they have seen the histories of the worlds, and even when the last of an era is deceased, there exists no better documentation of history than those of the Saliek.”
 
“The Starbow’s made their case to the Saliek to help to protect their child that they believed to have inherited Andolin’s Spirit. Upon meeting the child, it was obvious to any member of the Saliek that it must be protected at all costs. The future of the universe could be tainted if they let this child fall victim. And so, myself, Zhannah, and one other member of the Saliek carried this child away from Krael, amidst the siege on Arbore, to a world where magic was known to be suppressed. A world often used as a threat of exile to those who wield their Spirit wrongly in Krael. Thaer.”
 
To her credit, Kylie was still just barely awake. Even in her tired state, she had made the connection, “That child is me isn’t it, Father?” Regithal nodded and combed her now golden hair back with his fingers as she finally let the blanket of sleep overcome her. There was so much more to tell, but it could wait for now. His heart was swelling, and a great burden lifted as he watched her drift off into a peaceful rest. She had still called him father.