The nymph, man and halfling went barreling down the stream. Even as Zan fought the urge to vomit, he could see that they were covering a great distance. Gandr had his eyes closed, caring not one bit where they were. He either trusted the nymph or was fighting his own terror of water. The net result was the same: they were at the nymph's mercy.
Finally they came to a stop and the nymph splashed them onto the shore. Waving, she disappeared back into the water without a trace. Zan sat up and tried to steady himself as the world still felt wobbly after their ride. "Where are we?" the Guardian asked as he tried, and failed, to stand.
Gandr, who had just finished emptying his stomach onto the grass, wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "How should I know?"
Zan paused from drying off his clothes. "The nymph did not give you any instructions?"
Gandr shook his head only to realize doing so was a mistake. He pinched the bridge of his nose to clear his mind. "If she did,
"It has been three days. Why are the Fates stalling?" Brinn said as she pushed breakfast around her plate. The food was delicious, but she had no appetite. "We should do something!"Their stay at the Mystic Spires had been interesting at first. They explored and saw what only few could even imagine. The Fates had mostly kept themselves hidden with the exception of Hanna, who appeared without warning and left just as abruptly. Occasionally a soft breeze would touch Aurora in the hallway or brush her on the stairs, and the Empress knew that a Fate had clandestinely passed.The most notable feature of the Fates' dwelling was the waterfall which flowed from the most central spire. It tumbled fiercely and from it the mist of Dew Mountain was formed. The water eventually hit the ground below and split into the rivers of the land of magic. This was why the land was so lush, but it never seemed to rain. The source of the rivers was magical."I do not know what else we c
Not help? Aurora stood in shock as there was a general murmur about the room. Some of the Fates seemed to agree while others were confused. There was an angry outcry from the door as Hanna marched forward. "How can you not help when it is your job?! A job you have been derelict in for far too long." Hanna's words spewed from her mouth. Her happy countenance had vanished. "Remember where you are," Ime reprimanded her. Hanna waved her off. "You sit on that platform because we allow you to, but we are all equals here." "Let her speak," Mercilla called from her stone seat. Others echoed her sentiment. "Our mission from the Maker is to take care of his favorite creation: humans. We should do as he bids us!" Hanna's voice reverberated, bouncing wildly and making the humans need to cover their ears. "The Maker has given us no specific instructions on this matter, so we have not broken his trust," Eunomia countered. "You follow the let
Aurora placed her foot on the first stair of the spiral staircase. Her vision fogged, and she experienced the sensation of being back inside Dew Mountain. She tried to call out, but the words caught in her throat. Something was wrong.The fog receded, and Aurora was in her childhood room. It was one of the few times her mother had come to visit her, and it had ended in disaster. Aurora had only been four at the time, and this was one of her earliest memories. Zephyra had attempted to play with the child, but quickly became dissatisfied with the young babe's childish behavior."Be realistic," Zephyra had said, not realizing that the child had no idea what that meant."Come on, mommy! Fly with me," the little girl raised a toy doll and spun it through the air. In her flight, Aurora had not seen the canter of juice that had been brought in for refreshments. The pitcher spilled and sloshed all over Empress Zephyra's dress."What is wrong with you, little beas
Aurora landed in the pool at the top of the spire with an impressive splash. She was back in the robe given to her by the Fates as she lay in the water unmoving. Devrim ran to her, his feet nearly freezing in the frigid fountain. Scooping up the Empress, Devrim carried her swiftly out of the water and laid her next to Hanna. As Aurora began to stir, the man heaved a huge sigh of relief. Although he had not wanted to voice his thought, he feared the worst when he had seen her materialize unconscious."Give her a moment. It will take time to adjust," Hanna said gently as she watched Devrim cradle the young woman.The Empress turned her head toward the sound of Hanna's voice. "Am I back?" she asked groggily.Devrim wiped a stray tear from his eye. "Yes, my love. You are back. I missed you." The moments she had been gone had been the hardest of his life. If a monster had threatened her, he would have slayed it, but the sense of helplessness was much worse."D
Zan's senses left him for a moment as he tried to comprehend her words. "Wedding? To who? Oh…oh!!" He understood the sight before him. The lovers entwined arms and looked fondly toward one another. "My congratulations and best wishes," Zan blessed them, forgetting his own feeling of gloom and doom.Alvar's face also brightened. "You do not suppose Brinn would consider a double wedding?"The Empress smiled awkwardly as her body tensed. "You can ask, but do not get your hopes up." She knew the she-elf had strong feelings about when and how she would wed.Alvar nodding knowingly. "Perhaps I should wait so she can have her own special day.""That is very thoughtful," Devrim agreed."You can can continue to discuss the wedding, sweet ones, but remember the others are waiting." Hanna reminded them."Oh yes," Aurora chirped. She yanked Devrim, "I need to tell Brinn!"———————-Entering t
While Hanna began the preparations for the wedding, the eight mortals sat down and exchanged information in a small office. Aurora had returned the Guardian's cloak to Zan, and he had draped it lovingly across his shoulders. "Hello, old friend," he had whispered."I am sorry for whatever you find in its recesses. I am afraid I will never find all my things," the girl had lamented.Around a thick stone table, the events of the previous weeks were laid out. The Empress was saddened by the events that had occurred in her absence, and part of her considered abandoning her nuptials to attend to the urgent matters. But in her heart, she knew that she must wed first. The time had come for the fake Emperor to become the real one.Zan listened carefully to the others' encounters with the fairies, elves and gnomes. As both elves and gnomes were among their company now and he did not wish to offend them, he chose only to comment on the fairies. "Bolemir and his family did
The gathering room looked gorgeous with cascades of red roses and wild indigo flowers adorning each tapestry and stone bench. On the podium stood Justum wearing a white robe, and Nurlan and Junayd in a copy of their soldiers' uniforms in crimson. Amid them in the center, Devrim, wearing a royal blue cape, white and gold tunic and blue and gold trousers, waited for his bride. As Aurora strode down the aisle, the Fates attending the ceremony stood.Aurora held tightly to Zan's arm as she walked down the aisle. It all seemed surreal, and she hoped it was not just a fantastic dream. The scent of the bouquet in her arms, which matched those flowers on the wall, comforted her that this was real. When they reached the marriage altar, Devrim descended the platform to meet them. His face was one of pure wonder as he beheld his bride. Zan took the Empress's hand and gave it to the eager young man."Devrim," Zan said sternly to catch the boy's attention. His face was grim and for
Aurora stretched in bed as light beamed in the window only to realize that there were arms wrapped firmly around her. The room she was in was not her own, and a brief panic overcame her as she tried to remember how she had gotten to this point. The memories came all at once, and the proof that it was not just a beautiful dream lay beside her. She cuddled back under the covers for a time, but eventually the thoughts of the day overpowered her calm. Stretching again to relieve the tension in her back, she got up to prepare to leave.As she exited the bath and got dressed, Devrim came in groggily. "I had no idea you were such an early riser." Travelling on the road had been rough and sleep patterns had been tentative at best."Get used to it, dear husband," she said with affection. "We have a big day ahead of us. It is time to return home."The others met them in the common area between the male and female quarters. They all had their packs and were ready to go. "H