Pleasant dreams of Karthos Valley held me through the night. I breathed in relief, eager to set our escape plan in motion. Mid-morning sun greeted me as I sought the others. They were in a dervish of preparation, armor donned and food nearly finished.
"Apheon," Betiara said. She lobbed a bread roll in my direction, and I caught it in my mouth.
"Hmmhmm!"
"Nice catch, love. Can you gather the food for us?"
"Mhmm." Knowing we would need ready access, I packed our food stores into my Bag of Holding. I gave the bag to Keff to guarantee its survivability. "We'll need money, wherever we go. I have an idea for how we can guarantee passive income we can collect discreetly."
"We should have enough gold between us," Keff insisted, "and we shouldn't linger."
"This is something we can set up for the future, though. I want to set up a system where any one of us can drop by and collect money if we need it. Just a simple password; it shouldn't take more than a few minutes to do that." I ducked into my room to gather my painting and an enchanted candle. Both would likely come in handy.
"Pardon the irony of this statement, but I'd much prefer life to gold," Sekvi said in a decisive tone.
"I don't need any money, sweetie, but thank you."
"I don't know... think of all the people we could help with it," Betiara countered. "If we don't need it, we can give it away. We could donate it to shelters or lobby for public causes."
"Fine, alright. The king's after Apheon, and you met the publisher; set that up for us while we finish up here." I didn't like the idea of Betiara traveling alone, even for such a short time, but I couldn't argue with Keff's reasoning.
"I'll be right back. What's the code word, love?"
"George Lucas."
"Got it." With that, Betiara was out the door. Sekvi listened at the door for disturbances while Lilika carefully assembled our kitchen utensils. I considered my spells for the day in the midst of our packing, focusing on combat and survivability in case of any surprises. Unfortunately, that surprise arrived before Betiara found her way back to us. A harsh knock at the door preluded a guard calling my name. We exchanged glances in the terrible silence that followed. Keff took a cautious position in Lilika's room with his hammer at the ready. Sekvi reflected a look of daring focus, ready to play at a moment's notice. The color began to drain from Lilika's face. Another series of knocks rang through the apartment. There was nothing for it; I would have to answer the door while pretending that nothing was wrong. My hand shook despite all of the self-control I could muster. I opened the door to behold exactly what I expected to see: a group of armed, armored royal guards.
"Madison Cantrell, you're needed at the palace. Come with us."
"Oh, um, sure. Give me a second to gather the others."
"No. Just you." The guard's stony face betrayed their forceful tone of voice. I instantly knew that I wasn't coming back to this apartment. If I tried to fight my way out of this, we would all be in danger of arrest or something worse. They could carve through me without a care. My right hand was obscured beyond the frame of the door, and I used it to signal half of a heart toward the others. I stepped outside to find dozens of soldiers filling the hallway. Some of them were quite obviously mages. The lead guard closed the door behind me and nudged me forward. A parting glance at our door revealed several mages staying behind to block the others' exit. I luckily had plenty of time to ponder how fucked we were as we slowly ascended the Rings of Nereved. Several people stopped to stare as I passed with my escort. On the Fifth Ring, a voice rang out.
"It's her, just like the Sun King said! The Dragon of Lancaster! She’s here to defend the city!" My eyes went wide. I felt my jaw tremble with fear. They knew... everyone knew. Attention erupted all around me. People approached in askance of favor, thanking me for defending the city against potential Alanuwan incursion, and offering compliments I hadn't earned. None of them knew that I was going to leave them to their fates. Guilt, which the king had likely intended to inflict upon me, formed a lead weight in my stomach. I felt a cruel turn in the air as I contrasted my current predicament with the healing I had accomplished just last night. What would the king try to extort of me? Warfare, counsel, or fate more awful than either? He wasn't going to get what he wanted as long as I had breath in my body, but I feared what would come of this decision. I couldn't bear to put the others in danger when I had set this snare for myself.
The visage of the Sun Palace, with its blazing emblem set above bright banners, filled me with dread as we crossed the Ninth Ring. A section of the guard detached to raise the bridge while the gate fell closed behind me. Creaking wood and clacking chains rumbled the ground, and I knew I was stuck here. I hated how all of these precautious carried a veneer of safety. They didn't mean safety for anyone that most needed it. I did my best to memorize the meandering course I took to the throne room. My escort opened the doors and urged me inside, where I saw the Sun King standing opposite Fithi with a strange object resting on the floor between them. It was enormous, covered in the same stone that comprised Therimurk's burial chamber. Machinery of some kind emerged from several parts of its construction. It loosely reminded me of an anti-aircraft gun on a World War II era Battleship. The device was pointed to my left... due South.
"Ah, the woman of the hour has arrived," the king's jubilant tone inspiring terrible nausea. "The Dragon of Lancaster herself."
"Hello Madison."
"Your highness, Fithi." My back was reluctant to bend in a bow, but I swallowed my pride and thought of the others.
"To the matter at hand, then. As I was telling our esteemed royal artist, we see before us a weapon. It was unearthed from another site deep within the Caverns, certainly of Nere make, but all of our attempts at investigation have been defied by an enchantment upon it." Ogheonal raised his hand to his chin, scratching at his beard. I wasn't sure if he was taunting me with this gesture, but it certainly felt insulting. "I was wondering if you two, esteemed senior members of the Conclave, could deduce its mechanism and function."
"We should be able to gather its function, your majesty. Madison and I possess keener insights into the Nere than most."
"I'll do my best. I don't know much about weapons..."
"Your best attempt shall suffice." I approached the machine, wary of its unknown nature. The exposed mechanisms comprised of gears, pulleys and other basic mechanical implements.
"There's a heavy mechanical focus. However it works, it can't be too complex," I thought aloud. Fithi raised a hand to the machine. Translucent, incandescent highlights erupted over its surfaces, sparing its innards save for one particular section: a recessed platform atop the machine. The only metal within this section was a cylinder that passed horizontally through either end of the cockpit. Highlighted magical energy, centralized at the front of the cockpit, revealed a circular imprint. I gently brushed the stone with my fingers to explore a slight indention shaped like an outstretched hand. "This is how you fire it, but loading it..." Thoughts of escape raced through my mind. The others knew something was up, so if I were able to blast the window away, I could easily fly out of it. Gathering them would be a speedy endeavor from that point. It was the best idea I had at the moment.
"Here," Fithi said from the rear end of the barrel. "Do you see any signs of use?" I carefully climbed down from the cockpit and took a look inside with the help of Fithi's Light cantrip. It was no longer a luminous, clear blue, but a sickly pale purple. A pulse of alarm shot through my body.
"I'm pleased with your progress thus far. Were weapons like this present in your home world, Madison?"
"Yes, your highness."
"Explain."
"It looks like an AA gun. Militaries would mount these on ships or in protected bunkers to shoot aircraft, but they could be used against tanks and other things in a pinch. They might have used explosive ammunition; I'm not really sure."
"Fascinating. This should become useful, should we come to understand its operation."
"I don't see any soot in the barrel, so I don't think it uses powder as an accelerant." The correct type of ammunition struck Fithi and I at the same time, judging by her expression. I refused to explain. Ogheonal had no business using weapons like this against anyone.
"It shoots magic," she said as she slid her cane into the open barrel. It was long enough to pass through the section within the cockpit. "It doesn't have any defined area for loading or unloading... but where is its power source?" Her question made sense; an anti-Divination seal had to have a source of power if it was still intact thousands of years later.
"I have a hunch," I sighed, hoping I was wrong. My hand came to rest upon the firing mechanism. I closed my eyes and meditated upon the magical currents I could feel around me. Several minutes of close study revealed a vacuous hole beyond my hand, yet there was architecture to receive magical energy in the same spot. This machine was a gun that shot empowered spells that one cast into it. "Nope... is there anything written on it? Some spells and objects require a word of power."
"None that could be found," Ogheonal sighed. He had his eyes trained on me. My nervousness only grew as a result.
"I'll take a look. Metaphorically, of course," Fithi joked as she reached a hand upward. The king's attention shifted to her as I helped her into the cockpit. I felt my gaze harden; her eyes closed in similar meditation. Panic rose into my throat.
"I mean, I have to wonder why the Nere would bury a gun so deep in the ground, right? My guess is that they junked it after it stopped working."
"No... hang on." My pitiful attempts at discouragement weren't working. Pressing further along this path would definitely alert Ogheonal, so I stayed silent while Fithi worked. A strange look of surprise came over her alongside a twitch of her lip. "It fires more powerful versions of spells that you cast into it."
"Excellent," the king exclaimed. There was a hungry look in his eyes, but I was more concerned over the creepy grin Fithi wore inches away from me.
"So this is how Therimurk died," she said quietly. "A puff, a roar, and searing pain."
"Then it should provide and effective deterrent against invasion. Exquisite. Thank you both for your assistance." I cautiously vacated the cockpit in favor of solid ground. Fithi gave me a terrible feeling that I needed to escape. Shining black armor stood before me as I landed upon the floor.
"Madison," they said in their familiar, hoarse voice.
"Starlit Knight," I replied, unsure of how to address them.
"Thank you for coming. Please help Fithi down. Fithi, you've aided me greatly, please resume your day of rest."
"I'll do so at your request, Sire." Fithi exited with the Knight's help, leaving the three of us alone with the gun. My heart beat a frenetic rhythm in my chest. Controlling the pace of my breath did nothing to calm me.
"Madison Cantrell," said Ogheonal, rounding the weapon with his hands held behind his back. "Or should I say Apheon?" All of my hope sunk at once as my eyes went wide.
"Oh, come on!"
"Eyes have been on you from the very beginning," he explained. "Your efforts at cloaking yourself were valiant, but Aarutyr took no such precautions; I was easily able to view your meeting. It disappoints me to know that a wizard wouldn't consider such a thing." The jig was up. It was over. He knew everything, including the efforts I had made against him. My left hand gripped my staff harder than ever before. I needed to escape as soon as I could. The Knight was behind me, and the Sun King in front of me. Could I get them to cast, then duck and make a run for the window?
"You couldn't have thought that coercing a dragon into your service would work."
"It has worked before, and you'll serve me one way or another. I give you one final choice: aid our city in the war, and your friends will remain unharmed. You will, as well, and you’ll be released upon the completion of your work. If you choose otherwise... you'll never see them again."
"Well... with your head so far up your own ass, I don't know how you'll manage to fuck yourself." Unexpected laughter filled the throne room.
"Ahah, so colorful! Perhaps I'll make you my jester." I used this opportunity to fling my arm outward. A Fireball streaked from my hand and exploded against the window. The force of the blast hurtled glass into the outside air, and the sound reverberated throughout the palace. Invisibility was to be my follow-up, but Ogheonal was faster. My body ceased its motion; I was stuck.
"Amusing. Apheon, I feel so sorry for you. Plucked from your home, forced to labor for your magic, robbed of your draconic birthright while superior others carry the innate talent from birth. It must sting quite badly. Even worse, you attempted to play your way through another dragon's home without realizing you lost in the simple act of instigation." A condescending smirk burned my anger into rage as I struggled against my magical binding. "Take her to prison and let her rot while I alert my opponents. Ah, of course! Speaking of which, order the imprisonment of her comrades; they are complicit in her treason." The Starlit Knight bowed, hefted my paralyzed body over their shoulder, and took me from the throne room while Ogheonal laughed. They raised a Sending Stone to the front of their helmet to transmit the most horrible words I could imagine.
"Apprehend her accomplices dead or alive," they wheezed with effort. Lilika, Sekvi, Keff, Betiara... they might pay for my mistake with their lives. I had doomed us all to life in prison for daring to think I could empower myself over Ogheonal. This was it. My life was over when it had only just begun. I had only survived three months in this world, even with the aid of magic and people that loved me in spite of my insecurity and short-sightedness. Dismayed dissociation filled me with every step the Starlit Knight took. We traversed several floors below the palace. There were no windows here, only metal doors, bars and the scent of damp earth. I was placed inside a cell on the lowest level after being stripped of my staff, my tome, my Vault of Amber and my cinder block. The reinforced door of my cell rattled closed upon a metal track. This was the rest of my life now. "This isn't the will of the stars... I'm sorry." This sentiment announced the Knight's exit, and I was alone.
"FUUUUUUUUUCK," I howled in tear-fueled rage as my ability to move returned. Tears blinded my eyes to the dim candlelight that streamed through the small viewing slat in the door. My attempts to deform metal and stone came to naught. Emotions strained from my hands and my throat without recognizable names. Breathing upon my confines produced no measurable effect, and returning to my true shape revealed that I was much too large to fit inside the cell. Even so, nothing gave way. That was all I could do. I had no more options, no more ideas, and no chance at salvation. All the hope and wonder I had felt for this world had fallen into abyssal loss. Waves of surging vitriol reached their peak and spun into nothingness before I could identify their nuances. My wings would never catch the air again. The freedom promised by the sky had become a lie, and all that was good was gone.
Asking myself where I went wrong was a fruitless question borne of an ego wishing to absolve responsibility. My decisions were my own, whether or not they were correct or fully informed. I let my pride get the better of me; Ogheonal’s insults were allowed to take root instead of meeting stony scale. Why had I thought I could outmaneuver a fellow dragon, one older and more empowered than I was? I was trying to be a dragon without any idea of how to do so. The nature of a Wish was identical in every piece of media I’d consumed. I wondered if I was too inexperienced, too desperate, or lacking in foresight to realize my inability to live up to the world’s expectations of a dragon. All I had wanted was to be safe and comfortable in newfound agency. Now I knew that even agency had its consequences. I went from being invisible to being a being of some inherent consequence, and I had blown my chance to use it properly through impatience. Those I’d met on my journey had misplaced their faith in me.
Fond memories of moments I’d forever miss rushed into my mind. First to arrive were the moments in which I’d met my family. Keff offered me work when I had no money, inadequate clothing, and couldn’t yet converse with anyone. Sekvi saw potential in me and endeavored to cultivate it. Betiara saw me at my most physically vulnerable and treated me with gentleness and understanding. Lilika, after her initial caution, instigated nurturing. Rags was, as well, a steadfast presence in my life that put a loving face to our little gathering of love. His half-obscured eyes were always a comfort, and I desperately needed comfort in this moment. Rags was a very good boy. I so badly wanted to pay them all the due they had long refused to collect of me. Regardless of what they all said, they had given me all the tools I’d needed to succeed, and I wanted to give them the world in return. Today I had given them failure instead. I hoped they were safe. Perhaps we would spend our lives in this cage together.
I spent hours staring at the door of my cell, acutely aware of each second that passed. My cantrips were ineffective; the door was enchanted. One hour, two, three... seven. It was time for the sun to set, and I hadn't heard a sound beyond my own pulse. External stillness forced its way inside and corrupted all my volume into silence. I felt as if I were already dead and departed, entirely numbed to existence itself. The final visages of my family's faces haunted every moment. Sekvi's determination, Keff's readiness, Lilika's concern, Betiara's confidence, and Rags' happy panting coalesced into a lifetime of regret. It was almost Lilika's birthday, and now I may never see her again. She had loved me enough to provide me with parentage. This understanding love was unparalleled, the same she shared with her ex-husband, and this was what I accomplished with it. I deserved to be in here for that reason alone. This thought was interrupted by a strange scraping sound on the other side of the door.
"Hang on, this'll take a minute." I knew that voice. Its blunt affect and Celtic accent announced the last person I expected to find me.
"Toddrick," I asked in a whisper. "Please get me out, I'm so scared. What's-, how did you know I was here?"
"Lilika tunneled her way to the kitchen, dropped through the ceiling and told me you were in trouble. Let me focus." I did exactly that. Hope could still be on the horizon after all. Life trickled back into my being. The door slowly slid open to reveal the familiar wererat, whom I immediately gave a desperate hug. His fur was surprisingly well-kept. A hesitant paw rose and settled on my back. "That's nice, lass. It's been a while... but we don't have time for gratitude. Here." He gestured toward my confiscated effects, and I gathered them as quickly as I could.
"Let’s get out of here." I immediately entertained Shatter, which could see me through the wall, but imagined it was thick enough to withstand the blast. If only I could tunnel out like a... "You said you have tunnels going everywhere."
"That's how I got here."
"Did you know I'm a dragon?"
"Not until the king's announcement this morning. Why?"
"Show me the tunnel; I can shapeshift now." Toddrick was taken aback, but he quickly recovered. I cast Invisibility on myself and followed closely behind him. We ascended a few levels of the dungeon, taking care to travel as quietly as we could. A small hole in the corner of the entry hall was our path to freedom, but this corner was currently occupied by a guard. He was focused on his paperwork, though there was every chance he would notice any magical effect I produced. Shapeshifting could induce some amount of light. A distracting Mage Hand would require a verbal component. My most viable options were Banishment or Telekinesis. Removing the guard from this plane, if only temporarily, would give us one minute of head start without being visually confirmed. Telekinesis would buy us the same amount of time unless I decided to strike a lethal blow. Banishment seemed far crueler than a quick death. Fear, regret and upset filled my throat I made my decision.
I couldn't leave anything up to chance. There was only scant solace in the fact that he served a corrupt, scheming, charlatan king. "I'm so sorry."
"Huh?!" The man ascended sharply into the air. His head collided with the ceiling hard enough to produce a sickening thud, and his body went limp. The breath in my lungs carried all my warmth from me as I exhaled. No substantial sound had been made by the comparatively soft impact upon stone. A trembling hand guided the guard's body to the underside of his desk. Another life had gone quiet because of me. I felt myself grow sick with worry as I considered what I’d just done, but I would grieve of those dead when given the time. Without further delay, I took the shape of a rat and disappeared into the tunnel behind Toddrick. I found my mind more limited in this shape than I had as a wolf. Even so, I was able to focus on a singular burning urge: follow. He was a friend, a fellow rat, someone I trusted. I could trust him to lead me to the other rats. This was a good thing, and exploring the tunnels was a lot of fun.
We scurried through an utter maze of tunnels for an imperceptible amount of time. Only upon emerging into the light and resuming my dragonborn shape did I realize that it had taken us two hours to reach our destination. Toddrick led me to a storage closet in the back of the kitchen. Inside were my family, all five of them, and they launched themselves upon me. I broke down as I returned their embraces. The words they spoke faded into distant silence. All I could perceive was their presence and the warmth they carried. This continued for some time. My senses eventually returned to me; the others were showering gratitude upon Toddrick for his timely rescue. He assured them that it wasn't any trouble, and that Betiara's set of lock picks came in handy. We took a moment to drink some water and eat a quick snack before we set off.
"I heard the guards talking up there," Toddrick murmured. "Alanuwa's marching; they'll be here soon. You should go." I stayed my fear as we donned our hoods and hurried toward the Exterior.
"Thank you, Toddrick! I won't forget this!"
"Neither will I," he called after us. We anticipated fewer guards to be present in the Interior, but we would need to cross the bridge to the West half of the city to escape. Ideas were floated in hurried whispers. None of them were good. In the end, Lilika and I decided to change our shapes and carry the others through the elegant, high arch that yawned into the night air. My mother took the shape of a monolithic eagle, and I threw my dysphoric shackles free once again. Sekvi and Betiara climbed onto my back while Keff did the same with Lilika. People shouted awe and upset all around us as we met the air with a running start. The few present guards made attempts to poke us with their spears, but we were mercifully beyond their reach. Freedom was within sight! Sekvi's cheering was cut short by a horribly familiar sound: a catastrophic trembling of the air around us. It sounded like an earthquake.
My assumption was soon proven wrong, however, as flaming chunks of stone and glass rained from the sky. Lilika and I banked to the right, heading toward the Northwest gate, but falling debris clipped our wings and sent us into the ground. My roar of pain shattered the night air. Lilika's form reverted, leaving her gasping and rubbing her left arm. Keff, Sekvi and Betiara were similarly hurt, but they were scrambling to their feet and pointing upward. High above the First Ring, a plume of black smoke rose from the Sun Palace; rather, it rose from its former location. It was gone, incinerated as flaming debris continued to rain down. We began to run, dodging the rubble as best we could. The dusty remains of rock washed over us, threatening to obscure our vision forward. Lilika slipped in the dust, but Betiara quickly lifted her to her feet. Screams, crackling impacts of stone, and my heaving breath were all I could hear. It was all so terribly loud.
When the last of the debris had fallen, and the people had fled the area, a new sound began to emerge. It was rhythmic and akin to chanting: armor striking stone. "They're here," Betiara gasped. The Alanuwan military had breached the southern gate. "We need to move!" The Northwest gate wasn't far now; we were almost free of the city. Rue sunk into my stomach as gleaming orange and white armor came into view. This gate, and presumably all the others, were still being guarded. Dozens of armed military personnel leveled their weapons at our approach.
"The Dragon of Lancaster's escaped! Kill the traitors," shouted their commander as he fired a beam of streaking white energy from his hand. It sailed over our heads, but the archers were nocking arrows while the infantry charged. I knew what was about to happen, but they had made my peace for me. It was their lives, or ours.
"You go low," I said to Lilika. "I'll go high." Our combined magic created a firestorm unlike any I'd ever seen. Walls of fire enclosed much of the infantry and filled the night air with screams. A streaking blast crumbled the gate's arch and blew all the archers from their perches. Sekvi halted many of the rushing personnel with Hypnotic Pattern while Lilika followed up with volleys of starlit energy. Betiara and Keff bravely rushed the survivors of another Fireball, quickly taking them down precise cuts and crushing force. The way was finally clear! We sprinted over the burning corpses of the Nerevan Arm as quickly as we could. My legs carried me so quickly, in fact, I began to lift into the air. I met the road with my face, growling as I climbed to my feet after being tripped. Further explosions rocked the South and Southwest walls of the city. Explosive volleys of fire repeatedly cracked the sky open, growing closer and closer to the city behind us. I looked back to see a set of gleaming black armor and a matching longsword pointed in my direction.
"Your reward," the Starlit Knight's voice sounded with surprising volume. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
"I don't need it! We're leaving!"
"You're not going to touch her," Betiara snarled.
"Come get your steel, you puffed-up display piece!"
"I shall weave your final song unless you stand down, Knight."
"Don't fight them," Lilika pleaded. "Just run!"
"The king is dead," the Knight shouted. "This is the will of the stars." Their sword began to pulse with a familiar glow as they strode toward me: starlight amid a night sky. A powerful thrum of energy pulsed the air. This person was far too powerful for us to fight. Another round of explosions sounded overhead, scattering debris over the street to our right. They were getting closer; we had precious little time to flee now. The Knight was close enough to Banish me. I felt the comforting hand of my mother and the protective paw of my girlfriend steadying me. Sekvi stepped forward on my left, and Keff covered my right. Rags stood directly in front of me, snarling at the approaching opponent. They were determined to either keep me here or die trying... I hadn’t lost them, after all. Time slowed to a crawl as I took my surroundings in. I saw the city, the cloudless night sky, and twinkling stars within fire and smoke. My last visage of the Cradle would be one of hell.
"We can't fight them."
"We can't win," Betiara growled, "but we can buy you time."
"This is worth dying for," Lilika said with serene calm in her voice. "I've lived long enough. If I die now, I can die happy."
"I'll write my craftsmanship on their armor," Keff assured me with a smile.
"My parents are waiting for me. I could perhaps introduce you all."
“I’m not going anywhere!” Rags barked his solidarity, and the others launched into an all-out assault before I realized what was happening. Spells flew toward the Knight. Streaks of starlight skipped off their armor, as did blows from daggers and hammer. The Knight ignored the others and continued their pace uninterrupted. Horror finally dawned over my face as I cast Banishment to no avail. Their will was ironclad beyond all imagination. They were an engine of ruin all their own, beholden to no kings or countries. Dust and flame scattered about the street, and still they kept their pace. I hurled every offensive spell I knew at the approaching monolith after the others backed away. Mind Whip, Magic Missile, Banishment, Fireball; nothing had any effect. Residual flames poured from the seams in their armor, and they only continued to walk. I knelt down, shifting my shape and taking my great tail to the Knight. It was caught and thrown aside. My final attempt was my breath, but it had no effect.
"Preparation," they announced. Their sword cleaved through the air with buzzing, radiant white energy trailing behind it. Sekvi went down first, then Lilika, then Betiara, and even Keff. All I could do was cry as Rags threw himself against me. My family was bleeding on the ground, clutching their spilling wounds. Their eyes searched for me. White energy materialized over the Knight's sword, and it was pointed at me once again. I let my head hang low. All joy vanished from the world. They were all going to die because of me. The love they had shown for me in their final moments bought only this, and I hadn't provided them anything better. Everything we had suffered and every laugh we shared brought us to this moment. We were going to die by the unfeeling hands of someone that aided a corrupt king. There had to be something I could do. If I had learned anything in this world, it was that I was never powerless.
"Wait," I breathed, my tail cyclically stroking over Rags' back. "Wait. Let them live and I'll go. Please. They're... they're all I have. I can only survive Earth if I know they're safe here."
"Earth..." I shook the tears from my eyes and looked up to watch the Starlit Knight remove their helmet. An aged face, pale and curtained by white hair, looked upon me with permeating sorrow. They spoke to me in a strange tongue now. "It is only temporary." I recognized these sounds from English class: they were speaking Old English. This was the previous child of the stars.
"Morris Cobb," I breathed.
"It has been so long since I've heard that name... Apheon, it is the will of the stars." The Knight glanced over their gleaming black blade. "You will be sped."
"Will you let them live if I go?"
"It is not my choice." I glanced over my family. They had lost consciousness from blood loss, but they were all breathing. Rags whined and buried his face against my neck.
"They better, or... I'll make up all kinds of shit about you on the Internet. I will tax five descendants, one for each love you take from me!" This didn’t seem to faze the Knight, but I didn’t care. I wanted them to hurt, I wanted them to fear.
"What is it like now? Earth?"
"Bad." The Knight's face fell further upon hearing this news. "But just so you know, whatever you're feeling right now, you fucking deserve it. I hope it kills you for the rest of your life."
"It has, it is, and it will."
“Good.” I gave Rags a kiss on the forehead and cast Banishment on myself without meeting his eyes. My surroundings gave way to a kaleidoscope of impossible colors, contrasted against a white background that rushed by without care for my presence. The effect slowed as quickly as it arrived, and I found myself floating in a void of starry space with distant strings crossing luminous eons of the universe. I had been here once before, but this wasn't Earth. Unmatched terror twisted my stomach as I realized that there was no returning to the world I'd come from. This was the furthest destination I could reach. My spell was intended to send me to Lancaster, and if it were possible, I would have appeared there. I realized that I couldn’t stay in this place for long. Glancing around revealed a familiar string: my own. The universe moved around me as I willed myself closer to it. My goal wasn't to pluck it, however; my goal was to pluck the strings intersecting its path.
The first string, a sturdy silver that matched Keff's steel warhammer, was the first that I plucked. I ascended to a vibrant blue string that matched Sekvi's robes and plucked it, as well. Next, I plucked a yellow string that matched Betiara's eyes. The last note of the chord was Lilika's string, the same green of her staff's emerald. They rang in harmonic vibration with each other. Sympathetic resonance bade my own to join them, and a droning roar was my answer. Each string vibrated more intensely. Overtones slowed and sped in intervals as our pitches met in a universal chord. I had to do something before my spell completed its course and stranded me in spiritual cosmos. My Wish was for my friends to live regardless of what happened to me. All of my emotion, all of my will, and all of my power were channeled into this roar and directed across the strings of my family. They began to vibrate with such intense spiritual friction that they became colored filaments. That could only mean one thing. With seconds to spare, I ended Banishment before I was sealed.
They were gone. Keff, Sekvi, Betiara, Lilika, Rags and the Starlit Knight were nowhere to be found. I was alone while explosions rang out around me. Nereved had fallen, and civilians were beginning to stream toward me. There was no way to know if my family were alive or not, or what would happen if the Knight knew I'd returned. In either case, I had to go. If I stayed with my family, royal retribution or further exploitation would follow them endlessly. If I left, the others would likely be spared the consequences of my choices. My wish for the others to live hadn't kept them close to me, but instead saw them elsewhere, just as my first Wish had done for me. This was the consequence that I had to face for their wellbeing. They had loved me, and they likely still did, but I had to be apart from them now. Tears mixed with ash and dust on my face. I had lived my life the only way that I had known, but when the pillars of that life came crashing down, I did not stand and watch them fall. I turned and walked away.