Kite - Chapter 5: Ivan

Kite

Chapter 5 – Ivan

I am Ivan, dubbed greatest of my kind, king of the kindred of sol, battlemage, archmagus, immortal. Now here I am, with a fae in the body of a dragon, in a damp dark cave near the floating isles, home to the most loathed creatures in the world. What have I become? What has all my glory come to? I guess it’s not that bad, though. Actually, it’s anything but bad.

The pressure of being king had slowly chipped away at me and I just had to take a walk, and a long one at that. Honestly, wearing the crown was like wearing a two ton weight on your head, it wasn’t easy. Nevertheless, the responsibility, the burden of a people was not one that could easily be passed on. My jealous, vain brother, who has gone into hiding after murdering a counselor of the Shev Kingdom, would not make a good replacement. Not to mention, I am a very lonely man. I have no lover, I have no heir.

For weeks I planned my escape, it was not easy, being king and all, not to mention that my kin does not take lightly to anything. All that planning simply went down the drain when one day, I realized that everyone was asleep. For some strange reason I cannot fathom, though I guessed that it was due to some innocent young prankster.

The sky was dark and dreary, as it always was. Ever since the Fae had stolen the sun, the entire world had been plunged into perpetual moonlight. That was something that absolutely no one liked, except maybe my people, but we’re a strange lot anyway, so we don’t count. I saw a massive fire in the distance. It wasn’t that difficult to find since it was dark, I descended the castle and began the journey towards it.

Now let me tell you something about my people. We look just like you humans. However, we are anything BUT human. Any kind of light empowers us. Sunlight makes us invincible and immortal. “Oh that’s great!” many would say and many actually thank the Gods, or maybe just the Blue Dragon God that they all worship, called Malkuthe for allowing the ‘protectors of the land’ to have such powers.

Yes, ‘protectors of the land’ they called us. It was true, we were responsible for the peace that the land once held. We had agents in every kingdom, an army so formidable that it never lost, and even diplomats so good that they could make any man give up even the clothes on his back. Even so, there were kingdoms who challenged us, well, they were stupid enough to do so. They were all subdued and handed over to other kingdoms within moments. We only kept one stronghold, our kingdom was the smallest, yet we were the most feared.

After all, with an army of deathless, fearless, invincible, painless people, no one would expect to win against you. Yes, painless. They thought our gifts were great for being protectors of the land, but the very fact that we felt no pain made for very mentally unstable people.

To not feel pain was a curse. It was too great a price for immortality. It made us feel like monsters. Life felt empty, oh so very empty. However, there was one way we could feel pain, during the nights, when the sun would go down, any and all pain of the day would come crashing down on us. It was exhilarating, but during moonless nights, we became mortal, something that we didn’t like.

Then one day, the perfect set of events occurred. It was the day of my coronation. As the crown was being placed on my head, an eclipse began. The moon covered the sun save for a ring of light. Everyone thought that it would be like night, when we were at our most vulnerable. Someone, probably from a kingdom we conquered, was stupid or brave enough to put it to the test.

An arrow whizzed through the air and buried itself in my chest.

Dealings in the Council of Avalhein - Chapter 23

Dealings in the Council of Avalhein

Chapter 23

Avalhein erupted into a flurry of activity. The golden gleam of the walls took to an almost dismal appearance. Ceree and many of other races that had arrived in Avalhein seeking court for a myriad things ran about screaming. Children were being ushered into homes and the sorceror’s guild was moving at full speed to restore some magical defense around the city. In the distance a deep and menacingly low drumming was heard.

Geirrha knew well enough that the drumming was only being projected and the actual force behind it was miles away. Leaving Dervyn in the care of one of the attendants in the council, she immediately left for Malkknrre, who was still with elder Kimaha and advised him as to what to do. She left the main hall of the council and strode to the sorceror’s guild where she rang the magical gong that summoned everyone back to the structure.

“We have long been in the shadow of the higher and more important guilds. The council refuses to acknowledge that magic is the answer for most of our problems” said Geirrha. “My brothers and sisters, I must thank you for remaining loyal to me all these years, today Avalhein shall fall, and in glory we shall rise from the ruins and with our power create a city far more grandiose than this and all Ceree shall bow to us!” she continued. She was riling the sorceror’s guild to action.

“But what can we do? We are prohibited from fighting in the war. The council told us that our forces were too thinly spread to spend forces in protecting magicians” interjected one of the older members.

“Eet eez troo, zey say zat we are better suited to ze protection of ze city” said another who was obviously from somewhere in the north. “I mean no disrespect grandmistress, but zey are right, not many of us have our youth... Ze younger magicians are all being employed by our sister guild. Zey are the combat magicians, trained in the ways of both magic and close combat...”

“If that is all that you are concerned of, then you need not fear” said Geirrha with a slight malevolence with her voice. “The council cannot defy the will of Malkknrre”

“You are a cunning woman, grandmistress, what makes you so sure that Malkknrre would allow us to fight in this war?” said a shady voice from behind her. From the shadows stepped out the matriarch of the guild. “You very well know what practices are forbidden in this guild, Geirrha. Are you even the Geirrha we knew before you became councilwoman? You were always deceitful, showing the council that your loyalty was to them when in fact it was with us.”

“Ahh... good to see you again sister. Vetra, the time for change has come upon the world, we need not those rules. Magic will be our greatest ally. No, I am no longer the Geirrha you once knew. That Geirrha is no longer here. I am Sa’maihan, Sar’haiel, holder of soul, master of being!” yelled Geirrha. Her eyes glowed a fierce violet and she began to chant. Her body rippled and the light seemed to dance around it. She seemed to age and her alerons began to lengthen. Her klimnu slowly grew and she herself began to become more lean, more streamlined. A regal air hung about her and suddenly, from her back sprouted two majestic wings.

All of Geirrha’s allies in the guild bowed their heads. There was no denying that she was the one to lead them to glory. The others shook their heads in dismay and left