1

Harbinger

A light breeze blew, rippling the amber fields of wheat spreading for miles. The setting sun beyond the far-off mountains cast brilliant shades of red and orange across the sky. The woman with slight angular features, standing in the field gazed around, her golden hair wisping about her in the wind, a single unmistakable sapphire-colored streak mixed in with the yellow. She tucked some strands behind her short and pointed half-elven ears with a fair hand.

Where am I? Last she remembered, she’d lain down for rest in her home.

“Beautiful, isn’t it, Aviana?” a rumbling voice said.

She spun around, her eyes going wide at the sight of a gargantuan twin-headed dragon standing behind her. The low sun reflected off scales of various precious metal colors.

Aviana placed one hand on her midriff, her hand covering her navel. She bowed with her free hand extended to the side, palm facing out—a respectful greeting for her people, the Shikala. “Akorith.”

A warm smile spread across both his faces, his words coming from both heads as one single voice. “You know you don’t have to be so formal with me, child.”

She did know. He’d been by her side since her birth. A friend to her. One of the few she’d ever had, even if no one was allowed to know. But a god, especially the god of dragons, and the god of justice and retribution, should be respected.

He bent closer to her, his heads looking about. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” he repeated.

Aviana nodded. “It is, but where is it?”

“I had Daereena craft it. Another place for us to speak when needed. I thought a change of scenery was in order.”

So she was asleep. That was good to know. “I’ve never seen quite a place like this before. The goddess of dreams did a lovely job. Though, the ocean coastline she created for us years ago was more than satisfactory.”

His gaze shifted to her. “I have a task for you, child. It won’t be easy, but I know you, of all my followers, can accomplish it.”

Aviana took a deep breath. She had known this was coming. The gods didn’t call on mortals often to merely chat, not even Akorith with her. And they certainly didn’t create dream places for that reason, either. “I have followed your light since the very beginning, even when my own people struggle to. I still don’t quite understand why you’ve chosen me, beyond my family name, but if you believe I am worthy of this task, then I’ll listen to what you ask of me.”

His scaly lips pulled back into a toothy smile on both heads. “It is because of who you are that makes you the only one right for this task.”

Voices played out in her mind just then. Male and female. Some strong, some quiet. Many harsh, but many more gentle. The strongest of them swarmed in her mind and said:

Into the great darkness peer

Where remains no light nor cheer

There, a queen on shadowed throne

A curse her words to madness hone

In the dragon’s hoard no answers lie

Take the stranger’s hand and rise

To a city below the stars, above the earth

Or watch all life to death give birth

Aviana blinked and shook her head as the words cleared from her mind. This wasn’t the first prophecy she’d received, but it was no less strange to experience. She replayed the words, trying to make sense of it. A queen on a shadowed throne… Lusara? City below the stars… that could mean Starglade… A city above the earth… Her eyes widened. Candara? But what of this stranger’s hand?

Aviana twisted and turned the words in her mind, but failed to find the connection between strangers, the lost dragon queen, and the lost great city. “What does it all mean?”

Akorith pulled away. “Your sister is not ready for the task ahead of her. Use this to guide her and answer my call. Save your people. Bring back our old ways. They need you more than ever.”

Aviana frowned. She didn’t like it when he avoided her questions.

His golden eyes softened. “Take care, my darling Oracle.”

The world around her slipped away and bright light seared her eyes. Shielding them with her arm, Aviana clamped her eyes shut until darkness enveloped her. Her eyes blinked open, and she found herself back in her room, the earthy smells of the tree home surrounding her. The “soft” distorted purring of a large creature filled the room, and the morning sunlight peeked through the window, casting soft light into the room filled with books, vials, and herbs, among various other possessions.

A rough tongue lapped and pulled her cheek, the purring increasing. She grumbled and turned to face her owlcat, Katsula. The unique creature, native to her home of Starglade, looked much like a black tiger with white striping, but this creature came about due to the unique nature of the area, sprouting wings and feathers, and growing to the size of a horse.

Katsula reached out with one of her front bird-like legs and pulled Aviana in closer with her talons, rubbing her large head against her. Aviana chuckled and scratched her companion under the chin, hearing in response a happy sound that resembled a bird chirp and cat purr. “Good morning, Katsula.”

She cringed when something crashed in the other side of her home. “Sounds like the kittens are awake, too. I guess that means feeding time.”

A caretaker of these magnificent animals, she didn’t know what it meant to sleep in. The fact she’d gotten to sleep to sunrise was a miracle. I don’t doubt Akorith had something to do with it.

She sent a silent prayer to her god and tried to slip out of bed. Katsula had other plans, holding her tight. Aviana flinched as the feline’s talons dug into her soft flesh. “Katsula, I need to go about the day.”

The owlcat’s bobbed tail twitched, but she wasn’t ready to let Aviana go. Aviana shook her head. She was a stubborn female, but that didn’t mean she could ignore her duties. Duty…

The prophecy played through her mind again. Various emotions hit her. Akorith had given her one other heavy prophecy in the past, but this one felt different. More… impossible to fulfill. The last one, one she still worked on, had been far easier to accomplish than this new task.

She snorted. Easy, right. One part had been easy, but the other… pain twinged in her chest. She shook the thought away.

Crash! Aviana sighed and pushed on Katsula. “C’mon, girl. The cubs are going to destroy my house at this rate in their quest for food.”

Katsula huffed and extracted herself, slipping off the bed. Aviana swung her legs over the bed and stood, stretching. She used a nearby mirror to fix her hair, lapis eyes staring back at her. She brushed out tangles and then braided her hair back on one side before snatching a colorful, sheer shawl to pull over her naked form. She tied it loose around her full breasts and then fastened a long cloth around her wide hips into a skirt. In the process, she found bruises and scratches that had marred her skin. Raising wild critters wasn’t easy.

Crash! She cringed. She’d have to heal herself after settling them down. Her light morning clothes on, she opened the wooden door to let Katsula out, having to duck under a wayward tree branch that’d grown inside the tree home instead of outside. I’m going to have to fix that. A small owlcat, maybe four moons old, sat in front of her door, peering up with bright yellow eyes. Upon seeing Aviana, it purred and its short tail went up before it rushed off.

Aviana chuckled and went to leave, when a small red and purple dragon toy that had been stored away on a shelf caught her eye. She went over and pulled it down, the collar with a large cut stone moving with the action. The magical flame inside the gem flickered.

She smiled at the little dragon that had accompanied her on so many of her make-believe adventures growing up. “Looks like I’m going to be going on a new adventure, Firestone. Akorith has assigned me one hell of a task—Candara—the city that’s been missing for thousands of years.”

Aviana frowned. “I need to find it… somehow, because of some darkness that is coming. My people are in danger. I shouldn’t care, not after what they’ve done to me, but… I can’t turn my back on those who are lost. I promised Mother, and Akorith, that I’d find a way to remind them… to bring us back to our old way, no matter how impossible that task feels.”

Her thumb glided over the old toy’s worn fabric, stopping at a place she’d had to stitch him up after he’d become the unfortunate victim of an owlcat cub. “I can’t bring you with me this time. With Grandpa gone, I can’t risk something bad happening to you. So you’ll have to hold down the house while I’m out.”

Someone banged loudly on her front door, and then a feminine voice called out. “Aviana!”

Aviana chuckled. “And there’s the second part of my momentous task. I have to convince father to let us leave so Temperance can grow, without her mother getting in the way.”

Temperance banged on the door several more times. “Avi, open up! Or… or… or I’ll climb through a window!”

Aviana shook her head. “Yeah, she definitely needs to grow. Shouldn’t be too difficult convincing Father. I’ve managed a few public trips with his approval. Sure, Cryson or Bryson were with me, but he’s a big softy when I ask him for things.”

Temperance made more loud demands, banging more. Aviana knew she couldn’t keep stalling. At this rate, the rest of the clan would complain about the noise, and she didn’t need that headache.

She stashed Firestone back on the shelf, and went to let her sister in. She wouldn’t tell Temperance yet of the plan—not until she got the okay. Akorith, help me when breaking the news to Calypso. She’s not going to take it well.

♦ ♦ ♦

Pounding sounds on wood, as well as her sister’s vocal demands, echoed through the home. Aviana sighed. She’d called out to her sister twice now, trying to get to the front door, and yet it hadn’t stopped her.

Aviana walked down the stairs leading to her spacious living room. Owlcats lounged about, cubs tussling and playing. A few adults turned their heads her way, blinking in acknowledgement before going about their original business. One, though, stretched out on his back and grabbed for her legs.

Aviana laughed, dodging him. “Lashul, you’re just as bad as your sister. I need to let Temperance in.”

Temperance banged on the door. “Avi! Make a door for me to come in!”

Aviana’s eyebrow twitched. This was getting old. “Temperance, if you don’t calm down, Akorith help you, I will ban you from my family library.”

Her sister gasped. “But… but… you have fun books…”

It wasn’t like she didn’t have access to a lot of books in her own home. The Remenia family was the clan’s history keepers. But for some reason Aviana’s books were “better.”

Aviana stepped over two wrestling cubs, only to be tripped by Lashul after all. Aviana yelped and crashed hard on the wooden floor, groaning in pain. Lashul curled his talons around her bare leg, but didn’t pierce her skin, still lying on the floor. He purred and wagged his tail slowly.

“Lazy brat,” Aviana muttered.

The two wrestling cubs pulled apart and jumped on her, seeing her as a fun new playmate. Aviana laughed rolled around with them, trying to take advantage of the chance to slip out of Lashul’s grip. It didn’t work, and the fun she was having only upset Temperance more.

“That’s it, I’m coming through the window!”

Aviana sighed. “No, Temperance, wait.”

She reached out toward the wide door on the tree home. Energy swirled around her—nature’s energy—the source of at least some of her spellcasting power. Aviana latched onto it, while at the same time, deep within her another kind of energy pulsed—an energy most denied was possible due to her strong connection with nature. But she knew the truth; the Whispering One confirmed it.

Arcane energy.

Both energies mingled, though that from nature pulsed stronger, and a low-circle spell leapt from her fingers. A beautifully crafted door handle appeared on the door. She removed it at night as a security measure while she slept—not that the owlcats weren’t good at keeping her safe on their own. Not a moment later, the door swung open and a petite young half-elven woman with pale freckled skin burst in. She appeared near her early twenties at the oldest. Her vibrant red hair bounced around her shoulders, wild and only tamed by a head scarf on her head. A noticeable black symbol—a forward-facing dragon head—was tattooed on her forehead. The mark of the Shikala.

The young woman’s cerulean eyes sparkled bright as the sun, as vibrant as her choice of clothing. “I’m finally in!”

Aviana chuckled. “Yes, you’re in now, Temperance. So why don’t you come and play with these cubs?”

Her sister smiled wide. “You don’t have to tell me twice!”

She rushed in and jumped into the play, the cubs more than eager to have another playmate. The adults watched on, happy with the interaction. This gave Aviana the chance to work on Lashul. He still held onto her, now rubbing his massive head on her leg, purring.

Aviana traced her finger in the air and muttered an incantation to cast a special speaking spell, specifying owlcats as her intended so as not to be overwhelmed by other animals in the vicinity. While learning to communicate with creatures on some level could happen, a spell was the easiest in order to have full conversations. It was a strange experience to most, especially when you communicated with an animal that had limited vocabulary, yet you were still able to get your entire point across and each of you understood the other.

The spell leapt from her fingers when the incantation finished, a small portion of the same casting energy as before leaving her body. Deep rumbles of conversation between the owlcats and rambunctious chatter of older cubs, once incomprehensible to her ears, now surrounded her.

“Lashul, let go,” Aviana said.

He pulled her leg closer. “Mine.”

She laughed. “C’mon, buddy, you have to let go.”

Lashul continued to purr and rubbed his massive head against her leg some more. “No, mine.”

Aviana let out an exasperated sigh and fought his physical hold. His superior strength prevented her from succeeding. It wasn’t until Katsula came to the rescue that Aviana broke free.

Katsula came up to her brother and butted heads, using her full body to roll into him. “Brother, play.”

This finally got Lashul to let go of Aviana, and the two played for a moment. Lashul’s lazy nature didn’t allow for it to last long, though, and he stretched out to snooze away.

Aviana gave Katsula an affectionate scratch. “Thank you.”

She purred in response, rubbing against Aviana, nearly knocking her over.

“Temperance, keep the cubs busy while I get their food ready,” Aviana said to her in their natural Elvish tongue.

Her sister’s nose scrunched. “It’s mid-morning. Why haven’t you fed them yet?”

I slept that late? She was both thankful and regretful. “I only woke up a few moments before you showed up.”

Temperance’s brow rose. “Wow, you must have been really tired, Avi. You never sleep in.”

Aviana chuckled. She wasn’t wrong, though it wasn’t exactly by choice. Her sleep habits fell in line with the owlcats’. It was the only way she could make sure to get a decent amount of rest.

She milled about in the kitchen, getting the special food ready that nourished the cubs in a way their unique bodies needed. The activity drew the cubs from their play into a chorus of hungry cries. Temperance sprung into action and helped Aviana out, always eager to assist in the rearing of the owlcats. She usually complained about how unfair it was that only certain families in Starglade had to privilege of assisting in the rearing of owlcats, and that her family wasn’t one of them.

Temperance squealed in distress when a cub grabbed onto her, trying to get at something tied to her hip. “No! Bad baby owlcat. You can’t take Kyanite!”

She removed a blue stuffed dragon and held it high up. The blue gem attached to its collar swayed with the motion. “Avi made him special for me. Avi, tell your babies they need to stop trying to take him!”

Temperance took that toy everywhere with her, ever since Aviana had made it for her when she was a child. It reminded her of when Aviana got Firestone from her grandfather. But due to Temperance’s… unusual… behavior for a nineteen-year-old woman, she still carried him around everywhere with her and talked to him. I’m not really that much better, though. Of course, Aviana had a realistic excuse. She didn’t think the toy was alive, unlike Temperance. But at the same time, neither dragon is just a toy.

Aviana got the cub to calm down. She wasn’t really sure why they went crazy for these toys, either. It was so strange.

Temperance smiled. “Thank you, Avi. I don’t want Kyanite to get ruined. I know they don’t mean to be rough, but Kyanite is fragile.”

Aviana pat her sister on the head. “Don’t worry. I’m always here to help you.”

Her sister pursed her lips and then motioned for Aviana to bend closer. Unsure what she wanted, Aviana complied. Temperance reached out and touched the two sapphire and citrine gemstones embedded into Aviana’s forehead, strategically placed in her tattoo to look like three eyes.

The pressure caused an uncomfortable sensation to rush through Aviana. She jerked back. “Temperance, you know not to do that.”

Her sister frowned. “Sorry, did I hurt you?”

“Well, no, but like I’ve told you before, it is uncomfortable when they’re played with.”

Temperance cocked her head. “Did it hurt to have it done when you passed your test?”

Aviana nodded. “Yes. Not as much as the tattoo, though.”

Temperance touched her non-gemmed mark. Most members of the Shikala went through that first test at the age of ten. “Yeah, that hurt a lot. I wish you could tell me what I should expect.”

She gave her younger sister a sympathetic smile. “I know, but you know the rules. No one can speak about the tests to those who aren’t proven adults.”

“But how am I supposed to prepare if I don’t know what to expect?”

Aviana knew this quandary all too well. She asked the same question before her test came along. She reached out and placed a hand on Temperance’s chest, her heart beating beneath. “You’ll know. Trust me.”

Her sister gave a less-than-enthused look. “Not helpful.” Her mood switched immediately to a chipper one, a type of switch that was unfortunately common for her. “I can’t wait for my coming-of-age test! I already know what gems I want when I pass.”

“Is that so?” Aviana poured some special milk, the hungry cubs screaming louder for their breakfast. “Are you going to tell me?”

Temperance shook her head, her red hair bouncing about. “Nope! You just have to wait.”

Aviana chuckled and accepted the answer. Knowing her sister, she’d slip up and tell her later.

Around the time they’d finished getting the cubs fed, and had given out some fruits to the local parrots Aviana enjoyed feeding, someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” Temperance answered in a sing-song voice.

“Uh, Cryson,” replied a masculine voice. “Is that you, Temperance?”

“Sure is. I’m helping my sister.” She skipped over to the door to open it.

On the other side, a tall man with russet skin and undercut dark hair, pulled back into a tail in popular warrior fashion, stood outside Aviana’s home. He dressed in loose breeches tied at the ankles, and a loose shirt held closed at the waist by only a black sash. His feet were dirty from walking barefoot all the time, and the morning sun sparkled off the sapphire and emerald gems embedded into his Shikala mark.

This man was full elven, the distinction his longer pointed ears.

“Morning, Cryson,” Temperance greeted.

He gave her a goofy grin, his blue eyes warm. “Good morning, little one.”

Temperance puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms. “I’m not little!”

“You’re little to me.” Cryson reached out and messed up her hair. She made complaining sounds in response. He then looked to Aviana. “I need to talk to you.”

She smiled. “Good morning to you, too. We can slip outside if you’d like.”

Temperance’s brow furrowed as she fixed her hair. “Hey, secrets don’t make friends. Avi, tell your friend he needs to talk inside.”

Friend. It hurt Aviana to hear that word from her sister’s mouth. She deserved to know the truth. But things were too complicated, and it wasn’t allowed. Not yet, at least.

She glanced back at the light filtering through the canopy over her balcony. “You know, Temperance, the light in here is really nice. Might make for a nice… painting, perhaps?”

Her younger sister’s eyes went wide as disks. “I could paint the owlcats!”

A sly grin spread across Aviana’s lips. “And, didn’t I give you an easel and make you new paints recently? If I recall, you put them in your room here, instead of taking them home.”

Excitement burst through her sister, who made wordless happy squealing sounds and ran off upstairs. Cryson and Aviana chuckled before slipping outside.

Before she could speak, he looked her up and down. “You’re not dressed for the day?”

Aviana’s brow rose. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

He shook her head. “Nothing. It’s just not what you normally wear.”

She laughed. “I don’t wear anything to bed, so I’d say whatever I decided to put on, if I did, counts as normal wear.”

“That’s fair.”

Clothing was optional in her clan. The body was seen as something strong and powerful, as well as beautiful in all aspects. This acceptance made for interesting clothing trends over the centuries, and not just for her clan. Other towns in the Karma Wilds also had similar ideas and trending styles around them, as well as the desert city of Sandgil, north of the Karidar Pass.

“Anyway, what do you have to talk to me about that Temperance couldn’t hear, Cryson?”

Cryson crossed his arms and leaned back, placing more weight on one leg. “And are you sure I’m not Bryson?”

Aviana’s eyes darted down to the intricate tattoo on his left arm. Identical twins—impossible to tell them apart… unless you knew what to look for.

One of them had the bright idea of getting a matching tattoo, but mirrored. And to this day, even after sixty-nine years of living with their antics, they still tried to pull this question on her—daily.

“Yes, I’m sure I can tell my idiot brothers apart.”

His lower lip stuck out into a pout. “You’re always so mean, baby sister.”

Aviana chuckled. “You look ridiculous. And I’m not the baby sister anymore.”

Cryson looked at her tree home, his eyes soft, almost sad. “I just want to go in there and tell her the truth. She deserves to know. I want to hear her call me brother.”

Aviana softly placed a hand on his arm. “I know. I hate that Calypso forces us to keep this from her. Temperance will find out she’s Dragkala the moment the transformation takes hold, and there’s no stopping it. Everyone knows that. Calypso is delusional if she thinks otherwise. But she won’t listen to reason right now, and if anyone tells Temperance, their head will be on a spike.”

Aviana chuckled. “Besides, as long as Temperance passes her coming of age test in a few moons, there’s nothing Calypso can do. She can’t control Temperance once she’s recognized as an adult.”

Cryson looked at Aviana. “And even if she was ready, what if the transformation happens before we can tell her?”

A sigh escaped her lips. “This is what I’m hoping doesn’t happen. Temperance won’t take the news well. Not because she’s Dragkala.” Aviana chuckled. “We both know she’d be ecstatic about that. It’s the secrets bit she’d not take well.”

Something crashed, and they both heard, “Stay still! I have to paint you!”

The two chuckled, then Cryson spoke. “She’s a long ways away from being ready to pass her test. It’s strange, really. She reminds me of when Bryson and I were her age. And we all know we full dragons age differently on the mental side.”

Aviana snorted, a smirk on her lips. “Yeah. I know. Neither of you two have really grown up yet.”

With lightning reflexes, he cuffed her in the back of her head. “Watch it.”

Aviana rubbed her head. “But I do have a plan that may help us.”

Cryson’s back straightened, his shoulders pulling back. “What is it?”

Here goes nothing. If Cryson protested this idea, then there was no way their father would buy it. “If I can get her away from town to give her the chance to grow in a different way, she may gain the maturity needed to pass. If not, at least there’d be no Calypso to stop me from telling Temperance the truth about her bloodline.”

Cryson’s eyes narrowed. “Just the two of you?”

Aviana’s muscles tensed. His reaction wasn’t good so far. “Yes. I believe, if too many accompany us, she’ll become suspicious of my intension. As immature as she is, there’s a great deal of intelligence in her.”

Her brother grabbed his chin with his finger and thumb. “I don’t know if father will allow that, but he’s said yes to other things you’ve proposed that I didn’t think would work.” He nodded. “That settles it. Father wanted to see you anyway about something, so you’ll already be there to propose your crazy scheme.”

Of course, Father wants to see me and Cryson didn’t mention that. Aviana opened the door to the house and poked her head in. She found Temperance all set up with the easel, painting away. Kyanite sat on top looking down at her. “Tempy, I’m going to go to the temple with Cryson for a moment. Can I trust you to not get into trouble?”

Temperance turned back and smiled widely. “Of course!”

Aviana didn’t trust that look one bit, but if anything, the owlcats would keep her in line for the most part. Hopefully this wouldn’t take too long.