I could hear distant, muffled voices, and as I opened my eyes, the world came back into focus. I looked around my room. How had I gotten here? “I… you... wake... no… I… care… enough… in!” The door burst open and mom walked in. She was fuming, by the looks of it.

When she saw me lying there, looking at her, she froze, which let Pock and Brimstone catch up. “KEARI!” She rushed over to my side and knelt down beside the bed. “Don’t just stand there gaping, fools, begin casting!” Pock and Brimstone hurried over and began casting a healing spell on me, causing pleasant warmth to flow through my entire body.

Mom leaned closer. “Are you alright, Keari?” I nodded. I felt fine, except. “Wa—-r” I was so hoarse I couldn’t speak. I took a deep breath, then tried again, with a bit more force. “Water…” My throat felt like sandpaper.

How long had I been unconscious? The last thing I remembered was… Sarirrva’s lair? Gah, it was a haze. I think I remembered talking to her, then I got dizzy, then… nothing. “How did I-?” I couldn’t finish the question, my throat was too dry.

Brimstone looked at mom. “Ye highness, as far as my spells can tell, she’s as healthy as she can get. She should be fit to dance across the hold.” Mom shot him an angry glare. Then, after a few moments, she sighed. “Fine, then at least get some food and water, she’s been out like a light for almost three days and she needs nourishment.” Pock and Brimstone nodded and hurried out. Three days?

I shouldn’t speak with my throat in its current condition, it would be better to wait. Brimstone arrived within a few minutes. How had he gotten to the mead hall, talked to the staff, and gotten food back so fast? “Here ye are, ye Highness, fresh food right from the hall.” He put the platter down and helped me gulp down a few mouthfuls of water.

He then moved to spoon feed me, but I waved him away. “Thanks Brimstone, but I should be able to handle that myself, wouldn’t mind something more to drink though.” My throat was way better now that it wasn’t so parched. Brimstone nodded and ran off again.

With a bit of effort, I sat up and grabbed the platter. Just in time to see a small auburn missile fly in my direction. Amber hugged me so hard I almost couldn’t breathe and avoided dropping my food by sheer luck. “You’re awake, thank Medino, you’re awake.” She looked up at me with a face covered in tears and snot, though with a huge grin.

Aside from her obvious relief, she wasn’t looking too hot, though. She was pale as snow, and after the initial hug, her grip had slackened to the point she was just leaning onto me and the bed. “Your… fine… Thank… goodness.” She keeled over onto the bed, fast asleep.

I began eating, but shot a look at brimstone and pock, who both got the hint and gave Amber a checkup. “She’s fine, just exhausted, not surprising, she’s hardly left yer side these past three days. She’s been worse than yer mum, no joke, yer Highness.” Mom shot Pock an angry glare, but let the comment pass.

I carefully lifted Amber onto the bed proper and tucked her in, before I, with help from mom, staggered over to the nearby table for my meal. “So, if I have been unconscious for three days… Doesn’t that mean mine and Amber’s birthday are tomorrow?” Mom nodded slowly. “Indeed, though given the circumstances, there won’t be much of a celebration.”

Quite understandable, since I didn’t show any sign of when I might regain consciousness, and Amber being a nervous wreck from her trauma, planning a celebration would be hard. Add in the motherlode needing to be secured, and it was not happening, period. “That’s fair, so a small gathering with the three of us, uncle Moor and dad?”

Mom looked thoughtful for a moment. “Moor might be coming, but Slate requested his help to secure the adamantite vein, so he might be arriving late, if at all. Turns out he has been dabbling in Geomancy since his last visit. When Slate found out, he all but begged him for aid.”

Geomancy? “Since when was uncle a Geomancer? Last I checked, his class was Wizard.” Mom shook her head with a rather displeased expression. “He has mastered Wizard and Archmage, so I guess he wanted to learn something new, other than those damned Arcana of his.”

I almost choked on the slice of bread I was chewing. After a bunch of coughing and a few heavy pats from mom, I forced out. “Arcana? As in the ancient magics that were lost in the first Void War?” Mom grew even more dour. “Indeed, from what Moor told me it is powerful, but comes at a hefty cost. One most people can’t, or wouldn’t want, to pay.”

I looked at mom, now with a worried expression. “However, uncle will pay it?” Mom huffed. “For him, the price doesn’t matter, or so he claims, and I am inclined to believe him, considering he’s still alive.” Her ears were flat along her head now. I should change the topic before she dragged me to the sparring hall.

Another question popped into my mind, where had uncle learned to use Arcana? Mom must have seen my expression as she spoke up before I could even finish the thought. “Keari, don’t ask your uncle about it. I doubt you will get an answer. Even if you did, I doubt it would be one you’d like, since he doesn’t enjoy talking about the past.” True, uncle always was evasive about that topic.

I figured something bad had happened, but was the Arcana connected to it? It seemed likely. “Fine, I won’t ask, not like I could coax it out of uncle Moor anyway, he’s more stubborn than the mountain itself.” That brought a chuckle from mom. “Indeed, now, if you ‘re done eating, get back in bed. The healing you’ve received should have taken a toll on you, and you need more rest.” Mom ushered me back into bed and tucked me in beside Amber. However, despite my protests, I fell asleep as soon as I closed my eyes.

————————————————————

“You will return them to her, right?” Gran looked up from the gauntlets in his hands. “They have Flint’s craftsmanship written all over em, Moor.” I arched an eyebrow. “I don’t see how that’s relevant. They belong to Keari and you know it.” Gran opened his mouth to protest, but I cut him off. “Slate said an Incarnation delivered them, Gran. There is only one kind of being that can command an Incarnation to do anything, and you know it.”

Gran looked down at the gauntlets again. “Melady then.” He concluded at last. “Most likely, as I can’t see who else would be sending her a package via an Incarnation. Besides, Slate said they were gifts, so I guess Labyrinthia intended them to be a birthday present.” Gran looked back at the gauntlets, biting his lips.

“Bah, fine, I’ll return em. You figured out what these things do?” Gran tossed the gauntlets at me, and I grabbed them out of the air. “Various enchantments that aid in attack and defense. They are also virtually indestructible, because of a blessing placed upon them, probably by Labyrinthia herself. However, no matter how powerful these enchantments are, there are none that would allow her to survive becoming submerged in lava.”

Gran looked quite displeased with my answer. “Then how do you explain it? Both Slate and Amber saw her fall into the lava, and Sarirrva claimed she came from a small lava pool in a side chamber of her lair.” I nodded and put the gauntlets down on the table. “It’s related to her distorted stats page, of that I am certain.”

Gran looked up at me with a sneer. “Are ye suggesting my daughter isn’t what she seems to be?” I shrugged as I rose from the table. “I am not drawing any conclusions what Keari might be, Gran. Besides, does it matter? Your wife is a Fox Spirit. Amber is another adoptive daughter for you in all but name, and she’s a Gnome. Besides, the reason you haven’t officially adopted Amber is that mentioning her family turns her into a shivering, sobbing mess and you don’t wish to touch that emotional scar. Don’t even try to deny it Granite, we both know it. Besides, would it truly be so bad if it turns out Keari isn’t a human?” Gran stared at me for a few moments.

Then, after a brief pause, he sighed and grabbed his mug of beer and drained it. “I guess it doesn’t matter. It’s all still confusing, though. I mean, Melady keeps sending nightmares to Keari, and now she sends a present for her birthday? Is she angry at her, or not?” Gran looked quite lost at this moment.

I patted his back. “We had planned to ask Labyrinthia about the nightmares, so I guess we might as well just add another question.” Gran opened his mouth, but I already knew what was coming. “We have been through this already, Gran. The nightmares are getting to the point they are now affecting her health. We can’t keep ignoring them. The original plan was that I travel with Keari to Labyrinthia’s domain after her birthday, and that should remain unchanged. Besides, between you and me, I think Keari is eager to go on the trip. She’s never been outside the mountain range, after all.”

Gran drained the reminder of his mug, then nodded. “Fine, but yer staying for the party, Moor, and that’s final. The vein can wait. Yer not missing the party, got it?” I fell in beside Gran as he left the room and put a hand on his shoulder. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world, old friend, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” For the first time in decades, I meant it.

———————————————————————————

The entire mountain was buzzing with energy as I arrived in the Workshop, and it didn’t surprise me to find Ashes already there, hammering at a Darksteel ingot. “Another bad night?” She looked up at me. “Much to my surprise, no, or if it was, I have no memory of it.” She certainly looked better than in a long time, with no bags under her eyes or fatigued, sagging expression.

“Well, that’s good, means you’re full of energy for tonight’s party.” Ashes chuckled. “I suppose you have a point there.” I watched Ashes work the ingot for a bit more, before I went over to my workstation. There were still some things I had to finish before tonight’s party.

I didn’t get to stick around too long, though, before Ashes shushed me out of the workshop. “Sorry Amber, but it’s about your present, so please, go somewhere else?” I paused. “Hey, wait a sec, wasn’t the gift card from earlier my present?” Ashes didn’t respond. She just smiled and closed the door in my face. Had she tricked me so she could work on my real present in peace?

With nothing else to do, and no answers forthcoming, I meandered through the corridors for a while. “Ah, Amber, perfect timing, mind giving an old man a hand?” I looked around and noticed I had wandered into our private dining room. Moor was there decorating for the party. “Considering the decor, I take it there won’t be a full mountain celebration this time?” Moor shook his head.

“Keari might seem fit, but she is still recovering, and in Pock and Brimstone’s opinion we should keep the celebration on the down-low.” I couldn’t fault them for that opinion. I knew firsthand how draining extensive healing could be. No, nononono not thinking about that, anything but that. I forced the memories down and instead focused on the rainbow-colored glowing stones Moor was handing me.

“Be a darling and help me place these around the room, would you?” I nodded and moved about, placing the rocks all around. It felt weird to be decorating for my birthday party. However, it helped me focus on something else than my burning curiosity about what Ashes was making in the workshop.

“Hey Moor, could you give me a hand? I can’t seem to reach this shelf.” Moor looked over at me as I struggled to reach a shelf that would be no problem for him. “Hmm? Oh sure, here you go, [Levitate].” My feet lifted off the ground and I levitated upwards. I could now place the stone on the shelf with ease. “Thanks Moor” I began floating about the room, placing stones on shelves and other hard-to-reach places.

This was fun. Maybe I should see if I could brew a Potion of Levitation? It was more advanced than what I usually made, but it would be worth it. “You should land, Amber, the effect is about to expire.” Moor’s words brought me back to the present, and I lowered myself just in time to have an easy landing. “That was fun. Thanks for letting me try that!”

Moor gave a hearty laugh. “Don’t mention it. Besides, I should be thanking you for helping with the decorations.” He placed a final rock. Then he whispered something to the placed rock, and the roof of the dining room faded away. In its place was a beautiful, starry night sky. “Wow, did you make this Moor?” He shrugged. “Somewhat. An old friend came up with the idea long ago. I simply finished the work he left behind when he passed away.”

There was a hint of profound sadness and loss on Moor’s face, though it passed so quickly I almost thought I imagined it. Come to think of it, how old was Moor anyway? Yun-Yun and Gran always said he was an old family friend and honorary uncle of Keari. How long was “old” for a Fox Spirit and a Duergar? I pushed the thought away as I waved bye to Moor. I had other things to do, like finishing Ashes’ present.

——————————————————————————————————————

The party was a small, quiet thing, just me, mom, dad, uncle Moor and Amber. Mom prepared a delightful feast for us all, a rather pleasant surprise. Mom rarely did any cooking these days. In fact, I couldn’t recall the last time I had her cooking. “This food is delicious, mom. I can’t remember tasting anything like it!” Beside me, Amber nodded her agreement.

Mom’s tails wagged weakly, a sure sign my words made her happy. “Well, I haven’t really cooked on my own since before we moved here. Right Gran?” Gran looked thoughtful at his wife as he took a huge bite out of the chicken leg he was holding.

“I think the last time you cooked was in camp just before we arrived. Once we did, we were busy kicking the local beasties out of the halls. And after we secured the place, there was the coronation ceremony and the thought that the Queen should be cooking, didn’t sit right with anyone.” He shrugged and resumed eating.

Mom huffed. “Since you are going on that journey of yours with your uncle, the least I can do is send you off with some home cooking. Especially when it’s your birthday as well.” I looked at her for a moment. “But, you were always against it until now. What changed?” Mom glanced over to the nearby table where the presents were laying, along with… Insult and Injury.

“It’s got something to do with whomever sent the gauntlets, isn’t it?” Mom nodded. “We owe her a great deal, and it’s clear she approves of the trip. Besides, it might give answers to the reason behind the nightmares and your origins.” I stared at mom. She was, crying, I don’t think I have ever seen mom cry before.

Before I could say anything else, mom dragged me into a crushing hug. “I love you, honey, and don’t you forget it.” I coughed. “Mom… can’t… breathe.” She tightened her hug for a split second before she let me go. Then turned towards the pile of presents and grabbed two, then handed one to me and one to Amber.

I took it and motioned for Amber to open hers first. She nodded and carefully unwrapped it. Inside was a masterfully crafted chainmail. It only took me a moment to recognize it as an adamantine armor, a masterwork piece even royalty would have paid half their treasury for, if not more. “Dad, you made that, didn’t you?” I looked over at him. He hadn’t touched a blacksmith’s hammer in years.

He was teary-eyed as he nodded. “Aye, I did. I figured Amber wanted to join you on yer trip, but that leather armor of hers could use an update. Yun-Yun also worked some enchantments into it, so…” Amber looked at the armor in mute shock for a few moments, then ran over and hugged mom and dad. “Thanks a bunch, both of you!” Amber extracted herself from the hug and looked in my direction.

I nodded and opened my present. It wasn’t a chainmail this time, but a pair of finely woven fingerless gloves made from some kind of thin, silk-like, navy blue, material I couldn’t identify. In the enchanted light, I could see a slight magical aura spilling from them. Amber tilted her head. “Is that… Spirit Silk?”

Mom nodded. “Took me years to create that much, but it was worth it to make these, and they will compliment your gauntlets, from what Moor tells me.” I put them on. They were a perfect fit, as if they were a second skin. As I finished putting them on, I could feel a surge of power through my arms and legs. “Speed and strength enhancement?” I shot a glance at mom, who nodded.

“It was a lot of work to learn how to work the innate magic of those threads. I even exchanged letters with your grandmother and my siblings for pointers. I wanted to make a pair for each of you, but…” Amber hugged her again. “Naah the chainmail is more than enough, it’s perfect. Besides, Ashes is the fighter between the two of us. It would be a waste if I got something like that.” Good old Amber, not a jealous bone in her body.

I walked over to the pile of presents and dug out my own before handing it to Amber. “I… will admit, this wasn’t what I planned to give you, but… I can’t help but feel I made this for you.” Amber shot me a strange glance and opened the present. Inside was a small, strange ring. “So, let me explain what I just said…”

——————————————————————————————————

As I pushed the workshop door closed and locked it, so Amber couldn’t get back in, I grinned to myself. I walked back to the forge and stored the ingot away. I wouldn’t need that. “Deception done now, where did I…?” I rummaged inside my tool table for a moment. Then fished out the hidden, near-finished Adamantium dagger I had been working on for over a week. It would be a great present, I knew it would.

The work itself was a formality. Some engravings and the sharpening were all that remained. It had been hard to convince Amber she would be getting a gift made of Darksteel. “This will surprise her to no end.” I pulled out my engraving kit and got to work. Amber loved leaf and mushroom motifs, so that’s what I was planning to engrave on it.

The engraving process was quick, with my years of practice shining through as I worked. I put the kit away and admired my masterwork. “Pretty nice, if I must admit. Amber’s gonna love it.” I grabbed the whetstone and got to work on sharpening it. As I was working, it happened.

I am uncertain if my grip slipped or if I lost focus for a split second, but the dagger cut a rather deep wound along my hand. Then it slipped from my grasp and hit the floor with a loud clang. A wave of dizziness hit me out of nowhere, and I fell to my knees beside the dagger. Power I didn’t understand bubbled up inside me. And a strange sensation, nay instinct, overcame me. The floor was giving a stench of scorched iron. Everything seemed to get a strange orange tinge to it.

Without understanding why, I reached for the dagger, the now half-melted dagger, lying on the floor, the floor that was now partially molten. Without thinking, I crushed it in my hand into a fine ball. There was no way that half melted mess could be a present. “Awaken, liquid flame of the deep.” My voice sounded strange in my ears. It was deeper, stronger, commanding.

At my call, a column of lava rose from the floor in front of me, the size of my fist. Without hesitating, I plunged the hand holding the adamantite into the column. But, what should I make? There wasn’t enough material left to make a dagger now.

In my mind, I envisioned a ring, a marvelous ring that would protect Amber should she ever be in danger. I could feel a strange heat building in my fist, and I opened it and let the lava flow onto the ball of adamantite. The power in my palm surged, and I could feel the power build as the ring took shape and enchantments wove themselves into it on their own.

Then the power I had channeled reached its crescendo, and I pulled my hand from the lava, which disappeared into the floor. It was slow, but temperature in the workshop returned to its normal levels, and the floor hardened again. The only evidence that something had happened was the ring and the glowing heat wards at Amber’s workstation. The final evidence, I noticed shortly after, was my boots, which had sunk almost half an inch into the floor. “What in the world did I just do?” The orange glow faded from my sight as I looked down at the ring.

The top was flat, without decoration, while at the bottom, there was obsidian hanging from it like small, uneven icicles, giving it a melted appearance. I knew it was as resilient, if not more resilient, than adamantite. There was no way those small adornments would break off.

The sheer power I could feel from the thing was making me nervous. Runes covered the flat top and spelled out two words. “Custos Astra?” I couldn’t understand what it meant, but I could feel the significance of the words. Another instinct told me I should not speak them out loud, not now. Or was it the ring itself? Either way, this was, without a doubt, a far better present for Amber, provided her magic sensitivity didn’t overwhelm her.

———————————————————————————————————

Everyone looked from the ring and to me and back again as I finished me as I finished the explanation. Uncle Moor looked at Amber. “May I?” He motioned towards the ring. Amber nodded, and he picked it up. “[Catalog]” Uncle Moors’ eyes went wide as he looked at the ring, then at me.

“Amber, this ring will indeed protect you and the words on top of the ring are the keywords to use its most potent powers. However, for everyone’s sake, do not use the ring’s words unless you have to. It is far more powerful than I think Keari realizes, especially the second word. Do not use it unless the intended target is well clear of any friends.” Amber looked somewhat apprehensive as she accepted the ring back and after a brief hesitation slid it on.

A thin membrane of energy shot out from the ring and covered Amber from head to toe before it faded away. “Wow, Ashes, this ring feels great. It even negated my building magic sensitivity. Thanks a bunch!” She ran over and gave me a hug, a hug with far more strength than what Amber should have been capable of. “You’re welcome Amber, now please loosen your grip, you’re crushing my legs.”

Amber loosened her grip and looked up at me with a surprised expression, then paused and looked at the ring. “Wow, Ashes, how many enchantments did you put in this thing?” I could only shake my head. “Your guess is as good as mine, Amber. I am still trying to understand how I even made the thing.” Amber nodded slowly, then ran over to the table and grabbed her present from among the pile.

“It’s not as insane as yours, but Happy birthday from me and Moor, Ashes!” The present Amber presented was, soft. That was intriguing. I had expected some kind of alchemical concoction or something along those lines. I opened it up and out spilled a high-quality woolen traveling cloak.

It was as grey as my skin and with a strange patterning to it that made it look like a slab of granite. I picked it up and put it on. It did not surprise me to find it was a perfect fit. “It’s from me and Moor. I alchemically treated it to be waterproof, and Moor enchanted it so it won’t tear or get dirty.”

Without hesitation, I scooped up Amber and also walked over to give uncle Moor a hug. I also gave one to mom and dad for their present. “Thanks, this will surely come in handy!” Amber’s smile was brilliant at that moment. Moor walked over to Amber. “Because of all the chores I had to do, I didn’t have time to wrap it, so here you go.” He handed her a small box.

Amber opened it with a curious expression, then snapped the lid shut, then opened it again. “I’m not dreaming, right?” Moor shook his head. “It took some doing to make that one, but it’s indeed a portable alchemy lab.” Moor was the second person to learn of Amber’s newly enhanced strength first hand. As she gave him a hug so tight, I could swear I heard cracking bone.

The rest of the party didn’t really feature anything as grand as these particular presents, though all of them would be useful for the upcoming trip. It seemed everyone inside the mountain wanted to make the trip easy and comfortable.

The finale of the evening happened when Moors instructed Amber on how to enter and exit her portable alchemy lab. It was interesting to see the small box turn into a door big enough for Amber to walk through with ease. This would decidedly be a trip to remember.