Similar to the place they found on Empyralis, the ancestral hall was an underground cavern with splitting cave networks. It had always been a source of rich earthy energies. They'd always believed it to be the origin point of their people. Even the far flung clan members would come back every decade. This was also where important things about the Earthborne were discussed.
The king's ancestral residence was a vast manor that was built into the same mountain that housed the opening of the ancestral hall. The ancestral hall was the place where the settlers had been sent away on a desperate mission to save their people.
Afterwards, the king wanted all the remaining Earthborne to stay together, so the couple thousand that remained all lived in villas spread throughout the Bienskurr mountains and could quickly come to the ancestral hall should the king summon them.
It was daytime and the king slept deep in the underground of his home. Before, he could go several days without needing to sleep underground and avoid the day, but it was no longer possible. His wife slept beside him.
They awakened immediately when a hunter came to them. Few of them could move about during the day anymore, but someone had to keep guard in their most vulnerable time. For a hunter to come to him, it must be an emergency.
"What is it?" Lance Corven turned into mist and rematerialized on the first floor of the manor.
The hunter who woke him was relatively young, but had been fortunate to have found a mate, so he chose to stay behind and kill the Fallen. It was a decision he came to regret. "King. There are creatures flying toward the ancestral hall," he said urgently.
Lance Corven was old, but not quite as old as Elder Bystrika. His black hair remained lush black with a few strands of gray at his temples, and only a few lines around his eyes showed his age of nearly two thousand years. His sharp, cold, austere face immediately turned fierce. "What kind of creatures?" he asked.
The young hunter looked uneasy. "Dragons," he said.
Corven frowned. "Have you been indulging in purple mushrooms? What are you talking about? Dragons?" he demanded fiercely.
"No! I swear, King! Others saw them, too. They sent me to inform you. There are nine of them! They'll be here in less than a quarter hour!"
Evanka Corven approached her husband. She was a stately blonde with an aloof expression. "You should go see. After everything that's been happening, why not dragons?" The young hunter urgently nodded, agreeing with the king's wife.
Corven couldn't argue with her. "Go back below. I'll see to this," he instructed her gently. She inclined her head, turned into mist, and disappeared back into the underground chamber.
"Take me," he instructed the hunter. They both turned into mist and left the house. The young hunter turned into a wolf while Corven turned into a large golden eagle.
They went to a place in the mountains where they could see the approaching Dragons. A few other hunters were keeping an eye on them. "King," they greeted when Corven transformed into a man again. They handed him a telescope. He looked through it and indeed could make out the shapes of dragons. "Are they carrying people?" he asked, surprised. The dragons had gotten closer since the young hunter came to fetch him.
"Looks so, King. I think I recognized one of the people," a hunter answered uncertainly. Corven gave him a glance then looked through the telescope once again, this time trying to see the people they were carrying.
Shocked, he lowered the telescope. "Is it Raven Darovan?" he asked. "Go, wake everyone, have them either to prepare to evacuate or come to the ancestral hall. If Raven is leading these creatures, that's where they are headed," he said. The hunters nodded. They turned into various animals and ran off.
Corven himself went back to his home to warn his wife to stay safe but she insisted on coming with him. Despite his age, he'd only been married a little under three hundred years and his wife wasn't originally an Earthborne.
She gave him a cold look. "I am not one of your pampered women who can't fight their way out of a burlap sack," she reminded him in her usual cold tone. She was a powerful human psychic. He'd converted her to save her life and they eventually married and had a child. He wanted to send her with him, but she refused to leave his side. She was stubborn and never gave in to his high handed tactics, much to his eternal frustration.
Knowing he couldn't argue with her, they made their way to the ancestral hall. A few hunters waited there for him, while watching the sky for their visitors, not knowing if they were friend or foe.
Before the unknown entities arrived, a woman approached the ancestral cave. Like most Eartborne her skin was incredibly pale. She had black hair braided on either side, hanging to her waist, and gray eyes. She wore tall black boots, dark pants, a maroon waistcoat over a white shirt with a high collar and an overly long frock coat of the same color. A wide brimmed hat with a feather in it shielded her from the sun. Though she was dressed in men's clothes, she wasn't disguising herself. On the contrary, every garment was perfectly tailored to her. A sword hung at her waist.
Some of the hunters look at her with frowning expressions. She ignored them and stood at the entrance of the opening and looked toward the sky, squinting. The spots were visible now.
"Eve," Evanka greeted the other woman. "You heard Raven was coming back?" she asked.
The woman nodded and turned her attention to those inside. "King," she greeted.
Corven also frowned at her. "You shouldn't have come. It could be dangerous," he said. Evanka suppressed an eyeroll, but the woman named Even merely chuckled.
"All the more reason for me to be here. If Raven is a prisoner of some sort, I'll die trying to free her," she said. Again, the expressions of the hunters darkened.
"A woman should be hiding in safety, not swaggering around with a sword!" a hunter told her.
Eve Fiain tilted her head at him. "You can dictate my behavior when you become my father or kill more vampires than me," she told him coldly. The hunter flushed. It was impossible for him to kill more vampires than this crazy woman.
"Eve," Corven called out in warning. Only he could even begin to tell her what to do because he was an elder of her maternal family. Eve stared at the hunter for a while longer. He looked away, ignoring her.
As they were waiting, the dragons finally landed a short distance away from the ancestral hall.
Raven saw the gathering from a distance and had everyone land further away. They were bound to be suspicious. When she recognized an ostentatious hat from a distance she had to smile. "Your cousin Eve is here, too," she told her niece as they descended.
She'd told her niece all about this person who was considered a cousin to the Darovans. Eve Fiain. A female vampire hunter that stirred up the men wherever she went. A male from the Fiain clan fell more than a hundred years earlier and massacred his entire family. Only Eve was left, a lone female orphan. She was taken in by Raven's family and the two girls who were close in age grew up like sisters.
But Even had vowed revenge on the Fallen that had killed her family, and against all odds, bucking tradition, and thumbing her nose at all the males, she trained for years. She hunted down and killed that Fallen. Instead of leaving it at that, she continued to hunt and kill Fallen. When given the chance to go to Emphyralis because she was a single woman, she refused. She would stay behind and kill more Fallen. Raven had been sad to leave her behind, but understood her choice.
When Eve saw Raven slide off of the purple dragon she was riding on, she was already striding forward, ignoring the calls for her to come back. She'd only taken a few steps when she faltered. The dragon...changed into a young girl? All the dragons turned into people?!
After faltering, she sped up.
"Eve!" Corven shouted at her, but this time, she ignored him. She began running toward Raven.
Raven saw her coming and moved toward her. They met in the middle and embraced tightly, laughing in a silly fashion for no reason. Just joy at their reunion after a lengthy separation. After a few moments, Raven pulled away. "Reckless as always. Don't you see everyone else suspiciously watching from a distance?" she commented with a wry smile.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Eve glanced behind her and snorted derisively. She looked at the people falling into a formation behind Raven and approaching more slowly. Four young girls; one in robes similar to what Raven was wearing, one in a purple dress with a flouncy skirt with a lot of folds, one with a green top and leather pants, and one in a uniform of some sort with deep bronze hair. Six men; all but one in the same uniform, the other had dark hair and wore a lot of blue and gray. Then there were the gray fae.
"Interesting company you're keeping these days," she commented, watching the girl in the military uniform for a moment before drifting to the other four not in uniform.
A hunter was watching from a distance. "Should we approach, King?" he asked.
Corven shook his head. "They'll come to us," he said. From Raven's reaction, it was clear she wasn't there under duress and he doubted the visitors meant any ill will. They would wait.
Raven smiled at Eve. "See the girl with dark hair? Niklaus' daughter," she said.
Eve was surprised. She clearly saw the girl transform from a dragon. She clicked her tongue. "I can't wait until you tell the king where everyone ended up," she said.
Raven glanced around the almost desert-like mountain valley they were in. "I'm a bit more concerned about what's happening here," she said. "How did it get so much worse? Hasn't only been forty years?" she asked. She wondered if there was some time discrepancy between Emphyralis and Cruinog.
The other woman looked around as well. "After everyone left, it's like the earth just gave up," Eve said. "We can discuss that later," she said because the Dragons had come up to them. "Let's go, the King is waiting," she said. deciding to skip introductions for now. She turned on her heel in her shiny boots and led them toward the ancestral hall.
Raven gave them an apologetic look and followed Eve. The others didn't mind and followed along quietly.
The watching hunters had wary expressions, but they made way as Eve led the delegation into the ancestral hall where Lance Corven was waiting for them.
"King," Raven greeted the cold faced leader. They didn't have many formalities when meeting with the leader or Elders, just a polite tone at most.
"Raven," he greeted, but his gaze moved to Britiana and Darius. He could tell from the formation of the guards that these two were the leaders of the group. "We never expected anyone to return," he said.
Raven nodded. "No one expected to be able to. I have a lot to tell you about where we ended up, but we came to build a bridge between the two worlds," she explained. Corven and the other hunters were surprised by her words.
"We can leave, too?" a hunter exclaimed softly. Another hunter frowned fiercely at him.
Raven pursed her lips. "I also have a lot to ask about what happened here. And lat night--"
"Were you out last night?" Eve interjected. Corven and the other hunters looked uneasy.
Darius and Britiana took in their reactions. It seemed they knew about the fog and whatever creature was controlling it. Darius cleared his throat.
Raven took the hint. "We can discuss this later. King, this is Britiana and Darius Silvermoon. They're the children of the person in charge of the place we settled," she introduced. She then introduced Delaney as a mage who was able to bring them here, briefly the guards, and finally ZsaZsa as Niklaus' daughter.
ZsaZsa shifted uncomfortably because it seemed her existence caused quite a stir.
Corven studied the girl for a moment. By appearances she looked nothing like an Earthborne even if they hadn't seen her transformation from a Dragon, but they could feel that it was true.
"Build the bridge you mentioned. We need to get the remainder of our people to a safe place," he said.
--(tapas break)--
"How long will it take? We can talk when you're done," Corven continued with an air of absolute authority.
Britiana piped up. "It won't take long. Three or four hours. Talk while we work. We need a ten by ten space," she said. There was silence after she spoke, the hunters looking at her. Isa and Darius sent them hard looks and shifted to block their views.
Evanka suppressed an eyeroll. "I'll show you," she said.
Britiana nodded her thanks. "Stay here and rest. Delaney and I can draw the array," she told ZsaZsa. She glanced at Lazarus. "Keep an eye on her," she said.
Lazarus tried not to smile and inclined his upper body slightly. "As my lady orders," he said solemnly. ZsaZsa on the other hand turned a bit pink.
Britiana nodded firmly. She linked arms with Delaney, who was suppressing her own snicker, and they followed the King's wife to where they could draw the array. Isa silently followed a few steps behind.
"Then, shall we find a place to sit and talk?" Darius suggested. He could convey everything to Britiana easily, which was why she suggested they continue their discussion while she worked.
Corven nodded and led them to another spacious cavern where there was a large table and several chairs set up. It seemed to be a meeting place that already existed. Eve didn't even bat an eyelash and followed along. Other hunters tried to join, but Aman and Imre blocked the entrance while the other guards flanked around. Only Amadeus and Lazarus followed them inside.
The hunters attempted to intimidate the Noxies, but they soon backed off, finding their almost blank stares at them somewhat intimidating. "If you have urgent matters, we can let you in. If you just want to intimidate and badger our young lord, then you can stay here," Wallace said with a slight smile on a deceptively soft face.
"But is it possible you know more than your king and can contribute anything of worth to the discussion?" Spencer asked, crossing bulging arms across his wide chest, standing nearly half a foot taller than Wallace and even towering over some of the Earthborne hunters.
The hunters grumbled amongst themselves.
"Make yourselves useful. Inform the others to gather their families, especially the women. As soon as this bridge is complete, we'll begin sending everyone over before sunset," Evanka said as she returned to the main cavern.
The hunters wanted to protest. Some distrusted the newcomers, some didn't want to take orders from the King's woman, some were just plain afraid.
Evanka shook her head and returned to observe the array drawing.
Inside the impromptu meeting Corven and Darius sat across from each other sizing the other up. Darius wasn't as old or experienced as the Earthborne King, but he had good instinct. The King could see his inexperience and glanced at Raven.
"If you have questions about me, say them out loud," Darius said quietly.
Surprise flashed in Corven's eyes before he could hide it.
Raven cleared her throat. "Lord Darius is a Silver Dragon, King. They're sensitive to mental energy," she explained. "I didn't specifically bring him to meet you. I returned to draw the array. Lord Darius accompanied us because Lady Britiana is the architect of the bridging array," she explained, answering his question and letting Darius know the content of the question.
Corven looked at her for a long moment. "Your allegiance has shifted," he concluded.
Eve raised a brow but Raven furrowed hers.
"We're getting off track. We need to know about the fog and the thing controlling it," Darius said, sparing Raven some discomfort. "Something attacked our companion." he gestured to ZsaZsa.
Corven found himself surprised again and looked at the girl said to be the daughter of Niklaus Daratranzanoff. "You survived the Dullahan?" he asked.
Darius tilted his head as if listening to something. "There shouldn't be anything on your planet capable of killing a Dragon outright, but her energy was drained leaving her in a vulnerable state," he explained.
Raven was frowning again. "A Dullahan did this? That's not possible," she finally said.
Eve snorted. "That's what I've been saying," she said.
"My hunters saw it. One day when the fog came, they managed to quickly get above it and saw it. A black horse with blue frames carrying a headless rider," Corven stated.
Darius looked at the Eartborne at the table and glanced at Raven. "What's a Dullahan?" he asked.
"An unseelie. A malevolent fae. It hunts on foggy nights. If you see it, you die. It can call out to you. But they can't cross water. Dullahan are found on the Isle of Eyre, not in the Bienskurr Mountains, and it cannot control the fog," Raven explained.
Corven frowned and thumped the table. "Tell that to the dried up husks of people we managed to find before the dawn scattered them," he said harshly.
ZsaZsa nodded. "I remember hearing a horse, and someone was calling out to me," she said. She sighed and shook her head. "Br-Lady Britiana said she'll help me remember what happened after she draws the array," she said.
Eve shook her head. "We believe it was the Dullahan that attacked you. I believe the hunters saw it, but like Raven said, the Dullahan cannot control the fog," she said. She went on to tell them that she saw a Dullahan hunting when she was tracking a Fallen on the Isle of Eyre. The fog had been normal fog, and the human prey it chose ran for their life, eventually crossing a bridge to save their life.
She'd been arguing with the hunters for ages that the fog plaguing them every full moon cycle for years wasn't normal, but they always dismissed her.
Raven was slightly agitated. For a Dullahan to cross seas and rivers to reach the Bienskurr Mountains was very ominous.
"How long has this been going on?" Darius asked.
"Since the Elder mages died when we sent everyone away," Eve answered before Corven could downplay it.
Raven suddenly gave a slightly sardonic laugh. "Well, it seems some people back home will be disappointed when they learn it's too dangerous to return," she said.
"How disappointing," ZsaZsa muttered. Honestly, she would have been glad to see the back of people like Elder Graylock and certain members of his family.
Corven heard them and asked what he wanted to ask the most. Where had they ended up and what was happening to the people there. With a slight smile, Raven explained everything to him about Emphyralis and their lives there, as well as the concerns of those who wanted to return.
--