Chapter 8: Mother

Asirel ran towards the stairs and quickly she was down them, pushing past two of Star's apprentices who were coming up them, she shoved them out of the way.

"What's going... " asked Sheila Heartstone.

" ... on Asirel?" added her sister Sandra.

Before they could ask any more questions, she was out the door. She jumped up into the air and transformed. Silverish-golden wings burst from her back as her body grew to fifty feet in length. Before anyone could get outside to see what was happening she was flying up into the sky, leaving her friends far behind.

Sheila and Sandra Heartstone scrambled to the door and looked outside, but all they saw was the shredded remains of Asirel's robes.

"What is going on? Shelia asked excitedly.

"I don't know, but we should ask Star." Sandra said as she turned to run up the stairs but stopped as Star came down them.

"Mistress, what..."

" ... is going on?" finished Shelia as she stopped beside her twin.

"Asirel is going to her mothers. She has some important questions for her. Now I need you two to check on the magical supplies, and then check our food situation. I am closing the school. No one goes in or out of the zone without my permission. You only have thirty minutes to check so get going. I will be in the scrying room after I contact my brother and make the grounds safe. I want all the apprentices to join me there," Star said as she strode past the twins.

"Yes Mistress Star," replied both girls as they took off running through the school on their errands.

Star snapped her fingers and her golden staff appeared in her hand. Walking out the door, she stopped and her eyes locked onto Asirel's form as it slipped in and out of the clouds heading north.

"Fly safely child. May the Gods and Goddesses protect thee from all enemies."

Continuing her stroll, she stopped two hundred feet from the door, then shoving the tip of the staff in the ground; she started walking in a circle around the door.

Asirel flew through the air, her wings beating every few minutes as she glided through the clouds. Her senses were being flooded by familiar scents of the world. Spring was coming soon, and she could smell the pollen in the air as well as the animals in heat. Flying northward, she crossed over the border of the Kingdom of Kartland.

Soaring high over the Forest of Delvin, she looked below and balked in mid flight. The Elvin capital was aflame. Its graceful towers reduced to burning pillars, its defenses shattered. Turning invisible, she dove towards the city, passing between the noxious pillars of smoke she flew over the main part of the city. Wherever she looked, all she saw was death and destruction. Hundreds of elves lay dead in the streets, or on the battlements. Mingled in with the dead were thousands of orcs, ogres, gnolls and giants.

Tavin Fleetfoot lifted his bow and sighted in on one of the orc leaders, his hatred of the orcs rose to a new fury as they hacked apart the dead. Pulling back the bowstring, he lifted the three-foot shaft up into the air and let it loose. Watching the arrow fly straight and true, the arrow plunged down into the back of the evil creature.

"Tell the inner guard to hurry up and get the last of the children through the gate. It will not be long until they charge."

"Yes, Sir," the warrior said as he turned and jogged to the gate where the five hundred children and older elves were being evacuated.

"Berra, I don't know what has set the hordes down on us, but I fear for all good creatures."

"As do I my love, as do I." Berra said as she raised her bow and let loose an arrow at an orc wielding a banner.

"Well at least the children shall be safe on the island, and will be able to rebuild their lives..." Tavin stopped talking as a creature from the histories flew over.

Circling the city, Asirel looked closer for any sign of life, and detected the faint smell of magic. Narrowing in on it, she saw a shimmering gate with about three hundred elves fighting three thousand orcs, while many children and older elves were fleeing through the gate.

With a roar, Asirel descended into the back of the orc horde. Belching flames along one attacking unit of orcs, she roasted them to death with a ball of flame. Whipping her tail, she smashed a nearby unit of orc archers flat.

Raising a clawed fist, she said one word,

"Ballistic."

Fifty rock balls flew from the claw and smashed into the orc mounted wolf unit that had turned and charged her, killing half of them before they had gone fifty feet. Asirel then turned her head and her flames swept across the rest, setting the evil creatures aflame like running torches.

"Elves flee into the gate, go now," she shrieked out as she leapt to the air and flew over the elves.

Tavin watched in surprise as a silverish-gold dragon tore into the orcs. Within minutes, the orcs were fleeing, or what was left of them were. A hundred of the evil creatures charged his steadfast lines and were slaughtered to the last creature. Before he could move to thank the beautiful dragon, she had leapt up into the air, and begun flying north.

"Thank you who ever you are." Tavin said. Then, turning to the rest of his people, he started issuing his orders. "Hurry! Get through the gate before more of the hordes of orcs arrive, to kill us all."

Asirel flew north her wings beating the cool air, carrying her again high into the atmosphere. Her heart was flying for she knew she had done some good. Several hundred elves would now live, that had been facing almost certain death. Days passed as she flew north across the great continent of Korland. Finally, she flew over a great desert until she reached a huge circle of mountains. Passing between the peaks, she flew down into a hidden valley. Reaching out with her senses, she looked for her mother and finally located her. Shaking her head, she knew where she was and cried out tears of loss. At ten thousand feet she looked down on the great lake below, she put on a burst of speed as she formed the gate on the surface of the water. Going vertical, she dove through it and appeared inside the shimmering dome. A thousand feet below her, her mother rested in the ruined city that was once home to their people.

"Daughter why have you come?"

"Mother, I believe the Night Wars are upon us," Asirel shouted.

"Why should I care? When all my children but you were slaughtered, where was the God Nightmaster then?"

"You know he couldn't interfere. To do so would have destroyed the world."

"LIES!" Kalirmalnia shouted at her daughter. "He allowed the murder of your father, brothers and sisters. They all died when all he had to do was send his Mages to help. Nay I will never help them. Let the dragons, destroy the kingdoms of the world and feast on their bones. I shall never aid them who destroyed my family."

"Then tell me mother, does the name Fireterneusdraconis mean anything to you?" Asirel asked as she landed in front of her mother and looked at the great wyrmn.

"Aye, I know my sister, she is evil, loves to torture her prey. Then she will consume them or make them her slaves. One of her slaves was your brother Klanis, who I was forced to destroy when he led the human horde against our city."

"She is in Kartland city, how do I find her?"

"Follow the trail of the bodies, but you shall not be going. You shall stay here with me where you will be safe," Kalirmalnia said as she looked at her daughter.

"Nay mother, I must go back. My friends depend on me," Asirel said as she looked at the great silver dragon.

"NO! YOU SHALL STAY HERE!" Kalirmalnia said as she stood up. Towering over her daughter by fifty feet, she looked down on her.

Shaking her head Asirel transformed into her half-elf disguise.

"No mother, I shall not."

Snapping her fingers, her staff appeared in her hands, and with a tap on the cracked flagstone, a gate formed in front of her. Looking up at her mother, tears started running down her face.

"Goodbye mother."

"NO! STAY! LIVE!" Kalirmalnia shouted.

Asirel turned and looked up at her mother with tears in her eyes but anger and resolve in her voice she battled back, "And let my friends and family die? No I couldn't live with myself."

Turning to the gate, she started to step into it when she felt her mother's power building up.

"Mother, I love you," she said as she stepped through the gate as her mother's fury hit the magical field and shattered the entrance to the gate.

Stepping out on to the shore of the great lake, she saw that the water was boiling from her mother's temper. Asirel started walking up the side of the great mound and stopped in front of the towering cliff. A huge cave sat between two one hundred foot tall carved statues of a silver dragon on the right, and a gold dragon on the left. Looking at the images of her parents, she took a deep breath and walked into the dark cave.

Walking down the blackened tunnel, she traveled for over a mile until she stepped out onto a huge ledge scared by giant claws. Gripping her staff firmly she pointed it up and fired dozens of balls of light into the cavern bathing it in a pearly glow. Below on the cavern floor, lay the skeletal remains of her family.

Stepping back from the edge, she ran towards the lip and leapt out over the cavern floor. As she fell towards the earth, her body transformed back into her dragon shape and she spiraled down to land on a flagstone pentagram that was cracked in three pieces.

Changing once more, she knelt over the shattered gate seal and then looked up at the skeleton on the throne. Standing up she took a deep breath and started walking towards the massive thrones. She stepped between two carved pillars showing the city of dragons in all its glory before the betrayal. The left one showed the leaving of the other good dragons after the evil ones had been routed. The one on the right showed her family still living in the city, and it flourishing from those who still called it home.

As she walked between the pillars, a voice called out.

"Who dares to disturb the resting place of Clan Silvolddraconis?"

"I do, daughter of Kalirmalnia and Ralisternam, King and Queen of the Silvolddraconis clan. I come to ask a question of my father." Asirel shouted out.

"Then step closer daughter and ask thee thy question. He may answer or he may not," shouted the voice.

Stepping forward onto the raised dais, she looked at the skeletal head of her father. Tears ran down her face as she remembered him. His golden scales glimmering in the light like giant gold plates, or as a half-elf and him tossing her up into the air to make her laugh or soothe a hurt when she fell and skinned her knee.

"Welcome my daughter. You have a question for me?" said the skeletal head as it rose up in the air to look down at Asirel.