New Bienskurr, Silubra

  In a large open area of the village center of New Bienskurr, people were waiting for the arrival of their special guests. Several thousand Earthborne came over, but they preferred to be spread out, so only a few people lived in the village. The large plots of land were also a hope for the future and the expansions of their families.

  Britiana and her delegation agreed to meet in the village, where the Cruinog Bridge had been built by Raven and ZsaZsa while they were in Thale. The current elder-in-charge was an old man who's ash blonde hair was actually going gray, showing his age of more than two thousand years. Fine lines marred the center of his forehead and the edges of his eyes. Hawkish features made him look quite fierce. Niall Bystrika has seen much, the glory of their race when he was a child and the decline of his race as he aged.

  He'd been one of the lucky ones who met his mate early in life and lived with her still. He was one of the most vocal proponents of coming to Emphyralis and having their legacy live on even in hybrid children. If they'd stayed on Cruinog and the Doaine Sidhe died out, who would be left to know they existed. The mindless Fallen lost in bloodlust?

  In his opinion, those who spoke against the intermarriage of Dragons and Earthborne were short-sighted. It was good to be able to bring the rest of their people here. He'd talk to their King himself and convince him to lead everyone here. The Dragons had given them enough land to settle every member of their kin with room to grow in the future.

  His entire remaining family had located here. Perhaps because of their longevity, there was normally a long period between children, even when things were good. He'd had a few children, alas, more than one of his sons had Fallen. He'd done his duty as a father and killed them himself, though it felt as if he'd ripped out part of his heart as he did so.

  Luckily more of his sons and daughters survived. He even had great-great-grandchildren thriving here. One of his young grand-children that he'd been worrying about Falling had finally found a nice Dragon girl to settle down with and they were expecting their first child.

  He encouraged his single children and descendents to go out into Emphyralis and explore, giving them a better chance to find their other halves and expand their horizons. His extreme open-mindedness was regarded as strange by other Elders, but he was the oldest and he was stubborn in views.

  Another Elder, Victor Graylock, stood beside him with a sour look on his face. He wasn't as old and much of his family had Fallen. He'd been in a desperate state when he agreed to bring his family over. He was even overjoyed when one of his grandsons found a Dragon mate and had a child. The child was adorable and was seemingly just like an Earthborne child. It could sleep in the soil like their father and drink the blood of prey. They could even hunt with claws and fangs, but when it was time for the first transformation, the old man was horrified to discover that instead of a mighty wolf, or a cunning eagle, or even a strong bear, the child had turned into a tiny silver scaled Drake.

  Then the child began to complain of hunger and ate food with their mother, had a fondness for sweets and began to exhibit Silver Dragon abilities. Silver Dragon psionic abilities were similar to some Earthborne abilities, and it wasn't obvious at first, but the child also shocked everyone when they began to see ghosts.

  The old man was horrified. The ability to see ghosts was an ominous thing in Earthborne tradition. This signified the women were no longer Earthborne. They had become Bean Sídhe, Banshees, also called Wailing Women, and were doomed to remain alone for the rest of their lives because they could always see death coming for their loved ones.

  The worst thing was, this child was a boy. But what happened? The Dragon woman laughed at their concerns and explained that one of her great-great-grandparents had been an Onyx Dragon. The boy was a Spirit Seer and would always see the spirits of the dead that hadn't been taken by Elaides yet for whatever reason. She didn't see it as a big deal. She even looked at them disapprovingly at the treatment Banshees had received in their community. He'd never been looked at like that by a woman and he didn't like it.

  He demanded his grandson split with this Dragon wife and not to have any other children with her, telling him to wait until an appropriate Earthborne woman was born. Needless to say, he was refused outright. That particular grandson even vowed he would bring back the sister who'd become a Banshee. After learning about Spirit Seers and the Temples of Elaides, he hoped they could help his sister and others like her.

  Having come here, not only was a cursed child born into his family again, but even his authority as patriarch was being ignored. He wanted to take his family back to Cruinog and return to their traditions. Others in the family agreed with him, and others did not. Being in this place had divided his family.

  The two Elders stood on opposite sides of this argument. There were more voices on the side of Elder Bystrika, but those who agreed with Elder Graylock were quite loud.

  The two elders standing next to each gave each other cold glances, snorted, and looked away.

  Raven stood nearby with ZsaZsa and her parents. Niklaus wasn't anywhere near as old as the two other Elders but men their age were rare. At over two hundred, he was still among the oldest who'd come to Emphyralis. Most of the Elders had stayed behind on Cruinog. He was staunchly on Elder Bystrika's side. For obvious reasons. However, he was a bit stuck in his ways and had to be educated by his wife on occasion when it came to his overprotective views of women.

  When she was younger, he treated his aunt like a younger sister but she bucked at his overprotective tendencies. At the time, he had the backing of the clan and tradition. Here, there was his wife and ages of tradition to support his aunt when she decided on her own life. Other women were beginning to realize their freedoms here. It chafed at traditions, so he understood where some of the men came from in that aspect.

  But he agreed with Elder Bystrika. An unwillingness to change would doom their race. He was also a bit cold when it came to the people unwilling to adapt. They could go back to Cruinog and rot in their traditions.

  Traditions change, after all. From the stories he heard from Elder Bystrika, women weren't always so coddled and protected. They could hunt as well as any man. There had even been communities that were led by women back in the old days. Even still, the marriage agreement was in the hands of the women.

  Women who were forced into marriage would eventually become Bean Bhán, also called a Woman in White. The same way a Banshee wailed to foreshadow death, Women in White sang to charm their children and bring them to the water and drown them and themselves. Water was a weakness of the Earthborne. Women in White started with their own children, but became spectral creatures draped in white with white hair that would charm the children of other Earthborne and other races and take them to the water and drown them.

  Women in white had to be hunted down by the family and spouse that forced her into marriage or else no one else could kill her. Men whose spouses drown usually then become Fallen. Needless to say, to force a marriage was a tragedy in the making for all involved. In later years, it was probably the only protection women had left.

  Some pushed fate. Both Niklaus and Raven had seen it themselves. One of Raven's other older sisters was forced into a marriage. People must have seen that she was nearly three hundred years old, wasn't a mage, but was still single. Some people only saw that women had to function to continue their race. An aged single woman was a target for some people.

  When Raven wasn't even fifty years old, her older sister was kidnapped. The entire Darovan family panicked. They searched for her for over ten years. Then they heard of a Woman in White. Niklaus, Raven and the elders in the family, with hearts in their throats, traveled to another country to find out about the Woman in White.

  They investigated and learned about a wealthy, elusive nobleman in the area who finally brought home a beautiful wife. They even had two beautiful children, but the wife went crazy and drowned the children and herself. It was a terrible tragedy. The worst part was that her ghost came back to drown the children of the locals. When shown a portrait of Raven's sister, it was confirmed she was the Woman in White. Her kidnapper, the man who forced her to marry him, had already Fallen.

  What came next was not something they liked to remember. The Fallen man went on a killing spree, and the Woman in White killed children every night. They had to hunt them both down and kill them. It took a long time to locate them both. During the day the Woman in White slept in the water and the Fallen were always good at hiding. There was no pattern to their attacks. It was a grueling and heartbreaking ordeal. Raven's parents never got over it. Together, they decided to meet the dawn.

  On Cruinog, the sun weakened the Earthborne. They could move around during the day, but in a state was no different than a human, unable to use their abilities, which is why they were nocturnal. But they absolutely could not be hit with the first rays of a sunrise. They didn't know why, but when the first rays of dawn hit them, they would turn into pure energy and return to the earth, ceasing to exist.

  They didn't have this problem on Emphyralis. The sun here didn't affect them, and the dawn could actually energize them a bit. Raven suspected it had to do with the energies in both places being different.

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  Her Dragon colleagues credited it to Orro, the Harbinger of the Dawn, and God of the Sky. He was basically a sun god. They said that his sunlight was full of life giving light which was why it didn't suppress the Earthborne. Raven didn't know, but she didn't dismiss the idea. She believed in the Dragon Gods. She didn't worship them but she believed in their existence.

  Her parents had been old, she couldn't blame them for their decision. They'd had few children, and they'd already lost two daughters to marriage. Before making their decision, they admonished her several times to never hastily marry or hurry to have children.

  Privately, her mother confided that the main reason they made the decision was because the heartbreak was causing her father to spiral into negative emotions. Recently when hunting, he nearly killed someone. It had terrified him. He told his wife what he wanted to do and she decided to join him. He wanted to talk her out of it, but she was also grieving and in pain. She worried about the negative thoughts she was also having. Thus, they decided to meet the dawn together. It was better to choose their fates themselves and hopefully nourish the already withering earth rather than living on in pain.

  Coming to Emphyralis had solved more problems than it caused and it amazed both Niklaus and Raven that some people couldn't see that.

  --(faux tapas break)--

  As the waiting party ruminated over the past, present, future of their own lives and their race, they finally spotted several black dots in the sky. One was already noticeably larger than the others. "They're almost here," ZsaZsa said, squinting her eyes as she tried to discern the spots in the distance.

  Others followed her direction of sight. "Are you sure, child?" Elder Bystrika asked kindly. He'd gotten to know this girl a bit over the past few days as she and Raven worked with them to set up the Bridging Array and had a bit of a fondness for her.

  ZsaZsa transformed into her Drake form and flew up. "I'll double check," she said as she flew up and away. She didn't go far, just far enough to discern that there was indeed an aircraft surrounded by six Dragons headed their way. She knew if she could see them, they could see her, so she just turned and came back.

  She couldn't help but notice some of the bitter or even angry looks thrown her way as she flew back to her parents and aunt. She transformed again. "It's them. Lady Britiana and Lord Darius on an aircraft being escorted by six Dragons," she explained.

  She heard someone grumble about the need to seek help from Dragons. She turned her head and looked at the person. It was a young man in Elder Graylock's family. She pursed her lips. "Thankfully, once we make the array on Cruinog, you can go back and continue to be rejected by underage women and eventually Fall and be killed by your friends and relatives," she told him nastily. The man's face turned red with rage and embarrassment.

  "ZsaZsa," Niklaus said sharply, unable to believe her words in front of the elders.

  ZsaZsa stared at the man without looking away. "He knows why I said that," she said before finally turning her gaze away.

  Elder Graylock blustered. "How dare you, girl!" he scolded.

  She didn't even acknowledge the old man. Niklaus looked at his daughter's unusually cold face. His daughter was a typically flighty, happy-go-lucky girl who rarely turned serious. "We'll talk later," he informed her. She hummed in acknowledgement.

  Elder Graylock wanted to continue berating this accursed Dragon girl, but Elder Bystrika interrupted. "Calm yourself or look like a fool in front of the future Grand Duchess by letting a child get under your skin," he said smoothly, knowing that face was important to the old fool.

  Graylock harrumphed but turned his attention away. His harp gaze landed on the great-grandson that started this before turning away.

  When the aircraft got closer, Amadeus and Lazarus left the formation to scout ahead before circling back. "They're waiting for us in an open area near the main village," Amadeus told Darius.

  "You and Lazarus land first. We'll land afterward and the rest can follow," he ordered.

  Britiana relayed the orders to the other guards by telepathically broadcasting the orders to the others. Amadeus broke off and he and Lazarus landed in the clearing with the groups of Earthborne standing around waiting for them. They didn't transform right away, they paced around the clearing, taking account of everyone present. Soon the aircraft landed.

  The sky shimmered as the dome cut off and the power stopped humming. While Imre lowered the boarding ramp, the other four Dragon guards landed. The six transform into their humanoid forms and lined up on either side of the front of the ramp.

  Darius came down the ramp first, followed by Britiana and Delaney, with Isa following closely behind. Aman and Imre put away the ramp before jumping off the boat, landing gently with a cloud of darkness around their feet.

  Britiana and the rest walk toward where Raven and ZsaZsa stood with the two notably aged men and several others they assumed were the other Elders. They spent a few minutes introducing themselves to each other and engaging in polite diplomacy.

  Even with her Empathy dampened by the pendant her mother gave her, she could feel the undercurrents of conflicting emotions. She covered the pendant briefly. Immediately her face turned pale as pain shot across her head. Isa noticed. "My lady?" he asked worriedly.

  Britiana released her pendant and shook her head and reached out to squeeze her hand, indicating she was fine. "Where did you lay the array?" she asked Raven and ZsaZsa, turning the subject to the main issue.

  Raven gladly accepted the turn of the subject. "In a cave nearby. Come, we'll show you," she said, including ZsaZsa in this statement.

  Elder Bystrika took the opportunity to speak up. "Yes, yes. We thought those coming over arriving in an enriched earthy environment would be good for them," he explained. As he and Raven along with ZsaZsa and her family led them to the mountains nearby he explained that the environment was specially chosen for new arrivals to acclimate to Emphyralis and recover from the lack of sufficient energy from living on Cruinog. The cave was natural and cavernous with many branching tunnels.

  Even Delaney could feel the power in the caves. "What kind of place is this?" she wondered aloud.

  "The Eternal Mountains are riddled with Draconite veins," Darius answered.

  It wasn't long before they came to a large cavern where the ten-foot array was etched into the stone floor of the cave and inlaid with Draconite. If there was one thing the Earthborne had, it was Draconite. The Draconite shimmered slightly.

  Darius didn't really have an opinion on where the array was laid down. He was here to support and protect his sister and gain experience. "Are we prepared to leave?" he asked. He also didn't want to waste time on diplomacy. His sister's little movements didn't escape his notice and he wanted to talk to her without these Elders hovering around.

  Elder Graylock, who'd insisted on following and inserting himself, wasn't pleased by the dismissive tone of the young Dragon.

  "I'd prefer to have some privacy," Britiana said succinctly.

  Amadeus and Lazarus immediately acted. "If everyone could leave the cavern and give the mages some privacy to prepare for the trip that would be appreciated," Amadeus said politely while Lazarus was already leading the rest of the team to ease the crowd away.

  Elder Graylock blustered again, but Elder Bystrika agreed. "Then we'll go. The sooner the Bridge is connected, the sooner we can see our kin again," he said in a loud authoritative voice. It successfully strangled any objection Elder Graylock may have had. Niklaus took one last look at his daughter and aunt before wordlessly turning to leave.

  When the crowd dispersed, Britiana sighed in relief. "Your people have a lot of mental activity," she complained to Raven and rubbed her temple.

  Raven smiled slightly.

  Darius looked at his sister. "What happened when you covered your shield?" he asked.

  The blonde girl blew out a breath. "Lots of emotions. Joy was actually the loudest one, they're glad to be able to connect to their homeworld. Apprehension about the state of Cruinog and their kin. Some anger, frustration, and fear. Especially from that Elder graylock," she answered.

  Raven pursed her lips. "Elder Graylock has opinions about Earthborne-Dragon hybrids," she said simply.

  ZsaZsa nodded. "He gives me the creeps the way he looks at me," she said. She shook herself.

  "Let's get ready to go," Darius said, taking out his stasis cloak. The others followed suit.

  "Wait, I want to ask ZsaZsa something first," Delaney said. ZsaZsa was a bit surprised but stepped aside with her. "What is it like when you slip through the void to travel as a Drake?" she asked.

  Knowing she must have a reason for asking, ZsaZsa didn't hesitate to answer. "It's like entering a ball of yarn in a tornado. Drakes are in there for longer than people think. If it weren't for locking on to a specific person and finding the correct thread to follow, we'd probably get lost," she explained as best she could.

  "Good. I'll take you into the Shadow Dimension with me," she said.

  This did surprise ZsaZsa. "All right," she agreed.

  Delaney nodded and turned to Britiana. "Can you weave a temporary bridge between us?" she asked. She knew they overheard the conversation, they weren't trying to hide it.

  Britiana nodded. In order to help Delaney get them to Cruinog, she'd used her abilities to weave a temporary psychic bridge between Raven and Delaney so that Raven could share memories with her. She'd tested it and already knew the correct path to Cruinog.

  Surprised but willing, Britiana agreed. She approached them and touched their temples. A silvery glow formed under her finger tips and visibly stretched out to connect between them before fading.

  Britiana stepped back. "Are we ready now?" she asked.

  "Let's get to it," Delaney agreed.

  Everyone except Delaney and ZsaZsa activated the cloaks and turned into capsules. Delaney gathered them up and put them in her storage. She took ZsaZsa's hand. "Pay attention to how this feels," she instructed and stepped into the void, pulling ZsaZsa with her.

  --