The Magic Mirror

Fier the Changeling

It was mid-day in Evodos when the birds flew in. As far as Fier was concerned his day had been going fine up until then. He had settled some numbers with a wealthy merchant down the road and had ended up selling his serums for more than he had counted on.

He had found a florist shop on his way through the town and had bought a pretty bouquet of flowers which he presented to the first pretty girl he saw.

This one had been a stunner, a real knock in the knees. Her hair was the color of sun on a field of grain, her skin was so pale and soft that he swore it must be cream and her name was Niarosa, so sweet a sound he could taste sugar when he said it. She, in turn, had never heard a sillier name than Fier the Changling.

When she laughed it was as if he had heard bells chime. Which he had, actually. Only they didn't so much chime as clang in the alarm towers that skirted the town. The street that Fier had been arm in arm with Niarosa down became shadowed and he heard the familiar sound of beating wings.

"Birds!" A shout came down the road and Niarosa took off, dropping her flowers onto the ground as she went.

"Come sweet Fier!" she called over her shoulder to him, her pretty white shoulder with a golden curl falling down her neck. "Do you want the birds to get you?! Run!"

 Fier sighed wistfully as he watched her go and, holding a solitary red rose in his hand, he smelled it somberly.

"I can not..." he murmered as a swarm of birds blackened the sky above. "..Good bye my Niarosa."

He threw the rose down with a sigh.

The birds came down in a spiral upon him and hit the ground around his feet. Inky, transluscent feathers burst into black plumes of smoke and soon the entire street was engulfed in it. Fier waved away the dark, dismal smog and through it he saw a trio of figures coming his way. They were forever obscured by a thick skin of smoke, their faces smoothed over like a river worn stone. Fier did not run. The birds were faster. He did not fight for the birds were stronger, and he did not beg for the birds were souless.

"I suppose it's time," was all he said.

They wrapped their dark arms around him in a strange embrace.

"Feels like whispers... and shadows..."

 He felt dreary. When he collapsed he never felt the ground hit.

Dark... deep... strange- and then Fier was awake and he was on his knees on a cold, stone floor in the dim, red light of but one orbed lantern suspended in the air. He tried to stand and a hand shoved him back down roughly. There was a guard on either side of him.

"Stay down, you wretch."

He looked for the origin of the low, echoing voice and found it standing in the shadows just before him. The figure stepped forward and was revealed to be a man, tall and gaunt, with a nose the shape of a raptor's talon and probably just as sharp. He had dark, menacing eyes and a fixed furrow between his thick eyebrows. As he walked forward his long, concealing black robe swept across the floor.

"This is Fier the Changling?" he asked, a brow raised in incredulity.

"And you're Graves!" Fier said. "I heard you were awakened."

"Then you know what I want with you," the man called Graves growled. He bent down and reached a long, crooked finger beneath Fiers' chin to lift his head. "... strange... you don't look like him at all..."

"He was never too easy on the eyes so I'll take that as a compliment," Fier said. He wasn't above admitting to vanity. Even in this somewhat desperate situation he found himself studying the dirt under his finger nails. When had they gotten so dirty, anyways? He hoped Niarosa hadn't seen them like this.