— Ashenn Renaar, The Dragonlands, Andavaran —
This was beyond anything she had imagined. Ashenn Renaar was thought to be one of the few places in Ishara that remained connected with the Grave, a dark, shadowy, and dangerous realm few could reach and even fewer knew about. There were pockets scattered about the worlds, where their worlds touched the Grave, the two fabrics of realities clawing against each other. Often, in those places, came terrifying things that even nightmares would fear.
Ashenn Renaar was said to be a volatile land, filled with dragons, wild magic, and dangerous beasts unseen in other parts of the world. There were some that came to Ashenn Renaar looking for glory. Ancient legends suggested many lost treasures were hidden throughout the magical land as well as creatures fit for trophies of only the very best of hunters. Some came for the gold, others for the adventure, and the very stupid came to kill animals they wouldn't find anywhere else. Ashenn Renaar called to many but let very few leave alive. More often than not, their bones remained scattered across the wild land, forgotten.
Yet, despite all the dangers and the warnings she had received, Orianna Tor'Varyan had no choice but to push forward into the unknown. She cared not for lost riches, and neither did she believe in killing animals for sport. All she cared about, for the present moment, was finding the source of a pestilence that was plaguing villages along the border of Ashenn Renaar. The people were suffering dearly, but the Crown was embroiled in its own affairs and hadn't yet spared the resources to help its own subjects.
So, she would do it for them.
Strange, though, that the moment she had set foot in Ashenn Renaar, she hadn't felt the tremor of nightmares from the Grave, or even the ice-cold chill of danger. Instead, an unexpected, welcoming surge of magic had rushed to her in warmth and fervor through the ashen colored grass. For nearly three days now, she had been traveling these lands, but she saw no nightmares, only beauty. The wild magic conjured magnificent sights along the plains and over the mountains. It seemed almost to be playing with her, excited as a child in the prospect of a new friend.
The 'deadly' beasts she had been warned about only watched her from a safe distance, never attacking, never stalking. They were curious about her and followed along, a few brave enough to slip close. She had pet those that allowed her to do so and made certain to mind a respectful distance to those too frightened to approach. Even the dragons had come to see her. They danced in the air, their impressive and awe-inspiring forms gliding effortlessly overhead.
It was one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen. Ashen fields were dotted with patches of flowers made with the most vibrant of colors she had ever seen. They almost didn't seem real even as she bent down to touch their soft petals. Red willows and trees with leaves the color of sunset were brushed by a warm, gentle wind that came down from the Obsidian Mountains, and everywhere she went, the air sparkled with lights that flitted about, day and night.
It was a few days into her journey when she finally realized the lights were not lights at all, but, rather, the sparkling wings of tiny humanoid looking creatures. One had landed on her right hand, its tiny, black eyes staring up at her curiously. Ori had raised the small creature to her face as she and her most loyal companion, a skeletal raven perched upon her shoulder, regarded the newcomer closely.
It was small and delicate looking, no taller than her index finger, with wide translucent wings that shimmered and sparkled with light that seemed to generate from the flapping of the wings themselves. Their skin was a dark blue in color with what looked to be crystal shards scattered over its body that sparkled, too. Large black eyes peered up from their tiny face, long, braided white hair fell over their slender shoulders, and when they spoke, Ori could see the two rows of razor-sharp teeth behind their lips. Distracted by the sight for only a moment, she had been shocked to discover she could understand the tiny creature as they spoke a language that more closely resembled singing than actual speech. When she had told them what she searched for, the tiny creature had nodded and promised to point the way.
So, for the past few days, Ori and her companion, a skeletal raven by the name of George, had followed this tiny creature into the heart of Ashenn Renaar.
Ori had heard whispers of the strange pestilence the moment she landed in Avarra. Guided by instinct alone, she liked to listen to the whispers of her heart, allowing it to find her adventures rather than planning ahead. Her friend, Sahn, liked to say it was the Creator's voice guiding her to where she was needed most, but she wasn't so certain of such things. Though she liked many of the teachings of the Path of Light, she remembered her mother's words most of all. It isn't wise to lose yourself to anything that claims to know 'the truth.'
Even still, it was difficult to deny her odd sense of timing. The pestilence was just beginning to spread beyond the border villages, and, though it stumped the most experienced of physicians, Ori had known the cause almost immediately.
The Breath of Illyria.
She had first read about the pestilence only a few months previously, in a dusty old book shoved into a forgotten corner of the library in Tellada Virnam. It was tucked away in a stanza of an epic poem about the Betrayal of The Fire Princess. Ori only remembered it because Ell'Anna, the Fire Princess of Arroch, was her favorite historical figure. She read everything she could find on her and had memorized the epic poem. The symptoms were exactly as the poet described them, and according to the text, The Breath of Illyria had been contained only with the help of the most powerful gods and hidden deep within Ashenn Renaar where none could find it.
But it seemed someone had known where to look.
"Typical," a voice suddenly spoke to her left. Ori whirled around, her magic snapping to attention in the blink of an eye. Two spectral claws reached out of thin air to grab the newcomer by his shoulders and wrench him off his feet. Despite the hostile greeting, the man dangling in the air merely chuckled softly, his usual smile kind as he looked down at her. "I invite you to tea, but instead, you choose to adventure into one of the most dangerous places in all the worlds. You never cease to amuse me, Orianna."
"Sahn!" Ori shouted as she released him quickly, lowering him back to his feet.
Her friend dusted off his shoulders calmly and continued to smile at her. Sahn Ikhari was one of her closest friends. She had met him on her very first adventure. Alone and far from home, he had crossed her path at a very fortunate moment and had offered her his aid without asking for anything in return. Indeed, without him, Ori sometimes wondered if she would have survived that first adventure on her own.
Sahn was a tall and lithe man with androgynous looking features that were perfectly sculpted, slanted brown eyes that always twinkled with warmth, and dark chestnut hair that fell gently to his shoulders.
At first glance, one would hardly consider Sahn a threat. He looked firmly out of place here in Ashenn Renaar with his fancy garments made of the finest materials money could buy, a black frock coat with golden buttons, a silk white shirt underneath, and an elegantly carved cane that served only his sense of style. Indeed, a passing glance and it would be easy to underestimate Sahn Ikhari. But that elegant façade, that warm smile, and that slender physique belied agility and strength that was almost impossible to match.
"It has been too long, Orianna."
With a laugh, she embraced him, enjoying the sight of seeing one of her closest friends in a place she least expected to find such a rarity. "It's only been a year, Sahn."
He gave a quiet tut with his tongue. "A year for me is nothing, but for a mortal, they shouldn't be dismissed. I only get so many with you, dear Orianna."
"I'm sorry, but I had some things to take care of and time...just sort of got away from me."
"I do understand. And now, so the Creator tells me, you are searching for a way to end the pestilence that plagues this faithful land," he nodded with clear understanding. "I hope you do not mind the company, dear Orianna, but I could hardly sit at home, drinking tea, while you are risking your life for the people."
"Thank you, Sahn. I appreciate it."
Kneeling down, he pressed one gloved palm to the ground and closed his eyes as if listening to it. "Ah, The Breath of Illyria... I haven't felt its work in a long time. Finding the source will not be enough. It will require tremendous power to reseal it inside its tomb. To do so will not be an easy feat."
"So, I can't just cut off the source of the plague?"
He shook his head as they walked through the shadowed valley at the base of the Obsidian Mountains. "No, sealing the rest of it off will not change the damage that has already been done. You will have to draw The Breath out, from every heart it has infected, even from the earth itself. You must drain it all and seal it in the same stone the god, Zeus, used. It's the only vessel strong enough to hold The Breath of Illyria."
"Hmm...Zeus... He's the one that can't keep it in his trousers, right? The one who pretty much sleeps with anything that moves?"
Sahn laughed. "Indeed, he is."
The pair carried on for several hours, following the tiny creature Sahn identified as a Sidhe, an ancient race of people thought long extinct. Yet, the further they walked, they discovered that was clearly not the case. The plains transitioned into mounds of earth built purposefully across the land. From tiny doorways and windows, came other small Sidhe watching Ori and Sahn passing with excited waves and curious gazes. Ori smiled at those they saw, the sight of their small community shimmering with lights of all sorts of colors breathtaking against the Obsidian Mountains.
It was near the home of the Sidhe that they found what they searched for. A large obelisk, there were rivets in the stone that had once housed the Breath of Illyria, magical enchantments designed to keep it flowing within the stone. But something or someone had very clearly broken the enchantments. It could not have been an accident. Whomever had caused this would have come here with the intention of releasing the Breath. Ori's hand hovered over the stone, and, finally, shook her head sadly.
"This can't be repaired," she said softly as the warm wind brushed through her raven hair. "Maybe if we had a god on our side..." Ori looked at her friend expectantly. He chided her gently.
"Now, now, dear Orianna, you know that is not how the Creator works. He sent you here for a reason. The stone is destroyed, but there must be another way to contain the plague. If all that was required was Himself, he would have no reason to send for you, now would He?"
Ori laughed. "Right, because I have more strength than the one who created...literally everything in the worlds..."
"You might be surprised at the strength you possess, dear Orianna."
At that moment, Ori's skeletal raven returned to them. He landed cheerfully on Sahn's shoulder, cawing happily as he nuzzled his cheek. Her friend smiled happily.
"Dearest George, I wondered where you were. Never too far from my dearest friend, I see." George cawed in reply before extending one skeletal claw to Ori. He clutched something there. It was a crystal pendant that hung from a simple leather necklace. The surface of the crystal was etched delicately in a pattern she recognized.
"This is the symbol of the King of Bones," she said, taking the pendant in hand. "Whoever did this was one of his Umbra."
"All the more reason to reverse the work he has done here," Sahn nodded gravely. "His influence is spreading alarmingly fast for one so heavily imprisoned."
All Ori knew of the King of Bones was that he was the Creator's oldest and deadliest of foes. No one seemed to know who he truly was, what he was, or why he had been imprisoned deep within the Weald of Medyulana. Even Sahn knew little of the dark power residing within the prison. Bound by enchantments so intricate and complex that exceeded anything she had ever encountered before, somehow, he still managed to extend his reason from his prison with the help of his Umbra, creatures of dark magic that had spread to every known world. What reason he had to unleash the Breath of Illyria, Ori couldn't say, but this wouldn't be the first time she had undone his work.
He was the reason she had been forced to leave home in the first place. He hunted her, across the stars, and so, whenever the opportunity presented itself, she enjoyed sabotaging his plans. Now for instance, his reason for doing this hardly mattered to her. What did matter was that she was going to stop him.
"I think I know how to stop the plague, but..." Ori turned to the Sidhe that had led her there. "I'll need your help."
With a quick nod, the Sidhe darted out toward their community, their soft lilting voice carrying across the prettily decorated mounds of earth. They returned to her quickly and nodded. Ori instructed her friend to stay back while she and the Sidhe went to work. Sahn watched her with interest, the kind smile on his face remaining until the moment her feet left the ground. Then, he was filled only with the profoundest sense of awe.
Her magic dug deep into the land, its presence felt rather than seen. Connected to the earth, her eyes closed in concentration, and then, the Sidhe began to sing in unison, their magic reaching out to hers. A warm hum settled over the land, a faint rumble growing stronger as Ori ripped the plague from the earth and the villages it had infected. It roared with anger as it twirled helplessly in the air, suspended by Ori's strength. It thrashed against her hold, but Ori held firm, waiting until each and every sand-like grain floated there in the air. Then, all at once, it rushed toward her, digging deep into her body, clawing toward her heart. Sahn felt his mouth drop open, a protest of fear on his tongue, but before he could voice his concern, she waved her arms and the disease dispersed on the wind. It fell to the ground as nothing more than harmless dirt. When her feet returned to the earth, and the song of the Sidhe faded away, she swayed dangerously. Sahn was there to catch her before she fell.
"Well, dearest, it seems your power has grown far more than I had imagined in this last year."
She smiled weakly as he released her. "I didn't know that would work..."
"A helping hand from the Creator, perhaps?"
"Not everything has to be His doing, Sahn."
"True enough. Yet, when it comes to you, I have my doubts."
She ignored his comment as she looked around. "I think... I think it's all gone. I could feel everyone who was sick. I could feel it in the earth. I don't sense it anymore."
To confirm her suspicions, Sahn bent low and pressed his hand to the ground. "Nor do I. It would seem you have accomplished what a god could not."
"Let's be honest," Ori sighed. "Did Zeus even try to destroy it, or was this the fastest way to deal with it so he could turn himself into a swan and seduce another horny, lonely wife of a king?"
Sahn seemed to seriously ponder her question. "Knowing him, it was probably the latter."
Ori rolled her eyes as the Sidhe began to swirl around her happily, their singing warm and gentle on her ears. She listened to their shared story. The Breath of Illyria had been on their doorstep for thousands of years. Their magic had kept it contained as the centuries wore on, draining away their life force, but now they were free of it, just as the villages on the border.
But the moment of peace was only a passing thing. Ori felt the danger before it emerged. Sahn felt it too, angling himself between her and the two heavily armored figures that stepped out of a swirling portal and into their field of view. Both figures wore identical, spiked black helmets that kept their features from view. Their chainmail glinted in the light, but what drew Ori's focus was the emblem on their breastplates. Just like the crystal pendant, it was of a single hand clawing out from a field of bones. The one on the left stepped forward first, a deep and unnatural voice emerging from within the armor.
"Predictable as always, young lion. The King of Bones knew you couldn't resist saving innocents."
"If he was so certain I'd be here I'm surprised he didn't come himself," Ori said, peering over Sahn's shoulder. "He can't ever resist meeting me."
"Meet you?" a dark, warm voice curled in her ear. Ori started, whirling around to find herself face-to-face with the King of Bones himself. His smile was sinister and promising of all the pain he had yet to bring her. "You think this is just about meeting you, Orianna Tor'Varyan?"
The way he said her name made her skin crawl, as though he was tasting it on his tongue. Sahn pulled her closer while keeping an eye on the two soldiers waiting nearby. Ori could see it now, the way his form shimmered in the light. The King of Bones was still locked away in his prison, only able to project himself here. Yet, that itself was a terrifying prospect. His power was only growing.
"Can you just imagine what we could do together, side-by-side?" He dragged his dragon-like eyes down her body with such intent it made her shrink back into her friend. "So much power in those veins...So much more than I could have imagined. I once sought Idelle for the same purpose, but you..." He drew in a deep breath as if smelling her. The grin it brought to his face made her heart stutter in fear. "A bride worthy of a throne of blood and bones. Together...imagine the possibilities."
"Orianna Tor'Varyan is under the protection of the Creator," Sahn informed the King of Bones calmly. Even now, her friend couldn't be riled. She envied that sureness of spirit. "She walks in the light, wreathed by His fire, and driven by His song. You cannot touch her."
That only seemed to amuse him. "Your Creator...Oh, but I do have plans for Him. How busy He will be. And as for the young lion, well, all it takes is one second," he snapped his fingers, eyes boring into hers. "One, and you will be mine. Happy journeys."
The moment his form faded into the wind the soldiers attacked. Clad in heavy armor, they moved surprisingly fast. Her magic was weak, still recovering from the Breath of Illyria, but it was by no means her only way of defending herself. Her magic was a gift given to her at birth. Her sword work, however, that was a skill honed over years of study. Her father was the best swordsman the worlds had ever seen, and he had drilled every lesson, every skill, every tactic he knew into her since the moment she could lift a sword.
From the sheath strapped to her waist, she drew her father's sword, the golden runes etched into the blade humming with the power it possessed. In the end, it was barely a fight at all. Either the King of Bones underestimated her, or he had simply sent them out of amusement. Though they were skilled, they weren't a match for Ori, daughter of a legendary commander, or Sahn Ikhari, a senior member of the Silencers, an order of assassins for the Path of Light. With his daishō, Sahn dispatched of one easily enough, and before he could come to her aid, Ori had taken care of the other.
When the pair had fallen into the dirt, the Sidhe emerged from their homes in a flurry, their tiny forms swarming the dead enemies. In a matter of seconds, the Sidhe had eaten their fill, leaving only bones discarded on the ashen earth. The one who had led Ori to this place darted in front of her and bowed deeply.
"Orianna Tor'Varyan," the Sidhe sang in a language she shouldn't be able to understand. "You and your friend are always welcome to the home of the Sidhe. We are all that remains of the Eldar Race. The Breath of Illyria was ours to guard, tasked by a god who did not care our lives were fading away, turning to ash to keep the Breath contained. We are free now, and you have made it so. The Sidhe are forever your friends."
She bowed in return. "Might I know the name of the one who led me here?"
The Sidhe smiled gently and nodded. "I am Wintersong, the last of the Darkfrost Sidhe, who led our people from the Dark World. It is an honor to meet a descendant of Elerienne Fireborn, and a harbinger of Ylessra."
Before Ori could ask what they meant, Wintersong disappeared, their tiny wings flitting back toward their people. With Sahn at her side, Ori made her way from Ashenn Renaar and back to the border where she had first discovered the plague. Her friend kept her company the entire way, using the opportunity to catch up.
When they finally made it to the village, Sahn addressed the villagers with his steady and confident voice. He told them Ori had singlehandedly removed the plague infecting their lands, and that she had done so with the Creator's blessing. Ori had tried to protest, but her argument was drowned in the sudden praise and gratitude directed her way. Sahn only smiled as a few of the villagers picked her up in their arms and hoisted her onto their shoulders. They celebrated her and the Creator despite her vocal objections. She hadn't done this for praise or glory, but her words fell on deaf ears. It was then that she heard someone utter a word she hadn't wanted to hear. It had been said about her before, and each time she heard it, she felt guilty for allowing others to believe such a thing.
Orianna Tor'Varyan was many things, but a savior wasn't one of them.