T A L O N
3 Ash 121
“Reports have come in from the Second Deep that there has been an increase in erratic behavior from some of the predatory flora.” Talon sat quietly, listening to the reports from the ranking officers of the Sky Guard. He was scanning over a few of the documents that had been submitted to his office.
“Has there been any surge in the dragonshard veins? This activity usually precedes a warping of the veil.” Talon glanced up from the report in front of him as he asked his question. An Avialae with the wings of a great owl nodded his head. He was dressed in the vestments of one of the Sky Guard’s battlemages.
“Yes, my Shinsei. There were sightings of an increase in activity from one of the known ice shard deposits. There are also reports of pesticyte growing in odd formations.” Talon furrowed his brow. Pesticyte was not an unknown danger to him but the idea that it was growing in both odd formations or in higher numbers was concerning. He nodded his head.
“Make sure that the guards patrolling the tunnels leading to the Second Deep are carrying toxin curatives. The increase in pesticyte’s presence will undoubtedly lead to an increase in venomous mutations and poisons.” There was a collective agreement as Talon gave his input into the deliberations. He listened more, reviewing reports concerning the Guard’s finances, making a few notations regarding proposed purchases that could be done more effectively. He added his signature to a few forms authorizing a few budget changes for the Guard before there was a knocking on the meeting room’s doors. When the doors opened, Talon continued listening to some of the latest reports on recruitment efforts. He was pleased to note that there had been an increase in men and women signing up to join the Guard. It was not lost on him that some of that may have been attributed to the fact that he was slowly being referred to as the patron demigod of the Sky Guard. It was not a practice that he discouraged but he did not openly endorse it yet. Talon was still on the fence about how to approach the subject of being a figure of worship for the city’s soldiers.
It was as he was discussing the current readiness of their standing military forces that something pinged on the edges of his awareness. He looked up, turning his gaze away from the table and its occupants to the east where the ping presented itself. This was followed by another and then another, followed by dozens and then even more. The silver of his eyes sharpened and Talon’s senses were drawn to behold an elven looking man dressed in armor that had seen much battle. He wore it comfortably, kneeling within the circle of a large caravan of people. He hand one hand resting upon his knee. The other was pressed to his heart. Within his vision, Talon could see the shining radiance of his Emblem mark coalescing softly upon the elf’s right shoulder. It warmed him and as Talon’s vision settled upon the man, the elf smiled, letting out a breath of relief as though he had been holding it in anticipation.
“Show us the way, my prince.”
Talon thought for a moment. Show them? What was he to show them? Something pressed on the edges of his memory before he connected the dots. His thoughts turn to Pahoran and the young man’s family. The night that Talon had flown to them and marked him and his family for their bravery. His thoughts turned to the ruins of the outpost that they had come across, the place that seemed hidden by the forest itself. Talon turned his thoughts to that place. He knew innately what this elf was searching for and through the connection afforded them by his Emblem, Talon shone a Light upon what he could remember and the way to it. The Clan Rayunia that had turned to work toward rebuilding that place, those members who bore his Emblem, were touched by Talon’s power. Each of them pausing in their work of rebuilding to turn their heads in the direction of their brother.
Among those who traveled with the elf, Talon felt others who bore his mark. Not many but a few. He touched upon them and sent them the same feeling. They too raised their heads and turned their sight in the direction of the outpost. As Talon was pulling his attention back to the present moment, he watched as the elf opened his eyes and nodded with a smile. Talon blinked, his senses returning to the meeting unfolding around him.
“My Shinsei?” He looked up to see that everyone in the room was staring at him. Some with awe. Some with open curiosity. Some with worry. Talon realized then that his nimbus had manifested as he had turned his attention in the direction of those who summoned his attention.
“Is everything alright?” One of the officers queried carefully. Talon considered the question for a moment. Was everything alright? He could hear his father speak those ominous words from seasons ago. What it meant to have so many of those people gathered in one place, openly and without reservation. Was he prepared to invite such trouble upon Kalzasi’s head? The truth of the matter was that he already had. Simply by existing. He sighed.
“It is time to come forward with something.” Talon turned to look at the officers of the Sky Guard that were in front of him. He set the report in his hands down, folding his hands together as he considered his words carefully. Behind him, his wings shifted, showcasing his mood as he contemplated how best to speak with the assembled.
“You all are aware of what happened to me during Frost 120. I recognize that you are still skeptical. As you should be. However, there are those in the world who are not skeptical.” Talon looked at the soldiers. Each one of the men and women in the room with him had spent their entire adult lives in service to the people of Kalzasi. They worked to keep the people safe from the horrors of the Warrens so that things such as the dragonshard mining could continue. They allowed brave guildsmen to travel into the Second Deep to perhaps retrieve unique herbs, spices, and even fauna that could only be found there. They helped to keep safe the mages who studied the Warrens in an effort to expand their research into magic and how to better safeguard the city. They had seen much. As a result, there was as much honor in this room as there was cynicism.
“The first among those being Zaichaer.” One of the officer scoffed.
“Zaichaer are superstitious to begin with. They jump at the mere mention of anything supernatural. Whether there are rumors about your divinity or not, Shinsei, they would hate you.” Talon nodded. He had seen evidence of those prejudices firsthand. Brenner and Stefan Dornkirk in their factory. The mod on the street. The Reconciliators that worked fastidiously to both contain and coordinate with him and his entourage. They had made no secret of their absolute distaste for his powers but they had also seen firsthand the other side of Talon when Rickter had been abducted.
“That may be true, but that paranoia was only made worse by the events that happened during my visit.” There were murmurings of agreement. It was no secret that there were those among the nobility who had been decidedly displeased with the outcome. Then again, there were also those who were quite overjoyed with the turn of events. It gave more ammunition to the case that war with Zaichaer was inevitable. It had put a strain on his father as he worked to smooth over the diplomatic relations that were already tense. Zaichaer had made demands. His father had refused them as outrageous. Talks were still in progress as their respective ambassadors worked to come to some semblance of a status quo.
“Why do you bring this up, Shinsei?” It was one of the female officers. She was staring at Talon not as though she doubted him but as though she were simply waiting for him to say it. He let out a breath and straightened himself so that he could look into the eyes of the people around him.
“Dawnmartyrs have come to Kalzasi.” There was a collective silence. Nobody laughed. No one scoffed. No one dismissed the notion as ludicrous. They all simply stared at him. Then a few of them stared at each other. Somehow, Talon got the impression that they were not surprised by this development.
“Reports have come in from the Second Deep that there has been an increase in erratic behavior from some of the predatory flora.” Talon sat quietly, listening to the reports from the ranking officers of the Sky Guard. He was scanning over a few of the documents that had been submitted to his office.
“Has there been any surge in the dragonshard veins? This activity usually precedes a warping of the veil.” Talon glanced up from the report in front of him as he asked his question. An Avialae with the wings of a great owl nodded his head. He was dressed in the vestments of one of the Sky Guard’s battlemages.
“Yes, my Shinsei. There were sightings of an increase in activity from one of the known ice shard deposits. There are also reports of pesticyte growing in odd formations.” Talon furrowed his brow. Pesticyte was not an unknown danger to him but the idea that it was growing in both odd formations or in higher numbers was concerning. He nodded his head.
“Make sure that the guards patrolling the tunnels leading to the Second Deep are carrying toxin curatives. The increase in pesticyte’s presence will undoubtedly lead to an increase in venomous mutations and poisons.” There was a collective agreement as Talon gave his input into the deliberations. He listened more, reviewing reports concerning the Guard’s finances, making a few notations regarding proposed purchases that could be done more effectively. He added his signature to a few forms authorizing a few budget changes for the Guard before there was a knocking on the meeting room’s doors. When the doors opened, Talon continued listening to some of the latest reports on recruitment efforts. He was pleased to note that there had been an increase in men and women signing up to join the Guard. It was not lost on him that some of that may have been attributed to the fact that he was slowly being referred to as the patron demigod of the Sky Guard. It was not a practice that he discouraged but he did not openly endorse it yet. Talon was still on the fence about how to approach the subject of being a figure of worship for the city’s soldiers.
It was as he was discussing the current readiness of their standing military forces that something pinged on the edges of his awareness. He looked up, turning his gaze away from the table and its occupants to the east where the ping presented itself. This was followed by another and then another, followed by dozens and then even more. The silver of his eyes sharpened and Talon’s senses were drawn to behold an elven looking man dressed in armor that had seen much battle. He wore it comfortably, kneeling within the circle of a large caravan of people. He hand one hand resting upon his knee. The other was pressed to his heart. Within his vision, Talon could see the shining radiance of his Emblem mark coalescing softly upon the elf’s right shoulder. It warmed him and as Talon’s vision settled upon the man, the elf smiled, letting out a breath of relief as though he had been holding it in anticipation.
“Show us the way, my prince.”
Talon thought for a moment. Show them? What was he to show them? Something pressed on the edges of his memory before he connected the dots. His thoughts turn to Pahoran and the young man’s family. The night that Talon had flown to them and marked him and his family for their bravery. His thoughts turned to the ruins of the outpost that they had come across, the place that seemed hidden by the forest itself. Talon turned his thoughts to that place. He knew innately what this elf was searching for and through the connection afforded them by his Emblem, Talon shone a Light upon what he could remember and the way to it. The Clan Rayunia that had turned to work toward rebuilding that place, those members who bore his Emblem, were touched by Talon’s power. Each of them pausing in their work of rebuilding to turn their heads in the direction of their brother.
Among those who traveled with the elf, Talon felt others who bore his mark. Not many but a few. He touched upon them and sent them the same feeling. They too raised their heads and turned their sight in the direction of the outpost. As Talon was pulling his attention back to the present moment, he watched as the elf opened his eyes and nodded with a smile. Talon blinked, his senses returning to the meeting unfolding around him.
“My Shinsei?” He looked up to see that everyone in the room was staring at him. Some with awe. Some with open curiosity. Some with worry. Talon realized then that his nimbus had manifested as he had turned his attention in the direction of those who summoned his attention.
“Is everything alright?” One of the officers queried carefully. Talon considered the question for a moment. Was everything alright? He could hear his father speak those ominous words from seasons ago. What it meant to have so many of those people gathered in one place, openly and without reservation. Was he prepared to invite such trouble upon Kalzasi’s head? The truth of the matter was that he already had. Simply by existing. He sighed.
“It is time to come forward with something.” Talon turned to look at the officers of the Sky Guard that were in front of him. He set the report in his hands down, folding his hands together as he considered his words carefully. Behind him, his wings shifted, showcasing his mood as he contemplated how best to speak with the assembled.
“You all are aware of what happened to me during Frost 120. I recognize that you are still skeptical. As you should be. However, there are those in the world who are not skeptical.” Talon looked at the soldiers. Each one of the men and women in the room with him had spent their entire adult lives in service to the people of Kalzasi. They worked to keep the people safe from the horrors of the Warrens so that things such as the dragonshard mining could continue. They allowed brave guildsmen to travel into the Second Deep to perhaps retrieve unique herbs, spices, and even fauna that could only be found there. They helped to keep safe the mages who studied the Warrens in an effort to expand their research into magic and how to better safeguard the city. They had seen much. As a result, there was as much honor in this room as there was cynicism.
“The first among those being Zaichaer.” One of the officer scoffed.
“Zaichaer are superstitious to begin with. They jump at the mere mention of anything supernatural. Whether there are rumors about your divinity or not, Shinsei, they would hate you.” Talon nodded. He had seen evidence of those prejudices firsthand. Brenner and Stefan Dornkirk in their factory. The mod on the street. The Reconciliators that worked fastidiously to both contain and coordinate with him and his entourage. They had made no secret of their absolute distaste for his powers but they had also seen firsthand the other side of Talon when Rickter had been abducted.
“That may be true, but that paranoia was only made worse by the events that happened during my visit.” There were murmurings of agreement. It was no secret that there were those among the nobility who had been decidedly displeased with the outcome. Then again, there were also those who were quite overjoyed with the turn of events. It gave more ammunition to the case that war with Zaichaer was inevitable. It had put a strain on his father as he worked to smooth over the diplomatic relations that were already tense. Zaichaer had made demands. His father had refused them as outrageous. Talks were still in progress as their respective ambassadors worked to come to some semblance of a status quo.
“Why do you bring this up, Shinsei?” It was one of the female officers. She was staring at Talon not as though she doubted him but as though she were simply waiting for him to say it. He let out a breath and straightened himself so that he could look into the eyes of the people around him.
“Dawnmartyrs have come to Kalzasi.” There was a collective silence. Nobody laughed. No one scoffed. No one dismissed the notion as ludicrous. They all simply stared at him. Then a few of them stared at each other. Somehow, Talon got the impression that they were not surprised by this development.