into the deep
Talon stood before the maw of the Warrens. How many times had he gone into the below? How many times had he thought it would be the last time that he ever saw the light of day? It was a curious relationship that he and his people had with the Warrens. There were resources untold to be found within its depths. Each plundering of those resources cost blood, sweat, tears and brought as much hardship as it did salvation.
“It’s funny…” He glanced over to his beloved bondmate. The Core Bonded Kathar warrior who walked up beside him. “When I first came to Kalzasi, I couldn’t understand why you all built this city around such a hellish place.”
Aoren was wearing his Skyforged Raiment. A black fitted garment that was specifically tailored to sit comfortably upon his body. A circlet rest upon his brow, carefully crafted and specifically enchanted to protect from a narrow range of physical and magical blows. Between the dark garments that Aoren wore, his raven wings and his other armaments, had Talon not already known, it would have been easy to take the man for a prince himself. The regal bearing that Aoren carried himself with had been bred into him. Coupled with the lifetime of disciplined training and a hard life of serving the Imperium, Talon often forgot just how harsh of a life his bondmate had lived. The Kathar came to stand beside him, the cinders glowing in the irises of his eyes burning softly.
“I think I finally understand it.” A hand came to rest upon the small of Talon’s back. He welcomed the touch. They were about to embark upon a journey that Talon had a feeling would be just as harrowing if not more so than the ordeal that had led to his rebirth as a demigod.
“The Warrens are a dichotomy. Life. Death. Order. Chaos. All of those things can be found within its depths. Kalzasi lives as the Warrens does. We have grown in its shadow and learned how to cast our own unique light. Ever watchful. Ever resentful. Ever grateful.” Talon let his words settle upon them. He felt the truth of that statement in his bones. The Yawning Chasm around which Mistreach Keep, the citadel of the Sky Guard was built, was perhaps one of the largest openings into the Warrens that was known. It was only due to the vigilance and skill of the Avialae that it had not become a mouth through which untold horrors spilled across the Northlands. In many ways, the Warrens were representative of the Avialae people themselves. Talon could not always see why, but he felt it in his soul that this was true.
“Are we ready for this?” Aoren’s question drifted to him. Talon shook his head.
“There is no preparing for the Warrens. You do your best. You accept that whatever you expected, will be nothing like what you encounter.” Having grown up around the Warrens, its stories, and faced its challenges with his head held high, Talon knew only what he was capable of. He knew what he would do to protect those he cared about. Beyond that? Only the Greater Gods knew what might lay ahead of them. There was a feeling within him, a sense of perhaps what was to be found beyond the horizon of the here and now. The sense that he was standing on the edge of another turning point in his life was heavy upon his shoulders. He had no doubt that whatever he found or whatever he faced in the depths, the Warrens would leave their mark.
It always did.
“What did your parents say when you told them?” Talon smiled. That had not been a fun conversation. Once again, he was throwing himself into the direct line of peril. However, when Talon had explained that he was doing this because of a debt of honor owed to Lyra, his father relented. It would have been one thing if he had been seeking this journey himself. This was different. Talon was plunging into the Deeps to save not just one life, but two. His mother, when she had learned that it was Lyra, had become curiously distant. Her displeasure had been evident but she had quieted in her opposition.
“I have a mountain of duties waiting for me upon my return. I think my mother and father are determined to bury me under the responsibilities of the Crown. Likely in an attempt to keep me under constant watch.” The two of them shared a chuckle. Ahead of them, the entrance of the Warrens seemed to groan in anticipation of their impending journey. Talon felt a shiver pass up his spine. The feathers of his wings stood up slightly as a cold wind rushed out of the cavern’s mouth. He did not let it phase him.
“Do you think about it?” Talon canted his head with a quirk of his brow. “Kalzasi, with you as King?”
“Yes.” One word. But that word was filled with so many thoughts and emotions. As he had matured, Talon had come to form his own perspectives on what the role of the sovereign of Kalzasi was. He had seen enough horror in the world to know the worth of Honor, Compassion, and Courage. He had been humbled enough to know the value of being a common man. He had also seen enough abroad to know that Kalzasi was in a precarious position. They had as many enemies as they had allies. Perhaps more. That weighed on him and he sometimes wondered if his father could see that.
“I suppose there will be enough time to answer these questions later.” Aoren inclined his head. Talon turned his attention in the direction that his bondmate indicated. He saw their companions headed their way. Letting out a heavy breath, Talon braced himself. He cast his gaze to the sky, knowing that this would be the last time he saw the true sky for some time.
20 Searing 121
“It’s funny…” He glanced over to his beloved bondmate. The Core Bonded Kathar warrior who walked up beside him. “When I first came to Kalzasi, I couldn’t understand why you all built this city around such a hellish place.”
Aoren was wearing his Skyforged Raiment. A black fitted garment that was specifically tailored to sit comfortably upon his body. A circlet rest upon his brow, carefully crafted and specifically enchanted to protect from a narrow range of physical and magical blows. Between the dark garments that Aoren wore, his raven wings and his other armaments, had Talon not already known, it would have been easy to take the man for a prince himself. The regal bearing that Aoren carried himself with had been bred into him. Coupled with the lifetime of disciplined training and a hard life of serving the Imperium, Talon often forgot just how harsh of a life his bondmate had lived. The Kathar came to stand beside him, the cinders glowing in the irises of his eyes burning softly.
“I think I finally understand it.” A hand came to rest upon the small of Talon’s back. He welcomed the touch. They were about to embark upon a journey that Talon had a feeling would be just as harrowing if not more so than the ordeal that had led to his rebirth as a demigod.
“The Warrens are a dichotomy. Life. Death. Order. Chaos. All of those things can be found within its depths. Kalzasi lives as the Warrens does. We have grown in its shadow and learned how to cast our own unique light. Ever watchful. Ever resentful. Ever grateful.” Talon let his words settle upon them. He felt the truth of that statement in his bones. The Yawning Chasm around which Mistreach Keep, the citadel of the Sky Guard was built, was perhaps one of the largest openings into the Warrens that was known. It was only due to the vigilance and skill of the Avialae that it had not become a mouth through which untold horrors spilled across the Northlands. In many ways, the Warrens were representative of the Avialae people themselves. Talon could not always see why, but he felt it in his soul that this was true.
“Are we ready for this?” Aoren’s question drifted to him. Talon shook his head.
“There is no preparing for the Warrens. You do your best. You accept that whatever you expected, will be nothing like what you encounter.” Having grown up around the Warrens, its stories, and faced its challenges with his head held high, Talon knew only what he was capable of. He knew what he would do to protect those he cared about. Beyond that? Only the Greater Gods knew what might lay ahead of them. There was a feeling within him, a sense of perhaps what was to be found beyond the horizon of the here and now. The sense that he was standing on the edge of another turning point in his life was heavy upon his shoulders. He had no doubt that whatever he found or whatever he faced in the depths, the Warrens would leave their mark.
It always did.
“What did your parents say when you told them?” Talon smiled. That had not been a fun conversation. Once again, he was throwing himself into the direct line of peril. However, when Talon had explained that he was doing this because of a debt of honor owed to Lyra, his father relented. It would have been one thing if he had been seeking this journey himself. This was different. Talon was plunging into the Deeps to save not just one life, but two. His mother, when she had learned that it was Lyra, had become curiously distant. Her displeasure had been evident but she had quieted in her opposition.
“I have a mountain of duties waiting for me upon my return. I think my mother and father are determined to bury me under the responsibilities of the Crown. Likely in an attempt to keep me under constant watch.” The two of them shared a chuckle. Ahead of them, the entrance of the Warrens seemed to groan in anticipation of their impending journey. Talon felt a shiver pass up his spine. The feathers of his wings stood up slightly as a cold wind rushed out of the cavern’s mouth. He did not let it phase him.
“Do you think about it?” Talon canted his head with a quirk of his brow. “Kalzasi, with you as King?”
“Yes.” One word. But that word was filled with so many thoughts and emotions. As he had matured, Talon had come to form his own perspectives on what the role of the sovereign of Kalzasi was. He had seen enough horror in the world to know the worth of Honor, Compassion, and Courage. He had been humbled enough to know the value of being a common man. He had also seen enough abroad to know that Kalzasi was in a precarious position. They had as many enemies as they had allies. Perhaps more. That weighed on him and he sometimes wondered if his father could see that.
“I suppose there will be enough time to answer these questions later.” Aoren inclined his head. Talon turned his attention in the direction that his bondmate indicated. He saw their companions headed their way. Letting out a heavy breath, Talon braced himself. He cast his gaze to the sky, knowing that this would be the last time he saw the true sky for some time.
"I am Justice."
