Chapter 5: Awakening

Note: Celi is now seventeen as two more years have passed.

Celi was a lovely wyvern. Her serpent body was that of a cobra and was patterned with black and cream-ivory scales. Her feathers ran down her back from hood to wings were violet-black close to her body before they gradually faded to a red. Her eyes were the crisp ice blue of opals and radiated with endless energy. The feeling of the breeze that was carrying her home was delightful. It was calmer than the delight that she felt after a success dance, there was nobody around to crowd the space, she could be free.

Was this what Bianca and Ainra were feeling?

Celi felt a rush of sadness. Bianca had left one day with no warning and no evidence to where she had went. She just left a short note and was gone, searching had resulted nothing. Bianca had just vanished, pure and simple. It hadn't been long before her half-sister also followed suite. Nobody knew what had made Bianca leave, but Ainra's reason had been a falling out with her father. The wyvern hadn't left anything, not even a note.

Celi sighed and let her gaze drift to the world below. Watching the scenery change as if it were a giant quilt. Her gaze drifted up to the sky, a brief glance at the glowing orb that the sun before she scanned the clouds, easily picking out somewhat familiar shapes... Suddenly Celi felt a burning sensation in her body before she was sent plummeting, she forced her wings up, slowing her descent and managed to land on a soft pile of squishy moss. The wyvern panted, her wings hanging limply at her sides as she struggled to calm her rapidly beating heart. There was a small stream close by and Celi dipped her mouth in and drank, the cool water working its soothing power on her body. But it was not for long. She could feel the presence, something was there with her, something that hadn't been there before. Celi lifted her gaze, her feathery hood spreading in a feeble display. Her heart was pounding and her breath caught as she turned to look at her visitor.

A woman stood on the other side of the stream, smiling but somehow it was far from comforting. Her skin seemed to be crafted from black ice, dark but pale and looked cold to the touch. Her hair slid down to her waist, perfectly straight, blacker than a raven's feather. A long black gown flowed down her lean figure forming pool of what seemed to be silk around her feet. But what really chilled the wyvern's blood was the woman's eyes. They were nothing but pools of intense darkness. A voice suddenly filtered its way into her mind and Celi was unable to do anything to block it.

Poor little child, you are so young to face the horrible truth.

"What truth?" Celi found herself asking with her mind. The woman seemed to laugh without moving her mouth.

The civil war that split the Dasi could had been prevented, the magic of Ahnmik and Anhamirak could had been kept in balance.

A breathy sigh seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, but yet the being's face still didn't move, not even a flicker of change on her unearthly face. You can change that child of destiny...but you must come to Ahnmik, to me...

The woman vanished suddenly, the eyeless sockets suddenly were replaced by pools of silver. They were stretched wide in surprise but unlike the woman the vision didn't last long. The silver eyes were dappled by flecks of deep green which turned into a pair of stormy green eyes in the face of a white viper who looked so helpless, so defeated.

Beware the black sun little wyvern, I wish that you didn't have to pay this price...

Celi was trembling as she landed, shifting form unintentionally and pressing her palms against the warm sand of the training field. The sounds of practice weapons and the grunts of men and women around her was nothing but white noise and did nothing to calm the rapid beat of her heart. A gentle hand on her back suddenly made her jerk and a slight trickle of something suddenly lashed out drawing a grunt of pain. The wyvern lifted her gaze and suddenly felt a rush of guilt. Tabassum stood over her, his amber eyes were neutral but obviously concerned. Celi felt a rush of fear and embarrassment. "Sorry," she murmured, carefully drawing the tendril back within herself. Tabassum didn't respond but he helped her to stand up. She felt another hand touch her shoulder and she looked to see her father. Nicias had been drilling with the other wyverns, but apparently he had noticed that something was wrong. He offered her a cup and Celi carefully wrapped her fingers around it. The liquid within burnt her mouth and throat, but it instantly calmed her breathing and heart.

"What happened?"

Celi looked up, into the matching gaze of her father. For some reason the dark woman and mercury gaze popped into her mind, but she didn't want to tell him what she had saw. "Just a little fright is all," Celi said, giving what she hoped was a convincing smile. She didn't know if her father and friend was fooled, but she carefully gave the cup to a crow that had been Tabassum's sparring partner. Celi hesitated, their gazes making her nervous. She didn't want to blabber out what had happened, she didn't want to worry them. "I'm going to the library, see you later?" Celi said as she spun around, making her coin belt tinkle and her anklets chime. The soft sounds usually gave her some comfort, but today they didn't seem enough to sooth the burn that the spell had caused.

Seven people were gathered around a single woman, their actions spoke of delight. The woman seemed like a sharp contrast to her followers. Her skin extremely pale, a sharp contrast to her brown gaze and mahogany hair. Celi immediately recognized Kiesha, the high priestess of Anhamirak, and the baby that was in her arms was obviously the first Diente. There was a eighth person who was watching the celebration from the shadows. The woman was pale with short blonde hair and stormy green eyes. The woman turned away from the happy scene and for some reason the wyvern followed her into the temple. A small group of people were in the temple, watching her with sympathetic eyes. The woman dropped to her knees and the arms of the Rsh wrapped around her. Her attempt to be calm went to waste and Maeve wept.

Morning

Maeve stood with the Rsh, staring at the woman she had once loved, still loved. "Leave," Kiesha's voice was cold, her brown eyes were equally the same. There was nothing, no sign of the love that had once been there. Maeve didn't beg, she didn't cry. Her tears had came and passed. The look that she gave the mahogany-haired woman was one of pity. "I will, but I hope you'll be prepared for what will happen next." Maeve turned away and walked off, the Rsh following her on their own free will, ignorant of the sneers and snickers coming from the other serpiente.

Midday

Celi sat with the founders of the Obsidian Guild and watched Maeve. The former priestess gazed around her with a tired smile, but her eyes were sad. But suddenly her attention snapped to the sky, eyes wide in horror, her mouth working but yet no sound came out. Celi followed the woman's gaze and her own mouth dropped open in alarm. The sun which was now at its highest point was joined by another orb. Slowly a piece was being taken away from the life-giving orb. The sky was beginning to darken...then it went out. The air exploded with thick power; screams echoed, the smell of blood was heavy, flames roared into the sky while ice chilled all that it touched without mercy...the world was now truly chaos.