30.4 The Mythos We Create

General Summary

Day 469

Mystery's next letter gives me the same thrill of anxiety that I felt in writing to her. I recognize the untethered urge to fly home and be whatever is needed. It's scarier for her because I know it's possible for me to send her and it's not something I would prevent her from doing. With news of her parents and her name in-hand it is only natural that she is drawn so strongly.   But I am old and wise and have old and wise advice to hand out, as always. I package it with the thought that I would miss her if she left and I know that will be enough to give her pause as she makes a hard decision. I am still waiting for a response when the distinct sound of wingbeats comes into focus at the periphery of my awareness. I hurry to the top of the ziggurat and find my arrival coinciding with Haze and the largest dragon I have ever seen.   Haze descends and shifts into the same fae-like being he had become in Avan'Nal while the larger dragon gracefully lands and transforms into an imposing Osyr with seafoam white hair and pupil-less deep eyes, clad in deep blue robes with ancient runic embroidery.  

Haze tells me that I ought to speak with you before anything else. Let us remain here; descending into a fae grove is somewhat distasteful.

  I think this is a remarkably rude, if understandable, thing to express to me but I nod as he conjures a table and two chairs for us to be seated at. Haze, I notice, remains standing to my left as we settle down. This new dragon is Tide, a grand elder of the Infinite Blue clan.   But before we speak he conjures some food that instinctively feels Osyr: A warm savoury broth and vibrantly coloured soft squares of confections. From within me, Kaide comments that they taste like very well done home cooking. Over the food Tide asks a few preliminary questions.   He points out that I am both elf and fae, which I acknowledge. It is a common first question and I am practiced in explaining that I was born an elf and grew into a fae later in life, but that it does not diminish my belonging in either group.   He asks after Haze's rider and whether she is worthy. It's a curious question to ask me if a member of my own family is worthy but I happily describe her as driven, detail-oriented, caring, and bold. I tell him the story of how she and Alwen found me and how she now teaches those around her as well. I smile unbidden as I speak. I also tell him of how Tira was responsible for seeking out the dragons and Kindred when I left the Empire.   He comments that the war my people are engaged in (with "the Shokran") is one that dragons have committed to remaining apart from, and describes the war, too, as distasteful. Again, I think this is a strange thing to say to me.   And then I must explain to him the circumstances which led to the attack that befell Haze. It's a careful explanation - one that involves a description of the young, borrowed-magic human race and their connection to the six individual Zephyr who they worship. I'm quietly pleased to see the clear look of disgust come across his face as I explain the human religions and what those particular Zephyr wrought. Beyond a description of the human race I must also offer some explanation of Drakken, the Master, and why they have taken such a dislike to me and my family.   Though I'm forthcoming about how I have clashed with Drakken's plans, I avoid telling Tide about Galfen. I trust that Uncle Red has handled him and I'm not interested in furthering animosity between dragons and fae. Besides, Tide's main concern is whether any of "the younglings" (Haze, Hue, Onyx, Sandstorm, Crag) will be further caught in the cross-fire of my enemies. He is reassured to learn that the attack was because of my family and the choices I am making (bringing people and races together) and not a target on dragons in particular.  

Are you attempting to reforge the ancient bonds?

  It's a pointed question. The easy answer is...yes. The more complicated answer is that I am not willing to say yes until I know precisely which bonds he means and the obligations in both directions. I am eager to re-establish dragon riders because of how happy it seems to have made both dragons and riders around me. I want a relationship with the Kindred (our cousins) and the dragons who have taken them in. I do not want a pact that does not serve us both.   At this he sends Haze away, leaving just the two of us to speak further.  

The first elves were noble. They made a tremendous sacrifice because to do otherwise meant they would die. They made their sacrifice together with unity, harmony, and conviction - all qualities that dragonkind admires.

  With Haze gone we talk about the first elves and how the fae of seasons turned their backs on their now-flightless cousins. How the dragons saw this as a shameful betrayal of kin and took on the obligation of sheltering the elvish people. When Avan'Nal was abandoned and some elves turned to Kindred while others returned to a city they shared with fae, the dragons considered their obligation to elves at an end and transferred it to the Kindred. They have long continued to shelter and live with the Kindred   After a pause he asks if I have a way to communicate with the leader of the Empire. His purpose for asking is that he would like to extend an invitation to build something new inspired by what has been lost. The Empress can send a hundred heroes far East to the Dragon's Teeth Mountains to be judged.   It's a thrilling offer but I temper my excitement and ask a pointed question: This offer stands despite the existing bond the elvish people now have with fae? At this he nods. He can see that it is the fae of day and night who we have bonded with and not the remnants of the fae of seasons. The only problem would be if the leader of the fae people chooses once again to prune her own family. With this, I wholeheartedly agree.   With this settled he offers me a boon - one piece of dragon magic that I might be interested in learning. It's a heady offer and it takes me some thought before I settle on something I think I could comprehend. I would like to learn how true dragons project such an incredible sense of presence about them.   He shows me his own magic, a powerful ebbing and flowing that draws me in deeply. And then explains that a dragon's presence comes from a knowledge and embodiment of their nature. Younger dragons who come from many bloodlines have a more complex nature and it is harder for them to embody their name truly. I will face the same problem as one of mixed heritage. My task will be to study and understand my own nature so that I can embody it fully and project it as a presence to others.   On one hand, I do know some firm parts of my identity. I chose my name, after all, and it has served me well. In others I am such a roiling mess that I can't hope to understand - what does it mean to be a fae of leaf and vine turned elf turned fae of day and night and eager to form a bond with dragons?   The simpler task he gives me is to find a night-blooming flower and study it to better understand my nature. The fae of leaf and vine are deeply rooted to growing things while elves are connected to borrowed dragon magic. Fae of day and night, particularly the dusk fae that I am now, are similarly bonded to both growth and dimness. There are other parts of me he cannot describe - whether I am a flower that lends itself to healing and medicine or to poison. This will have to be part of my own self-study, and he gives me a rune that I can use to awaken the magic once I have completed my study.  

Elves are very introspective, much like dragons.

  Tide gives me a long look before smiling a bit and telling me that if he were a few millennia younger he might consider me to be a potential rider, though his clan is not necessarily the best suited for partnership with elves. His are people of sea and sky while mine are of earth and shade. The bridge between us is the Osyr, of course. Instead he will extend an invitation to me to visit him or his clan any time. For the next century or so he intends to settle in the Barrier mountains to better keep an eye on the events occurring in the area.   It is a special compliment coming from someone like him - I find it hard to picture myself as a dragon rider considering what I have already become and the closeness I share with so many already.  

Tell Haze that he need not worry. His scales are thick enough to bear the consequences of his actions. I hope his claws are sharp enough to cut through his challenges. If they are not, Tira will surely help him.

  Before he can transform and wing away from the grove I ask if he might leave behind some of this food he has brought so I can share with a few Osyr family I have with me. He graciously makes a gift of a large jug of the broth and packet of the confections, telling me that any Osyr are welcome to visit his people as well, almost as though he is speaking to Kaide. And then gracefully he lifts off the ziggurat and heads East, vanishing remarkably quickly.   Kaide, then, steps out into being beside me and we share a moment of excited panic to have spoken with a grand elder. It seemed like he saw her and recognized her and was withholding comment out of respect for her choice to remain hidden. We giggle a little over the mythic quality of his proclamation that the Empress might send a hundred heroes to be tested, like something out of Alrudian's stories. Before she retires again I remind her that the food is to share with Kadia and she shouldn't claim it all for herself, though I certainly understand the urge to hoard the taste of home.   And with the sun lowering in the sky I return to the ground and find Lyssa and Haze chatting. Haze can now transform into this form by himself, courtesy of Tide's teachings. And the three of us muse about the possibility of these hundred heroes succeeding and reforging a bond between elves and dragons.   Whatever happens after I send that message to the Empire is not for us to worry about, though I'm quite concerned that a hundred elves will be heading East across the toxic sea and might traipse all over my island. I'm sure that my illusions are still hiding it but I've been finding myself lost in daydreams of it more and more since sending Uncle away with a letter for Mistress. I think I might be able to separate some of the sea away from the shore and purify the water, giving us a small bay of safety. The elemental anchors Kaide used around Avan'Nal are like nothing I would have been able to do way back when we first cloaked that island but now? Now it's well within reach. And more and more I know we'll be back there together before the century closes.