Private Tales The Mountains Ahead

[Kasim Areth]

Everything burned.

The people that had been happy and dancing around her, the buildings, the streamers, even the banners. Dragon fire took them all. It consumed the village and ripped flesh from bone within and instant.

Screams echoed within the dream.

Horror bashed at the door of consciousness as the world was simply enveloped and taken into ash. There was no flickering back to a pleasant field this time. No reach back. No, This time the acrid smoke hung there.

This time the fires destroyed everything around Aviana.

Leaving her standing only in ash.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana fell to her knees, the ashing billowing out from beneath her. Everything around her was grey. The sky, the charred buildings, the burning corpses, the ground beneath her legs. Color and life devoid from every last thing she could lay her eyes upon.

Tears burned down her cheeks as she stared up at the dragon overhead as he banked his massive wings.


The woman lashed out in her sleep, her arm slamming into the bulkhead of the ship. Real pain was jarring enough to drag her out of the vivid nightmare that plagued her. She woke in her bed, covered in sweat, screaming.

Her nose was still filled with the acrid stench of seared flesh and ash. Gasping for breath, she rolled forward to push the window open. She felt her stomach roil and before she could stop herself, the woman emptied the contents of her stomach into the ocean below.

Shaking, she sank back down into her back and leaned against the wall for support.

"Fuck..."

 

[Kasim Areth]

A silence hung on the ship.

The only sounds were the gentle creaking of the wooden hull as waves danced against its side. One almost might have felt it calming, almost.

Yet even with the window open there was a lingering scent within the air. Acrid smoke clung to sheets and everything else around her, as though the dream had almost been dragged into reality with her. It was a starling smell, so real that one could almost have thought it had actually happened.

Nothing else came.

Aviana would find herself sitting in calmed silence, a feeling of tiredness washing over as her body cried out for more sleep.

Even if her conscious mind did not want it.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Exhausted, Aviana succumbed to the call of sleep once more. Even as she struggled to keep her eyes open, she found herself curling back up on the mattress to lay down.

Maybe if she just fell back asleep, she'd feel better.

Her stomach was a twisted into knots and she could still taste the bitter bile on her tongue. But sleep called to her.

After a valiant effort, her eyes drifted shut and the lost princess fell asleep once more.

 

[Kasim Areth]

The dream began this time inside of a village.

It was different than the one she had seen before. Kinder, more pleasant and familiar. Not Minaris, but a town that Aviana had visited half a dozen times over her life. A fishing village, just a few leagues north of the city that she had once called her home.

As they walked by her the people bowed their head in respect. Defference was given always, but no one begged or prostrated themselves.

Instead daily life seemed to continue on, even with the presence of Aviana. A few offered smiles with their bowed heads. The warmth they gave her seemed to carry as they walked around.

Life was teeming here, blossoming evne

 

[Aviana Sabel]

The stark difference between the dream world and her own reality was both heartbreaking and soothing at the same time. There'd been a time when she'd known peace in her life. It hadn't always been the chaos of the past few years. She longed the visit the village, but with Kasim at her side. Everything would have been perfect then.

For now, she took solace in the simplicity of the moment. She explored what the dream village had to offer, smiling at those her greeted her and bowing her head in return.

Her thoughts wandered to her mother. She always seemed so at ease with the citizens, regal and warm all at once. Kasim wasn't the only person in Aviana's life that she missed...

She meandered through the town square, gradually making her way closer to the docks.

 

[Kasim Areth]

As she wandered to the docks a crowd would begin to form.

People had gathered for a reason unknown to her. Murmurs ran thick through the wall of folk, most talking amongst themselves. She would be able to grasp wisps of the conversation, small droplets that would feed her just bits of what was going on.

"Punishment."

"Criminal."

"Deserved."

"Execution."

The words repeated over and over again through the crowd as Aviana moved through them. Men, women, even children could be heard saying the words. Conversations turned to the dark and unpleasant. Talk of the vile seemed to cling at every turn and heads began to shake.

It was as though the entire village had now gathered upon the docks, the press of bodies so thick that even Aviana would struggle to press through them.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

With a puzzled expression, Aviana followed the crowds. What had happened? Whenever she tried to ask someone what was going on, she was ignored or they moved away from her.

Something felt wrong.

The mood had shifted so suddenly in the small village. It felt like she was somewhere else entirely. Dread gnawed at her belly, worried about what she was going to find.

Criminals weren't unheard of in Minaris, of course; but when they were dealt with it was generally a solemn affair.

She pushed her way to the front of the crowd, feeling compelled to see what was going to happen.

 

[Kasim Areth]

That was when she would see him.

Hanging upon two wooden beams crossed into an hex, rope bound around his wrists and ankles, fingers broken and splintered by a hammer, body bruised and half caked with blood.

Kasim sat in the middle of the square.

The crowd around Aviana seemed to all be staring at him. Some of them carried expressions of horror, others fear, and still others seemed to almost be laughing. Rumors and words of malice began to flow through the people around the square.

They spoke quickly, words repeating over and over like an echo Aviana's mind.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Agonized sorrow and fear clutched her throat the moment she laid eyes on him. There wasn't time to think or to process what she was seeing, the only thing that mattered was getting to Kasim. She rushed forward through the crowd, accidentally knocking into a few of them that were gathered at the front of the growing mob.

"Kasim... by the depths... what happened. Can you hear me?" She stammered, cupping his broken and handsome face between her palms.

Even in the state he was in, she felt an odd sense of relief to just see his face again. She missed him so desperately. In the back of her mind, she registered that missing him was odd... why did she miss him? Why hadn't she seen him in weeks?

She pushed his bangs back, ducking her head down just enough to meet his eyes. "Please, say something."

 

[Kasim Areth]

The only answer Aviana received was an odd slurring of words, blood spilling from Kasim's mouth and down onto his tunic.

His head seemed to lull from side to side, never particularly catching itself or able to keep up. His eyes were still that same shade of bright gold, but there was something off about them. Lines of red ran through the white, thick and burst from a beating.

As Aviana stood and spoke, holding up the face of the condemned man the crowd that she had burst through seemed to step closer.

They moved silently, collectively, as if all part of one great entity. Ominously they stepped forward, moving as one until they surrounded Aviana and Kasim like an ocean around the island.

"This traitor?"

"How could you touch him?

"He's a criminal!"

"Disgusting."​

The words seemed to come from everyone and no one, ringing out from the crowd.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana grit her teeth and stood protectively in front of Kasim, one arm extended at her side to shield him from the encroaching crowd. Her eyes narrowed at the whispers, preparing herself for something to go horribly wrong.

"Stay back! He's done nothing to deserved this treatment." She shouted at the mob, already knowing that her orders would go unheeded.

The dream made no sense, but it didn't have to, dreams never did. For those trapped in them, they were an ever shifting reality.

"He's coming with me."

 

[Kasim Areth]

"He's a murderer!"​

The words came from a woman, screaming at Aviana as she stepped forward and tried to grab for her. Kasim did not move, save for a small lolling of his head as he tried to look down towards Aviana. His gaze fell away from her, dropping to the floor.

"He killed my son!"

More shouting.

"My daughter!"

"His magics nearly wiped out Minaris!"​

Three men stepped forward, all of them quickly backing up the woman that had tried to grab Aviana. They were large, muscular.

"How can you love him?!"​

 

[Aviana Sabel]

These people wanted to take Kasim from her. They wanted to hurt him worse than they already had, and likely kill him. She'd already lost him once and she refused to do so a second time. Anger seared through her body.

The magic in her veins was like fire, burning and eager to consume.

As the woman grabbed hold of Aviana's wrist, something snapped within her.

She snatched her arm back, feeling the magic surge within her. Without thinking, she slashed her arm through the air with every intention of creating a barrier between her and the mob. A wall of flames burst from her hand and quickly encircled her and Kasim -- cutting them off from the crowd.

Unbeknownst to her, however, this was only a dream.

But that did little to stop her body from lashing out in her sleep. And just as the flames leaped unbidden from her hand in the dream, so too did they manifest in reality.

 

[Kasim Areth]

The dream seemed to shatter the moment fire touched the real world.

It was as though whatever tether was keeping her within the realm of dreams was cut, sliced in such a way that it wrenched Aviana from her sleep and into reality.

She would wake to find that her room was ablaze. Her blankets burned, the furniture had caught and lit. Smoke poured through the room itself, already heavy and laden within the air itself. The choking flames seemed to burn brighter than they should have, yet none caught to the walls themselves.

Even the door did not catch fire, the flames instead dancing over the floor as though it could not quite take hold.

Still, the heat quickly grew unbearable, and Aviana found herself trapped in a doom of her own making.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

While the fire had not charred her flesh in the bed, the heat was still oppressive. She may have a Dragon's magic coursing through her, protecting her from the burns... But she was not impervious to smoke inhalation or heat stroke. She needed to get out of the room.

Sheer instinct kept her from rushing through the flames to reach the door. She couldn't bring herself to test the tentative theory of fire immunity. It seemed far to high-risk for a small reward.

Glancing around she found a knife that had not been caught in the flames. She could use it to bust the window open and climb out.

Or at least, she hoped she could. It was entirely possible that the damned window would be enchanted and impervious to tampering.

Still, she had to try.

She snatched up the cutlery and rushed over to the window, slamming the blade into the glass.

 

[Kasim Areth]

The glass did not shatter as one might have hoped, but it splintered and cracked like a thousand spider webs drawn over each other.

Fire licked at the walls, biting at the bed and continuing to stream out further and further through the room. Even as the heat grew and smoke filled the room the walls did not seem to catch, the blackwood seemingly immune to the flames.

Above her Aviana would hear the sound of a bell.

It rang through the ship, resounding over and over as the smell of smoke began to filter out from beneath the door of her room and filter into the rest of the vessel.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana grit her teeth together and gripped the blade more firmly as she started to repeatedly slam the pointed end into the splintering glass. She needed air.

Her cabin was filled with black smoke, choking her, stinging her eyes and making it almost impossible to see.

Panic clawed at her mind, threatening to overwhelm her.

After several blows, the improvised blade punctured the glass. Her hand shot forward, cutting her wrist and knuckles on the shards. Blood welled from the wounds, running down her forearm and dripping down her elbow.

The pain was forgotten for now, using the elbow of her uninjured arm to knock more of the glass out. More cuts were earned from the endeavor, but there was now at least enough space for her to wedge her shoulders through.

With no where else to go, Aviana clamored out the window, coughing profusely as more of the smoke billowed up into her face, now that it had a way out of the room. She was dizzingly high up, the waves lapping against the bow of the boat far below her. If she fell, she wondered if she'd even survive.

Gathering her courage, the lost princess leaped to the side, hoping to catch the windowsill of the next cabin's window. Remarkably, her fingers caught, but the blood on her injured hand made her grip slippery. She wasn't sure how long she could hold herself up.

 

[Kasim Areth]

The smoke plumed from the window behind Aviana, rising into the air.
Bells could be heard more clearly now, ringing all over the ship as the thud of boots joined the sound. There was a desperate rhythm to it all, people moving, dashing about the ship and doing their best to get everything where it needed to be.

Then someone looked over the side of the ship.

It was a sailor, one of the men that had been sitting in the mess-hall with Aviana just a few days ago. His eyes locked on hers, confusion drew across his lips. Then something popped onto his features, as though he realized what was happening. "SHE SET THE SHIP ON FIRE!"

He yelled as loud as he could.

"SHE'S TRYING TO ESCAPE!" The words echoed in the air.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

That's less than ideal. She thought bitterly as the sailor turned around to start screeching about any escape -- instead of doing something useful, like trying to help her.

Frantically, she glanced over her shoulder towards the water below, her grip slipping further until she was only holding on by the tips of her fingers. She was going to fall.

Her feet scrambled desperately against the wooded side of the ship, trying to find purchase to keep herself from slipping.

But there was nothing.

"No, no, no..." She whimpered softly, blood-soaked fingers losing their grip on the windowsill above her head.

For as long as Aviana could remember, the ocean had always been a constant in her life. No matter where she wandered in Minaris, she could always see the grey blue vastness stretching out to the horizon. It provided her home shelter and food, life itself.

Her mother always spoke of the sea as if it were a lifelong companion, a true guardian over Minaris, much like the dragon riders of old.

The moment her fingers grasped onto nothing but air, Aviana prayed that her mother was right as she fell.

Her scream pierced through the night, lost among the chaos of the bells and shouting over head.

One moment she'd been clinging to the side of the massive ship, the next she was crashing into the waves below.

 

[Kasim Areth]

The sea was rarely ever kind.

It did not care who you were or what your purpose was. The roiling oceans had destroyed entire cities, islands, and even nations at a whim. There was often no reason why, no answer to questions, nothing that would satisfy those who cursed the gods.

Circumstances were no different here.

The Blackfort had been built by magic. Pieced together to withstand armies, storms, and the worst anyone could ever hope to see. Yet even it could not stop someone from falling into the sea.

As Aviana plunged into the sea the Sailor that had called about her escape shouted out to the rest of the vessel. His voice rung above the bells and all the other noise, calling out to anyone who would listen to try and grab their attention.

When the first wave hit her she would see Sarkus appear on the deck.

He was there in an instant, a single blink of the eye and he stood at the railing, his golden eyes peering at Aviana as she sunk beneath the water.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

She caught a glimpse of Sarkus high above her as her head was pulled under the water, waves washing over her. The loose sleeping gown she wore tangled around her legs, making it incredibly difficult for her to kick back to the surface. Even though she thought herself a strong swimmer, the turbulent current caused by the moving Fortress soon swept Aviana towards the stern of the massive ship.

It was only a matter of seconds before the princess vanished from sight.

I'm going to die.

Her lungs were already screaming for air, burning in her chest as she struggled to reach the surface. For a heart fleeting moment, her head burst above the waves and she was able to gasp a single breath. When she tried for a second, another wave took her under and she sucked in a mouthful of salt water.

Sailors were lost at sea all the time.

It was an inevitability whenever a ship left port, there was always a chance that someone who was on board would never return home. Though, in Aviana's case, falling overboard was closer to her returning home than staying. Her people lived off the sea, it was only fitting that she meet her end in the water's suffocating embrace.

A glimmer of golden light flitted deep below her in the darkness.

And then another darted across her field of vision, over her head.

She didn't know why... but she felt as though she'd seen such sprites before. They were familiar, somehow.

Something stirred from the Depths, something far Older.

Aviana felt the shift in the water around her, the displacement from some colossal force moving was unmistakable. It propelled her upwards, towards the surface of the churning ocean. The golden sprites swirling around her, tugging at her clothes.

Suddenly, something solid pressed to her bare feet. It almost felt as though the ocean floor had leapt up to catch her.

But it was warm and smooth, not coarse like sand.

When she looked down, she saw an enormous golden eye glittering back at her. A keen intellect shimmered in the glowing orb. Whatever it was, it saw her, she got the sense that it was focused on her. The magic in her veins sang out, as if trying to reach to the creature, responding to the touch.

And then she burst through the waves, sputtering and coughing for breath.

She was resting on the snout of what could only be described as a sea dragon. Ivory scales the size of tower shields, glistened in the moonlight. Torrents of water poured off the gargantuan creature as it emerged. The golden sprites enveloped Aviana, securing her in place so that she did not tumble back down into the waters below.

There were some elves in Minaris, that spoke of the Old Ones. Tales of ancient leviathans the size of mountains, that ruled over their elemental domains. Those of the mainland would have likely called them Gods. Almost all of the ancients were depicted as some sort of dragon, and the stories all said that Minaris had once been the realm of an Old One.

Staring in awe at the creature that lifted her from the clutches of the sea, Aviana couldn't help but wonder if the legends were true.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Sarkus stared in utter disbelief.

He had seen Dragons before, wyverns they had been called. The Elves of Fal'Addas had tried their hardest to keep them a secret, but Vel Anir had found them. He still remembered fighting the creatures, twisting and eventually breaking them.

This was nothing like that.

The creatures was three times the size of any Wyvern that he had ever seen, it's monumental form towering over even the Blackfort as it stared down at them. Sailors on the deck stopped, the fire below the decks seemed to freeze.

No one moved. No one breathed.

The every air seemed to still.

Sarkus did not often find himself lingering in a moment. He had lived for so long that nothing came as a surprise anymore. All the sights of the world had been his to see, every life had been his to take. Yet this was something even he had not seen coming.

A fractured mind found purchase, yet it was so drawn into the sight before him that even he did not notice the three Dreadlords slowly making their way onto the deck.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

I've seen this creature before.

Aviana realized this was not her first encounter with this exact creature. How was that even possible? She could feel its breath, the oddly soothing warmth of its scales -- no her scales. Gazing into the golden eye, she was suddenly felt as though her mother was watching her. It reminded her of recognizing someone by just the sound of their footsteps, or their scent.

Slowly, the colossal creature turned her head towards the ship.

Magic practically exuded from the sea dragon, the air around her crackled with the essence of raw power. She seemed utterly indifferent to the men below.

The creature of the depths lowered her long neck until her maw was level with the deck of the Blackfort. Sailors backed away from the frightening creature, too shocked to even scream.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Sarkus did not move an inch.

His fingers flittered for a moment, almost as if he were grasping at something which wasn't there. Lips thinned, and a darkness crossed his features as frustration bloomed within his core.

Behind him three Dreadlords slowly stepped forward.

None of them moved just yet, but they slid between the fleeing sailors as though they were flowing water. Each of them held faces of complete calm, the sound of their boots somehow echoing out even with the sounds of the sea echoing against the ship.

Sarkus did not notice them.

Instead he stared at the Dragon, desperately trying to ignore the sense of loss in his chest.

As the three Dreadlords stepped up behind him the Vampire glanced back for one split second, holding up a single hand. Each of the mages paused in their movements, hard stares meeting that of a beasts.