Stars Over Dalaran

[Caira Ayryn]

Dawn’s radiant light spread across the rolling scape of green, while painting the stars that dared peek out from above, with a dim hue of light blue. A great and distant land spanned for miles, it glowed with color, and even the air seemed as though it were thrilled with magic. The essence of life filled the very air. Every breath taken brought a sensation of energy to the corners of any being present, and to those travelers near and far, Camelot’s air was simply energizing.

A breath was taken, clean, crisp... Ahhh. Every breath was a miracle, some sort of simple magic to be thankful for. After all, it’s usually the simple magic in the world, that is the most profound, and it is the most profound things that are easily overlooked.

 Gusts of freshly ecstatic wind found themselves tumbling toward an island in the distance, the land, somehow floating high above the ground, was gently swept with the gust of air, bringing the billowing white clouds along with it.. On it grew a city, of brick, mortar, and mages galore. The city, hidden in the clouds, was shrouded in a foggy swath, as smooth and pristine as milk, with only a few spears of dark, disembodied shapes, piercing into mushy clumps of froth.

Within another instant, the clouds were carried off, revealing the stone city once more, this time, condensation had been left on the bricks, giving them a beautifully incandescent texture as the sun’s early light breached the city with its warmth.

Caira tried to focus on this, while her heart ran at a hundred miles per hour in her chest, thumping loudly, sporadically, explosively, as though it were going to burst out of her chest. The tension showed on her face and stained her skin with a sleek film of sweat, which was instantly chilled by the breeze that was easily encountered so far above.

The motion of great and powerful wings flapped in the corners of her eyes and sent a shudder through her body as she felt her muscles clench and unclench every time the feathers seemed to move, arch, or curve in a certain -and seemingly unpredictable- direction. A dry gulp was gathered in her throat, and with a coarsely uncomfortable sensation, the fear-stricken girl tried to dampen her tongue, but only managed to induce what felt like a chisel scraping the sides of her throat. She nearly gagged and clenched on tightly to the Pegasus’s reins. Meanwhile, wisps of the horse-like mane whipped her face violently.

Caira was rather tolerant when it came to leaving her comfort zone, but heights were one thing she would never get over. To someone who may have been watching, it would have been a sight like none other. A youthful girl, holding onto the the saddle for dear life, while leaning toward the neck of the beast for support, eyes closed, brows taught, all while holding a peculiar looking iguana in her right arm.

The lizard was squirming, but whether it was because the girl was holding him too tightly, or if he too, borne with no wings, was afraid of falling, would remain a mystery. His forked tongue hissed from beyond his scaly lips as he peered through his narrowed eyes, and deemed that finally they were at their destination.
The island of Dalaran, as the girl had promised all those moons ago. Finally, the lizard was relieved, and was practically dancing in his little clawed paws. His tail swatted against Caira’s flank, rousing her from her terrified stupor. She parted a single violet eye, and was alerted that they were nearing their destination.

The wind bit into her eye, causing hot rain to bubble up, before pouring out the blurred lines from the corners of her sight. The sound of her teeth grinding together overruled that of the wind, but Caira, in all her heigh-fueled-fright was still tempted to look past her toes.

It was dizzying. The swirl of trees so far below her, that they appeared to be but blades of grass. Her stomach twirled, butterflies surged, and the sickness she had suppressed for so long nearly forced its way out of her. From beyond her the toe of her boot, which was placed “safely” in the stirrups of the leather saddle, and very well digging into the mystical beast’s ribs.

Vertigo was upon her. Streaks of color came together and created a massive tornado in her mind. The world was spinning, or maybe she was, it didn’t matter because no matter how hard she held on she could not stop. Her eyes had pressed closed now, while her hair became a spiraling hurricane, which was more closely in appearance to a black mob. There was no sense of direction in the world behind her eyelids, only darkness, and that deep rotten void in the depths of her stomach. The taste in her mouth was that of blood, for in the turmoil and chaos, she had bitten her cheek so hard, it broke flesh.

“What do you think you’re doing?! You’re gonna get us KILLED!” The panic transcended the iguana’s crystal, which allowed him to talk in her mind. “If I had arms I’d drive this thing A LOT safer, an’ even if I was as afraid of heights as you are, but hey, not all of us can be Primes, making us immortal! You literally have nothing to fear!”

Caira gulped. Falling. She saw herself lose her grip on the pegasus’s mane, tumbling far below its enchanted hooves. Wings still flapping majestically while she, felt the wind on her hair, saw the blur of the sky and the ground mesh together, and suddenly trees. Broken branches -or bones. Suddenly, eternal silence.

For some reason, the faces of many flashed before her eyes. Merik’s unhappy yet fulfilling ending, the ending for his son, Tom, those she had met such as TBG on her adventures in Camelot. And then there were those, like that poor man who’s notebook she still had, that had been condemned to the Underverse for a fate worse than death. She knew that now. And he had sacrificed more than his life for her, at the very beginning of her arrival in this realm. Despite how she had thought she filled her debt to him, Caira felt a grieving deep within her heart. Somber emotion clouded her consciousness, and then a storm of light crackled before her eyes once more. She took a breath and recognized the scent, it was life.

Her eyes rolled around in her head, expecting to be looking at either the sky or the ground immortalized by her paralysis, unable to lift a single finger, and yet, here they were, she blinked unable to believe it. The sky still streaked by, the wings of the pegasus flapped loudly in her ears, almost as loud as the roar of the harsh, grating wind. Caira’s head tossed around, and then looked at the iguana, who had begun his counter argument.

“Wasn’t meeting Omni enough for you? Maybe he should’ve given you flying lessons or something! Surely you guys must’ve talked about...” Karn trailed off, unsure, especially to see that her eyes had no longer trained on him though he was ‘speaking’ and in her violet eyes that crazed panic had left them.

She had hallucinated, or imagined, her death. In fact, falling to it. It was not that she had overcome her fear by simply experiencing it at its worst, but she now seemed a bit more acclimatized to death, because now she remembered that even she had killed a man.

“Omni informed me of the information I had been searching for all my life,” Caira’s eyes, oddly serene and aware, fixed on the iguana’s now, “I will admit, it was an odd experience for me, meeting the deity of this world, however, it was a difficult experience for me. I was certainly awestricken when I saw him, and recognized his eyeless face from when I was pulled from my world.”

Before Karn could reply, or Caira get her bearings and be re-infused with fear, a startling “clap clap!” of hooves meeting stone reminded them why they were here. The girl gulped, trying to bring some moisture to her now very dry throat and tongue, she winced as she felt the sensation slither down her throat like cool fire.

“So Karn, where is it?” Caira asked, though the question was forgotten as her eyes took in the beautiful island once more. It was easier now, since she was on the ground.

Stone buildings climbed nearly as high as the sky, as bits of cloud weaved in and out of the highest pillars and buildings. Shacks and stone houses lined the streets, each having a purpose, and along the bustling streets of Dalaran, there was an aromatic scent drifting through. As though someone were baking fresh bread, and for the first time, her mouth watered. Her feet began shuffling through the streets, while Karn had to work hard to follow her.

It was an odd sight, a girl with violet eyes, and distinguished black hair dodging in and out of people in the street, while an iguana tried with all his might to follow her -an iguana, mind you, with a very rare and enchanted stone attached to his head by mere string. Some people’s eyes shimmered to the blue light of the stone as Karn yelped, “Ayryn, come back!” Other’s lunged for the lizard, though at the speed he was going, it was easy for him to dodge left or right.

Caira heard the shouting and turned to look over her shoulder as someone with a wand had seized Karn in the air. The girl blinked, curious as she saw the lizard levitating a few feet off of the ground. It did not appear that the witch was going to harm him, and in fact, she started to carry him away.

“Stop, unhand that lizard!” Caira shouted, but she had chosen the wrong words, for the witch’s hands were not touching Karn. A small smile slithered over the woman’s disappearing face, and the prime was forced to follow the woman as Caira cursed her own impudence.

She was lead not very far, on the next street over, there was a small little shack, personalized by the numerous amounts of assorted and abstract objects inside. Caira was suspicious to enter through the doorway itself, it could’ve been bewitched, however the door was closing and Caira had to make a split decision. Stay or leave.

The purple eyed girl lunged inside, and her head rammed into a large wooden cabinet, items stacked upon it now clattered to the ground as Caira grasped her skull which wreathed in pain. She was covered in soot and dirt from being on the ground, and the stains of the powder showed against her sleek black attire.

Caira shuffled dizzily and rose to her feet, still clenching her teeth to stop the throbbing sensation from reaching past her head. It worked, though she had to squint for the next few moments. The room seemed bigger on the inside, it had definitely been bewitched or cast by an enlarging charm. A cloud of dust had been summoned by her fall, adding to the mystery of the place. Caira could no longer see where the witch had gone, but she could hear the old woman coughing. In fact, it sounded like she was hacking up a hairball.

“Ugh, I would open a window but I’ve got to get down to business.” the woman said from a distant corner of the room, bringing Caira’s attention to the wooden door that had slammed behind her, and now the shutters that had done the same. The edges of the panelling looked frayed and used, and Caira didn’t even have to try to see that there would be no opening them for the remainder of her visit.

The Camelot soldier would have drawn her sword and announced ‘Stop! You’re attacking and attempting to kidnap a soldier of Camelot!’ but the time for that had passed, and Caira did not feel the witch was a danger. It hardly seemed necessary, and at this time, the clouds of dust had begun to settle. Caira cleared her throat, and was surprised to hear her voice rumble with such vigor.

“Ah yes, come closer dear,” Caira’s ears pinpointed the witch’s call and crept closer, though she kept an alert tenseness in her shoulders and was ready to either draw her sword, or immobilize her enemy at any moment.

“Take a seat dear,” the woman said again, and the dust had faded to the point where she could see the witch clearly. On her head she wore a particularly purple hat, it was pointed, but was worn as kind of a cylinder atop her head. Around her face was a layer of short white hair, sitting on her nose were a pair of spectacles, now with the gold edges covered by dust. The robes she was wearing matched the violet blue of the woman’s hat, and she was sitting in front of a table, with a single chair left vacant right in front of Caira, “Don’t be shy.”

On the table was a signature crystal ball, there was a white, luminous light swirling inside, reminding Caira of the Oververse and Nexus’s hue. Over the table was a red cloth, and sitting there, looking either lame or dead, was Karn. His head leaned against the table, his eyes had closed, and his green scales were looking more sickly than ever and turning into a grotesquely vile green.

Caira’s eyes caught this and widened, “What’re you doing to him?!”

“Isn’t this what you came here for?” the witch’s hands had extended above the lizard and curled threateningly in the air.

“I..” Caira paused and the witch was eager to complete her sentence.

“You’ve come to rescue this man from his terrible fate. You have come long and far, young one. Very far.” the woman’s eyes narrowed, as though suspicious, but she never asked a follow up question, “My name is Moony, and I’m more than just a fortune teller. You, my dear, are lucky you found me in time.”

The blue stone had been removed from the lizard’s head and placed on the table to the right of the lizard. “It’s strange magic, but dark magic usually is. You want to make him man again, do you not?”

Caira hesitated. It was what he wanted. Who was Caira to protest?

A small nod found itself on her chin.

Moony continued. “Very well, but I cannot foresee the distant implications it may bring. You see, Miss Caira, this lizard should be dead.”

“Dead?” her mouth hung open, growing dry again.

“Dead. Had he not been made a lizard, he most certainly would be. You see, there was a raid, a sort of attack, and a curse befell this man. To escape, before he could be condemned to death, he cast his own wand on himself, and such was his will to live, that he was able to survive. He has been living in his own hell ever since. It strikes me, however, how fate has found you both together. You wouldn’t normally have been traveling in the dunes, yet, both of you were condemned to death, and yet you lived to tell the tale, together.” another smile coiled on the woman’s thin lips as her wrinkles molded together on the outlines of her thin face.

“Can you.. Cure him?” Caira wouldn’t admit it to herself, but she had grown fond of the little bugger.

“Yes, I can. But I cannot guarantee his survival when he becomes a man again. It depends on how deep the curse has woven into his soul. That’s why I ask, if it’s his wish to become man again,” her eyes suddenly flicked with immeasurable sharpness to Caira’s, “Because his wish could bring his own death.”

Caira gulped, “He’s been, he’s been using that stone on his head to communicate with me. I thought that he’d been an evil wizard, one that nearly killed me, and he still very well could be, however, we shall see, won’t we? When he’s turned back?”

“Very well.” the witch sighed, almost as though she had anticipated the results of her question, but was morally or contractually obligated to reiterate them. “Brace yourself, girl.”



...


A sudden flash of immense light blinded the Prime, and even as she tried to cease the burning by using her palms as a mask over her eyelids, still, it did not help. It was several moments before Caira could see once again, and when she did, she did not recognize the site.

She was still in the precious little shack that Moony called ‘home’ but now, Moony’s eyes were closed, resembling the dead or nearly dying. Caira gasped, and was about to lunge for the woman, and shake her awake, mostly due to her own fright. To the witch’s left though, was a man, standing tall, and covered in smudges of dirt and sand. Around him, as though he could not fasten it fast enough, was a mysterious-looking robe. It was obvious, more or less, that though Caira had not seen it, the magic Moony cast, had indeed returned her lizard friend into man once again.

As a man, he did not look as Caira expected. Karn looked nothing like a lizard. Not even his eyes had the same tint. Instead, they were a luminous blue, he had not aged in his lizard form, and even so, it was almost as though being trapped in a lizard’s skin out in the desert was all just a bad dream. There was, however, a starting beard sprouting from the man’s sharp chin. It was about four or five inches long, un-groomed. It occurred to Caira that she was staring at the man who had been in the desert, and had just been attacked. She wondered if he remembered her, though he had seen her with a lizard’s diamond eyes.

Caira was standing closer to Moony, her hand gently on the old witch’s shoulder, but her eyes had fixed on the once-lizard turned man. It struck her that he was nude under the robe, it struck her again that he had not been human for so long, that her staring wasn’t making the conversion any better. Lastly, she realized that the man was very attractive. His blue eyes clung to the edges of the room, and kept flashing between the many nooks of the cabinets of the room, to his very pale and strong hands. His face was gaunt and sun speckled, and his hair was dark around his face, though the tips had been whisked with sun and were therefore golden.

He looked like he was about to speak, and Caira grew startled, though she could not find the reason, and even still, the nervousness in her stomach grew into her very skeleton. She shook Moony, wanting to say ‘Wake up, wake up! There’s a strange man here’ but she found herself paralyzed and Moony still appeared to be asleep.

Now, Karn had come to his senses, and apparently recognized the distinct hue of her eyes, “Ayryn, Ayryn, is that really you?”

Before Caira knew it, his strong hands had been placed over her cheeks and a deep kiss sunk into her lips.

A moment later, he tore away, showing the brightest smile she had ever seen a man make, “Don’t you see? You’ve helped me get back to normal! Thank you... Thank you so much.” There were tears flooding in his eyes and once more Caira felt the prickle of his chin as kisses covered her cheeks and forehead. Caira blinked the kisses away, a bit confused and uncomfortable with the sudden bout of affection, and attempted to search his face once more, for similarities with the lizard.

“It’s me, Karn,” he persisted, “Don’t you recognize me?”

Caira pondered this for a moment, it was too convenient, all of it. “Not at all,” she said with a faded smile.

“Exactly!” he jumped, exuberant, and the robe he was wearing suddenly fell from his shoulders. Caira’s eyes widened. Apparently he hadn’t fastened it tightly enough, probably because he was still getting used to having fingers, and had forgotten how to tie a knot. The knight of camelot was so startled she barely turned away in time as he was able to retie his knot with a bit more precision.

Moony had stirred in her chair, and Caira was glad to divert her attention to the fortune teller, “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m not as young as I used to be. I trust you like my work, Karn?” she asked wistfully.

“Of course, I love it, thank you... How can I ever repay you?” he asked her, almost hopeful that she would give him a chance at redemption.

To Caira’s surprise, a scowl now made its way on Moony’s lips, “You, man, have made many mistakes. However your time as a lizard has taught you what it means to be human again, I should hope. For my payment, I will request this rare stone,” she held up the blue stone in her hand, “And that you will swear to this girl that you will repay her in any way she sees fit. Take care of her. You owe her more than your life.”

He blinked, and the dark atmosphere that Moony had created started to dissipate. “Now, you go and get tidied up, while me and... Ayryn here, have some tea.”

“But-”

“No talking back, I didn’t waste my magic on you to have an ungrateful boy in my home, unwilling to take a shower when he dreadfully needs one.” the old witch replied back.

Caira stood there, stunned. Then, the smell did reach her nose. It wasn’t unfamiliar, she was sure had the wind not washed most of the sand from her, she too would smell like one does after a trek or two in the desert. Moony pointed with her boney index finger up the stairs, and spoke in a commanding voice, “Towels are on the left, dear.”

Violet eyes hung on Moony while a teapot and two cups levitated towards them. “So, now that that’s done...”

Caira tilted her head, curious to where the conversation might lead, and mystified by the magic the old witch had displayed. “Boys can get ever so tiring. Still, it seems that one has taken a liking to you. But I believe your good deed has clouded his judgement, just a bit. He’s human now, as a lizard, he never had such complex emotions such as love, even if he thought he did.”

“He was probably hungry, you didn’t send him upstairs simply for a shower?” Caira asked.

“You’re a sharp girl, you know,” the witch’s pale eyes fixed on her, “No, I did not send him to bathe simply because he needs to. I had to get a moment alone with you, because I have a favor to ask of you.”

Caira blinked, “Go on, I’m in your debt as it is.”

“Hm, well, you see this stone?” Moony held the blue stone in her hand, and it glimmered with fresh life, “It’s dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands, and while there are many good wizards in Dalaran, there are many bad ones. They come out at night, and ever since...” something was muttered that Caira couldn’t quite hear, “Their forces have been growing. So, I have a request, that only a prime can do. But first... How was Omni?”

...

Caira’s jaw dropped, the woman had put it so plainly, she was stunned, “I trust you didn’t get every single answer you were looking for, but it was enough to quench your curiosity’s thirst, yes?”

She could only nod.

“I see. Well, congratulations on finding him, young one. However, I regret to tell you that you have no time to rest, despite how rigorous your previous endeavor was. You see,” the witch spoke, still holding the glowing orb in her hand, “There has been a meteor shower...”

...

Some time passed before Caira could speak again, “And you’re saying, I’m what, destined to find one of these... these stars that have fallen?”

“I am,” the fortune teller spoke, in an all-knowing tone, “It intrigues me, because I can see your past so very clearly.”

Caira thought of what Omni had told her, what it all meant. Even her death had been delivered by the stars. Now she was immortal, and a second chance had been given.

“You see Caira, the stars have aligned, your destiny is held within one of these little stars. It just so happens that my old colleague happens to be a well-known astronomer. How about it, then? Will you take this challenge, and lead the way to your destiny?”

Caira frowned, “Do not misinterpret me, Moony, I will take the quest, because I’d hate to see something with that immense amount of magic fall into the wrong hands, and it does indeed fascinate me, because everything I have ever done has had that very theme. But, I will not do it for my destiny. No, because I know my destiny is in this very room. It follows me every single place I go, and it is carried from one moment I live to the next. I chose to believe that my fate is something I live with in the present, because I’m already living on stolen time.”

The Prime’s tone was solemn and cast a morose tune throughout the room. Moony seemed a bit impressed, but she would only let it show through the glittering of her pale eyes. “I see that my dear, and I wish you great luck.” the witch’s eyes fell on the satchel over the girl’s shoulder, “Now, aren’t those books a bit overdue?”

...

Caira stopped into the library and returned the books she read. Since she knew where the entrance was, it was easier for the Prime to retrace her memories and recalled the time she spent here on the floating island with Toybox Girl, in search of the legendary mage, Magus.

The witch followed Caira to the library. Moony seemed as though she were only tagging along to make sure the Prime did not leave her sight. The books had been submitted in a little slot, returned, and Moony handed her another huge stack. “You’ll need these if you think you are going to even find the dang things. Now, I’m not astronomer, however, reading up on these when you get the chance will be very informative. Plus, it seems they’ll all fit in your bag rather nicely.”

The books were pressed with ink, the heavy sound of a heavy stamp fell on the books individually, and the librarian’s assistant muttered to Caira that she had a late fee.

“Oh, yes, it would seem time works differently here,” Moony mentioned to Caira “They can’t allot for it even if you were in the Oververse.”

The shrew gaped, her stamp fell from her hand and clattered to the ground. Ink stains blotted the thick, intricate looking carpet and the witch brought out her wand, very amused and waved the end over the stain, as it was lifted into the air and returned to the glass vial. “You must be careful where you’re putting that,” Moony’s smile only grew as she read the shrew’s bemused expression.

After they had left, and all the books Moony had selected for Caira had safely hovered into the girl’s charmed bag, Moony leaned close to her ear, “I hope you don’t mind my volunteering that information, but me and that woman have had a bit of rivalry for many years.” she snickered, “I couldn’t help myself..”

Even fortune-tellers could be mischievous, it seemed. Caira shrugged to the old witch, but had assumed some stray ears had heard, and the thought of this prickled her spine. It was ironic to think that now, she could be hunted. Ironic because this was where it had all began. Magus. Toybox Girl. Caira’s hunt for Omni, and even the girl’s debt to the man who had saved her life. Even more-so now, she was beginning again.

Meeting Omni and her adventure in the dunes had surely changed her. She thought the value of a human life was more than she could fathom. She, a soldier of Camelot, had even freed one of the prisoners of this place. An immortal did not deserve to rot away in a cell. Hopefully, Caira thought, he would stay clear of this place, and go elsewhere. Maybe even he had learned his lesson. But she highly doubted that murderers could learn to undo their ways.

“Caira! What do you think you’re doing? Don’t you want to meet my astronomer friend?” the witch howled, however, it seemed her words were enchanted, and could only be heard by the Prime’s ears.

“Coming!” Caira shouted, and then, many eyes from people who had been meandering throughout the street, now turned at her, as though she had shouted right in their ears and disrupted their day, “Oops, sorry!” the girl muttered with a shy rush of color flushing on her cheeks and was off on her way, and quickly found her place at the witch’s side. Just in time too, for the witch was standing at an ominously hidden door, shrouded in shadow. It reminded her of the entrance to Dalaran, one had to know it was there, in order to approach it. The Prime was now even more grateful that she had a willing guide.

[Caira Ayryn]

They entered through the door, after Moony had whispered a password into the brick wall. The large wooden door next to it, creaked open, revealing a small room shrouded in shadow at the base of a long set of curving stone stairs. There wasn’t much to look at, save one soot covered window that peered blankly to the outside alleyway.  

The witch warned, “Caira dear, take off your shoes, my friend doesn’t like it when people track in,”

“Yes ma’am,” the prime complied and as she did, a mountain of sand poured out from inside her black sock.

“And that’s precisely why,” the seer spoke again, in that knowing voice before muttering to herself, “Adventurers, all you primes, so filthy...”

Suddenly it occurred to her, “But wait! Karn took a bath, he’s going to come down the stairs and wonder where we are, shouldn’t we have stayed?”

“Alas there is not enough time, I left him a note, however you two will not be seeing one another for a very long time,” Moony looked into Caira’s eyes to see her reaction, which appeared to be one of a soft shock.

“Destiny and fate are two very different things. If yours leads you back to meeting your friend again, he will surely show you the services required that will pay for the debt he owes you- that is, the one worth his life,” Moony looked at her with startling sense of graveness in her eyes, “You have done a good thing, to save an innocent man’s life, however, saving a single life is not going to save you. I think deep down, you know that.”

Caira’s eyes widened.

“Oh and before we go any closer, I think it would be helpful to tell you that I did expect to find you in the street this morning, I cannot help what I foresee, dear. But it was not out of selfishness that I came to steal your lizard, even if I do have a desire for this very special stone.” Moony gestured to her pocket, “In my crystal ball, I also saw that you would meet your mother here -not here, not in Camelot- but here, in the Omniverse, you are going to meet your mother.”

“What? Where, when will I-” Caira’s thoughts suddenly grew jumbled, but her voice crumbled at the interruption of the witch who warned her.

“I can not tell you anymore, young girl, you must beware though, for it will not be a happy meeting.” Moony’s tone was stern, and the witch gave Caira a brief moment to collect her thoughts before climbing the blocky, stone stairs.

Caira’s mind clouded with skepticism and she couldn’t help but to think of what Omni had said about her parents. He had implied that they were far from human, and in their actions to destroy humanity, they had become monsters -or slaves, in fact- to their own greed and desire for power. Caira’s eyes fell low to the ground, and she felt her shoulders hang heavier than she had felt in a long while. Her hope had vanished, because the thought -no, the fear- that Caira was anything like her mother, was enough to take the light from her eyes, and enough to spread darkness over her soul.

I won’t be like them, Caira told herself, promising everyone she had encountered on her adventures so far, everyone who had made a difference to her, that she would not throw all she held dear away, and fall into fate’s evil clutches.

...

“That cat on your shoulder really is quite cute,” was the first comment the man had made. This was startling to Caira, who was certain only she (and perhaps omni) were the only two who were able to see Kenzu.

“You can see him?!” Caira nearly shouted as her exasperated voice cleaned the stagnant silence away from the air.

The astronomer’s shriveled eyes looked keenly at the girl and he leaned in, as though inspecting her like she was some kind of elaborate gemstone. “Aye, I see much more than I let on.”

“Well that’s no surprise, Marty,” Moony said as she began to introduce them to each other, her hands gestured, “This is C- Ayryn, and this, Ayryn, is Marty. I’ve known him for many years. He has been an astronomer since before I can remember, and was transported to the Omniverse at what seemed the very beginning. From there, I’ll let you tell the story, Mart.”

It was a good start, ample enough for the man who resembled a wizard, to jump right in, “Sure, sure, so I grew up stargazing, and I studied it in college. I lived a very normal life, got married and had the kiddos. Had a very nice family. Then uh.. Some events happened, and I was left to age alone. Yes,” he said, as though reading the assuming expression on her face, “They died.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Caira started to speak.

“I know you are lass, you too, have never known your own family. How very unfortunate. That cat on your shoulder is all you ‘ave for the time being, now isn’t it?” the man fixed his eyes on the cat once more, “They say, the spirits of our loved ones never leave us. Maybe yours lives on through that cat.”

“Then Kenzu... May be turned into a cat? Should I- Erm, turn him back?” Caira seemed startled and looked to Moony, who had an amused shimmer in her eyes once more.

“No, no dear, it’s um, its kind of a saying -a myth- if you will,” he clarified to the naive girl, “As I was saying, I finally got to the age of retirement, but I never stopped looking at the stars, you see, they carried me through my trials, time after time. I never got tired of looking up, I guess...”

The old man’s eyes wistfully filled with starry nostalgia. It was as though he had been cast away, by the fondness of his memories and thoughts that had been kind to him.

The old witch called the old man back to the present, “Marty.”

It was as though he had been snatched from his fantasy, and as he blinked out of it, he realized he was in his observatory, which, like so many of the other buildings and towers had been expanded on the inside to make the space more accommodating. This however, was no surprise to Caira at this point, for there were many wizards like Moony in Dalaran that were willing to help a friend, or cast a spell for a price.

“Now, where was I?” he asked, his eyes as round and curious as moons. His wrinkly brow was curious, and the befuddled expression was written all across his face.

“You were finally getting to the good part, Marty.” Moony reminded him.

“Ah yes, so when I was about... Hm... Eighty Five, I was summoned to the Omnverse. As you can imagine, I was hardly the kind of astounding secondary that would be useful to a prime like you, miss Ayryn, so my use was limited, see, I was retired at that time, and was unable to walk.” Marty rolled around, finally revealing that he had not been sitting in a chair with legs, but one with wheels.

She seemed a bit surprised, but the wheels seemed to give the elder some mobility, and now it made sense to Caira, why the floors were so flat and less bumpy and stoney than the rest of the cobblestone streets and buildings. The prime nodded, and prompted him to go on.

“Every once and a while, I’ll have Moony share with me a concoction that allows me to stand for a day or so, however the results are the same, and after no longer than seventy two hours, I’m back in this ruddy chair. But now at my age, I find myself not worrying, because I do not need legs to simply look up.” he smiled, triumphantly, “Anyway, I took on a small research job here, in Dalaran, because you’re higher off the ground and in Camelot, you can see the stars very well. My favorite,” he added, “And though I was retired, sometimes I’ll teach seminars and lectures down at the ol’ university. It’s quite nice, and I have enjoyed my stay here.”

“You better, I gave m’ arm and a leg just to help you when you were summoned!” Moony exclaimed, it was the mundane complaint of an old woman, who nagged her husband to mow the lawn.

He continued, but now had been reminded to smile to Moony, “However, it was at the very beginning, I happened to be in Camelot, and there was a curious thing that occurred. You see, my colleagues, they had seen it too. We were in the observatory, when we saw the light as bright as day streak across the sky. You see, the stars were falling. Now, we were able to tell the trajectory of these fallen stars, and it took much time, but we were at last, able to find it.”

Silence hung in the air, suspenseful and tangy. Caira felt her ears incline as a hushed whisper escaped her lips, “What happened next?”

Marty was once again, pulled from his memory, but this time, he did not welcome the disruption with a smile, “Well what do ya think happened girly? We captured the miraculous stone and it is currently being held in a confidential place where no greedy Primes are going to get there hands on it!!!!!”

What once seemed like a well-tempered old man, with ginger movements, was suddenly thrashing his arms in the air, ignited by fury, “Ruddy well too! You know what you’d do with such a priceless artifact? It belongs in a museum! We’ve studied it all we could, but you know, we can’t put it in a museum, because you bloody primes would go an’ have at it!”

“Now Marty,” Moony began, “I was the one to tell Ayryn about this, in fact, I brought her hear, so she could help you find the others.”

“What kind of name is Ayryn anyway? Sounds made-up to me,” the old man grumbled and folded his arms while Moony placed a hand on his back and stroked his cheek so he’d smile once more.

“I did make it up. My parents were bad people and practically disowned me, so I thought that I’d create a new identity, one that let me escape the past and create my own future.” Caira’s expression had withered at his lashing words, but she stood firm in her explanation.

“You see Marty? She only wants to help..” Moony coaxed.

“HELP? Well, that’s sure what the last guy said who tried to nab it from m’ very desk! I tell you these primes can’t be trusted, all they want is power, they don’t care...”

“Actually Marty, while I’m not going to try to persuade you to trust someone you just met, I would like to help make your dream come true. You found the first one, right? Now you want to find the rest, and test them, see if they have the same qualities, don’t you?” Caira smarted up and hoped that she could bait him in, “I’m a knight of Camelot, I’ve captured a Prime who was harassing Dalaran and sent him away to prison-” Caira, of course, omitted the part about she being the one to break him out after that, “So you see, Marty, I have my own moral standing, and while your story intrigues me, I don’t think a Prime would offer his or her services if there was not something more than Omnillium in it for them. So tell me, what kind properties did this meteor have that makes you so protective of it.”

The old man gasped at her wit, because she had seemed, just a moment before, to portray the opposite. A woman of intelligence, he wondered if she could be trusted, or if she would ever choose to abuse this power. Moony herself seemed stunned, even for a fortune teller.

It was her turn to speak though, and she began, “Now, while they were in their telescopes, calculating where they thought it would land, I, was trying to find Primes worthy enough to find the pieces. There are many, and they have landed throughout the entire Omniverse. You see, Ayryn, if these fall into the wrong hands, things could get out of control very quickly.”

“I understand,” the prime nodded.

“When I met Marty, we teamed up and exchanged results,” Moony continued and tapped the stubborn old man’s shoulder, “That’s when they started to call me ‘Moony’ see, because I could see the future, and my crystal ball when it glows white, resembles a full moon. Anyway, I told him if I found anyone the least bit worthy, I’d take them here. And here you are. See Marty? Oh and I forgot to mention, she’s even met Omni.”

He gaped, “What?! How!? What was he-”

Caira looked up suddenly, “Th-that’s right! And I won’t tell you a single thing about him until you tell me what you found out about the star!”

They had found it. Each of them now wanted something from the other. It was mutual that there would be an exchange, however there was now a greater amount of suspicion in the man’s eyes, which were now narrowed slits. The sun spots on his face crinkled with the lines of his age, and he whispered something in Moony’s ear, which had apparently been about getting closer to her, for he was wheeled right up to the prime’s booted toes.

“You... Are the first that has come this far to meet me, and while I can’t speak for my colleagues, I find you to be quite interesting... for a Prime that is. However I don’t just go handing out information to the first person who asks. But you see, it would be cruel to tell you this much of the star piece and then forbid you from seeing it. Without me, however, you will never even find one of the many set astray. See, I’m a reasonable man so I will request that you prove yourself to me.”

“But how?” she asked, flummoxed and the tone of her voice was high and tasted of curiosity on her tongue.

“You will preform a task for me. And if you come back alive, I’ll tell you what I know.”

“Alive?” Caira’s voice sounded a bit frightened, and the fear touched the edges of her face.

“Now, you’re a prime, you’ll be fine, dear.” Moony assured, and prompted the man to agree with a kick.

“Oh uh, sure,” he said in a not-so-assuring voice, and rubbed his stinging shin with a wince.

“So...” Caira found her eyes looking toward the fortune teller, and then back to the astronomer, “What kind of challenge will I be facing?”

“Not a task my dear...” Marty spoke, “No, you will be given a test.”

...

“You must retrieve an object of particular importance for me. It will not be easy, mind you, I’d have done it myself, or requested Moony to do it for me, but I deemed it too difficult for even her and did not wish to send my dearest friend to her death.” Marty explained.

“You know I would have seen if I died, right?” Moony interjected.

“Yes, but the object I’m having this here Prime get, is bewitched with charms, some spells that were cast without names. This is dangerous, because a fortune teller like yourself may be particularly vulnerable, an unnamed charm may not be predicted, and other spells cast on it, will prevent you from seeing how your fate will intercept with the object’s. You could very well have died, Moony. That’s why I leave it up to this girl to retrieve it. It won’t bother you to die if it’s a worthy cause, right Ayryn?”

Caira felt her eyes narrow with determination, perhaps it was this question that was a test. “If I die, I will die by my choice, it was my choice to come here, and stay and listen. And it is mine to choose whether or not to take this task in order to gain your trust. I choose death, and in that, I choose to accept your challenge. It is not that I think death is meaningless to any prime, because to die is a fate to be weary of, a fate that is immortalized by all living creatures, however,” her violet eyes flashed to him, with light of determination resembling that of a bright star, “I will take this challenge because I am certain to live.”

Marty seemed to like her pizzaz, because a smile grew on his thin, aged lips the second he saw the flash of fury in her eyes. “You got spunk, kid. Here it is.”

A dusty scroll fell into Caira’s hands, it was written on very dry paper, for the crispness of the paper threatened to crack in her hands if she was not careful. The scroll was, however, delivered with a warning, “Open this, only at night, and you will be able to find your way to what I seek.”

Caira looked at the scroll in her hand, and Marty requested Moony to roll him away from the girl, from across the room, the murmurs from their conversation could be heard reverberating throughout the room.

“Just what proof will doing this daring task even make her ‘worthy’ as you say, to be trusted?” Moony remarked to the astronomer, who looked up intently at the aged woman.

“You see, Moony, it already tells me that she has chosen to trust me with her life. That she believes this information is worth just that. And... Some secrets, as you know, are worth more than even that.”

“So by her trusting you with her life, that makes her more trustworthy... to you?” Moony was practically giggling at his logic, not because it was flawed, but simply because it was so easy of a test. “In that case, hasn’t she already passed?”

“Hush Moony, the book she is to retrieve is both rare and valuable, I must have it in my possession, not even the great library of Dalaran has such knowledge within it’s walls.” the old man protested, and again, they began bickering like a married couple.

“Can’t she just summon it, since she’s a prime?” Moony reasoned both playfully and wittily.

“Not if she doesn’t know the extent of the information! She’ll probably just muddle it up!” Marty scowled, “Now then, be on your way, I don’t need you getting in the way of my business.”

“You mean your very busy night here in this old observatory?” Moony sniggered.

“Precisely!” the stubborn astronomer said, as she wound him around to his perch, just under the nose of the giant telescope that lead out to the ceiling.

Moony made her way back to Caira, and a giant smile was on her face, “Now dear, do you want to see some real magic?” This was of course, a play on words and the magic that true beauty brought, as when Marty pressed a button, the ceiling was bathed in darkness, and beautiful pigments of color littered the sky, so bright, that Caira knew they had to be stars.

“Is this... Real?” Caira could not pull her eyes from the star map that was charted in their imitation sky.

“No, but it’s pretty darn close. It’s nearly nightfall but he’s got his own studying to do. What you’re looking at isn’t even the stars of our own sky here in Camelot, but those are the same patterns of his home world, Earth.”

“SHUSH! And get out! I’m trying to think here, woman!” the man gestured as though the two ladies were invading his private space.

After that, the fortune teller departed from her old friend, and Caira followed her, in search of the age-old wisdom of the future that the prime hoped the witch would bestow upon her. Dusk’s pale light filled the sky, and Caira knew it would be time to start her mission. Before she left the fortune teller’s side, mutual smiles were exchanged.

“Thanks for giving me a chance,” Caira’s joy was spread in the space between them.

The old woman responded with a pleasant nod, “The pleasure was all mine, dear, it isn’t every day me or Marty meets a lovely Prime such as yourself. You’re truly remarkable, and if you end up passing his little test, I think that he’ll be intrigued to learn more about you and your encounter with Omni himself.” her eyes cast upward, “Hmm, judging by the sky’s pale hue, I’d say it’s almost time.”

...

A cold wind brushed against Caira’s skin, sending a shiver through her bones and down her spine. The girl’s teeth chattered as she walked to a far off edge of the city of Dalaran, and neared too close to the island’s edge. With a lot of precision and careful focus, Caira steadied her hands enough to unravel the scroll without it disintegrating into dust. And dust there was, as she revealed the singular page of knowledge, the ink was covered in the filth. It stung her eyes and caused her to recoil with an itchy sneeze off to the side.

On the scroll was a list of instructions, written in cursive ink. The lines had a distinct swirly curve to them, and leading halfway down the page, was an illustration of the object she would be searching for. It was a book. It didn’t appear to be very thick, and the title was even written in a different language than the Prime could recognize, however, even in the picture, Caira could tell that the book carried a sort of dark magic around with it, that it was cursed.

The girl sighed and looked up at the stars, she hoped her curiosity wouldn’t get her into another blunder. Her arms had wrapped around her knees as she leaned against a cold wall. She was alone with her thoughts for a moment, but was she ever truly alone? On her right shoulder she looked at Kenzu’s form, which sometimes didn’t appear at all. He never said anything, however sometimes he reassuringly purred or meowed to warn her of some hidden danger. Still, Caira, had this moment of quiet and interpreted it as a moment of peace.

When she was ready, she rose to her feet and began her trek. She retrieved her pegasus from the stalls made for them, lifted her leg over its flank, and mounted the great creature with ease. She commanded the flying horse down, and down to the mainland they went. As they grew closer, Caira steadied the creature with her hand, and though the vehement winds nearly tore her off of her perch, she remained oddly serene, and kept her eyes closed only until it was required of her to open them to navigate. She had a good idea of where she was going, since the directions on the map had been helpful, however, she would have preferred, she thought, a map to the meteors she suspected had been scattered across the realms.

Instead she was chasing a long, lost, and forgotten book, however if it had been important to Marty, then it was, in turn, important to her. They landed when they got near the outline of the forest, and Caira pondered as she dismounted, what she should do with her pegasus, after all, if she tied it up, some predator of the night could come out and try to eat it. Not because it couldn’t defend itself, but because it would be immobilized and bound to the tree. If she let it go, it would never return to her, and it could get lost in the forest, or in the skies. Caira finally decided it would be fine to lead the creature by its reins and they could travel through the forest together, on foot. At least until they found what they were looking for.

Caira’s only concern now, was what the book contained, and well, what curse it held between its two closed covers. It didn’t occur to her that she should be worried about how to get it. About how hard it would be for her to try.

Together the pair, or perhaps trio, counting the invisible Kenzu, weaved in and out of the trees of the forest. Caira followed the instructions, it said after a while, she would near a small stream, and she should follow it upstream until she reached a waterfall and a small cave. After what seemed like forever, Caira found the stream, which glittered brightly in the full moon’s light. She and the pegasus continued upstream and hoped to near the cave soon...

So far, so good. she thought to herself, Now I just have to get there...

At once, a luminous pool of water filled her view. It seemed nearly larger than the rest of her tree-filled horizon, and it was as large as a lake or ocean. Ripples of waves were tossed off of the immense waterfall that seemed to flow with many gallons per second. The rush of water filled her ears, only to be described by the same loudness as a cymbal, consistently roaring in its highest flux. The waterfall was at least thirty feet above the ground, and it stood there in a single pillar, had it not been for the magic in this realm, Caira would have wondered what had pushed the water up and over the narrow mountain, for it seemed this waterfall was its only purpose. It was so tall that on it’s crest, it blocked a large chunk of the moon rising in the sky.

Sheets of water bore down, tumbling with their own weight and creating white froth all around its base. The mist filled her eyes now, since it had drifted with a light gust of wind, and it had now moved off to where the moon’s light could hit it as the suns, and refracted a dazzling rainbow of need and orderly colors. Of all the beautiful things Caira had seen in her life, she was sure, this was her favorite. Something nudged her to take a picture of it, and she was somewhat sure this could be done on her phone, worst came to worst, maybe the old man would want evidence, or perhaps he too would like to have seen this piece of magic beauty.

A pale hand snagged on the phone in her bag and she quickly aligned the shot, snapped it with a methodic and computer-esque ‘click-click’ as though her phone was shuttering, then she tossed the device back in her bag and wondered how long she’d have till sunrise. Sure, she could attempt to find the book while the sun was out, and maybe that would’ve been better, too, since while the moon was full, it was still night, and the female could feel the eyes of predators on the back of her neck.

Once again she referenced her map, though kept it away from the main amounts of thick moisture in the air, and read in its oh-so-exquisite font that she would have to delve deep within the waterfall to find what she was seeking. “Tch, typical,” Caira muttered to herself, but she would not be swayed by the impossibleness of the task. A soft baying, that of a horse, reminded the girl that she still had her pegasus. Hm, this could be easier than I thought. Maybe I can ride it through the waterfall...

As Caira attempted to mount the magical creature, she soon found that she was now on her own. As she tried to will the beast along, even just the edges of the pool, the winged horse would not budge. The reins tugged even harder now, out of desperation. “Come on, will you at least fly over it?”

The horse-like creature tossed his head, and as he did, his shaggy mane was tousled about. Caira leaned in a little desperately, “Okay, I know where I’m going is a bit dangerous, but I can’t just leave you out here. You could get eaten!”

With a snobby ‘neigh’ the winged-horse scoffed, and then took a haughty moment to gesture to its rippling muscles, accentuated by the moonlight on its white fur, and the power of the pegasus’s neck, all leading up to its spear of destiny, its singular horn. Caira blinked, finally understanding, though her head was thick and she was stubborn, “Well alright but you musn’t get mad at me when a stray vampire comes after you,” the girl made a shivering impression of fear, “Those things are creepy. One almost ate me in the Pale Moors! Anyway though, you take care.”

Caira took the time to stroke the beast’s soft fur and offered the winged creature one last, earnest look before setting out. Her feet took her along the edge of the pool of water, which now seemed to be even more radiant, as the moon rose higher still. She neared the large, cool shadow, cast down from the pale light above. Her eyes set, determined, on her next challenge, but as she grew just a bit closer, she saw how slippery the rocks really would be. A worried breath escaped her lips, How ever am I going to climb this? Yet Caira, ever the adventurer, knew that the best way to face the impossible, was to try.

...

Thin, slippery fingers could only clutch rock for so long, before becoming loose again so that she would have to regrasp the same less-than-prominent edge that she had climbed on. Her boots of black shined in the misty moonlight as they dug into the footholds that might grant her ascension to victory.

At the bottom, the mist was the worst. A cloud of dense fog stuck close to her, and would not let her see a thing. What was worse, still, was that the moonlight beamed down on this, and made it impossible for her to see what her feeble fingers were grasping. Luckily, she had a very distinct skill, and did not need to see, to feel the edges of rock vibrating and pounding with a flood of water over it. The lines and edges of rock -though small- could not be more distinct. At least I had this advantage, she thought to herself, the rest, was execution.

About ten measly feet of the ground, the girl began to struggle. She found it harder to lift her fatigued muscles from her latest step, harder to pull her body against the dense gravity now pounding in her ears to the same beat as her throttling heart, and harder still, to keep hold of the very rock that was allowing her to climb, as even when the girl escaped the heavy mist at the base of the waterfall, the rocks shone with sleek dew all the way up the side of the waterfall, “At this point, it might’ve just been easier to climb up the side with the water.”

Her plan, since it was a little late to modify it, had been to make it to the top, and hang off the edge before summoning the gear to belay down, this would be the easiest, and questionably the safest way to find the entrance to the cave, since she didn’t know at what time it would be right to attempt to crawl over to the hidden chamber’s opening.

Another grasp at the cold rock, and Caira dug her fingernails in, scratching lightly away at the sedentary peel of the shimmering stone. Rubble and sand found its way uncomfortably in the grooves of her knuckles, and the girl’s jet-black hair now stuck to the back of her neck, the sides of her face, and her prickling bangs nearly covered her eyes. Everything was sleek with dew, water dribbled into her eyes so that it appeared she was crying, and the condensation of her effort grew on her lip until it was washed away by the thickness of the air.

Denser still, was the climb to come. Each hold her fingers grabbed seemed looser than the last, rocks began to wobble and tumble down past her if she dared tried to heave her body up on a less-than-firm ledge. Her breathes became quickened pants, and her lungs could not siphon and sort all the water she had breathed in from the air. Some of this moisture caught on the back of her throat, and suspended in the air, about twenty feet above the ground, Caira found herself in a harsh bout of coughing, and had her eyes not been already full of water, one would have been able to see freshly made tears rolling down her cheeks.

It was a dizzying cough, and Caira was already woozy from all the water she had inhaled, so much so, that one of her hands lost their grip, she was flung astray as the other fist clung to the wall of rock for dear life, and her knees buckled weakly in an attempt to set and keep her position on the wall.

The girl’s eyes however, had not been so lucky, as as she was trying to re-grasp a better crevice, her eyes accidentally caught a glimpse of the spiraling world around her, and how small it looked to Caira, who was up this high from the ground. A gulp throbbed in her fear-stricken throat, her eyes widened, suddenly in fear. A waterfall it occurred to her, water falls from this high up, it doesn’t trickle, it gushes and when someone who is afraid of heights finds that they are high above the ground and in a position of danger, of course they will seize and contemplate what it was that brought them up this high in the first place.

Suddenly all Caira could hear in her mind was the thrashing of the pegasus’s wings, rivaling if not drowning out the roar of the falls just feet away from her. Buzzing in her mind was the horror of something the girl thought worse than even death, and that, was falling. Violent turbulence of fear quaked at her very mind’s edge, and shook the girl’s will to the very core, she was dazed, confused and uncertain of how high up she actually was, as she irrationally attempted to calculate how fast it would take her to get to the ground. Thrilling in her mind once more were the infinite pangs of regret, and the stabbing feeling of immobility that began in her stomach and spread to the tips of her toes, which, where holding onto the cliff’s face by a single, unworthy inch. That inch, felt like nothing more than chicken wire, and now it had been strummed by the ground-shaking idea that she and she alone, could fall, and no one would know.

No one, would hear her scream. The roar of the water falling was just too loud.

[Caira Ayryn]

Caira had nearly forgotten her mission, and had it not been for the scroll’s soft crinkling in her bag, slung lightly off her shoulder, the girl would’ve surely given up and somehow tried to climb back down. However, the easiest way down, was up. Funny how that kind of thing worked. But the prime tried to see this reason, and convince herself that belaying was the best option. Her stomach and mind held in suspense as the fear clenching her stomach and throat began to ebb away with the soft squeeze of her eyes. I can feel the ground, I know its there, however far down, I’m stable, my hands won’t slip again, I can make it to the top. But Caira didn’t know this, and doubt clouded her mind. Her fingers were now trembling from the cold of the air and the fright that had surged through her. Her worst fear was falling, and if she waited any longer, the girl was sure she would slip, and be delivered less-than-ideal first death.

A face was brought to mind, though fear trickled still with the droplets of water that now found themselves speckling on her nose. With her greatest will, she tried to hold on to that face. To hold the pale image behind her eyelids as she focused on all that she could sense and touch. The pounding of the water, the stability of rock, not the wind that was vigorously trying to tear her away from her perch, but the nook she found herself clinging to on the narrow steepness of the waterfall’s adjacent wall. She did not think of her own foolishness, how it would’ve been so obvious to avoid had she given it simply an ounce of thought. So easy, it would have been to avoid her fear entirely. Instead, she pictured her own face, looking back as though through a mirror. And in this face, her own, she saw the chance of victory, glimmering in her bright, violet eyes.

It was funny, with her eyes closed, the fear began to lessen. Though she could not feel her numbed fingers grasping the rock, she knew and sensed that they were there, and while she felt isolated, pushed to a ledge or cliff face and told to jump, Caira couldn’t help that find that feeling stranded, and pushed to the edge of destruction, was something of an achievement. To go above one’s limits and expectations, even when there may be a downfall, greater than one could even imagine. Caira held her breath now, and swore the horrible terrors of fright off, and they receded on command, to the corners of her mind.  

Caira was free. The tightness of her chest finally left her, and she gladly took the chance of inhaling an emancipated breath. The air filled her with new life, and the girl felt the knots in her stomach lessen, albeit they did not dissipate completely. Imbued with new strength, Caira found her muscles craving to climb to the top once more, this time, there was a chance, a good chance, that the girl would make it safely to the top, but there was no chance that she would be looking down, until she was safely there.

Before the girl knew it, she had crawled to the top, and as she clutched the edge of the flat stone surface, she sighed a breath of relief, and painstakingly heaved herself up and over the edge. “Ugh, finally...” She muttered to herself, and found she did not even notice the flood of cold water pouring over her. She had more or less found herself in the stream of water, just before it tumbled over the thirty-foot drop, however now it was as though she was the rock, for the force of the water could not move her.

...

Orbs of light hovered over her overturned palm, and suddenly the object she was thinking of took shape. A tool that would be pounded into the waterfall, and a very sturdy, magic-weaved rope, that would assure her a better venture down, than she had found up. Easily she put these tools to work, and her hands, though cold and shivering, were easily commanded by her all too calm instruction. Soon enough the rope was tightened and sturdy around her waist, and the girl was belaying down, she had seen it done in books, though some ways were better than others, it was easy enough to know that it would be harder on a slippery surface, and harder still, inside the turbulence of the waterfall. Caira hoped, that the cave was near the top, because she guessed after ten feet, the weight of gravity on the water would double if not triple, making it not only harder to hold the rope, but harder in all aspects of the descent.

Why hadn’t she sensed out for the mouth of the cave when she was climbing? Caira sighed at her obliviousness and decided that the fear and deadliness of it all was enough to distract her from the points that would have made the most sense analytically, on her mission.

Without further delay, Caira began to belay. Her hands gripped the rope, and silently she begged to them to hold on for her life, because if they didn’t, that’s what it would cost her. She took a breath, and hoped that they’d have the power and muscle to let her survive the last part of her trip. Her muscles tensed, and she grasped the rope, feeling the slight tug of it around her waist as she lightly took a jump down.

A splash of icy water trickled around her ankles, and surged up to her shins. As Caira remained idle, the stream of water continued to roll around the legs that parted it. Caira soon found it reassuring that she did not have to look down, but up, to belay. The rocks were slippery under her toes, and she was ready to inch her way down yet again, the squeak of her shoes told her the rubber soles protested against the sudden movement, yet still, Caira softly jumped down what seemed to be another foot. The water was heavier now, on her ankles, and tumbled past her with great force. It had also grown in volume, instead of reaching her shins, she now waded waist deep in the gorge of bone-chilling water. Her teeth chattered, and her fingers that had warmed up slightly while summoning the rope and tethers, had now fumbled to keep a secure hold on the rope.

Another small jump down, a foot of rope was released from the thing fastened securely around her hips, and Caira was glad she had summoned a rope enchanted to be water-resistant, because at this point, she was sure the bindings would have started slipping. Yet again, the girl’s feet pushed off the wall of rock, and this time, she got a mouthful of rushing water, and its weight pounded against all the seams of her body. Suddenly she felt a lurch in the security of her waist, fear struck her, pounded in her chest with more power than the surging water around her. Fear that she did not pound the thing holding the rope at the top of the waterfall in enough to hold the weight of her and the water, the fear that she had made another foolish mistake, the fear that she would fall once again.

...

The tightness around her eyes had been squeeze so hard, that the creases at the corner of her eyes began to ache. It kept out the water, that was good, and she could sense without her sight, but now she found that her only option was to trust the rope, which didn’t seem all that sturdy after that last thing, yet staying here, frozen like she was, seemed like the worst option of all. The tumbling of water all around her, her own hesitation, it made everything seem so loose. Will I soon fall? I will, Caira thought, If I don’t move.

One more push off the ground, and Caira’s foot missed their mark. She swung as though on a swing and braced herself as her skull knocked into a wall of rock, while her feet no longer made contact with anything. Seeing stars, Caira’s vision grew blurred, and she found that no longer was she being battered and bombarded with water. Her lungs that had held her paralyzed breath began to ease with relief and with this exhale, an intense ache began to form on her forehead.

Though, through it all, she knew she had found it, the gaping mouth of the cave.

With her ears still ringing, Caira rubbed the pain from her forehead and descended closer to the floor, thankful that suddenly the roar of the waterfall seemed less thunderous, and that she had fallen under its veil, save for the small trickle that dribbled down from the line of her rope. Loosening the clip around her hips, she slowly was let down until her weary feet met the ground. She stepped out of the belt like she was getting undressed and left it there, hanging at the mouth of the cave, as the Prime dared to venture into the darkness, in order to find the truth.

...

Black, fabric-covered legs took her far, and as the elite technology was adjusting to the newfound air, it began to dry her clothes in no time at all. She warmed up, thanking the Coruscantian tech, and wiggled her toes to bring back the feeling in them. Caira could sense out the shape of the cave in the darkness, but she decided it was safer to summon her own source of light. After a moment, there was a bright, beaming light shining down from her palm, one that illuminated the rigid cave walls, which seemed to gleam and shimmer with the fresh light.

It didn’t seem as though the darkest corners of this ... place, had seen sun in ages, for it was murky, and smelt dank and of mold. The scent of moisture was potent as it reached her nose, which crinkled at the sudden rank smell, so much that she could not wipe the taste from her tongue. She gagged, yet continued onward, the dark walls of the cave illuminated as she walked by, and Caira thought that the whole place looked alien, and gave her an eerie tingling feeling creep up to her nervous hands.

After a small amount of walking, she assumed that the walls had been charmed, yet again, reminding the girl who had spent too long in the dunes, that she was in Camelot once more. From the outside, the stone carrying the waterfall had appeared to be a pillar, high and steep on all sides, but on the inside, there was an endless expanse of space, one that made her legs tired of walking.

On the scroll, Caira brought her light source closer to the paper’s ink, it seemed it hadn’t gotten wet, since her book bag was charmed, she breathed a sigh of relief, had it been destroyed, she would’ve had to find her own way. The girl suddenly realized that she had not even faced the worst of her problems, as she looked at the text drawing of the book, she remembered that it was in fact, cursed.

“How am I supposed to even touch it?” she found herself asking to the empty echoes of her own voice. She tread on, pausing every so often as she heard a suspicious creak or click, rebound off the walls. After assuring herself that there was no danger, she nodded to herself and carried on. If she stopped the entire way, who knew how long it would actually take to get to where the book was actually located?

Click clack, click click, click clack.. the sound of her footsteps meshed with the dribbling of water, trickling from who knows where. She could no longer hear the rushing of the giant wave overhead, so Caira assumed she was very far into the cave. It was getting monotonous, her trek across the stone rock that seemed as though the hole she was standing in had either been cut out by some kind of immense explosion, or had been touched by magic. Suddenly, Caira’s mind went to the pegasus she had left just sitting there, and the guilt of leaving the creature prey to the beasts of the night left her shoulders hanging lower than the fatigue that was effecting her.

A misplaced step on a very uneven surface and the knight was now falling -no- slipping -no- sliding down a strange tunnel. Her heart lurched to her throat, and her fingernails rushed to the walls desperately, hoping to find a ledge or askew edge that would allow her to slow down. The speed was immense and soon it carried her to a slow halt, as if by magic, and again, as though by magic, she was where she needed to be.

The book with a leather bound cover and a single strap clutching its white teeth together. The pages were frayed around the somewhat protected corners, and around it’s levitating form, Caira noticed a distinctive indigo aura surrounding it.

Slowly, she approached.

A single step, however, was all it took for the unknowing girl to trigger a booby trap. Arrows sprung out from the walls, and a voice thundered from all around, booming from the roof, walls, and floor, with only one word of forlorn warning, “BEWARE!”

...

“Tch.”

The girl grimaced and strained her eyes to get a glimpse past the shadows that covered the distance between her and the oh-so-coveted book. She thought the booby traps were a little cliche, and now realized why Marty had not send his best friend to retrieve the book for him. This really had been a dangerous mission, even if she had been able to foresee all the circumstances surrounding acquiring the book, she would still have to have the means to execute everything she had already done. In fact, Caira thought knowing she would’ve had to climb that cliff was enough to make her not want to do it, since she didn’t think she could anticipate her own fear very well, she was glad to have overcame the obstacle in the moment.

Yet now, she had to focus on this moment. How she would overcome this obstacle.

Letting her eyes sweep the room once more, Caira saw one rock on the floor that looked out of place, “An obvious trap,” the girl noted, and decided maybe it would be best if she slid something like a rock across the floor to trigger anymore. Then, she staged it out in her mind exactly how she would grab the book -that is, without- being assumably cursed upon touch. The solution to this was simple. Gloves.

-

In her freshly gloved hand, she held a bouncy ball, it was heavy, like a bowling ball, to simulate the weight of a normal human being... Or at least, her own weight, whether mages counted as humans or not was the least of her concerns in this thickening plot of danger.

The ball rolled along the craggy ground and bordered the edges of the mini mountains in the ground. As it sauntered along, as though perusing the isles of a grocery store with no particular item in mind, the ball’s weight triggered the next booby traps, resembling that of a domino effect.

Spikes erupted from the ground, serrated and shining as they threatened to chomp down on bone. The trap was sprung together from the ceiling and the floor, with tremendous force, like two great jaws, coming together on the maw of a beast. Following this crescendo, was the shhhhinck! of a blade coming forth from the wall and swinging out in the motions of a pendulum. Lastly, the floor fell away on the ground just before the book, and with it, her ball, which left a large, gaping hole in some seemingly less-than-sturdy rock floor.

Caira used all that she knew, and remained aware as she formed a defense and braced for the worst. She stepped over the giant spikes, around and lower than the pendulum-blade’s reaches and finally stopped at the edge of where she knew the ground would no longer be safe to walk. About ten feet away from this cliff, was the book, hovering over the ground as if it was sitting on an alter, waiting to be grabbed, read, and technically, stolen. The thought hadn’t occurred to the girl until now, but after all those traps, she certainly felt like a thief, taking what she felt the warning voice had told her to “beware” of.

Still, Caira could jump pretty high if she put her mind to it, and her body crept low, poised for the lunge not up, but forward. If the rest of the ground was destined to fall, Caira could aways try to throw a punch into a wall on her way down, she wondered if it would be worth the trouble to summon a parachute and the more cautious side of her doubtful mind promoted this notion.

With her legs ready to jump forward, the prime’s feet were quickly launched off the ground, her hands aimed and adjusted in the air, due to the trajectory that was carrying her. The gloves extended outward from her torso as she grabbed the still object while she was still straddling forward mid-air. The rush any amount of height gave her a perpetuated sense of time, rocks flew as if in slow motion, and with their raining clatter, so was her body still stranded among their barrage.

Rock against rock. The dissonance of the fall rang into the air, though the girl herself could not hear it. Her gloved hands grappled around the book, and once clasped, tightened in a way that would assure the book’s fate, one that was tied to her own. It was only then that Caira could really get a good idea of what was going on. Rocks fell from the ceiling, triggered by her weight, motion, or simple presence in the space around the book. It was a good booby trap, for Caira had no idea how to go about avoiding the heavy tumble of her certain doom.

Rage-filled thunder quaked in the air around her, and Caira did her best to dodge the boulders in her abrupt vicinity. Sharp, piercing prods pounded into her skin and felt as though they dug deep into her bones, and tore at the thick layers of her skin. Caira grated her teeth and shut her eyes, so as to not lose one amongst this utter chaos. Chills. Twisting in the air, Caira felt a familiar flutter in her stomach as her hands grappled with the sides of the wall that continued to lead in the only direction she didn’t want to go: Down.

The rock walls were slippery, and Caira had accumulated some speed on her way down, momentum that would not let her stop and grab so easily to the wall, not that she had a chance to, with her oven-mitt sized gloves. She grappled with the wall and felt herself spin upside down, the air was a good medium to maneuver through, however the girl had nearly lost control of her body, and her sense of serenity. The tremendous helplessness of the familiar fear was slowly creeping back into the light of her mind.

Caira felt a sudden splash of blood freckle across her face as she twisted to get the rest of her body out of the way of the boulder that was swiftly on its way down, ready to devour the rest of her body like it had broken the bones in her left leg. Only now did she hear the crack as well as the gentle squish of ruptured vessels and freshly splintered bone.

Inches. Seconds. They were everything. There was nothing in between. Nothing but those two things that would allow her to avoid being crushed to death, while still suspended in air and time. Adrenaline had numbed the pain, for the time being, yet Caira had a feeling that it would all come cascading back, as soon as the intense ringing in her ears was whisked away. Her body had turned and swiveled, as the colossal stone rushed by her. It scathed her skin enough to draw fresh lines across her black attire. Beads of blood flew upward, speckling her more as they flew upward, compared to the direction gravity inevitably took her.

Now, however the large rocks had passed her, and she was hanging amidst bowling ball sized stones. Now was as good a time as ever, to deploy her parachute. She wasn’t even sure it would work, and surely, it would be torn through, but Caira had little choice, and she knew it. Soon she would plummet to her death, and her leg was still badly injured, so whatever plan she had invented that regarded grappling the wall seemed more or less impossible now.

Angling her body would be easy, since she didn’t have to be exactly vertical, yet simply a lazy horizontal. This would take little effort and put less pressure on her blood-spurting leg. She did this with ease, and her body soon fell flat as a bed. Her heartbeat climbed in her ears as she gulped down sand and rock alike, and was forced to face the thing she feared so much. The darkness of doom that was... Falling.

One.

Her spattered fingers enclosed in thick fabric wrapped around the hold of the parachute. There was a steady beating of drums in her ears, it was so loud, she could not tell their origin.

Two.

She felt it in her hands, round, hard through the glove and her fingers tightened. Not loosen their grip.  

Three.

Caira fired it off, and it burst out of her back like the sparks of a firework, tremendous wind was released into the air, and a shockwave flung some of the lighter rocks away from the chute’s gracefully curved canopy. Air caught the underbelly of the parachute with ease, and while punctures were still made through the fabric, and rocks fell too near to her head, Caira felt a great sense of security to know that her rate that she would have reached the ground was suddenly cut very short.

Slow. Things were going slow now. Slow compared to the fast-paced falling of rock and certain death. Caira heard the pace of the drum calm in her ears, which were instead filled with the scraping of the edges of the round, red and white striped jelly-fish shaped cut of cloth as it collided with the side of the wall. The fabric dragged in the air behind her, and along the stone-edged cliff face. A string was torn. Two. Three.

Caira dangled nervously as she watched the strings binding her little harness to the giant hand cupping the air, now with far too many holes in the design to do anything but tangle her where she hung.

In her other hand, she too held death. The book, she had nearly lost it several times, yet it still remained there as the air streamed through the fresh holes above her, distinguished and large, like that of a cheese-grater. The slow arch of her fall was now perpetuating like that of a slowly accelerating car. Her direction was out of control, and if the girl did not do something, she would soon crash face-first into the ground. Originally, the parachute had quelled her worries, but now they were the source.

RRRRRIIIIIIPPPPPP!

Caira’s worst nightmares burst to life as violet eyes watched the parting of ways of both halves of the center of fabric, torn so certainly across the middle, like a broken heart.

...

Streams of air swirled around her, her arms flailed, yet still Caira managed to hold onto the book with an extension of a single set of her firm fingers. The other hand however, had lost its glove, she felt the cool flow of air around her hand, until a rock crashed into it, and was tossed gently on its way back toward the ground. The helpless, hopeless girl could sense the ground growing near. A light could be seen now at the bottom of her dismally dark doom, ironically, it was white.

Strangely enough, she hadn’t yet screamed. She saw the inevitable unroll before her as harsh as its stoney reality could be. Yet she faced this death, with the way she had always been. Hopeful, sure, she was afraid of falling, yet, new life had a way of renewing lost dreams. Sure she would have failed, but she would have the opportunity to come back, she assumed, with new life. Caira could get the book, dig it out from underneath the certain rubble, and deliver it to the old man.

It was all possible. It was all probable. Sure, opportunity looked bleak when death was the only outcome of falling to one’s death.

The girl readied a charge in her fist, because maybe she could brace her fall by creating a shockwave in the earth, but she doubted it would be powerful enough to do what she the speed of her body told her was nearly impossible. Still, the light grew in and around her free hand, and Caira grew nearer and nearer to her own oblivion.

...

Instead of closing her eyes, Caira challenged herself to keep them open. For too long she had been blinded by fear, and she would not die that way, even if it was said to not be a permanent fate. The girl watched as it came. The ground slowly grew. Her eyes quickly widened. She was not ready to die, no matter how much she had convinced herself she had been, yet, there was nothing to do. The rocks around her were small and would only wiggle in the air when she touched them. Panic leaped from her heart, she had imagined a noble death, and this was not one the knight was willing to accept.

I will not lay down and let death take me. Her thoughts fought, her mind pleaded, but still, there was no savior of a thought that would allow her to live, or deliver her from her most current crisis. She shook her head disdainfully. How could this have happened? No. She wouldn’t fall into that void of self-pity ever again. That bastard had taken enough from her.

“Screw this.” Caira felt her fist round and extend downward, into where the ground would surely be within another fraction of a second. There was a burst of color and sound. Vibration radiated everywhere, magic collided with rock, which collided with more rock. Crevices tore into the ground in a spiderweb of cracks. Breakage of stone which she had created. The impact had created a significant shockwave, which she had bounced her entire body back from its inevitable landing on the ground, and drove her straight back up into the air. Lighter, this time, Caira had just ten feet to fall and her flank welcomed the ground, and the pain along with it, like it was an old friend.

Nothing, save her left leg was broken. The cursed book had been flung aside, Caira had valued her life more than the security of the book, but while that was partly true, she took the calculated chance that the book would survive a small drop more than her own bones would, and had released it with intent to grab it when she had landed.

The ground was sweet, gravity’s stability was even sweeter. She lay there, rocks the size of coins tumbled and poured from the cave’s ceiling far, far above her. Her appendages had sprawled out, and Caira’s lungs had taken only a single breath before a sharp throbbing brought her to life once more. Foot. Bone. Blood. The information streamed back into her mind, and then she remembered the all too terror-filling sqqqquiiiisssh of her own leg as a rock had crushed it.

“Ouch... Tskk.. God...” the girl muttered under her breath and bit hard into her lip in order to stop the agony-fueled tears from forming. Too late. They began to stream down her cheeks as though they knew how sharp the menace of reality actually was. There was no mirage to relieve the pain. If only there was some way to lessen it, then she would not be so consumed by the rage of emotions waging inside her, from regret, to spite, to the very extend of utter vexation.

More bloody than her wound, perhaps, was that of her ego. It had been smeared and tainted by her own too-faithful confidence in herself. Caira breathed out a gust of air and sucked one abruptly back in. She continued to do this for some time, and after so much of it, Caira had realized she was glad to be alive, glad to have endured and overcome, and glad that she had done the impossible. The girl placed a hand a few inches from her injury and focused some magic, which welled up powerfully in her hands.

In no time, the wound was healed, and Caira was able to hobble to the mouth of the cave, where light streamed in. She whistled for the pegasus to return to her side as her eyes swept around the scattered debris for the remains of the aura-illuminated book. Once it was in her hands, and her leg adequately braced, Caira was mounted on her steed and set off to deliver the deadly prize of her journey that had so far, nearly cost her her life.

...

“So, when will she be back?” Marty calmly inquired to his companion Moony, who was on the other side of her small table, clothed in distinguished scarlet.

“I don’t know,” her voice wavered as her glass-like eyes shimmered upon the glowing white orb that was her crystal ball, “I don’t even know if she’ll be back. It’s like you said Marty, that book’s curse is more powerful than you can imagine. What point was it, to get the girl to do that if she died trying? Why not just leave the bloody book there where it’s most safe?”

“Safe? If you call that deathtrap safe, you’re wrong. Once and a while, a person or prime with the right skill set will catch wind of the book’s location and notoriety, he or she will come along, and have an unearthly power to phase through walls or teleport. This is why I sent the girl... Ayryn you say her name was? She will be able to get it, and if not, she has the same determination in her eyes when I was sent here, I felt I was destined for glory, for triumph, for-” Marty caught the look in Moony’s eyes, it was a scowl aimed at him, sourced from a deeper concern about Caira’s health and safety.

Marty stumbled on his words, cut off by the power in his fortune-telling friend’s eyes, “Well, I knew she had the right kind of heart that would allow her to overcome the utterly impossible challenge I gave her.”

Moony’s expression was a glare now, and a plainly written, “She could be dead.”

“Even so,” he continued mildly, as if Moony hadn’t given him the cue of where to lead the conversation, “If the girl doesn’t get it on her first try, we won’t see her again unless she has the book, or gives up, in which case we will never see her face again.”

“Marty, you’re talking about a girl’s life!” proclaimed Moony, obviously the more morally just of the two.

“She’s a Prime! This kind of stuff is what they do!” he protested back, obviously a bit more what Moony would call ‘morally challenged.’

“Prime or not, there’s a thousand different curses on that bloody bewitched book, what if she accidentally touches it?! Those consequences would last her for eternity simply because she’s a prime!” Moony’s reason overcame the astronomer’s stubbornness, who had now adopted a gaunt look of shock, one that allowed his pale skull’s outline to practically be seen through the aged skin of his face.

Marty inherited the eyes of a puppy, wounded and dipped his chin as he stammered, “Well I-”

“Well, you better give that girl what she deserves if she comes back.” If. This word sounded so absurd on a fortune teller’s lips, for usually, it was scarce on her tongue and more sparse on her mind.

“Now, Moony, you know such secrets are not simply mine to give, they belong to all of us.” Marty tried to reason with the woman he had known for years, yet he doubted it would make any difference, for now it was Moony who had that determined gleam in her eye.

Marty stirred some more cream into his bottomless cup of coffee, while Moony’s teapot served her a steady stream, floating in the air, and never spilling or spattering a drop. They both wondered where the girl was, what trials she was facing, and how soon she would return home. It had been several days, and no word of hawk or owl had come with news. Neither Marty, nor Moony had said it, but it was both on their minds. What if she had died?

Or worse.

What if, the book like no other, with life-defying curses like no other, had banished her to the Underverse upon a single touch. So many what ifs for Moony to juggle in her mind, she certainly preferred the ability to see the outcome of events as they formed in her gifted third eye. “So Marty, what will you do with the book when you get your... Hands on it.”

The woman’s word choice was colorful, and each of them seemed subtly amused, Marty had a special twinkle in his eye, “Well, assuming the curses can be removed, and even if they can’t, I’ll take the adequate precautions and read it.”

“That simple, huh?” Moony’s pupils looked like moons, and her neck spun around from their conversation to the entrance at the door.

“What are you...” Marty trailed off. He too, felt it. A dark ominous energy approaching. It pulsed in their mortal ears with a swell of power that consumed the whole Dalaran block. The convulsing of energy pounded in their ears and drowned out not only the soft clunk of boots ascending wooden steps, but also the soft tapping at the door.

“S-sounds like... Someone’s at the door...” Moony heard her own voice absently, “I better go... Go an’ get it...” The woman stood up, blinked, yet the fog was now heavy and her eyes were as clouded as smoky crystal.

The door unlatched in front of Caira, who could not be distinguished as the same woman. Her skin had not seen sunlight for days, so it shimmered with a pale gray light, and emitted a cold chill to anyone who were to look at her. The girl’s black, skin-fitting attire was torn in almost every place, save the indecent areas, and the glossy fabric no longer appeared black, but instead, was covered in a silvery substance that had dried. The same silver of her blood. Not that anyone looking at her would know that the metallic liquid had come from her gory wounds, some of which had healed relatively well, others however, stayed gray in scabby mounds and deeply cut gashes.

A non-responsive blink. Caira found her eyes studying Miss Moony’s face. What was wrong? It was almost like the two Dalaran inhabitants didn’t recognize the girl. It was Marty who moved faster, and before Caira knew it, he had snatched the book from her hands and covered it with a black bag. It must have been equally bewitched with protectants, because Moony suddenly came around to what was happening and sized the girl up for a second time, this time, recognizing and embracing her. “Oh my goodness dear, what has happened to you?”

“Seems your vision is still clouded, Moon,” Marty seemed a bit worried now, but was not willing to express it plainly.

“Dear girl, look at you, covered in all that blood. Are you alright? What happened?” the words were alien on the woman’s tongue, but she could not see the future where the book was involved. Something that would prove to be a powerful spell and object, if it ended up in the wrong hands.

“I uh...” Caira looked down, quite painfully, at the splint on her leg, and the sizable craters all over her skin. Finally she settled for, “It’s a long story.”

...

“I’m sure it is, I’m sure it is!” Moony’s words were oddly reassuring, like that of a mother Caira had never known.

Meanwhile Marty held the black case in his hands eagerly and peered through the part in the fabric. The old man was hobbled over his treasure, in his wheelchair the sunken shoulders seemed taller than half of his neck, his beady eyes would not leave the precious prize. It was one that would never be paid by any weight of gold, but the risk in the chance a burglar was willing to take to get it. The astronomer’s eyes continued to glow brilliantly, like they were lit with the very light he was so used to, through a telescope. Scraggly, pink arms surrounded it as though protecting the enchanted book from any imposing evil. He however, was blind to the fact that the most evil would be that caused by the book.

Caira straightened after Moony’s embrace. Not much else was to be said. The Prime, however, had a distinct curiosity about the book now, and proclaimed, “I want to know that the contents of the book, nor its power, will go to the wrong hands. And after everything I went through,” she looked down again, hoping to make Marty feel guilty, “I want to know what’s inside.”

“A reasonably request,” Marty muttered, “I may grant it, that is, if I can read it.”

“You mean to tell me you don’t know what’s inside?” Caira exclaimed in disbelief, a flourish of anger flared weakly in her stomach.

“Well, I know what is supposed to be in there,” Marty professed, “But not many have been able to hold this book in their hands, and even fewer know of its existence, or the extend of its power.”

“How does an object like this even happen to be in the Omniverse?” Caira asked, someone could have summoned it, or Omni himself.

“Only Omni knows,” a phrase well-used by all Omniversians, “But, I suppose the trade has been complete, more or less. Girl, why don’t you go upstairs and get cleaned up, and how are your wounds, as a Prime, should they not have healed in the time you took to tell us everything that happened?”

“Well by that logic everything should have healed on my journey back,” Caira gulped down the vague memory of flying on the back of the pegasus, for once she had been too weary to be afraid, and her muscles too weak to protest. Nothing had been within her power. In fact, she was barely standing. Yet, she saw the look in the old man’s decrepit eyes and was suspicious of his greed, for all humans were not raised with a monk’s restraint as she, “How do I know you won’t be off with the book then, while I’m washing up. You’ll have had what you wanted, and I won’t have gotten to see what was inside, nor the information you promised about the location of the other stars.”

Suspense hung high in the air, and the astronomer held her in it, as though she were grappling with gravity itself. “Indeed you have journeyed far and wide, and face a treacherous battle against your challenge, but do you really want to know one of our most precious secrets?”

Caira blinked, the answer was obvious wasn’t it? And yet, a feeling crept into her very bones and sat uneasily in the stony pit of her stomach, the knight of Camelot looked up to the man, ferocity in his eyes, it sounded like he had decided to tell her, but this too could have been the final test, depending on her answer, everything from the tone of her voice to the expression that framed her eyes would be evaluated, and finally, Caira swiftly took a breath, allowed her eyes to shine like daggers and slice through the air, as her voice, steady and unwavering spoke the only two definite words she could muster.

“I do.”

[Caira Ayryn]

“Right then, along we must go!” Marty’s eyes were wide and determined. What haste, he had suddenly summoned, filled the room with a gusting thrill of life, which certainly said something, for his age seemed to show even more on the wrinkles around his eyes.

“Oh, now?” Caira blinked, hadn’t he just told her to go shower? Maybe Marty was getting senile in his old age, but perhaps, she pondered, he was simply excited, or a bit quirky, and letting a bit of it show through. Her bright eyes fell on the back with the book, it was strange, holding such a novel item in her power, only to bestow it upon another. The Knight tried not to dwell on it, while she found herself being lead away, “Where are we going?”

“Tis a new moon tonight, where do you think?” a gummy grin filled Marty’s smile, and he spun around in his wheelchair with a speed like Caira had never seen before. “The Tower.”

It was an ominous name, for a pretty mystical place. Lived up to the reputation though. Moony had waved her goodbyes to Caira and Marty, before boiling up some fortune-telling trouble in her quaint little shack. Meanwhile, the two traversed the cobblestone town quickly, and fluidly. Marty didn’t speak much to Caira on their way over, but since he had the book in his possession, he seemed quite fond of her, one might say.

With a new moon, it would obviously be optimal conditions for a meeting of the astronomer’s guild. What Marty did say, was a quick quip about time, and how it was nil, “We should make it, I think, before dusk. That’ll give us some time to talk it over with the other members.”

Marty rockily rolled over the stone streets, finally, after quite a bit of jumbling, the peculiar pair made it across the island of Dalaran, and over to the highest point in the quaint magical city. It was, obviously an observatory, but it was of a strange style. Steampunk, mixed with elite technology. Stone walls rolled all the way up the castle-esque building, and there were three little towers, each cylindrical, that fell short of the largest one. The tallest tower, overlooked the entire town of Dalaran, as well as, Caira imagined, a close grasp on the stars. On the top of the Tower, there was an observatory, hidden for the most part by cloud and angling of the protecting corners of the castle building around it. The Tower also had a bit of a protruding instrument on one side, Caira guessed that would be the telescope, which the Camelot star-gazers would have spared no expense in order to obtain.

With a gentle jangle of Marty’s keys, Caira was beckoned by him, “This way, this way,” and they went up what would’ve been the faster route, he wheeled them through the main gate, which they had gained admittance by his key, and around the inner grounds, leading directly to the center. Directly to the Tower. An elevator had been built in the middle of a long set of spiraling stairs. The doors closed around the two, and Marty seemed ecstatic, Caira, meanwhile, was silent, stoic, and completely ready.

The time that lead up -and up, and up!- so the levels of the tower told, built up the suspense of the truth. Caira’s thoughts were a little foggy on what she would hear. Would she hear the truth about this mysterious artifact? Or would she hear more roundabout answers from mysterious old men. Not that she had anything against them, she’d been raised in a monastery, after all.

Ding, ding. Chimed the gentle sound of their arrival.

“Ah Marty! We were beginning to think you weren’t gonna show!” A friendly face appeared behind the opening doors of the small, claustrophobic-causing box of death.

“I’m here, at last.” he announced, his lateness made the sound of his voice more like a dull blade.

“And who’s this?” the young guild member asked, her eyes met Caira’s with a real sense of sanctioning. They’d obviously had some sort of talk about dragging along outsiders to the guild-meetings before.

“This is Ayryn. She is a Prime, and has done me a great deed, as well as many noble feats. She is interested in what knowledge we know, and is curious about the Star Piece.” Marty’s voice carried over the spherical chamber within. Caira had been to this room before, for she recognized it as the same one she’d met the old astronomer in. There was a hush about the room now, as the information fell on the other guild member’s ears.

“Ayryn you say?” the woman pestered slightly, while the Prime held her ground, and let her eyes move about the room to the group of about ten to fifteen astronomers who had gathered there. “And she... Wants to know about the stars? Marty you know that’s dangerous business. You can’t just go on and on about that to just anyone!”

“I know, I know Clarie, but this girl isn’t what she appears, to say the least, Moony’s met her, and likes her... Not to mention, Ayryn has done what few even Primes have done, Ayryn stood before Omni in the Oververse.... And while I have plenty of questions for her on that, I believe it can wait until this is over, don’t forget, though!” Marty added, rather happily, and a childish tone befell his voice, “I’ll be he was a bit of a trickster, wasn’t he? No wait! Don’t tell me!”

The guild members assembled in a circle around the room, Marty was the only one still sitting, though chairs and desks were all around the room, as well as a strange looking scope device that Caira assumed, let every member of the guild look out of the singular lens at once. That was a nifty invention.

“So Marty, what makes you think this Prime is so trustworthy? So she met Omni, so what? Omni may not even be our God, though he might like to think he is.” Clarie, was obviously, playing the role of the skeptic. There were a few murmurs, it was obvious that these secondaries may have had their unfortunate dealings with other more unruly Primes, as well as, perhaps, had a tough times as secondaries in this world. Caira herself could only imagine the disadvantage.

Still, Caira felt her name bashed in, her honor befouled, and her purpose deflated by the woman astronomer’s cruelly sharp remarks. Before she could speak, Marty took over, “Clarie, this isn’t about your viewpoints on Omni, nor Primes. Here before us, stands a capable girl, who has wholehearted intentions to share in our knowledge. She retrieved the book for me, as an added test, and I might add that she’s known about Minas Tirith, in Camelot, where she became a knight for the Kingdom, and also tamed a vigilante Prime, who wreaked havoc on Dalran (his name was Magus) putting him in prison.”

That was a list of her feats, perhaps, however Caira felt that she would not be measured by such small things, and all the eyes in the room probed her, as though she held secrets within her inner bindings. “So what?” How demeaning that woman was! “Marty, we’re isolationists, we don’t care what kind of name a Prime has made for him-or her-self, she might have spunk, for getting the book for you, but that’s about it. Spunk, doesn’t earn trust. And it never will.”

The woman must’ve been the chairman, for her word was taken like law. Even Marty was silenced, before Caira hesitated before she took a moment to speak.

“If you will excuse me, I’m a person too. I’m entitled to my own say, and defense. Member or not of this renowned guild.” Caira pulled her satchel off her shoulder, “I was raised far from here, in a galaxy with different stars than the ones above us tonight. I was raised with monks, and treated with a watchful eye as I served my village, hoping to prove useful, so that my presence was welcomed. A council of men would vote on whether or not I could stay and have housing and food, and I always did my best so that they would not exile me beyond the walls, where the real monsters lived. I have a story, a childhood, a past, just as you each have your own. But what collects us here and now, in these pages of time, is the stars that fell from above us.

You may not take me for the studious type, for you see the sword worn on my side, but one of the first things I did when I came to the Omniverse, was stop at the library. I got a special stamp, letting me take books in and out of Camelot’s verse. And when I returned from my quest to the Oververse, I came right back to the library, and returned the books I had read along my mission, and renewed some more.” Caira poured out her size-concealing bag, and the sheer amount of the books toppled over one another was quite impressive. “I like the lore of this place, there is much to learn, though it makes me feel homesick when I look up, and do not see the stars I recognize from my own home. But that does not make your sky any less beautiful, for it is full of wonders I have yet to see, learn, and touch. And when there are no stars in the sky, I have learned throughout my travels, to create my own.”

Caira held her hand out, and after a few moments, her shimmering orb of Omnillium turned into a brightly gleaming star. “Omni spoke to me for a while up there, and then, I left him with a small gift, it’s known as a delicacy among my own people, but I think you’ll find it much more interesting, since it is, a small, hand-held and modified star. It won’t burn skin when you touch it, and well, your eyes are safe too. Some beings survive off of the radiant energy that is light, like plants during photo-synthesis. This is a gift from me to you, eternal light. Since I think you’ll appreciate it, whether you deem me enough or not. Anyway, the point is, you can choose to trust me, or don’t, because maybe you can’t relate to me, or maybe you just don’t like the way I look. Maybe you think I’ll do you wrong, or maybe, you think I talk too much. I’m a woman, a prime, who is willing to help you locate the star pieces, and give you a set of good hands to keep them in. I won’t misuse their power, and you’ll just have to take my word for it. But there are others who will find them and take them by the worst possible means, for I have dealt with powerful adversaries before, some primes are not nearly as noble and friendly as I, and upon my quest to meet Omni, I had obtained “help” which turned swiftly into a mistake that could have ended my existence here as I know it. It’s scary. And it’s real. And it just makes me want to fight against the evil that’s out there.

I know the dangers. I know the cost of following your dreams. And I know, above all else, what it means when you’re able to achieve them. So I ask you this, will you judge me untrustworthy, because I am a stranger? Or on the feats that I haven’t done, or on the people I haven’t helped? Or do you have the courage to judge me for who I am, Prime or not, I am the woman standing in this room, willing to bear your gazes of scorn and recognition, while you judge me, worthy or unworthy, of the secret you have held for so long?”

[Caira Ayryn]

There was an unearthly silence. Caira’s voice had radiated through the observatory as though it were an amphitheater. It gave her passionate words even more opportunity to pronounce themselves to those in the room, and to the heavens above. To Omni.

Clarie’s eyes stayed on Caira for the longest time. The rest of the astronomers had been shifting their gazes from one woman to the other. Perhaps, waiting for something to break the silence. Some sign of approval from the Guild’s chairman. Caira herself, couldn’t help thinking that this was part of Marty’s little “test” too, but maybe that deduction had come too easily to her, since she was on edge.

Clarie, finally, after what felt like an eternity, smiled and said simply. “You’ve got spunk.” Then however, the woman took the gift from the Prime into her hands and investigated it as though it were a new toy, “It is, however, interesting, how you offer us a star. In any case, I think you’ll be surprised to see, that we too, will offer you one.”

Those who had held their breath now gasped, and Caira was lead a bit away, and into a secluded room that branched off from the tower, where the Prime was allowed to see the shimmering star that came down with chunks of Omnillium seeping off of it. “So Ayryn, what do you know about the star before you?”

“I don’t know much,” the Prime admitted, letting the bright glare of blue light flash and fill the room.

“Well, open your ears, because this information I’m about to tell you, is known by very few, there’s a web of astronomers across the verses, we have all shared, and counter-calculated the information you’re about to hear which will dispel any rumor you may have heard. Yes, a star fell in Camelot, we retrieved it, because we were lucky to. In the other verses, however, the location is remained a secret, for not everyone has the means to face these challenges.” Clarie informed, while Caira’s eyes were wide with the glow of the star, which did not fill the girl with greed for power, but a wonder for the knowledge of the world she felt she barely knew. A world she called her home.

“What properties does this star have?” Caira asked, the woman gave her a warning look, before continuing on her own tangent.

“It is a Star Piece Caira, we have speculated with the other astronomers that it is part of a larger whole. It is our goal to put each one together again. Based on your little... Speech out there, I presumed you knew at least that much. Anyway though, our information is of the most secret kind. The governments of some of the verses (Coruscant) too, have shut the sharing of this information down, it is strictly, need to know. Miss Ayryn, you’re now an honorary astronomer. How would you like a greater look at the stars not only above, but the ones that have collided into the Omniverse? We have two books that recorded where we keep each ounce of information we have shared with the others. Since we hold the star piece, we have indeed been looking for a safe way to move this book away from here, since too many treasures in once place will cause trouble for us... I have decided to give you half of the book. Half of our knowledge and connections will be in there, the other half, you’ll have to read tonight, during our observation meeting. Does that sound alright? You can look through our elite telescope if you want, it’s one of our most proudest achievements.”

“I would be honored.” The knight spoke truly, and the woman presented a certain log book and put it in Caira’s hands.

“This star is not the only one out there,” Clarie responded with Caira’s gifted star still in her hand, “However, I’d like to say, while we will examine your gift, surely, Miss Ayryn, I think you’ll like our final place for it. Funnily enough your ‘delicacy’ just so happens to be blue, blue enough for a decoy, of our own Star Piece.”

And so it was, now that the Dalaran Star Piece was ‘extra’ hidden, Caira sat at a desk with the many astronomers and began to study the book’s logs, which told many secrets about where the Prime might find the lost stars throughout the verses. Caira made notes on her half of the book, and then suggested that they encode the rest, when she returned their half back to them.

“Well, with the cursed book you retrieved for Marty, do you think we’ll have no defenses for our most prized possession?” Clarie sassed and the night was almost over.

Marty wheeled himself around, seeing how Caira was done, and offered that she take a look through the scope. “Miss Ayryn, if you look up, you’ll see some true wonders beyond even our world.”

His eyes got misty, and Caira gazed at the millions of tiny scoops of light through the magic of the telescope with her newfound friends and was reminded that though she was an orphan, she was not so very alone afterall.

[Caira Ayryn]

Epilogue

Caira started out on her next adventure, following her best sourced lead.

Meanwhile, she left Marty and the others with promise to return, hopefully, with either more knowledge than when she left, or perhaps, with enough luck, the star piece she quested for.

A modest grin broke out on the female vigilante’s face as she gave Marty a final goodbye hug. “Yes, I’ll see you around,” she said, hoped, and promised.

He grinned too, envying the prime’s youth, as well as her ability to stand on two firm feet. To be so young with such a level head on her shoulders was something every elder tasted bitterly, but he was also very sweetly glad for her, for she was on their side, and the information had not, he was certain, gone into the wrong hands.

“So, you say you’ll tell me more about Omni when you get back?” he prompted, looking eager to chase the breadcrumbs she might leave him.

“Of course I will. But you know there is no time to waste, especially not when so much has been lost already. In here, I have half of Camelot’s astronomy notes. Priceless. And I’ll take good care of them, and hold the book with just as much value as you do.” She said earnestly, while then deciding, “Omni was a peculiar... person... deity. He plays a bit of a trickster, when I was there, I was quite.. Nervous, but he offered me more than I could imagine at the time, and I would have to say... When I was there, I got what I was looking for.”

“Well, I should hope so, you went to the Oververse for goodness sake! Anyway, the arrangements have been set, we’ll take care of our treasure until you return with yours. I’m eager to see...” Marty continued to say, ‘how they interact’ but Caira’s violet eyes warned him not to get too hopeful. Even her mission here was treacherous, that only guaranteed the next one would be even harder, despite the hints in the book, it was all about application.

“See you, then.” she beamed, and he back.

“Until next time...”

But Caira felt a stirring sense of worry for the old man...

For, would there be?

...

It was dark, Caira had finally made it down from off of the floating island. Yes, on a hellish pegasus. She really needed to fix that, but no matter, now she was firmly on the ground, and had pulled out her classic hoverboard to use on the rest of the roadways as she made her way to the Nexus gate. Her mind, fell on other things, such as the mysteries that she had yet to solve, and the knowledge she had gained.

Suddenly, with her mind occupied, she wondered if she was having ‘fun’ and pondered the eyeless expression on Omni’s face, the sound of his voice on her ears. “Hm,” she thought to herself, and looked up at the stars overhead with a new light. On her board, she sped past the dimly lit villages, meadows buzzing with crickets and fireflies, as well as thickets of wood which cast dark and eerie shadows in the night.

Camelot was a magical place, even when it seemed so simple. She was glad she had returned after her last too long and too arduous adventure. Now, her ardent eyes looked forward, she was serving the kingdom in an unsuspected way, and made her way out of the verse stealthily by night.

Racing for her, however, was a form, traveling along the same pathway she was, though unheeded by the steep, uphill roll in the road. The beast was sprinting at her, and moving at a tremendous pace, one to be feared.

Caira’s heart started moving faster than she could breathe. Immediately she felt for the sword on her belt, and stopped her hoverboard with a quick dance of her toes on the pad pedals. The night allowed for no light, so Caira stepped onto the ground, drawing her sword at the ready, and preparing for all that might strike. How had someone found out so quickly about her mission? she thought as the blade wavered in the air.

Another moment passed, and time drummed at the pace of her enlivened, fearful heart. The shape had begun to take form, it was dark, and looked like a henchmen of hell. It stood well over six feet, while ran on four legs, beastly chasing its will at top speed. An angle sliced the air around her as her biceps curled, prepared for the strike, however, it was only until the beast was upon her, and her fear paramount, that she finally noticed it was familiar.

In the dunes, Caira had tamed a Shadow Lion, one of the most dangerous magical predators of that verse. It now, more or less, did her bidding, though it could only come out after the sun had set. Caira suspected that this was because it would die without this ability. In the hours it was without its shadowy form, it took the shape of a pendant and the Prime had shrugged as she first put the cursed jewelry around her neck, suspecting no real threat, and fearing very little.

His eyes glowed with a blue rage, while his mane cooled from its flow the wind, finally settling back down on his shoulders. It greeted his Prime with a noble bow, which Caira returned without hesitation, and sheathed her blade, though, notably, with hesitation. The beast for the most part, didn’t understand or speak english tongue, however, Caira, beast tamer and Camelot knight alike, didn’t need to communicate with words to greet him with a friendly pet on his side. Her smile spoke, “Good to see you, friend.”

And she led the way forward aside the giant beast, placing the hoverboard back on its sling over her shoulder. Camelot, under the stars. There was no better place to walk, with an old friend.