When the flare faded, there was a strand of silver reaching out across the darkness. Then, in the vast distance between Pagan and the rest of reality, there was a flare of light, as if from two powerful spells clashing. The great emptiness between worlds did little to help his mood. Instead of seeing the underside of thatched roof, there was only the vast darkness and distant lights of the Ethereal Void. Leaning back in his chair and sipping the bitter root tea, he stared up at the ceiling. As the creature faded away, Mythran traced his finger around the edge of the brim, slowly heating his drink. The squirrel scampered into a hole in the wall and returned a few minutes later carrying a cup of tea. The old mage sat in a rocking chair and summoned a small animal. Mythran stepped around various mystical traps in the long corridor, and climbing the winding staircase at the end, he entered a large study filled with tomes and scrolls rescued from ruins across the continent. Seeing nothing of interest, Mythran muttered to himself and started to limp back to his shack.Īt the small hut, the mage traced a rune of entry and pushed the worn door inward. Though midway through the day, the dim star in the sky gave very little light. A small herd of sickly Torax lizards wandered among the crumbling stones of fallen Morgaelin, watched by a lone shepherd. Hearing the roar behind her, she slammed the door shut and barred it with her body as the cold water hit her.From the top of the plateau, an old man looked down at the ruins of his world.

Nearing it, she tossed the small boys into the alchemist’s arms. The door of the Magicians Friend was standing open, and an alchemist was waving for her to hurry. She considered flying into the open sky, but so burdened, she did not think she could stay aloft for long. San-Lem grabbed a child under each arm and turned in midair as quickly as the weight would allow. While the same instincts that had saved her from Ver Lor Reg screamed at her to flee, she flew down the dock. Having the whole docks to themselves, the little boys were jumping from piling to piling, oblivious to the approaching danger. Suddenly seeing the wall of water up-close filled San-Lem with fear. The force of the onrushing waves was clearing the mists. The waterfront had been cleared by the fog, and she saw only two children were playing at the end. As quickly as she could, San-Lem got to the docks. Seeing her distress, most seemed to understand well enough. She yelled warnings as she sped over the canals and cobblestones. San-Lem herself flew toward the most vulnerable part of the city: the docks where they had disembarked. She landed quickly back on the ground and shouted a word of alarm, “Jux-wis-re!” The other gargoyles recognized the warning and took to the air, each flying in different directions across Vesper to warn people. Moving up past the dense ground fog, she had a clear view of the ocean below and the source of her worry: a giant wavefront moving toward the vulnerable canal-city. San-Lem told her compatriots she needed to check something and flew up into the sky. She listened for a moment, and the sea to the east sounded wrong, rumbling and churning. She distrusted silence, for she remembered how quiet the machines of Exodus had gone right before they tore her home apart. As they were crossing the bridge from the Marsh Hall, San-Lem noticed that the local birds and insects had gone quiet. A human merchant whom Aurvidlem was trading with had mentioned that such fog was out of season.Īfter leaving Aurvidlem at his opulent room at the Ironwood Inn, San-Lem and the rest of the retinue made their way back to more modest lodgings at the hostel. Then the weather had taken a sudden turn. The late summer waters had been warm, and the winds had gotten them to Vesper in excellent time. Singularity was worth a few sore talons.įorewarned of the problems along Britannia’s roads, Aurvidlem had rented passage on a merchant ship. She was paid in gold and food, a bounty she shared with kin who had escaped with even less than she had. Still, it was better than struggling in the crowded refugee settlements where most of Ver Lor Reg’s survivors had ended up. Now, with such poor visibility, San-Lem was thankful for this rule.īeing the personal healer to a merchant who had grown rich from trade between Ter Mur and Britannia was not what San-Lem had expected from her life. Her employer, Aurvidlem, had requested that his entourage follow human custom and walk from place to place. San-Lem shivered and walked faster, so she wouldn’t be left behind by those she had accompanied to the human city. Fog rolled over the bridges and islands of Vesper, cloaking the canal-city in grey.

Uo shattered legacy