RS: Growing Pains (Part 2)

She had just teleported home after an afternoon’s worth of shopping for baby clothing and suitable fabric to make baby clothes with when a knocking came at the front door. Quickly Jaina hung her bag over a parlor chair and went to answer the door.

“Evening, Miss Jaina,” Selena the gardener greeted her, smiling. “Will you be coming to the celebration dinner tonight?”

“Eh?” Jaina blinked in confusion. “I didn’t even know there was one—what’s it for?”

“To honor a young wizard from the Misthalin Tower,” Selena replied proudly. “She was just awarded the cape of magic mastery today! Such a prestigious honor… I do wonder if I’ll ever earn the right to the master farmers’ cape someday! Anyway, everyone is already gathered in the dining hall. You really should come!”

Jaina paused to consider the matter. She wasn’t showing that much yet, and she was admittedly curious about who it was that might have earned the cape. Staying in her house for too long would likely make the neighbors suspicious anyway—the last time she’d done that, she’d gotten the entire town badgering her constantly about when she was going to go to Lumbridge and fight for Saradomin.

Trying not to shudder at the memory, she smiled and nodded. “Okay, I’ll be right there… let me get my cape and get cleaned up first, and then I’ll be ready!”

She went to draw a bath, going about it more quickly than usual. It took her a little while to decide what to change into afterwards; ultimately she selected a purple blouse and skirt set with accents of varying blues and a large red bead at the neck. It didn’t feel as tight as many of her dresses did these days—she would, perhaps, need to do something about her own wardrobe sooner rather than later.

Sliding down the stair-rail, she went to get her bag and her own cape of magic mastery and then headed out the door. “We’ll be with the neighbors tonight,” she whispered to her stomach. “They’re nice, but we must be on our guard.”

The sounds of laughter and excited conversation could be heard from outside the large dining hall as she arrived, and when she stepped inside, heads turned and everyone started greeting her all at once.

“Good evening, everyone,” she said cheerfully, waving to the seated wizards and guardsmen. “Where might the guest of honor be?”

“Aaaah!” The sudden squeal was startling enough to quiet everyone. “It’s my hero!”

A wizard with chestnut brown hair and a heavily makeup-adorned face rushed towards Jaina with outstretched arms, cape of magic mastery streaming behind her. The purple-haired adventurer barely had time to recognize her before she firmly pulled her into a tight hug.

“Miss Ilona? Ah… can’t… breathe!”

“Oh, sorry!” Ilona stepped back, smiling sheepishly. “It’s just so wonderful to see you again, and on a big day like this, no less! You’re the whole reason I’m here now, after all! And you don’t have to call me Miss; just Ilona will do!”

“What perfect timing,” Wizard Distentor remarked. “She was just talking about you, Jaina! As I recall, you both grew up in Lumbridge.”

Jaina nodded. “Yes, I knew her growing up, though not that well. She was kinder to my family than some of our neighbors were…”

“I was just getting to the important part!” Ilona exclaimed. “She was so brave… she saved my life! And she was only eleven years old! Just three years younger than me, and yet she handled her magic as though she were already a Tower apprentice...”

She proceeded to tell about how she’d been kidnapped on her way to the Wizards’ Tower by three Zamorakian cultists, and how Jaina had pursued them into the catacombs beneath the Lumbridge graveyard to rescue her. Jaina listened quietly as she went to the serving table to get a plate—she would let Ilona finish, but she might have to chime in herself afterwards. There was quite a lot Ilona either didn’t know or was leaving out, like her brother’s help, Xenia’s trickery, how angry Father had been with Xenia for putting them both in danger, knowing full well that the cultists would have had no qualms about killing his children…

“Hi, Miss Jaina,” little Julia greeted from the other side of the table, motioning to a pie before her. “Want some lemon-rang pie? Me and Nana and Daddy did all the baking for the party! And when I grow up I’m gonna get a cape for being weally good at cooking!”

“Technically, you and Mother did the baking,” piped up Julia’s father, who had exchanged his watchman’s armor for a white apron. “I just roasted the meat and fried the fish.”

“Your contribution was still vitally important, Lieutenant Onasi—I mean Garrett,” Jaina pointed out, taking a slice of the pie. “Some things turn out better when working together—like when I rescued Ilona. I didn’t go down there alone; my brother came too. The cultists had an archer with them, but my brother carried a simple sword and shield—he managed to get up close to the archer to fight him so I wouldn’t get turned into a pincushion!”

“It would take extraordinary courage to face such danger at such a young age,” Garrett remarked, frowning. “Especially Zamorakian cultists—they would have meant to fight you to the death if you interfered with their plans.”

“Father’s old mentor warned us of exactly that beforehand,” said Jaina, nodding. “The archer turned out to be a coward, but their mage in particular was furious that I was better with magic than she was…”

“She’s not scawed of mean old Zam-o-man, Daddy,” Julia chimed in cheerfully. “She wescued me too! And then she beat up all of Zam-o-man’s scawy meanies!”

Jaina gave a nervous laugh. In a sense that was technically sort of true, but…

“We’ll talk more when I finish everything on my plate,” she said hastily, trying not to think about Zamorak or his followers. “I think Ilona might want to talk to me more—I haven’t seen her in a very long time.”

She headed over to the tables to find a space, and Ilona perked up and beckoned her to come sit with her. Jaina did so, returning the smile the wizard was giving her.

“You know, my brother deserves credit for saving you too,” she said, smoothing her skirt out a bit.

“Oh, I know… but you’ve helped me in other ways, too! Who hasn’t heard of your amazing adventures? And when I said I couldn’t have gotten my cape without you, what I meant was—” Ilona abruptly stopped short, her eyes widening. “By Saradomin’s beard! Jaina… when is the baby due?”

The entire hall fell silent, and a chorus of gasps arose as all eyes locked onto Jaina. She tensed up, her heart beating faster and sweat forming on her brow—the stares pierced right through her, and the dead silence was absolutely deafening.

The innkeeper’s wife was the first to break the silence. “How come you didn’t tell us you were having a baby?”

Jaina shifted awkwardly and looked down at her hands. “Erm, well… you never asked…”

“How long have you known for?” one of the Guild apprentices asked. “Did you just find out?”

“Who’s the father?” Colonel Radick added. “We haven’t heard anything about you getting married or bringing a husband home…”

Some of the people exchanged concerned, disapproving glances, and Frenita spoke up, shaking her head. “Let us not be too quick to pass judgment on her! Do you forget all those years ago when her aunt arrived at Yanille’s gates, alone and with child? Shada was not loose in morals or lacking in virtue; her child’s father was dead and she needed our help and support!”

That wasn’t quite accurate, Jaina knew; old Lozar had told her just before she died why Aunt Shada had left Lumbridge—she’d had an affair with a young guardsman and didn’t want anyone to find out that she had conceived a baby out of wedlock. Of course, Father had found that out from Lozar too, but he’d kept the secret safe, and there was no reason she shouldn’t as well—certainly not when she had much bigger secrets of her own to keep!

“Mother is right,” Garrett added, “and regardless, we must not forget that Jaina is still a true hero. She bravely ventured into the heart of the ogre city a few years back when the Watchtower’s protection failed, and more recently she saved my daughter’s life!”

“She might’ve eloped,” Ilona suggested. “That seems adventurous enough for a hero to want to do!”

There were murmurs among the crowd, and then Amalie finally spoke up. “Jaina, who is your husband and what is he like? Where is he now, and why haven’t we seen or heard anything about him yet?”

“I saw him one time!” Julia blurted out. “He’s weally nice!”

Jaina froze up, feeling a chill surge down her spine as many expectant gazes fell on Julia, and the small girl looked about to cry as she realized her blunder. The adventurer tried to stop herself from shivering—she couldn’t blame Julia for making a mistake, but how was she going to explain herself out of this one?

“I saw him too,” Zavistic Rarve chimed in. “At least I believe I did. Does he happen to be an archaeologist with a very unruly red beard that looks like it might jump out and attack someone?”

“Y-yes! That’s him—that’s my beloved!” Jaina wasn’t sure if she should feel relieved just yet—she had to be careful what she said, and hope this would turn out well. “His name is Dr. Aurelius Nabanik, and he works for the museum of Varrock—his research is mainly dedicated to Second Age societies and the ways of ancient magic, and he’s also studied uncommon niche religions.”

“Ah, so he’s a scholar!” Distentor remarked, stroking his beard. “So you fancy a learned man… strange, then, that you seemed so reluctant to marry a wizard…”

“Anyway,” Jaina continued, “yes, we ran off together; we didn’t really want the hassle of a large wedding! I have too many complicated matters to deal with anyway… As for why he’s not usually home, well, you can all easily see why that is! He has to stay in Misthalin to get things done for the museum, and his research requires him to travel often! I’m not home much myself, you know—but we do meet up frequently when I’m out adventuring!”

“You do not even have a problem with a husband who cannot make time to come home nightly and enjoy a home-cooked meal and your company?” Professor Imblewyn stared up at her with a puzzled look. “You truly are the strangest human I’ve ever met.”

“She’s an adventurer, Mr. Gnome sir,” Ilona pointed out. “She always wanted to do big exciting things—I’m not surprised she prefers to do things in unusual and exciting ways! Jaina, did he help you find the forgotten spells you rediscovered?”

The questions immediately started coming more rapidly, everyone asking all at once—“How did you meet him?” “Has he found out anything new in his research?” “Does he wish he could come home more?” “Has he heard the news of the baby yet?” “Is he excited about being a new father?” “Is he going to be home more often when the baby is born, or will you move back to Misthalin?” “Any ideas for what to name it?”

“Wait, wait!” Jaina gestured to the crowd with a downward hand motion to try to get them to quiet down. “I can’t keep up if you’re all asking questions at once… more importantly, this celebration is for Ilona. Let’s keep things primarily about her—you can focus more on me some other time!”

That got most of the people quickly apologizing to Ilona all at once, but the wizard just smiled at them. “I know you didn’t mean to seem like you were forgetting me! This is really quite the wondrous surprise…”

She glanced over at Jaina, her cheerful expression fading, and lowered her voice. “Anyway, when I said I couldn’t have gotten my cape without you… well, I’d prefer to tell you in a bit more privacy. Might we excuse ourselves?”

“Oh… very well!” Jaina nodded and slowly stood up. “Pardon me," she called out, "but I need to go to the bathroom…”

She stepped outside the hall and into the windy evening, and it wasn’t long before Ilona joined her. The brunette smiled a bit nervously, drawing her cape more closely around her. “You see, I couldn’t ever quite decide what kind of magic to specialize in. I like stun and bind spells because they’re good for incapacitation and self-defense without killing, but after seeing how adeptly one as young as you wielded elemental magic, I wanted to get good at that too! So I studied both extensively, but then a year ago you published that forgotten ancient spellbook! Of course, the Tower library refused to carry it, but I was curious, especially as I heard more about you using those spells…”

“I’m guessing you were worried about the wizards being superstitious about it?” Jaina asked. “I’m also guessing you practiced those spells secretly in order to earn your cape, since my skill with them earned me mine…”

Ilona nodded. “Yes, but I’ve never used them in real combat, because I didn’t want to kill anyone! I considered ways to use them outside of combat—the smoke spells came easiest to me, and that’s probably because I’m best with wind spells. A magical smokescreen would be useful for cover in dire situations, and I’ve gotten really good at making colorful smoke rings!”

She fiddled with the cuffs of her sleeves. “But I was so worried that Saradomin might be angry with me, or that Wizard Sedridor would be… He said he was proud of my ingenuity and thought it was sufficient to consider me a master of magic, but what will the other wizards think? Some of them already talk about you disapprovingly, despite all your brave and noble deeds…”

“Those wizards would have that attitude regardless, simply because I am not and never will be Saradominist, or because I didn’t want to become or marry a wizard—don’t worry about what they say about me!” Jaina smiled shakily, trying to stay confident for Ilona’s sake. “Don’t worry about them too much; just be proud of your achievement! You don’t have to go around saying you studied that spellbook—I wouldn’t advise that—but your knowledge of it might well be the key to a new breakthrough! That could show the more superstitious of the bunch that there’s more to it than being deadly.” And that not everything related to Zaros is inherently evil, for that matter, she added silently.

Ilona closed her eyes, looking pensive, and her painted lips slowly curved into a soft smile. “Yes… you’re right! Who knows what I could discover… what magical capabilities could be known by the time your baby is old enough to study advanced magic!” She pulled the purple-haired mage into a tight hug. “You’re the best! You’ve helped so much…”

Jaina returned the hug a little weakly. “Well, that is what a hero is supposed to do…”

When Ilona stepped back, she seemed to perk up, her eyes shining brightly. “Oh, I should really like to see your baby when it’s born, and I’d love to meet your husband! It’s been awhile since I’ve been to Varrock, let alone the museum… Will I run into him if I go visit?”

Jaina’s smile became a nervous grin. “Ah, well… if you’re really that interested, he had parts of the ancient city that’s being excavated restored, but you have to buy a ticket from the museum curator to be allowed down there!” She bit her lip, shifting apprehensively in place. “A-anyway, let’s get back to the celebration… We wouldn’t want to miss out on the cake!”

As they made their way back into the hall, she drew her cape partially around her stomach like a blanket. “I hope your father wouldn’t disapprove, but that cake is certainly going to calm my nerves a lot,” she whispered to her babies. “I’m sure you’ll like it too!”

~***~

As she headed towards Wahisietel’s home, half-finished choc-ice in hand, Jaina saw a camel quietly standing just outside the house, colorful bags, blankets, and assorted goods on its back. A baby camel was playfully running around in circles next to it as it watched.

Already she suspected why the camels were there, and she would see if she was right just as soon as she finished her choc-ice. Smiling at the little one, she tentatively approached, hoping the mother wouldn’t take it the wrong way and spit at her.

The baby camel perked up and sauntered curiously towards her, sniffing in her direction. It made a sort of cute bleating sound, as if to greet her, and excitedly reared up to nose her leg.

“What is it, little friend?” came a familiar voice, and a tall, dark-skinned man dressed in rich orange and white Kharidian silks stepped out of the house. On his head he wore a bright orange turban, and he had a short curly black beard and sparkling golden eyes.

Jaina recognized him; she’d seen Akthanakos visiting the desert bandits quite a few times in this particular guise, usually to bring them sweets and other nice gifts from Al Kharid. She had overheard some of the Nardah locals talking about a traveling merchant in town as she was buying the choc-ice, too, so she wasn’t that surprised to see him.

“Ah, Jaina, have you been keeping well?” Patting the baby camel’s head, Akthanakos smiled at her and beckoned with his other hand. “Do step inside! You wouldn’t want to faint from desert heat.”

She curtsied in greeting and followed him in, and Wahisietel straightened up as he caught sight of her. “Good afternoon, Jaina. Have you come to discuss how you and the children are faring?”

Jaina nodded, politely waving hello. “Yes, I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

“Hardly! I should certainly like to know how they’re faring too.” Akthanakos motioned for Jaina to take the seat he offered. “These are only the first children our kind has had in centuries we’re talking about, after all.”

“I have researched human pregnancies more extensively since we last spoke, specifically those with twins,” Wahisietel said, taking a book off a shelf to peruse it. “You are at the point where your pregnancy is noticeable without the aid of magic, it seems—have you been experiencing morning sickness or any unconventional food cravings lately?”

“I haven’t gotten morning sickness yet, though I do take a potion for it before I go to sleep,” Jaina replied, settling comfortably into her chair. “I guess that might be preventing it? As for the food part… well, one thing is for sure.” She smiled shakily, her face flushing a bit. “These two are really hungry all the time! I ate two whole meat pies and a whole summer pie this morning before I came here… I’m not sure I can keep up if they’re this demanding already!”

“It seems we have tiny imperial soldiers on our hands!” Akthanakos remarked with a chuckle. “You should have seen how much our troops could eat, particularly when coming home after long campaigns with scant rations.”

Wahisietel frowned, looking thoughtful. “Does their Mahjarrat half perhaps play a role in their growing appetites? They may require magical sustenance as well, not just food—I believe that a full Mahjarrat baby would draw upon its mother’s power as it grew, not unlike a human baby absorbs what its mother eats. Some sort of magic source for them to use may ease their hunger somewhat.”

“But how? They can’t draw any sort of power from me directly…”

“Indeed not, however, I do have a theory,” he mused, looking back at his book. “Simply casting magic frequently may allow them to draw on some of the magic of your spells as you cast them. Do this over a two-week period, making note of how much you eat daily, then return to me with your findings.”

She nodded, but before she could reply, he suddenly sat up straighter, looking concerned. “And have you felt at all suddenly temperamental or upset with seemingly no provocation?”

“Erm, no, I don’t think I have…” Jaina shifted in her chair, straightening one of her hair ties. “I do worry about what could go wrong sometimes, but that isn’t what you mean, I’m guessing…”

“Well, pay attention to when you start experiencing emotional shifts like that,” Wahisietel said solemnly. “It should start to happen roughly at this point and continue to the midpoint of your pregnancy. It may be difficult to keep that under control, since you never know when one may set off.”

“I don’t know about human mothers,” Akthanakos added, “but you should have seen what Mahjarrat mothers could be like. Most males would keep a fair distance from a pregnant mother, because you never knew when she would become suddenly infuriated for no clear reason!”

Jaina couldn’t help but shiver at the thought of a Mahjarrat being that quick to anger, though her curiosity was piqued. “How did Mahjarrat mothers handle pregnancy? Surely the low birth rate meant it was particularly important to protect them—and newborns—from all the hazards and such?”

“That it was, though they were far from the wilting flowers some humans seem to view pregnant women as,” said Wahisietel, nodding. “We had a saying that a thousand muspah would tremble in fear of the wrath of a Mahjarrat mother, and that did not cease to be so after she had her baby—on the contrary, she could get even more fierce, albeit somewhat weaker from the birth. A mother would defend her children to the very end, and the changes brought on by pregnancy seemed to be for that very purpose.”

“That weakening from giving birth seemed to be greatly exacerbated here on Gielinor, from the few times anyone managed a successful pregnancy, that is.” Akthanakos sighed, looking melancholy. “Those few times that I remember all resulted in stillbirths, and few of the mothers survived either. I suspect that even Palkeera succumbed to that weakness…”

“I doubt you will experience such a thing,” Wahisietel pointed out, “but the children will probably be larger than a human baby and put a greater strain on you, and their energies may be painful to your insides and potentially overwhelming to you.”

Jaina tensed up, looking down at her hands. Of course she knew that childbirth was going to be painful and dangerous; it would be like that regardless. Merely knowing that might not be enough to prepare her for the experience when it did happen, though… and there was so much uncertain about all this that it was hard not to be terrified. Then again, uncertainty and terror were part of adventure, so in a way this wasn’t so new.

“My prospects are certainly looking grim,” she remarked dryly.

Just then a loud, eager squawk split the air, and the baby camel gave a startled bleat as a large shadow blocked out the sunlight streaming through the doorway curtains. Wahisietel and Akthanakos glanced at each other with puzzled expressions, and Jaina wondered if they were speaking telepathically.

They nodded to each other and Akthanakos stood up to go outside, and Wahisietel turned to Jaina. “Ah yes, Azzanadra told us that you found what became of his griffin. It is greatly surprising that she was alive all this time!”

“I was certainly surprised,” said Jaina, hoping the camels wouldn’t be too terrified of a massive griffin suddenly landing nearby. “It can’t be easy for her to see the world the way it’s become…”

As if on cue, Coeli poked her head past the curtains. “Pleasant day, Legatus!” she squawked cheerfully. “You too, Jaina and little ones!”

Wahisietel rose from his chair, offering a hand to Jaina to help her up. “My old title will no longer be necessary, Lady Coeli,” he said in Infernal, shaking his head. “As you can see, I have dedicated myself to more scholarly pursuits now.”

Jaina couldn’t make out the next few things that were being said, but she did catch Akthanakos’ name being mentioned, as well as Azzanadra and herself. She surmised that Coeli was expressing her excitement about the twins, and that Akthanakos had to comfort the startled camels.

“I did tell him a thousand times back in the day that getting a consort would do him good,” Akthanakos chimed in, stepping past Coeli to reenter the house. “He always said that it might interfere with his duties to the church and to Zaros, but I knew he’d eventually come around!”

Coeli gave him a nod of approval and a happy chirp, and then looked at the floor sadly. “House too small…”

“I was just about to point that out,” Wahisietel said, frowning. “Most homes these days are not large enough to fit griffins through the door… You may have to stay outside.”

Coeli looked a bit forlorn as she pulled her head back outside, and Jaina couldn’t help but frown as well. “Were the houses in Senntisten all big enough to fit a griffin through the doors, or just the more upscale ones?”

“Well, as leading figures in the empire, the Mahjarrat all lived in palaces,” Wahisietel replied, “and the wealthy elite did own large homes both inside and outside the city. From what I saw of the commoners’ dwellings—”

Suddenly Coeli and the camels all let out sharp ear-piercing shrieks, causing Jaina to double over and clutch her head in pain. There was a screech and a startled cry, and then the sounds of frantic flapping, and then finally a loud thump; when she looked up, Akthanakos was dragging in an unconscious man, restrained with powerful magical bonds and half-tucked under his arm.

“We were fortunate that Lady Coeli arrived when she did,” he said quietly, draping the man over the seat of his chair. Carefully he placed two items on the table, one a destroyed communication device of some kind and the other a small red token bearing the symbol of Zamorak. “This man is a Zamorakian spy! He was already reporting to his superiors before we caught him, I fear.”

“Then we mustn’t waste any time—we must take him in for questioning.” Wahisietel had already gotten up and taken the man’s bag off of him, and was checking his pockets.

“What the blazes is he doing here?” Jaina stared at the unconscious spy, her mind racing with thoughts of what the answer to that question might be. “Was he looking for me? Did he follow me here? Is this my f—”

“Calm down, Jaina! We’ll handle this.” Wahisietel was eyeing her warily. “It would be best if you were to go elsewhere for now—let Lady Coeli fly you somewhere, perhaps?”

She nodded and shakily stood up, adjusting her bag, but when she glanced at the door, she suddenly tensed up and looked to Akthanakos. “What about the camels? Will they be left here alone?”

“Don’t worry; I will be bringing them to the faithful. They will look after them in my absence!” Akthanakos gave her a half-smile, though his eyes weren’t twinkling; indeed, they looked filled with worry. “I wouldn’t neglect my friends.”

She nodded reluctantly and waved to the both of them, and then hurried outside, trembling all over as she did so. Coeli gave her a worried look and spread her wings, sitting in such a way so that Jaina could climb on. “Come with me! I be careful, promise!”

Jaina carefully scrambled on, holding on tight to the griffin’s neck. She was a little apprehensive about flying again, but she was also desperately hoping that spies had not been sent to her home as well.

~***~

The mage had stayed quiet for the whole time in the air so far; even if she wasn’t limited in what she could even say, all she could think about was that spy and what his motives might’ve been. Had he followed her? Did he know about her allies’ human guises? Did he know about her children—and did that mean Zamorak knew about them too, and was planning something? Were there other spies trying to break into her home or waiting for her in places they thought she might go?

Coeli finally broke the silence. “How you doing? Not scared?”

Jaina shook her head. “No, I’m not scared of flying. It’s…” The word for “spy” escaped her at the moment; what else was fitting? “That man, the enemy—the traitor, I mean—is what I’m worried about!”

“You mustn’t worry,” the griffin stated firmly. “Friends worry about him—and traitors can’t fly! We go where they not go!”

“Where are we going?”

Coeli made a thoughtful sort of hum. “I show you elven city! Grand city, but not as grand as Senntisten—humans not ever see it!”

“Uh… I’ve seen it,” said Jaina, a bit unsure if the fact would strike a blow to Coeli’s pride. “I’ve been there. The elves have only just opened it to—” she didn’t know the word for “tourist;” she had to think of something else suitable—“visitors!”

“Truly?” Coeli sounded surprised indeed. “But elves not like anyone who not elf…”

“Well, I may have helped them sort out their problems… now they see me as a hero, a savior.” Jaina bit her lip, hoping the griffin wouldn’t misunderstand somehow. “It’s a long story…”

Coeli nodded, twittering curiously. “Knew you were hero—Azzanadra told me about you, about your great deeds! You help us all much, even Great Lord himself! If you are hero to elves also, we visit elven city—traitors not go there!”

Jaina wasn’t quite sure if that was true; in fact, it seemed like every Kandarin citizen had wanted to go to Prifddinas once news of its restoration and opening had gotten out. On the other hand, the Zamorakians wouldn’t suspect her of wanting to go there, since she didn’t visit it that frequently—and the elves wouldn’t care about who her babies’ father was, at least not enough to question her about it.

The flight continued westward over Ardougne, and then over the mountains that divided Tirannwn from Kandarin. It wasn’t long before Jaina could see the crystal spires of Prifddinas on the horizon, glittering brightly in the afternoon sun.

As they passed over the city outskirts and Coeli flew over the rooftops, the local elves and human tourists below stopped what they were doing to stare up at them in awe. Some of them waved and called out various greetings, and a few elves gasped in excitement and pointed to Jaina, their eyes bright.

Coeli stopped briefly to hover just over the Ithell district, and Jaina wasn’t sure if she was considering landing, but she suspected she must be tired and need to land and rest. There were already crowds gathering in the streets to see them, talking excitedly amongst each other.

The adventurer heard someone call out her name, and just below them, she could see a familiar raven-haired, dark-skinned elf waving up at her as she ran closer. Skidding to a stop, the elven woman paused to catch her breath and motioned for Coeli to land before her.

“I think it’s safe to land,” Jaina whispered. “You must need to rest after such a long way…”

Coeli nodded and cautiously flew down to land, eyeing the crowds a bit warily. “We stay close,” she insisted as she came to rest on the ground.

Jaina was careful as well as she slid off the griffin’s back, and she waved back at the raven-haired elf. “Good afternoon, Eluned. I hope you weren’t too startled!”

“I wouldn’t say startled,” said Eluned, eyeing Coeli curiously. “Surprised is more like it! I didn’t take you as the type to tame unusual beasts in order to ride them—you seem to prefer teleportation!”

“Normally I do,” said Jaina, nodding. “But this noble griffin is quite intelligent, and a good friend. She wished to take me flying, and I obliged! And I do have something of a way with animals—my mother was a summoner, after all!”

“Truly? Well, Lord Amlodd and his fellow clansmen would be most envious of you.” Eluned smiled and gave a musical, lilting laugh, but her expression suddenly grew serious. “I don’t mean to trouble you, but your arrival couldn’t have been timelier! You see, there have been—”

The ground beneath them started to shake and vibrate, and the onlookers screamed and frantically tried to run, shoving desperately through the crowds. Coeli swiftly pulled Jaina beneath her wings, sheltering her protectively.

When the shaking had stopped, Eluned peeked through the griffin’s large wings. “That was just what I was about to tell you! The whole city will shake at seemingly random times, and it’s been going on for three days. The Voice of Seren seems to amplify the problem—the city’s crystal is resonating with the song in a way we’ve never seen before!”

Offering a hand to Jaina, she helped her up. “The crystals seem to be shifting towards the Tower of Voices! I think I feel it too—they are willing me to bring Seren back together, I’m sure of it!”

“But what can be done?” Jaina frowned, looking around at the tall buildings and the still-worried onlookers. “Surely you all can’t sit back and do nothing while waiting for the city to collapse…”

“The clan elders share my concerns,” Eluned pointed out. “As per tradition in times of need, a sacred conclave is to be held today in the upper chamber of the Tower of Voices—I believe they intend to vote on whether or not to bring Seren back! Your help might just be the very thing we need right now—will you come to the conclave with me? It’s due to begin shortly.”

Jaina tensed up, feeling sweat form on her brow. This was so sudden—what would reforming Seren even entail, since she already suspected that would have to happen one way or another? Would Prifddinas have to be dismantled to restore her? Was there a way to do so without resorting to that? How long would the process take, and how much of it would the elves need her for? While she was busy helping put Seren back together, would spies break into her home? And would Coeli be alright while the conclave was in session?

“What about my griffin friend? She would never fit through the staircase even if the clan elders would allow her in.”

“She may have to wait outside the Tower, yes.” Eluned gave Coeli an apologetic look. “No one shall pester or harm her—I shall see to it!”

Jaina had to think carefully about which of the right words she knew before turning to Coeli again. “I’m being asked to go to a meeting of the elven leaders, and you would have to wait outside for me… will that trouble you too much?”

Coeli looked uncertain. “You stay safe there? I not let any harm come to little ones!”

“I’m sure it will be safe, yes,” Jaina said, nodding. “And not that long either, I hope!”

Eluned eyed them oddly. “Strange that your griffin does not seem to know the common tongue, despite being able to speak.”

“She is very old and wise, but she’s also not had contact with other creatures for many years,” Jaina quickly explained, unsure if any of the elves knew anything about Infernal or remembered the empire. “She’s rather worried about my safety!”

“Well, you know neither of you face danger here.” Eluned glanced over at the Tower of Voices. “We must hurry—I shall help you find her a place to wait!”

Jaina nodded and followed her towards the Tower, motioning for Coeli to follow as well. The griffin flew just above them, watching the purple-haired girl like a hawk the whole way.

~***~

“Well met, Jaina,” Arianwyn greeted, bowing his head. “I must confess I am pleased to see you—perhaps you can help us with this chaos?”

“You are the first human to attend such a conclave, young one,” Lord Crwys remarked, smiling thoughtfully. “How the times change…”

“And I see you are with child now!” Lord Amlodd chimed in, giving her a wink. “The baby’s in good hands—and I’m sure that the father-to-be is proud indeed!”

“How is the baby?” Lady Ithell asked. “How are you faring? Hmmm… Do human mothers have similar pregnancy-related conditions to those of elven mothers in the first place?”

“If you don’t mind,” Arianwyn said firmly, “we must save our congratulations and well-wishes regarding her pregnancy for later. There are important matters we must discuss immediately.”

The eight leaders nodded solemnly and proceeded to briefly go over the matter of the recent quakes and the question of restoring Seren, and then Lord Amlodd cleared his throat. “As is tradition, it shall be put to a vote, one voice emerging from many. Jaina, ordinarily only clan leaders are permitted to vote, although given the circumstances, we unanimously agree that you have earned the right. As our honored guest, you will cast the first vote—what say you?”

Jaina certainly didn’t see what good it would do to say no—based on what was going on, it seemed clear that Seren wanted to be whole once more. It certainly wouldn’t do any good for the goddess to stay shattered forever anyway—being in pieces like that couldn’t be good for her mind, and the shattered fragment of Seren’s consciousness nearby had indicated that rather well the few times she’d come up here to see it.

“Seren should be reformed,” she replied. “That seems to be her wish, and it’s high time it happened anyway; most of the other gods have already returned, and she can’t stay in pieces forever.”

One by one the clan leaders stated their pieces, some of them arguing that Seren’s sacrifice should be honored, but the vote didn’t take long, and to Jaina’s relief, restoring Seren won out. The discussion then turned to what should be done first, which the leaders didn’t seem to have any concrete idea about—and Jaina certainly didn’t either. She could only listen quietly and silently pray that a solution could be found sooner rather than later.

“Enough squabbling!” Lady Trahaearn finally snapped. “I may have a solution—a little farfetched, perhaps, but desperate times call for desperate measures. The ancient elves of my clan once smithed an artifact imbued with the power to manipulate time!”

Jaina straightened up immediately. “You mean the Enchanted Key? I—well, I might happen to have it…”

“You do?”  Lady Trahaearn’s age-worn face seemed to light up curiously. “That certainly is a twist of fate. Do you have it with you now?”

“Actually, I keep it in a safe place in my home—I’ll have to go and get it!” The adventurer smiled awkwardly, blushing a little.

“Indeed, because I’ll need to modify it to get you where you need to go,” Lady Trahaearn stated flatly, nodding. “Don’t get sidetracked on your way to get it!”

“Be cautious when you use it!” Lord Iorwerth warned. “Time is not something to be trifled with, especially when you carry a child.”

Jaina felt her stomach clench sharply at that. “Yes, I’ll… I’ll return shortly…”

She pulled a house teletab out of her bag as she hurried down the staircase, her hands shaking a little. “We’re going to go somewhere far away,” she whispered to her stomach. “A different kind of far away, no less… I promise I won’t do anything stupid while we’re there! I won’t let anything happen to you!”

As she broke the teletab, she offered a silent prayer to Zaros to grant her courage and guide her path, if he could still watch over her at whatever point in time she would find herself in.