She listened to him as he talked and nodded her head knowingly, “Aeolis, life is not always about our consequences. Yes, we must face the results of our choices, but sometimes, if the will is strong enough, the consequences of our actions can be altered, by making new choices.”

She smiled and genuinely enjoyed the rest of their evening. They chatted and laughed together, enjoying the company of the other. When he finally stood up to get a room she followed and gently placed her hand on the small of his back as they stood at the inn keepers desk. As they ascended the stairs and he took her hand she reciprocated, keeping up their illusion for the sake of those who might be watching. When they entered the room and he offered her the bed she nodded and spoke quietly, “My thanks to you Aeolis.”

She took her travel cloak off and hung it in the closet of the small room. She then removed her robes and hung them from a second hook in the closet. She lovingly touched them and turned looking at Aeolis, “These robes, they were my old robes from right after I passed the trials. I wore them for many, many years before getting a more ornate set as I moved up through the ranks. The events at Silvanost ruined those and I begrudgingly dug these out, not out of any sort of pride or anything, just, I don’t know, like a sword a magus robes become so part of who and what you are. Now that I have had them on a couple days they feel like an old friend has reentered my life.” She smiled and walked over to the bed, taking off the top blanket and handing it to Aeolis, “I will only need the sheet.”

She smiled and laid down in the bed, curling up under the sheet and quickly falling to sleep, the full meal which had followed the day’s events in the forest had finally caught up with her, and sleep was a welcome thing.

Kali woke and opened her eyes slowly, looking around the room she focused on Nol and smiled, he was posted on guard in the window, watching over the landscape. She whispered, “Nol, come here…” He turned and smiled, walking to the bedside and kneeling beside her. “How’d you sleep?” She smiled and touched her forehead to his, “Like a rock, I don’t even remember my dreams.” Nol smiled and tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear, looking into her eyes, “I am glad, you will need your strength today.”

She sat up and looked at him, the coming events suddenly flooding into her mind. She nodded her head and spoke, “Yes, I am, as is my mother.” Nol nodded and responded, “Yes, today will be a test of your will, and your resolve. You mother shall be tested too, but in a different matter, for her there is emotional connection to the place, and she will be tormented before this day is over.”

Kali swung her legs over the bedside and looked at him curiously, her eyes were digging into his looking for answers, and how he could possibly know all this. “How…”, He brought his finger up to her lips and pressed gently, “It is not the how, it’s the why. I don’t know the future, but I have insight. The future is not ‘knowable’ in the true sense of the word, but knowledge of what is to come, that is a different thing.” He smiled gently and embraced her in a hug. As he held her he whispered into her ear, “The outcome is unclear, and unknown, but I know you and your mother have the necessary strength. I cannot aid you in this task, but your father will most likely be the lynch pin to victory.”

She inhaled deeply and felt sadness regarding his words. She had assumed he would be there with them again as they faced this next challenge, but his words were still ringing in her ears. She looked at him and touched his face. “Go then, do what it is you need to take care of.” He smiled and responded, “Kali, it is not that I don’t want to, this is a matter of ancestral importance. This is your home, this is a task that can only be completed by the heirs, you will understand as events unfold. I promise you, I would be by your side if I could, but the wardings that have been placed on the Tower of Kells will prevent me from continuing past the outer hall.”

She felt her eyes well up and Rayann and Myth would be able to feel her emotions. She stood and embraced Nol, “Will you wait for me?” He held her tightly and whispered, “Until my death.” She began to sob, burying her face into his shoulder. After a few minutes of purging her emotions she pushed back and touched his cheek. “Go, I will see you tonight.” He nodded and spoke, “You are the bravest mortal I have ever met, gods be with you!” He leapt from the window and the silver flash of his scales appeared and he landed on the massive balcony on the top level of Glen Durel, he roared so loudly that the whole castle was shaken to its foundation. The landscape echoed back as his roar returned and he sent a missive to the whole family below him. ~ ”May the house of Padraig rise again!” ~

Kali felt the castle shake and her resolve strengthened. As she heard Nol’s missive she lifted her chin and snapped her outer robes under her throat, straightening them in the mirror. She looked at herself and sent a missive to Myth and Rayann they would hear the absolution in her voice, ~’Today we take back what is ours!!’ ~

Rayann had awaken as the first rays of light seeped into the bedroom she and Myth occupied. He had not come to bed for quite some time yesterday and she was certain he was strategizing about what he would need to do to aid his future wife and daughter. As laid there for a while watching him sleep. He was so peaceful looking when he slept and she found more solace than he would ever know as she watched his peaceful slumber.

Finally she eased her frame out of the bed so she wouldn’t disturb him and walked to the balcony that over looked the still dark lands of her childhood home. Rayann lost track of the countless mornings and evenings she would do this same thing, watching the sun rise or set, depending on what side of the castle she was on.

As the sun began to peek over he hills, she sighed softly and prepared herself for the day ahead. There was a sense of calm about her that had been missing the day before. Perhaps it was the fact she now knew how the family worked together. Perhaps it was just the fact she was home again, even though there was still a difficult trial ahead of them. Perhaps it was something else entirely. What ever the reason, Rayann knew that while this would be a difficult challenge, there was nothing they couldn’t conquer as long as they were with each other.

Choosing her normal attire of a soft tunic, soft leggings, the soft boots she always wore, Rayann took her time getting dressed. She had just slipped her leggings on when she heard Myth’s voice behind her.

“I see you are preparing for the day ahead, mel’amin.”

Smiling, she nodded as she felt him walk behind her and rest his hands on her shoulders then kiss the top of her head. Covering his hands with hers, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel the love he held for her and nodded.

~Yes. No need in waiting for the inevitable. Best to rise and meet the challenge head on so that way it’s behind us at the end of the day instead of staring us in the face.~

Myth’s smile increased and she turned to face him. Looking up at him she let her gaze settle on his as she reached up and toyed with the hair that fell over his shoulders. Rising up on her toes, she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to his for a moment. Reluctantly pulling away, she settled back down to the flats of her feet.

“I am beginning to think I am rubbing off on you”

Rayann smiled even more.

~And that is a bad thing how?~

Myth shook his head knowing there could be many arguments as to how that was bad but he knew she would only find an argument to everything he pointed out. Stepping away from her, he went about his own preparation for the day. As Rayann watched the warrior she loved with all her heart prepare for the day ahead, she felt her daughter and knew Kali had awakened. The emotions she felt from the girl was almost overwhelming and she took several deep breaths to calm herself and give Kali a sense of calm as well.

Hearing the dragon’s roar echo across the valley and feeling the castle shake, she knew why Kali’s emotions were so strong. Glancing out the window she saw the shining, silver scales of a dragon flying away and the missive from Nol. Glancing at Myth, who also felt their daughter’s emotions, they exchanged a knowing look with each other just as Kali’s voice came to them.

When Myth was done, he waited for Rayann to clasp her red robes at the base of her throat before walking with her from the bedroom. Today would be the day the Tower of Kells became hers. And with that, became Kali and Myth’s as well. Taking a deep breath, she knew Rorie would not make this easy and she knew he would most likely do things she would never knew he was capable of but Rayann also knew the Rorie she knew as a child was no longer there. Now there was only a bitter, hateful man full of vengeance for something she didn’t mean to happen.

Sending a missive to both Kali and Myth, she nodded.

~Today, a new era will begin for Glen Durel and the Tower of Kells~

Kali walked down into the greeting hall that was the main room as one entered the castle of Glen Durel. She stood in the silence and closed her eyes, feeling the room. Her grandfather and grandmother, two of the most powerful human magus to ever walk the face of Krynn used this as their home. She listened to the silence, trying to imagine the voices of her ancestors as they walked and talked in this large room. What were they like? Did they always speak kindly or was their harsh words, did they love each other or was it a marriage of convenience? She struggled but settled on the positive possibilities, she tried to remind herself that her mother was the product of these two, but then she remembered that Rorie was too. Her mind reeled at the thought of choosing our own destiny, but how our circumstances can alter those choices.

She let her mind go free; this was the moment of truth, the time she too would have to make a choice. Her path was steered for her since she was only a few months old; her uncle had stolen her ability to make her first real choices. He had set her on a dark path of anger and hatred. He had taught her to avoid compassion and mercy, to kill as the whim possessed you and to seek revenge above all things. He had lied and told her that Rayann was the murderer, not the victim. She opened her eyes and stared at the door which she knew lead to the underground passage that would bring her to the Tower of Kells. She inhaled deeply, feeling the magic around her and processing the new decisions she would soon be making. Neutrality was the motive, but at what cost would neutrality be purchased? Would she die today? Would her Mother or Father? It was easy to say ‘no’, for if Rayann or Myth’alas died then she would never be, but she was the product of a warped timeline… so in a way if she died, she would be reborn.

She stared at the door intently, seeking the center of the scenario. What if neutrality could only be achieved by her death? Could there be two Kali’s? If she lived while her own self lived, would that cause imbalance in the magic around them. She knew she was a talented mage; few had accomplished in their whole life what she had done as a very young woman. She had so much life still to live, and her path seemed so clouded to her, perhaps this was because her path ended here, today, after they retook the tower. Perhaps it was because she wasn’t supposed to focus on anything more than right now. Her breathing slowed and she focused. Nothing mattered but neutrality, only balance in the magic of Krynn was important, and the stakes were too high.

She stared at the door, her mother and father were coming down the stairs behind her, she could hear them as they made their way to the main level. She focused and gently closed her mind to her parents for the briefest of moments, she settled her thoughts, preparing to face the possibility of death, but this time, it was harder. She had always known death was a possibility whenever she went into battle, but this time, she had love in her life. She could feel the love of her parents, even as they approached she could feel their thoughts and how they centered on her. She felt Nol, circling high above Kells, waiting for her as he promised he would. She felt a solitary tear roll down her cheek as she opened her eyes and stared at the door, for the first time she faced death, but hoped it would not come to her, for the first time she was about to face her adversary with the intent to live.