Onward

 Onward

     She meets up with the Keep Master and Siren, and together they walk back through the Castle to the top of the 'Wall'. As they step out into an icy wind driving the snow from further north in its grasp, Iriisii feels the 'Cold Death' waking as a result of her denying him his soldiers.

     Siren: "He is waking up, and his anger has been stirred by your action."

     Iriisii: "I take responsibility, there was no way I was going to leave their souls enslaved to him."

     Siren: "I was not criticizing your action, I agree with why you did it. But we are here and he is waking. What will you do?"

     Iriisii: "Reaper?!"

     Reaper responds using a voice portal.

     Reaper: "Yes, mother."

     Iriisii: "Are all of the people gathered in the Krang?"

     Reaper: "All that is left are where you are. All others have been picked up and settled."

     Iriisii: "There are no more here, all were dead. I have freed their souls to be taken to the 'Final Gate'. Can you open a portal back to the Krang?"

     Reaper: "Something is interfering. Warping the area, causing a portal to go unstable."

     Iriisii: "Not to worry, I have other ways to get aboard. I will be there soon."

     Keep Master: "How are we to leave, now that we are the only ones left?"

     Iriisii: "Custodian?!"

     Custodian: "Goddess, how may I serve?"

     Iriisii: "Something is warping space around my position, preventing a portal from being created. Can you open a door from me to the Krang?"

     Custodian: "I will need to link to the Krang's power to push through the interference, but once I do, it will be no problem."

     Iriisii: "I will await your door then, you have my thanks, Custodian."

     Keep Master: "Who is this Custodian?"

     Iriisii: "He controls my Fortress on the Edge of Time. I have not the words to describe what he is, but I rely on him and his ability to manage my fortress. It is a wonderous place, full of secrets and I love spending time there."

     Siren: "You have possession of one of the 'Timeless Fortresses'?"

     Iriisii: "Yes. The Custodian accepted me as its owner when I had occasion to visit it when I was working on a task."

     Siren: "Then you should know there are four others scattered about Reality. If you come across any of the others and they as well accept you. You can merge them together, increasing the size and area they cover, but their capabilities are also increased from what they have as a single Fortress."

     Iriisii: "Then I shall have to look for them in my travels."

     The winds grow stronger and colder. It seems the 'Cold Death' approaches to see who has defied its wishes. Iriisii can sense it, and uses her 'third eye' to peer through the storm and look upon this enemy. There it is, still some way off, but taller than most, even the giants she has encountered, but the 'Wall' still makes it look like a dwarf. And then a door slides up from the icy stone of the top of the 'Wall'. 

     As it opens, she sees a very different scene than what she expected. What she sees is a verdant forest world, with some patches of open meadows, lakes, and streams. The breeze flowing from the door is warm, and the scent of the forest is inviting. Then she hears a voice she never thought to hear again call to her.

     Forestal: "Dragon Goddess, please enter and escape, it is not yet time for the 'Cold Death' to face you. Bring your companions with you, and let the 'Cold Death' remain behind, alone, in silence, until it is time for it to face you."

     Iriisii: "Come, let us go through, I know the voice within and it is one I call a friend."

     The three pass through the door and as it closes, Iriisii can hear the shout of anger, raging through the storm on the other side, before the door closes and cuts it off. The door fades and Iriisii looks around, finding the Forestal with a smile of pleasure on his face at seeing her once more. She walks up to him and wraps her arms as far as they will go around his trunk, as he wraps his limbs around her, gently raising her to his shoulders.

     Forestal: "It is indeed good to see you once more. It has been a long time, but as you can see I have been busy."

     Iriisii: "Indeed, I never expected to see such a sight that could make me wish never to leave its view."

     Forestal: "You honor me with your praise."

     Iriisii: "As I gazed through the 'door', the joy I felt. Your work here is worthy of all the praise I can give to it."

     Forestal: "But I forget there were others with you."

     As he sets eyes on the Siren, recognition comes over him.

     Forestal: "Welcome to my new home, Child of the Echoes of Kithariaol. It has been too long for even me to remember when last we met. It is good to see you survived the cataclysm."

     Siren: "I greet you, Father of the Eternal Forest, I too wondered if any of your kin survived when I saw Telios and could not see a sign of your presence. I can feel your brothers and sisters out there. To know you and yours still live is a blessing of the Ageless Ones. But I was not the only one to survive, two of my sisters went with me, and others are still scattered across Reality, although there are very few of us left of what was."

     Forestal: "I share your sorrow over the loss, if not for the Dovahkiin and her aid to my daughter, I would have stayed and likely died. The others would also have stayed and so we would have met our ending, but such was not to be, for the 'Mother' sent her child to us. Saved the life of my child, and in doing so saved the rest of us as well."

     Iriisii then knows what she must do. She reaches into that secret place and brings out another young crystal tree, its roots still wrapped in soil. Once it comes out, it begins singing.

     Forestal: "What is this?!"

     Iriisii: "A gift, from your daughter. Once her young ones were spread across all the Realms until as they began their slide into darkness and chaos, they were hunted. Your daughter protected herself by moving herself into the Dreamlands, to the Gardens of Elysia, where I met her for the first time."

     Forestal: "So when you healed her was not the first time you had met her?"

     Iriisii: "No, it was not. But in my future, many years from this time, she will be freed again to go where she will. And her young ones will once more be spread across all of Reality. I give one unto you, your grandson as we count family relations. Give him a good place, and as he grows, he will be able to give you news of what goes on out there, as well as pass your words on to your daughter, and pass her words back to you."

     Forestal: "There is nothing I hold that is valuable enough to give in recompense for this gift."

     Iriisii: "Take this." And hands him another bag, this one of the nameless white flowers, "plant it in the meadows, and as it spreads, the breezes will carry the scent everywhere, It comes from the secret Garden of Kyne, she who is Goddess of the Air, and the Hunt on my homeworld. She who made me her Thunderchild and Champion, and whom I still honor as I grow among the Celestials. Her promise is that wherever her flower grows, wherever its scent travels, there peace will reign."

     Forestal: "Another gift of such worth."

     Iriisii: "Seeing how you have prospered since we last parted is recompense enough for me."

     Forestal: "Come with me, refresh yourselves, and rest. There is nothing here you need fear, and many have heard me speak of you, and would like to meet you."

     Iriisii: "I would be honored, for this brings back so many treasured memories, memories of places I have been and of the home I left a lifetime ago."

     Days pass in this idyllic world, many are the Forestal Kin she has met, all of them eager to meet her. Even as she listens to their tales, she drinks in a sense of peace and belonging to the place. Then one day she knows it is time to return to the Krang. For now, it is time to go on the final leg of the hunt to find Kathea.

     She does not know what she is going to see when she starts out once more in the Dreamlands. But before she goes, she wants one night to sleep next to Brii, to sense the eggs within, to wonder about how many there will be, and what personalities will the young dragonlings show. The anticipation is already gnawing at her, but first things first. The time to be with the eggs hatching will come when it comes, she will not hurry it.

     The morning comes bright, and warm, with a sweet breeze softly blowing. She gives her goodbyes to the many friends she has made here, promising to come back when she can. She walks into the nearest meadow and seeks the Krang with her mind.

     Iriisii: "Reaper, can you open a portal for me, please?"

     Reaper: "Indeed, this is the farthest I have ever done so, but the path is clear and strong."

     A few moments more and the portal opens, she looks to Siren and the Keep Master.

     Iriisii: "Ready?"

     They both nod their heads and Iriisii starts walking through, the others following close behind. The other two Sirens crowd their sister asking her what happened, and so they go off to recount their experiences. The Keep Master is looking around and cannot hide the awe he feels and what his eyes behold.

     Iriisii: "I shall have to take you to the observation deck, then you will truly see a vista stunning as nothing else." 

     She is then swamped by her mates, wanting to know what happened, she calms them down and simply says they will get the whole story soon. She calls Willem over from where he had been passing by and introduces him.

     Iriisii: "Willem, this is..."

     Keep Master: "Torrence Sikes."

     Iriisii: "Thank you, Willem, this is Torrence Sikes, our newest Herald. Torrence, Willem is my First Herald. Would you go with him, and he will introduce you to the children. You will see why I ask this when you meet them. Willem, show him where he can sleep, and where everything is, then later you can begin to show him the ropes, and explain what his task will be. Thank you."

     Willem: "Of course, Goddess. Torrence, If you would be so kind as to follow me, I will get you settled. There is still more than enough time to understand our task. Likely we will train others as they appear.

     Torrence: "Where did she find you from?"

     Willem sighs, "that is a long unpleasant story. We will get to that later when we can sit down and drink."

     Iriisii: "The time has come to go after Kathea. We will need to prepare ourselves for this. But we will find her, we will rescue her, we will bring her home. But right now I need to see Brii, I have a promise to keep."

     

     Iriisii walks into the replica of the Caldera Temple and on down to where the magma pool lay bubbling and fuming, spreading its heat into the entire cavern. The walk brings back so many memories of what happened that day and night. Of claiming the egg with Aleytys inside, of with Rigmor, laying bloody hand palms on the egg surface. Letting the scent seep into the pores of the eggshell and Aleytys recognizing the scent as that of her parents.

     And then having to run back to the surface to deal with the Thalmor that had come to steal the egg and use it to leverage Iriisii as she sat on the throne. The Thalmor found she was not a ruler without knowing how to plan and utilize her assets, both living and not.

     They had been met with Letho armed with the Chaos Sword, 'Altima', who dropped from the back of the dragon, Durnehviir, high in the air above the Thalmor. And when he hit the rock floor of the caldera, the sword transformed the kinetic energy of the fall into a force wave that ripped through the unsuspecting Thalmor party, hit the walls of the caldera, and bounced back through them again.

     By the time Iriisii, Rigmor, the few soldiers she brought with her, and the Temple Monks made it to the surface, all that was left was mopping up. What happened after was another story altogether. She walks into the cavern and sees Brii curled up, asleep, on a flat ledge near the magma pool. She makes her way among some of the stone pillars made from stalagmites and stalactites joining and forming those pillars, becoming supports keeping the cavern roof aloft.

     She walks over to Brii, and settles herself within her coiled body, against where she feels the mass of eggs resting, absorbing the heat through Brii's body. Then she drifts off to sleep, even as Brii adjusts her position a little to better support Iriisii's body, and then settles herself back down into deep dreaming sleep.

     Iriisii finds herself on a grassy plain, a few tall climbing clouds floating in the sky.

A good breeze rustled the grass seed pods and carried the scent of prey in her direction. She hears movement in the grass off to her left, and as she looks, she sees the dragonlings spread out and moving through toward a herd of deer. They are well hidden so she cannot count how many there are, but it is a fair number. More than the four she is sure of, maybe as many as a dozen.

     She tries to find Brii and then sees her back behind a line of trees. Approving her position, if she were in the grass, she would be seen by the deer who would run. Making it far more difficult for the dragonlings to take down any for their dinner. As the first one is dropped to the ground, the deer ready themselves to flee, but for those chosen as dinner, it is too late as they find themselves caught in the dragonlings' jaws. Their fellows running, leaving them to their fate, to be hunted on another day.

     Iriisii waits until the dragonlings have eaten their fill before approaching them. When she does they come forward and gather around her. Even though they do not recognize her human form, they do know her power signature and know she is one of their parents. Brii comes over as well, as most of them climb and crawl over her.

     The four who hold the souls of the Draconic Divines stay close to Iriisii. She feels the presence of those souls and their desire to speak with her. As she touches them, she opens herself to them and lets their essence speak.

     Draconic Divines: "There are not enough thanks that we can give to you for what you have done for us. You have not only given us back to Reality but created a whole new subrace of dragons. These brothers and sisters will be the vanguard of a new Epoch in the history of the Dragon species. They will share to an extent your abilities that will place them in positions of great power among their peers.

     They will be the means by which the plan you wished for, that all the Realms live in peace, prosperity, and justice for all races will come about. Yet, by what you have done, you have sealed your position as Mother of All Dragons, none can say otherwise now. And that you are the first Scion of the Draconic Divines, and our mother as well. You stand above all Dragons in all of the Realms.

     We give to you the full power of Creation itself, for we know you will use it wisely. When you reach the place where we were, remember it is still a part of where we came from. Where Dream and Reality were intermixed and not separate. Know it in your heart, mind, and soul, and you will do well. It was not intended to be a prison for any but us. Those who are still there, are yours to decide whether or not they should stay.

     We have decided that when we have grown, we will go back home, to our beginnings. These Realms will be yours to watch over and we know you are the right one to do this. You have proven you have the heart and soul needed for this task. Your path upward is still not over, it is not for us to say how much farther you should go. But however much more you climb, we wish you well, Mother of All Dragons."

     She lets them join their brothers and sisters as they run in the grass, each trying to outdo the others in finding a new scent, or some other new discovery they can examine or play with. 

     Brii: "Thank you for coming to sleep with us and joining us in this dream. They know you and me as their parents and they are happy with that knowledge. Many of the young ones only know their mother, never knowing the father or what he could teach them. They do not care that we are both females, they know you fill the role of father, and they are joyful that they know us both. I saw the 'four' speaking to you, may I ask what they said?"

     Iriisii recalls their conversation with Brii.

     Brii: "Indeed you are honored for what has transpired, and I to have shared this with you."

     Iriisii: There is more that I can feel, and now it begins to make sense."

     Brii: "What more do you feel?"

     Iriisii: "The language on the scroll that I spoke to summon the 'Divines' although written in Dovahzul, the language was another, far older one. I believe it is Draconic, and it is so much richer and more detailed in what can be expressed. I can feel the two together, and if properly used, can create more ways for me to use my power. Ways I have never considered before, and wonder if some of the mysteries I have seen could be traced to that binding."

     Brii: "Mayhap you are right, see where it takes you, love. And now you will live in my heart forevermore."

     Iriisii smiles, the sunlight growing a little brighter, the winds a little cooler. The air itself was a little fresher, with more wildflowers springing up from the ground. The nearby streams and brooks babbling a little louder, the fish in the streams and brooks, jumping over the rocks their tails splashing water. Life speaks to her soul, quietly and gently, letting her see through the dream what could be if she so wished for it.

     Iriisii: "I just want for this time to go on, even if only for a little while longer. How I have longed for the peace and joy I feel right now. I want to share it with everyone everywhere!"

     And in that moment of crystal clarity, a soft gentle feeling wafts its way across the Dreamlands. Touching all that it meets, sharing with all that will accept. Everywhere the effects are felt, the purring of the Cats of Ulthar drowned out all other sounds. Bast herself coming out of her Temple to stroll amongst the wooded fields. In Illek Vad, people walked the streets calling on friends and family, the children laughing and playing games.

     In other cities, the general mood lightens, and music and singing can be heard coming from the taverns. And in one specific Inn and Tavern, a little girl smiles and laughs, playing with a kitten, dragging a string on the ground while the kitten chases it. Her parents watched with joy in their hearts remembering how close they came to losing her if not for a wandering lady, a scholar of Ilek Vad, and an Elder of Ulthar.

     And in the Gardens of Elysia, a tiny crystal leaf breaks through the soil to reach to the sunlight. It feels what is moving through the Dreamlands, is empowered by it. Even as it stretches to reach higher and higher, to add its song to the gentle wind that passes by. Those who still frequent the Gardens, walk by and hear the soft musical chiming. They search and find it, and stand amazed that here where once 'She Who Watches All' once stood, here is another of her kind springing up from the soil."

     Iriisii begins to hear just the barest whisper of her name being called. It is so distant even with her augmented hearing she cannot make out what it is. 

     Iriisii: "Brii, I hear an almost inaudible whisper of my name on the winds from the void between Realms. Can you help me bring it to where I can hear it better?"

     Brii: "Of course, let me join my mind with yours."

     As they do that, the whisper grows just enough to be heard. Iriisii hears her name, interposed with sobs and crying, with the taunting of disbelief coming from a different source being directed at the one calling. This is why it was so faint.

     Brii: "Love, you must go and see to this little one who so fervently calls for you. She is overwhelmed by the disbelief of others, yet her strength is amazing in that not only can she pierce through the disbelief around her, but she can reach you even here. She is incredibly distant, yet even there she knows of you. Go to her, see what is needed, and help her who so obviously wishes to be a child of your heart. Ride the wings of her faith in you, I will let the others know what is happening so that we will be ready if you need us."

     Iriisii: "Thank you, my love, I wish I could stay but you know as well as I that when my children call I must answer."

     Brii: "Of course, now go. This would not have reached you if it were not important. You can join us again once you have returned."

     Iriisii gathers herself, separates the thread of the whisper, and lets it draw her to its source. She starts within the closest of her 'Arcane Towers' that have been erecting themselves across the Dreamlands since she built the first one near Ilek Vad. Using it, she portals to the farthest one in the direction the whisper is coming from. It is still an almost unknown distance away but she senses that this is the clearer path and thanks to the rules here she does not have to breach Realms, for the Dreamlands of all the Realms are connected here. 

     Even for her it takes time to make her way across the many varied Dreamlands, but still following the whisper thread, she sends her own response.

     Iriisii: "I am coming, my child, do not give up. I will be with you soon."

     The dreamlands she crosses now are ones no one else from the ones she is familiar with has ever traversed. She sees wonders previously undreamed by any she has met and spoken with. And her presence is a beacon of such intensity, her light casts shadows on the ground as she passes over. The inhabitants remark and point her out as she flies by, wondering who and what she is.

     She herself begins to wonder that if she is so far beyond the bounds of her Realms, how did the one who is calling her know she even existed, much less that she could be called by one who believed in her. One more question to explore the answer to when she arrives.

     She has no idea how much time has passed, for time she well knows is relative to not only each of the Dream Lands that she has passed through but between the Dream Lands and their counterpart 'Waking Worlds' as well. But she thinks that in this case, at least, the aggregate time flow is balanced such that little time has been experienced from when the whisper was sent and when she arrived in this Realm's waking world.

     She finds herself in some kind of garden, park, maybe a children's playground, or a combination of all three. It is large in size, sectioned off into areas for different purposes. She sees the little girl who called her, standing as a group of other children are running away from her. She is crying, and the sound of her sobs reaches Iriisii and twists her heart. She looks to see if there is a parent nearby but does not see an adult. 

     She walks over to the girl and kneels before her.

     Iriisii: "Excuse me, but may I ask what the problem is? I saw the other children running away from you. Will you tell me what they said that has upset you so?"

     Hannah: "They do not believe me when I told them about the Goddess Iriisii. I saw moving pictures of her on one of my father's inventions. He calls it a 'Farseeing Device'. He says he built it to read signals he has detected out in the deep sky, where there is no air. He let me watch with him and we spoke about what kind of pictures we saw.

     We could only understand a word or two, here or there, but Father is working on that, using what we do know to help with the others. Names we can see and understand, even if most of the other words we do not understand. I know she is real, I just know it. I sometimes feel I can reach out and touch her through the picture. I know she could help if I could just reach her."

     Iriisii: "What do you need her help with?"

     Hannah: "You would not believe me if I told you, no one believes me. They think my father is teaching me to be a 'crackpot' just like they think he is. But he is not a 'crackpot', he is not!"

     A new flood of tears comes from Hannah's eyes, running in a river down her face.

     Iriisii: "I believe you."

     Hannah: "You mean that, you really believe me?!"

     Iriisii: "Yes, I do. There is so much more out there than most people even consider that might be real. They think that if it is not where they can see it, touch it, feel it, it must not be real. They are wrong, that is not how reality works. Now would you tell me what it is that worries you so much you would reach out to her for help?"

     Hannah: "It is a different set of signals, my father found. When he figured out how to 'see' them...it was horrible. The things that we saw, the things they did, my father took me out of the room and told me to forget what I saw. But there is no forgetting what I saw."

     Iriisii: "Shhhh, it will be all right, I promise. Could you take me to your Father? I think I need to talk to him about what he saw in his 'Farseeing Device'."

     Hannah: "You know something about what he saw, don't you?"

     Iriisii: "I will not know for sure until I can talk to him. Then if we have seen the same things, I may be able to help."

     Hannah: "Follow me and I will take you to him, don't listen to the others. They don't know, or maybe they do, they just do not want us to know."

     Iriisii: "Ok, I will follow you, do not worry about the others. When I make my mind up about something, it is very hard to make me change it."

     Hannah takes Iriisii's hand and leads her across the gentle grassy slopes and flats until they get to a stone walkway. Hannah turns onto it, and Iriisii can see the buildings that it leads to. In between, there is a raised platform of stone, where there is a man speaking loudly to a group of people listening to what he is saying.

     Hannah: "That is one of the others I spoke about. They try and convince everyone that passes by that they know everything about everything. They talk about holding some kind of communion service, whatever that is, in one of the ampi...ampi, a big gathering place on the other side of our homes. They say it is going to happen in about six or seven days from now."

     Iriisii nods her head and they continue on their way. As they get closer to the 'speaker', she gets the feeling of someone watching her. Letting her own senses open up but not actively searching, she narrows the feeling down to a few of the people in the crowd listening to the speaker. She deliberately makes no attempt to identify them, not wanting to draw attention to herself as they pass by. She does take note of what the speaker is talking about and embeds it into her memory to look at it later when she can.

     As they pass by and continue on, the feeling of being watched lessens and then is gone. It seems the watchers have someone else to focus their attention on now. She sends out as narrow a searching sense as she can to see who has drawn the others' attention and if it could be someone she needs to contact later.

     She 'sees' that it is a male, ordinary, nondescript, but the others are agitated nonetheless by his being nearby. He senses her own attempt and before he turns toward her, she mindspeaks.

     Iriisii: 'They have drawn their attention away from me for now, please do not send them back toward me, if you please.'

     Trevore: 'If you are this powerful to speak with me and hide from them, what do you care if they know of you or not?"

     Iriisii: "I am not alone. I am accompanied by a child, a little girl, and I do not want their attention on her. She could be very important, depending on what I can find out about what is going on.'

     Trevore: 'And just what is going on that is your concern?'

     Iriisii: 'Not certain yet, but something smells very bad here and if it could be what I suspect...well, you will need my help to fight it.'

     Trevore: 'Better to stay out of it. I and the local government can take care of this.'

     Iriisii: 'Not if it is what I suspect. If it is, you will be washed away in the first wave.'

     Trevore: 'Wait, what do you know?'

     Iriisii: 'Like I said, right now nothing more than a bad feeling. But I have learned to take these seriously when I get them. But this goes beyond just this area or even this world. If it is what I suspect, it is a threat to existence itself, and no one here has a chance of doing anything about it.'

     Trevore: 'And you do?'

     Iriisii: "It would explain how and why I was called.'

     Trevore: 'Just who are you?'

     Iriisii: 'Someone not of this world, someone from beyond this universe. A very, very long way from here as even cosmological distances are calculated. Let me say this, for now if I am right, I am one of maybe a handful in all of existence that can deal with this problem, mainly because I have dealt with it in other areas. And so that is likely why they have chosen to conduct their activities so far from where I am from.'

     Trevore: 'Do you know how what you are saying sounds?"

     Iriisii: 'Yes, I do. But if they are who I think, what they do here is but a springboard to return to my area of responsibility and attempt to overwhelm me and mine with numbers. If that is indeed what they plan, it will involve more than just this world. It would explain why they come so far, they need the distance to gather the numbers they need before word of their activities would reach my ears. If not for someone using this child to reach out to me, it would be too late.'

     Trevore: 'Again, who are you?'

     Iriisii: 'A friend and ally. Right now that is all you need to know. And before you ask again, be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.'

     Trevore: 'What is that supposed to mean?'

     Iriisii: 'Hmmmm, let us just say that you might live in interesting times.'

     Trevore: 'What is this, a guessing game?'

     Iriisii: 'There are two paths of thought on both of the things I said. One is that they are blessings, the other is that they are curses, take your pick. What they are depends on your experience and viewpoint, but both are very true statements. If you doubt my words, speak to any scientists/philosophers you may have here who are involved in the field of Quantum Mechanics but ask them to keep their answers short. Otherwise, you will still be discussing it when the next millennium rolls by.'

     Trevore: 'If I need to find you, how can I?'

     Iriisii: 'Leave a red flower where you are standing now. Check back as you can, if I see it, I will leave a white one with instructions on where to find me.'

     Trevore: 'Aren't you being a bit overly cryptic?'

     Iriisii: 'I will not jeopardize this little girl's life or that of her family. She is infinitely precious as all life is, but hers is moreso, trust me on this. Later, after you shake your tails.'

     Trevore: "Tails?'

     Iriisii: 'Yes, the two who are following you, one about a hundred feet back of you, the other watching both of you from the left side about three hundred feet away from you. Maybe more, if I extend my senses more they could sense it and track me. I would have to do something unpleasant if that happened.'

     Trevore: 'Need I ask?'

     Iriisii: 'Depends.'

     Trevore: 'On what?'

     Iriisii: 'On whether it would be better if they have an accident, or if they just disappear completely. And no, I am not an assassin, well, truthfully not anymore. I was trained as one, a long time ago, some things you never forget.'

     Trevore: 'Why are you telling me all this about you?'

     Iriisii: 'Better you find out now, than later. Now you can decide if you wish to go forward, or back away and forget me entirely.'

     Trevore: "Which would you tell me to do?'

     Iriisii: 'Ask me again if we ever meet. And no, I am not leading you on even if it seems so. I have a lot of explaining to do when I get back as it is. No way am I going to explain another little lost puppy following me home.'

     Trevore: "So that is what I am to you? A little lost puppy, is that it?'

     Iriisii: 'You have to know the context. Look, forget I said any of this. I am married to multiple partners and I do not need to be dragging another possible, home to meet everyone. Especially since the last one I turned away ended up marrying one of my daughters, and the last one I married is a dragon. And I am not being figurative here, my last mate is a real live dragon! In fact, I was sleeping with her when I heard the whisper that brought me here. And I was having such a nice dream too.'

     Trevore: 'Now that has possibilities! Tell me more.'

     Iriisii: 'You are incorrigible! I probably should take you back with me, maybe one of the others would like a go with you, maybe...no, hell no, not in a million years.'

     Trevore: 'Who? Now you have my interest piqued.'

     Iriisii: 'No, not now, not ever! Not going to happen! Besides we have other issues to deal with right now. You might not make it through the near term and so it will not matter.'

     Trevore: 'You wound me!'

     Iriisii: 'Not me, you idiot, those two tailing you are closing in. I cannot tell if they mean to kill you or capture you. You had better hope they mean to kill you, that is quicker and cleaner than otherwise.'

     Trevore: 'Don't worry about me, I can handle two of them with no problem.'

     Iriisii: 'Good then. SHIT!'

     Trevore: 'What?'

     Iriisii: 'RUN! NOW! Go to your right about thirty degrees and run like your tail is on fire. I will intercept, keep going till you see Hannah, and stay with her if you want to live. MOVE IT!'

     Iriisii: "Hannah, I need you to climb up into this tree. If you see a man running toward you alone. Call out to him, his name is Trevore. I have asked him to stay with you while I deal with some who are trying to catch him. Don't worry, I will be back once I have dealt with this."

     Hannah: "OK, be safe, please!"

     Iriisii: "Nothing is going to happen to me, I am an old hand at this, now up you go!"

     Iriisii holds her up to where she can climb up onto the lower branches.

     Iriisii: "Climb up into the leaves, do not call out unless he is alone, ok?"

     Hannah: "Ok", and clambers up into a mass of leafy branches.

     Iriisii: "Good girl, I will be back soon."

     Iriisii summons her armor and Dai Katana, while Hannah whispers, "you're her, you're Iriisii, you came like you said you would in the pictures."

     Iriisii smiles, "yes, I am, you called, I heard you and I came. Now stay up there for now and I will come back and get you."

     Iriisii turns and whispers another summoning. Her boots are changed out for her pair of 'Boots of Springheel Jack' and she then takes off at a run so fast, Hannah loses sight of her in just a few seconds.

     Hannah whispers, "wow, she is fast."

     Iriisii is running all out, with every speed augmentation she has. There Trevore is in sight, but his pursuers are catching up. She could use the 'Slow Time' shout but decides not. No need to advertise her presence until she is ready. She drops into a battle trance and shifts her footfall to just the balls of her feet. She leans into the air as it seems to anticipate her and parts just ahead of her fleet form.

     She streaks past Trevore and draws 'Wanderer', the first of the pursuers barely noticing her presence as his upper torso separates from his lower. He continues on for a few more strides until his halves separate and fall to the ground. The next ones behind try to stop but end up with their flat-soled shoes sliding in the grass with their momentum. The same momentum that places their necks in line with the horizontal swing that frees those heads from the rest of their bodies.

     Now for the real trouble, as the last two pursuers leap up into the air, climbing to about fifteen feet off the ground as they pass over her. She takes 'Wanderer' and handles it like a spear. Placing her hand back from the mid-weight point, she keeps her eyes on the one she wants to hit and throws in a smooth, fluid cast. 'Wanderer' takes him between the vertebrae of his back, slicing through every other organ in front of it as it comes out of the gut of one of the flying pair.

     Now flying along the grass herself she grasps 'Wanderer' as she passes. The blade slides out as easily as it slid in. The blood channels along the blade's length allowing the withdrawal to defeat the natural suction effect a blade without such channels would be held fast by. The last is too far for another throw, and she did not wish to risk it. She sees an opportunity present itself as if tailor-made for her. 

     Trevore passed by the shadow of a stone and metal statue standing in the grass. The last pursuer is still behind as she spots another shadow just to her left. She utters an opening call and dives headfirst into the first shadow, her body completely disappearing into the ground if there was anyone close by to see. She slides back up into the light from the second shadow, in front of the last pursuer. Grinning as he tries to backpedal and his feet become tangled up, he falls forward and stops just where he sees the edge of Wanderer's blade before his eyes.

     Iriisii: "You want to tell me just what is going on here?"

     Pursuer: "Why? You are not letting me live anyway."

     Iriisii: "There is dying, and then there is dying. How you die and how long it takes is your choice. But I will learn what I want to know regardless."

     The pursuer then decides since he does not have to worry about those he is working for putting him through torture just for the fun of it before dying, he tells her all that he knows. Once he is done, true to her word, 'Wanderer' punches through his heart, withdraws, and then slices through his neck, his head falling first, then his body. Iriisii slings the blood from 'Wanderer' and gently slides him back into his sheath. She then turns back around to where Trevore has witnessed everything.

     Iriisii: "You heard what he said?"

     Trevore: "Yes, I did. Thank you for getting that out before you killed him."

     Iriisii: "You're welcome."

     Trevore: "What about the bodies? If the locals find them..."

     Iriisii: "No problem."

     She concentrates her will, gathers all of the bodies, and telekinetically brings them to her. She then compresses them into a spherical mass and whispers a word. From the shadow where she had come back from the shadow realms, a dark, smoking dragonlike snout rises up and gulps the bodies down. It then turns to Iriisii and nods to her before slipping back into the shadow and was gone.

     Iriisii: "You really don't want to know."

     Trevore: "You're right."

     Iriisii: "You might as well come with me now, they seem to have you marked. Let's go pick up Hannah."

     In silence, they walk back to the tree where Iriisii boosted Hannah into its branches.

     Iriisii: "Hannah, it is ok for you to come down."

     The branches rustle and a few leaves fall. When Iriisii sees Hannah's feet, she raises her arms and grabs her as she drops from the branch. Iriisii sets her down softly on the ground.

     Iriisii: "Hannah, this is Trevore, Trevore, this is Hannah."

     Trevore: "But what is your name?"

     Hannah: "This is Iriisii. I am sorry I do not know how to pronounce the rest."

     Iriisii: "Dovahkiin, it is fine Hannah. You did good learning how to call me in the first place."

     Trevore: "Dovahkiin?"

     Iriisii: "It means 'Dragonborn'."

     Tremore: "Then you were not kidding?"

     Iriisii: "No, I was not. Although the word means a little bit different than what you are thinking."

     Tremore: "Oh?"

     Iriisii: "Yes, my mother was not a dragon. But she did carry dragonblood within her, as did my father. It was not until that blood was enabled by the Blessing of Akatosh that I became Dovahkiin. And so I am acknowledged by dragons within all the Realms as 'Mother of All Dragons'. The first Dovahkiin to reach that status, ever."

     Tremore: "Just many of you are there?"

     Iriisii: "One at a time, except for one special instance, well there are more now, but I was almost the last. All the others now are my children. I am sure there will be others later, as the bloodlines are rediscovered."

     Tremore: "If there are other bloodlines, why were you to be the last?"

     Iriisii: "You ask a lot of questions."

     Tremore: "If I don't I will never learn anything."

     Iriisii: "True, ok, I was to be the last, because my home was to be invaded by Tsaesci. If I did not win the fight, for humankind, it would be over. Needless to say, I did win, not without a high cost, but I did win. And so my people, my birth people, and my adopted people survived to continue."

     Tremore: "And what of the Tsaesci?"

     Iriisii: "The invasion force was destroyed with no survivors. The remaining ones from the island continent where they lived, well the other races that lived there took care of the ones that were left."

     Tremore: "But that's..."

     Iriisii: "Genocide? Yes, it was. Better than what they intended for us, anyway."

     Tremore: "What could be worth doing that?"

     Iriisii sighs, "I sometimes forget not every world lives with the history of mine. I can sum it up in two words, human cattle."

     Tremore: "Oh, I am sorry."

     Iriisii: "It is done and over with. Now I fight for larger stakes."

     Tremore: "..."

     Iriisii: "Not now, we need to get to Hannah's home and get inside, out of sight. When the ones I took care of do not report back in..."

     Tremore: "You're right, let's step it up."