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16. A light in the darkness

There it was again, the noise that had lured him here. It sounded like the cry of an eagle, but softer, deeper and almost... longing.
Fharan took his shoes off and stepped into the warm black sand. The temperature in here was higher than outside and even the stars seemed to be much brighter.
He walked in silence, following the flickering energy of a life form still to be seen, but he knew what kind creature awaited him on the other side of the dunes.
After a few minutes an oasis appeared before him. Even in the dark could he see the green glow that surrounded every living organism and the deep black pond that reflected the night sky. It was quite peaceful.
He stopped in the shades where not even the scarce moonlight could reach him and observed his surroundings.
On the other side of the water a faint blue light could be seen between the greenery. Fharan kept his distance and stayed put. He knew that it was aware of his presence, observed him as he did the same.
Then the light began to move, slowly but steadily. He knew what to expect, but as the beast emerged from the trees he could not help but be fascinated by its appearance.

Karamey could be as rarely seen in their natural habitat as in captivity. Not because their population was especially small but due to a series of rather unique gifts.
One of them being able to sense, quite literally, life itself.
Adding the ability to become one with their environment made it almost impossible to track them down.
No other race was known to be capable of something like this.
It was possible to locate someone through their magic, their breathing or their body temperature... but that represented the limit.
Fharans blessing was close, but still different.
He was able to pin down the location of a living being by sensing the disturbance they created in the surrounding web of magic. It was not fool proved, but allowed him to bypass most of the usual measures of precaution.
But a gift that made them exceedingly special was the Kareya, the ability to see into someones, anyones, soul.
There was no secret that could be hidden from their otherwise blind eyes. The tears they shed for a broken soul contained part of their magic essence and made them invaluable.
Their appearance was said to not be left behind by all these peculiar skills.

Fharan found the rumours to be true as the creature emerged from the shadows. Its scales were the same colour as the halo of soft blue light that embraced its large but slim body. It moved astonishingly quiet for its large size.
Karameys had two hind legs and used its wings to move on all four. This pair of wings was adorned with silvery white, blue feathers and equipped with razor sharp claws. Their tail was as long as their body and a long slim neck complimented their compelling but ethereal appearance.
Ice blue eyes that were blind to the visible world and a head that ended in a beak like structure, that were now directed at him, completed the picture.

Fharan continued to stay put as the Karamey drew closer. When it was only a few feet away it lowered its head, but stopped just a couple of inches in front of his face.
Blue eyes staring into each other, one seeing the shell, the other the core.
He just followed his instincts as he closed his eyes and stayed perfectly still. Merely a few seconds later could he feel its breath on his face before something surprisingly soft touched his forehead. Fharan lifted his left hand and started to carefully stroke its neck.
It seemed to pause for a moment, but accepted his touch. He slowly opened his eyes again and watched as a single tear gathered in each eye.
He activated his magic just as they were about drop to the ground and took the two frozen pearls.
"I'm sorry.", he whispered.
The Karamey distance itself from him and let out another one of his cries. Four more blue shadows emerged from the trees around him, their scales slowly returning to their original colour.
The one that had appeared first before him, turned away from him and carefully stepped into the water.
Then it turned its head back to him, seemingly staring straight into him before disappearing into the small lake. Fharan took a look at his surroundings one more time before following the beast into the ice cold water, the other four close behind him.

Darkness enveloped him as he sank deep into the pond. The Karamey stayed invisible beside an occasional nudge on the shoulder or a wing brushing by.
When Fharan slowly took his first breath and his lungs started to fill up with water, he could feel how his eyelids started to become heavy. He wondered if it was worth the effort to go back, to return to the life above.
Karamey meant something like 'the merciful' in the old language.
That was not because they were especially gentle or due to their ability to read souls. It was because they offered freedom, relieve to the lost souls that crossed their path.
It was not necessarily death what they provided, but it often enough ended with it. Many called them 'angels of death' or 'soul catchers' because of it.
Fharan felt himself floating weightlessly through the water.
He had closed his eyes at some point, there was nothing to see, and just concentrated on the beings around him.
Time seemed to go slower down here so he did not know how long he had been underwater when he finally opened his eyes again.
He widened his senses to orientate himself and reached out to his magic that had spread through the whole pond. Ice gathered under him and slowly pushed him upwards.
The Karamey stayed close, but did not try to stop him. Two of them seemed to have found an interest in his magic and repeatedly grazed the ice with their wings. Fharan formed the water into crystals in different sizes and forms. The creatures immediately chased after them except the one that had guided him here. It accompanied his ascension, using his wings to keep up with his pace.

The sun was already slowly rising as he eventually broke through the surface, channeling his magic to extract the water from his lungs taking his first deep breath.