Wyvern Tails and Phoenix Feathers

The Porcelain Heart, Chapter 1 - Eloise

There was no celebration as Eloise Glass departed the city of Hedgemont. It was customary for notable travelers to be gifted wreaths of suncup and poppy; hats of woven bloodgrass to shade them from the sun; gourds filled with aloe and coconut water. Yet Eloise spent her final days recuperating from her fight with Tashe in Clarella's dank mortuary. Then, under the cover of night, she left through the northeast gate with Bryn, Revelyn, and Grael.

Clarella's only parting gift came in the form of three camels. They were young and sturdy, well-trained and built for a desert journey. It was a kind gift, though it was all Clarella could muster. She could hardly look at Eloise; and when she did, her eyes were without warmth or recognition.

Lord Taran Glass, on the other hand, had nothing for his daughter. Not a gift, nor even a word. But his silence met Eloise with apathy. As a girl, she shed every tear for his abandonment. As a woman, her heart was not as fragile as it once was; there was nothing left for her father to do that could hurt her.

It was morning in the Gloamlands, a vast expanse of desert sparsely interrupted by meager streams and branching yucca. They traveled for five days, stopping often to rest in shade where they could find it. Grael took the lead, having taken the form of a camel in solidarity. Before that, they were a bat, a shaggy dog, a young woman, and a large flightless bird. The amount Grael changed forms was disarming. To both Revelyn and Eloise, the behavior seemed erratic.

"I want you to feel comfortable around us," Revelyn assured the changeling, "Please assume whatever form you desire."

Grael shifted back into human form to respond. It was a struggle to speak with most animal vocal cords.

"Thank you," said Grael. "But I always do."

"By that, I mean, if you have a form in which you feel most like yourself," Revelyn clarified.

"I have several shapes that I have grown fond of which I return to," said Grael. "But for me, I am most at home in a body that is always shifting identity. It is my nature."

Eloise watched Revelyn absorb the information. He furrowed his brow, nodding with self-reflection.

"What did you look like when you were born?" he asked.

"I don't remember," answered Grael. "Nor do I believe it much matters how others perceived me as an infant. I have forged my own definition of self. I gather you would understand."

Revelyn nodded again. The changeling had struck a chord in him. And though Eloise assured him that she liked his body as it was, she wondered if Revelyn wished he could also freely shapeshift into a form more to his liking.

As if to punctuate her thought, Grael suddenly picked up speed and transformed into a wildcat. Their paws strode up to the crest of a dune leaving prints before returning once again to a sturdy young man. Grael peered out towards the horizon, long back hair tossing over their shoulders. Then, with a troubled sigh, Grael gave Eloise their attention.

"I led you slightly off course from the palace of the golems."

Eloise grimaced. Never mind that Grael had insisted that they knew how to reach the legendary ruins, every moment spent in the relentless heat of the Gloamlands was a danger.

"That's okay," she mustered. "The desert is not easy to navigate."

"You misunderstand," said Grael. "I intentionally led you astray."

That was not okay. Eloise swallowed her rising anger. What made her think she could trust the changeling? They hadn't earned her confidence like Bryn and Revelyn. She rode closer to Grael, her hands drifting to the hilt of one of her axes.