The Past

Demon birds

The next morning, the three of us began to journey upwards, to pass from mountain top to mountain top, rather than travel in the passes on the ground. It was either a very wise decision or a very foolish one, and we'd soon find out. I truly hope it was the former, but I could not shake the feeling that the passes were made for good reason.

"Kinheal will you please stop ignoring me?" I hardly spared him a glance as I pushed onward, moulding the mountain to form us an upward path.

I had not yet forgiven Remor for what had occurred on the ship, and I had hardly spoken to him since.
Those many days had brought me to realize that we had been far too close to each other to be proper.
There was a hole in my life without him to converse with. Still, he had brought this on us and I didn't know if he could repair the damage.

Athern nudged me gently, and a thought hit me when I glanced up at him. Remor had clearly become my closest friend, but I never quite looked at him the way I looked at Athern. Yes, they were both beautiful, but when I looked at Athern, my stomach had a tendency of doing a backflip. They were very different, indeed.

"All right," I  conceded. "But I do not think your behaviour was warranted, and should you ever put my life at risk in that manner again, that will be no– no forgiveness."

"That is quite fair," Remor agreed. "I vow never to do so. Human life is too fragile."

I had half a mind to hit him then, but I restrained myself. Still, I did not like the change I had noted in him, and I was glad I realized the nature of my affection for him before it was too late.

"I–"

"Kinheal, look out!" Athern threw himself at me, tackling me to the ground with great force.

"What in the Realms was that for?" I screamed at him. Glancing up, I answered my own question.

A small bird had just darted past my head, missing it solely due to Athern's attack. No, it was not a bird. Its beak was shaped into jagged edges, which brought a stark contrast to its scaly head. Bat-like, unfeathered wings protruded from its side, spanning twice as long as its length.

The creature circled back, preparing to swoop in once more, before being caught in the air by Remor. Held still, I got a better look at the small scaly monster.

"It came from those tunnels," said Athern, gesturing to the mound of rock beside us with dozens of tiny holes. "And it isn't alone."

Three more such creatures hurtled out of the nest, followed by another three, and then a third trio.
"Fu–"

Remor's reflexes weren't fast enough to stop all of them, but Athern quickly pulled out his bow and nocked an arrow. Arrows kept finding their way into the eyes of each little bird, quicker than the birds could evade them. In the meantime, I did my best to support Remor in holding them still, but my mastery with air magic could not parallel his. There were too many of the creatures for the three of us to fend off alone.

The sharp beak of one lodged itself in Remor's side, breaking his hold on all the others. I knew then that we had only seconds before they would overpower us, which left me only one choice. I let fire burn in my veins.

"May Hystemus protect you both," I muttered, and let flames spray into the air with full heat, burning the birds from the inside out.

When the flames faltered, I rushed to Athern's side. I knew that Remor could protect himself with air; Athern was not so fortunate.

He lay motionless on the ground, his skin now a deep red. If part of Remor's shield hadn't reached him, his fate would have been the same as that of the birds. Slowly, I took his blackened hand and channelled my healing towards it as best I could, given that I had never healed another person.

"I'm so sorry, Athern," I muttered, tears beginning to roll down my cheeks.

"It's alright." His eyes had shot open, his hand's skin once again pale and smooth. His whole arm was regenerating itself, even after my magic had ceased.
"I am a god, Kinheal."

His face had returned to itself, followed by his typical cocky smile.

"I hate you." I wrapped him in a hug as I laughed.

Only then did I remember Remor, who lay near us, skin intact but still unconscious. Even the beak's stab in his side had healed, so I failed to understand why he would not wake.

"He'll be fine," Athern assured me, slowly coming to his feet. "The amount of power he has used, both to defend us and heal himself, is certain to take a heavy toll. It may yet be a few days before he is able to continue our journey."

I nodded, and began to form us a shelter that would be large enough for us to reside in until he awoke.