A Wizard's Dream

Farewell

Asja stared at the items strewn haphazardly across the floor. After moving out to the barn and then the hearth, it felt strange being in her room for any length of time. The room, too, seemed to wonder what she was doing there. The once-familiar place no longer felt like home. She shook her head and sighed, and resumed her packing. She picked up a pointy leaf from a dried bunch lying on the floor. It came from no more than a common weed growing on the hills before she heard the plant share his secrets with her. She still remembered her excitement at having prepared the leaves into a salve for the first time. She immediately knew that she was going tobe a healer – a herbalist of great renown among the dwarves of her clan. The leaves have been a mainstay of her backpack ever since. 

Some of her herbs needed thorough preparation. A wooden mortar and pestle served that purpose, as did a small cooking pot stationed next to them. She always kept a firegem handy should she need to start a fire at a moment's notice. She had less of a need for one now that Vagran was around, though his lightning outbursts were still overpowering and difficult to restrain.

She picked up the gem– a gift from her mentor mage, with bittersweet memories – and brought him up close. Golden bubbles punctuated his smooth amber surface, hinting at the warm radiance hidden within his depths. The surface bubbles of such crystals melded into scarlet, violet and indigo further inside, changing the colour of their fire as the crystal wore out and dissolved into flame. Something she definitely did not need anymore was the woollen cover taken from merino sheep who grazed the southern slopes facing the Land of Frost, woven into a supple blanket by Erna's deft hands. As much as she loved the lush fabric, it was a heavy burden for her to carry, and Vagran supplied all the warmth she would need on their travels.

A needle and thread for mending clothes, a sharp knife, a long rope, and a spacious water bag made of lithe leaves of giant maple native to Mount Edars rounded off her travel gear. She packed them carefully inside her backpack, took one last long look at the room that had served as her childhood home, and left the house.

Erna ambushed her as she stepped outside. The old woman's grip was surprisingly tenacious for her advanced age. Asja held her in return, the reality of leaving the only home she had ever known starting to sink in.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Erna asked after releasing the girl from her grasp. Asja nodded, tentatively at first, her conviction growing with each movement of her head.
"It's not like you're never going to see us again. Vagran can already fly fast and far, and he's not even fully grown. We'll be back before you even notice we're gone," she reassured Erna with a strained smile.
"Think of it as an adventure," Tor reinforced what Asja had said. But his voice cracked uttering the cheerful words, and he held Asja in a long embrace even tighter than Erna's had been.
"Do you remember what to look for?" he finally asked.
"Kritall Wood. Short thin trees who entwine their trunks to make broad ones. From the air we should see a few large crowns who cover the hillside, each one made of many colours from the trees within."
"Kritall Wood is at the border between dwarf mountains and sylvan forests. I don't know why we found you there, Asja. No other people live there, I promise you," insisted Erna.
"I know, Ma. I know. But I have to see for myself."

She swung her rucksack over her shoulder and headed to Vagran. The enormous bird welcomed her with a deep bow, his chest almost touching the ground, his wings moving watchfully to steady his posture. She grabbed the outstretched feathers and hoisted herself onto his breast, before settling inside the cosy cavity in the middle of his chest that resonated with the rhythmic beating of the bird's heart. He maintained his bow for a while longer, lowering his head in deference to Erna and Tor. Then he straightened up and extended his wings, shrouding the garden in their shadow. Their sapphire sheen darkened rapidly to grow azure hues, propelling him into the twilight sky with urgency and force, and away from the only place he has called home.

Tor held Erna in his arms as they watched their children vanish into the sky. Erna uttered a tearful prayer, entrusting them both to Ama's care.