The Mage Wars

Quest for Vanora

10 Lepus of the year 13004

"Do you think Princess Everest's spell will work?" Sir Haedyn questions, placing his foot into the stirrup of his saddle. With one swift motion, he heaves himself into his saddle.

"It has to," I state, rubbing Mal's neck. My horse snorts and stamps his hooves. Beside me, Altair and his horse Casey are doing the same thing. A ritual we became familiar with on the road.

"Why does it have to? Six kingdoms are more than enough," Sir Haedyn asks.

"Seraphine has twelve kingdoms and less landmass," Altair says, maneuvering Casey toward the road.

We decided it was best to camp just off the road lest we are trampled in the middle of the night. Thankfully with our last quest, we have experience finding the best small clearings.

"And it's frequently at odds with each other," Ella states, taking the lead. Her horse easily sets a pace for the others. The lady leads the way, the map in her hand.

"My point exactly. How long until Seraphina becomes like that?" Sir Haedyn states, nudging his horse after Ella. "It seems like every generation, there's a war or feud,"

The knight from Evanath is right. 

With King Vesryn, there was the 56-year war. King Haemir had a plague. King Roven had his dragon wars. King Leonelis was the only one to have peace during his reign. King Maearos had to deal with his brother's feud and the people nearly abolishing the monarchy. King Atlas dealt with the death of his daughter and the loss of his kingdom.

Now the grandchildren of Atlas seek to reclaim the lost kingdom. A full circle is about to come around. A quest the grandfather would have loved to have lived to see.

"Be that as it may, you heard your father and my father. There has been a prophecy. If it is not completed now, it will be in the future," I state. Mal snorts as if agreeing with me. "Kaladrielion always finds a way,"

Kaladrielion has a balance that must be maintained. Whether from mortal hands or Kaladrielion itself. An eye for an eye. A life for a life. If someone dies and their lover wants them to be brought back by a necromancer, the dead person's mate will die as the person is brought back to life. A vicious cycle if the "wrong" person dies.

"But why—"

A crash comes from the right side of the forest. It comes closer and closer at a rapid pace. I pull up a magic shield in front of Altair and Ella. And another on Ella and Sir Haedyn's right side.

"Oh shit!" Ella halts her horse in time to see a Gryphon tumble out of the forest line with a deer in its clutches. Red blood squelched between its hind legs.

"How are we going to pass?" Sir Haedyn whispers, trying not to disturb the animal.

He proposes a valid question. They are known for being territorial and easily provoked around their kills. I'd rather not become a Gryphon's dinner or collateral.

How in Kaladrielion are we going to pass? The only option I can think of is to catch it off guard and kill it. I don't want to, but being eaten is something I'd rather not do. Killing it may be our best option. Oh, for the love of the spirit king.