Destiny (Volume I: Shur'tugalar)

Chapter Four Part XXXI (ED)

Filler junk is over and done with, so back to the story...

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As Rose finished, Niaomi began. "There are many other gods, and many other stories. But these key twelve, and a few others, are prominent in our lives for several reasons, and one is that they created us."

"Akin to how Hekate created the fairies?" Nasuada said in a low voice.

"Precisely," Nia answered. She pulled up the mirror again, and as she spoke of the creatures, their forms appeared. "The Grey Folk were created by Prometheus, a Titan son who was a brother of Atlas's and whose parents were Iapetus & Clymene (an oceanid); Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to his clay creations. As a punishment, Zeus chained him to a mountain and sent an eagle to feed on his liver each day, and since he was immortal, it regenerated every night. Finally, Heracles (another hero who was a son of Zeus) freed him.

"Hermes created pixies, Wrilorä in the ancient language, as a joke on Hekate's fairies; ranging from black and brown to muddy green, pixies are much more spiteful than their cousins. As tricky as their god, they have angled eyes with pointy ears and wings.

"Satyrs are Pan's creation; he was the god of the wild. And in the ancient language, (which is the original language of the gods), satyrs are called Trystū. The Cylëuwíl, or centaurs, are creatures that are half horse and half man, and made by Dionysus. Their wisdom was given to them by Athena in order to subdue their rowdy ways.

"Zeus created thunderbirds: huge, blue birds that can harness the power of electricity. Phoenixes are firebirds, so it makes sense that Hephaestus made them. Mistwolves are Artemis's domain, and werecats are her twin's. Darksnakes are Hades's realm, griffins (half eagle and half lion) are Zeus again, and Athena made her owls. And the last creation - Aphrodite made the beautiful unicorns, who are cousin to the elven horses and brethren to the pegasi, whose form was gifted to them by Poseidon and their wings by Zeus."

"Who made humans?" asked Orrin curiously. "And Urgals? And the elves and dwarves?"

It was silent for a moment, then Renata spoke up. "The gods take many manifestations at multiple times, and their personalities can differentiate; the dwarves' gods, Helzvog and Morgothal, are versions of Hephaestus. Hera considers humans her children, and Athena gave her wisdom to the elves. Dragons are Zeus's creations, and the Urgals were made by Ares, god of war. Many of their gods and goddesses are also different version of Ares and his retinue."

So there are more powerful beings after all, said Saphira.

"And why have they chosen now to rise up?" demanded Arya. "Why have they not helped us yet?"

"Because they gave us free will," Niaomi answered in a slightly strained voice, "And that meant giving us the ability to make decisions on our own. They tried being more controlling before, and it didn't work out: just look how the Grey Folk ended up."

Before anyone could speak after that, Luwæn popped his head inside the tent, his blue-gold eyes apologetic. "Sorry for the interruption, but a message arrived for King Orrin from the lords of the court, demanding you offer an explanation for these new dragons."

Orrin grimaced. "Curses. I'd better see to them before they march down here themselves."

"I'll fill you in later," Nasuada promised with a gentle smile. The king nodded his thanks before taking his leave, Luwæn holding back the curtain for him before letting it flutter shut once more.

Sighing, Nia slid her hands through her hair, almost dislodging the circlet that at this point was set crookedly on her brow. "Now we should continue with our story." Placing her fingers against the mirror's surface, the gray mists rose to reveal a scene on the beach once again. The five, still children, were standing with their heads bowed before their father and Vanilor.

"You directly disobeyed me!" Niom shouted angrily, pacing back and forth. "I told you it was dangerous there!"

"But Faði, we - "

"Quiet, Niaomi! I don't want to hear excuses!"  Bending down, he looked into his daughter's eyes. "Do you know how worried your mother and I have been? You can't just run away like that!"

"I'm sorry," mumbled Niaomi, hanging her head low in shame. "I j-just wanted to see the fairies."

A grey streak appeared on Niom's shoulder. "And I'm not good enough?"

"Of course you are, Jeshindû," the girl replied hastily, eyeing the male fairy, who had shoulder-length silver hair and wise grey eyes. "But...it felt like - like I had to go there..."

Niom sighed, running his hands through his hair.  "Okay, fine. What happened there? We saw the sky form thunderclouds, which has never happened inside the boundaries before."

"It was Zeus!" Nathan interrupted excitedly. "He made the sky boom and then this goddess appeared made out of light and she gave Nia a dragon fairy and - "

"Whoa, slow down." Niom frowned slightly. "You sister has a...a dragon fairy?"

Nia tucking her hair behind her ear, and Gedwëy emerged from the dark curtain, perched on her shoulder. Jeshindû flew down in front of the girl's fairy, eyes wide with surprise. Gedwëy curtsied, looking embarrassed. "I am honored to meet you, Jeshindû-elda. May your days be joyful and your life filled with purpose."

"And your nights restful as you await the sun," he replied, smiling. "Welcome into being, young one."

"How can you have a fairy if you don't have a dragon?" Niom asked his daughter.

Grinning widely, she said, "Hekate - the goddess of magic - said that it was a promise of what I will be! That means I'm gonna be a Rider, just like you!" She threw her arms around her father's waist, and he patted her head gently.

"Well, then," he sighed with a faint smile. "Let's go explain this all to your mother."

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The image faded as present-day Niaomi spoke. "We told our parents about the gods’ appearances, and to put it mildly they were very surprised. The next day, we all went to Du Breoal Abr Kvaedheya and found all the information on the gods that we could. Nick also learned about the elemental animals, which we hadn't mentioned to Leafë and Niom since we were worried they wouldn't let us look for them. And finally, the day after that, all five of us snuck back into the forest to search for the first creature: the sundavrilnú."

The mirror showed another picture. The five kids were in the forest once again, but this time it was in a much darker place. Tramping around, the children stayed close together and talked in whispers.

"So this is where shadowsnakes live?" Rosaminda said quietly, peering around her.

"According to the book it is," Nicholas replied. "They like quiet, dark places, and rarely venture out of this section. They're said to reach lengths of up to twenty feet, are immortal, and are very intelligent. Shadowsnakes, better known as darksnakes, can harness a sort of black magic that enables them to entrance their prey. That kind of magic is also similar to sorcery, though not nearly as bad."