On Sapphire Wings and Jade Scales

Chapter 12: Aftermath of the Blizzard

As Eila slowly lifted her head, Khiboreas stared at her with keen, curious eyes. She took a step back, mouth agape and leaning away from the wyvern.

"W-what the— is the fluffy wyvern talking to me? How did he get in my head?" thought Eila.

The pompous wyvern said in an echoed, insulted voice, "First, you dare address me as "fluffy"? Hmph, clearly someone did not teach you proper manners. Second, I am not "in your head", per se, for we guardians use telepathic communication to speak with our oracles."

"Telepathy? Oh yeah! That's what the naga in Tommy's favorite movie uses when he's talking to the travelers! Wow...My head feels tingly."

"Yes, yes, that may happen. Now, my patience wears thin, mortal. Especially when your companion uses me as a free ride. The nerve! My precious feathers...Now I have to rid them of human stench after that shameful ordeal."

The wyvern shook his head and preened his neck feathers as if to relieve frustration. Once he felt slightly cleaner, he continued, "No matter, I was to speak with Lady Larya today regarding the invaders and I have a feeling that your friend will attend our discussion as well. Before we part ways, I...apologize for my negligence the previous night."

Eila felt the tiniest, yet sincere regret from his delicate voice.

"Oh, I, uh, accept your apology! On behalf of, um, me and my brother. Or is it 'my brother and I'?"

The wyvern nodded in silence and took to the skies and towards the temple tower, leaving a trail of snow crystals and a pair of feathers below him as a parting gift.

His fading voice resonated in Eila's mind, "Ice is a fickle element. Its cooling allure is a relief against the chaos of fire, but can be a silent, cruel killer if you allow yourself to fall for its charms. The night has shown me I have much to learn if I am to fully embody such an element."

Eila raised an eyebrow, unsure if she understood the wyvern's words. She then called Tomas over, picking up the feathers from the ground.

"What took you so long, sis? Were you and Khiboreas having a staring contest?"

"Nah, he talked a bit in my head and said he was sorry for what happened to us last night. And he gave us these! Aren't they pretty?"

Eila handed one of the feathers to Tomas and placed the other in her hair, above her ear. The boy marveled the feather's soft, chilly touch as it emitted an icy vapor around itself.

"A feather with ice properties...So this is what visitors think is a 'token of protection', huh. Cool!"

The twins hurried over to where the man in green stood, ready to call the guards to open the doors. Eila lightly pushed Tomas to knock on the doors first, so he sighed and complied.

After knocking three times on the doors, they began opening ever so slowly. Instead of the lively temple grounds they had been in yesterday, they were met with a place full of melancholy. The two guards who greeted Joanne before were absent, and they were faced with an elderly man who kept his eyes on the ground, barely acknowledging them with a weak wave of his hand. As they watched the monk walk down the road with slow, somber steps, the trio noticed the streets where fellow monks and clerics would walk and sell their craft were barren, and the lanterns lining the houses and streets burned with dim flames, despite being daytime.

Khiboreas sat on top of the temple tower on the golden crescent, wings resting on his body as a bird would. The snow resting on the slanted roofs between each floor slid off whenever he shifted his body. He looked over the grounds, assessing the damage done the previous night alongside the amount of snow piled on the floors.