#chrackle

While it had taken far longer than either of them would have liked, Selene and Edwin had finally managed to locate the prison their old friend's erstwhile apprentice had been taken to. What didn't take nearly as long was distracting the guards on duty and making their way down to the dungeon level without getting spotted.

Selene peered into the largest cages in the prison, finding no trace of any humanoid creature within,

"Godsdamnit," she hissed, "did they move him already?" She heard Edwin hum uncertainly from the other side of the room,

"I don't believe so, the shift change isn't for another two or three hours yet." he said, "Maybe —?" he was cut off by a soft cackle from Chrackle, who was perched on a shelf above a series of smaller cages,

"Over here." he called, trying to keep his croak as quiet as he possibly could, "Little weasel in bottom right cage."

Selene frowned as she looked over in her familiar's direction. While she knew he could speak and understand Sylvan, Fai had never learned it so why would his apprentice know it even they were polymorphed?

"You sure?" she asked. Chrackle clacked his beak in exasperation,

"Sure." came the terse reply, "Said he forced into animal form and locked in anti-magic cage so no change back." The magpie cocked his head, "Said it natural ability, not Polymorp."

Edwin frowned momentarily before snapping his fingers,

"He's a Hengeyokai!" he exclaimed, "Poor fellow was probably forced into his animal form at some point and got stuck in it when he was put into the cage. Probably so he'd be easier to handle."

"Easier to handle? Have you tried catching a weasel when it's trying to escape? I think I still have some scars from the time I tried to get a hold of Mika when he went rummaging in my pack for food at one point." Selene grumbled. Edwin shrugged,

"It's easier than dealing with a humanoid that can cast a bunch of spells." he pointed out, "Especially if you're wearing sufficiently armoured gloves." He glanced to the doorway leading back out of the dungeon, "In any case, it looks like we're going to have to hire some help to get that cage unlocked." he sighed, "Anti-magic means neither of us can open it here."

Selene snorted and crossed her arms,

"No chance, the only rogue I've ever trusted, and will ever trust, was Alexis. I'm not bribing some random stranger to help us only to get double-crossed and stabbed in the back, thanks." She looked over to Chrackle and grinned, "Besides, who said we needed to hire help anyway?"

Edwin frowned in consternation as Selene rummaged in her pockets, only to produce two extremely shiny silver coins. She held them up into a beam of light that was filtering through a crack in the wall behind her,

"Chrackle, you want to get your beak on a couple of coins from Royal Lendle?" Chrackle's head spun to look at the coins, his head cocking,

"Listening." he croaked. Selene's grin widened as she pulled out her spellbook,

"How about you take a look at that lock and find the key for us? I'll even throw in access to all all my utility spells for the day." she added, waving the book. Chrackle narrowed his eyes,

"Deal only if access to whole book."

"One use of Fireball in case of an emergency."

"Two uses, or Chain Lightning."

"Chain Lightning drops the coins."

There was a moment of silence before Chrackle finally clacked his beak, "Coins, all utility and two fireball then."

The little weasel, who had come to the front of his cage, gave Selene a long look. The wizard shrugged,

"You end up with a magpie as a familiar, then we can talk about you judging me." She returned her attention to Chrackle, "Well, get cracking, or you're not getting anything." Chrackle gave her an annoyed cackle, but quickly fluttered down and clung onto the front of the cage, peering at the lock. Edwin walked slowly over to Selene,

"You sure Chrackle can help with this?" he asked incredulously. Selene nodded,

"Absolutely, he figured out how to tell roughly what kind of key fit a lock when we were younger. It got him completely banned from visiting Wolftown after he snatched the keys to several jewellry stores in town at one point. Alexis then spent some time helping him refine his… uhh… talent, when she found out it was something he could do."

Edwin stayed quiet, ruminating over this new revelation as he watched Chrackle finish inspecting the lock. The magpie cackled and immediately dashed out the door, casting Invisibility on himself. Just two minutes later, there was a shout, a yelp and a cry of 'Ghosts!' a moment before a ring of keys flew into the room and hovered in front of Selene. Selene sighed and took a hold of the ring,

"The whole lot, really?"

"Hard get right one off. Sleep spell no work." Chrackle's voice croaked from her shoulder. There was another pause before one of the keys lifted up and away from the others. Selene huffed out a sigh, then looked over to Edwin as she took a hold of the key to the cage,

"Edwin, be a dear and either make us a new exit or block the guards from getting in so I can make one instead. Looks like we're doing this the hard way after all." she quipped. The weasel squeaked frantically,

"Jin say he use mini-teleport spell once free." Chrackle's voice translated "Big enough to get all outside." Selene beamed at the weasel,

"Excellent. Still, might be a good idea to block off that doorway, Edwin."

Edwin grumbled as he pulled out his Holy Symbol,

"You are having entirely too much fun, given everything is going wrong right now." he muttered. He heaved a sigh, muttered out a prayer and cast Wall of Thorns over the doorway, "There, that should buy us a minute or two."

"Not that we'll need it." Selene replied as the cage door swung open, "Thank you Chrackle, excellent work as always. I'll give you your reward once we're somewhere the guards can't confiscate it." There was a croak of acknowledgement from the ether as the weasel jumped out of the cage, scurried a few feet away, then glowed as it stood upright and grew to about 4 feet tall. The humanoid weasel sighed as it stretched out its back and arms,

"That's better. Animal form is fine for sneaking around and exploration, a pain in the buttocks for doing much of anything else." His ears twtiched as the sound o heavily armoured boots echoed down the hall, "Anyway, introductions and explanations can wait. Let's get out of here before the guards get a big enough fire going to burn through those thorns." He gestured for Edwin and Selene to stand beside him and looked around curiously, "Our little feathered friend with us? Good. Hold on!"

Selene quickly held her breath while Edwin grimaced as space folded around the little group as the Dimension Door spell completed. The keyring jangled as the cage door swung in the sudden breeze created by the small, temporary vacuum as the guards burned through the thorns barring their path.

A tall, ashen coloured dwarf with black lacquered armour stepped into the dungeon. His nose wrinkled at the stink of arcane magic in the air. He turned to glower at the nervous gnome hovering in the doorway behind him,

"You tell me there are ghosts haunting this place. I sense nothing more than simple parlour tricks designed to get you to leave your post." he growled. The gnome squeaked and shuffled back a few steps,

"I — I'm sorry my Lord Inquisitor. B— but there was no indication o— of…" he gulped, trailing off at the stern stare levelled at him. The Duregar snorted, glanced at the cage that had been opened, then turned his attention to his kin gathered behind the gnome guardsman,

"Inform Lord Vaul that there appears to be a breach in the arcane defenses of the town. No doubt the escape of this particular prisoner will be of great interest to him." One of the other Duregar saluted and promptly marched outside. The Inquisitor turned his gaze back to the guardsman, who shrank even further into himself, "As for you," he stated flatly, "As you have been so utterly derelict in your duty, I rather think some time in the mines will be enough to remind you of what it means to work."

"My— My Lord. No, please — I —I beg you, not there."

"I'm afraid execution is reserved only for those who cannot work. You will not escape the punishment you deserve through death. Take him."

The gome screamed as two more Duregar grabbed his arms and dragged him out of the stairway. The Inquisitor kneeled and ran a finger over the area where the Dimension Door had been cast,

Edwin placed the diamond in his hand onto Selene’s chest with a shaky sigh. He glanced over to the hatstand in the corner nearest the bed, where Chrackle was currently perched. The bird was listless and hunched in on himself, his feathers fluffed out and ragged. The nature cleric gingerly pulled out a pure, gold coin from his pocket and offered it to the distraught creature,

“Here, I know it’s not much, but I need your help with this too, Chrackle.” he said in a low voice. The magpie blinked slowly,

“What do?” he croaked, looking over to his mistress. Edwin walked around to the hatstand, stroked the bird’s head and gently picked him up,

“I need you to sit near her while I work.” he said, placing Chrackle in his customary position near Selene’s left shoulder, “Try to concentrate on that empathic connection for me if you think you can manage. It will make things much easier.” Chrackle chuckled weakly and took the coin in his beak, ruffling his dulled feathers in an attempt to keep warm. Petting the magpie one last time, Edwin picked up his Holy Symbol. He looked over to Father Tristan, who nodded with a grimace and handed him a vial he had just filled with Holy Water,

“Good luck, Abouna.” the younger cleric muttered, stepping back to allow Edwin the room to move while he worked. Edwin whooshed out a sigh, sent a silent prayer to Galana and cast.

Emerald light spilled from the diamond placed on Selene’s chest filling the room with its gentle light. Edwin ignored the burning in his throat and the sweat dripping into his eyes, making them sting as he continued his prayer. He stared up at a pinprick of golden light that had coalesced near the ceiling. He mentally reached out to it, trying to will it down into the diamond directly below. His prayer became ever more desperate as the light flickered and dimmed.

~Nonono, come on, don’t do this. Not now. Please...~ he thought, feeling a swell of panic in his chest. Father Tristan’s face fell into a grimace as he watched the tiny ball of yellow-white light flicker some more. He bowed his head solemnly and quietly muttered a Blessing.

The light continued to flicker for another moment, then flared briefly to life before guttering out entirely, taking the light of Edwin's spell with it and plunging the room into darkness.

The Abouna stared up at the ceiling where the light had been hovering mere seconds before, the shadow of it still seared into his eyes. He stood for several seconds, his chest heaving with exertion and panic.

~No. No! You can't. Not after —~

His racing thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a quiet, anguished croak from the bed. He forced his eyes down, his heart shattering and his legs finally giving out from under him as he watched Chrackle nuzzle at Selene's face. He fell into the arms of Father Tristan, unable now to keep a keening wail from escaping his lips as his world turned to ash and ruin. Why? Why had Selene rejected the Resurrection? Was it something he had done? Was he just not strong enough? Was his faith in Galana insufficient? What had he done for this second chance to fail so completely and utterly?

Sobs wracked his whole body as he curled into the arms wrapped firmly around him, unable to stop the tide of anguish and despair that washed over him. What was he to do now? Selene's presence had been the only light that had kept him going after he had been forced to swap places with Egrim. Now he was unmoored, left adrift in a city that he was only living in due to circumstances well outside his own control.

Father Tristan grimaced as the Abouna sobbed in his arms. While he did not know why the Grand Magus had rejected the Resurrection, the fact that she had spoke volumes about the sheer amount of stress she had been under. He gingerly untangled himself from the grasp of the older cleric,

"I'm sorry Abouna, but I need to tell the rest of the Wizard's council about the need to make an official announcement to the general Toreguarde Council and the remaining members of the Triumverate." he said, his voice low, "I'll be right back afterwards." he added, when Edwin's grip on his vestments didn't loosen.

It took several moments for Edwin to process the fact that the other cleric was talking to him, and another few moments to process the words. He inhaled shakily, finally loosened his grip and nodded,

"Yes… Yes, of course." he said, his voice raw. The Pelorite sent him a gentle smile and patted his arm before standing and exiting the room. Edwin winced at the high-pitched scream that, presumably, Dwena emitted not even a moment later. He hugged his knees to his chest, burying his face into the fabric of his vestments as yet more tears spilled down his cheeks,

"I'm sorry." he mumbled, "Forgive me."

It didn't take long for Father Tristan to return and gently coax Edwin back to his feet and lead him out of the bedroom. The next two hours consisted of attempting to answer the questions of not just Dwena, Thazaar and Thaddeus, but also General Strucker and Lord Schreiber the moment they arrived in the Tower.

As soon as the questions ended, Edwin was forced to sit through another hour of discussion regarding the arrangement of the state funeral and who was to be invited, as well as a rather heated discussion about who counted as Selene's next of kin. Throughout it all, Edwin allowed himself to go numb, retreating into himself to avoid facing the pain of his loss while surrounded by so many other people he barely knew. He cast his mind to Chrackle, who was still sitting where the Abouna had placed him. He wondered if the corvid would ever forgive him for getting his hopes up.

Eventually, Edwin was dismissed and permitted to head back to his church. He didn't understand why Dwena insisted on accompanying him, but was grateful for the gnome's presence as they silently walked through the city streets towards the Gardens of Galana.

~*~

Edwin staggered into his office, drained beyond nearly all possible thought or motion. He was sick of explaining what had happened to people, but there was still at least one last person he had to break the news of Selene's death to. Well, two really, but he doubted that it was really his place to inform young Elowyn. Best to tell Egrim so he could at least be there to comfort the poor girl. Edwin shook his head as he walked slowly over to his scrying pool; Elowyn was far too young to have to deal with so much loss in such a short space of time. He bowed his head and muttered a prayer at the thought, before recalling himself and staring into the still water. He took a moment to gather what little emotional strength he had left and cast.

It didn't take long for the swirling water to clear and for the ruddy face of Shiverstaff to appear. The dwarf's initially happy smile fell the moment he saw Edwin's face and expression,

"I was about to say that it was good to hear from ye, lad, but I rather get the feeling ye're not making a social call."

Edwin swallowed thickly and slowly shook his head,

"I sincerely wish it were, but… no." he replied. Edwin paused a moment, trying desperately to keep his voice as even as possible, "I need to tell you that Sel —" a fresh wave of grief gripped his throat, breaking him off. He took as deep a breath as he could manage and tried again, "Selene is — she's —"

Egrim's expression grew grim as he watched his fellow Abouna struggle with the words,

"What happened, laddie?" he asked, his voice low and gentle. The tone finally caused the dam to break all over again,

"She ended up with a case of Burnout. I did everything I could but it —it wasn't — I couldn't —" Edwin choked out, leaning heavily on the edge of the basin. Egrim closed his eyes and slowly exhaled,

"Ye did what you could, lad." he said, "I'm sorry to hear that she went in such a manner though, Burnout's a nasty disease, and even those most Blessed by the gods struggle to save those who catch it." he added, "Ye did nothing wrong."

Edwin shook his head vehemently,

"That's not the worst of it." he said, voice cracking at the memory, "Galana granted me another chance, but when I tried the ritual —" he broke off again with a heaving sob. Egrim's face fell even further,

"Oh, laddie." he sighed, tears brimming in his own eyes now, "I'm sorry to say, but it sounds like she'd had enough. The lass was already bone-tired when I left, I can only imagine how much worse things must have gotten if she rejected the offer."

"I tried, Egrim, I tried so damn hard, but she wouldn't — couldn't —"

"I ken, I struggled just as much to pull her oot, but —" he was cut off as Edwin yelled out,

"But I loved her!"

Egrim's face crumpled, his own tears flowing down into his beard as the momentary silence that followed was filled by Edwin's choked out sob,

"I — I loved her, and it — it wasn't enough."

Egrim sorely wished that he could reach through the scry to gather the broken human man in front of him into his arms. As it was, words would just have to suffice,

"I am so, so sorry, laddie." he breathed, "I wish there was something I could say to make this any easier, but I ken that words dinna really matter when it comes to things like this." he paused, trying to gather his own thoughts, "Is the bird still around?" he asked.

Edwin sniffled as he nodded,

"Y— yes, Chrackle's still with us." he confirmed. Egrim smiled softly,

"Tak' him under yer wing and talk to him. He knew Selene better than any o' us ever could." he pointed out, "If ye're willing to listen, I'm sure he can tell ye what it is ye need to know to put yer heart at some kind o' ease. Even if it doesn't necessarily stop the hurt."

Edwin grimaced,

"That's only going to last until the magic that bound him to… her wears off." he pointed out. Egrim hummed thoughtfully,

"Even after it does, I'm pretty sure he can still help. The bird's a right canny creature, even under all that magic. Don't underestimate how intelligent he actually is."

Edwin let out a shaky sigh and shrugged,

"I'll give it shot." he finally said. Egrim nodded, using the sleeve of his vestments to wipe away his tears,

"If ye need anything, I'm only a Scry away, Grudge be damned." he said, "While I doubt I'll be allowed to come to the funeral, I'll do what I can from this end to help as much as possible."

Edwin swallowed down another sob, and shook his head,

"The only thing I need you to do, old friend, is break the news to Elowyn. General Strucker insisted that someone that knew her well should be the one to tell her before official word reaches Fangthane." he said. Egrim grimaced and nodded,

"Of course, lad. He looked over his shoulder briefly, then returned his attention to Edwin, "I'll leave it 'til tomorrow. The lass is likely busy celebratin' right now, and I dinna want to spoil the mood."

Edwin couldn't help the small smile that crept onto his lips,

"Please tell the Ironforges that I'm extremely happy to hear that Meredith is well and safe. I was worried that the evidence Elowyn and her friends managed to find wouldn't be enough."

Egrim returned the smile,

"Aye, same here, but that goblin laddie certainly knows his his way around a lawbook." he said. The smile dropped once more, "But I meant what I said earlier, lad; you need anything, even if it's just to talk, I'll be right here."

Edwin bit his lip and nodded,

"Thank you Egrim."

Mad cackling and muffled, frustrated shouts emanated from behind the sturdy, oak door of the Grand Magus’ office. Such noises weren’t an uncommon occurrence; the somewhat adversarial relationship between Selene and her familiar was a well-known quantity to the staff that ran the day-to-day affairs of the Wizard’s Tower. Today, however, the noise was far more… animated than usual, leading the cleaning staff to give the area a wide berth until things calmed down.

The door flew open and a red-faced, bearded man wearing green robes stormed through. He briefly stopped at the lip of the landing, turned around and bowed,

“I’ll be in my office back in the Church if you change your mind, Grand Magus.” Edwin stated cooly, before turning on his heel and storming down the spiral staircase.

Selene, her hair loose around her shoulders, glared at the now empty space beyond the door. She grimaced and waved her hand. A gust of wind blew through from nowhere and slammed the heavy oak door closed with a satisfying Bang! 

Chrackle cackled at her, his feathers fluffed up as he glowered at his mistress,

~Was that really necessary?!~ he snapped, ~It was bad enough with the shouting!~

Selene glowered at her familiar, sweeping behind her desk and promptly collapsing into her chair,

“Oh I’m sorry, but shouting tends to happen when people insist on patronising me and treating me like a child!” She snapped back.

~Would help if you didn’t act like one!~

“Don’t even start, Chrackle.”

~Or what? You prepped at least half a dozen Dispells that I can use if needed. Besides, you are being extremely childish. All Edwin wants to do is help!~

Selene snorted, turning to look out of the expansive window,

“I am getting sick of repeating myself. I do not require, nor want, any help with this!”

Chrackle clacked his beak in exasperation,

~You are being so ridiculously stubborn! Why do you feel the need to carry the weight of the world’s problems alone?~ he lowered the volume of his mental voice, ~Edwin at least cares enough to see that you’re struggling. Ok, sure, the way he worded it was a bit patronising –~

“A bit?” Selene growled, “Chrackle, he all but said that I was too hysterical to manage!”

Chrackle preened at his wing,

~He didn’t say that.~ the magpie retorted calmly, ~All Edwin said was that it was clear that the stress was getting too much and he suggested that you share some of the load. Stop putting words in his mouth that were never there to begin with.~

“Alright, fine, I’ll concede that point. The fact remains, however, that I. Do. Not. Need. Help.”

She felt Chrackle roll his eyes at her. She didn’t bother rising to the bait and continued staring out of the window. Why was everyone so insistent on telling her to accept assistance that wasn’t needed these days? Yes, her job was a stressful one, and yes, matters had recently occurred that had added to said stress, but she was more than capable of handling it. Besides, if Edwin got himself involved, that was only going to cause Schreiber to start outwardly implying some things that were best kept to himself. She huffed and turned back to her familiar, who was cocking his head at her dubiously,

~I get it,~ he said, ~I don’t want Mr ‘I-know-best’ voicing those opinions to the Council either. Would be a stupid thing to say though, given how easily you could Disintegrate him if you really wanted to. Doesn’t stop you from being too stubborn for your own good.~ 

Selene shook her head, her temper finally starting to cool,

“I’ll manage, Chrackle.” She retorted wearily, “The longer I can keep anyone else out of this mess, the better.”

Chrackle gave a defeated croak,

~Well, if this discussion is over, I’ll leave you to it. I have other things to be getting on with.~ he said, shaking out his feathers. Selene nodded,

“Just don’t go getting into trouble. The last thing I want is to get another call from Watch House 2 asking where you might have stashed some jewellery that’s gone mysteriously missing.”

~Well if people weren’t so careless about it, it wouldn’t be on the floor for me to find, would it?~

Selene pinched her nose and groaned,

“That’s not the point.” She moaned. She glanced at the timekeeper on her desk and flapped a hand at her familiar, “I’ll need to have this argument with you later. I’ve got 3 minutes to get to this Triumverate meeting, and Schreiber’s already been on my case about being late the last two months.” 

The last rays of sunshine filtered into the office of the Grand Magus, lighting the room in a warm orange-red glow. The room was silent but for the rustle of Chrackle’s feathers, the scratching of a quill on parchment and the occasional creak of the floorboards outside the door.

Selene’s brow pinched as she stopped writing and stared at the parchment she had been writing on. Iridescent blue-black ink sparkled up at her, reflecting the stars that would soon be visible from the window behind the most powerful wizard left on Allansia. Tired green eyes scanned the text that had been scrawled with it, the pinched brow furrowing into a frown.

Chrackle ruffled his feathers again as Selene pushed her chair back with a loud scraping sound and stood, hands planted either side of the parchment she’d been writing on. 

~I know what you’re thinking about doing, and I don’t think it’s a good idea.~ 

~I don’t recall asking for your opinion!~

~And I seem to recall Edwin telling you not to overdo it. Leave the speculation ‘til tomorrow. It’s not like the world’s going to end overnight.~

Selene looked up at her familiar, a scowl crossing the pale, freckled face. She pushed the hair that had fallen out of its habitual bun out of her face. The ugly expression didn’t last long, however, and it soon fell into tired acceptance. Selene straightened, stretching out her back with a wince,

“It could, and if it does, I know who I’m blaming for the calamity.” she teased aloud. Chrackle chuckled,

~I might bring the occasional bout of chaos, but I’m not that terribly powerful. You’re going to have to find someone else to blame.~

Selene snorted, a small smile lighting up her face momentarily before she turned to look out of the window overlooking the city she’d helped to build. The smile fell from her lips, her expression turning sorrowfully wistful as she watched the shadows lengthen and the sky turn from rosy pink to dusky purple.

“I just wish I knew why those contracts were taken out. I am fully aware that both Elowyn and myself have too many enemies to count, but I can’t help but feel that this is just the start of something much bigger.” she muttered. Crackle clacked his beak and stretched out a wing,

~Well, of course it is. We both know the signs of impending trouble all too well. The thing is, what are you going to do about it?~ he asked, mentally prodding a claw into his mistress’ temple. He watched as Selene hung her head and shook it, auburn curls glowing at the edges where the last of the sunlight caught the loosest strands,

“That’s the problem. I don’t know.” she replied, her voice soft. Chrackle leapt from his perch, soared across the room and landed on her shoulder, gently gripped the fabric of her robes between his talons and nuzzled his face against hers. 

“Could try asking new Chancellor if he as big an idiot as predecessor.” he offered vocally. Selene leaned into the nuzzle and tickled the magpie just under the base of his beak, earning her a contented croak,

“I suppose I could.” she agreed, “However, as you pointed out, that will need to wait until the morning. I doubt I’ll be winning him over if I interrupt his evening meal.” Chrackle leaned away from his mistress’ face and quickly shook his head, eyeing the woman suspiciously,

~Alright! Who are you and what have you done with my mistress?!~ he demanded. Selene noted the lack of puffing up of feathers and chuckled, tapping the magpie playfully on the nose,

“I am capable of following the advice given to me, Chrackle.” she chided, “One thing I can do, however, is have a look in my personal library for anything that can help.” She glanced at the door leading to the rest of the tower before mentally adding, ~Failing that, I’ll need a distraction so I can nip down to the library.~

Chrackle eyed his wizard for a moment. He blinked and tossed his head,

~I don’t think the ones outside are that stupid.~ he pointed out, ~The big one is Elowyn’s watch partner and I’m sure he’s heard more than enough stories about me to make that work.~

Right on cue, the door creaked open and a rugged male face appeared around it,

“Everything alright in here?” Farren asked. Selene nodded and allowed a very smug Chrackle to fly over to the desk,

“Yes, Breakwood, everything is well in here. Do you need something?” she asked. The watchman shrugged,

“Just making sure.” he replied easily, “Just letting you know there’s gonna be a shift change in a minute. Cobbleskater’s getting antsy about the paperwork he left behind.” Selene smiled and nodded,

“Completely understandable given the… circumstances that led to you both being posted up here earlier.” Selene glanced to Chrackle, sensing his irritation, which was quickly smothered by feigned apathy. She turned back to Farren, “I’ll be doing some minor research in my library and would appreciate it if the fresh officers knew that I would prefer not to be disturbed.” she told him. Farren smiled at her and gave her a miniature salute, glancing briefly at Chrackle,

“That won’t be a problem, Grand Magus, I’ll let them know. If you do need anything just holler.” With that Farren closed the door and Selene and Chrackle were left alone once more. Selene’s face lit up into a smile as she walked back to her desk,

I’m not entirely sure when this all started. Was it when I first saw her after a decade spent apart, or was it long before then, when we travelled the world righting the wrongs inflicted upon it? Not that it matters. I’ve known her for long enough to know that she doesn’t much care for romantic pursuits. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it does make my feelings rather more awkward than they have any right to be.

Edwin paused, his quill hovering over the parchment of his journal as he heard a tap-tap at the window of his office. The greying Abouna glanced over only to see a large, male magpie cocking its head at him, wings fluttering as it tried to keep its balance on the sill outside. Edwin frowned as he stood and walked over to the window, heaving it open. A blast of bitingly cold wind accompanied the magpie into the room, prompting the cleric to slam it shut again. He looked up at the rafters, frown back in place as he realised the bird wasn’t perching in his usual spot. A squawk drew Edwin’s attention back to his desk, where Chrackle was hopping around the inkpot and journal,

“Come. Tower. Help.” There was a pause as Chrackle waited for a response from the human man that was staring at him, perplexed. “Please.” he eventually added.

Edwin’s heart dropped as he processed Chrackle’s words. What had happened that required such urgency? Mind racing through the potential possibilities, Edwin launched into action. He grabbed his cloak and staff, gestured to Chrackle and strode out into the main vestibule of his church.

It didn’t take the Abouna long to reach the Wizard’s Tower, though he was rather winded by the time he reached the landing in front of the Grand Magus’ office. He took a moment to catch his breath before knocking on the door. There was the crash of something metallic, and probably quite expensive being knocking over, followed by a quiet ‘Schist’ on the other side. Another moment passed before the door creaked open, revealing a very dishevelled and haggard looking Selene. The wizard blinked and adjusted her glasses on her nose, 

“Hang on… Edwin? What are you –?” Selene cut herself off, her tired confusion morphing into a deep glower as her gaze finally settled on Chrackle. Edwin winced as the magpie squawked loudly in his ear as a, presumably, telepathic argument erupted between wizard and familiar. He cleared his throat,

“Yes, Chrackle did come to get me. And no, I’m not annoyed with him because he was clearly correct in his assertion that he, or rather you, needed help.” he stated, gesturing at Selene. “When was the last time you slept?”

Selene dragged her attention back to Edwin, her glower lifting, if only slightly,

“I have no idea what you’re on about Edwin. I’m fine, no help is required.” she replied, leaning on the door, not letting Edwin see into the office space beyond. “Uh-huh, and I’m the Emperor of Shakkuru.”

Selene’s lips pursed at the retort,

“Again. No help is actually required. Chrackle is overreacting and should know better than to bother people when they’re busy.” Another glare was levelled at the bird, who simply clacked his beak, “Yes you are! A bit of overtiredness is no reason to fetch a cleric over!”

“If I may interject, please? While you’re right that overtiredness isn’t a reason to fetch a cleric, it is a reason to fetch a friend to talk some sense into the one afflicted if they’re being combative about going to bed.”

Selene shook her head, her shoulders slumping a little as she finally opened the door to let Edwin inside,

“I still think this is a huge overreaction.” she grumbled, her steps staggering a little as she walked over to a metal contraption near her desk and hauled it upright. Edwin shrugged as he closed the door behind him,

“Possibly, but I’d rather be sure that all was entirely well. Especially since Chrackle seems so worked up about it.” he paused, cocking his head to one side, “You never answered my first question. When was the last time you slept?” 

Selene waved a hand dismissively, trying to gather up a bunch of loose parchment and only succeeding in scattering it over the floor,

“A day or so.” she replied,her attention firmly fixed on trying to pick the parchment back up. Chrackle chuckled angrily,

“More like two! You knocking everything over! Need sleep!” 

Edwin could not help but concur with Chrackle at this moment. The extreme lack of coordination indicated a far more severe loss of sleep than just one night. He quietly picked his way over to Selene and grabbed her free hand,

“While you might think it’s an overreaction, Chrackle’s right. You clearly need sleep more than you think you do.” he said, his voice soft. When Selene tried to level a glare at him, Edwin simply smiled, “Come on, you’ll be no good to anyone, least of all yourself, if you keep fighting it.” 

Selene grumbled, but finally allowed Edwin to help her back to standing. She closed her eyes as the room spun around her, forcing her to lean into his shoulder,

“No idea why you even listened to the damn bird.” she mumbled, “He's just going to bother you every time he thinks I need a talking to now.” 

Edwin breathed out as slowly and quietly as he could manage, attempting to calm his racing heart. He snorted,

Edwin frowned as he knocked on the door to Selene’s office, unsure of what to expect after Chrackle’s sudden and unexpected appearance in his bedchambers. While the cleric was no arcanist, he knew the magpie well enough to know that something was wrong for him to wake the Galanite up at this ungodly hour. The frown deepened when he received no response from the other side. He rapped more firmly on the door,

“Selene, is everything ok in there?” he called, “Chrackle was pretty insistent that I follow him all the way up here.” The cleric waited with bated breath as he heard a groan, a shuffle then, finally,  a soft click as the door he stood in front of was unlocked. Edwin gingerly took the handle and pushed the door open, peeking nervously into his old friend’s office. The room was dimly lit, but Edwin could make out the piles of books and scrolls scattered on top of the various tables around the room, but he paid them no mind as his gaze settled on the Grand Wizard. Selene was sitting at her desk, her head buried in her arms, glasses perched on top of her unruly mane of hair. She looked up with an unreadable expression as Edwin closed the door behind him, cast her gaze to her familiar, who was still sitting on the man’s shoulder, and glared at him. Edwin winced as Chrackle squawked indignantly in his ear, ruffled his feathers and took off to land on a hat stand that had been placed behind the door, keeping his back to his mistress. Edwin tentatively looked between Wizard and Familiar for a moment, noting with a great deal of worry how exhausted Selene looked at that moment. Selene sighed irritably, finally pushing herself into a more upright position,

“I’m sorry for the disturbance Edwin, Chrackle should know better than to go disturbing other peoples’ rest over nothing.” Edwin shrugged and walked over to the desk, freeing his arms from his cloak,

“It’s no trouble Selene. He seemed fairly worried and I believed it best to come by and make sure nothing was amiss.” Selene shook her head and rubbed at her eyes,

“Everything is fine, Edwin.” she retorted, “The feather-brained git is clearly going through a ‘mothering’ stage.” she muttered. Edwin crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby table, narrowing his eyes a little,

“I think I can see why. When was the last time you slept?” Selene glanced at the cleric, her own eyes narrowing a little as she perched her glasses back on her nose again,

“I really don’t think…” Edwin merely raised an accusatory eyebrow, causing the woman to trail off and look at the floor. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Edwin sighed and gestured to the chairs by the fireplace,

“I’ll get us some tea, and then we can talk about what’s on your mind.” he said firmly. Selene grumbled slightly, but nodded and pointed to a door off to one side of the massive room,

“There’s a small kitchenette through there, I should have some tea knocking about in there somewhere… at least I think it’s tea, it’s been a while since I last checked.” Edwin bit back the urge to ask what else might be in the larder, it was probably best he didn’t know. He cast another, somewhat worried look around the room, noting how… higgledy-piggeldy everything looked. He had visited the Library since arriving and it was completely immaculate; this was anything but. 

While Edwin busied himself with making the tea, Selene grudgingly collapsed into the wingback chair closest to the fire and ran a hand through her hair,

~If you were better at accepting help in the first place -~

~Oh do shut up you insufferable creature! I already told you I don’t need help.~

~Sure you don’t. It’s totally normal to not sleep for three nights straight and blow up at the junior wizards having a bit of fun before the New Year holiday.~

~I really should have picked a familiar that didn’t know what sarcasm was. At least then I wouldn’t need to put up with snarky attitudes.~

~My attitude is fun, carefree and loves to take long flights around the Garden of Galana thank you very much!~

~I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. It’s just… Of all the people to go and wake up in the middle of the night, why Edwin?~

~He’s the only one you’ll listen to.~

~*~

“I can’t help you if you keep pushing me away Selene!” Edwin snapped, his patience finally wearing thin, “What in all the hells are you so afraid of?” That seemed to finally get the woman’s attention as the wizard spun around to glare at him,

The autumn air was crisp as the Grand Magus walked down the city streets towards the Garden of Galana. She pulled the plain grey cloak she was wearing a little tighter as the wind bit through her robes and chilled her bones. 

~You’d save yourself the bother of getting cold if you’d just teleported out, you know.~ Chrackle’s voice noted inside the wizard’s head. 

~And give Schreiber the satisfaction of knowing how badly he got to me? No thank you.~

~I think he knows how badly he got to you already. You’re not exactly the most subtle person in the world.~

Selene grit her teeth. Damn it all! Why did the godsdamned bird have to be right? She ignored the smugness radiating from her familiar and focused on turning down the street that would lead her to the Garden.

~Alright, fine. No need to rub it in, Chrackle.~ she told him, ~The only reason I didn’t teleport directly into the church is because I know how much Egrim hates it when I do it, and the walk is helping me calm down enough that I’m not going to explode his office out of sheer frustration.~

~You calmed down enough that you won’t explode in the middle of the Garden instead?~

Selene slowed to a stop as she looked up at the sky and around at the trees and buildings surrounding her. Not seeing her familiar within eyesight, she frowned and started walking again, her steps more measured upon feeling the anger underlying the magpie’s words.

~Chrackle? Where are you?~ Dread descended upon Selene, settling on her shoulders and seeping into her gut. There was no reply. Instead, Selene felt the tug of Chrackle pulling on their link to cast something. Ignoring the stares of the people around her, the Grand Magus broke into a dead sprint. Instinct shook awake old, half-remembered habits and routines as Selene unthinkingly cast Mage Armour on herself and immediately ran through the spells she’d prepared for that day, trying to work out which one Chrackle might have used and for what reason.

Chrackle’s anger only intensified as she ran through the northern gates of the Garden and pounded along the trail through the trees and down the trail that led to the church. Selene felt her heart pound harder with every step. Especially as she began to hear her magpie’s furious cackling. It wasn’t like Chrackle to get this upset for no reason. What was –

Battle instinct alone was the only reason Selene avoided getting clocked in the temple by the rock thrown in her direction. The stone bounced off the Shield spell she’d thrown up and clattered to the ground. Selene stared dumbly at it,

~On your left!~ Chrackle’s voice echoed, an accompanying vocal squawk alerting her to the individual that was now targeting the human woman that had happened upon their fun. Selene immediately whirled, already muttering an incantation and let her spell fly in the face of the human man that was readying to tackle her. He fell back, swearing up a storm, his hands covering his eyes as Selene let loose with a Colour Spray. Selene didn’t have time to dwell on him, as she caught sight of a rather larger group of people than she was expecting, attempting to surround her out of the corner of her eye. None of them were wearing any sort of robes or uniform, nor were any of them wearing anything that Selene would begin to consider ‘adventuring gear’. So civilians then. Selene looked beyond them to the wisteria building she’d been running towards and fumed.

Thorns erupted from every conceivable surface of the facade. Thick, ropy vines completely barred the main entrance and all the windows, deep gouges marred at least a few on the door, and some of the vines covering the ground floor windows had scorch marks. She glanced briefly up to the tree branch Chrackle was now perching on,

~I hope you didn’t try casting Fireball at these louts.~ she commented smoothly. Chrackle clacked his beak,

~Might not worship Her directly, but I know better than to piss off Galana! Unlike these idiots.~  the magpie retorted huffily. 

~Just checking.~ Was all Selene said. She returned her attention to the mob that now surrounded her. She set her shoulders and tossed her hair back from her face,

“Right, then. I’m going to give you lot 2 minutes to skedaddle before I start getting properly upset with you.”

“Oh no, what’re you gonna do, lovie? Throw some more pretty lights in our faces?” One of the men scoffed. All of them were human, barring two that were clearly half elves. None of them appeared to be followers of the Lady of the Garden, and if the state of the rose bushes was any indication, they weren’t landscapers either. Selene gestured to the gentleman that was wandering around in a daze behind her, who had just bumped into the tree Chrackle was perched on,

“I mean, if you all want to be blinded and dazed for a few hours, I can certainly arrange that.” She replied, “However, trying to explain to the local Watch why there are suddenly thirteen people who have all gone blind and are babbling incoherently on top of that is too much effort for me to expend right now, so I suggest you take my earlier advice and leave.” 

~Not the brightest bunch are they? Do they even know who you are?~ Chrackle asked conversationally. Selene mentally rolled her eyes,

~I doubt it, and I’d like to keep it that way if you please. I’m here on my time off, I don’t want to have to explain anything to Schreiber right now.~

Two of the men looked over to their mate, who simply felt his way down to the ground and groaned, then looked to the human who had scoffed at Selene earlier,

“Henry, maybe we should take her up on that?” one of them suggested, “I mean, she’s clearly a finger wiggler of some sort, and I don’t think –”

Henry rolled his eyes and gestured at the rest of the group,

“What, you think a skinny little bitch like her can take us all on at once?” he growled, “Finger wiggler or not, she can’t cast fast enough.” he added, pulling out a knife and levelling it at Selene. He smiled at her lazily, “Now then, I think we all know who should be leaving now, don’t we?”

Selene felt Chrackle tense, ready to swoop the guy,

~Hang on, Chrackle, no need. I can still deal with this just fine.~ she told the anxious magpie. Chrackle growled in her head,

~Oh come on, the guy is begging for at least one of his eyes to get pecked out! Please?~

Selene ignored Chrackle’s begging and returned her full attention to Henry. She clucked her tongue in disappointment,

“Oh yes, I certainly do, but I’m not going to thank you for the paperwork you’re going to cause me.” she sighed. The Grand Magus immediately began mentally running through her spell list again, trying to find something non-fatal she could use to subdue the entire group at once. Henry snorted, gestured to the rest of the mob, and lunged at Selene. The rest, emboldened by his action, surged forward, pulling out their own weapons.

Chrackle immediately leapt into action, swooping down and clawing at three of the men, angling back up into the air before they could even hope to swat at him. Selene managed to dodge out of the way of most of the strikes, but three still managed to land. She hissed at the sting of blades cutting into her arms before muttering an incantation and teleporting out of the middle of the mob and reappearing only ten feet away to one side of them. The mob stared in angry confusion before realising what had happened and turning around. Selene waved at them with a sarcastic smile before moving her hands and muttering again. Henry bellowed and tried to rush the wizard once more. In a single second, the world had turned to pitch black and he slammed into a stone wall, breaking his nose. All he could hear was the confused and terrified yells of the rest of his friends as they struggled to comprehend what had just happened, banging their fists uselessly against solid walls that none of them could see.

Outside the 20 foot square Windowless Cell that had suddenly sprung up in the middle of the Garden, Selene dusted her robes down as Chrackle landed on her shoulder.

~You couldn’t have made it just a weeny bit smaller?~ the magpie asked, sounding almost disappointed. Selene shook her head,

“The smaller one wouldn’t fit them all. Be a dear and summon some Watch officers here, will you? The cell’s small enough that I’m concerned about how much air they’ve got in there.”

Chrackle croaked,

~We could just leave them in there until they’re unconscious.~ he suggested, ~They did try to at least seriously injure you, if not try to kill you.~ 

Selene tapped the magpie firmly on his beak,

“No, we won’t be doing that, Chrackle! This isn’t Old Toreguarde, and nor are we out on the road where such things might be smidge more acceptable.” she chided, “Now please go and summon some Watch officers while I try to convince Egrim that the threat to his church has been dealt with.” 

Chrackle gave her a grumbling chuckle,

~Alright, fine! But I want something shiny for the new nest in exchange for this!~ he exclaimed, before taking off and flying in the vague direction of the nearest Watchhouse. 

Selene ignored Chrackle’s comment and walked up to the barred door of the church. Three broken and spent torches littered the ground in front of the vines, which creaked ominously as the Grand Magus stepped just a little too close. She backed up a step and huffed out a weary sigh,

“You’ll be glad to hear that the louts who were trying to burn you out of your church have been dealt with.” she called into the small piece of copper she’d pulled out of one of her pockets. Selene waited patiently as the vines retracted back into the earth and the wood of the building. Eventually there was the sound of at least a dozen locks being undone and the door creaked open just a crack. A dark, small and wary face peeked out of the opening, which quickly brightened into a large smile,

“Selene, it’s so wonderful to see you! I do hope those layabouts didn’t cause you too much trouble?” Oakrose greeted, opening the door properly so Selene could step into the main vestibule of the church. Selene shook her head,

“I gained a couple of scratches, but nothing to be concerned about.” she replied, “They didn’t manage to hurt any of you did they?” she asked. Oakrose peered at Selene, tutted, then peered first at the young man sitting underneath the nearby birch tree before sliding her bemused gaze over to the large, stone box that had suddenly appeared not ten feet from the front door. She shook her head,

“No, Father Shiverstaff heard them coming and rounded everyone up right quick.” the much shorter and older woman replied, “And you and I have very different ideas of what constitutes a scratch, young lady!” she chided, gesturing at Selene’s arm. Selene blinked and looked at her arm. A small rivulet of crimson was clearly visible on the back of her hand and dripping onto the floor.

“Oh.”

Oakrose heaved a motherly sigh as she chivvied the much taller woman into an office and made her sit down,

“I’ll go grab the Abouna so he can patch that up for you. What happened to the lad outside anyway?”

Selene shrugged,