The dark forest seemed to extend forever beneath Aurnia's wings as she soared through the foul smelling night. Soothing the world's anger and bringing temporary calm had sapped her energy and set a rattle through her bones but she was grateful that her wings hadn't given out. Her ears pricked as a cloud of bickering bats suddenly tumbled through the sky, and she ducked to avoid them before muttering a short curse under her breath. There were a few startled shrieks and a handful of apples dropped towards the ground.

Aurnia huffed and veered towards the silhouette of a mountain. Her eyes glimmered with a strange blue fire and enabled her to see far into the distance. From far up in the sky she could just make out the fires burning within the people's homes, the thin trails of smoke spoke of bitter households full of secrets and pain.

Tarrin was a city built on empty promises and barbed smiles.

Over the years the humble town had grown into a sprawling city, its mines were responsible for a majority of the kingdom's metal but there were rumours of something else hiding in the gaping shadows. She murmured a spell and felt its power run through her veins, the world flickered before a thin veil settled around her, a cloaking spell was the first thing her mother had taught her as a child. Once she had assumed it was for the games of hide and seek but experience had quickly revealed its other uses.

She dipped towards the scattered houses that hugged the base of the mountain and admired the small carvings that hung from each window. Aurnia smiled and let her wings brush off a few of them. Each figurine would continue to glare out into the world but their rhythmic chimes reminded her of just how much the king had failed. As crude as they seemed, the figures were remnants of old beliefs regarding the spirits of the mountain, and try as he might the king was clearly unable to stamp it out.

As she continued to soar between the houses, Aurnia began to regret the day of endless flying. Thanks to her carelessness it had been months since she'd last had the chance to truly fly, she winced as a cramp began to gnaw on her shoulders and she considered shifting and walking through the narrow streets. The night was silent and it was not likely that anyone would spot her. Within their homes everyone turned a blind eye to the sounds of their neighbours, the sounds of yelling or breaking dishes were hardly anything to be concerned with when your biggest worry was seeing your loved ones come home safely.

The sound of laughter quickly changed her mind as she watched as a group of rowdy young men tumble from a lighted doorway. Their faces spoke of mindless fun but their thin purses pointed to an argument once they returned home. Aurnia frowned and turned her head towards the manor shining in the distance, the smell of thick greasy smell of roasting meat billowed from its chimney and set her stomach rolling.

The mayor had always been a cowardly man, instead of building his home among the people, he'd chosen to hide it high up on a ledge on the mountain. Out of sight and out of mind seemed to be his motto. On foot the path was long and tedious but a little magic always lessened the burden for his horses. Aurnia grinned once she caught sight of the speckled trees that lined the road, the foolish man had planted Knotweed trees, every autumn they bore small hard fruit that cracked any wheel that passed over them. His relentless cursing always made the journey worth it but a little nudging was all it took Aurnia to teach the people how to eat them.

Aurnia beat her wings and rose further in the sky, one more push and she'd be home once again. Soon the mountain loomed before her, each peak seemed to stretch endlessly into the sky and her mind drifted towards Pymres and his race for the sky. The first dragons had been creatures of raw power, wild and untamable they were free to roam the world as they pleased. Their battles may have helped to form the world but it was the First Mother's guidance that finally put their powers to constructive use.

The Astos mountains were one such result. Their dark jagged peaks clawed their way towards the clouds with a fury that seemed to match no other. During the day the harsh shadows cast by its peaks seemed to grab hold of Tarrin and pin it into place, those who lingered too long within its dark gaze often spoke of chills and odd dampening feeling.

Even still Aurnia headed towards a small gap hidden above the mayor's home, her wing dragged on the soft dirt and she stumbled and landed roughly on a tiny ledge just in front of the small opening in the rock. Cool crisp air drifted out from within and gingerly she stuck a nail into the gap. There was a fizzle of energy as she pushed it further in.

Her nostrils flared as she caught the smell of carrion wafting up from somewhere within the city. A thick setting of trees concealed the space from the peering eyes down below. And even those who sought adventure tried to avoid the beetles that made their homes with the pines. Fortunately dragon hide was able to withstand their acidic vomit and Aurnia huffed as she crawled her way through the narrow spaces between the trees. Her claws ached as she hauled her body up the cliff face and further away from the twisted city. As she approached a rocky ledge, Aurnia was secretly glad that she'd proven her mother wrong, as small as she was she'd like to think she had never been weak.

The mayor had built a large log fence around the back of his home, perhaps it was because of the stories often told about the Astos mountains but Aurnia would never know. The two of them had never been on good terms and leaving with a cracked jar on her head was an experience she never wanted to relive. Crude glyphs had been hacked into the ends of each one, whenever Aurnia looked back she always felt a twinge of pity. Hamlin may have been chosen as mayor but his simple mind had been unable to comprehend the severity of his mistakes. As selfish as he was no excuse could explain the use of symbols from the old religion. Once faced with a threat he'd retreated into his home like a chastised child crying for its mother.

If it ever came to it, those simple glyphs would fail to hold back anything, not even a little insect. But legends and myths meant nothing to those who had been around since the formation of the kingdoms and Aurnia flicked her tongue in irritation as the weak bonds tickled her skin.

She sniffed and caught the cool scent of mint drifting through the hole in the rock, her tail twitched and she growled. Through the narrow pass was a path towards the caves of Faylea.

Aurnia hated them with passion.

When she was a child her mother had brought her to the caves as a lesson in foresight. The caves shone with an eerie grey light thanks to the abundance of precious stones within them. Even stranger, currents of hot and cold air drifted freely throughout the vast halls bringing memories and hints of time with them.

But as a young girl she'd been too preoccupied with finding her way around to appreciate what they had to offer. Aurnia dipped her head and sighed, her shoulders ached with old injuries and her own shrieks drifted through her head. Her lessons may have been cruel but she would like to believe it was all in preparation for what was coming, there was no time for cowardice.

She shuddered in the warm night air and slowly withdrew her claw from the hole in the rock. Everything seemed to be in place, the key hadn't moved, now it was just a question of creating the right combination.

At one stage the people of each kingdom would venture into the twisting tunnels, seeking the precious stones for their beauty. But very few knew about the stones' true nature. In truth, each stone was filled with power, blessed and passed on by the Great Mother before she passed.

But the greatest secret was one that resided deep within her mind, and Aurnia's mother had ensured to drill it into her from a young age. The mountain itself was sheltering a "heart" and functioned as a mirror between various worlds. A beautiful tree that kept Aefither alive thrived within the deepest cavern and it had been their job to protect it and keep it alive.

Then the tree started dying.

How Aurnia wished she could have reached out and strangled that arrogant prince before he took the title of King. How much pain could she have spared the people, if only she'd acted in time.

Aurnia huffed and drew her power into the centre of her body, from her high perch she could feel people beginning to stir with the rising sun. Each word spilt onto the tip of her tongue without much effort and gently she began to scratch symbols into the dirt coating the face of the rock. Circles and swirls spilled from beneath her claws and each one glowed with a gentle violet light.

Something cried out from down below, sending several birds scattering through the sky and briefly distracting Aurnia. The signs flicked for a moment before resuming their glow. The rocks grumbled from within and slowly the opening widened and shifted until it was just large enough for a small person to fit through. Summoning part of her energy Aurnia focused on morphing back to her human form. She cursed and clenched her teeth as her wings melding back into her spine. A prickling sensation in her hands and feet made her snarl.

Why did it have to be so uncomfortable when going from dragon to human?

She paused for a moment to catch her breath and tie up her hair before clambering into the dark hole. The darkness embraced her, it wrapped its way around her head rendering her senses useless. It didn't matter. Two seconds later Aurnia was racing into the darkness, she knew each twist and turn by heart as she had grown up here. Once she used to do this with her eyes closed but the time for playing was over. Being a dragon allowed her to see in the dark as her eyes glowed with an internal fire.

As she approached the opening of the tree's chamber the smell of rotting caught her by surprise. A chill went down her spine, the smell was much too strong. The soft light of the chamber had been reduced to a flickering mess of blues and green, Aurnia grit her teeth and quickened her pace. The glyphs were supposed to protect this place and the last time Aurnia had visited only a few had faded. Even then she had managed to bolster them by feeding them her own life's energy.

She quickened her pace and burst into the room. What she saw made her go cold.

Some of the glyphs surrounding the tree were already fading once again and large cracks raced up the walls like spiders on the run. The cold marble floor shifted and cracked beneath her feet and each breath drifted away in a cloud of vapour. Aurnia summoned a small flame within the palm of her hand and quickly spread it over her body.

The tree itself was dying, blossoms were fell like snow and its leaves were rapidly withering before her eyes. Aurnia's heart seized and she struggled to repress her anger, Lily's life was fading quickly and the King still had her locked up beneath his castle. Her mind whispered and gnawed on her courage, she was a failure once again.

Darkness seeped out of the gap in the runes, killing everything in its path and Aurnia resisted the urge to gag. The sweet smell of decay drifted from all around. A sob escaped from Aurnia's mouth. Something was very wrong. Their tree was dying much too quickly and she couldn't let her mother down as well. Slowly she spun around taking in her surroundings, and her eyes drifted around looking at the carvings on the wall. They too were fading before her eyes.

Someone chuckled from behind her "Miss me?"

Aurnia whirled around and a frosty knife formed in her hand as she prepared to attack.

Selene stood pale and sickly as usual. Her royal gowns swallowed her up like the swelling after a bruise and her sunken eyes glared straight at Aurnia. They gleamed like the slime of a fish and she placed a hand on her hip.

"I have a request, little dragon." Her voice cracked and spun in the thin air, the frayed edges of the figure being the only thing that revealed that she wasn't actually in the chamber. Aurnia glowered and lowered the knife slightly, she always hated how unsettled the woman made her feel. She tucked her other hand behind her back and pinched herself, as charming as Selene tried to come across Aurnia couldn't help but suspect that she had something to do with Lily's imprisonment.

The woman sent a flippant glance towards the tree before looking back towards her "I have nudged the process along. Now help me answer a question."

Aurnia cocked her head and glared at the queen "Have you ever tried making friends your majesty? Because this isn't how you do it." Try as she might she failed to keep the bile from clouding her voice. She desperately wanted to tend to the tree but letting the queen see how she did it would be a mistake.

"I want fruit -" While forceful and meant as a command Aurnia could not help but think of the plaintive whinging often uttered by young children.

"You come to me and kill the world tree for fruit?" Disbelief filled Aurnia as she struggled not to blast the illusion into the wall. Her hand clenched behind her back and she felt the warm rush of blood as her nails punctured her skin.

The ground hummed as Aurnia took a step towards the floating image. Selene raised a hand and waved Aurnia away "Not just any fruit, I want the berries of the Aiprite tree. I hear they are wonderful for a person's skin." She paused and shot Aurnia a meaningful glance.

Aurnia hissed and turned away, fruit. The world was dying and the queen wanted berries from a very obscure fruit tree. "I cannot promise to find what you desire." The words came out low and threatening as she felt the air around them shift once again. Threads of darkness wove their way around the flickering image adding a sharp bite to the air.

The queen's delicate face wrinkled with disgust "you will obey me Halfling." The word dug just under Aurnia's skin, a gentle voice whispered at the back of her head, and long forgotten insecurities threatened to resurface. Aurnia sighed.

"I serve no one anymore. My duty to this world and its people was complete long ago, you have no power over me witch queen." She watched as a flash of anger danced across her queen's cold pale face, then it was gone, replaced by false serenity and a thin layer of grace.

"You have no master, yet were raised to follow orders." Selene's laugh was high and grating within the silent chamber. It rattled around the room and settled quickly in the darkened corners. "Think about it Halfling. I'll be watching."

And with that, the thin illusion flickered and faded into nothing. Aurnia clenched her fists and turned her gaze around the room. The glimmering glyphs that lined the walls offered no answers to her questions, instead they had served as silent observers of time. The grand masters who were reduced to nothing but watchers and teachers for the next guardians. Once Aurnia had been looking forward to joining the ranks and becoming one of the many spirits that drifted through the silent caverns. Now she dreaded that day that event would come to pass.

Each year she had watched and waited for that spark of power to appear within Aefither. But with each passing moon she became less certain about her mother's predictions. It was one thing to get up and leave a child to grow and develop on its own but a world without its guardians was as good as dead.