Tiafell - The Femboy Elf Ch. 28

Chapter 28: Decoding Hope

"Wake up!!" Trista shook Samora's arm, who was screaming and thrashing in her sleep. The witch sat up, frightened and heaving. "Was it that nightmare again? Are you okay?"

It took her a few moments to realize where she was. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine." She buried her face in her hands.

"This was the worst I've seen you react to that dream. Was something different?"

"Yes... It was the most vivid version of it I've seen, it felt as though I was there! Dred was in his original form again, but twice his usual size. I also recognized the city this time; it was Janazheim!"

"The Capital...?" Trista's face went pale.

"Yes. By the gods, why do I keep having this dream?"

"Maybe you're stressed? We have all been through a lot lately, and there is more to come. We'll arrive at Janazheim in a few hours, why not take a break when we get there? We'll see Tiafell, Cirris, Mirya, the others!" Trista was excited to see her brother again.

"I do look forward to that, but it's imperative that I get started on deciphering the secrets of the lost volume right away." Having composed herself, Samora stood to get dressed. "We must get going, our destination is but a few miles away now."

"Right." Trista left the covers to put her clothes on. The women packed the tent and their belongings, using magic to condense it into a manageable size. Samora wrote a quick letter to Vasati and cast a spell to send it away. They mounted Ember, then rode off to complete the final leg of their long journey.

After passing through the checkpoint and allowing the guards to board Ember, Samora and Trista finally stood within the walls of Janazheim. The elf was floored by the gorgeous architecture around her.

"This is my first time visiting, but everything is familiar to me." Samora stated.

"Because of your father's memories?"

"Yes. However, viewing it in person is much more exciting." The witch smiled at first, but her expression changed. "There's no denying it now; this is the city I keep seeing in my dream." Trista began to say something, but a woman's voice interrupted her.

"Lady Samora, and Miss Trista?" Vasati approached them, then bowed. "I am Vasati, Chief Advisor to King Escandar. Welcome to Gashua's Capital: Janazheim! I am pleased to meet you both!"

"Ah, yes, it is so nice to meet you finally! I am Samora, and this is Trista, Tiafell's older sister." Samora introduced herself and her companion. "We have heard so much about you."

"Hello." Trista greeted the other elf politely.

"My, your resemblance to Tiafell is uncanny!" Vasati put her hands together. "There are obvious differences, such as your black hair, but you look almost exactly like him!"

"Thank you." The hybrid elf bashfully accepted the complement. "So how is my brother doing?"

"Well..." Vasati started. "He's been melancholy at times since he arrived." She explained the situation with Alto to them. "Tiafell didn't take the news well. He blames himself for what happened and has resolved to find Alto. If not for this determination and his anger, I don't think he would have prevailed against the King."

"Oh Tiafell..." Trista's ears lowered.

"He brushes me off whenever I try to talk to him about it. He simply says, 'I will bring him back to you' and changes the subject.

"What happened to Alto was not his fault, though I understand how hard it is to see beyond your own feelings of guilt." Samora lamented, still having regrets related to her late father. "Anyway, let's go see the King."

"Of course." Their escort guided the travelers through the huge city, pointing out various sights. Eventually, they arrived at the square that was to be dedicated to Marlon's memory.

"My, that is so nice of the King." Trista was moved by the gesture. "Marlon gave me my freedom back and saved my life, at the cost of his own. A selfless man like him deserves to be remembered."

"He was an important man to Gashua, I never had the chance to meet him. You have my condolences, Lady Samora."

"Thank you, Vasati." Samora was observing the area, all of it familiar to her. "Father visited this square quite often." She pointed at an establishment. "He liked getting drinks from that pub. Father passed all his memories, knowledge, and magic to me before he died. It's still a very strange experience; I remember this place like I've been here myself many times. Almost everything looks different now, newer."

"Oh right, Miss Hinako did mention that." Vasati recollected. "The King knew this was Marlon's favorite part of town, that's why he chose this location to be his memorial site. Many of the buildings here have undergone renovations, it's part of a project to modernize the entire city."

"Janazheim is the oldest town in Gashua, I'm sure it needs to be remodeled. Anyway, let's not dwell, I must speak with the King as soon as possible." Samora suggested. The three women boarded a trolly, making their way to the castle.

In the throne room, King Escandar sat on his throne with the members of the Elite Royal Guard around him, chatting amongst themselves. Scepter, the King's pet lion, slept at his feet. Tiafell and his friends also waited inside. The three women of the group had gathered around Princess Ingra. Mirya was singing a children's song about frogs and lily pads with the young girl, the two of them clapping their hands together in rhythm. Tiafell spoke with Cirris and Brion. Scepter lifted his head and stood, stretching.

"I sense Trista and Samora, they're on the elevator." Tiafell told everyone.

"Yay! They're finally here!" Mirya squealed. Scepter made his way to the double doors of the room.

"'Big Kitty's' gonna say 'hi' to the guests!" Ingra yelled excitedly.

One of the doors opened, Vasati entered first. Samora and Trista followed behind her, being "greeted" by Scepter, who roared at them. Though nervous, Samora expected this. Trista on the other hand was terrified, hiding behind the witch with an audible "yelp".

"Fear not!" Escandar raised his massive hand. "If Scepter wanted to do any harm, you would not have made it into the room."

Trista peeked around Samora's shoulder to see the big cat looking at her. The feline walked to the side, keeping his eyes on the elf. He nudged her side with his head.

"This is rare," The King was surprised, "Scepter normally doesn't want anyone to pet him other than my daughter. He must really like you!"

Trista timidly and slowly reached out to put her hand on the lion's head, who responded with a purr. Seeing the cat react positively to her touch put the female elf at ease.

"How about that?" Escandar laughed. "Lady Samora, Trista, welcome to Janazheim Castle! I am Escandar, King of Gashua! It is an honor to meet the daughter of Marlon, as well as the sister of Tiafell."

"Likewise, Your Majesty." Samora smiled. "This is our first time meeting, but I remember you."

"I-It's an honor to meet you too." Trista stammered, still quite nervous.

"Right, I am aware of the situation with your father's memories. Let me begin by offering my condolences for Marlon's passing. He was a great man and important to the Royal Family, to our Kingdom."

"Thank you."

"Now," The King leaned back in his throne. "I sure you've been informed that these young warriors have won an alliance with me. I have been planning a full-scale attack on Basilix Castle using our newly developed artillery, which all of you will now be a part of. But we still need a little more time to prepare for the opertaion. Hinako informs me that we have a book in our possession that only you can read?"

"Yes, Father believed that volume contains the method to permanently destroy Dred. Regrettably, he was unable to come here to read it himself before he died, so it's up to me to decipher its secrets."

"A book?" Cirris raised an eyebrow.

"A method to destroy Dred?" Mirya's eyes widened.

"That's correct." Samora answered her children. "My apologies for keeping it a secret. Truth be told, I know very little about what's in the book. I promise to answer all questions once I have answers to give." The witch addressed the King once more. "I would like to get started at once."

"I understand." Escandar scratched his beard. "But wouldn't you like to take a break first? You and Trista have had a long journey, relax for a while! Your Father always said that food and rest were the building blocks for progress."

"He did." Samora closed her eyes for a bit. "Very well, but I insist that I get started today. Also, I would like to reconnect the transportation circles between Father's tower and this castle. It will make it easier and faster for those helping in the effort to rebuild Steelweld."

"Very well, you can do that when you return."

"Thank you so much for that, Lady Trista." Brion was relieved that his people would receive help much more quickly.

"You have got to try this pizza joint in the courtyard!" Kanah chimed in, practically drooling. "Tiafell said he wanted to take Trista there too!"

"Yeah, I do." Tiafell looked at Trista and smiled warmly, getting one back from his older sister.

"Then it's settled!" Escandar declared. "Have lunch and catch up with your family, then get to work on decoding the book's secrets! Tonight, we shall have a feast in honor of our alliance! Until then, you are dismissed!" The large muscular King rose from his throne and walked behind it, leaving with Serin and Rhydra following.

"Lady Samora," Hinako approached her. "While you are with the others, I will have the book moved to your room. We have assigned one to you already, Room 19-J."

"I appreciate that." Samora thanked her.

"Sure. Oletta, come with me."

"Huh? Why me?" The pixie-haired knight questioned her.

"The book is heavy, and you're the only one not doing anything today."

"Argh! I knew I shouldn't have taken the day off!"

"Think of it as training." The Oriental mage prodded her.

"Training huh?" The suggestion piqued her interest. "Okay, you're on!" A sly grin formed on Hinako's face, she knew how to manipulate Oletta to get what she wanted from her.

With that, the groups went their separate ways. Everyone said goodbye to Princess Ingra, who was about to begin her daily reading lessons with Vasati, then went to greet Samora and Trista.

"Hey you two!" Samora hugged her children. "How was your trip?"

"It was fine. We ran into some bandits and demons a few times, but they were hardly a challenge for us!" Cirris bragged.

"You nearly got killed by that succubus, you couldn't stop starring at her tits!" Brion snickered.

"They were huge! Almost as big as Mom's!" Cirris tried to defend himself.

"Leave it to you, thinking with your dick and not your brain, assuming you even have one." Nadia ridiculed him.

"Shut up, Fang Girl..."

"Men..." Kanah rolled her eyes.

"You were looking at them too!" Mirya poked her best friend with her elbow.

"Miryaaaaaa!!" Everyone laughed at her, then began walking together.

"How was your trip?" Tiafell asked his sister.

"Largely the same as yours, we got a lot of training in too!" Trista happily disclosed.

"That's good to hear. I look forward to seeing how much more powerful your magic has become." He praised her.

"I'll be happy to show you. It seems you've got quite a bit stronger yourself."

"Yeah, I guess so." Tiafell trailed off. In that moment, Trista understood what Vasati was talking about.

Arriving at "King's Crust Pizzeria", the group found two tables next to each other, sliding them together. They caught up with Samora and Trista. Those who were initially untrusting of the female hybrid opened up to her. This made her happy, but she could tell something was still off with Tiafell. She had sensed a deep sadness within him since their reunion and it was more profound than ever. He tried to enjoy himself, but something prevented him from fully letting loose. She decided to try talking to him about it later. Their pizzas arrived, everyone grabbed slices.

"Hey Nadia, want some garlic on yours?" Cirris held the shaker over her plate, trying not to laugh.

"I swear to everything holy that if a single speck of that shit touches my food, I'll shove that shaker so far up your ass you'll taste garlic for the rest of your life!!" Nadia warned, clearly not finding it as funny as Cirris did.

"Oh right, Nadia is a vampire, so garlic has a negative effect on her, correct?" Trista didn't understand why Cirris would joke about something harmful.

"I'm a dhampir. Just like how sunlight doesn't hurt me, garlic is also harmless. But I fucking hate the shit, and Dickhead here knows it!" Nadia glared threateningly at a grinning Cirris. Trista let out a sigh of relief upon learning the spice would not hurt the vampire. She sensed something between the two, a fondness for each other neither of them would ever admit.

"I see you two haven't changed over the last month. You better not have caused any trouble..." Samora's brow furrowed.

"They were actually very well behaved!" Mirya began. "They are like children, only acting up to get 'Mommy's' attention!" She laughed, kicking her feet under the table.

"We're nothing like that!" Cirris protested.

"Like I would compete with this Dickhead for anyone's attention!" Nadia fumed.

"You two, we're in public..." The witch rebuked them, giving off a threatening aura. Cirris and Nadia fell silent, to the amusement of everyone else except for Kanah who was too busy cramming pizza into her mouth.

Everyone had a great time, even Tiafell, though he was still the quietest. Upon returning to the castle, Samora left to connect the transportation circles before beginning her work on decoding the book. The girls had plans to further tour the castle grounds with Vasati after her lessons with Ingra were finished, Cirris and Brion were going to spar in the arena, Tiafell went off by himself. Noticing this, Trista decided to follow. She found him on a balcony outside on the 19th floor. He was leaning over the arm, propping himself up with his elbows, staring blankly over the city.

"Oh, Trista, hey." Tiafell acknowledged her, but didn't turn around.

"Vasati said you come out here a lot." Trista rubbed her arm. "Little Brother, you haven't known me for long, but I'm still your older sister. Give me a chance to play the role and be there for you, I'm long overdue." She had a good idea of what was eating at him, but she wanted to hear him say it.

Tiafell was silent and motionless for a few seconds before standing upright. "All I ever wanted to do was see the world outside Elfandall..." He turned to face his sister; thick and heavy tears fell from his eyes. His bottom lip trembled. "I never wanted anyone to get hurt..." Losing what little control he had left, the male hybrid began weeping loudly. He held his fists against his eyes and dropped to his knees.

"I still struggle to not blame myself for all the people that have gotten hurt or killed. And then there is Alto and Vasati. They left the village to find me and look what happened to them! Vasati is okay, but Alto may not be! He's either become a vampire in service to Esteban, or he's dead! It's all my fault!! Why did I leave without them? Why didn't I trust that they would leave the lives they were building in Elfandall to come with me?" Tiafell spoke more but was crying so much that it was incoherent.

Trista got onto her knees in front of her brother and embraced him, allowing him to cry on her shoulder. Feeling his sorrow, she silently wept with him. She said nothing, knowing words weren't what he needed at the time.

Unable to cry anymore, Tiafell lifted his head. His eyes were puffy. "I'm sorry, I-I had been holding that in for so long. I didn't want Vasati to see me break down like that. I had been telling her I would find Alto and bring him back to her. But I don't know if I fully believe it myself, I don't know that he's even alive. Why have I been saying that to her when I don't entirely believe it myself?"

"Because you don't want her to experience the same kind of pain and sorrow you're currently feeling." Trista comforted him. "You have gone through so much negativity in your life that you only want to spread positively and spare everyone the pain you have always endured. That is so admirable, but it must be excruciating at times." Tiafell said nothing.

Trista held her brother by his shoulders. "I don't know if Alto is okay, he might not be. But you must believe he could be! Don't give up on something just because it seems unlikely! Things can and do work out in weird ways. They don't always, sometimes things end horribly, but you can't assume the worst before it happens! How can Vasati believe what you tell her when you yourself don't? Hold on to that hope, trust it with the same determination that allowed you to defeat King Escandar!"

Tiafell paused to allow Trista's words to sink in. "Are sure you haven't done this "Big Sister" thing before?" The male elf giggled, perking up a little.

"It must come naturally; I'm a great big sister after all!" The reunited siblings shared a laugh. They spent some time together on the balcony alone, then decided to track Vasati and the others down to join the tour of the grounds.

After reestablishing the connection between the circles at the tower and the castle, Samora went to her room, finding Hinako and Oletta inside.

"Fuck that book was heavy! But man, what a workout!" Oletta rolled her shoulders.

On a desk in the corner of the room was an enormous old book. The cover was worn and made from an unknown hard material. The title was written with strange symbols. Samora examined it.

"My word, it's larger than I expected." Samora's fingers traced the title. "'Tales of... Deities... and Their History'" She slowly read. "This seems to be a collection of stories about the gods and the events they were involved in." Samora opened the front cover, the pages were yellow and rigid. She had to be careful not to break or rip any of them as she skimmed through. "There must be thousands of pages, the table of contents alone is dozens of pages long! I have my work cut out for me."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Hinako offered.

"Not unless you help me can read this, but I'm most likely the only person alive who can." The witch sat down at the desk, cautiously turning the book back to the very beginning. "Let me know when it's time for the feast, if you will."

"No problem, My Lady. Best of luck to you."

"Thank you for letting Father know about this. It will take me a while, but I have no doubt the key to our victory lies within these dusty old pages." Hinako and Oletta left so Samora could get to work. She carefully examined the table of contents, turning page after page. "'Prophesies', I should start there."

She got to work, stopping only to attend the royal feast in the evening. It was a lively, spirited dinner, even Tiafell was back to his usual self. Samora had a good time, but she was too distracted by thoughts of getting back to her work to fully enjoy herself. Upon returning to her room, she went right back to it, staying up most of the night.

Six days had passed since Samora began decoding the secrets of the old book found under the ruins of Gatharham. She worked tirelessly, staying up most nights reading and translating, hoping to discover the secrets they desperately needed.

That afternoon, Trista came in to check on her, becoming deeply worried.

"Samora? May I come in?" The elf asked after knocking.

"Trista! Yes, come in!!" The voice behind the door was one of excitement.

Trista opened the door and entered the room to find Samora standing with her arms gripping the edges of the desk.

"Did something happen?" She approached the older woman.

"Yes, I've done it!!!" The witch happily turned around. Despite the bags under her bloodshot eyes, she was ecstatic. "I know how to permanently kill Dred, or rather, how Tiafell can!!!" She excitedly pulled Trista into an embrace and gave her a deep lingering kiss, then pulled away. "Sorry, I lost my composure there!"

"I-It's okay, I liked it." The female hybrid responded bashfully, moving hair away from her face. "This is great news!!"

"Yes, I need to tell the others right away. I need a paper and pen!" The busty woman frantically searched the room, pulling drawers open.

"Samora, let me. You need to rest."

"We can't wait! I must tell them now!"

"I'll write the note and send it to everyone. They are busy and will need a couple hours to gather anyway. Take a nap, you haven't had a full night of sleep since we got here!"

"A nap? Yeah, I could probably use one..." The witch dropped onto her bed. "A nap sounds..." She trailed off and slumped over, her head falling opposite the pillow at the foot of the bed. Trista used magic to position her properly, then wrote a quick note and sent it to everyone.

The others were either training or hanging out when pieces of paper appeared before each of them. The notes read:

"This is Trista. Samora has finally found the means to destroy Dred! She wants you all to meet her in the throne room in three hours!" She decided to give the witch an extra hour to sleep.

Escandar was in his office when he received the letter. "Who do they think they are? Only I can order people to meet in the throne room! Heh, oh well, I'll let it slide just this once." The King laughed.

Three hours later, everyone arrived at the throne room as instructed. Samora and Trista were not there.

"Geez, and they're the ones who called us here!" Oletta complained.

"Patience! Lady Samora will be here!" Serin scolded her. One of the double doors opened, the two women entered.

"Yikes, looks like she needs about a hundred hours of sleep!" Oletta commented.

"She's been working day in and day out. But yes, she does need to rest immediately after this meeting concludes." Hinako concurred.

"Thank you all for coming." Samora began. "As the note said, I have discovered how to rid the world of Dred once and for all!"

"Excellent work, your father would be proud!" King Escandar praised her. "The floor is yours, My Lady!"

The witch walked to the center of the room. "There are still many sections of the book I want to read at my leisure, but I've covered what was relevant. Let me begin by sharing a prophecy from a sample Hinako sent to my father.

'When he is needed, an elf,

The son of darkness and light,

Will leave his sheltered village

To wield godly might.'

Now, does this not describe someone in this very room?" Everyone turned to look at a flabbergasted Tiafell with varied expressions of surprise.

"M-Me??" His mind raced with all kinds of questions.

"Yes, it's you, Tiafell!" Samora answered him. "You are an elf from a sheltered village, and you are the son of an elf and a demon. Elves are thought to represent 'light', while demons represent 'darkness'. Who else could it be?" She moved on to address everyone else. "This prophecy describes the person who the gods have chosen next to wield their power, known as 'divine energy'. This power can erase even the most powerful demons and other such beings of malice from existence. In fact, that is its intended purpose."

"Erase him? That's brilliant! Dred can escape from Hell every time he is killed. But if he doesn't exist, he can't come back!" Nadia surmised.

"Exactly! Now, upon further reading, I discovered that Tiafell being 'chosen by the gods' isn't quite accurate. Rather, only a single deity has chosen him. She is known as 'Gadrael: The Goddess of Peace'."

"Gadrael, I have heard that name before." Rhydra stepped in. "She is one of the few deities we know of. But her name and title are all we know about her."

"I can fill you in." Samora continued. "The book describes her as a playful and jovial deity who loves fun, jokes, food, sex, any activity people enjoy during times of peace. But she, more than anyone, understands that sometimes the only way to protect peace is by destroying those who threaten it, in essence, through war. It's for this reason that she left behind a weapon which can bring her to our world, a sword that shares her name. You see, the gods cannot physically manifest in the mortal realm, it has something to do with their rules, so they must bind themselves to a person through an object only their 'chosen ones', such as Tiafell, can use. In the hands of anyone else, Gadrael is but an ordinary weapon. But in Tiafell's hands, his soul will become linked to the goddess', giving him access to the divine energy needed to destroy Dred, as well as any other abilities she chooses to grant him."

"I... can't believe this..." Tiafell was shocked.

Vasati held Tiafell's hands. "You were right all along! You always told me and Alto you had a purpose out here. This must be it!!"

"That is good and all, but where is this sword?" Escandar pressed.

"I was getting to that, Your Grace." Samora replied. "The last one to wield Gadrael was a dwarf named 'Gamil' over a thousand years ago. Before his death, Gamil left the sword in a pedestal deep in the caverns beneath the Echoing Mountains, where it has remained since. His descendants have served as Chieftains for generations. While their main duty is to their people, they secretly protect Gadrael's location, keeping the entrance to the cavern hidden. Only the dwarven Chieftains know of the location and existence of the sword, each of them passing the knowledge down to their successor. Our mission is simple; we are to journey to the Echoing Mountains so Tiafell can claim Gadrael's sword and her power!"

"So, the dwarves live. But why has no one seen them for so long?" Serin asked.

"Some believe that the dwarves stayed because of the gold and gemstones that can be mined from the caverns, and that isn't entirely wrong. But the truth is that they are trapped, unable to leave. The only safe entrance into their home caved in and attempting to dig through is far too dangerous. Doing so will cause the ceiling to collapse, so they had no other choice but to make a home for themselves there. Luckily, the valleys between the mountains, which are cut off from the rest of the world, are well-suited for growing crops and raising livestock, so they have had no problems surviving."

"The dwarves remind me of the elves back home." Tiafell spoke. "Only they didn't choose to remain in isolation, unlike my people."

"Precisely. When we go to retrieve Gadrael, I would like to set up a transportation circle so they can finally leave the mountain if they want. I'm sure some of them will jump at the opportunity."

"You said 'the only safe entrance' caved in. There's a dangerous way in?" Nadia asked.

"I'm glad you caught that, Nadia! There is a cave near the summit that leads into the underground dwarven village. Father often observed a dwarven man, who I believe is the Chief, sitting at the entrance smoking from a pipe just after sunrise every morning. If you can reach that cave, you should be able to enter their dwelling."

King Escandar leaned forward. "The temperature of the Echoing Mountains is far below freezing and there is a never-ending blizzard that worsens the further up you go. None who have attempted to scale its heights have returned alive. It is said you can hear calls of the dead, their pleas for help echoing across the mountains, hence the name. If you insist on going, staying warm is your utmost priority."

"You will need to pack plenty of warm clothes, including thermal gear. The mages among you must also always keep fires burning." Hinako advised.

"I will help keep everyone warm and safe!" Trista raised her hand. "I know only a few of you trust me, that is why I want to earn my keep! Between Samora, Cirris, Mirya, and myself, we should be able to keep everyone from freezing."

"I'm afraid I won't be going." Samora revealed, much to everyone's surprise, especially Trista's.

"Mom?" Cirris was blindsided.

"Why not?" Mirya was also stunned.

Trista walked in front of her. "Samora? Why aren't you coming with us?"

"Look at me, I'm incredibly exhausted from staying up for almost a week reading that book. I won't be of any help as I am."

"That's okay, we can wait until you rest, then you can come along with us!"

"Trista honey, no..." Samora took the elf's hands into hers. "We don't have time to wait. Dred could attack again anywhere, anytime. You can do this without me, have faith in yourself! I've told you before that you need to spend more time with your peers and not with me all the time. I know I still look great, but you must remember that I'm over a hundred years old, quite far outside your age group. This will be good for you, trust me!"

"Yeah Tristy! We believe in you!" Mirya chirped.

"Yes, it's another chance for me to spend time with my Big Sister!" Tiafell encouraged her.

"Based on what I've seen you do since you got here, I feel like we're in good hands." Nadia smiled. Cirris, Brion, and Kanah gave affirming nods.

"Yes, you are one of the few to have ever defeated me in a magic battle!" Hinako added. She had sparred with Trista, losing soundly to the elf.

"You guys..." Trista choked up a little. "Very well, I won't let any of you down!"

"Alright!!" King Escandar bellowed, standing up with authority. "You are to head out in the morning for the Echoing Mountains! Rest up tonight, I will have some people pack appropriate clothing for you. The mountains are eight days away on horseback, so save as much of your strength as possible. Scale the mountain with extreme caution. Stay warm and stay together! Do you have more to say, Lady Samora?"

"No, that will be all." The witch answered.

"Then everyone is dismissed!" The King ordered. Tiafell and his friends gathered around Samora.

"So, Tiafell has been chosen to wield a divine blade? I wonder what it looks like." Brion pondered.

"There is an illustration in the book if you wish to see it. It's probably a good idea for Tiafell to see it at the very least." Samora suggested, then left with the group.

"After going through all that trouble, you don't want to see it for yourself?" Cirris asked his mother.

"I would love to, but I am way too tired, and time is of the essence. Besides, I'll see the blade when you all return. Oh, that reminds me! Trista, you need to learn the spell that creates and links transportation circles before you leave. It won't take long."

"Okay, I think I have a grasp on it from watching you set up the one in the tower already."

"Excellent!" Samora gave her a weary smile. "Another thing. When you arrive at the foot of the mountain, use the magic that summons our horses to send them back to the stables here. Not even mage horses can survive for long in that frigid air. Once Trista sets up the circle, you will be able to return here within minutes."

"Cirris and I can take care of that!" Mirya cheered.

"That's my girl!" The witch yawned.

In her bedroom, Samora carefully turned the pages until she found the one with the detailed illustration of Gadrael. The hilt was beautiful, having a golden handguard with an alternating gold and silver grip on which a clear crystal was placed on the end. The blade was solid white, instead of the usual metallic gray.

"This is the sword I am to wield?" Tiafell couldn't believe his eyes. "It's... it's gorgeous..."

"Even without a goddess being involved, that is the finest sword I have ever seen." Brion stared admirably at the page.

"Can I hold it sometime??" Kanah could barely contain her excitement.

"Yes, it truly is a remarkable weapon, one that Tiafell is destined to possess." Samora groggily responded, fading fast.

"We should leave so you can rest." Nadia insisted. Cirris and Mirya hugged their mother and gave their goodbyes, knowing she would likely be asleep when they left in the morning.

"Samora, I swear on my honor that I will claim Gadrael's power and use it to erase Dred's foul presence from our world forever!!" Tiafell boldly declared, having a fierce determination about him that put the witch at ease.

"You have no idea how much better I will sleep tonight because you said that." Samora smiled tiredly. "Go and get plenty of rest!"

"I will, and you as well. We shall see you again soon." Tiafell exited the room with the others, leaving Samora alone with Trista. She took a few minutes to each the female elf the spell to create transportation circles. Thankfully, Trista was a quick learner and became adept at using the spell in no time.

"Samora, don't worry about us. I will help keep everyone safe and bring them back!" Trista affirmed. "And thank you for teaching me this magic, I will use it to bring everyone back safely once Tiafell has Gadrael in his hands!"

"I know you will, honey. You are so much more capable than you realize." The witch affectionately caressed her cheek and kissed her forehead, a gesture the younger woman loved. Trista left the room; she wanted to spend one last night with Samora before leaving but knew how tired she was. Alone at last, the witch laid her head on the pillow, immediately falling into a deep slumber.

Deep inside a cavern, a sword with a white blade and a hilt made of gold and silver was wedged tightly into a pedestal. The portion of the blade that was visible began glowing white, giving off the gentle sound of a heartbeat.