Naji'Kadin

Happy two hundredth post, Terrarth Tales.

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“Harith, why have you brought us here?” Akram asked as the sunlight gave his translucent skin a warm coloration. Harith carefully rubbed his injured right shoulder before answering.

“The capital is not safe.”

“The capital is fine!” Husani said with a snort. “The healers are just incompetent. So they haven't cured a few commoners. A simple quarantine will take care of them, then we can deal with the healers.”

I suppressed a growl, hands clenching as I glared at Husani. The illness that was spreading through the capital was worse then he knew. Catching my look, he shrugged. “Obviously your mother isn't one of the incompetent healers, Aliyah.”

“This trip is merely a precaution.” Harith said quickly as my wings flared open. He glanced toward the sky. “Calm yourself, Aliyah. We don't want to draw attention.”

For a moment, I merely looked at him. Though there was a chance that a griffin could be near by, I knew he was thinking of dragons. Fierce and proud, even a single dragon would pose a dangerous threat for our small group. Though if were attacked by a dragon, I could distract it long enough for the others to get away.

For dragons despised halflings such as myself.

I closed my wings.

“Where are we going?” Shazi asked with a pout. “These mountains are such a bore.”

“Here.” Harith answered as he directed us through a narrow path between two high cliffs. The path sloped downward. When it finally opened, I came to a stop. The path led to a small area surround by high cliffs. The cliff-face was riddled with caves, while a small pool sat in the center of the area.

Oh, and the entire place was full of hippogriffs.

“A hippogriff nest?” Zuleika gasped as she grabbed onto Husani's arm. “I'm not going in there!”

Harith released a heavy sigh. “The hippogriffs will not see you.” He said as he opened a pouch on his belt. He pulled out twelve feathers and began handing them out. “This charm will cause the hippogriffs to believe you are part of their herd.”

I moved to the back of the group and waited. After the others had gotten their charms, I moved up. Harith looked at me, and held out his hand. A single feather remained.

“Keep it.” I told him with a shake of my head. “Just tell me where to go.”

His hand closed around the feather, and I that noticed the spiderweb-like cracks on his injured shoulder had spread. Turning, he pointed across the hippogriff's territory to a crack in the cliff ahead of us. “The crack should be large enough for you to slip through, but is too small for a hippogriff to follow.”

I nodded. “I'll give you a head start.”

Watching as my twelve companions worked their way across to the crack in the cliff, I began to stretch my wings. Studying the hippogriffs, I was pretty sure that they would be more agile then me in the air. There was a large bay stallion and a smokey black mare that were closest to the crack that might give me some trouble.

My companions made it to the crack and disappeared inside. Taking a breath, I ran forward and sprang into the air. Flapping my wings, I rose higher as shrieks echoed from all around me. The smokey black mare charged forward and rose into the air like an arrow. Diving toward the hippogriff, I let out a roar.

Upon reaching the hippogriff, I tried to streak past. The hippogriff twisted, managing to grab my leg with one of her front talons.

As she ripped into my right wing with her beak, the hippogriff and I crashed. Pain shot through me. Kicking with my free leg, I felt my claws dig into the mare. Ripping myself free, I bolted for the crack; which was only a few feet away. The bay stallion reared up in front of me with a shriek. Heat filled my throat, and I opened my mouth. Fire burst out, singeing the stallion.

Reaching the crack, my wings scrapped against the rock as I shoved myself in. The bay stallion shrieked, beak snapping as he tried to follow.

The crack soon widened. A small cave lit by a illumination spell revealed the others.

“Are you alright?” Akram asked. Tilting my head back, I released a puff of smoke.

“I'm better then one of you would have been.” I answered, looking around at my companions. With their glass bodies, that crash could have killed them. Sure, they weren't as fragile as normal glass, but I was much more durable.

Being half dragon wasn't always a bad thing.

“Come.” Harith said. With some muttering, my companions and I followed. We walked through the tunnel, eventually coming to a chamber already lit by enchantments.

Twelve long, flat crystals floated in the air. My companions froze. Then they all spoke at once.

“Hibernation crystals?”

“Things aren't that bad at the capital!”

“Who will wake us?”

“Why must father be so paranoid?”

Harith whistled, a shrill note that silenced my companions. “The situation at the capital is severe, and there have been reports from other cities about the plague. We have not been able to find a cure.” Looking at each one of us, Harith offered a weak smile. “Each of you have been selected for one reason. You have not yet been infected.”

He motioned to the crystals. “The disease leaves the infected infertile. Unless a cure is found quickly, our race will die out. Except for you.”

Akram stepped forward. “If you do find a cure, we will be awoken the moment it is safe?”

Harith nodded.

Husani moved beside his brother with a frown. “But if a cure isn't found, how long will we be left here?”

Harith bowed his head. “Should no cure be found, no elf will come to wake you. We cannot risk you becoming infected.”

I nodded. Eventually, the hibernation crystal should die. If we were still asleep at that time, we would awake. Into a whole new world: for the magic of a hibernation crystal could last for thousands of years.

After some hesitation, my companions each laid on one of the crystals. Having seen my mother use a hibernation crystal before, I was able to help Harith place them in hibernation.

Finally, it was my turn.

The crystal was cold. My injured wing protested to being laid on.

“They won't find a cure.” I said. Harith gave a deep sigh as he shook his head. “The plague is magical. It adapts to our attempts to cure it. The disease does not kill, so we hope to find a cure for its effects.”

The infertility. I looked around at my sleeping companions. Six boys. Five girls.

“We're the future.” I said softly as a sour taste filled my mouth.

“You are en af Naji'Kadin.” Harith said as he activated the hibernation crystal.

My eyes grew heavy as the name filled my mind.

En af Naji'Kadin.

One of the Safe Companions.