Isibel has never seen an odder collection of fauna. She has not traveled extensively, but she is sure that creatures of this size - lizards as heavy as ten elves together, beavers eight and nine feet long, turtles with shells the size of small houses - are not customary. Yet the island is riddled with them.
The creatures have no particular fear of elves, but nor do they seek them, and none of her party have been attacked; she feels safe enough traveling through the forest on her own, stepping lightly, looking for the sweep of the treeline and any springs that might be useful for settlers if elves settle here. Besides, she is a student of the small magics, some of which may be cast quite rapidly if there is need; she could frighten away an animal that took too much interest in her. The ribbons tied around each of her knees and ankles (blending seamlessly with the rest of her travel outfit) are some of her finest small magic, guiding her steps so that she may place her feet as elves ought to be able to and bring no embarrassment to her House. They don't make her truly graceful, but she can walk, and care will do the rest.
She's deep into the forested part of the Unknown Island when she starts finding statues. Old statues. The trees have grown up around them, it looks like, they've been here that long; they're worn and weathered and have lichen growing on them.
And they're all of unicorns.
The oldest sculptures are none too skillful, but as she proceeds inward towards the center of the island, they become newer and better and it's plain to see that they're not of unicorns, but a unicorn. A unicorn with a broken horn; this is not, it soon becomes apparent, random damage to early statues. Someone has carved a specific unicorn, dozens - hundreds? thousands? - of times. And the art has been made with such intense love, and the newest of the statues are so delicately done that they look almost like real unicorns, with all the magic that implies, though they hold still and are on closer inspection all still carved from stone.
Someone loved this unicorn, and lived on this island, and made a thousand statues of her, and now the place is inhabited only by giant animals that certainly could have done no such thing. Isibel wonders what happened to the sculptor. To the unicorn, too.
On she walks.
Generated:
Post last updated:
what are you doing here?
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
...
endragoned
Closer still to the center of the island, past another statue, there is the sound of running water. The sound leads her to a tiny trickling stream, and the stream leads her to a large, clear pond—
And floating on his back in the middle of the pond, a naked man with skin as red as apples balances a basket on his stomach with one hand while his other hand dips into the basket to retrieve a berry. His hair is dark and curly, his eyes are closed against the glare of the sun, and he has a pair of enormous scarlet wings that fan lazily in the water to keep him afloat.
And floating on his back in the middle of the pond, a naked man with skin as red as apples balances a basket on his stomach with one hand while his other hand dips into the basket to retrieve a berry. His hair is dark and curly, his eyes are closed against the glare of the sun, and he has a pair of enormous scarlet wings that fan lazily in the water to keep him afloat.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel stops.
She holds very still.
Endarkened.
But - there have been no Endarkened in the world for two thousand years.
How?
(They were truly immortal, though, weren't they, if one chose not to fight but instead hid -
- but the unicorn -
- but Taint, Darkness -
- but he looks so peaceful -
- but they are masters of deceit -
- but if one wanted to deceive her would he not hide the wings, the horns, the color? -
- but there he is. He doesn't even seem to have heard her approach -
- didn't the Legendary Vestakia look Endarkened herself? Was she not the spirit-child of her human mother? -
- but the Legendary Vestakia was not immortal, and there have been no Endarkened to father any more like her for two thousand years.
Isibel simply has no idea.)
She stands still.
She watches and she waits, for him to do something, for - clues. Perhaps she should turn, run, fetch the rest of the exploratory party and summon them all here, perhaps she should try to think of a way to kill him herself.
But he looks so peaceful, and this is not a disguise he is wearing -
And the unicorn.
She holds very still.
Endarkened.
But - there have been no Endarkened in the world for two thousand years.
How?
(They were truly immortal, though, weren't they, if one chose not to fight but instead hid -
- but the unicorn -
- but Taint, Darkness -
- but he looks so peaceful -
- but they are masters of deceit -
- but if one wanted to deceive her would he not hide the wings, the horns, the color? -
- but there he is. He doesn't even seem to have heard her approach -
- didn't the Legendary Vestakia look Endarkened herself? Was she not the spirit-child of her human mother? -
- but the Legendary Vestakia was not immortal, and there have been no Endarkened to father any more like her for two thousand years.
Isibel simply has no idea.)
She stands still.
She watches and she waits, for him to do something, for - clues. Perhaps she should turn, run, fetch the rest of the exploratory party and summon them all here, perhaps she should try to think of a way to kill him herself.
But he looks so peaceful, and this is not a disguise he is wearing -
And the unicorn.
...
endragoned
The tip of his barbed red tail flicks out of the water next to his knee with a tiny splash, then slips beneath the surface again.
He eats another berry. (His fingernails, and toenails too for that matter, are sharp pointed talons.)
Slowly, peacefully, he opens his eyes.
When he catches sight of Isibel, he yelps and flails, scattering his basket of berries into the water. It is apparently difficult for him to drag those wings above the surface in a hurry, because in the process of trying he manages to sink completely for a few seconds; he comes up coughing and spluttering amid the floating wreckage of his basket, his scarlet skin streaked with purple-black juice from the explosion of berries.
He eats another berry. (His fingernails, and toenails too for that matter, are sharp pointed talons.)
Slowly, peacefully, he opens his eyes.
When he catches sight of Isibel, he yelps and flails, scattering his basket of berries into the water. It is apparently difficult for him to drag those wings above the surface in a hurry, because in the process of trying he manages to sink completely for a few seconds; he comes up coughing and spluttering amid the floating wreckage of his basket, his scarlet skin streaked with purple-black juice from the explosion of berries.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel decides to hide behind a tree. Then she decides this is stupid, because if he's going to hurt her she should run, and if he isn't, she should keep paying attention and learn what she can about this situation.
She peeps around the edge of the tree tentatively.
She peeps around the edge of the tree tentatively.
...
endragoned
The Endarkened - or whatever he is - has finished spluttering and is staring at her in confusion, wings half-out of the water.
He says something in a half-familiar language, his tone cautious, hesitant.
A berry rolls out of his hair, bounces off his shoulder, and plops into the water.
He says something in a half-familiar language, his tone cautious, hesitant.
A berry rolls out of his hair, bounces off his shoulder, and plops into the water.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
- What does that language sound like? Isibel's no linguist. Maybe it reminds her of someone's accent? There are some travelers from outside the Elven Lands in Silverbranch who speak differently than the elves do.
She shakes her head slowly. "I don't know that language," she says carefully. Enunciating.
She shakes her head slowly. "I don't know that language," she says carefully. Enunciating.
...
endragoned
He stares at her some more.
His mouth quirks into a wry half-smile.
He speaks again, glancing to the side, as though addressing himself more than her. Some of the words sound almost like the old elven language, the one from which elven names are still regularly drawn but which retains no other common use.
His mouth quirks into a wry half-smile.
He speaks again, glancing to the side, as though addressing himself more than her. Some of the words sound almost like the old elven language, the one from which elven names are still regularly drawn but which retains no other common use.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
If only she'd paid more attention to the etymology of anyone's name, she could try to talk in name-parts. But she did not.
She steps out from behind the tree. He hasn't tried to convince her to give over the world to stop some horrific deed, or attempted to eat her skin, or infected her with Taint. As far as she knows, anyway.
She points at herself. "Isibel," she says.
She steps out from behind the tree. He hasn't tried to convince her to give over the world to stop some horrific deed, or attempted to eat her skin, or infected her with Taint. As far as she knows, anyway.
She points at herself. "Isibel," she says.
...
endragoned
He blinks at her, then rubs his face with one hand. His palm comes away smeared with berry juice. He licks it.
"Isibel," he repeats, watching her thoughtfully. He says something else, but it doesn't have the rhythm of a name, and he doesn't mirror her indicatory gesture.
"Isibel," he repeats, watching her thoughtfully. He says something else, but it doesn't have the rhythm of a name, and he doesn't mirror her indicatory gesture.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She puts her hands by her sides. "I remain unable to understand you," she points out. (She doesn't try pointing at him. That would be rather like a question. If he doesn't want to share his name, he needn't; it's not even particularly relevant to the question of whether he needs to be killed or not.)
...
endragoned
He laughs, as though he understood.
Then he starts swimming toward the edge of the pond, aiming for an open area near where Isibel is standing.
Then he starts swimming toward the edge of the pond, aiming for an open area near where Isibel is standing.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She takes a step back.
But only one.
And waits.
If she were going to run, she should've done it before he even opened his eyes.
But only one.
And waits.
If she were going to run, she should've done it before he even opened his eyes.
...
endragoned
The probably-a-demon hauls himself ungracefully back onto land, shakes out his hair and his wings (spraying droplets of water in every direction), and starts picking bits of ex-basket from where the water has stuck them to his skin. He speaks again, in amicable tones, while he does this. His tail flicks back and forth like a contented cat's.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel wracks her brain - doesn't she know anyone whose name has a meaning she knows that could be useful in that language -
Oh yes. Yes she does.
She knows how to say Unicorn Knight and she knows which part of that phrase means "knight" and which part does not.
"I saw the - unicorn -" she says, gesturing back the way she came. Normally she'd go on - and I had cause to speculate about the carver - but she doesn't have any old language to compose such suggestive unquestions out of.
Oh yes. Yes she does.
She knows how to say Unicorn Knight and she knows which part of that phrase means "knight" and which part does not.
"I saw the - unicorn -" she says, gesturing back the way she came. Normally she'd go on - and I had cause to speculate about the carver - but she doesn't have any old language to compose such suggestive unquestions out of.
...
endragoned
His face lights up.
"Unicorn," he repeats, nodding. "Tialle." (Something something) "unicorn" (something, a gesture in the direction that Isibel indicated) "Tialle." (Something something.)
"Unicorn," he repeats, nodding. "Tialle." (Something something) "unicorn" (something, a gesture in the direction that Isibel indicated) "Tialle." (Something something.)
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel spreads her hands. She's still not getting any details, although Tialle sounds like the unicorn's name. Names are not mostly made of practical words. She could say dawn or flower or star, but not the pronouns and the geographical terminology she'd need to find out who this Endarkened-looking person is even if she dropped into War Manners.
But he seems to find talking productive, maybe he'll pick up on some of her language if she goes on talking. "I speculated about the carver of the statues of Tialle the unicorn. The sculptures were clearly made with love."
But he seems to find talking productive, maybe he'll pick up on some of her language if she goes on talking. "I speculated about the carver of the statues of Tialle the unicorn. The sculptures were clearly made with love."
...
endragoned
He repeats 'unicorn', and 'Tialle', and walks into the forest in the direction of the nearest statue.
Since he is making no particular effort to hide any part of his body, his numerous scars are fully visible as he walks. The membrane between the ribs of his wings is the most spectacular example; if those shiny wandering streaks represent old damage, it must have been shredded almost completely at some point in the past, and regrown since.
Since he is making no particular effort to hide any part of his body, his numerous scars are fully visible as he walks. The membrane between the ribs of his wings is the most spectacular example; if those shiny wandering streaks represent old damage, it must have been shredded almost completely at some point in the past, and regrown since.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel follows him, nervous but no longer terrified for her immediate physical safety.
...
endragoned
They come upon the statue quickly enough.
He closes his eyes and hugs it around the neck, furling his wings.
He closes his eyes and hugs it around the neck, furling his wings.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
It's not a real unicorn, it's a statue - he is not the Legendary Vestakia, proving his spiritual purity by demonstrating himself fit unicorn-company. It's a compelling display nevertheless.
But Isibel has no idea what's next.
But Isibel has no idea what's next.
...
endragoned
He kisses the statue's neck and steps back, then holds his left hand against the statue's horn for a moment.
The horn lines up perfectly with a thick, shiny burn scar across his palm.
The Legendary Vestakia was not burned by the touch of a unicorn's horn.
The horn lines up perfectly with a thick, shiny burn scar across his palm.
The Legendary Vestakia was not burned by the touch of a unicorn's horn.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel bites her lip.
Not like Vestakia, then.
She takes a step back.
"I don't understand," she murmurs.
(Her mother considers it a rude borderline-questioning habit on her part to say I don't understand when she wants more explanation than she's freely given, but Isibel is young yet, and it was not so long ago that she was a child, free of all such constraints. Perhaps she'll learn to more cordially weigh curiosity against manners later in her life. In this case it hardly matters. He cannot understand her.)
Not like Vestakia, then.
She takes a step back.
"I don't understand," she murmurs.
(Her mother considers it a rude borderline-questioning habit on her part to say I don't understand when she wants more explanation than she's freely given, but Isibel is young yet, and it was not so long ago that she was a child, free of all such constraints. Perhaps she'll learn to more cordially weigh curiosity against manners later in her life. In this case it hardly matters. He cannot understand her.)
...
endragoned
He strokes his fingertips down the broken stone horn.
Then he starts telling a story.
He speaks the whole time, but with the language barrier, the only words that come through are an occasional 'Tialle' or 'unicorn', neither of which is present in the introduction; he seems to understand as much, and supplements the largely incomprehensible narrative with extensive gesturing.
First he points off into the distance and makes a repeated throwing-like gesture: far, far away. Then he sketches the shape of a mountain range in the air, and spreads his hands slowly under it, then brings them fluttering back together. Far, far away in a lot of caves under some mountains.
He points at himself, touches his horns, his wings, brings his tail curling forward around his legs, then makes gestures to indicate a repeated series of similar things. His expressive hands then tuck the series-of-similar-things into the space under the previously established mountains, of which he reminds her with another quick trace of their skyline. Many demons living in a lot of caves under some mountains.
Here he pauses and looks at her, as though to gauge her comprehension, or maybe her willingness to listen.
Then he starts telling a story.
He speaks the whole time, but with the language barrier, the only words that come through are an occasional 'Tialle' or 'unicorn', neither of which is present in the introduction; he seems to understand as much, and supplements the largely incomprehensible narrative with extensive gesturing.
First he points off into the distance and makes a repeated throwing-like gesture: far, far away. Then he sketches the shape of a mountain range in the air, and spreads his hands slowly under it, then brings them fluttering back together. Far, far away in a lot of caves under some mountains.
He points at himself, touches his horns, his wings, brings his tail curling forward around his legs, then makes gestures to indicate a repeated series of similar things. His expressive hands then tuck the series-of-similar-things into the space under the previously established mountains, of which he reminds her with another quick trace of their skyline. Many demons living in a lot of caves under some mountains.
Here he pauses and looks at her, as though to gauge her comprehension, or maybe her willingness to listen.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Well, listening here is clearly immaterial; she'd be getting about as much out of the recitation if she were stone deaf. But she is willing to watch and interpret.
...
endragoned
He nods, satisfied, and continues.
A pushing-apart gesture, one hand pressing in toward his chest and the other sweeping outward through the airspace nominally occupied by the caverns, indicates a separation between him and the others. He pauses again, considering, and then shrugs and shakes his head; perhaps the details of this separation are not something he feels he can get across in mime.
Its results, however, are.
He traces a circle around his neck, two more around each wrist, draws lines through the air from each of these: chains. In a few quick gestures he bundles up the imaginary chains and shoves them into the depths of the imaginary mountain, drawing a long twisting pathway in the air-representing-stone to indicate the remoteness of the place where he was kept. His hands clap together firmly around his prison and squeeze, sealing his imaginary self inside.
Then he takes a half-step back and opens his hands. This chapter of the story is over.
He folds his wings tightly, tucks his tail against one leg, scrubs his hands through his hair until it hides the short arcs of his horns: he is playing the part of someone without any of these things. Someone shorter, too, or perhaps the way he hunches is meant to denote furtive concealment. His hands sketch a coil of rope in the air, knot it into a noose, and then fling it over the statue's neck and pull it tight. Another bundling-up gesture, and Tialle is tucked into the depths of the mountain.
A pushing-apart gesture, one hand pressing in toward his chest and the other sweeping outward through the airspace nominally occupied by the caverns, indicates a separation between him and the others. He pauses again, considering, and then shrugs and shakes his head; perhaps the details of this separation are not something he feels he can get across in mime.
Its results, however, are.
He traces a circle around his neck, two more around each wrist, draws lines through the air from each of these: chains. In a few quick gestures he bundles up the imaginary chains and shoves them into the depths of the imaginary mountain, drawing a long twisting pathway in the air-representing-stone to indicate the remoteness of the place where he was kept. His hands clap together firmly around his prison and squeeze, sealing his imaginary self inside.
Then he takes a half-step back and opens his hands. This chapter of the story is over.
He folds his wings tightly, tucks his tail against one leg, scrubs his hands through his hair until it hides the short arcs of his horns: he is playing the part of someone without any of these things. Someone shorter, too, or perhaps the way he hunches is meant to denote furtive concealment. His hands sketch a coil of rope in the air, knot it into a noose, and then fling it over the statue's neck and pull it tight. Another bundling-up gesture, and Tialle is tucked into the depths of the mountain.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel has certainly heard that the Endarkened were not much kinder to each other than to others, and has no trouble swallowing the notion that one could have been imprisoned by his fellows. Nor does she disbelieve that they'd have captured a unicorn.
...
endragoned
He relaxes his wings and tail, draws the chains around his neck and wrists again, draws another chain around Tialle's neck (with an apologetic kiss to the statue's muzzle that is probably not part of the story), and bundles the both of them into the same remote underground cell. Then, seemingly as an afterthought, he closes his hand around the air beyond Tialle's broken horn and makes a snapping-off motion.
So: himself and Tialle, imprisoned together, her horn being broken either before she got there or just as she arrived. At first he cowers away from her, and (he indicates with more mime around the statue) she from him. Then they come closer together. Closer.
He lays his hand slowly, deliberately, against her horn. A hiss and an artful shudder remind Isibel that this would have hurt quite a lot.
Moving quickly, he breaks the imaginary chains around each of their necks, then the ones around his wrists. Creative mime, with some limping and fluttering, indicates that he was too weak or injured to stand; he crawled to the door of their prison and broke it open with only a little more difficulty than he had with the chains.
And then, apparently, Tialle stood still with some reluctance while he hauled himself onto her back, and he guided the pair of them all the way through the tunnels and up to the surface, and they proceeded in this way across a considerable distance before they finally parted ways. (A hand clawing illustratively down the scarred membrane of his wing indicates why he did not just fly away at that point.)
So: himself and Tialle, imprisoned together, her horn being broken either before she got there or just as she arrived. At first he cowers away from her, and (he indicates with more mime around the statue) she from him. Then they come closer together. Closer.
He lays his hand slowly, deliberately, against her horn. A hiss and an artful shudder remind Isibel that this would have hurt quite a lot.
Moving quickly, he breaks the imaginary chains around each of their necks, then the ones around his wrists. Creative mime, with some limping and fluttering, indicates that he was too weak or injured to stand; he crawled to the door of their prison and broke it open with only a little more difficulty than he had with the chains.
And then, apparently, Tialle stood still with some reluctance while he hauled himself onto her back, and he guided the pair of them all the way through the tunnels and up to the surface, and they proceeded in this way across a considerable distance before they finally parted ways. (A hand clawing illustratively down the scarred membrane of his wing indicates why he did not just fly away at that point.)
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel does not quite get the connection between touching Tialle's horn and being able to escape, but that she was helpful, that she gets. She nods slowly.
...
endragoned
He shrugs, his wings rippling with the movement, and steps away from the statue. Touches his fingertips to his chest. Reaches out toward Tialle. Shakes his head. Drops his hand.
They never saw each other again.
They never saw each other again.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel gestures generally at the forest around them, the island.
(It's not a question if she doesn't actually say anything. She thinks.)
(It's not a question if she doesn't actually say anything. She thinks.)
...
endragoned
He smiles, looks down, rubs a hand over his face, shakes his head, shrugs helplessly. If there's a story there, he doesn't feel up to telling it.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Perhaps this would be easier with paper and pencil?
She has those. She's started a fresh book recently; there's nothing sensitive in what she hands him even if he's deceiving her about not knowing the language.
She has those. She's started a fresh book recently; there's nothing sensitive in what she hands him even if he's deceiving her about not knowing the language.
...
endragoned
The pencil seems to puzzle him.
He peers at it, rubs his thumb over the point, sniffs it, and only then deigns to make marks on a page.
An extremely crude map of a continent she should be familiar with. The shape is vague and partly wrong, but he gets most of the mountains right, and he draws Shadow Mountain up in the far north where it should be. From there, the point of the pencil wanders down over the continent in a meandering pathway. He mimes people, then himself hiding from them. This, apparently, was his primary method of navigation: flee from anyone who walks upright.
After some time spent doing this, he ended up deep in a forest (indicated by gesturing around them and patting a tree, then pointing at the map).
He turns the page.
He draws a dragon, crude but unmistakable.
He touches his face, the pad of his thumb just under one eye and his first two fingers just under the other; he brings that hand down to touch the dragon; he makes a circling gesture, then brings it back up to touch under his eyes again.
Then he stretches his wings, and draws the dragon in flight with a winged bipedal figure beside it, and turns back to the map and drags the pencil right off the edge of the continent and over the ocean and around the edge of the page to pass under the flying figures and end in a small blob shaped more or less like this island.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel blinks at the dragon drawing. She thought that all the known dragons were those living in the Elven Lands, most bonded to one Elf and one Wildmage or occasionally a High Mage. Not that the Dragonbonded have any strong attachment to any location, with the ability to travel so far, so fast, but they do regularly stop in the Elven Lands and maintain residences there.
(Isibel thought long, long and hard before deciding not to present herself to any of the young unbonded dragons, or any of the old dragons with old bondmates. The trouble is - whatever power they offer, however much she'd like to wield it - the dragons read their bondmates' minds. She has met dragons, but only dragons who are not due for a handoff anytime in the near future, and keeps her distance from the others.)
But apparently there is another. And if the dragon is not Bonded, of course he's immortal -
No. That's not the only way.
If the dragon is bonded to something immortal -
Her eyes fly open as she realizes that this dragon may not just be this Endarkened's friend, but his bondmate. Could that be what he meant? It's never happened before that she knows - there have been dragons fighting on the side of demons, but only at the command of Tainted bondmates -
If this Endarkened is actually bonded to his dragon then he's some kind of mage, and he's got an unlimited wellspring of power.
And he's chosen to live on an island with his dragon completely alone fondly sculpting Tialle for at least the last two thousand years.
Isibel does not understand.
(Isibel thought long, long and hard before deciding not to present herself to any of the young unbonded dragons, or any of the old dragons with old bondmates. The trouble is - whatever power they offer, however much she'd like to wield it - the dragons read their bondmates' minds. She has met dragons, but only dragons who are not due for a handoff anytime in the near future, and keeps her distance from the others.)
But apparently there is another. And if the dragon is not Bonded, of course he's immortal -
No. That's not the only way.
If the dragon is bonded to something immortal -
Her eyes fly open as she realizes that this dragon may not just be this Endarkened's friend, but his bondmate. Could that be what he meant? It's never happened before that she knows - there have been dragons fighting on the side of demons, but only at the command of Tainted bondmates -
If this Endarkened is actually bonded to his dragon then he's some kind of mage, and he's got an unlimited wellspring of power.
And he's chosen to live on an island with his dragon completely alone fondly sculpting Tialle for at least the last two thousand years.
Isibel does not understand.
...
endragoned
The (potential) Dragonbond Endarkened watches her curiously.
Then he hands her back her notebook and pencil.
Then he hands her back her notebook and pencil.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She purses her lips, and draws a little stylized dragon - she is not an artist, but because she knows this, she draws as simply as she must to achieve a reasonable result. And she draws a little stylized demon next to it. And then she draws a line between them.
...
endragoned
The (apparent) Dragonbond Endarkened smiles wryly, and nods.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel processes this.
She taps the dragon-doodle with her pencil, and then mimes looking around.
She taps the dragon-doodle with her pencil, and then mimes looking around.
...
endragoned
He smiles, and closes his eyes and furls his wings and hugs his arms against himself and nestles his head on his shoulder.
The dragon is sleeping, apparently.
The dragon is sleeping, apparently.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel nods.
...And then she draws a stylized little elf.
And then another and then another and then a lot of dots. (This number of dots does not represent the size of her expedition.)
She circles them, then turns back to the map and taps the island.
...And then she draws a stylized little elf.
And then another and then another and then a lot of dots. (This number of dots does not represent the size of her expedition.)
She circles them, then turns back to the map and taps the island.
...
endragoned
He throws up his hands, gestures to himself, touches wings, horns, the dots on the page, tips his head to one side and looks at her challengingly.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She flings up her hands and looks away, biting her lip; she doesn't know what to do. Most people would have killed him on sight.
...
endragoned
He sighs.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel draws a stylized little demon - clearly female, no wings, not this particular demon. Then she draws a book, page around the illustrated Vestakia: this is a legendary figure. Then she draws the little demon again with a unicorn's head in her lap, and then the little demon among little elf figures, everyone standing around and nobody killing anybody else.
She taps the paper with her pencil, thinking; this demon is not the Legendary Vestakia, but there is some precedent for red-skinned demonic-looking entities living peacefully among elves.
She taps the paper with her pencil, thinking; this demon is not the Legendary Vestakia, but there is some precedent for red-skinned demonic-looking entities living peacefully among elves.
...
endragoned
He looks from Isibel to the drawing to Isibel to the drawing and back to Isibel, frowning in obvious confusion.
Touches the Vestakia figure. Touches the unicorn's head in her lap. Touches the burn on his hand.
Touches the Vestakia figure. Touches the unicorn's head in her lap. Touches the burn on his hand.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel nods. There aren't any live unicorns around anyway. She draws a mini family tree for Vestakia: demon doodle plus human doodle equals Vestakia with Shalkan's head in her lap. She draws circles around the demon father's horns and the human mother's heart. Then she draws this demon under all that, and an arrow from him to the family tree, and crosses it out firmly, and throws up her hands again, he's not Vestakia, he can't prove himself like Vestakia could, she doesn't know what to do.
...
endragoned
He laughs and nods.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She turns the page; this one's out of space. She doodles his dragon meeting the elves, no demon in sight.
...
endragoned
He studies the drawing.
He nods, but hesitantly.
He nods, but hesitantly.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She then draws an elf with a dragon, turns back to the map and describes a path between Elven Lands and the island, and doodles the two dragons facing each other, mouths open to speak - might they share a language, she wonders.
...
endragoned
He shakes his head.
He touches his dragon on the page; touches himself; brings his hands together in front of him and makes a wide sweeping palm-down gesture to either side, like a vast emptiness. This dragon has never met anyone else.
He touches his dragon on the page; touches himself; brings his hands together in front of him and makes a wide sweeping palm-down gesture to either side, like a vast emptiness. This dragon has never met anyone else.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Oh well. She shrugs. She doesn't have any better ideas.
...
endragoned
He nods.
He taps the picture of an elf with a dragon.
He points to Isibel.
He points off into the distance, past the pond.
He looks at her expectantly.
He taps the picture of an elf with a dragon.
He points to Isibel.
He points off into the distance, past the pond.
He looks at her expectantly.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She nods. This dragon doesn't need a new Bondmate; it has an immortal partner already. She should be quite safe.
...
endragoned
He smiles at her, then turns to lead her through the forest.
As he walks, he starts talking again; it's not clear whether he's addressing Isibel or himself, but the distinction isn't all that relevant.
As he walks, he starts talking again; it's not clear whether he's addressing Isibel or himself, but the distinction isn't all that relevant.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She listens in case she recognizes any words from somebody's name, but she doesn't. Oh well.
...
endragoned
It's a bit of a walk, but not too long. The Dragonbond Endarkened doesn't seem to mind going barefoot, but perhaps he's used to it.
Eventually, they come upon a cave.
He ducks inside.
When he emerges a few moments later, he is followed by a smallish dragon with indigo scales and bright green eyes.
Eventually, they come upon a cave.
He ducks inside.
When he emerges a few moments later, he is followed by a smallish dragon with indigo scales and bright green eyes.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel doesn't know how to be polite without a language. So she goes ahead and talks anyway. "I See you."
...
endragoned
The dragon regards her for a moment, then turns its head and bumps its nose gently against the demon.
"Isibel," says the demon. (Something something) "Isibel."
"Isibel," the dragon repeats, edging a little farther out of the cave and arching his neck to study her from closer range.
"Isibel," says the demon. (Something something) "Isibel."
"Isibel," the dragon repeats, edging a little farther out of the cave and arching his neck to study her from closer range.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel nods, and permits inspection.
...
endragoned
The dragon comes out far enough to spread his wings, which look almost like the end of a sunset, indigo shading to violet shading to pink from the leading edge to the trailing edge of each wing.
He is very, very beautiful. Well, most dragons are.
The demon hugs the base of the dragon's neck and murmurs something to him affectionately, and the dragon lets out a snort that stirs the grass all the way to Isibel's feet.
He is very, very beautiful. Well, most dragons are.
The demon hugs the base of the dragon's neck and murmurs something to him affectionately, and the dragon lets out a snort that stirs the grass all the way to Isibel's feet.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel would get out the drawings and start pointing at them helpfully, but she knows perfectly well that the dragon can read the demon's mind. So instead she just looks admiringly. He's so pretty. He might be the prettiest dragon she's ever s-
Isibel stops.
She checks herself: quick assessment of what was going through her head a moment ago and how she is feeling now.
She backs a step away, then another step, then she turns tail and runs back the way they came until she can't see the dragon anymore if she turns her head over her shoulder.
She comes to a stop and touches a tree and leans, breathing hard.
Isibel stops.
She checks herself: quick assessment of what was going through her head a moment ago and how she is feeling now.
She backs a step away, then another step, then she turns tail and runs back the way they came until she can't see the dragon anymore if she turns her head over her shoulder.
She comes to a stop and touches a tree and leans, breathing hard.
...
endragoned
No one chases after her immediately.
But after a few minutes, there's a rustling in the forest, and the Dragonbond Endarkened comes into view from the direction of the cave. He's moving slowly, and he looks puzzled.
But after a few minutes, there's a rustling in the forest, and the Dragonbond Endarkened comes into view from the direction of the cave. He's moving slowly, and he looks puzzled.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel makes an apologetic face.
She turns back to where she drew their bond.
She doodles herself. And another line. And bites her lip.
She turns back to where she drew their bond.
She doodles herself. And another line. And bites her lip.
...
endragoned
He stares.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
This hasn't been going on that long, she supposes, and the Endarkened has been here for a very long time.
She goes back to where she drew a generic bonded elf, and draws a line between him and his dragon, and another line to a human with - she supposes the easiest symbol to draw is three books, with the sun, moon, and star symbols on their covers, dancing illustratively around their Wildmage. This is a thing that happens, now.
She goes back to where she drew a generic bonded elf, and draws a line between him and his dragon, and another line to a human with - she supposes the easiest symbol to draw is three books, with the sun, moon, and star symbols on their covers, dancing illustratively around their Wildmage. This is a thing that happens, now.
...
endragoned
He rests taloned fingertips on the page and stares some more, wonderingly.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel shrinks into herself. She doesn't want to Bond. She doesn't want unfathomable power housed in a mind too terrified and trapped in unrelenting scrutiny to use it. Others handle it. She couldn't. She'd wind up disintegrating, if not physically then as a person, driving her dragon mad with unremitting mental screams. She firmly crosses out the line between doodle-her and the demon's Bondmate.
...
endragoned
He looks at her blankly.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She huffs a small sigh and draws a little doodle of herself with the top of her head cartoonishly missing and wisps representing her thoughts drifting dragonward. Also, this doodle is crying. She displays it and then crosses that out too, jaw set.
...
endragoned
He nods slowly, frowning at the page.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel shrugs uncomfortably. She flips to a new page, but she can't think of anything else she wants to draw just now; if she daren't spend time around his dragon it's hard to see how she's going to introduce him to any of the other elves.
...
endragoned
He stares at the blank paper for a little while, lost in thought.
Then he speaks, abruptly and sharply, like someone cursing, and he holds up a hand—pay attention—and stoops to pick a berry from a nearby bush, the same kind he was eating earlier.
Holds it up, holds it out to her - snatches it back and crushes it and shakes his head emphatically.
Then he speaks, abruptly and sharply, like someone cursing, and he holds up a hand—pay attention—and stoops to pick a berry from a nearby bush, the same kind he was eating earlier.
Holds it up, holds it out to her - snatches it back and crushes it and shakes his head emphatically.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She blinks. And then looks at the berries and mimes having a stomachache and peers at him curiously to confirm.
...
endragoned
He nods.
He frowns.
He reaches one hand hesitantly toward her.
He frowns.
He reaches one hand hesitantly toward her.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel looks at his hand out of the corner of her eye, having no idea what he is planning to do with it, and she draws the shape of the berry and the leaves and writes down the color so she'll be able to tell the other elves. (She will have to come up with some way to get them to believe her, but perhaps she can just advocate general caution with the plants.)
She draws a box around the blank space under the berry drawing in case he wants to show her more poisonous-to-elves plants.
She draws a box around the blank space under the berry drawing in case he wants to show her more poisonous-to-elves plants.
...
endragoned
He sighs, and brushes bits of berry off his hand on his leg, and rubs his face with both hands.
Then he takes a few steps away and snatches up a small brown mouselike creature from the forest floor. It squeaks in alarm and wriggles frantically, but he holds it gently and pets it until it stops struggling. He looks at Isibel to see if she is paying attention.
Then he takes a few steps away and snatches up a small brown mouselike creature from the forest floor. It squeaks in alarm and wriggles frantically, but he holds it gently and pets it until it stops struggling. He looks at Isibel to see if she is paying attention.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She is definitely paying attention.
...
endragoned
Good!
He holds the tiny rodent close to his chest, closes his eyes, and tilts his head as though listening to it. For a few seconds, he stands very still, just like that. Then he opens his eyes, and touches a berry on the bush, and touches the mousealike (with the pads of his fingers, not with his claws), and shakes his head. Touches his forehead, touches the mouse, touches the berry: this is knowledge he has, that the berry is not edible to the mouse. Touches the mouse, touches his forehead, does the closed-eyes-listening-pose: this is how he acquired that knowledge.
He holds the tiny rodent close to his chest, closes his eyes, and tilts his head as though listening to it. For a few seconds, he stands very still, just like that. Then he opens his eyes, and touches a berry on the bush, and touches the mousealike (with the pads of his fingers, not with his claws), and shakes his head. Touches his forehead, touches the mouse, touches the berry: this is knowledge he has, that the berry is not edible to the mouse. Touches the mouse, touches his forehead, does the closed-eyes-listening-pose: this is how he acquired that knowledge.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel nods slowly.
She holds out one of her hands towards him tentatively.
She holds out one of her hands towards him tentatively.
...
endragoned
He crouches and sets the rodent down on the ground, where it immediately scampers away.
Then he takes her hand in both of his. His skin is very warm. He closes his eyes and... does whatever it is he does; whatever he's getting out of it, it does not produce corresponding sensations in Isibel.
Then he takes her hand in both of his. His skin is very warm. He closes his eyes and... does whatever it is he does; whatever he's getting out of it, it does not produce corresponding sensations in Isibel.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel - waits.
...
endragoned
When he opens his eyes a few minutes later, he is smiling very faintly.
He reaches for the pencil and paper.
He reaches for the pencil and paper.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She hands it over.
...
endragoned
He starts drawing a catalogue of plants and animals.
The enormous brightly coloured lizards are apparently venomous (he draws a person being bitten by one and dying gruesomely), but good to eat as long as you avoid the venom glands. The large beavers and turtles likewise check out; in fact, later sketches seem to indicate that any animal larger than she is will make a good meal.
Most berries are in the poisonous category, but there are a few he declares safe. Most kinds of large fruit are safe, but two are poisonous. He identifies several kinds of nuts as safe.
All frogs, apparently, are poisonous. So are a lot of small snakes and lizards. The mousealikes are safe, though.
He hums and talks to himself while he draws.
The enormous brightly coloured lizards are apparently venomous (he draws a person being bitten by one and dying gruesomely), but good to eat as long as you avoid the venom glands. The large beavers and turtles likewise check out; in fact, later sketches seem to indicate that any animal larger than she is will make a good meal.
Most berries are in the poisonous category, but there are a few he declares safe. Most kinds of large fruit are safe, but two are poisonous. He identifies several kinds of nuts as safe.
All frogs, apparently, are poisonous. So are a lot of small snakes and lizards. The mousealikes are safe, though.
He hums and talks to himself while he draws.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel attempts to think of ways to present this notebook to her expedition leader. Maybe she should claim she followed a mousealike watching it eat. Thirty times.
...
endragoned
She will have a little more trouble with that in a minute: lacking a common language in which to describe colour, he strokes the paper gently with his talons until his drawings colour themselves.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel sighs. That's the sort of thing small magic could do if she chose to take the trouble, she supposes. She does still have the issue where this is not her drawing style - not any elf's drawing style - but maybe she will just copy everything into a new notebook.
...
endragoned
He offers her the notebook with a wry grin.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She reads through it, nodding her comprehension, and then looks back the way she came, frowning. She mimes showing the notebook to an imaginary elf and then splutters (may as well talk aloud, for effect) - "No, I only have a feeling about these things, no, I didn't find a Wildmage on the island, please just don't eat the berries." She throws up her hands again and sighs.
...
endragoned
He laughs, and nods, and shrugs.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She then draws a party of elves finding the unicorn statues and looks quizzically at him.
They're going to find out that someone was here anyway.
They're going to find out that someone was here anyway.
...
endragoned
He smiles wryly and spreads his hands.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel thinks.
Then she mimes showing the whole notebook to an imaginary other elf. Start to finish. And she then tucks the notebook under her arm to clasp her hands in a pleading motion, also directed at the imaginary elf.
She's not sure if they'd believe her, but she thinks they'd probably at least ask a Wildmage to check her for Taint before killing her, and it might work.
Then she mimes showing the whole notebook to an imaginary other elf. Start to finish. And she then tucks the notebook under her arm to clasp her hands in a pleading motion, also directed at the imaginary elf.
She's not sure if they'd believe her, but she thinks they'd probably at least ask a Wildmage to check her for Taint before killing her, and it might work.
...
endragoned
He rubs his face and frowns in thought.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel waits. She'll think of something else if he doesn't want her to try this.
...
endragoned
After some contemplation, he throws up his hands and nods. He doesn't like the idea, but he can't think of a better one.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She takes two steps, then looks over her shoulder: should she go now, or is there more to say?
...
endragoned
He shrugs.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She thinks of something herself. She draws the island, and a vague sketch of half her path to the camp on the beach (not that they'd be hard to find, but she doesn't want or need to direct him right to them) and then a path back. Then she looks at him. Where will he be if they come looking? (So she can direct, or misdirect.)
...
endragoned
He shrugs again, stretches his wings, and points back toward the dragon's cave.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She nods. She waves.
And off she goes, looking for the expedition leader as soon as she's back in sight of the tents on the beach.
And off she goes, looking for the expedition leader as soon as she's back in sight of the tents on the beach.
Magania's tent flaps are pinned open, indicating the approachability of the occupant; she is sitting inside, taking tea.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel stands in the doorway and waits for her presence to be acknowledged.
"I See you, Isibel," the older woman says politely. "Enter and be welcome."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I See you, Magania." Isibel enters. "I apologize for my bluntness, but I fear that some among us may be liable to eat of poisonous plants or animals from the island, expecting safety in the way more typical of island-dwelling species."
"...It would please me greatly," says Magania, "to hear all you may wish to tell. Come and take tea." A hint of a smile touches the corners of her eyes. "It was brought from the mainland and should be quite safe."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel sits and accepts tea. "Thank you. I went into the forest along the south side of the island, exploring, and I found a great many lovingly-carved statues of a unicorn, and when I went further in, I found their carver. We shared no language, but communicated through mime and pictures, and he was able to tell me which things that grow here will be edible to elves." And Magania's certainly not going to ask her what the sculptor was if not an elf. She can come at this information as slowly as she likes. "He has been living here for many centuries, and did not volunteer his name."
"I am grateful for this knowledge," Magania murmurs. "It would please me to hear more, and perhaps to meet this person myself, if he is willing. But the knowledge of what is and is not safe to eat is the more urgent matter."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"It is," agrees Isibel. She turns to the relevant portions of her book and tears out the color-touched index of potential food and potential deadliness. "He first showed me by gestures the berry that appears in my own lines, and then drew the remainder himself; without a language in common to describe the items beyond their shapes, he changed the color of the paper instead."
"This sculptor is both knowledgeable and resourceful," Magania observes. "I will see that we all have the opportunity to learn what he has shared with you."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Thank you." Isibel looks down at the rest of the notebook, still in her hands. "He - fears for his safety if others find him. He has been alone save for his Bondmate for what I believe to have been thousands of years, fleeing those who wished him harm - the unicorn he sculpted, called Tialle, aided his escape." There, more tidbits to postpone telling her about the demon part; maybe the unicorn's name is known or the existence of a previously unknown dragon will be distracting or Magania will rashly issue a guarantee of his safety.
Magania sips her tea and lowers the cup onto the table in front of her.
"If he fears for his safety," she says, "then surely it would be a kindness to leave him alone until we have had time to fully consider his advice. You have told me many surprising things this afternoon. I am always pleased to hear the counsel of the young, and I thank Leaf and Star that I am not yet too old for surprises."
"If he fears for his safety," she says, "then surely it would be a kindness to leave him alone until we have had time to fully consider his advice. You have told me many surprising things this afternoon. I am always pleased to hear the counsel of the young, and I thank Leaf and Star that I am not yet too old for surprises."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel almost speaks, then she re-runs those sentences through her head. Apparently Magania picked up on more than Isibel had gotten around to disclosing - maybe Tialle's story is generally known and Isibel simply hasn't happened to hear it.
She sips her tea. "A life without surprises would be a dull one," she agrees lightly.
She sips her tea. "A life without surprises would be a dull one," she agrees lightly.
Magania smiles slightly, and nods, and remarks on the flavour of the tea. The urgent part of this conversation is over.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel doesn't really like small talk, but she can put up with it for the requisite three or four sentences, and excuse herself, and permit hours to elapse while she assists with various tasks of establishing the camp. In particular, someone found a water source that didn't have a demon floating in it; there is water to carry. She can carry water and think at the same time, even if it would be inappropriate for her to seek idle time with her notebook.
It is time for after-dinner tea when someone mentions to Isibel that if it happened to be convenient for her, she'd be welcome to take tea with Magania and then perhaps go for a walk.
Of course this will be convenient for Isibel.
Tea is had. Small talk is had.
It is time for after-dinner tea when someone mentions to Isibel that if it happened to be convenient for her, she'd be welcome to take tea with Magania and then perhaps go for a walk.
Of course this will be convenient for Isibel.
Tea is had. Small talk is had.
Magania remarks that she has not yet had a chance to explore the island, and that perhaps it would please Isibel to show her one of the paths into the woods which she discovered earlier today.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
...All right then.
"Of course. I began in this direction," says Isibel.
And in that direction they go.
And after a mile there is the first unicorn statue.
"Of course. I began in this direction," says Isibel.
And in that direction they go.
And after a mile there is the first unicorn statue.
Magania spends that mile either making idle commentary on the plant life they pass, or saying nothing at all.
When they come upon the statue, she inspects it for a moment, then nods slowly.
"In my youth," she murmurs, "I was for a time honoured to belong to the Unicorn Knights."
When they come upon the statue, she inspects it for a moment, then nods slowly.
"In my youth," she murmurs, "I was for a time honoured to belong to the Unicorn Knights."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Though I share no complete language with the sculptor, he did recognize the word unicorn, when I guessed at it," Isibel offers.
She nods.
"I am not surprised," she says. "During my time with the Unicorn Knights, I had many fascinating conversations with my partner about history and genealogy among unicorns and elves; he was a student of both, but preferred the former. Through him, I heard numerous stories of unicorns in ages past whose lives and deeds are preserved in the memories of their descendants."
"I am not surprised," she says. "During my time with the Unicorn Knights, I had many fascinating conversations with my partner about history and genealogy among unicorns and elves; he was a student of both, but preferred the former. Through him, I heard numerous stories of unicorns in ages past whose lives and deeds are preserved in the memories of their descendants."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Ah-huh.
"I suppose a unicorn with her horn broken would be memorable indeed to those who knew her."
"I suppose a unicorn with her horn broken would be memorable indeed to those who knew her."
"Many things about this unicorn were memorable to those who knew her," Magania says quietly.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"The sculptor certainly remembered her with great fondness," Isibel points out, indicating this statue and those visible farther into the woods with a gesture.
"As it was told to me," says Magania, "the story of Tialle says that her horn was broken when she was captured by our ancient enemy."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel considers how to respond to this.
She settles on: "I am not surprised."
She settles on: "I am not surprised."
Magania nods.
"A detail not commonly told with the rest of the story," she continues, "is that one of Them, imprisoned with her, helped Tialle to escape from Shadow Mountain."
"A detail not commonly told with the rest of the story," she continues, "is that one of Them, imprisoned with her, helped Tialle to escape from Shadow Mountain."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"One of Them who would take such action, did Tialle go on to live the rest of her life not betrayed back into Their hands, would be an unconventional sort."
"She did," murmurs Magania. "And he was. Tialle often told her children that she continued to think of him fondly until the end of her life."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
If Isibel were still seven years old she could just say do you want to meet him?
She is not still seven years old. (If she were, she wouldn't be here; the elves on this expedition are many of them young but none of them children.)
"I believe he and the sculptor may be one and the same."
She is not still seven years old. (If she were, she wouldn't be here; the elves on this expedition are many of them young but none of them children.)
"I believe he and the sculptor may be one and the same."
"I believe this also," says Magania. "And I believe that everyone's interests would be best served did we remain the only people on this island who knew as much. You mentioned a Bondmate. From what little I know of Their magic, with that kind of power at his command Tialle's friend could at need cause the seas to rise and swallow this island whole. I would rather he did not perceive such a need, at least not while we are all still on it."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I do not believe he wishes us harm. I am myself unharmed," Isibel points out. "But certainly any reasonable person will defend himself, if attacked."
Magania nods.
"I have also made some study of the old languages," she says. "It is possible I could converse with Tialle's friend, if we could be made known to each other without alarming him."
"I have also made some study of the old languages," she says. "It is possible I could converse with Tialle's friend, if we could be made known to each other without alarming him."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Perhaps if we continue on a bit, he will hear me if I call. I believe he is with his dragon, now, and I do not much wish to keep the dragon's company," murmurs Isibel, and she proceeds through the forest.
Magania follows quietly.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
When they reach the spot where Isibel stopped when she bolted from the dragon, Isibel calls in the direction of the cave. "Hello! I've come back!"
...
endragoned
The demon's voice answers, "Isibel?"
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Yes, it's Isibel."
...
endragoned
"Isibel!" he repeats, and says some more things.
Magania says some things back.
...
endragoned
There is a splutter, and then he appears in the middle distance, staring incredulously at both of them.
He asks Magania a question.
He asks Magania a question.
She winces genteelly, but provides an answer that includes her name, then waits.
...
endragoned
He makes a gesture that encompasses the two elves and asks her something else.
Looking increasingly uncomfortable, but making a valiant effort to conceal it, Magania answers again.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"It might reduce the total amount of offense in this conversation if you told him that elves do not like questions," Isibel suggests softly.
Magania sighs.
"It is appropriate to set aside the intricacies of etiquette when they become a hindrance in times of urgency."
"It is appropriate to set aside the intricacies of etiquette when they become a hindrance in times of urgency."
...
endragoned
The demon speaks again, nervous and impatient. His tail slaps repeatedly against the trunk of a tree next to him.
Magania replies in soothing tones.
She mentions Tialle.
She mentions Tialle.
...
endragoned
He shivers visibly, his wings mantling, and asks something else in a hesitant whisper.
Magania nods.
She elaborates on her answer with a few sentences, spoken very gently.
She elaborates on her answer with a few sentences, spoken very gently.
...
endragoned
The demon falls to his knees and buries his face in his hands with a helpless sob.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I - can't understand this conversation," Isibel reminds Magania in an undertone.
"He asked me who I am, and why I speak his language but you do not, and then he wished to be reassured that I do not plan to have him killed," she murmurs back. "I told him that I know Tialle's story, and he asked me what more I might tell of her, and I told him that she remembered him fondly all her life and spoke well of him to her children."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel nods solemnly.
Magania also nods.
...
endragoned
The demon weeps like a child, unrestrainedly, with tears and tremors and loud graceless sounds.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Surely he must have known that she would have died, in all this time. Perhaps they have not been counting the years," Isibel murmurs.
"I do not think he weeps because she died," Magania murmurs back. "I think he weeps because she loved him."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel bows her head and is silent.
...
endragoned
Eventually, he quiets down and hugs himself and leans against a tree and says something in a soft, tired voice.
Magania replies briefly, then explains to Isibel, "He thanks me for telling him."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I do not know how our expedition could be turned aside without explaining to any of our companions why," Isibel says. "Nor do I know a place that would readily welcome him, perhaps not even with our vouchers for his - his character and the history leading us to believe in it. I do not know where he and his Bondmate might go or how the island might be left to them."
Magania contemplates these matters for a few seconds.
Then she speaks to the demon.
Then she speaks to the demon.
...
endragoned
He blinks in surprise, then shakes his head and answers with a short sentence and a gesture at the forest around them.
She nods, and makes a similar gesture, and speaks some more.
...
endragoned
Slowly, he also nods.
Magania turns to Isibel and explains what just happened.
"Tialle's friend has no house," she says, "but he considers this island his home. He says we may let this be known, without including any... troublesome details, if it will keep curious people from entering his forest and discovering him for a time."
"Tialle's friend has no house," she says, "but he considers this island his home. He says we may let this be known, without including any... troublesome details, if it will keep curious people from entering his forest and discovering him for a time."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel nods. "This will prevent any of our expedition from crossing the border into his forest. But if we settle on the unforested parts of the island, then others may come and go, and some of these include those who are not elves. One day there may be children on the island, too, who are not so careful about protocols of privacy."
"Before any of those things happen," says Magania, "I will speak to the dragons, and take counsel of them."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel nods. This seems sensible to her.
...
endragoned
The demon says something else.
Magania replies, then translates with a smile, "He wants you to know that you are specifically welcome in his forest."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel smiles. "That is generous of him."
Magania translates this for the demon.
...
endragoned
He bursts out laughing and replies between giggles.
"...He says," Magania relays with some amusement, "that from someone who has not entertained friendly company in ten thousand years, it is neither generous nor surprising."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"All right," says Isibel. "Then it is selfish and predictable and I shall visit him regardless."
Magania translates this, too.
...
endragoned
The demon grins brilliantly and says some more things.
"He is pleased," says Magania.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"It is a curious language that takes so many words to say so," Isibel observes.
"I am not sure I knew all of those words," says Magania. "Any less brief translation I gave would also be less accurate."
...
endragoned
He looks between the two of them, grins again, and asks Magania a question.
Magania answers him, smiling slightly and shaking her head.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"It seems that it might be a productive use of my visits to teach him the modern tongue," offers Isibel, when no translation of this latest exchange is forthcoming.
"I agree," says Magania, and offers the demon a translation of these words.
...
endragoned
He nods several times.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"After all, translation is burdensome and you have more demands on your time than I," Isibel says.
(She does not like that so many things have been left out.)
(She does not like that so many things have been left out.)
"That is true," Magania agrees, "and I thank you for considering it."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Perhaps I should remain here, and make use of what light remains for that purpose, as undoubtedly your explanations to the others about why they ought not enter the forest will be more eloquent than mine," Isibel says.
"Wise words from one so young," Magania says dryly, and turns to explain this to the demon, and then leaves.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel finds a good place to sit and opens up her notebook and debates whether to begin with the alphabet - so that she can bring along a book on her next visit and have that as source material - or with drawings and vocabulary words - so that they can have rudimentary conversations quicker. Eventually she decides on the second option. She flips to the early pages of the notebook and starts teaching him the modern words for "unicorn", "elf", and "demon", assuming he's attentive to this exercise.
...
endragoned
The demon sits next to her and applies himself to learning. When he relaxes his wings partway through the lesson, the near one arches over her like a hovering cloak.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She peers at the wing when it encroaches into her personal space, but as long as it doesn't settle onto her familiarly she'll leave it be. With the obvious nouns established she moves on to other things (the word for "wing"; how to pluralize; creatures with wings "fly" and creatures without wings "walk" and fish "swim"; she's getting noticeably better at doodling with so much practice.)
...
endragoned
That half-arched position seems to be the most comfortable way for him to keep them when he's sitting like this; the other wing is doing the same thing over empty air.
He picks things up very quickly, although he often makes small errors in pronunciation and sometimes mixes up two words.
He picks things up very quickly, although he often makes small errors in pronunciation and sometimes mixes up two words.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel corrects him patiently as she goes, and because he is not an elf and will not be - apparently - mortified by working above his current skill level, she carries on adding new material instead of insisting on repeating what they've already covered. "Sun", "moon", "star", "leaf", "day", "night", "island", "ocean". The sun "rises" and "sets", the moon "grows" and "shrinks" (she's not getting into advanced vocabulary like "wax" and "wane" yet), stars "travel" (and so do boatsful of elves in search of islands. "Boat".)
...
endragoned
He is downright enthusiastic about learning all these things.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel has never taught a language before, so she's making this up, but she adopts a general strategy of talking to him idly, as though he's a toddler who may understand simple utterances but nothing conceptually difficult, using mostly words she has taught him and - after uttering a sentence with new words - finding ways to go back and teach him those, then repeating her sentence and carrying on. She doesn't ask him questions - of course - but there are gaps when she's making new, increasingly busy little doodles during which he could interject if he so chose.
...
endragoned
He seems to adopt a strategy of speaking in his own language, but dropping in a word from the modern one whenever he knows it. His utterances therefore become progressively more comprehensible, and he is less and less frequently required to fill in the gaps with mime.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
With an arsenal of nouns and some verbs, Isibel moves to prepositions (tree on island, elf in boat, that one poisonous tuber under earth, stars above everything, Bonded pairs with each other, and so on). She's really not sure how to get from here to anything conceptual. Perhaps it will involve theatrical facial expressions or help from Magania.
...
endragoned
Or perhaps the demon will convey through mime that he wants to know the word for that thing they are doing right now with their mouths and one another's ears.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"We are talking," says Isibel when he has successfully conveyed this curiosity. "I am talking to you, you are talking to me, we are talking to each other."
...
endragoned
"Talking," he says, and grins. "Talking" (something something) "Magaria."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Earlier, you were talking to Magaria in your language, and I don't know your language, so she talked to me in my language," Isibel says.
...
endragoned
"Talking," he repeats, nodding. "Talking, I, Magaria, my language. Talking, you, Magaria, your language."
Well, he certainly seems to be grasping the new vocabulary, even if his grammar could use some work.
Well, he certainly seems to be grasping the new vocabulary, even if his grammar could use some work.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Magaria knows both languages," Isisbel says. "I know only one language." Oh dear, has she neglected numbers? She draws dots, teaches him to count to twenty. "Magaria knows -" Well, Magaria could easily know more than two languages, but for simplicity - "two languages. I know one language."
...
endragoned
"Magaria knows two languages," he repeats. And grins again, and says, "I know one language."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Later, you will know two languages," says Isibel. She doesn't know how to actually go about teaching tenses and time words except by example - even using things like sunrise and sunset have the problem of being cyclic. "Because we are talking."
...
endragoned
"I will know two languages," he repeats carefully. "We are talking two languages."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I am talking one language. I don't know your language," Isibel replies. "You will know my language and then you will know two languages. Then we can talk more easily." She's not sure how to illustrate easy; eventually she decides on "If twenty elves are on a dragon, it is hard for the dragon to fly. If one elf is on a dragon it is easy for the dragon to fly. It is easy for you to talk your language. It is hard for you to talk my language, but later, it will be easy."
...
endragoned
He laughs.
"It is hard for you to fly," he says. "It is easy for me to fly."
"It is hard for you to fly," he says. "It is easy for me to fly."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I cannot fly," corrects Isibel. "Because I do not have wings, I cannot fly. Only things with wings can fly."
...
endragoned
"I can fly," he says. "You can—" he picks up a rock from the ground next to him and drops it.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel laughs. "I can fall," she agrees. "If I go up," ("going up" has been explained in terms of sunrise and sunset already) "then I will go down. I'll fall."
...
endragoned
He nods. "I can fly. You can fall."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
And so the lesson continues, until the sun is near the horizon.
"The sun is setting. I will go back to the other elves. Tomorrow I will come here again and we will talk more," she tells him, closing the book.
"The sun is setting. I will go back to the other elves. Tomorrow I will come here again and we will talk more," she tells him, closing the book.
...
endragoned
"Tomorrow," he repeats thoughtfully, and nods, and smiles.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Tomorrow, after the sun rises," Isibel says. And she gets up and waves and walks back towards camp.
Magania is waiting for her on the way.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I See you, Magania," says Isibel, when this sentence becomes true.
"I See you, Isibel," says Magania. "It would please me to hear all that you may wish to tell of your time spent with Tialle's friend, before we must return to camp."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"We spoke of speaking," Isibel says. "He can count to twenty, and name dragons and unicorns and elves, boats and islands and the lights of the sky, and make intelligible sentences of them."
"When I spoke with him, some words passed between us that I did not translate," says Magania.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I am not surprised," says Isibel. "He did not tell me what they were; perhaps we have not ventured into the necessary vocabulary."
"You may become surprised if he tries to mime them," Magania says dryly.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"While a life without surprises would be dull, I believe I could happily pass my days without that one, were I warned in advance," says Isibel, equally dry.
"He chose to express his gratitude for your company by offering you the use of his body," Magania explains. "In some detail, which I am not prepared to repeat even had I understood it all."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel makes an eloquent face. "Ah."
"I hope that your curiosity is satisfied," says Magania.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"On this subject," says Isibel, "I believe it is."
"I am pleased to hear it," says Magania, and she walks with Isibel back to the camp.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
In the morning, Isibel returns to the forest with a fresh notebook and dressed in one of her more conservative outfits, not that she was particularly daring yesterday, and looks for her demonic pupil.
He is floating naked in the pond again.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I See you," she calls out.
...
endragoned
He laughs, waves, and splashes his way to solid ground.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She waves. At some point today she's going to ask him if he wants some clothes. She'll introduce the relevant vocabulary. But not first. "When the sun was down, at night, I slept," she says, miming sleep. "Now I am awake again." She opens her eyes. "And I am here to talk to you and teach you my language." It feels inane, but how else is he going to pick up conversational fluency?
...
endragoned
He nods.
"Elf sleep," he says, and makes a squishing-in gesture with his hands. "Elf sleep night."
"Elf sleep," he says, and makes a squishing-in gesture with his hands. "Elf sleep night."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Elves sleep at night," she corrects. "Elves sleep during the night. I am an elf, so I sleep at night."
...
endragoned
"Elves sleep at night," he repeats. "Elves sleep at night, sleep at night, sleep at night," with successive gestures perhaps meant to indicate successive instances of this activity.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Elves sleep every night," Isibel supplies. "And wake up every morning."
...
endragoned
"Elves sleep every night," says the demon, nodding. "Dragons sleep..." and he spreads his hands, highlighting the gap in his vocabulary.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Dragons sleep when they are bored," says Isibel, and for effect she looks with utter disinterest at a tree and folds her arms and taps her foot.
...
endragoned
"Bored," giggles the demon. "Dragons sleep when they are bored."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She smiles and nods, and looks for a good place to sit to begin the lesson proper.
...
endragoned
The demon observes her looking around.
He kneels at the water's edge and presses his hands to a bare patch of rock, then raises them. The rock follows. It forms a curved stone bench, half of a good height for Isibel and half a little higher, with a smooth transition between; when the shape of the bench is settled, he encourages a thick moss to grow all over it and provide a padded covering. Then he sits.
He kneels at the water's edge and presses his hands to a bare patch of rock, then raises them. The rock follows. It forms a curved stone bench, half of a good height for Isibel and half a little higher, with a smooth transition between; when the shape of the bench is settled, he encourages a thick moss to grow all over it and provide a padded covering. Then he sits.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She beams and applauds and sits. "I was standing," she reports helpfully, "now I am sitting. I am sitting on the bench you made. Thank you for making it."
...
endragoned
"We are sitting on the bench I made," he adapts. His pronunciation isn't perfect, but his grammar is fine.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"We are," agrees Isibel. "Both you and I are sitting on this bench that you made. You made it with magic, from your dragon."
...
endragoned
"I made it with magic. Magic from dragon."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"You and the dragon are Bondmates," says Isibel. "You have a Bond. That is how you can use your dragon's magic."
...
endragoned
"Bondmates," he repeats. "I and," a word from his language, "are Bondmates."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel repeats this word, tilting her head. Then she says, "My name is Isibel. ...Magania's name is Magania," she adds tautologically by way of further illustration.
...
endragoned
"Name," the demon echoes, and shrugs.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
...She could just ask him if his dragon's name is what he just said.
No, he's certainly demonstrated enough ability to pick up on subtext that he'd have volunteered the information if he wanted her to have it, wouldn't he? But he does know the word for "dragon". It wouldn't just mean "my dragon".
She repeats the unfamiliar word, slowly, not quite questioningly.
No, he's certainly demonstrated enough ability to pick up on subtext that he'd have volunteered the information if he wanted her to have it, wouldn't he? But he does know the word for "dragon". It wouldn't just mean "my dragon".
She repeats the unfamiliar word, slowly, not quite questioningly.
...
endragoned
The demon frowns thoughtfully.
Then he leans down to scoop up a clod of dirt from the ground.
He holds it up, says, "Name," and hands it to Isibel. "You," gesture to her holding the clod of dirt, "name."
Then he leans down to scoop up a clod of dirt from the ground.
He holds it up, says, "Name," and hands it to Isibel. "You," gesture to her holding the clod of dirt, "name."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I - have a name," she says slowly (because hold a name isn't right). They covered 'have', but she's been expecting him to forget something they've been over for a while and is surprised it took so long.
...
endragoned
"You have a name," he agrees. "I, dragon, no."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"You and your dragon don't have names," Isibel corrects slowly. "Because there are only two of you on the island," she guesses.
...
endragoned
"I and my dragon don't have names."
He thinks for a few seconds, then says, "I talk my dragon," (unfamiliar word). "My dragon talks me," (same unfamiliar word).
He thinks for a few seconds, then says, "I talk my dragon," (unfamiliar word). "My dragon talks me," (same unfamiliar word).
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"You call your dragon," she slowly repeats the first word, "and your dragon calls you," the word.
(She's heard the things dragons and Bondmates sometimes wind up calling each other, and beloved may be the least sickly-sweet; she's not going to pick up this non-name appellation for her own use.)
(She's heard the things dragons and Bondmates sometimes wind up calling each other, and beloved may be the least sickly-sweet; she's not going to pick up this non-name appellation for her own use.)
...
endragoned
He smiles and nods.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Elves with dragons call their dragons beloved, if they do not call them by name," she volunteers. "Or sometimes other things. Most times - mostly - 'beloved'."
...
endragoned
"Beloved. Elves call dragon Bondmates beloved."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"And dragons call elf Bondmates 'beloved'," Isibel goes on, "and human Wildmages, and human High Mages." They covered both kinds of human mages the other day, since she already had the wildmage drawn and threw in the High Mage with her little doodled wand for completeness. "Human" was covered by way of those two kinds of mages only coming in human.
She thinks she's exhausted that topic and looks around for more things to name while she waits for inspiration on conceptual or verb vocabulary. Oh, right, she was going to do clothes. She names her various garments, from her smallmagicked ribbons to her boots and her travel robes, in the simplest applicable words. (She doesn't even know the technical vocabulary around clothes. She's the Silverbranch clothier's favorite person, never second-guessing her expertise; she walks into the workshop and mentions a need and takes whatever the seamstress chooses to give her.)
She thinks she's exhausted that topic and looks around for more things to name while she waits for inspiration on conceptual or verb vocabulary. Oh, right, she was going to do clothes. She names her various garments, from her smallmagicked ribbons to her boots and her travel robes, in the simplest applicable words. (She doesn't even know the technical vocabulary around clothes. She's the Silverbranch clothier's favorite person, never second-guessing her expertise; she walks into the workshop and mentions a need and takes whatever the seamstress chooses to give her.)
...
endragoned
The demon observes Isibel's clothes, and cooperatively learns the relevant vocabulary.
He doesn't seem especially interested in pursuing the subject further.
He doesn't seem especially interested in pursuing the subject further.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She names the entire collective clothes. Then she thinks of another verb. "I brought this book here with me when I came here," she says, indicating the notebook she brought. "I can bring clothes here, later, tomorrow, for you." They don't have a vast array of spares, but she can collect at least one serviceable outfit.
...
endragoned
He looks puzzled, then shakes his head.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Well, that's pretty much the best she can do. "You don't want clothes," she concludes. "I won't bring clothes, then."
...
endragoned
"I don't want clothes," he says agreeably.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
All right, on they go, then. She has the original torn-out pages of island bestiary and flora guide back now that they've been copied over; she starts naming berries and leaves and animals, although she'll leave choosing terminology for the individual species for someone else. And:
"I can eat this, because elves can eat this and I am an elf. I cannot eat this. If I did, I would be sick."
"I can eat this, because elves can eat this and I am an elf. I cannot eat this. If I did, I would be sick."
...
endragoned
The demon nods.
"I can eat this," he says, indicating the poisonous thing. "I can eat every this."
"I can eat this," he says, indicating the poisonous thing. "I can eat every this."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"You can eat anything," she concludes, "and don't get sick."
This would be much easier if she could ask questions.
This would be much easier if she could ask questions.
...
endragoned
"Demons can eat anything," he agrees.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She goes next through some adjectives and some sensing verbs (when you talk, I hear with my ears; when the sun is up it is easy to see because the sun gives off much light and when the sun is down it is hard to see because the moon and stars give off little light; with no light I could not see; we use our eyes to see; etc.)
...
endragoned
"With no light you could not see," the demon echoes, regarding her thoughtfully. "With no light, I can see."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"You can see in the dark," Isibel says. "Elves cannot see in the dark."
...
endragoned
"Demons can see in the dark," says the demon.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"When the sun comes up, it gets lighter, and when the sun goes down, it gets darker, and when the moon shrinks, it is darker still, and underground away from stars it is completely dark."
And then, after a moment, "Demons are also sometimes called Endarkened."
And then, after a moment, "Demons are also sometimes called Endarkened."
...
endragoned
"Endarkened," he echoes, nodding, and says a word in his own language.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel shrugs; she doesn't know what the word means unless it's his own word for his species. She's covered the word 'want' now, right? "If there is something you want to learn to talk about, I will listen," she volunteers.
...
endragoned
He shrugs, too, flicking the tip of his tail against the side of the bench.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
All right then, she's stuck with whatever curriculum she can devise. Let's see. What would she need to tell him the story of her life? Well, "life", for one thing. She thinks, then goes back to the poisons. "If I eat a berry I cannot eat anyway, I will get sick. If I get sicker, I might die. If I don't eat anything, I will die. If I eat things I can eat I will live. I am alive right now. You are also alive."
...
endragoned
"I am alive," he agrees. "You are alive. I want you are alive."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"You want me to be alive," she corrects with a small smile. "I want me to be alive, too!"
...
endragoned
"I want you to be alive," he says, grinning. "I want you to eat things you can eat."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She laughs. "To be alive I need to eat food that is food elves can eat, and I need to drink water -" She mimes, both drinking from a cup and then from cupped hands in case he is not familiar with dishes - "and I need to sleep, and not fall, and I need other things not to eat me."
...
endragoned
The demon giggles.
"Demons eat elves," he says. "I won't eat you."
"Demons eat elves," he says. "I won't eat you."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel pauses, then slowly says, "If you won't eat me, then demons don't eat elves. There is only one demon."
...
endragoned
"...Only one demon," he repeats, staring a little.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She nods. "The other demons died." She sketches a square of dots, ten to a side, one hundred in total. "Ten times ten is one hundred. Four hundred sunrises is one year. One hundred times one hundred is ten thousand. Magania said you have been on this island for ten thousand years. Two thousand years ago, the other demons died."
...
endragoned
"Two thousand years," the demon murmurs. "Two thousand years ago the other demons died. Demons don't die easy."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel nods. "There was -" How does she mime or draw war? Well, that's not the ultimate explanation anyway. "There was a Wildmage, who died so that the demons would die easier, and then they all did. Her name was Idalia."
...
endragoned
"Idalia," the demon repeats, and nods firmly.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Idalia Wildmage was a human but then she died and then she was an elf," Isibel adds. "A small -" she gestures - "elf had Idalia in her. Then she lived a thousand years."
...
endragoned
"Elves live a thousand years."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel nods. "I have lived twenty and one years," she says, "twenty-one years. I am twenty-one years old."
...
endragoned
"I have lived... eleven thousand years," says the demon, shrugging and waving his hands a little to indicate that this is an inexact figure. "I am eleven thousand years old."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel draws a new map - the old one was sketchy - and puts in rivers and so on, and she marks the location of Silverbranch. "I live there," she says, pointing it out. "I have lived there for twenty-one years. I was born there."
...
endragoned
"I live here," laughs the demon, gesturing around them at the forest.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I traveled here with other elves to see if elves can live here," Isibel says. "After some days or moonturns or years, more elves may live here."
...
endragoned
"Elves, demons die," murmurs the demon.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I - don't understand," murmurs Isibel.
...
endragoned
"More elves live here. More elves see me. I die."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Magania will talk to other dragons about you and your dragon," says Isibel. "The other dragons will talk to her. Maybe more elves won't live here. Maybe we will all go away."
...
endragoned
The demon laughs.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel tilts her head.
...
endragoned
"Maybe you will all go away," he giggles, shaking his head. "Maybe."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"We might," she says. "We might go back to the Elven Lands -" she traces the border on her map - "and leave you and your dragon here, just the two of you, alone."
...
endragoned
"Elves will live here," he says. "I will die."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I don't want you to die."
...
endragoned
He shrugs; nods. "I don't want me to die. My dragon doesn't want me to die. You don't want me to die."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Magania doesn't want you to die," Isibel hastens to add. "...And no one wants elves to die."
...
endragoned
He laughs again, softly.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"If other elves wanted you to die," she murmurs, "you could kill them, but that would be sad." She modeled some basic emotions during yesterday's lesson: happy, sad, angry.
...
endragoned
"If I - killed - other elves," he says with a shrug, "more elves would kill me."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Yes," she agrees, sighing, "probably."
...
endragoned
The demon shrugs again.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel moves on. Wood floats. Rocks sink. She can demonstrate by tossing examples of each into the pond. All this doodling she's doing is drawing; if she writes instead that's writing, and when she looks at the letters again later that's reading. "I could teach you to write," she says.
...
endragoned
"Teach me to write," he says.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She writes out the alphabet and each sound it makes, and starts spelling words he knows, from "dragon" and "elf" to "tomorrow" and "maybe".
...
endragoned
The demon is raptly attentive.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
This occupies the rest of the morning, and then Isibel says, "I'm going to eat now," and pulls out her lunch from her travelbag.
...
endragoned
The demon nods, and gets up and heads off into the forest.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She nibbles on her lunch one-handed and writes out more words as she remembers having covered them to read for him later.
...
endragoned
He returns a few minutes later with a large basket of brilliant blue fruit, which he sets in his lap when he sits down on the bench again.
He offers her one.
They did not appear on the catalogue.
He offers her one.
They did not appear on the catalogue.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel peers at it. "You didn't draw this fruit," she says. "Is it good for elves to eat?"
...
endragoned
"I made this fruit," he says. "You can eat it!"
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel blinks at the fruit, then tilts her head and takes it and bites tentatively into its side.
...
endragoned
It's very sweet, and has an unfamiliar but pleasing flavour.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She grins and eats the rest. "Thank you," she says. "I like it. It tastes good."
...
endragoned
He beams.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Later, I may want to bring this fruit to the other elves," she says.
...
endragoned
He nods.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
On goes the reading lesson!
...
endragoned
Now with tasty blue fruit!
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Yes, she snacks on those happily as they go.
Eventually she can call to mind no other words they've covered. "I have forgotten what else I've taught you. I knew it and now I don't," she says, writing this sentence as she speaks.
Eventually she can call to mind no other words they've covered. "I have forgotten what else I've taught you. I knew it and now I don't," she says, writing this sentence as she speaks.
...
endragoned
The demon laughs and nods.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"If there is something else you want to learn to say, you can tell me and I will teach you," she reminds him.
...
endragoned
He muses on this for a moment.
Then he grins.
Then he grins.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel tilts her head.
...
endragoned
"I want to learn to say what makes unicorns go away," he says cheerfully.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel blinks several times, and feels herself blushing. "Oh. Oh. Um." She sighs. She writes it down. Perhaps he can figure out how to pronounce it himself at this point.
...
endragoned
"You don't want to say it," he observes.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She shakes her head. "I don't." And this is hardly a secret, because it's always clear at home who the unicorns avoid: "Unicorns still come near me."
...
endragoned
"Unicorns don't come near me," he says wryly. "Tialle was near me."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Unicorns can do things they don't like if they have to, if it's important. If they'd die otherwise."
...
endragoned
He nods.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel swallows. "You know what sounds the letters make," she says, gesturing at the word she wrote for him. And then she decides to start teaching him shapes. Circle, triangle, square, etcetera.
...
endragoned
He doesn't push it. Shapes it is.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Shapes and then locations! She points out the Nine Cities, and names Silverbranch too, and then she draws her family tree and names family relationships.
...
endragoned
The demon is attentive.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"My mother's name is Rania. My father's name is Cariel. I don't have any brothers or sisters."
...
endragoned
"My father's name is Uralesse," murmurs the demon.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel blinks. That's a familiar name, but she can't quite place it. Maybe that was one of the demon kings. Maybe this demon was a demon prince, before there stopped being demons to be a prince of.
Well, time to draw little elf doodles in crowns and explain kings and queens and princesses and princes.
Well, time to draw little elf doodles in crowns and explain kings and queens and princesses and princes.
...
endragoned
The demon points out of his own accord that his father was a king.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel nods. "I thought I recognized the name." Hmm, examples of the word recognize - "I recognized that you were a demon when I first saw you. I didn't recognize this fruit when you brought it, because you didn't draw it."
...
endragoned
The demon ponders this, then nods.
"My father is dead," he says. "I am not a king."
"My father is dead," he says. "I am not a king."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"There are no other demons for you to be king over," Isibel says. "Just you."
...
endragoned
He nods.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I'm not a princess or a queen," she shrugs. "I'm just an elf."
...
endragoned
"You're Isibel," he says, smiling.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Yes, I am," she laughs. "Isibel the elf. Isibel the small-mage." She touches the paper and focuses and makes dots of each of the basic colors - far slower than he did - and writes and speaks the names of each color under each dot when she's completed the row.
...
endragoned
The demon giggles. He repeats the names of the colours.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She grins and turns the page and now she's drawing weather. Clouds, rain, snow - she's not sure if it snows this far south, but it may, and he may have seen it, and in ten thousand years the weather patterns could have changed. Wind. Wind is made of air. Winged creatures fly in the air.
...
endragoned
He stretches his wings when she mentions them.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Rain falls, sun shines, clouds can go down and become fog. The sun makes the air warmer; it is cooler at night. Snow happens only when it is very cold. Things with water on them are wet. If they sit in the sun they will become dry.
...
endragoned
The demon gets up off the bench and reaches into the pond to dip up a handful of water, which he sprinkles on Isibel.
"You are wet," he informs her.
"You are wet," he informs her.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She looks at him witheringly. "Yes. You made me that way," she says. "Please don't do that again."
...
endragoned
He giggles, and touches the damp spot on her sleeve.
"You are dry!"
"You are dry!"
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Yes. Thank you," she chuckles. She taps her pencil on her notebook, thinking about what to do next.
...
endragoned
The demon sits down and eats another mystery fruit.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel decides she has the vocabulary for a history lesson and starts telling the story of Idalia Wildmage and Kellen Knightmage and Jermayan Dragonrider and their war, and the next war with Tiercel Highmage and Harrier Wildmage, and Ancaladar who switched from Jermayan to Tiercel to Tiercel and Harrier both to, on Tiercel's death, an elfmage -
...
endragoned
"Ancaladar didn't die," he repeats incredulously.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel blinks. "No. Jermayan died, but Ancaladar Bonded to Tiercel, and then to Harrier, and then Tiercel died but Harrier and Ancaladar lived, and Ancaladar bonded to Peraviel, who is alive." She smiles slightly. "I met Ancaladar once. He thinks I would have liked Harrier." She swallows. "I - I won't, I can't, I'd - but maybe someone else could Bond to your dragon instead - and then even if you die, your dragon could live."
...
endragoned
"My dragon doesn't want to live if I die," he says, tail flicking and wings drooping.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Oh. Then it doesn't matter that I won't, I guess."
...
endragoned
He sighs, and nods.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel pauses, and thinks, and sighs and does a side history bit about Saravasse, who lived when her Wildmage died even though she didn't want to, but went on to Bond with an elf (who also lives today) and was happy again.
And then she draws the entire known dragon family tree.
It is small. She has it memorized.
And then she draws the entire known dragon family tree.
It is small. She has it memorized.
...
endragoned
"My dragon doesn't want to live if I die," he repeats.
...And blinks at the entire known dragon family tree.
There seems to be a problem here, even if it's not one he can articulate with his current vocabulary.
...And blinks at the entire known dragon family tree.
There seems to be a problem here, even if it's not one he can articulate with his current vocabulary.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"There are only a few dragons. The dragons want more dragons," she explains. "All the dragons have these grandparents -" She indicates the bottleneck of three. "Except yours."
She draws an egg, helpfully. "Dragons are born from eggs. They hatch, out of eggs."
She draws an egg, helpfully. "Dragons are born from eggs. They hatch, out of eggs."
...
endragoned
"My dragon will—" he makes a valiant effort at the word she wrote down "—some other dragons," he offers. "If they want."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel blushes, looks away, corrects his pronunciation, and says, "Magania will talk to the other dragons."
...
endragoned
He laughs.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She carries on with bits of history lesson as they drift into her head, filling in a timeline and teaching its components out of order but always circling back to the line and adding names of the listed events in their correct places.
...
endragoned
The demon is fascinated by all the historical events. He seems to like learning people's names, and whether they are still alive.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel can often supply this information!
...
endragoned
How convenient!
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Eventually they reach the extent of her history knowledge and she teaches him some more numbers - there's a pretty consistent system from twenty up through ninety-nine - and tries to think of what's next. She knows perfectly well he's not conversationally fluent, however fast he learns, but she's not sure what to cover; she wishes she had a textbook, or even a dictionary to allow to fall open.
...
endragoned
He watches her in silence for a moment, then says the word again.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She looks at him out of the corner of her eye and her cheeks pink a little.
...
endragoned
He grins, and says something in his own language. By tone it could be either an apology or a flirtation.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel looks away. "I do not understand you," she says.
...
endragoned
He shrugs.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I would like to hear what else you'd like to learn," she shrugs.
...
endragoned
"I don't know how to say."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She offers him the book. "Perhaps you can draw it."
...
endragoned
He shrugs helplessly.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She tilts her head. "Maybe when I've taught you more you'll know how to say what you want to know," she shrugs. And then she teaches him systems of measurements, and "heavier" and "lighter" and "farther" and "nearer", and when that's exhausted she draws and names houses, temples, chairs, tables, and the things that may be done with these and other objects. And then she thinks of a historical event she forgot, and goes back and covers that.
...
endragoned
The demon pays attention to all of these lessons.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
The next time she runs out of ideas, she thinks for a minute, then says, "We could make a story. Like a history about something that did not happen. You can make part of it, then I can make part of it, and then I will see what I need to teach you to say."
...
endragoned
The demon laughs, and nods enthusiastically.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel makes an inviting gesture. "You may start," she says.
...
endragoned
"Eleven thousand years ago," he says, and flicks his tail against the bench, and smiles.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Perhaps you would prefer to tell me a history of your own," laughs Isibel. "I would be happy to listen."
...
endragoned
He nods.
"My father's name was Uralesse," he says. "He wanted me to be alive. Then I was alive. Then I was me. Then he did not want me to be alive."
"My father's name was Uralesse," he says. "He wanted me to be alive. Then I was alive. Then I was me. Then he did not want me to be alive."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Okay, maybe "happy" was an exaggeration.
"Born," she reminds him faintly. "You were born, and then you were alive."
"Born," she reminds him faintly. "You were born, and then you were alive."
...
endragoned
He nods again. "I was born," he agrees. Then:
"Demons have magic. I have magic from my dragon. I did not have magic from my dragon then. Other demons did not have magic from dragons. We had magic from—" and he rubs the burn scar on his palm.
"Demons have magic. I have magic from my dragon. I did not have magic from my dragon then. Other demons did not have magic from dragons. We had magic from—" and he rubs the burn scar on his palm.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel knows how this works.
"Pain," she says quietly. "Demons got their magic from pain. They hurt other people, and those people were in pain, and then the demons had magic to use."
"Pain," she says quietly. "Demons got their magic from pain. They hurt other people, and those people were in pain, and then the demons had magic to use."
...
endragoned
The demon nods some more.
"Demons hurt other people," he says. "Demons hurt elves. Demons hurt unicorns. I hurt me."
"Demons hurt other people," he says. "Demons hurt elves. Demons hurt unicorns. I hurt me."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"You hurt yourself -" She bites off the questioning, incredulous inflection at the last moment, makes like she was correcting his grammar. "I did not know that would make magic."
...
endragoned
"Demons did not know that would make magic," he says. "Demons were angry. Demons were..." he frowns; shrugs. "I was other people. Demons hurt other people for magic, I hurt me for magic, I was other people."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"They hurt you," she murmurs.
...
endragoned
"They hurt me," he agrees. "They put me far away and hurt me and hurt me."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel hesitates, then puts her hand on his near shoulder, gently, in case he wants to shrug her off. "I'm sorry that happened," she murmurs.
...
endragoned
"I don't understand that word," he murmurs back, leaning into her hand a little.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I - it makes me sad that it happened," she says. "I wish it hadn't happened - I want it to have not happened." She relaxes her arm, since shrugging her off seems to be the last thing on his mind.
...
endragoned
He closes his eyes and smiles.
"It makes me happy that you say that."
"It makes me happy that you say that."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She's silent. She waits.
...
endragoned
He shrugs again, wings fluttering slightly with the movement.
"They hurt me for - time," he says. "Years. They put Tialle where I was so we would kill each other. But I did not kill her, and she did not kill me, and we went away."
"They hurt me for - time," he says. "Years. They put Tialle where I was so we would kill each other. But I did not kill her, and she did not kill me, and we went away."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"That's why you touched her horn," Isibel realizes. "For magic so you could escape - go away from the other demons."
...
endragoned
The demon nods.
"I hurt myself for magic."
"I hurt myself for magic."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I didn't understand before why you would touch her horn or how you escaped, but now I understand."
...
endragoned
He smiles.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"That was not very smart of the demons. It did not get them what they wanted," observes Isibel.
...
endragoned
...He laughs.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
...
endragoned
He drapes his wing lightly around her.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She peers at it.
"I - don't know why you're doing that," she says, and she lightens her hand's settled touch on his shoulder.
"I - don't know why you're doing that," she says, and she lightens her hand's settled touch on his shoulder.
...
endragoned
He lifts his wing away.
"You do not want me to do that?" he guesses.
"You do not want me to do that?" he guesses.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I don't know why - I don't know what thing you want to get," she says, struggling with the limited vocabulary but not knowing what other words to introduce or how, "I don't know what you're thinking."
...
endragoned
"...I want my wing to be on you," he says. "You wanted your," he touches the back of her hand lightly with the pads of his fingers, "to be on me."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Hand, that's my hand," she says distractedly. "I wanted my hand to be on you because I was sorry about a thing that happened to you. I don't know why you want your wing to be on me."
...
endragoned
"Because you were sorry about a thing that happened to me," he says. "Because you made me happy."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel considers this.
"All right," she says. "You can put your wing on me."
"All right," she says. "You can put your wing on me."
...
endragoned
He smiles, and puts his wing on her.
It is very warm, and the skin of the membrane is smooth and soft, with a slightly different texture where he has scars.
It is very warm, and the skin of the membrane is smooth and soft, with a slightly different texture where he has scars.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I don't know if that's the end of your story," she points out, squirming a little.
...
endragoned
"I went away from the demons," he says. "I went away from people. I saw people, I went away from them. I did that for years. Then I saw my dragon. Then my dragon was my Bondmate. Then we went away together. We went here."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"You avoided people," she supplies. "You only went places they weren't."
...
endragoned
"I avoided people," he agrees. "Demons would kill me. Other people would kill me. Every people would kill me. I avoided people."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Any kind of person would have killed you," she agrees soberly. "But not every individual person. I'm an elf, and elves might want to kill you, but I don't want to kill you."
...
endragoned
"It makes me happy that you don't want to kill me."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I was afraid when I first saw you," she confesses. "I almost ran away."
...
endragoned
"I am sorry you were afraid," he murmurs.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I'm all right now," she says. "You didn't ever try to hurt me. And I didn't think anyone who loved a unicorn so much could be bad."
...
endragoned
"Loved," he repeats.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Oh. You and Tialle liked each other a lot, and remembered each other for hundreds and thousands of years," Isibel says. "When I saw the statues that you made of Tialle I knew that the person who made them loved her."
...
endragoned
"Loved," he says again, and smiles sadly. "I loved Tialle."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Magania says she loved you too."
...
endragoned
"I remember," he murmurs. "I," he touches his face under one eye.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"You cried," says Isibel.
...
endragoned
"I cried," the demon agrees. "I cried because I loved her."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Magania thought you cried because she loved you," volunteers Isibel.
...
endragoned
He nods.
"I loved her and she loved me. But I did not know she loved me after she went away from me. I cried because of knowing that."
"I loved her and she loved me. But I did not know she loved me after she went away from me. I cried because of knowing that."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel nods solemnly.
...
endragoned
He smiles at her.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"You have told me about your life so I will tell you about mine if you would like that," she says, "but my life has not been interesting and might make you bored."
...
endragoned
"I am not a dragon," he says. "I will not sleep."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel laughs. "Anyone can be bored, and if you do not sleep, you will be awake and bored, but I will tell you my story if you would like that."
...
endragoned
"I would like that!"
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I was born in Silverbranch, and my mother teaches little elves - she travels, when there are small elves five or six years old in other cities, and she teaches them there, and then she comes home to Silverbranch, and the rest of the time she makes shoes," says Isibel. "My father is a knight, but there have been no wars in our time, and so sometimes he catches fish for the elves in Silverbranch to eat. And I am the youngest person in Silverbranch - everyone else there has lived for more years than me; they are older than I am - and I read books, and I write about my thoughts, and I study the small magic, and I am also the person who talks to people who come to Silverbranch and are not elves - visitors, usually humans, sometimes centaurs or other people. And three moonturns ago there was a letter-rider - letters are written by one person, then brought to another town for someone there to read, and letter-riders are the ones who bring them where they need to go - who brought a letter to the elves of Silverbranch that said there was going to be an expedition - a traveling of many elves - to this island, to see if it would be a good island for elves to live on. And they wanted young elves, who might move away from their homes, and they wanted someone who knew the small magic well, and so I went along, and then I came here, and then I found you." She spreads her hands. "That's my life."
...
endragoned
The demon laughs. "I am not bored."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Good," laughs Isibel. "I don't want to bore you."
...
endragoned
"You do not bore me! I like you."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I like you too," Isibel says. "Hmm, I'm not sure what to teach you to say next."
...
endragoned
He shrugs, his wing lifting away briefly and then coming back to settle on her again.
"I don't know."
"I don't know."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"You learn very quickly," she comments. "Most people would forget most of the words, but you remember almost all of them and then learn more."
...
endragoned
He grins.
"I learn quickly!" he agrees. "I learn, I remember."
"I learn quickly!" he agrees. "I learn, I remember."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
And then Isibel thinks of something else to teach him, and so passes the rest of the day until she returns to camp for supper and to perform small magics according to requests that have accumulated throughout the day.
She brings the blue fruit with her, and everyone likes it.
Isibel continues to visit the demon for most of each day until the expedition's time is up after three weeks. They are all to get on a boat and go home at first light the next morning.
"We're leaving tomorrow," Isibel tells the demon when she goes in to see him.
She brings the blue fruit with her, and everyone likes it.
Isibel continues to visit the demon for most of each day until the expedition's time is up after three weeks. They are all to get on a boat and go home at first light the next morning.
"We're leaving tomorrow," Isibel tells the demon when she goes in to see him.
...
endragoned
"I will be sad," he says. "I like you."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"I'll miss you, but we're probably going to come back," Isibel says. "In a moonturn or two." She sighs. "If we come back, it will be with more elves, and we'll stay."
...
endragoned
He looks at her for a few seconds.
Then he steps closer and gently folds his wings around her.
Then he steps closer and gently folds his wings around her.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel gives him a hug.
...
endragoned
He closes his eyes and hugs her with all four upper limbs.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"We'll probably come back," she murmurs, and then she steps away.
...
endragoned
He spreads his wings and lets her go.
"...You could fly," he says. "I can fly. I could fly with you."
"...You could fly," he says. "I can fly. I could fly with you."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"If you picked me up and carried me?" she says uncertainly. "...If you fly too high the other elves will see you."
...
endragoned
"Not if I don't want them to."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Oh! You can turn us invisible," Isibel smiles. "Yes. I would love to fly."
...
endragoned
He beams, and holds out a hand to her, and leads her to a place not far away where he has room to take off.
And then he scoops her up and holds her gently but securely in his arms, and wraps magic around them both that makes them seem as insubstantial as wisps of smoke to the eye, and he flies.
And then he scoops her up and holds her gently but securely in his arms, and wraps magic around them both that makes them seem as insubstantial as wisps of smoke to the eye, and he flies.
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Isibel beams, and laughs, and looks down unafraid at the scenery below them.
...
endragoned
"I want to have done this before," he murmurs. "I like that it makes you happy."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"It's wonderful," beams Isibel. "I didn't think of it either until you suggested it."
...
endragoned
"I like my island," he adds, soaring over it in lazy circles. "I'm - I don't know the word. I like that I made it this way."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"You're proud of it," Isibel suggests. "You worked hard on it and now it's how you like it."
...
endragoned
"I'm proud of it," he agrees. "It's very beautiful. And it gives me and my love good things to eat."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Having many elves living here will change it," sighs Isibel.
...
endragoned
"I made it give elves good things to eat, too," he says. "I made the blue fruit for you."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"We all enjoy the blue fruit. It's delicious."
...
endragoned
"I'm glad!" he says. "It's good for you to eat."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"Thank you for making it. And thank you for taking me flying."
...
endragoned
He laughs.
"Tell me when you want to go down," he says. "Land. Tell me when you want to land."
"Tell me when you want to go down," he says. "Land. Tell me when you want to land."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
"It might not be for a while," laughs Isibel. "Of course you can land whenever you like."
...
endragoned
"I won't be tired," he says. "You'll need to sleep before I get tired."
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
She grins, and goes on watching the scenery and turning her face into the breeze.