I woke up with the sun glaring into my eyes. I realized it was dawn already and I mumbled to myself as I crawled out of bed. I was still having a hard time with this daylight ordeal. You see, I am of the dark elf race and my kind had lived many years underground. We had adapted to the lack of light and my crystal blue eyes were extra sensitive. So many days I had wished my eyes were dark, like those of my parents. They seemed to adapt to the light much better. The room I had slept in the night before was small and sparingly decorated with only the necessities. It was so hard being a sorceress in training. The long, grueling days of hard work and the mental struggle to remember the words to the verse of the old day taxed my body and spirit. None of that mattered though for my homeland of Miranick was being over ran by the H’tuul and Xyreal and I would stop at nothing to destroy them all myself. They were evil races brought together to form a devastating alliance that was wracking the lands with turmoil. The ringleader of this horrid swarm of monsters was a powerful archmage by the name of Zyerocke Mishlander. He had concentrated his younger days of spellmastery in necromancy and his forces were littered with mindless undead creatures ready to do his bidding. Our parents had been unmercifully slaughtered and only a few knowledgeable elders were keeping the cities together. The guilds of the older days had been restored and once again put to use by my generation in hopes of avenging our parents and saving our homes. We all just hoped that we were in time. I stretched and washed my face in the basin next to the armoire. Upon glancing into the reflective glass I saw a young, tired sorceress with long tussled auburn hair that contrasted her fair skin. I was surprised to see how frightened and worn she looked despite her young age. I had grown up knowing that I would be a fighter, but with the time of my passage from the guild drawing nearer, the reality of death was more than a fleeting thought. So many youngsters fresh out of the guilds had been sent to fight and never returned. Frustration boiled in my blood and my temper flared. I glared at the face in the reflective glass and told her to grow up and be certain of herself and her abilities for if you are unsure, you will surely die. I threw my shoulders back and raised up my head, bolstered by a newfound confidence. After quickly slipping into my old white robe, I grabbed my tattered blue cloak and ran for the meeting circle before I was late. Breathlessly, I took my seat in the circle. My instructor was a kind man of dark elf descent, but he did not tolerate slackers. His tall lanky body towered over us and his long silver hair hung down in a tight braid and as I looked into his midnight blue eyes, they bore right through me. He knew everything. He was the city’s eldest sorcerer at 153 years old. Many people dared not speak his name in the streets, and to be honest, I never learned it either. We were told to call him N’ackar, which meant mentor in my native language. In my class there were many different races, but the predominant race was mine. We made excellent sorcerers due to our intuition, logic, and determination. It takes great perseverance to master sorcery and most of the other races did not have the desire to train so hard. I glanced about the room, admiring those who had chosen this path. We had finally finished our training and we would be graduating from the guild in a matter of daylights. As I looked upon their faces I noticed the same uneasiness I had seen in myself earlier, and it scared me. I wondered if they had the determination to tell themselves that this is the path that they must follow, that they must defend their homes. I could feel the anger once again welling up inside of me. Anger. I chuckled to myself. That was one of the traits that my kind was known for, our seemingly uncontrollable anger. N’ackar noticed my internal fire and quickly shifted his eyes towards me. “Calm your rage, my little Falconwings,” he spoke so easily it was like it came and went with the passing of the winds. “Save your fire for the enemy.” Everyone in the circle turned towards me and I felt dozens of eyes upon me. My dear sister Blaze placed her hand upon my shoulder as I lowered my eyes and gazed into my hands, not wanting to meet the stares of my classmates. It seemed forever before the silence ended and the eyes once again melted into the pool of people around me. It was N’ackar’s voice that ripped the attention away from me and I was grateful. I slumped back in my chair and sighed to myself as N’ackar began his speech. “As you all know, your time is upon you to go out and salvage our homelands. You have trained hard and I have faith in all of your abilities or I would not be sending you out to fight. I regret to inform you that many of you will not be seeing much of each other in the coming months, perhaps years. You will each be assigned to a fighting party in which you will be the only sorcerer. There will also be a priest, woodlander, empath, mage, rogue, bard, and fighter. You may, at times, band with other groups to form small armies to fight bigger battles, but it is unknown whether or not you will do this often or not so plan on becoming very close to the members of your party, or as I like to look at it, your family. You will rely on each other for courage, strength, and life.” He said this all so simply, like we would all accept it without question, but I could see the look of doubt growing larger on my classmates’ faces. The thought of not being with one another after a decade in the guild was mind-boggling. I looked over at Blaze. She was crying. I couldn’t believe it. I was appalled, and yet worried. With tears welling up in her midnight eyes she caught my stare and instantaneously tried to cover up the fact that she had shown emotion. Emotion was not a thing looked upon by favorably by my race, especially for its spell masters. N’ackar sighed as he felt the depression and uncertainty hanging in the air. The sorcerers were a very powerful profession, one that had to be ruthless and strong. There was no room for doubt, and I am sure N’ackar knew this. He turned his back to us in with a swirling sweep of his silver cape and walked back towards his study. “Go now and enjoy the rest of this peaceful day, for today will be the last. Tomorrow you will be escorted to your new homes with your new families. Please do not fear the future, my children. Strive to be your best and you shall achieve,” N’ackar said over his shoulder. I knew I would never see him again. With N’ackar gone, the class broke into a wave of senseless chatter. Blaze sat next to me with her head on her knees; her sobbing not as audible now, but still apparent due to the vicious shaking it threw her body into as she tried to hold it back. I grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her to her feet. There was no way I was going to let my sister humiliate herself. I couldn’t believe that she did not wish to avenge our parents’ death as much as I wanted to. I fumed inside. I rushed to the door, dragging Blaze behind me. All she could mutter was something about where were we going? I heard her clear enough, but I didn’t want to speak. Simdar caught up with us at the door. He was a handsome sorcerer, a bit older than myself. He stood an average height and his silver hair hung loosely in his eyes. Blaze was in love with him. Well, she thought she was anyway. Silly, young girl she was. He was a good friend of mine and we all studied the verse together many nights. “Fal, where are you two going?” He asked cautiously. Blaze wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand and tried to make herself look presentable as she hid behind me. “Well, I thought I would go for a walk with my sister so we could say our good-byes. I doubt I will be seeing much of her because she will be patrolling nearer the city due to her young age,” I responded coolly. He glanced at Blaze and acknowledged her with a small nod of his head. It was odd the way they interacted, but I never said anything. It was almost like Simdar knew she wasn’t a pure blood and he shied away because of it. Blaze’s father was human. I suppose that is where she got her emotion and sense of humor. It made her a wonderful friend, but a very bad sorcerer. She had a tendency to let her mind wander and dream. Simdar took a firm grip on my cloak and ushered me over to the side, out of Blaze’s hearing range. He leaned over and whispered into my ear, “the council is inducting tonight, and being the two strongest from the guild we have been selected to join.” I nodded my head and looked at him squarely. I had known for quite some time that the council inducted two from each spell casting guild every decade, and that would mean two archmages and two sorcerers. There were others that had limited spell abilities, but were nothing in comparison to the power of these two guilds. I had an idea that I would be considered, but to be chosen was a great honor. The decision would be no surprise to the others. I glanced back at Blaze making sure she was still out of distance. “What time do we meet and where?” I questioned, but I knew the answer as soon as the words escaped my lips. I quickly shut my mouth and he nodded to me. “I shall see you later then, Fal,” Simdar replied and quickly turned and walked down the hall towards his room. I turned back to Blaze and found that she had totally recomposed herself. I had to admire that. She fell instep slightly behind me, which was the custom being the weaker of the family and she struggled to keep up with my quick pace. I didn’t know what I was going to tell her or if I was going to tell her anything, but I figured that the human side of her was yearning for some closure. I could hear her breathing becoming more rapid behind me. “Falcon, please slow down. You are going to kill me at this pace. You know I am not like you,” she pleaded. I was feeling quite pleased because of my recent interlude with Simdar so I slowed my pace a bit so that Blaze could rest. “Where are we going anyway? I don’t want to go anywhere! I like it here at the guild,” she whined. She sounded so childish that it was eating at my last nerve. “Falcon! I don’t want to go anywhere! I don’t want to fight!” “What in Jaknar’s name are you talking about,” I snapped back. “You must fight. We must slay the monsters that took our mother’s life and our fathers’. It is our destiny.” I could feel my face flushing and the thought of her indifference just fueled the fire in me. How could my kin be so cowardly? We came to the garden where a large hardwood tree stood. It was an incredibly old tree with a large scar down the side. The scar was said to have been made by a mighty blood red dragon with sapphire blue belly scales that once defended this city. If the old legends are true, I wish that dragon would come back, but I knew that the legend also went on to say that the dragon was slain by a mighty fighter long ago for sport, so I quickly forgot it. I took a seat on one of the gnarled roots that popped out of the ground and Blaze quickly sat in the grass in front of me. She was cute but somewhat odd looking. The very distinguishable pointed elven ears were more rounded like the human’s. Her skin was more tanned and she had curly hair, which was all her father’s doing, but she retained those unmistakable dark blue eyes. I almost pitied her. She was so unsure of herself that she was going to be an easy target for some confident H’tuul fighter. At least she would be the last line of defense into the city and the H’tuul and Xyreal forces rarely made it that close into the city because of the outpost forces. That is where I would be, in one of the farthest outposts in a city called Seryca’s Pass. Seryca’s Pass is a beautiful place with lush greenery and sparkling rivers. And the most wonderful thing about Seryca’s Pass is the wonderful caves that crawl beneath the city. I was thrilled to be stationed there, but I knew I wouldn’t have much time for relaxation. I sighed and shifted my thoughts to Blaze. “Blaze, you know you must follow this path. You must be strong for our family and for yourself. Do not give up and do not doubt. You have everything it takes to be a good caster, you just have to use it,” I stated to her while trying to sound understanding and sincere. I was not very good at sounding that way, but at least I tried. Blaze realized that I was trying and I suppose she figured that I actually do care, but that I just don’t show it as much as she does. She looked at me and smiled. I saw the gloom drift from her eyes. “I know you are right, sister. I guess I just doubted myself. Perhaps it will be a great adventure!” she exclaimed. An adventure! Humph! That was another of those silly human thoughts. It is not an adventure, it is duty and honor, but if it made her more sure of herself to think that way then I guess there is no harm in it. I tilted my head back and relaxed it on the scar that ran down the side of the tree as Blaze took out her verse book and began to study. The warm sun felt good upon my cool skin and it wasn’t long before I found myself drifting off to sleep. I was awakened by the snickering of little voices. I seemed to drift in and out of sleep wondering if these voices were a part of my dream or part of reality. Just as the sun began to creep through my eyelids, I heard Blaze gasp. I cocked my head and opened one eye. She babbled a few words and then, figuring it would be easier to point, she lifted her hand and motioned towards the tree. I glanced over my shoulder and there, in the crevice of the scar, sat a tiny larkee, or lizard. Blaze was none too fond of lizards, but I found them intriguing. This lizard was especially beautiful. He was a golden yellow color with deep orange eyes. He was the one. I stood up and told Blaze I would be right back. I chased the lizard across the courtyard and down to the wall surrounding the guild. He ran into a small crack nearly covered in vines. I reached my hands through the web of greens and into a small hole. I was apprehensive of finding a large tracknik, or spider, sitting there in the cool, dank space, but instead I found a scroll with a silver seal upon it. I quickly stuffed the scroll into my cloak and ran back to Blaze. She had quickly forgotten about the lizard and had gone back to her studies. Dusk was growing near and my stomach was turning from the lack of food. “Are you hungry?” I asked of Blaze, knowing it was a stupid question. She was always hungry. Being a little heavier boned than me, I guess it took her more food to move about. My slighter build took very little food what-so-ever and it amazed me that my stomach was actually making odd sounds. “Of course I am hungry, silly. We have been sitting out here all day with no noon meal,” she replied sweetly. Sometimes it just made me ill the way her voice dripped with sap. I don’t know if that child had a mean bone in her body. She reminded me more of an empath and sometimes I wonder why she had not chosen to become one. I stood up and brushed off my cloak. Leaves from the mighty hardwood had fallen on me in my time of peace and they clung tentatively to the folds of my cloak. I placed my hand out to assist Blaze up from the ground and she quickly took my offer. As we walked back through the arch towards the guild I could hear the voices of the other 20 or so students as they approached the meal hall. Blaze was rambling on aimlessly about some verse she had been studying as I felt a rush of cool air brush my face and send my cloak swirling about me. It was Simdar. He was quite well known for his ability to come and go without being noticed, but I knew him all too well. I could sense when he was near. Perhaps it was a dark elf blessing to know when ones own kind is near. I glanced to my right and sure enough, there he stood, hair still tossed and his eyes still wondering. He had a package wrapped in brown paper in his hand. He quickly handed me the package and blushed. That was odd. I had never seen Simdar blush in all my days that I had known him. “What is this for?” I implored of him. I was quite curious as to what could be in the package. It was obviously something interesting for it had made him flustered to give it to me. “Ah, nothing Fal. My parents got wind of our induction tonight and they sent this for you. I put something of my own in there as well,” he stated quickly. “Hmm, I see. Well, thank you I am sure.” I replied. I quickly glanced at Simdar. His attire was ragged like mine and I wondered if we were to go to the induction tonight dressed as street urchins. I decided not to worry about it since the council inducted on skill and not wealth. Blaze continued to speak of her verse and tried not to notice the fact that Simdar had handed me a package of some sort, but I knew that she had seen the transaction. I wondered how long it would be until her curiosity got the better of her and she got up enough nerve to ask me about it. I pocketed the package in my cloak and walked the rest of the way to the meal hall in silence with Simdar to my right and Blaze to my left. Upon entering the hall I could smell the stew which was to be our dinner. It smelled like roasted reder, or deer. It was nice knowing that they wanted to make our last meal at the guild a decent one. Usually we were fed pearshe, which was a little animal that stood about one foot high and had curly, soft hair. It was nourishing meat, but the taste left much to be desired. We gathered bowls from off the counter and placed some stew in them. Blaze grabbed a few chunks of bread for the three of us and I quickly snatched up three jars of cow’s milk. Simdar managed to get a hold of some asperberry pie and so our meal was complete. I carried the tray out into the dining area and scanned the room for an open table. Many people waved for us to sit with them and we finally took a seat with Dreow and Korsal, they were dark elven brothers and very fine sorcerers as well. Korsal stood taller than Dreow reaching about 6 and a half feet tall, but Dreow was quite tall as well. Both had dark hair, but Korsal’s was much longer and was worn in a braid and of course, both had those dark blue eyes. I took a seat next to Dreow and Simdar sat to the other side of me. Blaze plopped down between Korsal and Simdar and began nervously examining her fingernails. I handed out the foods and began munching on my bread. I was quite hungry and glad that I was finally sitting down to a good meal. I was just taking a swig of my milk when Dreow leaned over and nudged me in the side. It took all the strength in my body to keep from spitting out that wonderful drink. After recovering from the ordeal I glanced at Dreow and asked, “ what was that for?” Smiling he leaned over and whispered, “I heard about the induction. You and Simdar, eh? Wonderful choices if you ask me.” I murmured a quiet thank you, sighed and leaned back in my chair. I wondered how many people knew of the impending induction. I ate my meal in silence and listened to Korsal and Simdar discuss the last verse we had learned. It was a summoning spell. Quite scary to think of any weak sorcerer casting that spell due to the extreme amount of spirit strength it took to control it and if the spirit strength was lacking in any way, the beast would turn on the caster. I couldn’t imagine all the uncontrolled beast that left potential for. N’ackar did tell us that it was not to be used unless in extreme emergency and I hoped that everyone had taken his caution seriously. Korsal was a quite confident sorcerer, and he had every right to be, but he was planning to summon a daemon as soon as he got the opportunity. I chuckled to myself as I thought of Korsal trying to control his creation. I don’t think he would loose control of it, but he would definitely be run down by the whole experience. Finally Blaze got enough confidence to speak. She rarely spoke around my dark elven friends, but once she started in the conversation she fared well and now she was in full swing discussing lightning pulse with the others. I am sure she chose to chat about lightning pulse because it is an easy, but necessary verse we all learned many years ago. It is a staple verse of the sorcerer’s life. Truthfully the subject was beginning to bore me so I rose from my chair and excused myself. Dreow looked at me and asked, “would it be to your fancy if Korsal and I dropped by later in the night to say good-bye?” “Of course that would be fine,” I stated quite flustered by the whole idea. It had been very obvious over the years that I had taken a liking to Dreow and even though I did my best to hide it, my kind could still tell. I quickly turned my back to the table before I embarrassed myself and trotted to the main hallway. My boots made a sharp click on the marble floor of the guild and the noise seemed to reverberate around me. Everything looked so lost and empty. I wondered how it had been when the guild had been forgotten and no bodies moved across these magnificent halls. The door to my room was the last door in the hallway. It was a solid koal door with beautiful ivy carved into it. The polished hithril door ring was still shiny and reminded me of gold. It was magical the way it sparkled in the fading light of the day. I entered my room and glanced about once more. The room I had said so many days that I hated. The room that I had so often called my prison now looked homely and comfortable. The reder skin blanket lay stretched out over my bed and an array of small verse scrolls littered my bedside table. Upon my armoire was a sapphire encrusted silver amulet that had been my mother’s. The amulet was not only beautiful but useful as well for inserted into it by magical means was a verse called priest’s circle. A friend of my mothers had made it for her when she was sent to fight. This amulet, when rubbed, surrounded the wearer with a protective shield of guardian souls making it much harder for an enemy’s strike to land on the wearer. Inside the armoire hung a dark ry’mere scroll satchel that had been my father’s. The satchel was wonderfully made out of ry’mere skins and laced together with midnight blue velvet ribbon. My father had fought and slain the ry’mere that made up his satchel and that in itself was a feat. Ry’mere were cat-like animals that stood 7 feet tall at the shoulder and were adorned with a shadowy silver coat of short, silky fur. My father had been very proud of this satchel and I guarded it with my life. I took the ry’mere scroll satchel from its home and began placing all the scrolls I had collected over the years into it. Verse scrolls were very handy. They contained the knowledge of verse taught by the other guilds. I had some scrolls with empath, priest, and many other guild spells upon them, and although it had taken me quite a few years of extra work to learn how to read them, I think it was well worth my efforts. By the time I had gathered all my scrolls my satchel was near full and I carefully drew the two midnight ribbons together, tied it shut, and place it on the bedside table. I rested my head on the back of my bed and began to stare at the ceiling. I believe I would’ve fallen asleep had I not rolled over and felt the package and scroll I had placed in my cloak earlier. My curiosity finally got the better of me and I drew them both out of my cloak and placed them on the bed next to me. Which to open first, I thought to myself. I snatched up the scroll and carefully broke the seal upon it and rolled it open. The handwriting on the surface of the scroll seemed to glow with an eerie fire. It was written in the old style and it took me a while to figure out the meanings of the scratches and symbols on the parchment. It was from the council and it read: Falconwings- M’ikarlina forler ton presenture a’leur councile adment ce’soir a hirea-luna beneath ler mosuleum dans ler soince don emeir restont. Translated it stated: Falconwings- M’ikarlina wishes your presence at the council meeting this evening at high moon beneath the mausoleum in the place of eternal rest. I shivered at the thought of entering the graveyard at high moon when Zyerocke had been using so many of the dead for his forces. I placed the scroll in a small pocket inside of my ry’mere satchel and turned my attention towards the package. I needed not worry about the council meeting for I was sure it was something that would be a blessing to my life. The package was tightly tied with crimson cord and was quite large now that I saw it in the light. This was a perfect opportunity to try out a verse. The verse was called slight of hand and it allowed me to place my hand into boxes and such without opening them and remove things from the inside. I raised my left hand and mutter a few syllables. My hand grew transparent and then faded out of visibility. I knew the spell would not last long and that if it wore off while my hand was inside, then I would surely loose my hand. I quickly stuffed my hand through the package and felt around. I could feel things in there but I couldn’t pull any through the package walls. I did not want to risk another attempt since there were no empaths about to heal my severed hand had I failed the second time. I pulled the crimson cord off the package and began unwrapping the paper. After I pulled the dull brown paper away I saw and amazing cloak. It was a shimmering sapphire blue cloak with silver trim around the hood, cuffs, and bottom. It was clasped with a shining silver mahere falcon. I couldn’t believe it. The cloak was not all that was in the package though. Along with the cloak was a sapphire blue silk bodice tied with silver reder string that laced up the front, a matching sapphire blue silk skirt with silver trim, a pair of thigh high sapphire blue boots with silver lace, and a pair of falconer’s gauntlets. There was also a note. The note stated that there was another part of the gift in Simdar’s room and I was to go get it as soon as I opened this package. It also congratulated Simdar and I on our impeding induction and welcomed me into their family. I was in shock. Simdar’s family had brought me into their family and that meant that they would finance me while I was fighting. I had a brother now, but Blaze. . . what about Blaze? I wondered what would happen with her. The note said nothing about Blaze being accepted into the family and I am sure they would not adopt a half-breed. No matter what, Blaze would always be my sister and I vowed to find out something for her. Just at that moment, Blaze came bursting through the door. I spun around and glanced at her quietly. She knew that I hated when she did not knock. Her face was flushed and her eyes wide. Breathlessly she explained, “ I am so sorry for bursting in, my dear sister, but I just got word of something very wonderful.” I hated when she played these games and didn’t just tell me what was going on, but I was in such a good mood that I decided to play along. “And what would that be, Blaze?” I asked as nicely as I could muster. “I have been adopted by my father’s sister!” she exclaimed. A wave of relief swam over me and I am sure that I let out a sigh of relief out loud. She looked at me with a concerned expression on her face and asked, “is this ok, Falcon? Are you upset?” I began laughing and perhaps that scared her even more, but I quickly replied, “no, it is wonderful. I just got word that Simdar’s family has adopted me.” I showed her the note and her face lit up. She jumped about my room exclaiming how wonderful everything was. Normally I would have found the whole situation very irritating, but at this moment it was somewhat nice. I showed her the gifts that my new family had sent me and she gawked over them. “They are absolutely beautiful. You are going to be the prettiest sorceress out there,” she stated matter-of-factly. I smiled and didn’t say anything, but I knew that in a way she was right. If clothes made the sorcerer or the looks then I would’ve been. The clothes were magnificent, but of course clothes do not make a person. She gasped and glanced out the window. The moon was climbing in the night sky and she rushed to the door calling back over her shoulder, “I must go. My family is coming to see me tonight!” “Stay safe,” I returned as I heard her boots clamoring down the hallway. I quickly changed into my new clothing and took a look into the reflective glass. They were wonderful. The moonlight seemed to dance off the folds and the easy breeze drifting through the window made my cloak flutter about me. I picked up the scroll satchel off the bedside table and slung it over my shoulder, a perfect fit. My mother’s amulet I carefully plucked off the armoire and hung around my neck. I was beginning to look like a real sorceress. Closing the door tightly behind me, I headed off towards Simdar’s room. I wondered what our parents had sent him. It was interesting to have parents again, and a new sibling. I knew it would take a bit of getting used to, but I would try my best. It was very kind of them to take me in and finance my fight. Sim’s room was right above mine but on the third floor. The door was ajar, but I still knocked lightly. His voice came from within, “come on in, Fal.” I chuckled. We were going to get along great. As I stepped in the room I saw that Simdar’s parents had taken the initiative to adorn him with a handsome ensemble. Upon the bed was a shimmering cloak like mine, but his was made out of a black silk with golden trimming and a golden ry’mere clasp. His vest was black silk with golden buttons, and the shirt underneath was a billowing golden silk. His matching black silk pants fell nicely along his slender legs and his belt buckle was a twisted gold. He was wearing polished black reder boots that came just below his knees and I had to admit to myself that he looked very nice. He smiled when he saw that I had worn my new clothes. “Holy Jaknar, Fal, you look pretty good!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t know you cleaned up so well.” I chuckled and returned the compliment; “you don’t look so bad yourself, brother.” We both snickered. “I have a couple more things for us that my parents sent, but they wouldn’t fit nicely in the package I gave you so I thought I would have you come here and pick them up,” he stated as he pulled out two silken backpacks. One was golden with an onyx clasp to match his outfit perfectly and the other was silver with a sapphire clasp to match mine. They were beautifully made out of woven warlie silk and they were as light as feathers. I strapped mine onto my back and thanked him. “No need to thank me, Fal. Our parents sent them,” he said with a silly little smile. “Oh, there is one other thing they sent us. Close your eyes.” Close my eyes? Was he crazy? “No way, just show me what it is. I am not closing my eyes,” I stated strictly. “Well, either you close your eyes or you don’t get your last surprise,” he retorted. Reluctantly I closed my eyelids and as soon as I did I heard the closet door creak open. “Ok, you can open them now, Fal,” came a voice finally. Upon his arm sat two gorgeous falcons. “Hold out your arm,” he stated. I raised my arm and instantaneously one of the birds launched himself into the air and lit down upon my gauntlet. “His name is Callen,” he explained. “He is trained to you specifically and he is bound to you by a magical link.” I gazed in awe at the bird on my arm. He sat there so peacefully awaiting my command. Callen was a bold mahogany color and he blended in with my hair almost perfectly. “What is the name of yours?” I asked quickly. His bird was a golden color and he stood tall and proud on his master’s arm. “Oh, his name is Mallen. They were brothers,” he replied. The moon was ever so high in the sky and we both knew that the time of the council was drawing nearer. Simdar turned to me and said, “you can send messages through your falcon and have him find people. You will know how to accomplish this. Just think about it. Like I said, he is linked to you magically so anything you think will be transferred to him.” I nodded and knew that I would figure it out sooner or later. He grabbed his cloak and we started walking out of the guild towards the graveyard dressed in our finest with majestic falcons upon our arms.
