Disclaimer: Diadem: Worlds of Magic does NOT belong to me. It belongs to Peel and his publishers, currently Llewellyn Worldwide. I highly respect his work and am making no profit from this, nor do I intend for this piece of fan fiction to interfere with his profits.
Author's Note: Takes place sometime after Book of Nightmares and before Book of War
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Diadem: Book of Thoughts
CHAPTER 14: “Mistaken Identity”
by Luna
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‘‘It’ll have to do,’’ said Helaine as she mounted a reddish brown pony with ease.
“Speak for yourself,’’ complained Score. “We don’t know how to ride like you do.’’
“Then you will have to learn. Think of this as practice,’’ said Helaine.
“I say a teleport would have been easier,’’ protested Score.
“Not really,’’ added Pixel. “We have to
travel a long way to get to the
Score nodded grimly. Teleportations were extremely draining on magic-users. They would have been helpless against Morphos. Pixel made sense, but Score still didn’t like the situation.
The pace of the ponies was slow, and Helaine began to hum to herself absently. The melody was haunting.
“Helaine, where’s that from?” asked Pixel.
“The Ballad of Tithian. My favorite song the court minstrel performed in my father’s House.”
“Do you remember any of the lyrics?” he asked, genuinely interested. Helaine nodded and began to sing softly. She had good pitch, and the tragic tale, filled with death and self sacrifice, unfolded along with the haunting melody. In the end, the main hero Tithian was left alone to fight against impossible odds, his friends and comrades slain in a previous battle. The song ended with Tithian’s pointless death.
“Very cheerful, Helaine. Did I mention that you had a warped childhood?” Score joked.
Helaine was indignant. “‘Better to join your friends in death than to live a life of solitude’,” she spoke with the authoritative air of quoting an unquestionable source.
“Oh? Where’s that from?” asked Pixel.
‘‘Sounds like a fortune cookie,’’ teased Score.
"It’s a saying on my world,” Helaine answered proudly.
"Why am I not surprised?" replied Score in a mocking tone.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" asked Helaine warningly. Although slightly pleased to hear Score resuming his normal attitude, she would not stand for any slights against the honor of her family or anything relating to Ordin customs and beliefs.
“On my world, most people don’t share your philosophy on death,” replied Score, unafraid of Helaine’s wrath. “A lot of people are cowards, like me. We’d rather save our own skins unless we have no choice but to fight. We have the opposite saying, ‘Better to fight and runaway in order to see another day’,”
Helaine snorted in contempt. She remembered how Score used to be when they first met, and he had changed a lot. He was no Ordinian warrior, but neither was he the street-punk coward that he pretended to be.
‘‘Stand back and heads up,’’ Helaine ordered, drawing her sword. ‘‘I feel some attack under way.’’
Although Score hated the way she would slip in to her old, noble and bossy attitude, he knew that arguing with her when there was oncoming danger was unwise.
A shuddering, screaming roar broke the tranquility of the forest. Pixel looked up and swallowed in the fear and awe at the sight before him.
Two huge shapes were plummeting down at them, claws outstretched. The giant creatures filled the sky, too large to be any ordinary bird. 'But then again,' thought Pixel, 'in the Diadem the abnormal was normal'. Their wings shone like dim gold in the sun.
The trio’s mounts went crazy with fear, rearing up on their hind legs to bolt. Helaine, being the only one who had had experience with ponies, was able to manually gain control over hers. Looking at Score and Pixel, however, she realized they would need help and fast. At any other time she would have laughed at the sight of Pixel and Score desperately trying to keep from getting tossed off the backs of their mounts.
Closing her eyes, Helaine grabbed her agate and first directed her magic toward the ponies. *Be calm! Be still!* ordered Helaine. Instantly the animals obeyed, trembling.
Realizing magic and not physical force was in order, Helaine sheathed her sword. She then concentrated her powers at the creatures above, throwing her magic out like a net. *Listen to me!* she pleaded with her thoughts.
Two wing beats in front of her, the creatures broke off their attack, curving to each side. They landed directly in front of Helaine and the others.
Score breathed a sigh of relief. He and Pixel had encountered a similar beast on Dondar, a sphinx who had the body of a lion, the chest and head of a woman, and bird wings. These creatures had some distinct differences. Sentience was visible in both their eyes, and while the sphinx was just terrifying, the griffins were magnificent. Sitting on his haunches, the male was seven feet tall and the female was seven and a half. Each of their claws was like daggers. Their bodies were that of a giant feathered lion, blending harmoniously into the head, beak and wings of an eagle. The female was gray silver in color and her mate was brown threaded in gold.
The two Griffins looked shocked. *It can speak?!* cried the female, astonished. *No two-leg has done that before.*
Instinctively, Helaine covered
her ears from the booming voice of the
The male cocked his head, predator’s eyes glared down at Helaine. *My mate speaks true. No two-leg has spoken to our kind before. So I give you the chance to speck to me, two-leg, before you die,* his voice in Helaine’s mind was deafening.
Helaine felt a rush of relief. She could communicate with them, and hopefully, reason with them as well. She dismounted and held out her hands in a non-threatening gesture.
*We mean you no harm. If we have trespassed on your lands, we apologize, but we’ll be leaving soon enough.* Helaine knew that most creatures in the Diadem detested humans, and with good reason. Many human magicians would kill other species to obtain body parts to cast spells.
*You know well enough why we’re here!* shouted the grey female, obviously over the shock of having a human speak to her. *Senseless talk will get you no where.*
‘‘Uh, Helaine, what’s going on?’’ asked Score, looking shaken. She had forgotten to include Score and Pixel in her telepathic link.
*Sorry,* she apologized. *I don’t really know what’s wrong, besides the fact they want to kill us.*
*You killed our brood,* said the golden male, his tone dangerous. *Don’t pretend to be dumber that what you are.*
*We didn’t kill anything* argued Pixel. *We just arrived here on Rawn. And we most certainly did not harm your brood.*
*Lies!* yelled the female. *What more can you expect from two-legs?*
*Please, hear us out.* said Helaine sending thoughts of tranquility as well as her words. *I think there’s been a misunderstanding. Please, explain to us what happened.*
The male shifted uncomfortably, and looked at his mate. She nodded and he spoke. *My mate and I had five fine eggs that were to hatch any day now. I was away hunting with my mate. When we returned we saw three two-legs attacking our nest. A magical circle of protection encompassed our nest and we were unable to fight back against the attackers.* He ruffled his feathered fur nervously. *We were forced to watch as you males laughed while that female smashed our unborn children. We would recognize those butchers anywhere, and you three are they!*
Pixel thought for a moment, knowing that the Griffins’ patience was wearing thin. He knew that they were not the guilty party, but how could he prove it? He remembered the first time they arrived on Rawn and how a village of trolls thought they had burned their village. In reality it was an illusion cast by Shanara. The same situation seemed to have occurred again.
*I’m sorry for your loss, but those people you saw were not us. They were probably a mental projection of us by a magician named Morphos,* defended Pixel. He felt sure. It was one of his talents, being able to put very little information together, understand it, and uncover plots.
*I saw you three two-legs destroy my children!* yelled the female. *They were to hatch any day. Now it will take three more years before we may have children again.*
Helaine felt sorry for the griffins, but there was nothing she could do. If Morphos was indeed behind this, he had a lot to answer to. An idea came to Helaine: a truth spell. If the three of them couldn’t lie, the griffins would know they spoke the truth.
*Is there anyway at all that we can prove to you that we speak the truth?* asked Helaine.
The male griffin shifted uncomfortably. He looked eager to have this business taken care of. *Only one way. Behind you is a kikai tree. No, not that one, fool! The one with the red leaves. The fruit from that tree, once eaten, forces that person to speak nothing but the truth. Only by eating that fruit will we believe you.*
Helaine boldly picked a piece of the fruit and ate it. It was bright pink and it tasted bitter.
‘‘Are you nuts?’’ spoke Score orally, knowing the griffins couldn’t understand him this way. “What if it’s poisonous? They could be trying to trick you!’’
‘‘Well, if they wanted to harm us they would have continued to directly, Score,’’ answered Pixel for Helaine.
Helaine defiantly finished the rest of the fruit.
The griffins appeared impressed by her boldness.
Helaine looked directly at them and spoke. *I speak the truth. I and my companions did not harm your brood. We never came near your nest, and we wish you no harm.*
The female looked shocked and hurt at Helaine’s words. *I apologize for blaming you three two-legs, but the deaths of our children will not go un-avenged. Are you certain that this ‘Morphos’ of whom you spoke did this?*
Helaine shook her head. *I’m not certain, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.*
Helaine could hear Score snickering behind her. She turned to face him. *What are you laughing at?*
Score and Pixel were grinning. *At you. Look at your hands.*
Helaine looked down at her hands. They were bright pink with purple spots!
*Your face is the same way, too,* pointed out Pixel.
*We neglected to mention that the fruit also changes the skin color of two-legs,* explained the male griffin. *The change in your skin would prove that you didn’t use your magic to counteract the effect of the fruit.*
*Will it wear off?* asked Helaine in alarm. The thought of remaining bright pink with spots was not a happy one.
*It will wear off… eventually,* answered the female. *I do not know how long. Once the coloring is gone, so are the effects of the fruit. It may take a couple of hours, or it could take weeks,*
Score started laughing even harder. Helaine clenched her fists and counted to ten. She was more than tempted to slam a fist in Score’s mouth.
‘‘I have an idea,’’ announced Pixel orally, interrupting the rising tensions between Helaine and Score. ‘‘We can combine our powers to try and transform something into a griffin’s egg. It doesn’t make up for all of their lost children, but it’s something.’’
‘‘What can we use?’’ Helaine asked Pixel. ‘‘It will be nearly impossible to create an egg out of thin air.’’
Pixel looked around. There were plenty of trees and foliage, but that wouldn’t be the ideal object to try and change. Then he spotted a rock a few feet away.
‘‘How about that rock?’’ pointed Pixel.
Helaine turned to Score, who had finally stopped snickering. ‘‘Can you do that? Transform a rock into an egg?’’
Score looked doubtful. “I think I need something more, like a living thing in order to make it work.”
Pixel closed his eyes and concentrated, summoning a piece of the broken egg shell of the Griffins’ brood
‘‘If Score uses his emerald, and Helaine uses her opal, it might work. We just have to combine our powers,” reasoned Pixel.
‘‘We shouldn’t tell them what we’re doing,’’ suggested Helaine. ‘‘We don’t want to give them false hopes.’’
Pixel and Score nodded their agreement.
*What are you planning?* asked the male
*A surprise* replied Pixel, preventing Helaine the chance to speak. There was no telling how she would answer under the influence of the kikai fruit.
*What do
The Griffins cocked their heads, puzzled. *They are fairly large, the size of your head, oval, and white with gold spots.*
Now that they knew what to create the three of them sat in a circle around the large rock, their hands joined. Score could feel himself linking with his friends, the power starting to flow. Score had his emerald out and was concentrating all of his energies, and the borrowed energies from Helaine and Pixel, into transforming the rock into a living griffin egg.
He felt the shock of the magic growing and moving around the rock. It left him drained and weak. Score opened his eyes and let go of Helaine and Pixel’s hand. He smiled, despite his sudden fatigue, at what he saw. The jagged, grey rock on the forest floor had successfully transformed into a griffin egg.
Helaine gently picked up the egg and walked toward the Griffins. The egg felt warm and she sensed the movement within.
*We know this single egg can never replace your loss, but I hope it will ease some of your pain* she told them.
The male Griffen looked surprised, the female touched. *This kindness will not be forgotten. You three are unlike any two-leggers we have ever met or heard of. You will always be considered friends among our kind. Farewell.*
The female
Score sat down on the forest floor. ’’I don’t know about you two, but I’m beat.’’
‘‘Me too,’’ replied Pixel. Helaine nodded her agreement.
‘‘Well, now we know that creating life from nonliving materials is draining,’’ said Pixel.
‘‘No kidding’’ responded Score. He was struggling to keep himself awake.
Helaine took out her opal and closed her eyes.
’’What are you planning to do?’’ Asked Pixel.
’’You’ll see.’’
Helaine concentrated her energies through her gem and pictured her skin in its normal color. When she opened her eyes she breathed a sigh of relief as she saw her magic had worked. By focusing her powers through her onyx, which had the property to shape-shift, Helaine had changed her skin color back to normal.
“I wasn’t going to sit around with pink and purple skin.”
“Too bad. I thought it was an improvement,” mocked Score.
Helaine gave him a disapproving look. She knew Score was only joking, but she wasn’t going to stand for too many of his wise cracks.
The trio rode for several more hours until the suns began to set. Once they reached a small clearing, Helaine halted her steed. “I think we should make camp for the night. The ponies need rest.”
“Not to mention us!” mumbled Score, feeling the aches and sores from being in the saddle, as well as the strain from their last magical act.
With the aid of magic, setting up camp was quick and easy. Pixel summoned extra sleeping blankets and cushions to sleep on, and then created a warm fire in the center of their encampment. He then summoned some food from the pantries from the castle on Dondar.
Once fed, Score quickly climbed into his sleeping roll. “’Night people,” he called out and instantly fell asleep.
Helaine and Pixel gave each other knowing looks. Score was the most drained of them all, as he was the main caster of the egg spell.
“I’ll take first watch,” Helaine volunteered. “Are you sure?” Pixel asked, yawning as he did so. Helaine just grinned.
“I think you need sleep more than I do. I’ll wake you for the next watch.” Pixel nodded his agreement, and followed Score’s example.
Helaine sat facing the fire, hesitant to even consider sleep. Would she have the same nightmares again?
Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
