Come to the Table

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Orianna comes around the corner, and she is not alone. Following in her wake is the Star Mother herself — Stellarum. Whatever conversation had been happening between her fathers, Ilhuryn, Calla, and Asteros in the kitchen, quietens immediately. It’s a statues gallery of closed lips and wide eyed folk.

Then, Ilthuryn carefully begins to sneak out of the window.

“Father,” Orianna says, turning to Rimmon, “another cup of spiced tea, please. Stellarum, here.” She brings a short stool that had been brought in but serendipitously, unused, towards the nearly full table, setting it down between Thaneni’s and her own. “Are you, um, hungry too? We can prepare some food…”

She shares a look with her tiefling father who nods, already pulling out an assortment of biscuits, cookies, and pastries to go with the tea.

Stellarum gently grins towards Orianna. “Oh please my dear no need to fuss on my behalf. What you have already will be more than enough for me.”

Rimmon pauses, raises a questioning eyebrow to his daughter, who shrugs. He smiles and brings out a small tray of soft buttery biscuits Gerhard had made that morning, placing them in the centre of the table.

As Stellarum walks further into the room she catches the eye of Astaros and there seems to be a moment of tension between the two. Once again, the gallery of statues happens, closed lips and wide eyes from the mortals still in the room — as these two ancient beings seem to be assessing one another’s intentions.

Then, almost as if synchronised, they bow to one another. Astaros bows low arms spread wide with one foot stretched behind the other whilst Stellarum very majestically curtsies, and begins to speak in Primordial.

“Elderflame, it has been too long. I am glad that you are looking well and I am very glad to see you here at this moment. It is long overdue for our two factions to sit together to talk.” She gestures to the table.

Astaros replies to Stellarum in Draconic. “You honour me, great Wyrm Queen, and of course your beauty remains as radiant as the night sky, oh mighty Star Mother.” Astaros lets out another small bow, whilst Stellarum inclines her head, and both make their way to the table, Stellarum taking the spot indicated by Orianna.

Taking that as a sign, the Èirighs come to the table next, Orianna sitting on Stellarum’s right, Thaneni on her left, with Rimmon on his husband’s left. The moment Thaneni sits down, Stellarum takes one of his hands and light passes from her into him. Orianna’s dad sighs with the kind of relief one feels after being left out in the cold for so long as lost strength seems to slowly return to his limbs and core.

Matches, who had up until this point excused himself upstairs to sit on the landing to calm himself down from the adrenaline and fear of the day, heard from downstairs Orianna welcome Stellarum into the house. He bolted up, but still, he waited, not sure whether to join whatever fiasco might happen in the kitchen, or to run away. Then, as he hears chair legs scraping across the wooden floor and lets out an exasperated sigh. He takes a deep breath before standing up, straightening out his shirt, and heading down to join them. He gives a polite and formal nod but otherwise stays quiet as he sits at the table beside Orianna.

Calla, meanwhile, does her absolute best to blend into the background. She listens attentively, but without even realising she's doing it, the colours of her clothes slowly shift to mimic the wall behind her, the chair she is sat on, even the table itself.

Trying to act as normal as she can, even whilst her friends and family are acting exceedingly strange, Orianna softly clears her throat. “It is nice to have you both in our home. To speak of what is happening and to, hmm, strategize? Plan? Speak of things and hope the spheres do not implode?” She attempts a smile and a very hesitant laugh.

Stellarum chuckles softly next to Orianna in an attempt to reassure her but it is as people look over to Astaros that they notice a slightly more serious expression.

Astaros seems to be in the middle of a slight internal battle with themselves, staring down at their steaming cup on the table. After an awkward moment of silence they look up. “To strategize against my family is a step I must admit I did not foresee myself taking. To not get involved in my cousin’s plans was one thing, but to actively act against them is another. This is not something I do lightly. As previously said, the last time one of my own acted against my kin we banished them.” Astaros looks directly towards Calla.

“Whilst I do not know the full extent of my cousin’s plans,” they continue, “I can share with you some rather pertinent information. My cousins already process three of the nine key pieces. Which ones they process and where they are being kept I do not know but it is a starting point I suppose.”

“Thr- Three of them? How did they manage to collect so many unnoticed? This is deeply concerning,” Stellarum says in a state of confusion and surprise.

“As if for every one we have found, they have too…” Orianna mutters, equally shaken.

Calla’s response is quiet, but having been seen, she can’t help herself. “Then the key after next… and every key after it… will be contested. They’ll have to start coming for us directly. And us too, for them.” She looks back at Asteros. “Will you tell them how many keys we have? Or do we have time to manoeuvre?”

“I have no intention of telling my cousins how many keys you are in procession of, but I would caution you, they may very well already know. Phystal has a habit of leaving his slimy little handprints everywhere. He might even be aware of what is going on right now.” Astaros pauses for a moment to have a drink of his tea whilst the rest share knowing looks of worry.

“In terms of if you have time to manoeuvre, I think you may have a brief window to do so. You have disrupted several of their plans and have forced them back to the drawing board for the most part. But they will not sit on their laurels. Glastor and Phystal would have already made contingencies for their contingencies; it will simply be a matter of putting them into effect.”

Orianna lowers the cup she had been about to take a sip from and tilts her head. “Do you know if all of the Primordial Incarnates are following Magdara's plan, Elderflame?” she asks, saying the name in Primordial. “Or are there others, like yourself, who maybe have stayed neutral to recent events and could be spoken to? Brought to the conversation, as it were?” She gestures with her free hand at them all, their tense alliance, her budding family.

“Hmm let me see…” Astaros seems to take a moment to ponder Orianna’s question. “Well Malidom, The First Flood, has been oddly quiet throughout all this. I’d suspect that should a decision need to be made they will side with Magdara. Exalos, The First Breeze, has never been one to pick any side so likely she will remain neutral for all of this.

“Adai, The First Star, has been vocal against this scheme but as of yet has not made any moves to counter it, but I suspect would not need much persuading for that to change. Ceraun, The First Spark, Meza, The First Mineral, and Khaala, The First Steam all seem to be neutral at the moment. Though I’d hazard a guess that Meza and Ceraun could be persuaded to oppose Magdara. Meza would be the easier of the two most likely.

“Neptis, The First Brine, Cendis, The First Ashes and Oria, The First Dune are so far acting neurally but knowing that lot they are already on Magdara’s side or they very shortly will be. And then there is Malignus, The First Void who sent their elementals to attack the Archwyrm Meldrosa whilst she slept, it would be safe to assume they have chosen a side.”

Stellarum seems visibly angry at the mention of the attack on Meldrosra. She takes a moment to herself as Asteros continues.

“That leaves only three outliers. Firstly, Arcravine, The First Mountain, who, whilst banished, seems to be playing some sort of role seeing as his representative is involved in all this. Though his motives and reasons behind his actions still remain a mystery. He did always love a good scheme. Plus, after being banished he is currently at a fraction of his former power and is most likely not considered a threat by my cousins.

“Then you have Animos, The First Life and Mortus, The First Death, who are both locked away in their respective planes. I would bet my shop on the fact that my cousins will attempt to break them free another way. Those two are the most powerful of us and would most likely be willing to repay those who freed them in whatever form that might take.

“And that is it all of us laid out as best I can.” They sit back and take a big sip of tea.

“I must say I was hoping that more would have confirmed their neutrality in this matter,” Stellarum eventually says, breaking the silence. “I would hate for this to escalate into a civil war between the Incarnates. But that being said, the attack on Meldrosra will not stand and though I am yet to make a decision on how best to handle the situation, the other Archwyrms are pushing for me to take immediate action against Malignus.”

She pauses to look directly at Matches. “The loudest of these voices happen to be your sire. Vulcanax has always been protective of the rest of us. Combined with his proclivity for cataclysmic events, things tend to end badly for those on the receiving end. For now, I have forbidden him from taking action until I have reached a decision. However he has disobeyed me in the past. If Vulcanax comes to you, young Herald, and tells you in any way to interact with Malignus, then remind him of the scars I gave him the last time he went against my wishes.”

Matches throws up his hands defensively as he replies to Stellarum. “No arguing there, er, Your Majesty. No problem at all.” He holds his hands up a little while longer than he probably should, then makes a realisation and lets out a nervous chuckle. “Though I would’ve paid good money to have seen you put him in his place… Your Highness.”

Pondering options while Matches and Stellarum talk, Calla leaves a respectful pause before piping back up. “If half the board is already declared, and we need to tilt it in our favour, the way is clear. There are other things we could do, but we need to get to Animos or Mortus before the other side. Preferably both. That’s the manoeuvre.”

Stellarum’s conversation with Matches stops immediately. She turns to look at Calla in shocked surprise. Astaros freezes in the middle of sipping their tea. They too look towards Calla, their cup slowly descending back to the table. Calla begins to feel a sensation of anxiety growing within herself though she quickly realises that this sensation is not her own, it belongs to the First Mountain.

It is Astaros who is the first to speak this time. “That certainly would be an unforeseen move. I doubt that my cousin would have planned for that.”

“Because it is an incredibly unwise move to make,” Stellarum says firmly. “The First Life and The First Death are unpredictable at best, and unhinged at worst. There would be no way of telling what they would do even if they were to take our side.” There is no mistaking the slightly panicked undertone to her voice.

“They are predictable,” Asteros counters, raising a finger. “They only seek to spread positive and negative energy respectively. That is their one singular goal. The task would be finding a way or ways of turning that to our advantage, to keep them focused on that so they don’t wonder about too much.” The First Flame sits back in their chair. “You would have to agree, Night Keeper, they would shift the balance back to the centre.”

Everyone at the table holds their breath, waiting for the Wyrm Queen’s answer.

“Yes you are correct. They would balance things out. But what of after this? If we manage to stop your Kin’s plans, what do we do with them then? I need not remind you, Elderflame, that they were not exactly willing to be sealed away in the first place. I doubt they would volunteer to go back. Add that to the fact that Mortus has the power to kill both our Kin, permanently.”

They all feel a new weight in the air at Stellarum’s words. It manifests in Matches sinking down in his chair, his brow furrowing in confusion. He’s trying to make heads or tails of all the new names but when he does, his confusion gives way to abject terror.

“Yeah, I don’t think anyone is trying to get permanently killed over here. Probably best we leave the Life and Death elementals sealed right where they are, yeah?”

“On the contrary,” Calla meets Matches’ terrified gaze calmly, “if this is the reaction to such a gambit you can guarantee it’s part of Their plan. Us doing nothing doesn’t ensure their continued imprisonment, but the opposite. That they’ll be free and in debt to our opposition. If we want to move to strengthen their seal then that’s an acceptable move, but we must move.”

Matches becomes abruptly self conscious as Calla speaks so calmly and perceives him directly without his being able to hide his fear.

“But what of the consequences?” Orianna chimes in. She studies Calla, before her gaze sweeps across them all. “Life and Death are part of everything,” her gaze falls on her fathers and she nearly chokes up — the events of the day haven’t fully sunk in yet, but all this talk of life and death certainly helps it along. “Especially for us. But can we truly make that choice for all? Are we willing to carry the weight of that choice?”

“I cannot speak for all of us, but I can pose an instructive question. Elderflame: is Phystal willing to make such a move? Is Glastor?”

Astaros nods.

Calla raises an arched eyebrow the full stop to the end of her point. She has never looked more fey. “If they are then the least we are obliged to do is interpose.” She addresses Orianna softly, but directly, with an undercommon title somewhere between ‘big sister’ and ‘head of house’, “Chwouer fawnd, we do not have to do to them what they will do to us, but we must at least stop them from doing it.”

Matches clears his throat and straightens his back and tries to keep his voice calm.

“Right, well, yes. I suppose if we do nothing then Life and Death are pretty much guaranteed to be with them. And then we’re pretty much guaranteed to be brown bread. So, what’s the move?” He strokes his moustache in thought then remembers. “Didn’t the piece we just got from the ice plane have something to do with releasing one of them? I’ve not got that wrong, have I?”

“It’s the key that can open the way to both of them…” Orianna responds. She has not looked away from Calla, yet her gaze sees more than her friend, her sister, before her. She looks at them all, scared, determined, wary, and so many more emotions flying around in a storm, their table, the eye, the centre of it all. She finally turns to Stellarum and even though her heart is pounding her voice is steady.

“I do not want us to do something for fear of what Magdara and those who follow her will do if we do not.” The Wyrm Queen reaches out towards her, taking both of Orianna’s hands into hers. “If we do this, and I think we may have to, sooner than later… I want it to be because it would help the Balance.”

In the moment of silence after she speaks Stellarum, Queen of the Archwyrms, appears to make a decision. “I agree. For the sake of the balance The First Life and First Death should be released. After this is done, should the need arise to seal them again, we can deal with that then. The present is more important.”

With her proposition accepted and everyone's attention elsewhere, Calla puts a hand in her pockets to touch the Heart of the Mountain and whisper to it, “Calm yourself Uncle, and trust me.”

Stellarum lets go of one of Orianna’s hands and with a gentle and elegant flick of the wrist the Crystal Foci is in her hand. “You have the means to do so right now, should you wish it. I will be here to help with the process so you will not be doing it alone.”

Soft but panicked noises come from Rimmon and Thaneni. Stellarum’s mouth quirks up a little.

“Well, I say this, but maybe summoning them into this lovely kitchen might not be the best idea.”

“Maybe they will like some tea?” she says on a breathy, nervous chuckle. More panicked noises come from her fathers and Orianna closes her eyes, breathing in. “We will do this, but not this very moment.” The collective sigh is palpable as mortal, Primordial and Wyrm Queen alike all let out the breaths they were holding. “The other members of this family need to be told, consulted, and-” she looks at Calla, “-we need to have contingencies.”

Calla nods, just once.

Matches has one of the more noticeable sighs. He instinctively reaches for a cigar from the nerves and snaps his fingers to produce a little flame before remembering he is in Orianna’s home. Shaking his hand, the flame disappears and he puts the cigar away.

“So, we have a chat with the others, clue them in. Anything else immediate and dangerous that we need to sort very soon? Or are we taking a breather for a minute?”

“How many more of the Archwyrms need to be made aware of the situation?” Orianna asks Stellarum.

“At this moment in time only two other Archwyrm’s still slumber, Thalistrasza and Eroshira. I have been keeping the other up to date with events, and so has Throdrazz in their own ways.”

She nods, then glances at Asteros. “Anything from your side of the table we may need to be aware of that you haven’t already mentioned?”

Astaros thinks for a second. “Nothing is immediately coming to mind I’m afraid, but if I do think of something I will make sure to inform you all. I will also attempt to keep an eye on my cousins, if I notice anything I’ll pass it on.”

“Thank you, Elderflame.” She turns to Matches but she speaks to everyone. “It seems like, for the moment, we can take a breather and enjoy our tea, cousin.”

Matches leans back in his chair and takes a sip of tea. “Well, I’m hoping for something a little stronger than tea in a bit. But I won’t turn it down for right now.” He shifts a little to get comfortable in the chair and takes a deep breath and relaxes. For the moment.


Continued in ‘Questioning the Stars’ & ‘Contingencies’ 💫