The shadowed form paused to ‘listen’ to the notes of the foreboding chorus, not because anything in its swell or direction had changed, but because they sang to the same sense of power that had drawn Evriliss Krath into these levels. The stones took no notice of its passing, making no alteration to their ceaseless warning, so after a moment the form moved on. A sinuous movement spoke of a serpentine musculature, and even as black claws caressed the obsidian cave floor, still there was no sound other than a nearly inaudible intake of breath to mark the creature’s passing.

Its body was wrapped in the many layers of heavy cloth it had donned so many years before, concealing the thick scars that covered so much of the creature’s face and body. Every so often the swathes parted to reveal a glimpse of the black, white, or grey tissue, which marked its ancient wounds. Bestial ears poked through the concealing material, held back against a massive head in a position that suggested a deep-seated submission. The only other thing clearly revealed about the creature were its eyes, two translucent balls of gold bereft of any other color, which gave no indication of the direction in which it was looking.

Yet there was nothing in its movements that spoke of any wounds, only power in every step, an unspoken strength in every ripple of muscle. The little flesh that was not scarred gleamed green, with uneven textures that spoke of scales, as if an intense heat had actually melded the armor of some reptilian skin into this current mockery of what it once might have been. The creature moved with a surety through these tunnels that suggested it had traversed them many times before, and knew every shadow-hidden curve of stone.

After several minutes of such traveling, avoiding the presence of shadows that seemed alive enough to dance around its feet, the being emerged from the clinging darkness, into the weak promise of light. The heavy moon visible in the grey-green sky cast illumination about the creature, which even through the many layers of material that covered its body, still suggested the shape of a dragon to the discerning eye.

And the one that loomed before it certainly was. Bronze-red in color, with the healthy gleaming scales that the intruder lacked, it stood perfectly still in the wide mouth of the cave, leaving more than enough room for the newcomer to take a place beside it... But instead they hung back in respect.

The muscles that had seemed so great on the damaged creature’s body were pale shadows against the power of this creature’s form... Massive, and rippling with supernatural strength, it seemed this creature could shatter the strongest steel in its mighty grip, and its gleaming brown talons seemed sharp enough to cut through shadow or light.

Devastatingly magnificent beside the broken beast that had joined it, the faint scars peppering its body only further enhanced its image of deadly beauty... And it seemed to the other creature again, as it had the first time the two had met, that there was no mortal or god alive, which could match its master in any way.

Evriliss Krath gave no sign that he’d noticed the intrusion, still gazing out at the angry waters, which stretched beyond even dragon-sight into the horizon. The waves were mad with power themselves, caught in some insane dance as they tried with every swell to rise higher into the sky. Already they reached taller than either dragon could stand, yet still they were not appeased, fighting gravity and each other in some misguided attempt to reach the heavens.

"The sea boils." Evriliss Krath noted finally, his voice filled with power even when little more than a whisper, as he acknowledged the presence of his follower. "Every night the waters grow more deadly, even the bravest no longer attempt to traverse their depths. Many more nights of this, and they will be able to swallow a leviathan whole, and the sea giants will have no defense against it."

"It’s because Enryth falls lower in the sky with every setting of the sun." Rasine said softly, her wispy voice betraying none of the worry that had left her trembling when she’d awoken at dusk. "The moons have always called the sea, and Enryth has always called the loudest of all three. Now that it draws closer to our world, that call has grown even stronger. Those who call the waters home have retreated into the calmer depths to survive, but the creatures who depend upon air to survive will all be dead within days, if they are not already."

"It is not only the sea Gres, that the moon calls." Krath pointed out as he finally turned to face her, his eyes dark with contemplation. "The tremors that snake their way through the earth are soft now, but like the sea, it is only a matter of time before the land dances in waves of its own. Enryth uses its kinship with us to redirect the very base of our planet. How much more can we take?"

"Every five thousand years Enryth draws close enough to remind us of the power he holds over us." Rasine reminded him softly, her own gaze taking in the sight of the apparently insane ocean. "And every five thousand years there are those who believe that this time the great moon will destroy us. But each time he only stays long enough to make his point to us, and then retreats to his proper place in the heavens."

"And this time?" Krath asked, turning his attention outward again.

"There is no point in Enryth destroying his worshippers, Klisin." She assured her master quietly, though admittedly such thoughts had been plaguing her as well, from the moment the great moon had begun his foretold descent from the sky. "A god has nothing without followers to serve his interests... A god is only a god at all if there are those whom he holds more power than."

"I know nothing of the ways of gods," Krath said, his voice growing harsh, "But I do know the ways of those with power, enough to know that when they have it, sooner or later they use it. I doubt that it is any different for gods."

Rasine didn’t know what to say in answer to this, reminding herself that Krath was one of those with power. It was not for no reason that she called him Klisin, ‘Master of my breath.’ "Gods are known to visit their wrath on mortals from time to time," She agreed at last, her manner wary, "But never without reason."

"The reasoning of a god!" Krath snarled, making her flinch, and lay her stubs of ears back deferringly from long-learned instinct, though he was no longer even looking at her. "What creature could ever fathom the reasoning of a god?" He closed his clawed hand around a rocky outcropping as he asked this, crushing it to gravel without even trying... And even as he finished saying this, he rolled his dark eyes to her in an almost accusing way, as if perhaps she could understand their reasoning, being a Gres, a seer of that not meant for mortal eyes.

Rasine did not know the reasoning of gods, sometimes the reasoning of her Evriliss alone was beyond her. But she knew enough of him not to say anything to that effect, others had questioned his sanity before, and never were they allowed to question it twice. And while she herself knew that he was not entirely sane, at least not in the traditional sense, she currently saw no need to bring that fact to his attention.

He might not be sane, but he was brilliant in a way few minds could grasp, and he was also her Klisin... Reason enough for her to respect him.

After another moment of her silence, Krath turned away to regard the sea again. "And what news have you brought me this time?" He asked softly, his voice suddenly even and reasonable, as if he had not been gripped by dragon’s-fury only a moment before. "A new vision for me, Gres? You’ve had little to speak of lately beyond vague warnings, and even more vague assurances. I am beginning to doubt the continuance of your gift. Pray, tell me I am wrong, and you have more for me this time than murmurs of shadowings."

"All the world is a vagueness of shadowings to me these days." She said with a hiss, drawing the full of her body into the meager light. "Murmurs or otherwise, as well as the occasional shout." She clipped this last word, indicating that she had something more for him than usual, but he did not turn to her again, though his ear swiveled in interest. "There are words being spoken in the Essential, heard through the pulse of the base-lines that bleed the power of our planet."

"And what do they say, Gres?" He asked, his eyes locked on the distant moon. "Good news for a change, or more dire warnings like the one which hangs low over our heads even now?" When she hesitated, he turned with a frown, and fire in his eyes. "Well, out with it witch, I do not tolerate you in my Order for the hue of your scales, or the skill of your talons, but for the perceptiveness of your eyes. Tell me what you’ve seen, and what relation it bears upon me."

"Upon you, none yet, my Klisin." She assured him in soft tones, avoiding his gaze as he narrowed his brilliant orange eyes impatiently. "The murmurs speak of a warrior to come, a prophesized leader of our people, great and terrible. It is said that they are either our means for salvation, or our doom, depending on the decisions they make in the coming seasons." She too turned her attention to the sky. "Their story is not inscribed yet, their path not yet charted through the heavens. Yet it is assured, a warrior will come... Only to whose avail, I can claim not the knowledge."

A low growl of frustration formed in Krath’s chest, but he did not vent his anger upon the seer, rather returning his thoughts to the moon. "Enryth..." He growled softly, narrowing his eyes at the bulbous orb, as if it endeavored in its path solely to serve as his bane. "Why do you come to our world now, what great change is come upon us that you are trying to warn us of? Or have you merely become weary of our lesser species, and seek to eliminate us, and began over again, as you have once before?"

"Stories Evriliss..." Rasine soothed, only to be cut off by a sharp look that was more than enough to trim her tongue. Instead she turned her attention to the trio of furred creatures that had followed her on her sojourn through the tunnelways, mismatched bundles of color whose patterns had long fascinated her. She lowered her muzzle to nip one tenderly behind the ears, and the orange and black creature began thrumming softly deep in its chest, in an almost draconic way.

"Foul beasts." She looked up to see her Evriliss regarding her small pets with a scowl of irritation, as if in seeking a way to vent his rage, he turned it on them. "Always tripping up a warrior’s feet, spraying wind-awful musks all about the caverns... I do not see why you bother with such vermin. A Gres of your standing could have a proper familiar, or any number of them, basilisks perhaps, wyverns... But no, you are enamoured of tunnel-cats."

He shuddered his massive bulk, and turned from her dismissively. "Come back to me when you have better information for me seer, and when you do, leave those things in your private quarters. We don’t need the whole mountain veiled with a fine layer of their hair."

One of the fearless felines hissed at him disapprovingly, well aware that it wasn’t well liked by the Evriliss, and Rasine quickly shouldered it under what remained of her wing, breaking the line of sight between saber-tooth and dragon warrior. "It will be as you command it, my Klisin." She assured him with a low murmur, unsure how she’d manage to leave the stealthy creatures behind, but willing to give it a try... again. "There is an alignment of stars within a few days... Perhaps the conditions for seeing will be better then."

She quickly took her leave of him as he made no further notice of her presence, and in her sweeping trail followed the cave-lions she’d tamed and familiarized so long before, when Krath was a more forgiving creature, and more tolerant of her ways especially. It still hurt to think of those days though, when everyone made exceptions for her, even the harsh-spoken leader of the Iron-Red Order. It was easier now, when he at least didn’t tiptoe around her anymore, though he never had to the extent of the others. She could tolerate her condition, what she couldn’t tolerate was pity, and Krath had never shown her that. This, more than any measure of his power, was why she was willing to follow him so loyally.

It had happened so long ago now, nearly fifteen years... Or was it more? She no longer kept track of time the way others did, she knew the moment by the stars, yes, but allowed herself to forget every moment that passed as it did- Or nearly every moment. It was easier that way, living in the now, without the burdens of broken dreams and painful memories. She was so far distant from the creature she’d once been, that her own kind wouldn’t recognize her anymore, and not merely for her change in appearance. No, her disfigurement should only have penetrated skin-deep, the changes that had affected her spirit since that fateful day though...

‘I am not what I was,’ She allowed herself with a sense of resignation, then dismissed the thought with long-practiced ease, finding it easier not to dwell on that which could no longer be changed. Instead she closed her eyes, depending on her sense of other-sight to guide her through the ripples of energy that spider-webbed every stone of the massive maze, and the echoes of which she felt in her familiars as well. The stones were singing a song, and sometimes, if she listened hard enough, she could understand the words to their tuneless melody. This was her life, here within the confines of this mountain fortress.

Anything else was only a lost dream...