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They clung to each other a while longer, until he realised he was no longer hugging her. When he opened his eyes, his cheeks wet with tears, he was back in the real world. The Doctor was sitting on one knee, looking relieved when he stirred.
"Alright?" he asked, peering into his eyes.
Harry shrugged, unsure how to answer. "Been better," he answered. "Tired."
"Yes, I can imagine. We'll go back to the TARDIS soon, then you can sleep it off. We can talk more when you're not half dead on your feet."
With the Doctor's help, Harry stood up, although he was swaying on his feet.
Crowley was sitting sprawled on Aziraphale's sofa, studying a vial he was holding in his hand, filled with black smoke.
"What's that?" Harry asked.
Crowley looked up at him. "That, kid, is the leech you had inside of that scar. I'm gonna keep hold of this for now. Do me a favour though – if you find any other missing bits of soul lying around, send them on to me. The higher-ups would laugh in my face if I tried to bring in a titchy part of a soul like this one. Ug...
"Just be careful, dear," Aziraphale added. "This was only a tiny soul part, hardly even human anymore. Voldemort must have split his soul at least six time for it to become so small. Any other soul parts are likely to be stronger, so if you can avoid confronting them directly that would be best, and if there's no way t...
The Doctor frowned.
"You talk as if it's a certainty he'll encounter more of these soul pieces," he said.
Crowley stood up and slung an arm over the Doctor's shoulder.
"He had one of them in his head, Doctor. Be honest, from your own experience, and knowing there are more of them out there... is there -any- way he would NOT meet more of them?"
The Doctor grumbled. "I guess not. Ugh. Well, at least we can fortify his mind a bit, just in case another one tries to take over his mind. In any case, thank you, both of you, for your help."
He looked down to where Harry was leaning heavily against him with drooping head, too tired to pay attention to the conversation.
"Anyway, I had better get him to bed, he's knackered. But if you don't mind, I should like to visit again later. I don't often meet beings as long-lived as yourselves, on earth at least."
Aziraphale inclined his head, while Crowley grinned. "Sure thing, Doctor. I think we have more in common than I thought at first – you know, other than our face."
The Doctor winked back at him and then looked down at Harry. He didn't think the boy would manage the short walk to where the TARDIS was parked.
"C'mon, Harry, up you get. I've got you."
He took the nearly sleeping boy in his arms and smiled slightly when he felt him snuggle deeper. Time for a much-needed park in the Vortex, to give Harry time to heal.
Kaia no longer remembered its name. It was ancient. But the Oracles had sworn to remember for it. They listened to its stories; whether memories or fanciful tales, no one knew anymore. They tended its gardens, and nurtured the crystals that Skyfolk thought to be magic. Oracles were vital to Kaia’s survival, thus they w...
Life went on in Tantalus Cavern, sometimes called Crystalsong Cavern by the Skyfolk. Everyone heard the Crystals humming. Most knew what it meant: The Elders were gone, and a new one must be Chosen. Those who were not of Crystal-Born descent knew that they would never achieve that rank, so they plodded onward. Those ...
Ealishe was on official business, or so she told herself. There were rumors that the Council wanted to cease these Searches for Oracles. The Council was not entirely Crystal-Born. The foolish Skyfolk did not know how vital Oracles were. All they saw were the restrictions they placed on life within the Wall. If they ...
Gromm tucked the small, as yet fragile wings against his broad chest before picking up the wilted Crystal-Born child. Nay, she's a woman now, like it or not, he thought with a touch of sadness. He knew well the geas thrust upon her, and did not envy it. Not for a thousand marks would he trade places with this slip o...
Her personal eunuch tapped the door twice, and food was carried in by a pale, shorter eunuch. The younger pair looked at the food, then each other. "I believe that is a request that you eat, before you Speak with the Crystals," Gromm said with dry humor. Ealishe laughed nervously, then perched on a chair at the s...
:Are You quite certain?: Gromm asked the Crystal, shocked and honored at the same time. :Yes. It is the only way she will Hear Me, at this moment.: Only rigid training kept his eyes from opening, or his body from stiffening. He got the sense that this ability to restrain himself was precisely why Kaia trusted hi...
He woke in an unfamiliar room, to an unfamiliar scent. The arm bearing the pungent-smelling stuff retreated when his eyes opened. "Like I said, not permanent incapacitation." Gromm’s eyes swung to meet familiar brown ones. "Mother? They called you?" She smiled warmly down at him, something she hadn't been able to...
Ealishe, much shorter and lighter, succumbed before her outrage could fully manifest. The dark eunuch permitted a smile to spread across his smooth features. The young never ceased to amuse him. "He is quite impressive," the pale eunuch said. The Healer was quick to agree. "I fear she would have done irreparab...
Gromm woke hours later, if the sands were to be trusted. His mother was gone, and no one had taken her place. He lived alone, in the Oracle dormitory, so this did not trouble him. He tested his head, found it achy, but bearable. He sat up slowly, expecting at any moment to be beset by nausea, pain, or both. Fortune ...
Gromm requested a less potent dose of medicine. The Healer objected, of course. His other patient could barely stand. "You're forgetting, Aldus--my son is half orc. We've always been a hardy bunch. Why, Gromm’s never been sick a day in his life." Her second cousin by marriage frowned, shifted his weight haughtily. ...
Meron backed away from the bed, never taking his eyes off the creature before him. He grimly rolled up his sleeves and secured them with hidden snaps. Out came the holy water, holy symbol, and ceremonial dagger. He opened the door long enough to call for heavy rope or chain, then secured it behind him. They waited, e...
Hours later, Meron unlocked the door. He called down for towels, water, food, and wine. Then he untied the arms and legs of his sweet Lucine. He was unwinding the last of the rope when her father came in with a tray. His sleeves were still rolled up, so the man got a clear look at his forearms. Many lines crisscro...
Gromm woke after a scant hour. He got up, made use of the chamberpot, and sat on the bed. He sat with his back against the wall, cross-legged. His mind was cluttered with thoughts, impressions, and the information overload from Kaia. He needed to sort through it all, and the only way he knew was to meditate. He doubted...
Ealishe bounced off the bed, intending to pace, but she fell back with a grunt. She was not used to infirmity of any kind. A scowl stamped across her face, lavender scales distorted unpleasantly. "It seems I really don't get to appreciate my youth," she pouted. Gromm was unsympathetic. "It seems you've appreciated ...
Gromm was allowed to fall asleep naturally, not that she would ever be told. Aldus could not understand it, but the half-orc was nearly recovered. Further use of the numbing agent would, in his opinion, do more harm than good. "I am willing to concede that something in your blood makes you resistant to neural collaps...
The next morning, he stood in front of the Revered Magi. His cousin felt it his duty to inform them of the incident, of course. As their Healer, his reputation was paramount. If he failed to report such an event, his career could be in jeopardy. "Exactly how did you come to form a bridge between our brand-new Elde...
"She cannot be an Oracle! No Elder has ever been an Oracle!" Revered Magi Rashi, who rarely spoke, cut across the cacophony of her brethren. "You all know what this means." Her voice, low though it was, vibrated off the multitude of Crystals in the Magi Temple Sanctum. It was a technique she used quite effectively ...
Ealishe wanted nothing more than to pace. It frustrated her to be confined to the bed, comfortable though it was. She refused the medicine that the Healer tried to make her drink. "Whatever this "Backlash’ is, it doesn't hurt anymore. Just because I'm a little unsteady on my feet doesn't mean I need to drink more ...
Meron creaked reluctantly to his feet. He knew that he must eat soon, or he would pay with a thumping migraine. He didn't want to visit the Brood Palace in anything less than perfect health. He put on his shoes, vowing to bathe and change after breakfast. Because the Inn was outside the Wall, his bath would be steam...
The Doma took a step forward, hands clasped anxiously. "Apologies, monk. Would you have preferred a sami? We cannot guarantee gender, only results. Surely, you understand this." Meron was all too certain that he did understand. He hadn't paid such a high price to bed one of their precious Crystal-Born, which to his k...
Gromm sat on a bench, deep in thought. The evening meal was quiet, as always, but much whispered speculation shushed across the dining hall. Had he bothered to look, many eyes turned his way throughout. Oracles were not prone to gossip, but their lives had changed drastically in the past day. News of the Elder Oracl...
"We have discussed the issue at hand, and a consensus was reached. She is to be your new Initiate."
Just like that, his world was turned upside down.
Ealishe set the heavy tome down and pinched her nasal bridge. Her eyes watered, and her attention had strayed more often in the past quarter hour than she could tolerate. She wasn't going to retain anything else she read. "I am finished, for now. My mind is mush. I should like something to eat." She didn't look a...
Gromm rumbled unhappily. He didn't want her to feel foolish in front of her personal servant, but he did not relish prolonged contact. "Oh fine, but make it quick. I would like to seek my bed soon." She squealed and clapped her hands. She swung around, braids clacking, nightgown tangling about her knees. She took...
"We've had a large influx of Initiates today, perhaps due to the imminent Collapse. As you have been assigned to the Elder, we requisitioned your room for two of the aforementioned Initiates. We are certain that the Elder will make a place for you in her household."
He crumpled the note in one massive fist. He should have known, he realized. The second Omen was a rapid increase in Oracles. He sighed, hefted the box onto one imposing shoulder, and strode out of the dormitory without a backward glance. The decision hadn't been announced, nor had it been kept secret. Several pa...
High Monk Meron spent the rest of the day chasing his daughter around the Cavern. Once she woke from her nap, she was insatiable. She wanted to know what everything was, and she wanted to know now. She darted every which way, peeking under sleds and poking the bioluminescent fungi that lit the Cavern. She wanted to kno...
Gromm woke to the sound of plates clacking on wood. He was an early riser, but his mother never had been. He wondered what had changed in the years he'd been gone. His head was still a mite tender, so he sat up gingerly. The loud breakfast preparations didn't do his head any favors, but an orc did not show weakness o...
"Oh Gradja, my sweet, With hair like well-done meat, Skin so stony grey, Hear my love words, I pray.
I doth burn for you Like elementals do..."
Gromm excused himself from the table before he embarrassed himself, his mother, or both. He hefted his box of belongings onto his broad shoulder and walked to the door. He paused in the dining room doorway to wave goodbye to his mother, but she was too engrossed in the poetry reading. He shook his head and left.
When he reached the Elder’s Quarters, the effeminate eunuch was at the door. He set his box down before requesting admittance. The eunuch inspected the box, as his fellow had. He must have been told why he was here, but he understood the precaution. "You will be allowed to speak with the Lady Elder, but your bel...
Ealishe suffered the effeminate eunuch’s attentions, knowing that he was correct in saying that she needed to appear at her most regal. He adorned her wrists and ankles in delicate, chained affairs that dangled between the joint and a ring on a toe or finger, respectively. Many carved silver rings circled her tail. The...
Ealishe allowed chaos to reign for precisely thirty seconds before letting out an ear-piercing whistle. Gromm flinched, as did she, but nobody was looking at them. By the time the flustered Councilors looked their way, the facial tic had passed. Ealishe spread her wings, which just barely peeked over her shoulders, ...
Even Ealishe was speechless. Parts of her dream came flooding back: shards of Crystals crashing into houses, people screaming, the very ground heaving... Her eyes rolled back in her head, throwing a fiery glow on the ceiling of the Chamber. Images reeled through her brain, striving to be understood. Houses and cart...
Ealishe leapt to her feet, but promptly fell back into the chair. Gromm reached out to steady her automatically, his own head spinning. "You can't honestly expect me to marry someone I met two days ago, just because of some antiquated precedent, can you?!" Her wide eyes glowed an anxious vermillion. Gromm patted he...
Ealishe wobbled out the door and down the hall. She was determined to walk the whole way home, but her knees buckled halfway around the garden. Gromm swept her into his brawny arms and carried her inside. He ignored the House Eunuchs and any objections they might make. The Head Eunuch could sort them out. His job was t...
Captain Lyesha executed a precise military bow, as she had when she first visited. "I understand you met with the Council." Ealishe nodded. "May I request that you have a Guardian present at all times, if you venture beyond these walls?" Ealishe frowned. "I had Gromm with me, as well as my personal eunuch. It wasn'...
Raslir Mimuri shuffled ahead of his cousin thrice removed, into the obsessively neat workspace he used for present-day recordkeeping. He scanned the shelves, looking for the "K" section. He grumbled about the frequency of marriages, because he had to move a file each time one of their kin married. "Kindreth, you s...
Sheith straightened his room, deep in thought. He thought of his life before he was abducted. He remembered his mother and father. He remembered his little sister. So why don't they remember me? Why has no one come to save me from this life? I don't even know what I did that Bishop Krakk thought I deserved to be pun...
Monk Meron attempted to brush his daughter's blue-black hair, but she was squirming. She wanted to be outside, running free. She'd been cooped up for four years, and she'd developed a distaste for being inside. In the end, Meron opted to pull the unruly locks into a ponytail. It wasn't as pretty as he'd have like...
Meron allowed Lili to run in circles around the antechamber while they waited. Her open-toed sandals slapped on the soft ground, louder than he thought should be possible. The clerk frowned down his long nose at him, but he ignored the gnome. He kept an eagle eye on his daughter, in case she tried to climb into a plant...
The silent eunuch led him to a door in an irregularly-shaped hallway and motioned for him to wait. He knocked briefly before entering. He barely waited for any reply that might be forthcoming. Meron stood in the hall, unsure whether to follow. A curt gesture from the silent man answered that. He stopped on the thresh...
Ealishe looked up when her door opened. She smiled at Zezu, thinking he'd come to help her out of the elaborate gown. The smile became a puzzled frown when she saw the holy man. They'd already been married once! Surely, he didn't expect... That thought died aborning when she saw her rock, her Kindred, holding a tiny ...
Monk Meron fed his daughter pieces of everything he ate. He'd quickly learned that she would eat off his plate no matter what, so using only one saved trouble, in his mind. Ealishe watched them, feeling the first twinges of maternal instinct. She hadn't so much as touched the little girl, and she wasn't sure she wan...
"Fetch me something to bind my wings with," Ealishe snarled at her eunuch. "And a tunic and leggings," she added. A tunic would be loose enough to disguise any residual bulge. She waited for Zezu to return with her arms and legs crossed, saying nothing. She attempted to ignore her husband, who was perfectly comfortab...
Midrii motioned them toward the futon. "Have a seat. I'll go find your mother. She's probably in her studio." Ealishe was sick of sitting, having done little else for the past two days. She stood beside the futon, though she flicked a hand at it and glanced at Gromm with a raised eyebrow. He shook his head and stoo...
Ealishe looked through her garment chest, sadly discarding most of her tunics and dresses. Few had room for her wings. She heard the door open and tensed, thinking it was her husband. "I hear you wanted to speak to me?" She spun toward her mother, eyes bright. "Yes! Oh, I am so happy my h--Kindred told you!" Liv...
Gromm set the trunk at the foot of his Lady's bed, mindful of Kaia’s ancient hide. "Why is it that the new Elder sulks all the way home? I would not pry, but something is eating at you." She dropped onto her bed and glared at the wall. Unbeknownst to either, Zezu left, to give them privacy. Gromm stood in fron...
Gromm did not sleep as soundly. He tossed and turned, tormented by a bare back, and small lilac wings. The touch of her breasts, fleeting though the contact was, made him warm all over. He'd never felt this way before. His mother threatened to bring him Above, to find a comely orc lass, more than once. She thought i...
"My Lady Elder, the Councilors you requested are present." Snow astutely ignored the locked, baleful eyes of the Elder and her Consort. He blocked the view of the Councilors, giving them time to calm down. Gromm stalked past him, after snapping at Zezu to guard her with his life. The older members of the Council star...
Gromm was riding his own tantiro, to the Brood Palace. He wasn't entirely convinced that he was doing the right thing, but the monk said it took days to be screened. Maybe she would change her mind before he was approved. And maybe the sun will shine down here, he thought morosely. If they were in love, married for r...
Sheith blinked at the mountain in his room. Was this supposed to be a client? They usually told him ahead of time, so he could bathe and dress. If he was a client, he should look away. Just in case, he studiously examined the bedding. Gromm belatedly remembered the "no eye contact" rule, and looked at the floor. ...
Gromm decided against going to the Council meeting. His wife knew where he'd been, at her behest or not. His presence would only be a distraction. Instead, he went to the bathhouse. The wizened elf showed him in, and left him alone with his thoughts. Now that he was out of the temptress’ arms, he was beset by shame. ...
His wife was, at that moment, trying to coordinate messengers to the different races. "They need to know that some families may not be comprised of the same races. Make absolutely sure they're willing to give them sanctuary," she emphasized. "There are a lot of us in the Cavern, and I don't want anyone persecuted ...
"The Council has decided to conditionally approve your application." It was the human Councilor who spoke. Perhaps that was the norm: whatever species the petitioner was, the corresponding emissary spoke. He wouldn't know. He braced himself for the conditions. "I gather you know little of our race," the Crystal-Born ...
When he could think clearly again, Gromm remembered that he was supposed to be his wife's Kindred. She was attempting something this evening that would require a healer afterward. She'd never successfully Communed with a Crystal before. He was across the hall in a single stride, knocking on her door. The dark eunuch ...
Monk Meron arrived just before the appointed time. He knocked on Gromm’s door, to drop Lili off. The Oracle yanked him inside and shut the door. "I need your help," he blurted. "Isn't that why I'm here?" Meron asked. He didn't understand why the half-orc looked so disheveled and anxious. "Not that kind of he...
Later that evening, Ealishe knelt again before the Crystal and waited. Gromm handed Lili to her father and knelt beside her. He made contact with Kaia, told Her what they wished to do. It was unorthodox, but She agreed to act as a conduit for the words of the Elder. Lyesha, Captain of the Sovereign Guard, materialize...
Meron grounded and centered himself, Looked within his patient. It was more difficult to discern the different body parts without movement. She was just one big glow. "Can you move her limbs, one at a time, when I say?" he asked the eunuch in a strangely toneless voice. Zezu did as requested, though he glowed, a...
The Council spent the next few weeks sending messengers to nearby communities. Some of the races welcomed mixed race families with open arms. Others, like the dwarves and Deep Elves, would only accept their own kind. Fortunately, those were two of the species that could survive the trip. The first human settlement th...
Sheith, Elein, Mira, Serah, and Murieta were the only ones left. They broke up the duties evenly, according to skill. Serah acquired food, she didn't say how. Elein cooked the meager supplies, mostly into stews. He didn't ask how or where she did the cooking without breaking the law. They needed sustenance for the l...
Ealishe sat in her room, idly running a brush through her long, emerald locks and brooding over what her mother told her at her wedding. She'd debated even going, but she was still her mother. Livveth hadn't gone to her coronation, but she didn't know the Elder that was being acknowledged was her daughter. She'd been...
He'd been waiting for weeks. She evaded any attempts to probe into the issue. She withdrew into herself more than usual. She tried to remember the brother her mother spoke of, but all she could recall was a tall figure. She didn't know if it was her brother or her father. She buried herself in work. Against his be...
Gromm managed to remember to collapse sideways when he was spent. His breathing was ragged, but he'd never felt better. He kept one heavy arm and leg across his wife, reluctant to lose contact with her just yet. She curled toward him, a hand resting limply on his bicep, just as reluctant to lose the intimacy they'd sha...
While the Elder lay in the arms of her husband, the brood mares in their empty Palace mourned a loss. Mira had borne the child of an unknown father, two months too soon. While the babe struggled to live, her mother wept and prayed. She hadn't intended on keeping her, but when she laid eyes on the tiny child, she felt m...
Captain Lyesha eyed the tiny gnome skeptically. "What help do you offer the Guard, Minks Spannerwocket?" The green-haired man stood as tall as he could. "I can protect the volunteers you sent to shore up Her underbelly." Lyesha twitched. "And what makes you think that's what we're doing?" "My cousin's already ...
In the morning, Gromm was the first to wake. He was momentarily disoriented to see his wife's face before him in repose, until the night’s events trickled into his sleep-fogged brain. He debated going back to his room before she woke, but that was the coward’s way. More importantly, his wife said that he'd left her t...
Captain Lyesha decided to show Ealishe something that few people noticed. She'd waited for a day like today, when the Elder was in a good mood. "I don't... What am I looking at?" the younger woman asked. "Those are burns from the thing that blasted this hole in Kaia." Lyesha’s voice had a hard edge to it. "Wa...
Bishop Krakk waited for his chance to eliminate the new Elder, but she was always guarded. She rarely left her quarters, and only then to attend Council meetings. Even when he noticed that the Captain went into the big suite alone, and came out with the same purple protégé, he could not act on his suspicions. The man...
"If he figured it out..." Lyesha started to say. "I know, but I still haven't found my brother!" Ealishe said. "So you do have siblings," Gromm mused. She whirled on him, eyes blazing an anxious vermillion. "You've seen him?!" He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Well, ah, I can't rightly say if...
Ealishe allowed her husband to carry her home, too drained to care. She buried her head in his broad chest and wept tears she'd thought were spent. He sat on her bed, against the pillows, and held her. He didn't try to talk to her. For once, she was glad of his perpetual silence. When she could cry no more, he han...
Mira did for Sheith what Gromm did for his sister. The only difference was, he found solace in her body. It had been a month since her babe died, and she needed comfort as badly as he did. Word must have gotten around, because after that, all of the girls sought his company. At first, he tried turning them down gent...
His sister fared little better than him. Though her husband and eunuch forced food into her, she had dark circles under her eyes. She was listless and without humor. She returned to the Brood Palace daily, but her brother never opened the door. For all she knew, he was gone. After all, unlike her, he wasn't trappe...
Sheith felt the first cramp, but it was nothing new. He knew the routine by now. He grabbed a small sand glass, hooked it to his belt, and timed the contraction. When the sand ran out, and no new pain bothered him, he went on with the laundry. Another wave hit him later in the day, and he dutifully tipped the glass. ...
Gromm saw what he was trying to do, the narrow spine curving toward the knobby knees. He supported him from behind with each contraction. "Shards, he's stuck. Come on, give it a good shove, boy!" From the doorway, Zezu intervened, though no one noticed. He stretched one burnished palm toward the struggling babe and...
Elein waited for Sheith to return, certain that he would survive. Sure, he was thin, but they all were. She waited a full day before going to the big house. She approached the brunette at the door diffidently. In her own demesne, she was haughty and cold. Out in the real world, she didn't quite know how to behave....
Elein took Murieta with her to the registrar. They inquired after a healer, herb witch, or midwife. He was reluctant to give out names. Until Murieta’s water broke. "Oh look, it turns out there's a nursery on premises for displaced children. Maybe the nurse can help you ladies." Elein suppressed a smirk at h...
Ealishe slept through it all. Meron kept her unconscious as long as he dared. She woke long enough to eat, use the facilities, and after a while, began requesting to be knocked out. She didn't want to face the real world, where her brother was dead, with a baby she never wanted in his place. They had to send her brothe...

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