Keepers Clan: Sisters 1

The three sisters weaved through the winding tunnels. They moved with confidence even if they weren’t sure which way was correct. Furor led her sisters using her echolocation-type magic to locate dead ends before they even went down the tunnels. It made for a smoother journey as they walked deeper and deeper into the tunnels. The sisters remained silent as Furor’s magic sent faint vibrations through the air. The magic would bounce off the rock surfaces showing Furor’s blind eyes what was what. However, she found that some crystals disrupted her ‘sight’.

“We must be close,” Furor growled and shook her head when her magic ricocheted back at her in a jumbled mess, giving her no information. 

“We are,” Cheiro said, taking the lead. Her large wings were able to cover most of the crystals making it more manageable for Furor. 

Kaimana looked around as they walked further into the crystal tunnels. They had gotten to a point where the tunnel was nearly made of crystals, there were more crystals than there were rocks or earth. Any light bounced and refracted through the crystals creating a kaleidoscope effect on any surface the light settled on. Cheiro and Kaimana were in awe of what they saw and the feeling of amazement only grew when they stepped into an open space that looked like a library carved into the crystals and walls. 

“Can you see around here?” Kaimana asked as Cheiro lowered her wings to her side. 

Furor tentatively sent out a wave of magic. The result that returned to her gave her a clear picture of what was around them. The crystals that made up this library didn’t disrupt her magic like the ones in the tunnels had. She wasn’t sure why, but didn’t know how to question it out loud. Furor let her sisters know all was well in this space. 

The three were about to walk further into the clan’s domain when they were interrupted by a large green and brown Haedian. The massive Haedian landed in front of them and introduced himself as the leader of the Keepers’ clan. Going by the name of Khaldor, he continued to question them about their lives above the surface. He directed them towards areas of the clan that held different pieces of their knowledge and noticed that Furor didn’t follow where he pointed. 

“Are you blind?” Khaldor asked. He briefly felt the air around vibrate, it was so subtle he would have thought he was imagining it if Furor hadn’t suddenly met his eyes. 

“Yes,” Furor answered evenly, looking directly at Khaldor. 

“How do you see?” Khaldor asked, and it was clear that he was asking from a purely educational stance. 

Furor started to explain the aspect of her magic that seemed to fascinate anyone who realized she was blind. She told him of her studies of bats and marine mammals that used similar techniques to gather a sense of what was around them. She further explained that she used a combination of sound and vibrations in the air to get a clearer picture. Generally, she could keep everything undetectable, but when she was tired or frustrated her control waned. The Haedians that gathered around them seemed to take notes of her magic and Furor was struck with a sense of nostalgia from her younger years of studying endlessly to find a way to live without the help of another being. 

Khaldor shifted his attention to the other empyrians and asked, “Do either of you have magic or information you’d like to share? Anything from the topside would help us expand.”

Kaimana spoke first, “Cheiro and I have two parts to our magic. Of mine, what would you like to know? I hold knowledge and language at a smaller scale than your library or I change forms.”

“Show them the language,” Cheiro added, “I’ll show the shapeshifting.”

Kaimana nodded. Khaldor and the Haedians got visibly excited at the idea of seeing the new magic. Kaimana moved to stand in front of both of her sisters and closed her eyes. She murmured some language before she felt the runes on her body pull away. When she opened her eyes again the many languages and alphabets she had learned floated in ribbons around her. 

“Could you add our language?” A Haedian from the crowd asked. 

Kaimana shook her head and explained that simply writing the runes wasn’t enough to engrave them on her body, she needed a deep understanding of the language. However, once that was achieved she could call upon that knowledge to translate and interpret. Khaldor and his clan’s reoseans understood and dropped the topic as they took notes. The three sisters noticed that they were drawing diagrams alongside some of the notes. Kaimana and Furor took the most interest in this clan. 

“I’d need to spend months here,” Kaimana said quietly, but looked around the space at all the engravings around the room and thought she might like to stay in this clan when all was said and done. 

When Kaimana was finished, Cheiro stepped forward. She admitted that the shapeshifting magic would work differently for anyone who had it. However, she added that between her and Kaimana, Cheiro had the most control and could change partially. As an example, Cheiro held up one of her hands and everyone watched it disappear into a wisp of shadow. She went into great detail about how transforming felt to her and how she imagined it worked. Cheiro told them how it felt like her physical form was fading into nothing leaving her mind until finally she demonstrated a complete change. Her body faded and twisted until all that was left was a black orb with dark tendrils swarming it. 

“Change back,” A panicked voice urged from the crowd not a minute later. 

Cheiro complied and then apologized. 

“Kaimana said you both have two?” Khaldor pressed. 

“We all do,” Cheiro added, “But mine isn’t for a moment like this.”

Furor and Kaimana quickly came to her aid. They tried to explain that the uneasy feeling her shadow form brought forth would only intensify with the use of the other half of her magic. A few Haedians shuddered in the crowd and agreed not to see the other side of Cheiro’s magic. However, Furor and Kaimana spoke about the other parts of their magic. They went into great detail, much to the excitement of the scholarly Haedians. 

[1073]