WildWingedWarrior:Hi guys! I know I post a lot of BJT/DJT stories, but how can one not with such lovable characters. I do mean no harm to the original content of the books, and I'll insist to anyone who hasn't read them to read them (as long as they're an appropriate age). HERE'S MY DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Anne Bishop's, and I own everything of mine. Lucky for me, that's majority of this story. Or is it? oO

I hope you enjoy it if you read it. I did this because I was bored of working in the past and present, and decided a jump to the future would be good (especially after reading Tangled Webs--which I also insist everyone should read. I swear it's good, and that I'm not a walking billboard for Bishop's books).

Chapter 1: The Summons

Ebon Kae was one of four territories on an island recognized by its inhabitants as "the glade". This hilly territory was home to winged beings called Eagle-Eyriens, feathered counterparts to the membranous-winged Eyriens. The ruling family lived in a palace that stood at the base of the mountains, which marked the end of the island. The palace had three towers that formed a triangle when viewed from above. The center was a finely crafted manor that could withstand most of an assault by the neighboring country of Pandoris, which happened at least once a year.

Kovar rolled his Jewel between his fingers as he watched the crowd of guests dance below him. He was the crowned prince of the Makavali family, directly descended form Aleeza Rhyne, whose picture now hung above the entrance into the massive throne room. His feathered wings were black, unlike the flurry of white below him. He picked up this mutant trait from his lineage. It was supposed to signify a union of two similar breeds; however, he felt nothing but resentment towards the man who was the cause of this "unruly" trait. Kovar Makavali, the future ruler of Ebon Kae, was singled out by his bloodline, and acknowledged by his people that he was different from them.

His cousin sniffed beside him, and Kovar turned.

"Does something bother you, my dear?" he asked her, an unnatural purr in his voice.

"Why do you constantly have to do that?" she asked, pointing at the Jewel between his fingers. "We know you're strong. Just put it away until Jeda gets here."

Kovar scowled, but tucked the necklace into his shirt, feeling the warmth of power against his chest. He turned his attention to the portrait of Aleeza and her husband, Lucivar Yaslana. Kovar was also descended from him, with 23,000 years of generations between them.

Lucivar Yaslana was the Warlord Prince of Ebon Rih when Jaenelle Angelline, Witch, established her court in Ebon Askavi, the Black Mountain. He was one of the best Eyrien warriors, wearing Red Jewels as his Birthright, and walking away from his Offering with Ebon-gray Jewels. He came from Andulvar Yaslana's line, and, though Kovar no longer held the Yaslana name like his cousin, the crowned prince was also descended from Andulvar.

Kovar's cousin shifted beside him, lowering to one knee. "Do not blame him for your looks. Thank him for your Jewels," she whispered kindly in his ear. She pulled at the chain.

Kovar's ebon-gray eyes shifted to the matching Jewel hanging between him and his cousin. "Solarian," he began, but was silenced.

"The Darkness called on Andulvar Yaslana and graced him with Ebon-gray Jewels. Lucivar Yaslana was called on in the same manner. Now, it's your turn to be a legend among the Blood. You, too, wear Ebon-gray Jewels." She stood up, and stepped onto the dance floor, taking the hand of a young man who could never be a proper suitor but was still hopeful.

"But you're more of a Yaslana than I am," Kovar said to no one. "Why didn't you get the Jewels?" He watched Solarian dance, her Sapphire Birthright tucked safely in her headdress.

Solarian Yaslana was from Lucivar's son, Daemonar. Centuries after Daemonar had died, his line had thinned out into lighter Jewels. When Solarian was gifted with her Birthright Sapphire, the world had seemed to stop turning. The family held its breath at the sight, an eerie suspicion of what was to come hanging in the air. Solarian had Kovar pull out Aleeza's first crown so she could get her Jewels set in an identical frame. Solarian admired Aleeza, the woman who was strong enough to be Witch. She almost idolized her, and, in her mind, she was as good as her ancestor.

Kovar sighed. If Lucivar Yaslana was here to see his descendants, would he be happy? He stood and clapped his hands once for order.

Silence settled on the crowd. Solarian's short black hair shimmered into place, her golden eyes searching Kovar's for any sign of what was happening.

She's not here, he sent on a Sapphire thread. We have to start now.

Jeda won't be amused. Are you sure? Solarian asked, searching the room in hopes to find the missing girl.

It's her fault. We told her when to be here.

She can't fly.

Just start. He broke the link, and smiled at the people—his people—looking at him. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for coming," he greeted.

Solarian moved silently through the crowd toward the tier Kovar stood on.

"Today, as it has been for many centuries, is the day we celebrate the founders and sustainers of our country. These people, though dead today, still reign in our hearts, still guide us—as a race and individually—through the darkness that hinders us in life."

Solarian stood beside him. Two guards stood on either side of the stage; one held the Askavi banner, the other held Ebon Kae's banner.

"Gone they may be," Kovar continued in a more somber tone, "their power flows through the earth, the air, the life of this realm. Today, we celebrate the chances they have given us, the freedom we have been blessed with. We are not neighbors today. We are not enemies." He tilted his head towards the guests from Pandoris. "We are one life. We are one family."

The crowd burst into a round of applause. "To Twilight! To Aleeza! To Maltarian!" they shouted. "Long live freedom! Long live life! Long live them!" The roar died down into quiet tones as the guests talked amongst one another.

Kovar smiled, looking at the crowd. He frowned when a black cloaked person started ducking between guests. "Who's that?" he asked his cousin, who shrugged.

"This is the first time I've seen them," Solarian admitted. "Should I get the guards on it?"

Kovar nodded. "And quickly."

Solarian disappeared into the crowd.

Kovar's hand rested on the hilt of his knife. He'd stop the intruder if he had to.

"Od uoy tahw luferac eb," a voice whispered, the unused Eagle-Eyrien tongue echoing and jumbling in his head. "ees lliw Witch." The voice sounded certain, whatever it was saying.

Kovar turned around quickly, then fell down. His heart had stopped momentarily, finding its way into his throat. He gasped for air as his cousin rushed to help him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest loudly enough for Kovar to hear.

Kovar looked at her as if for the first time. "Aleeza," he murmured, looking back at the curtain, which slowly fell into place.

Solarian followed his gaze. "What about her?"

"S-saw h-her," Kovar stammered.

She hit him, one of three people allowed to do such a thing with no repercussions.

Almost instantly, Kovar snapped out of his state of shock. The words silenced themselves immediately.

"You were imagining things," Solarian hissed. "Now stand up before both of us look bad." She pulled at her cousin's arm.

We've gotten held up in Glacia, Jeda said on a Sapphire spear thread to both Kovar and Solarian. I'll be there in a few days with Kelin.

Kovar stood up. "We should get everyone to leave. I'm not sure it's safe here."

"Whoever was trying to crash the party is gone. There's no trace—"

"It's late. My coronation is tomorrow."

"But—"

"Just…get them out of here." He kissed her cheek. "Then get some rest yourself. You've worked hard today."

"You won't say good-bye at the door? It's your coronation party after all."

Kovar froze.

"I don't have to mistreat her. It's my coronation party. It doesn't do for a princess to be a child," Aleeza said delicately.

"Most coronation parties happen after the coronations themselves," said Medya, the next in line if Aleeza were to deny the crown. "Since you've yet to be crowned the rightful ruler, this isn't your party."

"This is practice," Maltarian said, Andulvar by her side as was his duty.

Medya smiled. "You mean your retirement party?" She laughed as she walked away, leaving Andulvar fighting for a hold on Maltarian.

Ice cold fingers danced across sun-browned skin. The old Eagle-Eyrien tongue echoed throughout the room in a lulling croon, foretelling of Witch reborn, of a rising war, of a race fading from the realm and books of history into stories of legend and myth.

"Kovar," the voice called delicately, "Su evas. Yrotsih ruoy evas. Elpoep ruoy evas."

Kovar rolled onto his back, mumbling a dull-witted response.

"Elur uoy. Boj ruoy si ti."

"I don't understand what you're saying," Kovar said, pulling a pillow over his head when the phantom voice continued talking in the dead language. "I'm trying to sleep. Come back never." He turned onto his side, drifting back to sleep after a few moments of silence. He woke suddenly, finding himself lodged in the Abyss, held firmly in place at the Red level by a brown-haired woman.

Her gray eyes pinned him with unspoken accusations, as if she'd watched him for his whole life. Her pale skin, compared to his bronzed complexion, made her appear frail and breakable. She looked so familiar.

Kovar reached up to touch her face, but she took his hand, placing it over her heart. There wasn't even the slightest trace of a heartbeat. Kovar felt a slight pull of power as they descended to the dividing line between Ebon-gray and Black. His body shook as pressure built around him. He was farther down in the abyss than he was capable of reaching on his own. Each breath and movement was a strain on his body, and it took a lot of effort to even think. He closed his eyes as the descent continued to the depth of the Black, of this woman's Jewels.

She touched his face, touched his outer barrier, broke into his inner barriers with mind-numbing force, planting information into his brain.

"Who are you?" Kovar screamed into the darkness of his room.

"Aleeza," the girl mouthed, pushing Kovar out of her secret place in the Abyss.

Kovar sat up quickly, his body dripping with sweat, his breathing ragged.

Solarian ran into the room, passing through the wall like it didn't exist. "Gnorw si tahw?" she asked quickly.

Kovar looked at her stupidly.

"What's wrong?" she asked again, sitting on her cousin's bed. "You were screaming pretty loudly."

"Did you just…?" He shook his head.

"Just what?"

"It's nothing. I was having a nightmare."

Solarian looked discouraged. "About what?"

"A girl." Kovar looked at his cousin. It was obvious she was skeptical.

"Since when are dreams of girls nightmares to men?"

"I was in the Abyss, deep in the Abyss."

"You can't have been that far down."

"I was in the Black, where only a few have been able to access."

Solarian was quiet.

"She pulled me down until I could barely breathe, to an area where she was strongest. She ripped through my mind like a storm, and she…." He stopped himself, realizing how stupid the next part would sound. He skipped ahead. "I asked her who she was."

"So I and half the house heard."

"She told me she was Aleeza, and pushed me out of her—the Abyss."

"Aleeza?"

Kovar nodded.

"You want me to believe a centuries-dead woman pulled you into the Abyss, tore through your mind without driving you insane, told you she was Aleeza, then kicked you out?"

Again Kovar nodded.

"What did you drink before bed?'

Kovar was taken aback. "I'm being serious!"

"Dreams like that aren't natural. She must have doen something after breaking into your mind. Maybe she put this all in your head. Now, really and honestly, what did you drink before you went to bed?"

"Solarian!"

"Kovar—"

"TEIUQ!"

Kovar and Solarian looked at each other when the walls stopped shaking. "Is there a woman in your room?" she asked, her voice shaking as she whispered the words.

"Just you," Kovar whispered back as the mysterious echo started her own personal rant.

"Dne no sraey rof ecalp a elur uoy. Ecaep ni tser uoy tel ot hguone enode evah uoy tahw stcepser eno on won. Kovar!"

The Warlord Prince froze. Already, the words were unfolding in his mind.

"What is she saying?" Solarian asked so softly that Kovar almost didn't hear.

"She says that she's ruled this place for years, but no one respects her, and it's hard to rest."

"What does she want from you?"

Kovar scratched his head and shrugged. "I'm kind of hoping that this is still a dream."

The windows shattered in Kovar's room, and the cousins ran, leaving the door wide open.

"Do you think you might have been too hard on them?" He handed her a teacup, bowing politely.

"Maybe you're right, Geoffrey. I should at least fix the windows." She looked at the spinning model of Kovar's home in Evon Kae in Kaeleer. With a quick wave of her hand, the windows repaired themselves.

Geoffrey caught the cup before it shattered on the ground. "Is something wrong, Lady?" he asked, kneeling beside her.

She was shaking slightly. "This realm is not for me. I should retire now, and go back to Hell when the sun sets." She stood with Geoffrey's assistance. She dismissed him at the door to her room, sagging against the frame.

Her husband pulled the curtains closed, throwing the room into darkness. He lit a few candles to brighten the blackened room, and waited for his eyes to adjust.

The woman's straight brown hair had been streaked through with gray long before she became one of the demon-dead. Her skin was colored between pale and ghostly white when she was in Kaeleer. In Hell, though, in the territory of the Eagle-Eyriens, she was returned to her former beauty.

He held her hands in his, rubbing them gently. "You do well in overexerting yourself," he whispered, kissing her cheek.

"No matter," she said, waving it off as if it were nothing. "Were you able to reach the other two?"

He shook his head. "Jeda knows how to mask her tracks." He pulled her against him. "We'll find them soon enough."

"If they don't act, I'm pushing them out of the air. You know how serious this is."

He laughed. "I've rubbed off on you. You never used to be so temperamental." He picked her up, carrying her to the bed so she could rest. "Maybe you should invite them over for tea," he put emphasis on the last word, and laughed when she snarled at him. He lay on the bed beside her, running his hands through her hair.

There will be no celebration tonight, Kovar thought as he dressed for his coronation. She was probably angered by the noise from the party.

The bedroom door opened and closed quietly as Kovar pulled out a few loose feathers. A slim-framed, blonde-haired boy jumped on Kovar, laughing merrily. "Nisuok!" he said, kissing Kovar's cheek in greeting. He turned the prince around, overlooking his attire. "I wish I had clothes like yours to wear."

"I'd offer you mine, Kelin," Kovar said, his face expressionless, "but all of mine have holes in the back."

Kelin started to laugh, but stopped when he noticed his cousin wasn't laughing with him. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing. Could you do me a favor?"

"Of course!"

"I need you to go downstairs, and tell the cooks that I'm cancelling the party, and they don't need to make anything else."

"Cancelling? But what about—"

"I think Aleeza is still around here, and all this noise from parties is disturbing her."

"Aleeza?"

"She came to me in a dream last night."

Kelin pulled over two chairs, sitting cross-legged in one while Kovar relaxed in the other. "I'm listening."

"You're going to ask me what I was drinking before I went to bed."

"No, I won't. I promise." He gave his cousin a reassuring smile.

Kovar retold the story to his cousin, who listened patiently. Kovar poured a glass of brandy for his cousin, then drank deeply from the bottle.

"So, you think she was trying to tell you something?"

"It's easy to see she wasn't trying to kill me." He indicated his condition to strengthen his point. "What do you make of it? The warning about Witch coming again?"

Kelin sat quietly in his chair, pulling his legs to his chest. Though he was just a few year short of thirty, he still looked like a teenage boy—cute and innocent. He looked Kovar over, then walked over to Kovar's chair, kissing his cousin lightly. "I'll go tell the cooks that you're not having you're party, and then I'll be back up in case you feel the need to discuss the dream any farther before your coronation."

Kovar smiled his gratitude, and watched Kelin leave.

The newly crowned King of Ebon Kae brushed the water and soap out of his eyes, thinking back on the day.

His people had been disappointed about the party being cancelled, as each one wanted the chance to wish the new ruler luck in his reign, but they cheered for him nonetheless.

Kovar sighed. He wished his family would have done the same. All of them, with the exception of Kelin, had watched him with wary eyes during the ceremony, and had ruthlessly questioned him about cancelling the party. Even Solarian, who had been present when his bedroom windows shattered, turned on him when she saw the windows were perfectly fine in the morning.

After a final rinse, he turned off the water, and pulled the shower curtains to the side.

Kelin leaned against the bathroom counter, holding out a towel for Kovar. "I've been thinking," he said, looking away as his cousin dried off. "If we're going to find this Witch kid, we'll need some help."

"And who will help us? In case you weren't paying attention, my family thinks I've gone a bit crazy."

Kelin blushed. "I…I told Jeda."

Kovar froze.

Jeda was the Sadist's reincarnate, and descendant of the Living Myth called Witch, as well as the High Lord of Hell himself. She was a quiet girl, never saying more than what was needed. Like her ancestors, she was gifted with Black Jewels after her Offering. After Kelin, she was the next trustworthy person to tell a secret as big as the on Kovar had.

"I'm sorry," Kelin began, hunching his shoulders to enhance his point. "I didn't know it was supposed to be our secret, and I knew Jeda would take your dream seriously. You know, she's been doing our family research since our birthrights. She can't keep away from the Keep. She thinks she's seen Geoffrey around. She wants to explore the lower chambers, and then go to Hell."

Kovar started laughing. Of course Jeda would want to do that, he thought, leading his cousin back to the bedroom. "Did she say anything about what might be in Hell for her?"

"Ebon Kae," Jeda said lightly, tossing traveling clothes and a packed bag at Kovar. "And I have reason to believe that the SaDiablo Hall we think is nothing but remnants is still a building."

"Then this is your bag?"

"We leave in a few hours. Eat now." She pushed Kovar, half-dressed, to the kitchen, the scampered off, muttering something about weapons on her way out.

"Solarian wants to come, too," Kelin said, helping himself to half of Kovar's sandwich.

"No, I didn't want that Kelin. It's okay to have it," Kovar said sarcastically, but went unheard by the other.

"She says, as your First Escort, it's her job."

"I don't have a First Escort, let alone any."

"She appointed herself to the position…since you probably weren't going to."

"I…uh, great." He swallowed one more bite, then stood as Jeda and Solarian entered the kitchen.

"She found suitable weapons," Solarian said, spinning an Eyrien bladed stick.

Kovar smiled. Generations of training reflected in his cousin's stance. Their hearts—warriors' hearts—beat as one to the sound of the war drum. The drums of our forefathers. He stood, taking the offered weapon—Aleeza's long sword. The sword was ancient, but still sharp, and lighter than any weapon Kovar remembered holding. The gold hilt glittered in the light as Kovar spun it carefully, showing the same skill Solarian had. He felt foolish. "It's a girl's sowrd," he murmured, and dodged the end of the staff in Jeda's possession.

"It's not the sword, it's the bearer," she countered, her golden eyes glittering dangerously.

It took Kovar a minute to understand what was being said. "I'm not a girl!"

Solarian and Kelin snickered behind their hands.

Jeda took the sword. "Here, for your Jewel. You have one uncut?"

Kovar summoned his last uncut Ebon-gray Jewel, as well as an uncut Red.

With a single movement, Jeda embedded the two Jewels into the sword. "It's deadly now, capable of cutting through any bone."

The room chilled briefly before Kovar accepted again the sword. "And you, Kelin?" Kovar asked.

The Glacian Warlord shrugged. "I guess I use my anger?"

Kovar smiled. "You're tough. You can use this." He held out his sword.

Kelin stared, wide-eyed. "I-I can't. It's yours."

"It'll protect you."

"I don't need to be protected."

"You're a Summer Sky Warlord who's yet to make the Offering to the Darkness. When you do, you can yell at me, but until then, take the damn sword."

"Hell's fire, Mother Night, and may the Darkness be merciful," Jeda and Solarian said together.

Kelin frowned, and looked away. "I've already made my Offering. That's why we were late coming to Ebon Kae."

"WHAT?" Kovar stormed around the kitchen. "Why didn't you tell me?" He pushed his cousin against the wall. "You said I'd be there."

"Struh that, nisuok! That hurts!"

"Dratsab, pu tuhs."

"What?"

Kovar threw his weight against Kelin. "You heard me," he hissed. His Ebon-gray Jewels flared as he rose to the Killing Edge. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Kovar…can't breathe." He reached up, wrapping his hands around Kovar's wrists. "I'm sorry," he choked.

Solarian pulled at Kovar's waist. "Let him go!" She used her Gray Jewels to help pull the King of Ebon Kae away.

"Kovar, it was my fault. I told him he had to make his Offering," Jeda said meekly. It was the quietest she had ever spoken.

Kovar glared at Jeda, his eyes as hot as his Jewel. "Why?"

"I saw it in my tangled web. You weren't the only one who was moving on to great things."

He looked at Kelin, who's bright blue eyes now held a hint of green. Kovar looked at the earrings on the other: three studs made from one Summer Sky Jewel. Then he looked at the cuff around Kelin's wrist. A Green Jewel shone brightly. Kovar released his cousin. "Was it cut?"

Kelin tried to smile. "No." Unlike the Green Jewel in the cuff, Kelin's Birthright Summer Sky had already been cut—a previous owner.

"I wish I could have been there," Kovar said lightly, leaving the room.

Solarian followed. "What was that about?" she asked, getting in Kovar's way to slow him down. "You could have killed him."

"Murder's not against the law," he spat, pushing her to the side.

"You act like you're lover just betrayed you by having an affair with a Red Moon whore." She put her hands on her hips.

Kovar stopped his climb. "What would you know about it?" He continued to his room when Solarian didn't say anything.

She tapped the clear Jewel that rested at the altar, reaching out for his mind on an ebon-gray thread.

His barriers opened one by one, allowing the emotions to pour out in a steady stream. Fear, love, lust, sadness, betrayal, and an undertone of frustration. All crashed down around the altar girl. Kovar descended to the Ebon-gray web in the Abyss. He felt alone, excluded from his family for reasons he couldn't explain. Kelin had always relied on him, but Jeda stood by the slender Glacian boy at his Offering. Kovar snarled at Aleeza's approach. "What have you done?" He stood, his temper flaring.

"Gnihtyna enod ton evah i," she replied smoothly.

"What do you mean you haven't done anything?" he asked bitterly. Ice traveled down his spine as the ancient tongue flowed from her mouth as clear as if he knew it all his life.

"I didn't tell Jeda to send Kelin to his Offering, if that's what you're thinking…and I know you are." She touched his mind briefly. "I know, though, that it is also easy to blame someone else for familial problems." She stroked his cheek lightly, her fingers cold. "My dear Prince, why does it upset you so much?"

"Kelin's always come to me for support. He has five sisters."

"So…you are jealous that Kelin gave Jeda that same chance he had given you?"

Kovar growled. "No, I'm not jealous!" He took a shaky breath.

"You're used to his dependence?"

"We're like borthers. We've known each other since birth."

"Born in the same year?"

"Same day. He was premature."

She sat down beside Kovar.

"What do you want from me?"

"You already know what I want from you. I want you to find the new Witch. Kovar, something's not right between Kaeleer and Terrielle."

"Nothing was ever right in Terrielle."

Aleeza frowned. "Yes…" she said quietly. She ran her hands through his hair. "Prince Makavali, you must understand the importance of finding this new savior. She can't be lost."

"Do you know how easy you're making it to find her? Shattering windows, threatening my life—"

"I did no such thing," she hissed, standing up. "Come with me." She held out her hand, waiting patiently with dark eyes.

Kovar hesitated, eyeing the offered hand warily.

"Come on. We're going to resolve this little problem you have."

"I don't have a problem," he snarled. He pushed the hand away.

"Either you ascend to the Green, or I'll force you down farther into the Black where your mind will shatter. You might be my descendant, but you're not the only one who can take the throne. You'd better not think you're too high and mighty."

"Like you've never stepped off your throne."

"I spent most of my life running around the mainland of Kaeleer once I met my husband."

"Running away?"

She laughed, a light, velvety sound that pulled at his every never. "Oh, not at all. Lukivar and I were chasing our children, who wreaked havoc on the countryside for the better part of their lives." She gave him a measuring look. "You were quite the demon child as well. Lukivar's blood runs strong in you." She paused, regarding him once more before adding, "You have a touch of Uncle Andulvar as well." She sighed and pulled him up. "Someone's calling you. I think he wants to make up for what happened." She smiled and disappeared.

Kovar rolled over, looking into a pair of stunning green eyes.

"I'm sorry," Kelin mouthed.

Kovar put one arm around his cousin, pulling him away from the edge of the bed. "You had to do it. I think I'll survive. Your first son, however, will be escorted by yours truly." He wondered about the blush in his cousin's face.

"Can I stay here? I lost my room on the third floor of the family wing."

Kovar was about the agree to Kelin's wish, then hesitated. "Kelin, dear cousin, there is no third floor in the family wing."

The Glacian boy laughed lightly. "I guess that's why I can't find my room." He pulled the blankets over his shoulders, nestling closer to Kovar. "Kovar…?"

"Hm?" He kissed Kelin's forehead.

"Nothing. Good night."

Keep tuned for more fun.