Bane

Disclaimer: See chapter 1. If you don't recognize a character, please assume it is an original character. There is a couple of spoilers within this chapter, I'll let you find them.

Special thanks to Miriam1 for her hard work.

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Chapter 10

Firefox found himself walking on a glittery path of white sands with white mist swirling lazily around him. He was once again walking the familiar moon-paths between worlds.

Familiar swirling sparkly mist rose and fell around him as the sound of crunching sand echoed under his feet as he moved onward on the silvery ribbon-like pathway. Fairy lights flickered around him, guiding him onward.

"Well, this is an interesting turn of events," came a female's voice. The young mage turned to face a tall woman dressed as a Tayledras.

He smiled and gave a slight bow at the tall elegant lady whom he had met before. She and her partner had been there throughout his training with Silverfox acting as his guide whenever they walked the pathways. "Lady Dawnfire. I thought I would be meeting the Shadow Lover. . . "

She laughed, pulling him into a hug. "Not yet, young one. However, it was a close thing, with that stunt you pulled: grounding yourself in the Void and taking on those vile creatures alone. You are so much like your father, Firefox," she remonstrated.

Pulling him into a hug, Dawnfire smiled at him. "No, child. You have grown so much, however, you still have much to learn. Plus, your time with your adoptive parents is drawing to a close. You'll have to face your destiny in your home world soon enough."

The young mage sighed and hung his head as he pulled away from her arms. He didn't want to return to Hogwarts. He had a great life with his fathers, with no one expecting great things from him or worshiping him for something his parents had done. But he knew he had to. It was the deal he made with the Star-Eyed.

"Let your heart not be troubled, young mage-warrior. She is very pleased with you as we, Tre'valen and I as well as your fathers are," she conjoled, placing a finger under his chin and lifted it so his eyes met her. "Have courage. You are not alone or ill-prepared as you were before you called to Her. Now, I have more news for you: Look for a new teacher soon. He has much to still teach you."

With that said, Dawnfire stepped away from Foxfire, blurred into a hawk, and flew away.

Firefox stood on the moon-path and watch her disappear in the swirling strands that made up the Void. He took courage and strength from her words.

His mind went over what she told him as the mist swirled around him. Taking a deep breath, he drew in the power and the peace of the Void into his being as he had been trained to do.

How long he stood there? He didn't know. Time had no meaning when you walk the path-ways.

He stood there, taking in the mist's strength until he felt the pull from his body in the real world. Finally. He was waking up.

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Firesong and Silverfox sat on the cot across from their adoptive son, talking softly. On the floor next to the bed was a young gryphon, curled up asleep, his tail covering his beak and his young wings acting like a thick feathery blanket.

Their son had lain in a coma for the past week since the battle with the demons. Already, news of the attack had traveled to Haven, the capital city of Valdemar, and a team of heralds had been sent to help with the investigation to find out how and why this happened. So far, they hadn't arrived yet, but were expected any day now.

Already their son was being hailed as "Demon's Bane Heir" since it was well known that Firesong was a direct descendant of the last person that held that title. At the present, no one really uttered that title in the hearing of the pair. They didn't dare incite the temper of either parent. Many have been on the receiving end of Firesong's acid tongue in the past and didn't want a repeat of that.

Healer Kandace came in quietly to checked on her patient, ignoring the parents and the young sleeping gryphon.

She knew and liked the young mage that laid unresponsive before her. He had been a favorite of Sanctuary ever since the day Silverfox and Keisha brought the young man to her when he was only ten.

She had watched him grow into a fine young man with a heart as big as the forest that surrounded the complex. He had been a joy to teach and to see him so hurt was heart-breaking. He, in her opinion, was the perfect student in his eagerness to learn.

Kandace looked over at the pair of men sitting on the other side of Firefox's cot, watching her every move with interest.

They weren't the only ones keeping a silent vigil. Many humans and non-humans were keeping vigil outside in the courtyard.

"You both should go and get something to eat and feed that poor thing as well," she told them, pointing to the young gryphon. She was well used in dealing with grieving parents and the occasional non-human moping around a sick loved one. "Firefox won't thank you for neglecting yourself. He's doing well, considering, but it'll still be awhile before he wakes."

Just then, Starfall walked into the room and sighed at the sight before him. He was carrying a tray of food for his son and life mate. "Any news?"

The middle-aged healer shook her head. "He'll wake when he will. His wounds are healed and his pathways still have a ways to go before they are completely healed. You know as well as I that it's a waiting game. Until then, there's nothing I can do."

When they found Firefox after the battle, he suffered from burns from flinging around levin-bolts right and from opening a gate into the Abyss. He stood strong trying to keep the demons from tearing through the barriers protecting Sanctuary. It was a miracle that he even was still even alive. If it hadn't been for the Ghost Cat Shaman, Celin, they would've certain lost their son.

Firesong scowled behind his plain leather mask. "That boy's in so much trouble when he wakes up. Going off like that without back up. I thought we broke him of that self-sacrificing trait of his."

"Whatever possessed him to ground himself in the Void?" Kandace asked yet again. She still could not wrap her minds that a sixteen-year-old master-class mage took on demons. It was something out of legends.

"It was something I used to do before the Mage Storms," Firesong said as he grimaced at the offered food. "By grounding himself there, he could pull on its chaos to keep him centered. I was such an arrogant twit when I was younger. It really shouldn't be possible now as it's impossible to do any of the great feats of magic now."

Silverfox reached over a smacked his life-mate. "You should talk. I think it was the only thing that kept him from dealing a Final Strike. The body isn't made to pull that much energy through it."

Firesong hung his head, fingering the scars hidden by his mask as he remembered that horrible day. There had been no other choice to force to channel so much magic through another young man who gave everything to save their world.

"Any news on where that blood-path mage came from?" Kandace asked, changing the subject as she sat at the foot of Firefox's cot. She had been too busy to catch up on the latest news.

"Vordon has sent a team with some of Lord Beon's men," Starfall informed them as he pulled a chair up to them. "Darian and Wintersky, with a couple of gryphons, went with them. There hasn't been any word back yet. They did send word that there has been some tampering with the magic wards at the pass that allowed them to enter these lands unnoticed."

"As for that twice damned mage, we can thank the Star-Eyed that those creatures took him with them when they fell back into the Abyss. So it isn't clear which tribe he came from, except for those Blood Bear warriors . . . well. . ." Silverfox fell silent.

A low soft groan escaped from the figure in the bed, causing all conversation stop. The young gryphon perked up his head as the young mage's breathing hitched.

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Firefox sighed for the umpteenth time.

He had been at Sanctuary for over a week since he awoke, and he was getting boring, sitting around doing nothing. At least he was now allowed out of bed to use the facilities. He looked over at the emptied cots around him. Now that he was almost recovered, his parents and friends were out doing everyday duties, while he was still stuck in bed. He was so bored as well as lonely.

According to Kandace, the only good thing besides still being alive was that he still had his magic. According to the head healer and Silverfox, he had opened new channels in his magical pathways within his body. He will be needing more training to control the power running through them without hurting himself or those around him.

Both of his parents were very proud of him, that he was willing to sacrifice his life and magic to save the innocents at Sanctuary. By rights, Foxfire was now an adept Healing mage, but because of the Mage Storms that almost destroyed their world, he would not be able to perform many of the higher levels of magic.

The young mage informed his father he didn't mind too much. He was just thankful he still had his magic. In the back of his mind, Firefox couldn't help wondering what Poppy would say to all this. He was pretty certain that she and everyone else in the Wizarding World would have wondered why he hadn't 'squibbed' himself.

'Damn, but I'm so bored. . . That's it, I'm leaving,' he decided as he threw blanket off him. Taking a deep breath, he stood, ignoring any pain that raced through him from being idle for so long.

He slowly made his way out his room at Sanctuary into the last of the afternoon sunlight. He shivered slightly, as the season was getting cooler and soon it would be snowing. At least Sanctuary, with its own vale, could now enjoy a slightly warmer climate ( like the Vale). However, it was still chilly.

He smiled at the small stick figures that represented the dyheli that were tied to the railing along the raised walk-ways. It was the custom of the northern tribes people that came to Sanctuary for healing to make and donation these small tokens as prayers of healing and to offer thanks for their continued living.

"Should you be up and around, young man?" came the voice of Kandace as she came up behind him.

Busted.

He sighed and turned to her, offering a slight smile, worthy of his father. "Not sure? No one said I couldn't."

She laughed. "Charmer. Well, since you are up and out, why don't you and I walk to the dining area for a bit of tea and sample some of cook's fresh pastries?" She tucked her hand under his arm as she escorted him onward.

The dining room wasn't too crowded, and Firefox was happy to be away from his room. He was thankful he didn't see anyone from the Vale other than healers.

"Anyone seen Kieryn lately?" Firefox asked after both had been served by one of the many Sanctuary workers. Although the young gryphon was more trusting around humans, one couldn't forget that he had been raised wild. "I haven't seen him since yesterday."

"Oh, he's been taken back to the Vale by Kelvren. Something about teaching him human speech and to introduce him to the other non-human folk," Kandace informed him as she doctored her tea.

"That's wonderful. I was getting a little worried about him fitting in," Firefox explained as he broke apart one of the scones. "He's so young and to have lost his parents like that."

"Kelvren's been good for him since their death. Not much is known about wild gryphons except they are to be avoided at all cost. It's going to be rough with the little guy, but he seems very attached to you."

"I know," Firefox agreed with a smile, then let out a groan as he looked up. Bearing down on the pair was Silverfox with an annoyed look on his face.

He swore both of his fathers were being very over-protective, worse than Dobby in second year. Normally, he was happy that he had such protective parents, but right now, he wanted to be active again.

"Should you be out of bed, young man?" came his father's voice.

"Ahh, Silverfox, come join us," came Kandace's voice, breaking the tension. "You know as well as I that we healers like to get our patients up and walking as soon as possible. It's good for the patient as well as for the healer."

Firefox snorted into his tea. At Hogwarts, he couldn't remember the number of times he had to sneak out of the Infirmary and Poppy's eagle eyes. She certain didn't subscribe to that philosophy at all.

The older Tayledras hmm'ed as he sat beside his son, and he reached to drape an arm over Firefox's shoulder. "So, what did he do this time?"

"Pappaaa!" Firefox whined. "I'm fine. I was just so bored in my room. Honest!"

The two adults laughed as the childish behavior. Yes, both healers silently agreed that the young mage was recovering nicely.

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Well, I'm back and with the help of Miriam1, who has agreed to be my new beta/editor/proofer. We thought this chapter was the perfect way to kick off the New Year. Although she could never replace Frau (no one could as she was one of a kind), Miriam1 has been wonderful and I really appreciate her support and help.

Chapter 11 is being proofed as we speak and should be up soon.

Until next time. . .