Dragon's Blood

Chapter 3: The Cost of Magic

Bon Temps, LA

Penn walked slowly along the darkened road. The hour was early morning; she had left the bar a little after 2 a.m. She was in no rush to be anywhere. The heat wasn't quite as heavy at this hour. Soft sounds of nocturnal creatures kept her entertained. She hadn't walked like this in a long time. Quietly, peacefully, carefree. Most of her life; over two-thirds of it, had been spent as a Guardian. The first third of her life had been spent training. In addition to training for her abilities, she had weapons training. Knowing how to handle a knife or spear was just as important as Fire-Bending or Space-Bending. If there was no fire to bend; one had to fight bare-handed. She had loved training. The demands on her body had been taxing; but she had grown strong. Indeed, she was stronger then most of her training partners. She had learned how to ignore the pain of muscles forced beyond their limits. She had learned how to push beyond her body's natural warnings. It wasn't magic or talent that enabled her to do that. It was just sheer force of will.

One of her teachers had said that the use of will; was just as important as innate ability. Penn had been told that one of the reasons she was so strong; was that she had such defined control of her will. She didn't think much about it. Such things were not her concern. Her only focus; her only focus had been serving as a Guardian. Her family; since the beginning of her people; had served as Guardian's. When Penn was born; her family had been less than thrilled. Her father had wanted another boy. He wasn't sure what to do with a daughter. Women had value where she came from. But when you're born to the house of Dragon; you are allowed to two things: Be a Soldier of the Crown or a Guardian. Her brothers, all five of them were decorated soldiers. None of them had the powers to be a Guardian. Her father had been humiliated that his sons lacked the power. Not once in the history of the Dragon clan; had a single generation not been a Guardian. But then Penn had been born. A daughter who had the power to be a Guardian. Her father had warmed up to her once she was selected.

Penn sighed heavily; she missed her father. She missed her mother too. But her memories of her father were stronger; clearer in her head. She had seen more of her father during her formative years. Her mother had been away from their home quite a lot. It was only later; as an adult that Penn knew the reason. Her mother had been a rare woman among her people.

The King and Queen which ruled her people; had their own protection known as the Royal Guard. The king had his own select group; and the Queen had hers. Penn's mother had been one of the Queen's Guard. Not many women were skilled enough warriors to be in that position.

After being named Guardian of Queen Katherine; Penn had seen her mother more often. But there had been no opportunity to talk. They were both busy with their duties. As a Guardian, Penn outranked her mother. She was not simply a soldier like her mother was. Penn was more. She was the protector of items considered vital to their people. She was the power of ages. All Guardian's were. But with that power came a heavy price; her life. For as long as she was deemed Guardian, she lived. Once that was over; she died. Once a soldier's duty ended, if they were still alive, they could live out their years quietly. Like her mother and father had. Penn didn't have that option.

Penn stopped in her walk. Or at least, that is what she had been taught. That reality had been hammered in her since her first days in training. Yet, here she stood. Surrounded in silence; watched over by the moon and stars; alive. She was alive.

The gentle song of the night was disrupted by a whisper. Penn looked up; searching the darkness. She could see for several miles around her; her sight not limited to her eyes. There was nothing close to her. Yet, still, something whispered. Something was here. She drew in a breath; there! Her tongue tasted the slight bitterness of magic. It left a metallic taste in her mouth. Within her mind she saw nothing; she felt...nothing. That alone was a clue. She knew who was hiding themselves.

"Snow-Bear," She said gently, "I know you are there."

The night shivered; the stars and moon flared for a moment. Brilliant light shimmered in a sphere of pure light. Her eyes blinked against the unwelcome luminosity. There was a sigh of air and magic rippled out in an invisible way of power. Around her the trees shivered; their leaves rattled. A moment later her surroundings were back to normal. The stars and moon no longer shone brighter. The trees and their leaves were still.

She turned her head to the left. A figure stood just out of arm's reach. She was not startled by the man's appearance. Winter-Bear had earned his name because that is what he looked like. He was a large man; seven feet in height. His build was wide; imposing and powerful. The width of his shoulders alone was breathtaking. When entering houses he had to turn sideways; that's how wide his chest was across. Aside from the huge build; Snow-Bear had shocking white hair. It fell around his hips in thick, heavy plaits. The thick braids were heavy to the touch. His silver eyes were the color of metal.

Snow-Bear stood in his usual attire. Dark cloth tunic over his upper body; dark leggings on his lower half; heavy leather boots on his feet; around his wide middle, was a thick leather strap. The strap held his broadsword. The huge blade was four feet in length and sharper then diamonds. He wore no badges or armour. He was above that. Snow-Bear was the leader of the Guardians; the Caller. He was the one who selected those who would train to be Guardians. He had been and always would be; eternal. His role didn't end; so his life continued.

Penn nodded her head; bowing from the neck. She resisted the urge to go to one knee. He was no longer her commander. But his position demanded respect; she bowed her head.

"Dragon, Penn," He stepped out of the shadows of a tree. "You are not dead." There was no emotion to him; just fact.

"I am not." She didn't look up from the ground. He had not given her permission; she didn't.

Snow-Bear moved on silent feet; as he crossed to her. One hand, pale like winter snow, tipped her chin up. She lifted her head, but was careful not to stare into his face. She kept her gaze on the edge of hsi tunic.

"Then your duty is not yet finished." He said simply."

Penn looked at his face then. "That is not so. The replacement Guardian was called; he came and collected the princess."

His hand fell away; resting on the hilt of his sword. "The Guardian assigned was murdered."

She frowned, "But how?"

He was quiet; watching her face for a long time. "We have yet to determine that. All we know is that he was found dead in his apartment in New Orleans."

Penn frowned harder. New Orleans was several hour from here. He would have had to use his own Fly Charm to make it to Shreveport in time to meet her. She had no idea how much time had passed since her landing in Shreveport. Perhaps it had been hours, perhaps it was seconds; she had no idea.

"If he did not take the princess; then who did?" She asked, although she already knew the answer.

Snow-Bear was silent; they both knew the answer to the question. And it wasn't good.

Penn drew in a deep breath. The enemy had taken the princess. That was why she was still alive. She had been dead but the powers that governed her life; had not left her that way. Her duty was not over. Her life was still needed. Just when she had begun to adjust to life; it was over.

She closed her eyes against the thoughts in her head. Opening her eyes; she breathed out. "I will leave immediately to find the princess."

"We know where she is." Snow-Bear told her. "As her Guardian, it is your job to retrieve her."

Penn nodded, "I will do it." A thought broke through her mind, "My powers are still tapped out. If I am to go against the enemy, I will need them."

He nodded in confirmation of that. "They will not harm the princess; they need her. As much as we want to hurry the return of the princess, we are willing to give you time to rest. You are the only who can stand against them. The other Guardians are in use. Those who could be called; cannot be use in your place."

Penn understood that. This was her fight. Hers and hers alone. "Perhaps, it is best if I do not wait. I have my innate abilities. Even without magic I can still do my job."

Snow-Bear shook his head. "They have encased their domain in magic. You will not be able to cross the barriers they have erected. The use of magic will be required, not just your abilities."

"What do I do when I have the princess?" Penn asked.

"You will receive orders once the princess is safe." Snow-Bear looked out to their surrounds. He studied the area for a long time. Penn remained quiet; giving him time. There was no sense in rushing off to rescue the princess. So there was no need to hurry their meeting. He smiled; gently, pleasantly. "I like it here."

She nodded, "This is a nice place; the people too are nice. I have never encountered such kindness."

"We are not raised in their world. Their ways are not ours. Perhaps that is why the Queen chose to leave. To welcome her daughter into a world that would allow for more options, then ours would."

Penn frowned at him. "Our world is the way it is meant to be. There is nothing lacking in it. Although, I do not know the Queen's motives, I cannot see why she would leave her home. The Princess is our future ruler; she will have to return to our world."

Snow-Bear looked to her; their eyes met for a reason. "What if she is not our ruler?"

Confusion filled Penn's mind. "Such thing is not possible."

"Is it not?" He said; his tone held sadness. "We have existed for countless eons of time. Yet we have never changed. Our customs, our values, our very way of life is the same now as it was in the beginning."

Penn narrowed her eyes in thought. "What are you not telling me, Snow-Bear?"

He pulled in a deep breath; holding it for a few seconds. He breathed out and looked around again. "This place is clean. There is faint magic here; but it is not dominant in the earth. This world would be a good place to start over. Don't you think?"

"I do not think such things. It is not my job to do that." She was frowning hard now. "Are you suggesting the King would invade this world? Bring his people here; instead of staying in our world?"

Snow-Bear smiled at her, "You were always intelligent, Penn. Had you been a man you would have made a brilliant General."

She scowled at him. "I am a Guardian; that is what I was meant to be."

"Tell me, would you protect this world?" He asked quietly, "Would you bar our forces from this world?"

Penn had no answer right away. "If it was my duty; yes. But is such a thing being asked of me?"

Snow-Bear lost his smile; his face was solemn. "If the King continues to listen to his advisors, it might be."

"But his daughter is here. What value could there be in invading this world?" She asked simply.

"Think about it, Penn." Snow-Bear told her quietly, "There are fewer and fewer Guardians being born. The magic required to create them is disappearing. We have lived far too long. Our people have become too numerous; the demands on our world is taking its toll."

Penn understood now. "This world has many creatures that are not human. They will fight an invasion from another world. And if our magic is running low; then we will depend on the soldiers. As good as they are; they are not match for the vampires or the werewolves here."

He nodded, "Agreed. Our army is vast but it is not trained for such opponents. We have not had to fight a war in two millennia. Most of soldiers do not even know what war is. Let alone how to fight properly."

She heard the sorrow in his voice; the anger. "If only we could fight the war for them."

He chuckled, "A handful of Guardians would be more than enough." He paused, quiet for a moment. "Perhaps that is why we are limited to our calling and not beyond."

A Guardian was called to their duty; whatever it might be. They could not act outside of that duty. Most of the Guardians in existence were Gate-Keepers; they were protectors of knowledge or skills. Not many were warriors. The duty to be warriors had fallen to the house of Dragon since their people began. Only those in the house of Dragon were allowed to fight. That was one of the reasons they were so much more powerful then the other Guardians.

Gate-Keepers maintained the shroud around the world they lived in. Keeping humans of this world unaware of existence of other worlds. They had tremendous powers; such as shrouding the presence of a person from another. Blurring the dimension lines between this world and theirs. They could bend time backward or slow it down in the present. Gate-Keepers could change the physical mass of other things; make them lighter or heavier; or soluble. For all that they could do; they were not warriors. They didn't know how to bend fire, cast a seal or use half the magic that Penn did. It simply was not available to them.

Those who guarded knowledge were akin to librarians in this world. They knew all there was to know about history and language; but again, they were not warriors.

Penn sighed; she stepped away from Snow-Bear, crossing to a nearby tree stump, she sat on it. She studied the dirt around her. Within the earth she could sense the life of worms and bugs. Looking at the thin grass that grew around her; she could see the glow of energy from it's life force. This entire world hummed with natural life. These things here grew because they were natural. Because the earth that held them; gave them the energy to grow.

Back in her world; magic hung thick and heavy over everything. Grass shone with it; the energy of it was only dimly natural; so polluted with magic. Even the stars and moon that lit the night had been altered with magic. Snow-Bear was right; their world was dying and fast. Magic required a balance of both natural and supernatural energy. If magic was used too much or for the wrong reasons; it warped the natural energy around it. Their home world had been warped long ago and what little natural energy was left; wasn't enough to sustain the magic.

"What will happen to our world?" She asked softly. Her emotions were sorrowful. "When the last of the natural energy fades; what then?"

Snow-Bear crossed to her; he waved a hand in the air. A large boulder appeared beside her; he sat on it. His large, imposing body seemed to take up all the available space. She felt momentarily over-shadowed, but it passed.

"I hate to think about it." He muttered quietly, "No one really knows. The working theory is that we Guardians will die out. The rest of our people; the Soldiers, the farmer who works the land, the spinner who makes yarn, they will live on. Their lives do not require magic as we do."

Penn felt her chest tighten; sadness filled her being. "So that is why the House of Dragon has become so few in number."

He nodded, "Most likely. Your House does require the most magical energy. Even your brothers, who are simply soldiers, require more magic than any other soldier. Not because they use it as you do; but because it is part of their soul." Snow-Bear was quiet for a moment; watching their surroundings. "But as long as our people live; there will always be a Guardian Dragon."

"Are we to blame for this problem?" She asked, looking at the giant beside her. "My family, our house? Is this because of us?"

He shook his head. "No. Our world is dying out because it is simply tired. It is not the fault of any one House."

She sighed, her chest loosened. "Is there any way to stop this?"

He shrugged, but shook his head. "The other Guardians do not think it is something we can stop. It is the natural way of our world. To end; then to rest, to recharge and to begin again. Don't forget, Dragon, Guardians were created to protect our world. In the beginning it was needed. But now, after so long?" he shook his head, "We have no real enemies left."

"Except for the ones who have the princess." Penn muttered.

Snow-Bear waved a large hand in the air, "Those can be handled by you alone. You know this; we all do. But no true threat remains to us. The need for Guardians is simply not there anymore." He smiled at her, "We the natural energy dies; so will we. I'm rather looking forward to it."

She glanced at him; arching a brow. "You are?"

He nodded, "I haven't died since our world began. I am rather weary of existence. It would be nice to rest."

"Do you think Guardian's will come back?" She asked quietly.

Snow-Bear stood up. The boulder he had rested on disappeared. He took a few steps, then waved a hand. The air shivered and magic breathed through the night. The moon and stars burned too bright again. Green and white light split the fabric of reality, shattering the confines of this dimension. Wind gusted out from the gap; it tasted bitter in the air.

He looked at her, "You came back. So I suppose it is possible."

"Snow-Bear," She stood up, rushing over to him, "What do I do?"

He smiled down at her, "What you have always done, Penn."

She frowned, "And that would be?"

"Survive."

Snow-Bear looked around at the peaceful night; smiling out at their surroundings. He nodded to her and stepped through the open Gateway. There was a shudder of magic and the world sealed over. She blinked against the light. The road before her stretched on like it was meant to. The stars and moon shone at their normal levels. The air was warm and clean; tasting of sunshine and hot earth. No magic; no blinding light, only nature.

Penn sighed heavily; putting her hands in the pockets of her shorts. Until her magic was restored; she would continue to work at Merlotte's Bar and Grill. Once she was back to full-strength; she would rescue the Princess and then...

Then....

Penn shook her head. She had no idea what she would do then. Her world was dying. There would be no summons to return home. The king could try to invade this world; but why would he? His forces would be cut down by the vampires and werewolves. They would not allow Penn's people to come here. It was too dangerous to the continued success of the vampires' plans. The werewolves would be too concerned about their territories to allow an invasion. For all that her people were skilled in things; sometimes physical strength was more important then psychic strength. Penn was one of the few who excelled in both areas; partly because she was a Guardian of the Royal House; and partly because she had trained her body so hard. Penn could fight hand to hand with any vampire or werewolf and walk away. But the Soldiers of the Crown? They would not survive.

An invasion into this world was highly unlikely. Besides it wasn't the king or his subjects who were facing extinction. It was the Guardians. Technically, the King did not need the Guardians anymore. So he probably wouldn't be upset when they died. But Penn cared and it did upset her. And there was nothing she could do to help them. She was assigned to the princess.

Penn continued her walk home. Tomorrow she would talk to Sam Merlotte about a place to live. And at some point she would lay siege to a building. Until then...she walked, slowly, quietly, but not longer carefree.