The Magic is Dead

The blue-skinned Fate looked haggard and emaciated. Her clothes were in tatters. Her face looked as if it had seen a thousand horrors all at once.

But her words were what hit the dancing Emperor and Empress like a punch to the stomach.

"The magic…is dead!"

The ethereal being crashed to the ground, unconscious.

"Hanna!" Aurora and Devrim ran the length of the banquet hall. They were followed by Nurlan, who appeared at the sound of the scream.

Falling to her knees, the Empress cradled Hanna's head. "She's still breathing!"

"Call the doctor," Devrim ordered Nurlan. The General disappeared as quickly as he had come to carry out the command.

The Emperor swept up the Fate in his arms.

Hanna was shockingly light. Somehow he thought the powerful being would be beyond his ability to carry, but here she was barely heavier than Colvyr.

If Devrim had thought about how seldom and how little he had seen her eat, he would be less shocked by her unsubstantial frame. But he had no time to think such things.

"Follow me," Aurora pushed open the large door to the banquet hall.

Hanna had just come through the doors after ordering the guards aside, so the soldiers' shock at seeing her hanging limp in the Emperor's arms was even more pronounced.

The trio rushed down the hall to the nearest sitting room. Somehow servants had already been roused into removing the sheets on the furniture so that Hanna could be laid gently on one of the fainting couches.

Aurora checked the Fate again. Her skin was exceptionally cool, but what temperature were Fates' skin supposed to be? The Empress had no idea. But at least Hanna was still breathing.

That had to be a good sign.

Fetching a blanket from the corner, Aurora covered the woman before melting into her husband's arms. Devrim held the Empress right in his embrace.

No matter how much Aurora showed her strength to the world, he knew how fragile she really was, especially when it came to the lives of those she cared about. They watched in silence for a moment, unsure what to say.

Finally Devrim voiced the question on both of their minds. "Where has she been?"

The Fates had all disappeared after Hanna had collapsed in the elven library. With the exception of Justum appearing to Alaron in the woods two months before, nothing had been seen of the ethereal beings at all.

"I don't know." Aurora struggled to remember what Alaron had said of Justum's words. "We will have to ask her when she wakens."

There had been months of silence from the Mystic Spires. The humans had begun to give up hope that they would ever see the Fates again in their lifetime only for Hanna to pop up in the most unexpected state.

Silence filled the room again. Only Hanna's strained breath kept Aurora from completely losing her composure. The Empress was tired and had just begun to believe that she might finally have peace in her kingdom.

Hanna's words threatened to shatter that hope. Why couldn't she just wake up and explain what she meant? Maybe Aurora had misheard her.

'Please don't let it be as bad as I imagine.'

The couple jumped as someone rapt against the door of the sitting room. Without waiting for an answer, Phileas swept into the room with an apologetic bow.

"Your Majesties. I heard I am needed."

Phileas was dressed with a white apron covering his clothes. Since he had come exceptionally quickly and was in his medical garb, he was clearly awake before being called.

That meant that either someone else was already in need of emergency healing, or it was just so late—or early that Phileas was already awake for his rounds. Considering how long the party had gone, the Empress knew it must be the wee hours of the morning.

The doctor's perfunctory greeting over, Phileas hurried to Hanna's side. He was probably the only human in the world with any knowledge of Fate anatomy, limited as it was. If anyone could help Hanna, it was Phileas.

"Well?" Aurora could not stand the waiting any longer.

"I don't sense any sickness in her. She seems to be suffering from exhaustion. Did she say anything before she lost consciousness?"

"Something about magic," Devrim answered.

Aurora cut her eyes toward her husband. Was he being vague on purpose or had he doubted his ears as well?

The doctor hummed softly. "Well Fate Hanna looks like she has been through quite an ordeal. Her body is past the point of what a human would easily bear. Did she perhaps…walk here?"

The two royals looked at one another. Hanna had come in through the door instead of randomly appearing. Had she been floating like normal? Neither was sure.

The doctor pointed to her feet. "She has on no shoes and her soles are caked in dirt and dried mud. She seems very cold. Almost as if she has been exposed to the elements for an extended period of time."

Aurora paled. The doctor wasn't asking if she had walked in the room. "You think she walked all the way to Valiant?"

Phileas pulled the blanket back over his patient with a sigh. "I think that you should ask her that yourself when she awakens. I can try to speed that along if you like."

Pressing her lips together, the Empress nodded. "I think she would want to finish her message before she rests any longer."

Pulling a small vial out of his bag, Phileas uncorked the bottle. A pungent scent of aromatic salt filled the air.

"I'm assuming this works on Fates like it does on humans, but just in case…you should probably stay back."

Devrim stepped protectively in front of his wife and nudged her backwards. When they were clear of the immediate area, Phileas held the vial to the Fate's nose.

At first nothing happened. Hanna continued her uneven breathing without reacting to the suffocating scent.

But just when the doctor was going to remove the offending odor, she gasped and coughed.

Her arms flailed wildly, hitting the doctor in the face. But her normally powerful hands barely impacted the old man's cheek.

"Get away from me you handsy healer! I better not see your paws anywhere near my body or I'll end you right here and now!" Hanna was ready to spit fire at the physician, but she legitimately lacked the strength.

So after her small tirade, she laid back on the couch and shivered. Tugging at the blanket, she sneered at the physician.

"Are you trying to kill me? Why do you keep the palace so cold?"

Phileas did not take offense at the Fate's words. On the contrary, seeing Hanna's usual spunk warmed his heart.

The doctor stood and dipped his head. "I shall get you a bladder of hot water to warm your bones and ask a servant to light a fire presently." He turned to Aurora. "I will only be a moment. I think she will be fine until then."

There was a two pronged meaning in his words: Hanna was in no immediate danger, but they should try to limit their conversations to while he was gone so that the Fate would not overexert herself again.

Aurora rushed to the invalid's side and took her hand. "Hanna! We've been so worried! It is so good to see you."

"It is good to see you too, Your Majesty. I did not think I would ever make it. My body has never had to endure traveling such a great distance by walking." The Fate smiled at her, the ancient lines of her face showing more than the Empress had ever seen when Hanna was in this form. Usually she looked absolutely flawless.

"So the doctor was right! Did you walk all the way from the ice barrier?" Aurora felt compassion for the Fate. She had made that trek before.

"I walked all the way from the Mystic Spires, dearie. And brought messages for you from each of the groups I passed." Hanna's eyes swirled with a mix of mischief and sorrow.

While she liked being mysterious, the news she brought was not of a jovial nature.

"Yes," Devrim pinched his chin, "we got one of your messages before your sudden nap. What did you mean? Is the magic really dead?"

"Oh that," Hanna laughed lightly. "That might have been a bit of an exaggeration."

The two humans heaved a sigh of relief. The Fate shrugged.

"It is dying not dead, but it will be dead very very soon."

Aurora's eyes opened wide. "Is that why the Fates have been missing all these months? They are dying?"

"Oh honey! What you must think! The Fates are simply trapped. I was too, but in a very different way. Perhaps I should start at the beginning…"

Hanna's eyes shone for a moment then dimmed. "No, that requires magic," she reminded herself with a sigh. "This is going to be harder than I thought. I suppose I shall have to do this the old fashioned way…with words."