seemed incapable of effectively bearing the half-drow, they served their purpose well enough. He seemed at ease, following his mentor as if he had trained for it most of his life.
He has, Aliisza reminded herself, reflecting on the angel's unwelcome news from yet another perspective. He's spent a dozen more years following Tauran around.
That thought made the alu profoundly sad and jealous all at once. Her mind had a hard time accepting the idea that she had been trapped within the storm dragon's gullet for more than a decade. It had seemed like mere moments to her and Kaanyr.
I had already lost his childhood, Aliisza lamented, and now this.
During all that time, Kael had grown up under Tauran's care, studying with the angel and embracing the teachings of the gods who dwelt within the House of the Triad. Tauran had been given so many years of Kael's life to mold and sculpt, making him a being of goodness and light.
And now he's some soldier devoted to Torm, Aliisza thought, feeling the sadness and resentment wash over her again. A divine champion, chasing after Tauran and all the fool causes he embraces. And I missed the chance to let him see the truth.
Aliisza vowed to change that. She promised herself that she would unmake what Tauran had crafted in her absence. Though she wasn't sure how, she would not go down without a fight. Kael was her son, not the angel's.
A burst of wind rocked Aliisza again, dragging her from her thoughts and resolutions. Tauran had surged far ahead, with Kael close behind him, and she and Kaanyr had lagged behind, she lost in her contemplations and he fighting his cloak. The angel and the champion vanished within the thick mists of the nearest cloud. Fearing that she would lose them, Aliisza went into a dive to try and catch up. Angling her body and folding her arms and wings in tight, she descended like an arrow. She tried to ignore the flecks of ice that stung her face, squinting for some sign of Tauran and Kael.
She plummeted into the cloud and lost all sense of depth or direction. The disorientation lasted only a moment before she was out the other side. Below her stretched the vast panorama of the plane, with its myriad floating masses of land, all of them uprooted clumps of earth with raw, jagged undersides. She spotted Tauran and Kael too, not so far ahead as she had feared. They drifted toward a particularly large island of rock, one that sported several ridges with a hollow in the center, like some mountain valley surrounded by aged, weathered peaks.
A forest dominated the terrain, and as she drew closer, the alu could see that many of the trees were mighty elder things, akin to the tallest specimens she had seen in the ancient forests of Toril. Even so, the wind lashed at their branches, sending the crowns of the great trees whipping back and forth in the maelstrom. Aliisza also noted that a thin veneer of white had begun to accumulate upon the massive floating mass, swirling sleet and snow pellets combining with a glaze of outright frost.
Tauran led the way into a small meadow in the midst of the ancient trees. He came to rest near the center of the clearing but immediately moved off to one side, seeking shelter beneath the bowers and trunks. Aliisza fought the swirling, slashing wind and managed to follow him down. The moment her feet touched solid ground, she huddled against the blasts of frigid air and trotted after the angel. Kaanyr and Kael followed close behind.
Once within the relative protection of the forest, Tauran found an outcropping of stone that jutted up like a canted fist. He moved into the lee of the rock, wedging himself close against it. Aliisza and Kael joined him, and soon they huddled together out of the worst of the weather. Kaanyr stood out a few paces, paying no mind to the stinging sleet and snow.
'We'll rest here a moment,' the angel said, breathing heavily, 'before we continue on.'
Aliisza nodded gratefully and struggled to catch her breath. 'What is this?' she asked after a time, gesturing all around them vaguely. 'What's happening?'
Tauran grimaced. 'Upheaval. Catastrophe. Turmoil,' he said.
'Speak plain, deva,' Kaanyr snapped. 'What does that mean?'
'He means,' Kael interjected before Tauran could speak, 'that this is what happens when the gods quarrel.'
Tauran nodded. 'Yes. Tyr and Helm are having an argument. They are both very angry, and their anger has spilled out to engulf all of the House.'
'What's their quarrel?' Aliisza asked, surprised to see such vehemence made manifest. 'Micus hinted at a disagreement, but this?' She gestured again. It was as if the deities were ripping the cosmos apart.
'The minds of the gods are difficult to fathom,' Tauran answered. 'Perhaps the solars who attend them know more, but even they aren't divulging much. All we know is that it has to do with Ilmater's departure, and Tyr's choice to replace him within the Triad.'
Kaanyr snorted. 'What a waste of time,' he said, rolling his eyes, 'fretting over the loss of that martyred idiot. The weakest, most pathetic-'
The cambion's words were cut short as Kael shifted his position to level his greatsword at him. 'Do not speak of the Crying God in such an irreverent manner.'
Vhok returned the glare and reached for his own blade, but Tauran growled, a deep, reverberating sound that froze everyone in place.
'Enough!' he screamed. 'I will not tolerate these constant displays of bravado! Kael, our bargain with the half-fiend does not preclude him from expressing his opinions. If he chooses not to honor Ilmater as you might, that is his business. Leave him be.'
Kael frowned and opened his mouth as if to argue, but then seemed to think better of it. With a single, curt nod, he withdrew his blade and leaned against the outcropping, arms folded across his armored chest.
'And you,' Tauran said, addressing Kaanyr. 'You will not so easily wriggle free of your obligation. The geas upon you may permit you to defend yourself should we attack you, but it will take more than taunts and veiled insults to expend our patience. Your energy would be much better served in aiding us than trying to trick us. We are not easily duped.'
Kaanyr glowered for a moment then broke into a smile. It was the first time in quite some while that Aliisza could remember the cambion doing so. 'Now that I know how much it galls you to suffer my remarks, you may rest assured that they will come thick and often. I will never be your lackey, deva.'
Tauran stared levelly at Kaanyr for several moments. His face remained neutral, with the exception of one corner of his mouth twitching. Then he shrugged. 'It will change nothing.'
'So why did Ilmater depart?' Aliisza asked. 'And whom did Tyr choose?'
'Tymora,' Kael answered, pushing himself away from the rock to stare out past Kaanyr into the swirling weather. Aliisza wasn't certain if there was disapproval in the half-drow's voice or not.
Tauran nodded. 'Yes, Tymora,' he said. 'Ilmater went to Sune's embrace and now dwells with her in Brightwater. Many believe Tyr holds similar feelings for Tymora and has asked her to come to him for the same reasons.'
Kaanyr snorted again. 'So everyone is sharing someone's bed. Hardly seems a worthy reason for raising such a storm,' he said.
'There are those who believe Siamorphe would make a better choice,' Tauran replied, 'including Helm. The Watcher, for whatever reason, has chosen to make his feelings known. Somehow, he sees it as his duty to challenge Tyr's decision.'
Aliisza sighed. 'And thus their followers argue, debating the merits of each god's position.'
Tauran nodded. 'Such is the way of the gods sometimes,' he said. 'Despite your condescension, our lives are not so different from your own. There is strife in all things. We simply choose to resolve it differently.'
Kaanyr chuckled. 'Yes, casting a deadly squall across the entire plane is definitely a more noble and righteous means of resolving things,' he said. 'You should be proud.'
Aliisza noted Tauran's lips purse in anger, but the deva didn't reply.
'Tell me,' Kaanyr asked, 'are you looking forward to victory? Will it feel good to point out to all of Helm's followers after the fact that yours was the superior position? Or maybe you're worried about backing the losing side? Maybe there's a little fear gnawing at you that you'll be the one scorned and ridiculed.'
Tauran's expression darkened.
'Yes, I can see it,' Kaanyr continued, 'a hint of something less than wholesome. Deep down, you secretly know you're either going to be very satisfied or thoroughly ashamed. And no matter which way things are decided,
