Timestamp: 75th of Summer, 518 A.V.
It was an early morning for Kelski. She’d gone for a flight over the beach when she’d woken up, needing to get out and stretch her muscles. Her brain often didn’t want to work unless she was warmed up and had stimulated the Eagle side of herself. Kelski didn’t know if natural eagles were prone to patrolling territory or not, but she indeed was. The Kelvic felt like she wasn’t ‘in the know’ unless she took a few turns over Baroque Bay and leveled out to circle the city at least once to make sure all was well. She often avoided the slag heap, the air not to her liking, but after she’d flown at dawn, the Kelvic could settle down and work most of the day without having restlessness. The focus after a flight was amazing to her and invaluable to getting work done.
So she flew… and was shocked… absolutely shocked… when she returned to go land on the balcony and found a crate on the deck. There was no sign of anyone having been there. She landed by the crate, shifting to her human skin at the last moment to hit the rough wood with a smack of her bare feet. Kelski read the writing on the shipping grate and found it addressed to The Midnight Gem c/o Kelskanisha K'etir. The Kelvic blinked, staring at the last name curiously. The truth was, she had no last name, no name at all other than her given one. Why was someone giving her one?
The Kelvic slipped into her workshop and got a simple metalsmithing pry bar and gently began to pry open the crate. It was enormous, far large enough to house a body if necessary. It took some doing to pry the lid off and unveil the insides but when she slid the heavy wooden top to the side, she studied the contents with surprise.
There was a sort of little wooden tower some of the fancier homes had on them nestled inside. Kelski tilted her head, looking for a word …. Cupola…. It was a cupola and tinted the same weird bluish purple the brick and beam Midnight Gem wore. Past that, nestled in the straw around it were three more things. The first was a metal structure that Kelski was able to pull free immediately. It was a weather vane topped with an eagle. The eagle looked just like her and seemed to tingle in her hands. She set the copper thing aside, finding it truly beautiful and pulled out the next thing. It was a book… a beautiful book thick and with a carved leather cover bound with iron. The title read “Architectrix” and in flipping the book open, Kelski briefly scanned the contents and saw immediately that it was indeed a magic that breathed life into a structure with the combination of a mage and another sentient building’s life force. She glanced at the Cupola and reached out, touching it and feeling the same hum of energy from it that the weather vane had. The Cupola had windows on four sides and Kelski thought she caught a glimpse of something moving in it. Blinking again, she almost reached to pull the heavy wooden structure free until a letter slipped from the pages of the book. Kelski set the book aside, picked up the letter, and carefully broke the wax seal and began to read.
“My Dearest Sister.
I have been looking for you for years. I only recently traced you to Lhavit and there found a Jeweler who claimed to have been apprenticed you to him to teach you Jewelcrafting, much to my amusement and pleasure. Our entire family tends to run towards metalsmith mages so it does not surprise me you are working your own metal and creating things of beauty. It was from him I learned you were captured into slavery, sold to a far-off cesspool, and had earned your freedom and started to make something of yourself.
Had you still been in chains I would have come for you immediately. However, my search has left my own business and life unattended in some time so knowing you are safe for the moment, I’ve sent you a present to assist you in your survival and success in Sunberth. Guard these gifts well, because one of them is your very own niece, Ember, one of my many children… a wayward girl of only a few months old but one I could tell would be prime for an adventure and not one suited to staying home with her father in our crankly old family home.
Speaking of our home… K’etir Keep has sent you a present of its own. Guard the cupola and weather vane well and mount them firmly on the roof of your home at your first oportunity. Inside the spine of the book is the last item you will need… a gifted sliver of K’etir Keep’s heart. Awaken your home, Kelskanisha, and let it feed from your magic and protect yourself and those you love. I will come for a visit the soonest I can, which will probably be after the first of the year. I’d love for you to return home for a visit as well, to meet the rest of your family.
I want to write more but some things should be told in person and explained face to face. I will tell you how sorry I am that you were taken and we lost you. I know the story you were told from your Lhavitian Master and it was not true. Our parents did not sell you into slavery though that is where you ended up. You were taken from us forcefully and we’ve looked for years since. You have an entire family that loves you, needs you, and would welcome you home at any moment.
Know that.
And please care for Ember like she was your own. She will grow fast, have a short life, and may not be what you expect. But she is an adventurous sort and not one that would be happy at home. I told her of her long lost aunt, the legend of our family, and she offered to accompany this offering to you.
If you are not a mage by now, my baby sister, after this you will be. Do not fear it. Embrace it. Magic is in your blood and you are drawn to it and to mages by your very nature. Ember will help you with things as well. Like all of our family, she is a caregiver. And though she is young, she will grow fast, burn bright, and live a short life. Make it a beautiful one. I have other daughters, but none are so sharp as she is. I picture her a lot like you must be, Kelskanisha.
I hope this letter finds you well… and you pay heed to everything I say.
Your loving brother, Kalistan K’etir.”
She read the letter twice… and had started through it a third time when she noticed that the movement inside the cupola had surfaced. A tiny black mouse sat perched on the cupola, radiating Kelvic energy as clearly as if it were saying hello. Kelski stared at the mouse, frowning, because she had a feeling that this was a pivotal moment and afterwards she’d never eat mouse again.
“Hello Ember… according to this letter I am your Aunt Kelski. Will you make yourself welcome here?” The Sea Eagle said… her face still full of questions even as she studied the little mouse. The black body shimmered, dissolved in a swirl of colored lights, and reappeared as what looked like a small eight-year-old dark haired girl.
The girl reached into the cupola, pulled out a simple child’s dress, and slipped it over her head. Then she smiled, her smile dissolving into an all out grin, and said ...
“Hello Aunt Kelskanisha.”
Word Count: 1322
