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The Dark Lord sat anxiously atop his throne while he waited. Army training had long since ended and many of the soldiers were busy with their own private training. The deep red curtain quivered as the messenger came through the seam. He walked silently to stand before the throne.

“The letters have been delivered. They are on their way.” Having finished his duty he slipped once more out of the room.

Only a few silent minutes passed before the guards opened the large doors to permit three soldiers entrance. Durza, Beast, and Varos walked into the throne room. Varos was a Detumi Rank with dark grey feathered wings. He was not much older than Durza but he had often been sent on missions by the Dark Lord.

“You summoned us, milord?” Beast asked sitting as he let his wings lay against his back.

“I have a special mission for you three,” he explained leaning forward, “You cannot tell anyone. You’ll meet here at nightfall for a briefing.”

Beast led the way back out of the throne room. Durza and Varos followed as he trotted down the front steps. He turned to face the two.

“Come with me,” he commanded, “We should make preparations for whatever may commence.”

“What do you think-”

Varos struck the air in front of Durza cutting her off.

“What was that for?” she asked concerned.

“I smell a rat,” he told her calmly, “He’s lurking too closely.”

Durza turned and noticed Stan leaning against the outer wall of the fortress partially hidden by a tree. His commonly known striped shirt could be seen through the low branches.

“Just when it was getting interesting, too.” Stan sighed stepping fully into view.
“What were you chatting about so seriously?”

Durza stared coldly at Stan. She knew too well that he was a rat.

“Durza, Varos follow closely or you’ll get lost.” Beast walked past Stan acting as though he were less important than a bug on the wall. He was merely an annoyance.

The creature ethereal of Beast’s family occupied a vast area of the city. The other creature ethereal surrounded their family and respected them as nobles. As they approached they noticed cat-like ethereal on the fence spread their feathered wings flying towards the main house.

“Sentries,” Beast explained.

They turned into an inlet and tall double doors of bound logs opened for them. Two well built wolf ethereal pulled the doors open by ropes in their mouths. They held them back as the group walked through and released them letting the doors swing back in place behind them.

“Beast,” A slender wolf walked over to them. “Who have you brought into our compound?”

“They are Durza and Varos, mother. We have a few things to discuss.”

“The meeting room is open.”

The buildings in the beast area were constructed of earthly materials. Trees grew amidst the buildings disturbed only by roads and walls. The thatched roofs peaked out through the low tree branches.

The three walked through a gate and found a large building of tied logs. Inside they walked through a tarp doorway and down through a tunnel to an underground room.
“This den is used for meetings that must be kept secret even within our kind.”

“It’s very complex,” Varos told him admiring the structure.

“Creature ethereal have many secrets of their own don’t they?” Durza asked walking over to Beast.

“Doesn’t everyone? Your kind also keeps secrets between your families.” Beast sat on his haunches but there wasn’t any furniture for the others. Everything in the room was dirt and stone.

“Do you have any idea what we will be told to do?” Varos asked.

Beast shook his head. “No, he has been careful to not let any leaks through this time.”

“Leaks?” Durza questioned.

“Often one of our kind manages to hear some part or other of these missions. If any have they have been bound to silence.” Beast’s fur bristled momentarily. “You have both heard that the beast ethereal are bound by their names, haven’t you? We keep our names secret from everyone outside our immediate family. At birth we are given two names. One is an allias that we are called by everyone except the one who commands us. The Dark Lord has all of our names. One day we will be free from his grasp. No one wants to be the Dark Lord’s dog. I don’t want to follow his heinous orders anymore. I will never so much as touch a hair on an innocent person’s head again.”

That evening Beast led the group into the throne room. The Dark Lord stood by a table at the bottom of his throne. The heavy doors closed behind them as he summoned them forward. The Dark Lord spoke to them in a hushed voice as though afraid the looming curtains would overhear him.

“I am going to send you to Aria, the capital of the Light Realm. You are to map out the city in great detail. I have chosen you three because I believe you can do so without being seen. You must not let yourselves be found.” His businesslike face cracked with a smile. “Your task is to map out the area to the best of your abilities. You will have until dawn to complete it. Varos will give the aerial view and Durza will map the surrounding forest. Beast I need to speak with you alone. Durza, Varos please wait outside for a moment.”

When the door shut the Dark Lord glared down at Beast with deadly seriousness. “I expect you to make sure they do their jobs correctly, Caolite.”

Beast fell to the floor with his ears back and his tail tucked under. His wings pressed against his back as his body unconsciously attempted to make himself as small as possible. His eyes bore into the angry looming face of the Dark Lord trying to keep out any signs of defiance.

The Dark Lord strolled around the edge of the table to kneel beside Beast. He pet his head causing Beast to shudder at the touch. He dug his claws into the stone floor.

“You will go to the palace in Aria. You cannot be seen but there is something I would like you to check on. There was a rumor going around in the Faery Realm recently about a missing Light Princess.” He grinned as excitement filled his heartless eyes seen behind his side swept bangs. “They say she returned.”

Beast’s eyes widenend with fear and sudden realization.

“It reminds you of someone, doesn’t it Caolite? I want you to confirm the rumor. You only have one night so you can’t afford any mistakes. I want to know the identity of the princess. Bring me back the truth, Caolite. Leave no stone unturned until you can confirm my suspicion.”

“Understood, my Lord,” his voice came in a whine against the pain from the binding.

“Stand and compose yourself,” the Dark Lord commanded as he rose and took his position on the other side of the table. “Summon the others.”

Beast’s fur was still ruffled slightly by his neck as he returned with the others. The Dark Lord formed a portal by the side of the table.

“I have prepared the necessary supplies for surveying the area. I wish the three of you the best of luck,” the Dark Lord cheered grinning as they stepped into the portal. The darkness consumed them blocking his face from their sight.

When the portal receded they stood among many different kinds of trees. The night was silent and still as they looked about them. The air still held the bite of receding winter. The trees were bare and only hinting to the presence of buds. The sky above them shone bright with a full moon and many shimmering stars.

“Varos, check the area,” Beast barked quietly.

Varos launched himself into the air hovering above the tree line as he scanned the area quickly. He landed quietly holding a compass for them all to see. “The city is to the east. A half mile from here at the most. There doesn’t seem to be any other villages for miles.”

“Alright, we will meet back here before sunrise. Don’t let yourselves be seen. Now, let’s not waste time.”

Beast ran east towards the city while Varos launched himself back into the air. Durza jumped and climbed high into the branches of the nearest tree. She knew she had to find prominent landmarks around the city: road, rivers, lakes, rock formations, any that would help determine their location. As she scanned over the forest she couldn’t help but wonder what the purpose of their mission was. Her mind could only think the worst. The Dark Lord was planning an attack.

Durza shook the idea off knowing she had to do what she was commanded. Lying would only cause suspicion and put the others in danger. She noticed a break in the trees off to her left and leapt to the ground. After leaving a dagger in the ground by the base of the tree she ran off towards the clearing. She noted where Polaris was in the sky as she ran in order to keep her location in check. Suddenly she stopped short gazing in wonder at the familiar sky. Thought she was in an entirely different Realm but she found herself admiring the same constellations. She looked closer at the trees and even caught herself kneeling down to touch the frozen grass. The differences she saw were so subtle that she nearly looked over them. She laughed at how bizarre she had imagined the Light Realm to look as a child.
As she continued mapping out the land she found herself getting more and more drawn in to the strange new land. One of the tall aqueducts rose out of the trees before her. She moved the earth to help her examine its structure closer. Each stone was molded to fit perfectly with the others. As she rose closer to the top she heard a babbling sound from inside the stones. She leaned her ear against the stone to hear the water rushing by inside. The coming of spring had prompted the reopening of the source. Durza stood on top of the aqueduct noticing where the water led. She couldn’t help gazing at the city bathed in moonlight. An ache filled her chest as she remembered why she was there.

She quickly sketched what landmarks she could see before continuing her loop of the perimeter. After examining the third aqueduct she continued once more on her mapping. Her drawing was nearly a complete circle. As walked softly she heard a faint sound coming through the trees before her. As Durza grew closer she realized it was a voice singing. The sound was gentle but full of emotion. She slowed as the trees thinned revealing a lake. The singer sat on a large rock jutting out into the water. Her large white feathered wings seemed to compete with the moon in their splendor. Durza has never seen wings near as faint as the singer’s. She peaked out from the tree line trying to get a better look. The figure sat wrapped in a long cloak but her face couldn’t be seen as she looked out towards the water. The crisp grass crunched under Durza’s feet causing the singer to turn at the noise.

Aero stood abruptly at the sight of the stranger. Durza stepped back unsure how to react. She had been caught. The one rule of the mission had been broken.

“That clothing . . .” Aero looked at the strange style in awe. “You are a Dark Ethereal?”

Durza bolted for the cover of the trees as she tried to think of what to do. She knew that she had to do something to stop word from getting out of a Dark Ethereal sighting was she couldn’t imagine bringing any harm to the singer.

“Wait! Please! Do you know Tornado?”

Durza stopped short only a few feet into the trees. She walked back out into the clearing. She stared at the singer unbelieving.

“Did you say, Tornado?” She looked into the girl’s worried face. “Then are . . . are you Aero?”

Aero released her held breath. “I’m so relieved. I spoke out to you without thinking. Thank goodness you do know him.” She added with a laugh. “And it seems you know about me too.”

“What are you doing out here, Aero. Isn’t it dangerous?” Durza asked worriedly. She felt as though she already knew Aero as a friend and couldn’t help wanting to make sure she stayed safe for Tornado’s sake.

“I come here to think sometimes,” Aero told her looking back at the water, “The palace sometimes feels like a prison to me. Even when I leave it and wander the city I still feel trapped. I have been trying to adjust to life here, I really have, but sometimes I feel so lost. There has been a lot of pressure from my people and my advisors. I haven’t really been sure how to handle it all. Lately, this has been my refuge. There is nothing here to bind me.”

“Even so Tornado would be worried if he knew you were sneaking away like this,” Durza reminded her.

Aero couldn’t help but smile. “It seems you know him really well.”

“He wouldn’t tell just anyone about you. The only ones he told where a small group of most trusted friends but it took a while for him to open up even to us.”

“It has been nearly a year since I last saw him. Has he been well?” She smiled grandly but Durza could see her eyes where watering and she held her hands close to her body.

“He has,” Durza tried to reassure her, “Our lifestyle is rather challenging but he takes it very well. He even trains harder when he’s practicing on his own.”

“I hope he isn’t pushing himself too hard.”

Durza shook her head as she blurted out, “He-he’s been working hard so he can come back to you!”

Aero couldn’t help but laugh but she could no longer hold her tears back. Being able to speak so openly about Tornado was so relieving to her but it was also very painful. “Thank you. Thank you for speaking with me.”

Durza nodded unsure of how to answer. “I wish I could be of more help.”

Aero shook her head. “This was just what I needed. Why are you in the Light Realm, um-”

“My name is Durza.”

“Durza,” Aero repeated it to help her remember, “Are you alone?”

“No,” she looked down guiltily as she answered in a hushed voice. “There are two others here with me. We were sent here by the Dark Lord to map out the city.”

Aero didn’t answer as she looked away slightly.

“Aero, I swear I wouldn’t do this if I had a choice. I don’t want to bring any harm to this place. But I can’t defy him.”

“I understand,” Aero told her, “But this isn’t a good thing, is it? What does he plan to do?”

“I wish I knew. He never tells us more than out task. We don’t even know what our army is training for.”

“ I see.” Aero paced slightly. “What should I do? How can I keep this place safe?”

Durza looked at the parchment that she had begun her mapping on. She clutched it close and took a deep breath. “I have been given the duty to map out the forest. It may be less important than the view of the city but if it is incorrect it may be enough to cause confusion if they plan an attack.”

“But what about you? Won’t you be punished if you fail your part of the mission?” Aero asked concerned.

“It’s fine.” Durza looked off to hide her fear.

“No,” Aero looked Durza sternly in the eyes, “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me. I will try to think of something. You just worry about doing your duty and I will worry about mine.”

Durza could see Aero biting back her worry but knew that there would be no convincing her. The sky above them began to glow orange.

“Oh no, I have to get back,” Durza told her.

“Durza, this mission is a secret from Tornado, right?”

“Yeah,” she answered apologetically. “We were sworn to secrecy, but-”

“It’s fine. He would be worried if he knew. I don’t want him to be stressed over it. Could you do me the favor and watch over him for me?” Aero asked sadly.

“Of course,” Durza cheered in hopes to ease her worries, “There are many of us helping him, Aero. You have no reason to worry. Tornado will be back at your side before you know it.”

“Thank you, Durza.” Aero smiled cheerfully. “You’re a great friend.”

“Take care, Aero!” Durza called as she ran back through the trees towards where she first arrived.

She used the earth to launch her up to the top of the fourth aqueduct for the last needed view of her surveying. From the top she looked to the city for one last look of the elegant skyline. The orange light seemed to make the city glow. For an instant Durza thought it looked as if the buildings were getting consumed by flames. She imagined the aqueducts smashed and the palace crumbling. The mystical dome was cracked and smoke rose high over the whole city. Then as soon as it appeared the strange vision vanished with the rising of the sun.
Durza fled from the structure sprinting for the meeting place. The others stared at her as she stood breathless and shaking before them.

“I don’t feel good about this,” she told them. “Just what is the Dark Lord planning?”