Hyden became aware of the stark silence around him. Between the dragon’s horns, a thin wisp of smoke began to swirl up from the blue flames. The tendrils thickened and twisted like a miniature funnel, and spun crazily until a small featureless humanoid form appeared. It was about as tall as a man’s forearm is long. A pair of arms rose away from its sides. Hyden could see the back and buttocks of a shapely woman slowly define itself. Long flowing hair, curvaceous hips, and smooth tapering legs, formed in perfect miniature out of the swirling smoke. It was the White Goddess, but she was facing away from Hyden. He wanted badly to move to the other side of the dragon skull so that he could look upon her face, but he dared not do anything that might startle her away.
Halden spoke a greeting in a strange language and bowed his upper torso to the misty woman before him. The rest of the Elders remained silent, but all of them bowed their heads to her in a show of respect. Hyden bowed his head too, even though he didn’t think she could see him. Looking down, he noticed that Talon was standing alert, like a statue, with his raptor eyes glued to the apparition floating in the shimmering air over the fire.
The goddess spoke then. Hyden couldn’t understand the words, but he knew that he was the subject of the conversation. He could feel it. Halden responded to her, and then their words switched to the common language.
“The Pact has been broken,” she said gravely. “The guardian of the seal is no longer bound to protect it.”
There was a long silence. After the pause, the voice of the goddess grew angry and harsh.
“This is what happens when old men grow jealous and covet another’s abilities. You changed tradition. It is shameful that a foolish squabble with the elves would cause grown men to act like children.” Before Halden could respond, her smoky form turned to face Hyden.
His breath left him, and his heartbeat quickened. His eyelids felt like they might peal back over his skull. She was beautiful, perfectly formed, and naked. He was glad to see her expression soften before she addressed him.
“For now, you must follow your heart, Hyden Hawk. When you’re lost or confused, Talon will help you find the right path to follow. Eventually, you must get back the ring your brother wears. It was not meant for him. It was meant for you to find.”
She glanced back over her shoulder at Harrap and the other Elders, with distaste showing clearly on her tiny, smoky face.
“The balance of things is out of kilter. The entire nature of prophecy has been fractured. Not even I can know what to expect until the balance has been restored. You must follow your heart Hyden. Your heart and your familiar will guide you until the time comes when you can get the ring back from Gerard.”
She turned back toward the Eldest then, leaving Hyden staring after her.
“The power of prophecy is useless now,” she said, with a quick, nervous glance up into the false sky around them. “Fractured and uncertain is the only future I can see –”
She paused again, and for a moment, seemed confused. Her suddenly fearful expression, along with her words, created a wave of panic among the Elders. More than one pair of shame-filled eyes fell on Hyden. Even the Eldest glanced at his grandson with an expression full of dire concern.
“There is no sure path for him to follow,” she continued. “Any deed of honor might prove to be horribly destructive. A cold betrayal might prove to be the most righteous act ever committed. No one can say with any certainty.”
She spun, and half ducked reflexively, and then looked up into her starry sky, with an arm held out protectively over her face. High over her head, something as dark as the night glided by. Had it not been eclipsing the stars it was passing under, it would have been invisible to them.
“Evil approaches as we speak! It is upon them. You mus –”
Her voice ended abruptly, and her image turned into a shapeless swirl as Talon shot through her, towards the dark thing gliding overhead.
“NOOO!” Hyden screamed at the bird, but it was too late. The spell had been broken. The night sky had been replaced by the stone ceiling of the chamber and Talon struck it with a sickening thump. The Elders gasped as the brave hawkling tumbled to the floor like a feather-covered stone.
The door to the chamber burst open then, and young Derry Skyler came in huffing and covered with sweat, with eyes as big as saucers.
“Something has attacked them!” he said between breaths.
Being a seasoned climber, the boy was in spectacular shape. Hyden knew that he would’ve had to run a long way to be so out of breath. Hyden’s stomach clenched as he realized that Derry had been watching over Vaegon and the kingdom men.
“It was coming down out of the sky on them when I left to warn you. The…they were asleep. Oh Hyden,” he sobbed. “I should have warned them awake instead of…of…”
He fell apart then. He was crying and very confused.
“I pa…panicked. I thought…thought there…thought there might be more of them…come…come…coming here.”