King Eomore Aivendar looked onto the quiet inner ward of great Castle Lyndyn. The quadrangle was almost empty. The king of Donothor usually slept well. This night’s insomnia and an unnerving sense of foreboding baffled him. He had left his warm bed and the closeness of his beloved Queen Cara and stepped out onto the balcony that overlooked the enceinte. The call of a night bird and a muffled cough from one of the guards high on the allure of the outer curtain disturbed the silence. Peace had prevailed since the victory of the sheriff of Knottington Lyana Rikmon and feminine warriors of Donothor against the demon and made guard duty largely symbolic. Castle Lyndyn was the most fortified place in the Kingdom of Donothor. Unlike the Fane of the Setting Sun and the dwarves’ citadel Hillesdale, Castle Lyndyn had never been under siege.
Eomore sighed. A faint fluttering caught his attention and grew louder. The caw of a griffin announced its arrival. The beast flew into the torch-lit area of the balcony. The creature carried a pouch emblazoned with the symbol of the Fane of the Setting Sun.
Griffins were among the most trustworthy and intelligent creatures in the realm. The muscular beasts were often trusted with the guardianship of children. griffins were often empathetic to light sorcerers, and the beasts augmented the healing capabilities of the light sorcerers.
Eomore Aivendar approached the winged creature and removed and unrolled the parchment. The king immediately recognized the flowing runes that categorized the Priestess Knarra’s handwriting. The king gasped. This could not be true! Was this glad tidings or a baneful notice? The message did not help king’s sleeplessness. Nonetheless he knew that Cara would miss him soon and quietly returned to their bedchamber and lay beside her to feign sleep. The king did not hear the soft lyrical elfish phrases. He never did and again slept.
Cara Nightshade Aivendar smiled. Forty years of marriage and her beloved had never detected the Sleep Spell. She would awaken him in the morning.
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