Connor

Although he was still quite disoriented and his mind felt as though it were just escaping a deep fog, Connor was more than relieved to be rid of Drakar's presence for good. Now that the threat of danger was dying down, he realized how exhausting it was having Drakar trespass in his mind. His body felt weak, as if it had been overused for days. He clearly wasn't the only one that felt this way, as Lydia and Drow appeared weary and worn out as well.

"I can't believe we attacked you." Drow said to Avalonna as she helped him sit rest in the home of the Witch Council. Lydia sat by Connor and embraced him softly.

"Neither can I. Drakar is horribly strong, I am grateful you were able to defeat him." Lydia said, smiling at Connor and Avalonna.

"As am I, though he was only banished, not destroyed." Avalonna replied.
"We can only hope he will not return."

"Don't be so negative, Val." Connor said with a strained smile. He was still recovering from the battle and the unwelcome presence of Drakar.
"We did very well today, including surviving a battle with dragons. I say we should be somewhat happy."

"I would agree," Nera said as she approached with Diamandra.
"Although, we did lose one of our own."

" 'Tis true, not even my magic can bring Thol back." Cyra added in. All three witches were clearly exhausted from the battle, and they moved slowly as they made their way back to the house.

"We all know what the Nitehardts are capable of, we can't stay here much longer." Diamandra stated as everyone settled in. Avalonna spoke to Drow quietly and even though his wounds had quickly healed, Connor still felt as if something was wrong. The lingering effects of being possessed by the dragon lord were still interfering with his thoughts, he wondered if the others felt as he did.

"Do not worry so much Connor," Lydia said as she embraced him.
"It is like you said, Drakar is gone. We must focus on our next task."

Connor nodded and saw his sister stare over at them.

"Much has changed, I believe, since I left home." Avalonna said with a hint of a smile.
"Perhaps we should share our stories."

"You will get your chance, but it is almost nightfall." Nera interrupted.
"We must have Thol's final farewells at dusk. It is the proper way in our tradition."

All nodded and as dusk settled in around them, they followed Nera towards Thol's frozen prison. The air around them became even sharper and colder than before, and their shadows had begun to stretch across the ground. They came up to Thol, now nothing more than a statue, and formed a circle around him.

"You did not know him, visitors, but we knew Thol for many years." Nera began.
"Usually most witches and warlocks are human born, so it is a special occurrence when one is born amongst the Elven or Dwarven kind. Today is a sad day for we mortals, to lose such a special friend. However, it is a joyous occasion for those in the afterlife. They are receiving a truly unique spirit."

Diamandra smiled fondly, obviously thinking of her old friend. Cyra looked deeply saddened, but nodded and gave a faint smile nonetheless. Connor noticed that Lydia seemed to be following along and her eyes were filled with recognition.

"You are familiar with many of the ways of witches, aren't you Lydia?" Connor asked quietly.

"When I was younger, before my changing mind you, my mother did practice magic. I learned some of their ways, yes. Elves are naturally superior with magic compared to most species, though I never got the chance to learn." She replied.

Connor nodded and held her hand softly. It was cold to the touch, and Connor was surprised he had never noticed this before. It was as if now that he knew her secret, everything about her was obviously inhuman. Then again, Connor was no longer just a human either.

Connor was lost in thought and did not notice when the witches had finished their ceremony. He looked around when it felt even colder than before and all got dark and deathly quiet. It was as if time itself had stopped. Suddenly the wind picked up and an orb of light shined brightly in the middle of their circle. The light grew brighter and brighter until it burned itself out and disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. The witches around Connor, and even Lydia, nodded in finality and everything returned to normal.

"That was..." Connor started, but could not find the words to express what he felt.

"Yes, the ceremony is quite astonishing, especially if you have never experienced it before." Lydia replied.
"I remember-"

"Excuse me, Lydia." Queen Aurora interrupted as she approached.
"We need to discuss some things." She was clearly still saddened at the loss of her friend, but she tried her best to hide it.

"Yes, my queen." Lydia bowed slightly and gave a nod to Connor. He noticed how she rarely called Aurora her mother, and he knew Aurora noticed too.

"I apologize Connor, we can speak more later." She said with a smile and followed the elf queen.

Connor nodded back and sighed. Things seemed to have gotten quite complicated since he became a man, in more ways than one. He went over to his sister, who had just finished speaking to Drow, and sat beside her.

"How are you feeling?" Avalonna asked him.

"I will survive," he said while stretching.
"We have much to discuss, don't we?" He asked, half smiling to himself.

"That is an understatement, brother." Avalonna replied with a smile of her own.
"First, share news of your travel, then we will figure out how to move on from here. We both know the Nitehardts are not going to stop."

Connor nodded and with a sigh, told her about his journey.