The Forgotten Zodiac

"Oh? But I was preparing another one for you!" Sylas exclaimed. "Please, I must tell you this riddle. It's not nearly as hard as the last one, I promise." He didn't wait for an answer before smiling and starting. "It's rather simple, you see. Just a sequence." He grabbed the sword from his side, using it to draw in the dirt. "23, 11, 6, 3, 5, and 4. What's the next number in the sequence?" He put his sword away, watching his young friend with a mischevious glimmer in his eyes.

The Divine frowned, clearly still having its previous attitude, then flared its wings and made several loops in the sky, thinking and snorting softly. "Er...um...phooey! I don't have enough memories to do this!" it exclaimed, lashing its tail from side to side. "I have no idea!" it said, wiggling all around and nearly hitting a Tartaran that was walking past. The Tartaran sidestepped easily, giving a slight smile at the god being before continuing on his way. An Amnairian caught up to him as he walked off, and they shared a kiss before walking away together.

The Divine ignored them, still ranting over Sylas' riddle.

"You don't need memory. You already know how to count," Sylas chortled, glancing over his shoulder at the pair. He smiled, then turned his attention back to the divine. So much had changed already, but it was good. They were wonderful changes. Sylas liked each and every one. "Well, I guess you'll be puzzling for awhile, because you know how long it takes for me to be ready to give away an answer." He grinned. "Now let's go see what Toroph is working on today. He said he was doing something pretty big, didn't he?" Sylas smiled, then darted off, hurrying to the Tinker's Burrow; it was a building that Galai had made for those who wanted to make things. Tartarans, surprisingly, used it more often than Amnairians; weapons, certainly, but also random knick-knacks they obsessed over. Toroph worked his magic on jewelry of all sorts, and he produced the most beautiful necklaces, bracelets, all of it. The burrow was practically his home, so it was rather aptly named.

Little did Sylas know that Toro had already completed the object, and he had already delivered it.

"There you are. Open your eyes," Titus said, taking a step back. He just finished fastening a necklace around Galai's neck; it was a beautiful gemmed creation, with a tiny pearl unicorn hanging underneath strings of stunning gold beads that looked like stars. Titus held up a small mirror, letting Galai look at it.

Galai stared at her reflection, turning this way and that to stare at it from different angles. She smiled widely, then turned and draped her arms over Titus' neck, kissing him passionately. "Titus, you spoil me too much," she said, her voice thick with emotion. She was still recovering from the Divine's birth, even now, so long afterwards. Expelling what was basically a god from your womb was no easy thing, after all. Her labor alone had taken three exhausting days to complete. And then the Divine had needed to nurse from her inner magic for a time. Galai was still having to recover from that. She had been sick for a while, but was healing as time passed by.

Titus smiled at her. "You spoil me! Our child is walking, talking, alive again. Which would not be so without you, my dearest." He smiled happily, then sighed a bit. He looked...troubled. He had been for the past month. There was usually something on his mind, but he couldn't bring himself to worry poor Galai. But this...this was more important. Vitally important. It had been a simple glance towards an old friend, but now he was dreadfully worried. "I see Werr Krow. The boy is in the midst of a war...I feel that the members of his group will soon be faced with a difficult choice...and I feel a great, ugly power building. We must tell Sylas...he will be needed. I forsee this...and I do not like it one bit." He scowled, wrapping his arms around Galai's waist.

Galai bit her lip, fingering the necklace around her neck. "What could happen?" she said, worry in her face and voice. "I hate to send Sylas anywhere where there might be danger. I know he still enjoys an adventurous life, with lots of movement, but he's not all I worry for. Leo still follows him everywhere, but he's getting old. He's older than Sylas, and while they both are aging, I sense Leo's natural time approaching. I...have not told either one of this." She closed her eyes, saying softly "I would hate to see them suffer..."

"You think Sylas would suffer less if Leo's death came suddenly in the night?" Titus asked quietly. "You should tell them. Sylas...without Leo, he is rather...vulerable. They make an excellent pair, but they are akin to a sword and a stone. Without the sword, the stone is useless. Without the stone, the sword will eventually grow dull and become the same as the stone. Sylas should be allowed some time to prepare for the loss of his friend, or I believe he might do something...drastic. He's thrown himself in Death's way before..."

Galai nodded, then said "I will tell Sylas, but...I fear there could be things made wrong if I told Leo. I fear he will worry for Sylas and perhaps cause himself further harm." She shook her head, then said "I will tell Sylas and ask if he thinks his friend should be told." She was quiet for a moment, then said "I think I should tell Sylas now, while he is still at ease." She leaned up and kissed her mate's cheek, then said "I will return soon, my love," and turned away, her gown flowing around her legs as she trotted from the room.

"Do warn him about his son, as well," Titus said quietly. "He listens to you. He'll understand."

"Oh...no, I already gave the finished product to Titus. Sorry," Toro shook his head.

"Oh? Ahh, well. No matter. I'm sure you did a good job on it." Sylas shrugged, turning away. "Catch you later, Toroph."

"Yes, see you!" The boy waved slightly.

"Come on, let's go see if Leo wants to wrestle," Sylas grinned at the Divine, strolling up the street towards the castle. He looked up at the sky, sighing wistfully.

The Divine hummed Sylas' favorite song, curling around his neck. Already as long as Sylas was tall, it wouldn't be too long before it could no longer lay over his shoulders without hurting him. Even now it was a bit of a weight, but managable.

Galai floated by in the air, glancing around until she spotted them. "Sylas," she greeted, flying down to meet them. The Divine immediately hummed and flew to her arms, curling up and nuzzling under its mother's chin. She kissed its forehead, then turned to Sylas and said "Hello, dear Sylas. May I speak to you for a moment?"

"Sure, Galai. Anything for you." Sylas smiled, then turned into a quiet courtyard. A fountain stood in the center, with benches here and there. Sylas took a breath and dragged one of the benches closer to the fountain, nodding with satisfaction when he was done. "Can we sit down while we talk? I needed a breather, anyways." He said, smiling a bit. He knew that Galai wouldn't refuse, so he sat down. He promptly pulled off his boots and stuck his feet in the cool water, relaxing with a smile on his face.

She smiled softly at him, but the kindly look couldn't last. She glanced around once, then said "Yes, I suppose it's better than you're sitting down... Sylas, I've received a troubling vision, combined with a sense. I saw a great field, and there were many warriors upon it. You and Leo stood there, fighting against the wave, but..." She hesitated, then said "Leo...is not around here, is he?"

She didn't know that he wasn't. He was currently in Sylas' room in the Kaislun castle, sleeping. Other than a rather comical dash of white fur smattered all through his coat, he was still the same as always. And still a grumpy old tom cat.

"No, he's asleep. This is all I have of him here," Sylas reached into his bag and pulled out a tuft of fur that was clearly Leo's. A bunch of it tied together from the last time Leo got a haircut. Sylas smiled and put it back into his back, chortling. "That's all. Why does it matter? Is it...bad?" His expression dropped, and he pulled his feet out of the water, looking serious at once.

Galai gave a slow nod, saying "It is. Sylas...the two of you walked in to fight those waves of enemies. Only you walked back out." She closed her eyes, then said quietly "It grew very, very foggy at that point, and all I could do was feel, but I felt Leo's life force be cut down in battle...and then fade completely. Sylas...Leo is going to die." She bowed her head in sorrow, then said "Everything is not set in stone, of course, but...I sensed his death, one way or another."

Sylas swallowed hard, then looked down at his feet. Very slowly, he looked back up at Galai. "W-we all die sometime...ri-right?" He said feebly, feeling very small all of the sudden. Very...weak. "Aside from Obelisk, but...you know." He stuck his toes back in the water, then pulled them out. Then back in. Then he buried his face in his hands, unsure of how to deal with this news.

Slowly, he recollected his wits. When he spoke again, he sounded...determined. "It's not set in stone...you said yourself. I just...have to make sure it doesn't happen, right?" Sylas thought carefully, then nodded. "I won't let it happen. That's that." He smiled in satisfaction, though it was still weak.

Galai sighed heavily, then moved her arms and wings out and hugged the man tightly, saying "Oh Sylas, you know if there was a way for me to prevent this, I would. I'm so sorry..." She kissed his forehead, burying her face in his gray-speckled hair. "I didn't want to tell you. But I did. The choice is up to you whether or not you let Leo know. For now...I suggest you go to Leo and spend time with him."

"No...he doesn't need to know. Because it won't happen," Sylas shrugged, clearly either in denial or determined to keep his friend from Death's clutches. Perhaps both. "Oh, and Galai...I found something strange by the Eye of Ka'ael the other day on my run. Would you ask Titus about it for me?" He pulled out a small cloth and handed it to Galai. Wrapped in the cloth was the shattered remains of a glowing red orb, encrusted with rock and dirt. He put it in her hands, then turned and strolled off towards the castle again. "Thanks for warning me, Galai."

She stared after him, then looked down to the scattered pieces in her hands. She frowned, then turned and flew away, hurrying to find Titus and show him the odd, broken red orb.

*

Leo was snoozing away, but he woke when Sylas entered the room. "There you are," he said, beginning to lick his trimmed fur and smooth it down. "Dark was looking for you. That kid's more clingy than a load of fleas. And probably just as hard to get rid of." He licked through his fur for a moment longer, then said "I dreamed about catfish. It was...quite odd."

"Catfish, eh?" Sylas chortled, flopping down next to Leo with a grin. "It must mean you're hungry or something.' He went quiet for a moment, looking at his friend with an odd look on his face. But he quickly chased the look off with a smile. "Come on, let's go get you some food. I think Jal is in the kitchen today, which means lunch will be absolutely incredible, as it usually is when he gets in there. We can ask him to prepare some fish, if you want. Or we could GO fishing!" Sylas suggested, grinning. Even for a year of living in Kaislun, he never seemed to get bored. Which was good, on his end. It was all too easy to distract himself from bitter truths like this most recent one.

"Fishing is boring, but I suppose if you do it MY way, it's fun," he said, turning to rub his head against Sylas' shoulder. "We'll be off, then. I've got my summer coat all grown in nice, so I'm not itchy from shedding anymore. I'm very comfortable now." He fixed the man with his bright yellow eyes, then said "Something is bothering you. What's wrong?"