Wraithvine and the ones with them are called back to Lower Petraine. The runner had used scrying, along with a signal that this was immensely urgent, to let everyone know they were coming. Out of breath, especially using the swiftness spell to get to the gentle mage, along with Vee and everyone with them, hurried back to the village. Gentle Anthe was in hospice, age had caught up with her and she'd not long left. But, she wanted to see her grandchild again, and her dear friend, before she slipped into that long, eternal, sleep. -- Anon Guest
Kobolds can live for one hundred and twenty years. However, most of them don't. The destiny of a Kobold is generally to end in a brief, crunchy squeak. Given that Lady Anthe was a thief, a trickster, and an Adventurer as well, it was surprising that she lived to see retirement.
Her life in Lower Petraine was even longer than expected. Having a grandchild like young Vee had its benefits.
Time, like a thief, stole upon Lady Anthe. Vee happened to like Adventuring and after the nonsense with Amatu was done, she continued on with or without Wraithvine to help the world. With every visit home, Lady Anthe was a little more faded. A little slower. A little less able.
One visit might be the last.
That knowledge filled Vee's heart with fear. She wanted her old grandma to live forever. So she warned her current Adventuring crew that a family urgency might happen. That an Elf may one day appear out of the blue and whisk her away. And, most importantly, they were not to try and fight hir.
Adventurers, as Wraithvine often said, cannot be relied upon to remember that they have feet.
They had been enjoying a post-adventure carouse in the Dead Horse Inn when Wraithvine appeared with That Look on hir face. Bad news had reached hir, and now ze was the courier to deliver it to Vee.
"Gram'ma?" Vee quavered, suddenly feeling like she was five and lost in the dark again.
"The Clerics say it's time," said Wraithvine, and held out hir hand.
The rest of the Adventurers reached for their weapons. Wraithvine reflexively cast Sleep on them with one of hir powerful artefacts.
"They're going to try to kill you for that," sighed Vee. She accepted Wraithvine's hand.
"They're welcome to try after tomorrow." Ze chained every fast transit spell ze had on hand, including summoning a fine steed for the last leg of the journey to Lower Petraine.
The hospice was clean and full of the residual sparkles from various mages ridding any space of filth. Lady Anthe had started off small, but she looked even smaller in the crisp hospice bed.
Grey of scale. White of eye. Propped up into an ideal position to help her rest. There was a clever device nearby to waft herbal mists towards her face. She was still breathing, but it was becoming an effort for her.
Vee held her hand. "Gram'ma? I'm here."
Draconic eyes opened. Squinted, looking in almost the wrong direction. Lady Anthe's hand was trembling as it bought Vee's hand to her snout.
"There you are," she quavered. "Where's that old fool?"
Wraithvine journeyed around into her limited field of vision. Placed hir hand over Vee's. "I'm here. You know how I hate the last goodbyes, so... I will kiss you once more and go find some woods to scream in. I will see you in the Spectral Plane."
And ze could never stay, they all knew.
"I will be making faces," quavered Anthe. "Just to make you laugh."
Wraithvine did as ze had promised. As a Wizard who had been alive since the making of the world, ze had had more than hir fill of death.
Anthe patted Vee's hand. "My sons couldn't stay, either," she said. "I was supposed to hang around forever. Too bad... Kobolds are too mortal."
"Entirely too mortal," Vee agreed. "I feel like throwing a tantrum because we can't have what we want."
"Do better. Tell wonderful stories." Anthe's grip fell slack, and her breathing slowed and became shallower to the point of imperceptibility.
A Cleric came to double check, and began a song to ease a soul into the realms beyond.
Somewhere, according to Kobold lore, her spirit was being reborn in a new hatchling. The echo in the Spectral Plane was just that, an echo of her personality and memories. The newest Kobold would have an interesting life ahead of them, repeating and adding to Anthe's legendary lifetime.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / pbombaert]
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