"Healing yourself internally while leaving some external damage," Bracken said.
"You have the idea."
"Tell me about the battle," Bracken invited.
"First tell me more about your purpose here."
"A demon called Graulas has taken control of the Society of the Evening Star," Bracken said.
"I remember Graulas. Shouldn't he be dead?"
"It's a long story. The short version is that he's healed. The Society now possesses all five artifacts. They're using the Oculus to track down the Eternals."
Niko arose, shaking his fur as if shedding water. His wounds disappeared. "I have been waiting here to see who might come. I honestly did not expect allies."
"You wanted a bite of whoever planned this," Bracken said.
"Something like that. You desire knowledge of the battle?"
"Please."
The tiger stretched, claws extending. "As a glance at the walls will reveal, Roon son of Osric was a master hunter--a giant of a man, with a magnificent beard and a taste for mead. For centuries, this stronghold has served as his private hunting ground. He maintained two other secret hunting arenas not far from here. On all of his properties, he bred extremely dangerous game. The men who served him came here as apprentice huntsmen. To serve Roon meant to renounce the outside world. He never shared his secret, but they knew he had an unusual arrangement with Death. He drew the best to him. One to three perished every year on the hunts, but still they came.
"Blindsided, outnumbered, his men stood with him in the end. Old and young fought fiercely and died bravely. We all tried to save him. Roon felled more foes than any of us, first with bow, then with spear, then with mace, then with sword. His silver knife slew the pair of lycanthropes on the steps of his dais. But magic made the fight unfair. In the end, the woman whose arrows were fletched with phoenix feathers found her mark. In crimson flames Roon fought on, until alone, finally beaten, he staggered to his throne to die."
Kendra had never pictured a tiger shedding tears.
"Tragic," Bracken said solemnly.
"Hunting alongside Roon was the joy of my existence," Niko said. "In the end, I failed him. There were too many foes, several of them powerful. This is a dark hour. Putting my personal bereavement aside, the loss of another Eternal is the real tragedy today."
"Two left?" Bracken asked.
"Two left."
"You don't happen to know where we might find them?"
"To what end?"
"They must be warned," Bracken said. "They still imagine concealment to be a protection. Instead, I will encourage them to travel to Wyrmroost, where Agad now resides. Walls that strong might protect them."
The tiger began to pace. "Perhaps fortune smiles amid calamity. I am the single being in the world who might be able to help you. You see, I am the chief guardian of the Eternals, appointed by Agad eons ago. As such, I can sense the positions of the other guardians. Our lives are bound to those we have sworn to protect. When they die, we die. Except for me. I live on as long as any of the Eternals remain."
"Can you be killed?" Kendra asked, speaking up for the first time.
"I can," Niko replied, "although none of my opponents have proven clever enough to succeed yet." The tiger regarded Bracken coolly. "Tell me about your fairy princess."
"Her name is Kendra," Bracken said. "She's fairykind, and here to help."
"I can see. Does she know who you are?"
"She knows enough."
"And the dragon who was nosing around earlier?"
"Our ride."
"I've never seen a dragon like him."
"He's one of a kind."
The tiger growled. "Our enemies have struck a crippling blow. Roon was the mightiest of the Eternals. We must hurry before our cause is lost."
"Tell me about the other Eternals."
"I know of them," Niko said. "I lack specifics. The wizards kept the details secret. But I can sense the location of their guardians. One of them was in South America for years, until recently fleeing to North America. That one is now in Texas, near Dallas. The other is an inveterate wanderer. That guardian has been around the globe dozens of times, but is currently in the Los Angeles area."
"Both in the United States," Bracken said. "That could be fortunate. They could be much farther from Wyrmroost."
"But not much farther from here," Niko said dryly.
"Can you assume human form?" Bracken asked.
"I lack that ability," Niko said. "No humanoids. Closest I can get is an ape. But I can do a variety of animals approximately my size. I can fly. I can swim."
"We don't have paperwork to travel," Bracken said. "We may have to cross the Atlantic using old-fashioned means."
"How long will it take our adversaries to find the others with the Oculus?" Niko asked.
"I don't know. We have an inside man at the Society, but he has been out of touch. Our problem is that Graulas may place the Oculus into the hands of Nagi Luna."
The tiger roared. The outburst made Kendra jump, awakening a primal fear. She felt like her heart must have paused. Raxtus poked his head in. "Everything okay?"
"It will not take Nagi Luna long," Niko snarled. "We must depart at once."
"Who's the tiger?" Raxtus asked.
"He helps guard the Eternals," Kendra explained.
"Can you fly us across the Atlantic?" Bracken asked Raxtus.
"Like to America? Sure. We'll want to follow shipping lanes so we can rest as needed."
"How quickly?"
"What's the destination?"
"Texas or California."
"Carrying you two, if we go hard, maybe three days." Bracken turned to Niko. "Could you keep up?"
"No. But I'll follow as fast as I can."
"We'll want to keep in touch. I'll leave you with a communication node."
"Very well."
"Roon must have an impressive armory," Bracken said. "Mind if we comb through it to better equip ourselves? We recently escaped from a dungeon."
"Help yourself," Niko said. "I'll show you the way. Have you a name, dragon?"
"Raxtus."
"Dragon fire would be a suitable way to consume these fallen warriors."
"I'd be honored, but I have no fire," Raxtus said awkwardly. "I'm something of a disaster as a dragon. My breath makes plants grow."