White bit deep into the meat, savouring its taste as the released energies danced across his tongue. Despite the intense heat its arcane bolts had emitted, the lukashi was more refreshing rather than spicy. If White had possessed the pallet to make the comparison, he would have likened its juices to a warm tea. Though its taste wasn’t the only dense thing about it, Reil’s toolless cooking method had baked the cut meat through every layer.
The veteran had emerged from the darkened forest just as White’s siblings lost their empowered forms and Avira’s impaled weapon dispersed into the shadows. As White descended down from his perch, he realized Reil had hidden his presence well enough that the dragon had missed him amongst everything else. White found this quite the feat, given how the old man was beaming with pride.
Reil had immediately begun listing his thoughts on the ordeal and the apprentice’s performance as he prepped the lukashi’s body for transport. From the moment they began tracking to the moment he stepped out, he had been reviewing the hunt. Despite how happy he clearly was with their efforts, Reil kept his words direct and presented criticisms around objectively based standards. He praised their strengths and commented on their weaknesses with what suggestions he could.
However, it was clear that when the topic moved to the use of the Brand Links, Reil had much more prepared for one over the other.
He easily slipped into speaking on the complexities of the Light’s connection to the soul and how it had responded to what Naroe had done, willed, and felt. Reil spoke not just as someone who had vast experience with the Light, but someone who knew Naroe on a fundamental level. Connecting his apprentice’s decisions to previous lessons and ventures, he both praised what his apprentice had improved on and shed light on what needed to be improved.
But when the time came for Reil to speak on his granddaughter's use of the Dark, Reil only had one thing to say to her.
“You reminded me of when your father got his blessing.”
And White knew that had been enough.
Still, Reil had plenty to say on other elements of the hunt. From when they tied the lukashi in a bag big enough to fit it to when they returned to the wagon with their catch on their backs, he only stopped to take questions from the two apprentices.
In respect to his promise to the fallen beast, White had memorized the entire lecture and was left with questions of his own.
He wasn’t sure where this sudden eagerness to question had come from, but his mind had begun to fill with them. White had planned to ask them once the lecture had finished, but then Reil had produced a slab of perfectly seared venison from seemingly nowhere.
And then the questions became less important.
He sat next to Reil at the front of the moving wagon, working his teeth against the tough meat. In the back, Naroe and Avira were taking measurements of their catch. They didn’t have much time before they reached Minoris, and accurate details would be needed for them to turn in the lukashi properly. Especially when taking into account the carved out chunk Reil had taken when he had first examined it.
“So, what did you all think of White’s transformation?” Reil asked suddenly.
White stopped chewing and blinked dumbly. Transformation? He didn’t remember anything like that. But the words had provoked an immediate response in the minds of his siblings. White saw himself in two different perspectives then, one from behind as he sat on Naroe’s wide shoulders and the other throwing himself into the trees. If it hadn’t been for his sibling’s subconscious flow of information, White wouldn’t have immediately recognized himself then.
With context taken care of, Avira spoke up first. “How did you know he’d change like that?”
“I wasn’t completely sure if he could,” Reil admitted. “After getting confirmation regarding his relationship to the Planes, I did find it strange that his appearance skewed more towards the Light than the Dark. But given everything we know about them and everything we’ve learned about White, I was more than willing to bet his form wasn’t set in stone.” He looked down at the dragon with a warm smile and fascinated eyes. “We still have a lot of questions, like why you have that form in the first place, but we’ll figure them out with time.”
“Did you feel anything when he transformed?” Naroe asked Avira before showing a sheepish grin. “I’m honestly amazed I missed it, though I was pretty deep in the tracking trance.”
Avira shook her head, her expression one of focused puzzlement. “A few things, but I only have guesses as to what they mean.” She turned to White. “The first was just how badly White didn’t want to get us caught. The moment he heard that might be a possibility, his only goal was to make sure that didn’t happen.” Naroe nodded to her, showing that he had felt the same thing. “So he followed Pop-pop’s advice and focused on what we were doing and how we were doing it. But that focus evolved into something else,” then she turned to Naroe. “Like he was sharing his senses with someone.”
Naroe blinked in bewilderment before turning back to White, who stared back at him with a similar expression. “Huh,” said Naroe. “That would explain a lot. But wait,” he turned to his master, “does that mean I triggered the Dark in him? I mean, I know I brought up the idea of being blessed by it instead of the Light, but I thought I was pretty set in one direction.”
Reil put a hand on his chin, humming as he looked out over the empty road. The great coliseum was visible in the distance, a circular structure far larger than the Crucible that housed the Heart of Lugataea. Towering over the landscape, lines of wire stretched from its walls out into the forest, each holding lines of lit lamps that unveiled the much more humble town around it. But for all its size, nature had steadily claimed it as its own over the centuries.
It had come to house dozens of great trees that sprouted from its top like fungus. Grass had erupted from every opening, coating its walls and allowing flowers to be planted in rings around each layer. That night, under the warm glow of the crystal Light lanterns, those rings were blooming gentle shades of pink.
“We still have too many missing pieces to come to any real conclusions,” Reil finally answered, “but that’s a real possibility. Light and Dark are the fundamental building blocks of every soul. One may be more prominent than the other, but both are always present. Then again, there’s also the possibility that it was in response to White’s will alone, the dark parts within him coming to the surface as a sort of defense mechanism.”
“I don’t know about that, Pop-pop,” Avira said. “If it was a natural response from the Dark, I feel like the effects would have been much more powerful, especially in that environment. I feel like White would have disappeared from my sight completely, perhaps even more.” She turned back to the dragon in question, who was still listening despite working through the last difficult bites of his venison. “But I do think part of it has to do with his will, we just need to figure out what part.”
“Then that’s what we’ll work on,” Reil declared, smiling in satisfaction. “Our first goal will be to teach White to switch between those forms at will.”
________________________________________________________
As the wagon got closer to the structure on the darkened horizon, walls of stone became visible on the path. They stood taller than many of the trees around them, but not all. It was clear from the worn layers of stone and trimmed branches that the structure had been given additions multiple times to keep up with the growing forest. At that moment, they stood at four times the height of the wagon. Soldiers patrolled the ramparts and were garbed with plate armor that shone in the light of the lit torches they carried. Each had one or two weapons stowed on their hips and backs, most being arrows and quivers.
Despite the full visors that covered their faces, White had felt their eyes on his group multiple times. He had felt that,and that none carried blessings. Nor did those guarding the opened gates that they were approaching.
White spotted their worn heraldry then. All wore a green tabard depicting a wolf and bear looking up to a seven pointed star four that rested just under the guard’s collars. They were well kitted, their equipment appearing solid and maintained, but none of it could hold a candle to what he had seen in the kingdom. Even so, White did not underestimate them. He couldn’t.
The members of the Order carried the weight of raw power with them, but beyond that they were practically unreadable to White. But these people had nothing to obscure White’s senses and the weight of their experiences threatened to crush him.
Each one was a seasoned hunter before they became warriors. Nearly all of them spent most of their days honing their skills either among their fellows or in the forest. Some had left their original homes far from Minoris to serve where they could, many had failed to join the order, but all had nothing but respect for the two approaching trappers.
“Sirs Reil and Naroe,” saluted the leader at the front of the approaching group, his gauntleted fist thumping over his chest plate. His voice was gruff and worn, revealing just how much of his days were spent raising it at others. His helmet was marked with the same star that was on his tabard, and White knew without knowing that this placed him as a captain. The current on duty captain for the Minoris Guard. Baylor Rorian, thirty-seven years old. Born in Canis to–
White stopped himself. He hadn’t meant to look so deep into the man’s life, but the information had begun to flow freely as he had focused on the guard’s presence. A part of the dragon, he was fairly certain it was the part connected to Avira, told him that he shouldn’t go looking for other’s secrets.
“We hadn’t expected you back so soon,” continued Baylor as he approached Reil’s seat.
“Hail, Sir Baylor,” Reil greeted back with a polite smile. “Truthfully, neither did we. But we have been given an errand,” Reil gestured to White as if he was simple cargo. “We’re to deliver our small friend here, White, to Andromeda.” Then he jutted a thumb at the back of the wagon where the two apprentices and their fresh catch still sat. “With us we have my granddaughter, Avira Rain. In addition, we picked something up on our way over. We already took some of the meat and plan to take more, but the rest we’ll be turning over to the guild.” The trapper then produced a folded stack of papers from his pocket and handed it to Baylor.
The captain opened up the sheets and began reading. He didn’t get far before handing the papers back to Reil. “Understood. They should still have enough space at Polaris for all of you. If not, we’ll make room at the barracks.”
Reil pocketed the papers and nodded back at the guard. “Thank you, Captain.”
The guard nodded, but didn’t step away. Instead, he looked back at the troop that had accompanied him. After a moment, they all saluted before turning away and returning to the gate. Nothing had been said, but each one of the departing guards had understood their captain’s unspoken request.
“Is something wrong, Baylor?” Asked Reil.
“Lord Reil, please be honest with me.” The captain spoke it as a whispered plea. “Is the Empire moving?”
There was a tense silence as Reil remained silent. There was no flare of power or energy, but White could still feel an intensity in the air as his siblings waited for their elder’s response. The Captain stood stock still, his breath held with hesitant patience.
“I don’t know,” Reil finally admitted. “The only thing I can tell you is that if His Majesty believed war was returning, he would not be silent about it.”
Baylor nodded slowly before straightening himself. “Thank you, Lord,” he said with a sigh.
But Reil wasn’t letting that go. “Why do you ask?”
“Well…” Baylor began somewhat hesitantly. “We had that conversation before you left, and it had me thinking about everything and how it all could connect.” He stopped then, clearly unsure of how it could proceed. “And just when we get rumors of a Summit, General Salra shows up at Polaris. I don’t normally subscribe to gossip, but the timing–” he stopped when he saw Reil’s expression.
When craned his neck to look, he saw something he had never considered possible. The Reil stared at the Captain, his wizened eyes wide in surprise. He said nothing as White felt the normally ever-churning power within Reil grind to a halt, as if the information it had just absorbed had forced it to reconsider its actions. His mouth seemed to struggle to move, but his voice sounded like it had gone missing anyway.
“Oh,” said Baylor, “I thought you knew she was here.” The captain sounded nervous for a much different reason now, and he took a step back. “I’ll just go and get the log sorted. Excuse me.” Then he saluted before marching off.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
White looked up at the still unmoving Reil, before turning back to his siblings. Avira was smiling warmly, soaking in her grandfather’s reaction with glee and fidgeting with excitement. While Naroe had the most smug grin White had ever seen.
“General Salra is Reil’s wife,” Naroe said, his eyes on his master. “They’ve been together for a really long time.” Naroe seemed to extract as much as he could from every word, eyeing Reil all the while.
White briefly debated exploring the link between them to get an actual explanation rather than having to sit and listen to his brother poke fun at his master.
“Pop-pop gets worried about how she’s still a General while he’s retired,” clarified Avira. “Which is very sweet, but very much misplaced.”
Reil sighed with what sounded like sudden exhaustion before turning to look back at his granddaughter. “Is that what your father told you?”
Avira shrugged. “It’s pretty much what he said when I asked him. I never got to ask Mom-mom about it.”
Naroe barked a laugh. “Hah! You hear that?” he said, still smiling. “I told you, you worry too much about that, I don’t get it. I’d never seen an Umbran light up like that until I met General Salra, and she does it when she sees you.”
Reil said nothing for a while before the wagon began to move again. “I know,” were his only words as they entered the town. And they were barely a whisper.
The dirt road gave way to slotted bricks nearly overgrown with moss and rock slabs worn smooth by years of use. Simple but sturdy buildings of wood and stone, only a few stories tall at their highest. Most weren’t decorated in ways White had seen before, instead opting to let nature coat their homes. Vines and stalks covered walls and roofs, producing varieties of plantlife. Some had their homes bear anything from vegetables to herbs while others were covered in vibrant flowers. A few had trees that had grown to encase the buildings they had been planted on.
White wasn’t sure why, but he had expected there to be more people when they entered. He could see a few people as they tended to or picked from their gardens, clean and healthy people but often dressed a little light for the steadily chilling night, before they spotted the wagon.
These people would mostly experience a surge of emotion, usually anxiety, then bow to Reil as he passed before hurrying back inside their homes,
In them, White saw flares of fear and anxiety. He heard their unspoken worries questioning as to why Lord General Rain had returned. Why were there two generals of the Order in their tourist spot of a town? Were they here because of the rumors? I haven’t heard from them in a while, I should–
White blinked and shook the thoughts free from his head. He had done it again, and this time to people who were locked away in their homes. It was becoming stronger, this extra sense of his. He would need to learn to control it before long, it was getting annoying.
The main road led directly from the main gate to the colosseum, its entirety lit by tall street lamps encased in worn metal and glass. White steadily realized they were the only metal structures that weren't the colosseum itself, and were forged into thin mockeries of the trees around them. They cradled fogged glass globes that were bright enough to light the streets and the dragon could smell their burning oils venting from somewhere.
Avira was craning her head out of the wagon’s back, taking in everything around them, her eyes alight with wonder as she examined the town around them. She said nothing, but White could again feel the steady churn of her mind absorbing every detail. She seemed particularly keen towards the oil lamps as they passed by, eyeing their metal work with a hint of dubiousness. Her observations subconsciously informed White of their nature and he learned they were relics dated to the Empire’s occupation. The only ones kept outside of the colosseum.
Naroe was more inclined to watch the few people around them, as he had picked up the atmosphere of the town quickly. “Out Town,” as the locals referred to it, wasn’t usually a busy place. Most of the action happened inside the colosseum where most of the city resided, but you could always find folk who wanted a more subdued scene enjoying themselves in the small bars and restaurants that were scattered among the homes. But at that moment, even for as late into the night as it was, things were too quiet.
Naroe could practically feel the unease in the air, like a smog that had infected the simple joy the town had exuded less than two weeks prior. But that smog also fueled something within Naroe’s flame.
“Reil,” he said, but his master held up a hand.
“I know,” said Reil. The veteran had pushed his other feelings aside and had restored his resolve in the face of the omens they were witnessing.
“Is something wrong?” asked Avira, wrong-footed by her companion’s reactions.
“I’m not sure,” Reil responded. “I expected a change from what Baylor told us, but not like this.”
Avira looked outside again. As she took in the town once more, White knew her eyes held no wonder anymore. He could feel her mind change currents, making them faster, more focused and her eyes became tools of furious study. She didn’t know what she hoped to find, but if she could spot anything strange, she’d make sure she would.
As they drew closer to the colosseum of dark metal, White began to feel its presence threaten to engulf him. Even while still some distance away, it was still the biggest structure he had ever seen. More than that, White could feel something in its vast halls. Clearly it held a lot, if the growing echoes of speech and yelling were any indication, but there was something else.
For a moment, White thought he saw the fiery green eyes of the Lukashi’s spirit, watching from one of the shadowed arches high above them. Then he blinked and they were gone. He checked his memories.
Those had definitely been burning ghost eyes.
He pulsed the image to his travel companions, earning varying reactions.
“What was that?” Reil asked, turning to the small dragon before glancing back at the apprentices. “I didn’t understand that one.”
Avira was suddenly at the front of the wagon, her eyes glued to the spot that White had shown them. “White saw something,” she said, “but now it's gone. Looked like a pair of eyes in the dark. Fiery, angry green eyes.”
Reil hummed in mild surprise. “Might be an old soul who was lost here,” he said. “I hear there are still a few that wander the more empty parts of the colosseum.”
Avira looked to her grandfather. “There are ghosts here?” asked Avira eagerly. Her eyes had regained some of their light and she was smiling again. “I’ve never met one that hadn’t been blessed by the Planes in life.”
“Neither have I, but it would make sense for White to see them,” said Reil, his voice warming at seeing his granddaughter’s excitement. “I wish I could see what he showed you, but I don’t think I can discern images.” Reil looked to his apprentice then. “What about you?”
Naroe nodded. “It takes a bit longer for me to see them clearly, but they clear up the more I focus.”
White, still looking up at the empty dark arch, realized they didn’t know about the spirit in the woods. He had assumed something like that would have made its way to his siblings via their connections, as many things had done with him, but it didn’t seem like it had. How did their connection to him work then?
He pulsed a question, earning three curious looks. Avira looked back at Naroe, who shrugged.
“No,” answered Naroe. “At least it isn’t for me. I have to focus on you to pick up on things. Otherwise…” he trailed off, shaking his hand in an uncertain gesture. “It’s a little weird to explain. In the real world, you’re a dragon, that’s obvious, but in my head you’re not. It’s almost like you’re an imaginary friend that’s somehow real, but I can’t figure out what you look like in my head. When I focus, I see you as a dragon and understand you clearly, but when you send out those messages, it's like getting a package I have to open up and sort through.”
Avira nodded in agreement. “It’s similar for me, but I think I have an easier time organizing the package than I do focusing on White,” she said. “When I try, it’s like a disorganized puzzle that keeps getting bigger. I could finish one section only to find out that another fell apart because of new pieces.”
“Interesting analogy,” said Naroe, chuckling.
“What’s wrong with puzzles?” She asked. “I enjoy a good puzzle.”
Naroe chuckled and leaned back into the side of the wagon bed. “So do I, but I think you’re going about it the wrong way,” he said, clasping his hands behind his head as he relaxed.
“Oh?” Avira smirked, unfazed by the comment. “So tell me then, what am I missing?”
Naroe opened one eye, looking back at her. “I thought you enjoyed puzzles, where’s the fun in getting the answer for free?.”
Avira leaned back across from him, keeping his gaze with her own. “I do like them, but you obviously don’t see this as a puzzle. And if it isn’t, then I’m wasting my efforts.” She folded her arms across her chest, crossing one leg over the other as she looked at him. “If you can point me in a direction that will prevent me from doing that, I’d appreciate it.”
Naroe looked at her for a moment and White felt him weighing his response. When he did speak, he did so casually but directly. “I think I understand what you’re trying to do, but correct me if I’m wrong.” Avira nodded but remained silent, waiting for him to continue. “You’re focusing on the deepest parts and working your way up. Trying to figure out what White is at his core to figure out the rest of him. But I don’t think that’ll work with him. I’ve seen what’s at his core and I’m impressed you made sense of any of it, but it’s still chaos. And you said it yourself, it's growing.” Then he turned to the dragon who had been observing the conversation with intense focus. “White himself doesn’t even know what’s going on in there.”
White began nodding enthusiastically, having no idea what they were talking about and viewing that fact as only reinforcement to the point. Avira laughed warmly at the dragon’s display before nodding at Naroe to continue.
“White’s on the surface of himself,” Naroe said, “so keep an eye there and you'll see White digging deeper for you.”
Avira nodded, appearing genuinely grateful. “Thanks for the advice.”
Naroe’s usual smile returned then, though there was a hint of playful smugness to it. “I have my moments,” he said.
White stared at his brother in annoyance before sending out an overly complicated pulse.
Naroe blinked and looked back at the small dragon. “What?”
White mimicked his brother’s earlier smugness as best he could, before emitting a smothered, high pitched chitter. He had just snickered at Naroe.
“Oh,” Naroe said, his eyes wide as he realized what the dragon was doing, and a grin broke across his face. “Oh, you think you're clever?”
White nodded. Avira put a hand to her mouth, stifling a laugh as Reil turned his face away from the group, his body cringing with restraint.
“Give me a second…” Naroe replied, focusing on the feeling of the pulse before it faded from his mind. “What did you say, you little bastard?” He growled, still smiling as his mind steadily picked the message apart.
Avira sighed, regaining control of herself before turning back to Naroe. “He said it in the most aggravating way possible, but I think it was ‘If you see me digging, why are you just watching?’”
Naroe looked at her before turning back to White, his arms folding on his chest. “I’m not watching, I’m telling you where you need to dig,” he replied while trying to hold in his own laughter.
The wagon was at the colosseum now, its metal frame projecting the sounds of countless people both near and distant, Their voices layered on top of one another to form a low and unintelligible chorus that resonated throughout the monstrous structure. The more White listened to it, the more it reminded him of Pollux and its markets. Not far into the arch, he could see lights and the moving shapes of people.
“I think your metaphor is getting out of hand,” Reil chimed in, still not facing them.
Naroe snorted. “I wonder who’s influence that is.”
That earned a shrug from his master, and he smiled as his attention returned to Avira. “So how do you break down his messages so well?” The wagon began to pass under the arch then, and the sound of the city inside became louder within the walls.
Avira tapped the side of her skull with a pale finger. “Part of my training,” she said, her voice raised a little to compensate for their surroundings. “Dad used to have me take in as much information as I could at once over short periods of time, then recall what I could. He made it more complicated as it went on, but it helped a lot as a foundation.”
Reil turned back so he could be heard clearly. “I’m happy he turned out to be such a good teacher.” The light reached the wagon and White felt like he had just stepped into a bubbled storm. He turned to see a labyrinthian world of steel and nature.
Short, soft grass made roads that flowed between layered levels of metal and stone, guiding carts and wagons pulled by wolves and bears. People filed past them on flat wooden walkways. Cobblestone walls split apart long halls and chambers, turning them into shops, homes, and alleys.
Once hidden traps and devices had been replaced all across the floors and walls with utilities for the condensed city. Pipes that once carried gas or disposed carrion now flowed with water or sewage, while pits that once held spikes or arcane flames had been repurposed for storage, maintenance, or even heating.
Above them at the highest level of the structure, what had once been viewing platforms had been turned into displays of all types of plants. Each one had been lovingly placed and raised to create waves of colors and tones that never clashed with one another, but instead a pattern of seasons. The pure, cold shades of winter steadily gave way to the gentle brights of spring. They were followed by the warm tones of summer and ended with the calming colors of fall, before the pattern started up again. Their harmony was in stark contrast to the controlled chaos that echoed below them.
Wherever White looked he saw dense crowds that were all trying to do something, only to have whoever was next to them get in the way. Shoppers, gamblers, drinkers, foodies, partygoers, entertainers, workers, vendors, and socialites of every other type crowded the paths and roads. Beyond them, the crowds extended into the stores and restaurants that took up most of the lower levels, the ones with visible interiors clearly packed to capacity. In the upper levels, White could sense everything from wild private gatherings to solitary souls who sat alone in their rooms.
But in all of them, White felt a gnawing anxiety that they were desperate to suppress.
But White had been bracing himself, and he held close the presences that mattered most. That helped keep himself from getting lost in the sea of minds and let him marvel at the world they stepped into. Still, there were so many sights, sounds, and smells, he was starting to get lost in it anyway. He could feel Avira going through a similar experience, but Naroe’s hand coming to rest on White’s head anchored the dragon back to reality.
“There’s definitely a lot I could show you,” he said, “unfortunately, we’re not staying long this time.” He pointed to the largest opening at the end of the hall, another arch decorated in green vines and flowers. A sign above it read Procyon and Polaris with the depiction of a wolf pup gnawing on a bone next to a snoring bear cub. “But we will get to enjoy ourselves a little while we’re here.”
