Chapter Fifteen - Making New “Friends”
The elf woman looked over some papers. Gwen looked bored, the other two elves didn't even seem that interested and I swore if this lasted any longer than it was that I'd die an old woman before the night was over. If this was how most business deals for the boss went, I honestly understood how he managed to go under the radar for so long, since this was just coma inducing. I almost hoped Kenny and I could stick around to see any other business deals.
But I put that thought out of my head. I just had to sit there and wait it out, that was all. Who knew, maybe this would all be over soon. We'd only been sitting here for… oh, shit, five minutes? That didn't seem right, but the clock on the wall was against me there. Crap.
I yawned, probably a bit louder than I meant to, but I couldn't help myself. The two non-boss-lady elves both looked at me with annoyed looks in their eyes. I just offered a weak smile and giggled a little. They looked away from me and left the immediately vicinity. It was weird, but I figured they were just extras, there for their boss anyway. I could probably wander off and let Gwen and the elf to their business.
I sat down finally and rested my feet. I would be happy when Kenny and I could be on our way. We were losing time doing this crap.
I saw a weird light coming from the direction the other elves disappeared to. I looked over at Gwen and the old woman, who didn't react to it at all. Of course, Gwen had her back to the wall closest to it, so she couldn't see anything. The elf woman, though, should have seen everything. She was positioned where the room the others had wandered off to was in full view.
I stood up and walked toward the hallway in question. The old elf glared at me, then grabbed my arm and held me back. “Leaving so soon?”
“Let her go,” Gwen said, “she's not really needed here, is she?”
“I don't want her leaving. Don't trust her.”
“What the hell did I do to you?” I asked.
“I don't much trust mages,” she answered with a sneer, “too much chance of them messing with my business.”
“Trust me, I'm harmless. What about your posse back there?” I gestured toward the light.
“Nothing untoward there. Merely a spell of warding.”
“Really?” Gwen asked. “Warding what?”
The elf glared at her. "Our arrangement was no questions."
"Our arrangement was no questions about the deal. This isn't about the deal, so answer the question."
“And why should I do that? I’ve done nothing wrong and you’ve broken the terms.”
“So, casting spells I don’t know about isn’t breaking the terms of the deal? Being ridiculously secretive about these spells isn’t breaking the terms of the deal? Sorry, Merissa, that’s just not gonna take.”
So, the elf’s name was Merissa. I’d been wondering that for awhile now. Merissa gathered her briefcase and shut it, loudly. "Our deal is off, Gwyneth. Give your father my regards and ask him to send someone who will play by the rules next time."
I got in her way before she could walk out. "Hold on," I said, trying to sound stern, "answer the question. What do you need to ward off?"
She raised her hand and suddenly I was taller than her. Except, I really wasn't. I was hovering about three feet in the air, presumably because of some levitation spell she was using. A quick glance in her direction showed me that Gwen was also a victim of the elf's magic. Funny, I thought she preferred potions…
I tried to concentrate and think of one of the dispel phrases that Sharena taught me. We hadn't really covered being hoisted in the air by elf magic, but I hoped that all the dispels were relatively universal, otherwise I had to pray that something would knock the elf on her ass and break her concentration.
Unfortunately, I didn't seem to be doing anything. She was still fully capable of holding me still even while talking.
The elf bitch tsked. "It's a shame the two of you couldn't play along and just let this happen. It really is your fault that you're going to die painfully instead of quick qnd painlessly."
Gwen was struggling more than I was if the strain in her words was any indication. "So this was all bullshit?"
I asked, "Do you gain anything from killing us in a high school locker room? Honestly?"
"Really, I'd hoped I wouldn't need to do this," Merissa said, her voice conveying a mocking tone, "you see, Gwyneth, I set this whole thing up to trap your father, preferably by taking over your body by replacing your soul with mine. Shame it didn't work out the easy way, where you never found out."
Jesus, this sounded like one of the supervillain monologues Kenny would read in his comics. Oh, shit, Kenny and the other guy were probably in the boys locker room with more evil elves, were they in this exact situation? Were they in a potentially worse situation?
I couldn't think about that. Getting out of this hold and smacking this elf bitch upside the head were my two primary concerns at the moment. Maybe if Mithra were still here, he could spring into action, claw her in the face and break her focus. I could only be so lucky…
I whispered some spell under my breath, words I couldn't really remember perfectly. Something like… nibrus... nibrusima... something I could barely pronounce even when I heard it spoken aloud. Almost immediately, a swirl of energy surrounded me, bathing the room in a sort of purple/yellow mixture of color that would've looked pretty if I wasn't in the middle of it.
Through the swirl, I caught a glimpse of Merissa looking angry, probably because I was breaking her little binding spell. I saw her mouthing something I couldn't hear for some reason, probably the spell screwing me up or something. I couldn't hear Gwen either, and I knew she'd been shouting just a second ago. I just had to wait out the spell…
But I didn't get that chance. Not a second later, I realized that the elf wasn't angry, she was terrified. Something was obviously wrong, something…
Something that had to do with my spell.
I could feel it now, an intense heat that was radiating outward from the swirl of energy all around me. I tried my damnedest to cancel the spell out, using the method Sharena taught me of saying the spell backwards three times, but all it seemed to be doing was intensifying the energy. Obviously, that's what I got for not even being able to say it correctly in the first place. I created this mess by screwing up what Sharena had told me was a simple spell.
I suddenly started to hear a strange noise, something like a hundred cicadas coalescing directly under my feet. I looked down and saw what appeared to be a hole being drilled into the floor beneath me. It took me no time to realize the spell was causing it, destroying the ground beneath my feet. In a matter of seconds, there was a six foot hole where the floor should have been.
I tried to say the spell backwards again, only managing to get half of it out before some jolt shot through me, burning a mark along my arm and up to my shoulder. The pain almost made me forget what was happening, but thankfully there was a big purple and yellow swirl that was shooting out lightning to remind me. Unfortunately, it was also surrounding me and dodging it was a pain all on its own. I just needed to concentrate on the words, that was all…
Another spell came to mind, one I could actually pronounce this time. Sharena told me only to use it in an extreme situation, like if I was dying, and I felt this was one of those situations. I wasted no time and shouted, "Pabrinohs!" Sharena told me it meant release in the ancient tongue, which didn't sound like it should be a bad thing, but she also told me that most words in the ancient tongue were open to interpretation as to what they meant.
I discovered immediately why it was a last resort type of spell as the energy I'd started to build up around me literally released outward, knocking everyone in the room on their ass and leaving massive scorch marks on the walls. Then the walls started to crack.
"Idiot!" Merissa shouted. "Only a novice mage would use that kind of energy absorption spell!"
Gwen was suddenly beside me, helping me to my feet. She responded, "And only a novice businesswoman would try to screw my dad over, Merissa. You should count yourself lucky you weren't killed in this little light show."
The elf smiled. "On that subject…" She raised her hand, then opened her mouth to say something, but she was promptly hit in the head by someone behind her. Standing there, disheveled clothes and blood covering half his face, was Kenny. He was holding a brick in one hand, a briefcase in the other and Kallun was standing behind him with a sword drawn.
Through heavy breaths, Kenny said, "Let's get outta here before the city guard shows up."
Gwen smirked. "Your brother's smart."
Gwen's father paced his office in a way I was almost certain would lead to him running into his desk. Somehow, he managed to avoid it every time I thought he was going to hit the edge. He wasn’t happy, not one bit. Of course, considering the deal he’d worked hard to secure went to complete shit, a high school had been nearly demolished (luckily with no deaths, though at least seven were injured, not including the elves) and he was now probably going to have to go to war with the elves.
Kenny and Kallun sat on a small couch together, for whatever reason looking over one another's wounds. They told me what happened as we made our way back, which was sadly more eventful than what Gwen and I dealt with. One of their elves drew a sword almost instantly, and assaulted Kenny, while Kallun apparently had enough fighting skill to hold off two elves at once. Presumably, that's why the elves with us started doing that warding spell, to keep us distracted and either kill or incapacitate us. I didn't really care, honestly.
Gwen explained everything to her dad as soon as we got back, and I could almost see the rage building inside him. He had been sitting down, but as soon as he heard the story, he started the pacing. He hadn't said a word, and I sorta wished he would before we all were executed for screwing up his business deal.
Finally, he sat back down and took a deep breath. "This isn't ideal." He 'looked' over at Gwen. "Merissa should've known better. I established those terms long ago." He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a small red book. When he opened it, naturally all I saw was Braille. "We need to contain this. Corbran can do the dirty work, but damage control is in full effect. Kallun, I'm sending you with Kineas and Riley.”
That… seemed odd. “Wouldn’t that just draw more attention to us?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Groups of three or four aren’t uncommon in these parts. And Kallun is an expert keeping himself out of danger.”
I glanced over at Kallun, who was sheepishly smiling. Sure didn't seem like it was only his dad who worked for this group. Not that it really mattered, though. It still seemed like three was a crowd if Kenny and I were gonna sneak out of here with him in tow.
But I could tell the matter was settled, so far as the boss was concerned. He was sending Kallun with us, and that was, I guess, the final word. I could live with it, I supposed, though I still wasn't sure why we needed him along. Maybe the boss thought we needed extra protection from those elves. Maybe he just wanted Kallun out of his hair for awhile.
Maybe he wanted someone to keep an eye on us.
Regardless, Kallun didn't seem like a bad guy. Kenny sure seemed to like him, at least. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, the three of us. He could keep an eye out while Kenny trained me in sword fighting, probably. That would help a lot. I guess a third person in our group would be a good thing, after all.
The boss motioned for one of his bodyguards to come over to him. He whispered something, then made another motion that probably meant the bodyguard needed to go do what he was told. "Sandhog Ridge is a little over four days travel from here, and the Empire has set up guard posts throughout the region. You'll need someone with knowledge of the local forests. Kallun's a decent gofer, good at getting in and out quickly and without notice." He smiled. "I doubt he'll be extraneous."
There was a knock on the door. One of the bodyguards opened it, and in slithered Corbran, carrying a folder. "Bossssssssssss," the snake said, an urgency to his voice. "We've got ssssssssssssssssome kind of problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"It'sssssssssssss the elvesssssssss. Sssssssssssssseemssssss we've got ssssssssssome trouble from them going to the Imperial Guard."
That seemed odd. Elves going to the Imperial Guard for help? They weren't exactly the most beloved creatures out there. Most of the time, they were treated like second class citizens at best and worse than criminals at worst. The idea that they'd actually try to get legal help was almost unsettling.
I put the thought out of my head for the time being. Whatever it would end up meaning, it would be dealt with as we got to it. We just needed to get out of Peresten and back on track for Sandhog Ridge. Hopefully, Irvine and Sharena were there, safe and waiting for us. Hopefully.
I was so happy to be wearing something other than that fancy get up! My outfit was a simple pair of shorts and sleeveless vest combination along with a pair of boots and those gloves I'd worn before. I felt so much more like normal that I almost cheered. Hilarious that 'normal' was this now, as opposed to my old dragon self.
I wondered if I'd still even recognize my dragon form anymore, even though it had barely been three weeks. That life already seemed so long ago, like a distant memory. Maybe that was me acclimating to my situation, or maybe everything had been so crazy that the last three weeks had been nothing but one bonkers experience after the other. I didn't really know, and now wasn't really the time to think about it.
I stuffed a bag full of some clothes that Gwen gave me as a parting gift. It was nice to have some options, since I otherwise had maybe two outfits I'd grabbed from home. I figured getting new clothes would be a quick first stop in whatever towns we came to. Probably not a smart move, all things considered, so taking a few more with me would likely be safer.
I was about to tie my bag closed when I saw a yellow glow in the bottom of it. I reached into the bag and pulled out an envelope with a family crest on the front of it. It took me a second to remember that it was the letter Sharena gave me before we left town. I opened the envelope (it wasn't sealed), and pulled the letter out. I unfolded the paper and tried my best to read it. I couldn't quite get every word, but I was getting to the point where sentences weren't just garbled crap on a sheet of paper.
Riley,
I hope you're doing well. We haven't quite made it to our destination yet, though we expect to within the week. We’ve stopped by smaller towns, but we haven’t…
I tried my best, but some of the words were still a little tough for me. I skipped ahead about half a paragraph.
...and that’s when Irvine unfortunately got into a small fight. He’s fine! Don’t worry about him, he knows what he’s doing. We haven’t decided where we'll meet up, yet, and we won't tell you in the letter.
I’ll write Kineas after I’m finished writing to you. Please, keep up your reading, so that you can read more of these. You’ll be great at it eventually, sweetie, just do your best.
Keep safe, keep moving, keep studying. But always, keep us in mind.
Sharena
I smiled. She was right that I’d be doing better at reading, at least. I wasn’t entirely certain what I was supposed to study, though. Sharena had never given me any magic books to study, so unless she just meant reading, I was pretty much out of luck. Maybe the boss had some books somewhere I could ask about. Getting one would likely require some sort of favor that probably revolved around something mob related. I wasn’t sure I was ready for any more little side adventures after the elves.
I folded up the page and returned it to the envelope. I’d tell Kenny what I wanted to say to them so that they knew I was alright. Eventually, I’d have enough writing skill to do it myself, but for now, Kenny was the intermediary. I was lucky to have him as an adoptive brother, really.
I finished packing up the rest of my gear and slung my bag over my shoulder. Kenny and Kallun would be waiting, probably by the door or something. I needed to get a move on.
I walked out of the room I was provided and ran smack into Gwen, though I didn't recognize her at first. Her hair was no longer a mess of curls, but shaved off on one side of her head and combed over straight. She had on a dark blue tank top and a very short skirt. I assumed this was her average look, and it did suit her.
"You guys on the way out?" she asked.
I nodded. "Yeah. Sandhog Ridge or bust."
"I'd love to go with you, but my dad's would never let me get in that kind of danger."
I coughed out a laugh. "But dealing with those elves was fine?"
She leaned against the wall. "Fine, no; but Daddy doesn't like it when I leave town."
"That's weird. Then again, my dad would probably rather I be at home, too." On the one hand, Irvine wasn't my actual father. On the other hand, it felt good to call him that. Made me feel like I was part of a real family.
She nodded. "That's how dads are. Mine got like this after bandits killed my mom and blinded him."
Oh, damn. "Oh." I probably should have said something better.
She shrugged. "Yeah. It wasn't a happy time. But that's why my name is Gwyneth now. To remember the happier times when she was around."
That caught my attention. Gwyneth was her mother’s name. "You changed your name to honor your mom?"
She nodded. "It's what we do in my part of the world. Not really the Empire, not really the Plains Tribe, so we have our own little culture. We take the names of those who die prematurely. We use that as a sign that we’re moving on.” She brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Not that I think my dad ever moved on, though.”
“So, your old name… what was it?"
"It was Blodwyn. Why?"
I nearly dropped my bag. At first, I didn’t want it to be my Blodwyn, the girl who took me in when I was little. There were too many people in the world, the name was too common, I ran through dozens of justifications in a split second, trying to make certain that this giant coincidence hadn’t actually happened. Unfortunately, despite making sense, they didn’t feel true.
I’d had that nagging sense about her this entire time. That sense that I knew Gwen despite never having actually met her. I assumed it had just been her natural personality, that she just made people feel comfortable even when they’d never met her. It was something we’d learned about in school on I think my third day there. I can’t even remember what class. I think it was something to do with some former emperor, or something.
I was standing there staring at the first person I’d ever made real contact with.
“What is it?” she asked.
I wasn’t even sure what to say. The whole thing was almost too crazy to really say anything. The words refused to form in my mind, like there was some sort of wall holding them back. I wanted to tell her everything, but I also didn't want to drop this huge thing on her just before I left and probably never got to see her again.
Instead, I simply asked, "Can I see your dad?"
Gwen's dad - Byrn - was sitting behind his desk, reading some papers that had been set in front of him. He 'looked' down at the papers, as if he still had his sight. He didn't react as if he knew I was in the room, and maybe he didn't. I couldn't tell. Dealing with a blind guy was really difficult.
Finally, the silence was broken and my question was answered when he asked, "How can I help you, Riley?"
I took a deep breath and asked, "Did you know I was the dragon your family took in over ten years ago?"
He stopped 'reading' and 'looked' up at me. Or, well, in my general direction, anyway. "I didn't." He smirked. "Ironic twist in the narrative, one might say."
"So, you knew I was a dragon, but not that I was that dragon."
He shook his head. "Truth be told, until you admitted to it, I didn't know you were even a dragon. I knew Kineas' father helped dragons, and I knew you were on the run for something. When I asked you if you were a dragon, it was a legitimate question. I did think of you - as I knew you - but I didn’t truly connect you and the dragon my daughter loved so many years ago.”
I sat down in the chair across from him. “I can’t believe we’d meet up again like… like this.”
He smirked. “Fate is a mage's weapon, so the saying goes. Rumors have spread for centuries that the connections a mage will make in their lives will always draw them back to those they knew, no matter how tenuous the connection. Gwyneth… Blodwyn always missed you, didn't stop talking about you until the day her mother died. You were her first friend, Riley, and she’s never forgotten that.”
I felt a tear slide down my cheek. Great. I was gonna cry. "I never thought I'd ever see either of you again."
He smiled faintly. "I wish I could return that feeling. You should tell Gwyneth. She'll be pleased to realize the friend she made during this whole debacle was really her oldest friend all along."
I wiped away the tears. "Yeah. I… don't have a whole lot of time, but I can't just leave without letting her know."
He nodded. "Good." He leaned back in his chair. "Don't take this the wrong way, my dear, but hopefully we don't cross one another's path for a great deal of time. Bertrand Sanstone is after you, and I'd rather he not be anywhere near my daughter."
I gulped. "Yeah, I… I get that."
He shook his head. "You don't. The Dragonslayer Guild is… not a pleasant group. Dragons aren't their only targets."
I gulped again. "I understand, sir."
He smiled again; that same faint smile from before. "You can call me Byrn, Riley. You're still family to me."
I felt myself smile. "Thank you," I said.
I stood up and left Byrn's office. I needed to find Gwen, since this would probably be the last I'd see of her for awhile. I had no idea how she'd react. Her dad took it better than I thought he would. If what he'd said was true, it sounded like she'd be really happy.
It didn't take me long to track her down. She was busy talking to some guy I was fairly certain was just talking as an excuse to undress her with his eyes. She didn't seem to mind it, though, and I honestly couldn't blame her. He was kinda nice to look at, too. Maybe they were actually dating, or something. I had no way of knowing.
She glanced in my direction, then seemed to realize I was walking up to her. "Riley! I thought you'd be gone by now. I saw Kallun and your brother disappear into some room a minute ago."
Whatever the hell they were doing seemed weird, but that was them. "Yeah, I was… talking to your dad."
"I know. Was it about whatever spooked you?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I just… um… Can he leave?"
She turned to look at the guy, who shrugged. "Hey, Lacan, go wait in my room, okay?" He made a weird noise and walked away. She was staring at his ass the whole time. "He's not much to look at but you wouldn't believe what he can do with his hands."
"He looks fine to me," I said, sounding a bit more surprised than I thought I should. I inwardly sighed and got back to the reason I'd tracked her down in the first place. "I'm gonna tell you something that seems crazy, but I want you to know it's absolutely true: I'm the dragon that used to live with you."
She blinked a second or two and didn’t really seem to understand what I’d said. I saw flashes of recognition and resistance with the idea that she was actually seeing that little dragon boy grown into a teenage human girl. The belief and disbelief played out in a series of complex facial expressions I could barely describe.
After eventually finding her words, she almost looked like she was ready to laugh. "You're right, it does sound crazy. But… I think I know it's true. My dad has this quote he likes to throw around whenever something weird or coincidental happens involving a mage. Fate is a mage’s weapon, he says.”
I leaned against the wall. “He said that when I talked to him about it.”
She shrugged. “I don’t really know what it means. He says the infamous mage Agni said it about a thousand years ago, or something. I’ve read about her; most people think she’s a monster.”
I’d never even heard the name, but I also hadn’t really been reading much or for very long. It was possible she was in one of those books Sharena gave me, if she was that important. I’d make an effort to find out about her once we were camped outside of Peresten. Maybe reading up on some ancient mage would help me get a handle on my power.
I was brought back to reality by Gwen asking, "So, how have you been? I haven't seen you in so long, I was sure I'd never see you again, much less as a human."
I rubbed at the back of my neck. "Yeah, it was… I spent a lot of time out on my own. I'd fly from place to place and never really stick around for long. Kenny and his family are the first people I lived with since you and yours."
"You seem happy around them. Around Kenny, at least. Got a little step sister crush on him?"
I blushed, probably pure red. "Um… no!”
She laughed. “Take it easy, I’m just playing. I assume you do have your eyes on a particularly attractive boy, though, am I right?”
I shook my head. “No, not really. I haven’t had the chance to really think about that kind of thing.” I could feel the embarrassment drifting away a little. Still, the conversation was a little too personal for my tastes. “What… um… what’s gone on with you guys since I left?”
“Too much to get into,” she said, gesturing with a wave. “You don’t exactly have a whole lot of time, and it’d probably take a good day or two for me to explain it all.”
It was over ten years worth of stuff, so she probably wasn’t wrong. “Yeah, you’ve got a point.” I really should have been going. Kenny and Kallun were probably waiting for me, having a good laugh at how long I was taking. “I hope to see you again soon, Gwen.”
To my complete and utter shock, she wrapped her arms around me in a hug. “You can call me Blodwyn.”
I felt a faint smile cross my lips.
”Riley, c’mon. It’s time,” Cres said.
I knew he was right. I knew. But I didn't want to do this at all. I wanted the world to just stop and let us keep going the same as we always had until everything ended.
“I know,” I said, through tears, “I’m just… Cres, you know what’s gonna happen.”
He shook his head. “That’s not the point. If we don’t…” He took my hand. “If we don’t do this, everything is at stake. We can’t let that happen.”
“I know. I really do, I get it, but I don’t… I don’t wanna lose you.”
He cupped my face and wiped away my tears. “You never will.”
I knew his words were for himself as much as for me. He had such confidence that I just didn't. I'd always put on a tougher exterior than I really had, but he'd always seen the real me.
And it was that confidence that led to him pushing his lips into mine.
One final kiss.
It lasted minutes. It lasted for days, weeks, years, centuries. Time froze completely, all while we stood there making out like children. I wanted nothing more than to stay there, kissing him, for the rest of eternity. If only the world was just us…
I broke off the kiss and looked up into his eyes. "I guess if that's our last kiss, at least it was a perfect one."
He chuckled. "Don't think of it as the last, think of it as our first."
I clutched his hand tightly. "I will. Alright, Cres, let's get this started."
He hadn't noticed. He hadn't seen me mouthing the spell after the kiss. He'd never really been able to spot me doing that, which I thought was both sweet and sad at the same time. We both prided ourselves on knowing everything about one another, but that was one secret I could still keep from him.
"I'll see you again soon, Riley," he said as he kissed my hand.
He was soon enveloped by a blinding white light, brighter than I'd ever seen...
I woke up and threw the blanket off of me almost like I was afraid it was a snake or something. Kallun was sitting on the other side of the fire from me, eating a cob of corn that I didn’t even know we had. Kenny was slightly ahead, checking around our little camp site.
I felt sweat almost pouring off of me. What the hell was that? Why would I be dreaming about Cres when I’d only met him once and only even knew his name because of another dream? It was… weird. No, it was disturbing. I honestly didn’t even know what it was, but it was definitely disturbing.
“Hey, you okay?” Kallun asked.
I wiped the sweat from my brow and sighed. “Just a weird dream, that’s all.”
He stood up, walked around the fire and plopped down on the log beside me. “I’m serious, are you okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“What was it about?”
“What?”
“Your dream.”
I should have known that. “Oh. It was… weird. I was talking to this guy I don’t really even know, acting like I was in love with him and we were about to do something magical.”
He smirked. “Ooh, something magical huh?”
I smacked him lightly on the arm. “That’s not what I’m talking about.”
He pulled back a little and gestured a “surrender”. “Hey, hey, I’ve had those kinds of dreams, too.”
“Dreams where you and some boy you barely met one day are kissing?”
“All the time.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Are… are you gay?”
He stopped biting into his corn cob. “You didn’t know?”
I shook my head.
“Holy crap, really?”
“Really.”
“You know Kenny is, right?”
I shook my head again. I guess that explained some things.
“Holy crap, how did that go over your head? He’s your brother!”
“I’m adopted.”
“Still!”
“I’m also a dragon.”
“I know, but… still!”
“I’ve also only been human for like three weeks. I’m not even sure what I’m attracted to, I haven’t really paid any attention to what Kenny’s got the hots for.”
Kallun started to laugh. “Wow… that’s just… damn...”
I grabbed the blanket and covered myself up again. It had gotten surprisingly chilly in spite of the fire. “That explains why you two have been so… close the last couple days.”
He shrugged. “I wouldn’t say we’ve been close. Neither of us have really made a move on each other.” He took another chomp of the corn cob. “Is it weird now?”
I shook my head. “No. Who Kenny loves is up to him.”
“But, I mean, are you…”
“What?”
“Do you have a problem with gay people?”
I turned red. “Uh, no. It’s not my choice or anything.”
He smiled. “Do you think I have a chance with Kenny?”
I felt a smile of my own coming on. Apparently playing matchmaker for my brother was something I may have to contend with. “You won’t know until you try.”
He laughed. “Y’know, I haven’t known you for that long, but I kinda feel like you’re a good friend already.”
“Same.”
Right on cue, Kenny walked through the branches and sat down on the log that Kallun had been sitting on earlier. “What are you guys talking about?” he asked.
Kallun answered, “Just guys, that’s all.”
The next morning, I still couldn’t get that dream out of my mind. As we walked through the forest on our way to Sandhog Ridge. I pulled out one of those books Sharena gave me and tried to see if there was anything I could read that might explain it to me. I found some spells, but those were written in a language I couldn’t read even if I was better at it. I made a mental note to look into those again later.
The closest I got to finding something that could be what I was looking for was a book on magical history. The first thing in the book was a list of famous mages, and I saw that most of them were women, or even young girls. There were men on the list, but that number was small compared to the number of women. I didn’t know if that meant women just made better mages, or maybe it meant that women simply did more worthy of recognition. Either way, it was something to keep note of.
The first name on the list was a man, however. Tomas Endawa. Looked like magic was kind of long running in the family. Made me feel a little proud, even though I was adopted. Maybe I could live up to the reputation, whatever it was.
I traced my finger across the names on the list, finally coming to one that was a simple, single word. Agni. That was the name of the mage Blodwyn had mentioned. The one her dad liked to quote. I saw that her information was on page 194, so I quickly flipped through the book to get to that page. The problem was that there was only one thing on the page, and that was a picture. Agni had exactly zero information, in any language whatsoever.
The fact that the picture looked kind of like me disturbed the hell out of me, though.
“Kenny,” I said as I caught up to him. At some point, I must have fallen back behind the boys. “Did Sharena ever mention her to you?” I asked, pointing to the picture.
He looked at the picture, then at me. “That’s weird.”
“What? That she looks like me?”
“Yeah. Maybe you’re a descendent of her, though.”
“You’re not forgetting your little sister is really a dragon, right?”
He glared at me. “Obviously not. But humans and dragons can reproduce together. Didn’t Dad tell you that when he gave you the sword?”
“Yeah, he did, but still.”
“Either way, would that be any real surprise? Sharena says you’re a powerful mage, all I really know about Agni was that she was a powerful mage. Maybe it runs in your real family like it does in ours.”
He could be right, so I just left that alone and got back to looking for anything about weird dreams like I’d had. Two of them involving Cres didn’t seem like it was mere coincidence. Especially since I’d met him for all of two minutes in real life.
I flipped through the book and looked for anything at all relating to dreams. I could read just enough to notice the word dreams at least, so it wasn’t outrageously difficult. The difficult thing was that there was nothing about dreams anywhere in the book. I had hoped at the very least that some other mage might have come across this weird thing before.
I shut the book and slipped it back in my bag. All I’d learned was that some mage I’d only heard of yesterday somehow looked like me. A great big nothing, all in all. Maybe when we got to Sandhog Ridge and I could actually talk to Sharena, I’d get some answers. I’d ask about the dreams, I’d ask about my uncanny resemblance to Agni, I’d ask a lot.
I looked up and saw through a break in the treetops as an airship flew overhead. That seemed odd. Kenny told me that Peresten was the closest airship port on this side of the Empire. According to the map, the only town in sight was Sandhog Ridge, and that was still three days away.
“What the hell are they doing here?” I asked.
Kallun was the first to realize what I was talking about. “No…”
“What?” Kenny and I both asked.
“We’ve gotta turn back.”
“What?” I repeated.
“The only reason to see an airship out here is the Dragonslayers Guild.”
“The Dragonslayers Guild?” Kenny asked.
Kallun nodded. “That guy that’s hunting, Bertrand, he’s the commander of a special unit in the Imperial army, the Dragonslayer’s Guild. They’re so special they have their own airships, the only unit that does.”
“Why would they be out here when they don’t know where we are?”
He shook his head. “Killing dragons isn’t all they do. They round up slaves, too.”
I asked, “Slaves? The Empire kidnaps people and uses them as slaves?”
“The Empire isn’t exactly made up of nothing but nice people, they don’t just use slaves, they sell them, too.”
Holy shit. Killing dragons or destroying their minds, taking and selling slaves. The Empire was a damned nightmare. “Why would they be bringing slaves out here?”
“They’re not,” Kenny answered. He had gone ahead a bit and found a spot to hide while he watched them. “They’re picking them up.” Kallun and I caught up with him, both of us crouching behind a fallen tree, just like he was.
The airship was just landing in the clearing as we got there. There were already seven Imperial Escorts on the ground, one of them holding a chain that was tied to four women. When the airship landed, a large boarding ramp extended from a cargo door in the back. Out stepped a woman in dark blue armor, wearing a horned helmet and carrying a sword on her hip with a lance strapped to her back.
“Bring them!” she shouted, her voice carrying an accent I’d never heard before.
One of the Escorts stepped up to her. “Lady Cecilia, there are reports that the Endawa children were last seen in Peresten.”
Kenny cursed under his breath. I could just barely hear it, but couldn’t make out what he’d said.
Lady Cecilia didn’t seem impressed, however. “Lord Bertrand has that well in hand. We’re merely here for the slaves.”
“Lady Cecilia!” someone inside the airship shouted. The shout was followed quickly by a yell of pure pain.
Lady Cecilia turned around and drew her sword with one hand and grabbed her lance with the other. “Stand fast!” she ordered. The other Escorts drew their weapons as well.
And out of the airship burst Mithra, still in his humanoid form that he’d been in when he’d defended me back at school. He had an axe in one hand, and blood streaking down his other arm. He buried the axe in an Escort that had taken position on the boarding ramp, then kicked the man off and took a swing at Lady Cecilia.
Lady Cecilia, however, was ready for him, blocking using her lance and taking a wide swing with her sword. She just managed to clip his stomach, drawing even more blood. “You were warned, creature.”
“As were you, witch! The fate of this world lies in my mage, and I will not let you stop me from reuniting with her!”
Lady Cecilia used her lance to pull the axe out of Mithra’s hand. It flew through the air, landing in the fallen tree we were hiding behind. I yelped a little, but clamped my hands over my mouth. I was pretty sure nobody but Kenny and Kallun heard me. Lady Cecilia then dropped to a crouch, swept her leg across and knocked Mithra onto his back. She then crawled on top of him and put her sword to his neck.
“We’ve gotta help him!” I half-whispered.
Kenny shook his head. “And give you up to them? They’re the ones we’re trying to keep away from!”
Lady Cecilia let out some form of growl, then said, “I’m sure you’ll like the next round of torture we have in store for you.” She stood up, but kept her sword pointed at his neck. “Take it back inside and strap it to the table. If there aren’t two of you on him at all times, I’ll kill you all myself.”
I turned to Kallun. “The boss said you get can get in and out of places without being noticed, right?”
He nodded. “Well, yeah, but just me, not all three of us.”
“How do you do it, exactly?”
He turned red. “I’m…” He glanced at Kenny. “Corbran’s a snakekin, I’m… kind of a chameleonkin.”
“You’re a what?” Kenny asked.
“It doesn’t run in my family too strongly, but I’m about one-twelvth chameleon.”
“Can you get on the airship by yourself?”
He shrugged. “Probably. So long as there aren’t any of them looking too close to see me.”
Kenny turned to me. “What are you thinking?”
I watched as two of the Escorts picked up Mithra and dragged him on-board. I needed to help him. I looked up at Kenny. “Kallun gets on board and opens one of those side hatches that’s close to the ground,” I pointed to the closest one, “and we hoof it to make sure we get on in time.”
He looked concerned, for good reason, really. “You realize we’ll be on an enemy airship, with them all around us?”
I nodded. “And we’ll hide until we get to wherever it is the ship is going. After that, we get Mithra and we hightail it the hell out of there.” I turned to Kallun and asked, “Are you rea--”
My question was answered by the very fact that Kallun wasn’t there. I reached out and touched the air where he’d been, but there was nothing. I turned back to where the airship was and saw something that seemed to be shimmering on the ground a little. It was then that I realized it was Kallun, crawling as fast as possible toward the airship boarding ramp. Even when he reached it and stood up, I couldn’t see him.
"Holy shit, he's fast," Kenny expressed.
"And he's into you," I added. "C'mon, let's go." I stood up, grabbed the axe and ran for the nearest hatch.
"Yeah," I barely heard him say as I bolted. "Wait, what?!"
