Dawn found them ready to depart, backpacks filled with clothing, weapons, and the few gold pieces they had to their name. The weight on Liera’s shoulders bothered her, a constant reminder of her lost brother and how they were postponing their search. She didn’t allow herself any regrets. She’d done all she could. Blake seemed equally dejected.

“Cheer up,” Liera said. “I thought you wanted to meet dad.”

“I do,” Blake replied. “It’s just…” He paused and let out a long sigh. “Forget it.”

The two of them squeezed through the squads marching to the northern gate. After the siblings discovered the remains of Daniran soldiers by the riverside, Drayton ordered an increase of patrols. Three times the platoons with thrice the number of soldiers in each one. If even that didn’t deter Andre from crossing the borders, nothing would. Then they’d be at war.

The siblings passed through the eastern gate and were greeted by the lush forest surrounding Danira. Drayton had prepared a borash for their journey. The enormous creature lay on its side, drawing in rugged breaths and staring into space with its tiny, bead-like eyes. Black hair covered its body, and its short legs twitched when it became aware of their presence.

“Easy…” Blake brushed his hand against the beast’s fur as he rounded it. He tied the reins to its protruding tusks and strapped himself onto the saddle. Liera fastened their rations to the borash’s back and mounted it, but didn’t tie herself. Blake patted the borash’s sides and the beast stood with a low grunt, turning its two riders upright.

“Good boy,” Blake said.

With a gentle tug of the reins, the borash began its sluggish march. They were gentle and durable creatures, originally used to cross the deserts of the midlands. They never slept, meaning the siblings could take turns handling the reins. Liera relaxed on the beast’s back and gazed at the treetops. The sky had vanished almost completely, only a few fragments of blue still visible between the thick foliage. Air rich with the sweet fragrance of leaves and loam filled her lungs. No wind blew today and the forest was submerged in a calming stillness. The sound of running water had the same hypnotic quality as music, making Liera drowsy.

“Did he live?” asked Blake.

“Who?”

“The ashfen. Did he survive the oath?”

“No,” Liera said. “Why?”

“Just curious.”

Liera said nothing. She laid back again, resting until it was her turn to handle the reins. The slow galloping of the borash continued, and the trees eventually lessened to reveal a clearing. There, the plant life had invaded into abandoned stone buildings and reclaimed the land. All that was left now were the ruins of a city, which lacked the warmth that once made it worthy of the term. Most of the structures still stood, having outlasted their creators. Others had succumbed to the vegetation, crumbling to piles of grey stone, their original form forever lost.

The borash made its way through the ruins, blissfully unaware of what they used to be. Liera glanced at an obelisk that had survived the ravages of time, erected near what once was the city centre. A weird shiver ran down her back, a tingle that made every hair on her body stand on end. Was someone watching her? She tugged the reins, prodding the beast to move faster. The borash froze in place instead.

A man was seated at the base of the obelisk, watching her. Clothing made of black and crimson cotton covered his body, styled in a manner Liera had never seen before. His unnatural crimson eyes were gazing right into hers, as if in judgement.

“Who are you?” Liera reached for the dagger strapped to her waist. She fought back the urge to turn tail and flee without looking back.

“Disappointing.” The man spoke, and his voice stoked fear in Liera’s heart. “It’s been so long and you didn’t even know what I look like.”

“What-- What do you mean?” For the first time in her life, Liera found herself trembling. This was fear unlike any she’d felt before. Fear that seeped deep into all that she was.

“You were hunting me down, killing hundreds of my underlings in search of your brother. That made things quite bothersome for me. I thought you were somewhat capable though, so I let you live.”

Liera froze. The man she had been after for years, the man who had taken her brother hostage was right in front of them, yet she could barely face him without getting nauseous. She nudged Blake and he jumped up, grabbing the hilt of his sword.

“What is going on?” he asked while trying to get his bearings.

Leylin simply smiled at him. “I’m here to seek your aid. There’s a certain man I want dead.”

“Huh? What is wrong with you?” Blake asked.

“Nothing.” Leylin stood from the stone and approached. “In fact, I’m the only one that’s normal.”

“Don’t move! We’re soldiers from Danira,” Liera cried out.

“I know what you are,” Leylin drew closer, “and I know what you do. Your attempts to stop Andre, even if futile, are appreciated. I’ll take over from here.”

“No!” Liera yelled as Blake moved before she could stop him. The knife cut through the air and pierced Leylin’s forehead.

“What have you done? He’s the one we’ve been searching for, you idiot!” Liera turned to look at her brother, but all colour had drained from his face. She followed his gaze and saw Leylin standing again, glaring at them.

“Insolent,” he said, tilting his head forward to rip the weapon from his skull. There was no blood. “A horrible first impression.”

Liera doubted her eyes. Leylin stood calm despite the wound. “What… What are you?” She reached for her own weapon. This had to be a trick. An illusion. The day mortal men would not succumb to steel would be the day she retired. She just didn’t expect it to be so soon.

“I’m human,” Leylin said, “just like you.”

“Then how can you still stand?” Blake yelled, another knife already in her hand.

“Look around you, children.” Leylin spread his arms amid the ruins. “This is what has become of us.”

Liera stared at him instead, saw the fabric of his clothes slowly shrivelling up and turning to dust.

“We used to be powerful.” Leylin turned his head to the sky. “Unbound.”

“Look,” Liera whispered. “I think… I think he’s dying.”

The soft gray daylight let them see the bones through the gaps in his desiccated skin. Leylin’s presence here was temporary, only the dissipating remnants of his magic and body. “We used to outshine all other species and marvel at our lives in this world.” His crumbled lips formed a sneer. “Now we just bow our heads and try to preserve our lives in the dirt.”

Liera’s hands trembled on the reins. "We can’t stand up to Andre. We can’t--"

“That’s not it. You’re the reason Rane had to suffer,” Leylin said. “Your inferiority.”

Liera shook his head. This was just a trick, a way for him to get under their skin. “We were children.”

“No.” Leylin forced the word out. “You were weak. You couldn’t save him from my grasp. Yet now you have a chance to make things right. A way to free him.” He was fading now, fragments of his body disappearing into windblown dust. “Give me Caelus Nost,” he rasped, pushing the guttural words through a bony jaw. “Give me… the traitor.” What was left of his body fell forward, dispersing into nothing. Only Blake’s knife remained where he stood moments ago.

“What… What was that?” Blake mumbled.

“That,” Liera said, “was terrifying.” She thought about retrieving the knife but decided against it. She didn't want mage remains anywhere near her.

Blake dismounted the borash and carefully approached the obelisk. “Did he say Caelus Nost?” he asked. “Like, one of Silyra’s archmages?”

“I think so.” Liera stared at the empty space where Leylin had stood. He even used the word traitor. How much did he know? If someone as high ranking as an archmage had betrayed Silyra, it could be disastrous. “What are we going to do? We can’t possibly trust him.”

“We can’t ignore him either, can we?” Blake asked. “This could be our chance to get Rane back, Liera! If Caelus does prove to be a traitor…”

“Then it’d be disastrous. Do you understand the implications of someone with that high a rank having turned on us?” Liera shook her head. “I don’t like this. There’s too much going on behind the scenes. Too much we don’t know.”

Blake nodded. “Either way, we should talk to father first.”

“Right.” Liera got down from the borash and joined him by the obelisk. “I didn’t expect you to attack him though. Didn’t you feel… intimidated?” she asked. “He isn’t ordinary.”

Blake raised an eyebrow. “What part of this is? Take a look at this.” He picked up a piece of paper Leylin had left behind. Buildings had been granted shape by sharp, long lines of black ink. There were people walking by too, but the crude nature of the drawing deprived them of faces or features. And in the centre of the picture was an obelisk. Blake looked up and scanned the ruins to confirm what now was blatantly obvious.

“He does have a vivid imagination,” said Liera.

“Or he was here… Before the war…”

Leira yanked the picture out of his hand. “Don't be ridiculous. This Danira fell hundreds of years ago.” She climbed back onto the borash and petted the frightened beast’s head to calm it.

Blake didn’t respond. He gazed at the ruined city one final time and an eerie feeling spread up his stomach.

“Come, brother,” Liera prompted and took the reins. “We have one more reason to hurry.”