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It was good to see smiles again.
I raised my hand, offering a half-wave to the two women on their way down the hill. They both nodded at me. One of them even started to giggle. Yet even as her friend glared at her, trying to wave the action off to me, I couldn’t help but smile back. Strangely, it made me happy that they didn’t look disgusted by me—the new change of clothes probably helped—and they didn’t look uneased, either. To them, I wasn’t an unknown anymore. I wasn’t some internal threat. I was a ranger, and one they seemed to respect.
By the time they’d walked off, the afternoon sun felt much better on my upturned lips.
When I’d first arrived back in Sarin, I’d noticed things were different. It wasn’t that hard of a thing to do with the new knight patrols and curious looks shot my way. But at the time, I’d been too tired to really care. It had been too much effort to think about.
And I really had been that tired, I thought to myself with a chuckle. I’d arrived back at the lodge all of three days ago at this point, and I still felt sore from it. The soreness wasn’t threatening to break my bones and tear my stomach in half like it had that first morning back, but it was still there.
I still remembered the lecture Galen had given me about taking care of myself so that he wouldn’t have to waste his precious time dealing with me. Or, I still remembered his high-pitched, mocking tone. I didn’t remember much of the actual content. After all, I already knew how to take care of my body. I’d just miscalculated how strained I’d actually been.
The white flame swirled in my head. I could feel it brushing the backs of my eyes, observing the town that was now my home by itself. Technically, it had been living in Sarin for as long as I had, but this was its first active foray into the place.
Focusing away from its heat and wandering out of my thoughts, I narrowed my eyes. In front of me, walking down the slope toward the lodge, was another knight patrol. Their heavy metal steps against the road as well the flurry of metal sounds betrayed their presence rather well.
Watching them descend, a smile forced its way up onto my face again. The noise of their procession was more than music to my ears. It reminded me of all my memories as a knight for my kingdom. Granted, I’d never truly been on patrol more than once or twice. I’d been too valuable for that. But marching for hours in plated armor was something I didn’t think I’d ever forget.
As they approached nearer, I nodded to them and brought up a hand. A few of the knights slowed, glancing up at me and returning a nod back. One of them—who I’d met before, in fact—even smiled. The entire time, I inspected their gear.
Just as the knights had before, they carried swords. Two of them carried longswords and two carried shortswords. But unlike before, these knights didn’t have the signature blue trim that noted them as from Norn. Instead, a light brown trim that was similar to one of the colors on Sarin’s sigil lined the armor they’d regret having to wear in a few months.
Without even realizing it, I furrowed my brow and tracked the knights on their way down the hill. An unsure noise crept out of my throat. Things really had changed since the last time I’d been in Sarin.
Mostly, the fact that there were more—and organized—knight patrols around town was different, but the replacement of armor was more drastic. All in all, I didn’t know exactly why they were on guard, but I didn’t particularly care either. To me, having knights on guard just made sense—it stemmed from all of the necessary lessons I’d been given back in Credon.
But the idea that Marc might’ve been developing his own order of knights for Sarin… that was what intrigued me more. Deep down, I knew I wouldn’t have left the Rangers now. But it would’ve been a lie to say I wasn’t at least a little bit conflicted.
As I made my way to the top of the hill, pain already picked at my feet. It echoed dimly what I’d felt on my trek back through the trees, but I knew that wasn’t what it came from now. Before coming into town, I had been training, and unfortunately my body didn’t like that very much.
Ever since I’d gotten back—and after Galen had returned me to a physical status above that of a vegetable—I’d started training just as before. With the source gone, I didn’t have all that much to immediately worry about—barring the memories of Anath that sprung up every once in a while. And all I’d come back with was more motivation—more fuel for my fire to become enough to make the beast pay.
The white flame had complied with that, letting me experiment with its magic. But after only creating a few sparks and forcing the tiniest flame to appear at the tip of my blade, it had locked me out again. For lack of a better understanding, it was tired. And even if it frustrated me, I couldn’t entirely blame it.
I shook my head and walked on, trying to ignore the pain in my feet. Around me, Sarin’s town square sprawled with afternoon activity. As always, the dozens of shops selling products, produce, and baked goods were taking advantage of every waking minute they could. And despite Marc having been Sarin’s Lord for a month now, I could still see some of the decorations that had gone up on his arrival day.
Watching the multiple knights intermingling with Sarin’s usual crowd, I almost chuckled. The leftover decorations weren’t the only marks the new lord had left on the town.
As I weaved between a chipper child and what I could only assume to be an annoyed father, something caught my eye. There, on the other side of the square, beside a few of the stalls that sold bread items, was Carter. And Arl as well, I noticed. The slightly pudgy and quite mischievous grown man who’d used to make my grocery runs bearable.
My eyes widened at the sight; the combination did seem a little strange. Carter, it looked like, was only there to buy some bread and probably get out of the lodge for a while. Which was an admirable goal, considering I was doing the same thing. And Arl, it seemed, was just standing around as nondescript as he could.
The strange part, actually, wasn’t the fact that the two were in the square at all. Arl practically lived there, as far as I was concerned. But the fact that the two of them were talking was what mystified me.
“Carter!” I called out as I swerved past the last of the people between us. In front of me, the brown-haired ranger widened his eyes and turned, already smiling. Next to him, Arl looked up as well, but his eyes widened for a different reason.
“Agil,” Carter said. “Deciding the sun doesn’t actually burn your skin today?”
“I suppose,” I said, tilting my head and letting out a small bewildered chuckle. But really, my gaze was fixed on Arl. Who, after barely even acknowledging my existence, scurried away from the both of us to scavenge from a basket left out about a dozen paces away. That made me really chuckle. “Even as they change, some things stay the same, don’t they?”
Carter cocked an eyebrow. “I suppose,” he said, taking his turn to be a little bewildered.
I smiled. “Yeah. Tired of staying in the lodge about sums it up.”
Carter nodded slowly. “You don’t have an assignment?”
Tilting it to the side, I shook my head again. “No… Lorah hasn’t given me anything yet.” The sparse words she’d given me two days back repeated in my head. At the time, she’d said there wasn’t enough need to push me away from recovery for the sake of an assignment. “How about you? I have a hard time believing she let you off the hook.”
Carter glanced over at me, a sarcastic question in his eyes. “Why’s that?”
I threw up my hands, the corners of my lips curling into a smirk. “No reason. But the only other person without an assignment that I know of is Galen.”
My fellow ranger rolled his eyes. “Well, of course. Galen never gets assignments. He’s always got his own work to deal with, or whatever.” Carter turned away from the stall, now holding a loaf of bread that practically gleamed in the sunlight. “I’ve just already finished my assignments for the week.”
I furrowed my brows. “You have? How’s that?”
Carter shrugged. “Mine were simple. This grocery run I’m on right now is the last of them, actually. After fighting terrors for the past few weeks, hunting regular game is easy pickings.”
I nodded slowly. As strange as it was, since I’d first become a ranger, I hadn’t done nearly as much of that as the rest of the Rangers had. “That’s for sure.”
Shuffling away from the stall to let other people by, Carter’s gaze softened my way. “Thanks for that, by the way.”
Both of my eyebrows shot up and for a moment, the tips of my ears burned. But I shook that away and took the thanks with pride. “It wasn’t easy, but it needed to be done.” I tried not to sound like Jason. “I’m just glad the cycle is over now.”
Carter nodded. “How long was the trip, anyway?”
“Two to three days on foot,” I said. Then I remembered all of the grumbling we’d all done along the way. “If you walk from dawn to dusk without so much as a break to relieve yourself.”
He let out a soft laugh, biting it back before it could build. Then, his sincere expression returned as quickly as it had left. “But you destroyed the source, at least. Definitely, right?”
Flaming golden tongues danced through my memories. The smell of smoke. Of burned hair and terror flesh. I nodded. “We did.” Grey wings flashed in my vision, rising up along with a wave of disgust from the back of my mind. I shook it away, trying to push Anath and all the rest of the things I didn’t understand into the past for now. “Definitely.”
My confirmation seemed to calm the ranger. He sighed with a mirthless chuckle. “I heard you got stranded, too. Came back after Jason and Myris did.” His lips curled into what could barely be called a smirk. “You finally have to actually put those hunting skills to use?”
I chuckled at the backhanded insult. My hand fell to my side, tightening around the hilt of my blade, but I answered truthfully. “I did. Though by the end of it, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to tell you what the word ‘skills’ even meant.”
Carter laughed before rubbing his neck with his free hand. “Well, I’m glad you’re back alive.”
“Thanks,” I said, warming up my smile and pitching our conversation into a little lull of silence.
“So…” Carter started, stifling a cough. “How was Farhar?”
I blinked, my smile fading as memories of the town came back up. Before I’d gone, all I’d thought about Farhar was that it was an old town at the edge of the forest. But now, having already waded through its nightly chaos, morning serenity, and mess of confusing streets, it felt like something more. The white-hot presence in my head flickering in approval seemed to agree.
“It was nice,” I said, but it didn’t feel like enough. “I got... a lot out of the experience.”
Almost unconsciously, I flexed my muscles, feeling the energy twitching within. Energy that only improved my form and—at least partially—made up for my body’s shortcomings.
“You were in Farhar?” a new voice asked. I blinked, jerking my head back and turning as a broad-shouldered man pushed over to us. As soon as we turned to him, he flashed us each a charming smile that seemed to shine as much as his armor did.
“Uh,” I started, still unsure about the knight that had just asked me a question. “Yeah. I went there to help out... Who are you?”
The tanned knight shrugged his shoulders a little excitedly. A movement that made me notice the distinct blue trim on his armor. “I’m Fyn,” he said, offering me his hand. I took it and found myself forced to experience his all too firm handshake. “New here, actually. Just arrived this morning.”
“You’re a Knight of Norn?” I asked. The man jerked his head back in apparent surprise as he got Carter to shake his hand too. The ranger next to me had to bite back a grunt as he shook the pain off his hand.
“I am,” the man named Fyn said. “Although, maybe not anymore. Marc recruited me here, so I’m not exactly sure where I stand.” I opened my mouth, but the man continued on without pause. “Anyway, what was Farhar like? I used to know someone from there. Are the streets really as confusing as they say?”
I nodded slowly, the man’s excitement grating on me a little. Yet, despite that, I could feel myself warming to it. “They were. None of the locals seemed to be bothered by it, but it took us far too long to get anywhere.”
Fyn nodded, holding a finger up. Then he laughed. “Back in Norn, you know, our streets are all straight—or, some of them are elegantly curved. But, you’d think we invented parallel lines over there.”
Beside me, Carter let out a small chuckle, which earned him a wide smile from the knight. Fyn continued. “This place seems to have a better balance, but maybe it’s harder to get around than I think.” I opened my mouth, but once again found myself cut off. “Why were you in Farhar?”
I snapped my lips shut and rolled my neck. Tried to push the possibly unintended disrespect away. “I was part of the ranger party that helped over there. They were ravaged by terrors this cycle, and we went to deal with their scourge.”
Fyn nodded slowly as if he understood every word. “Successfully, I hope.”
I tilted my head, blinking at the man. But Carter laughed anyway and answered for me. “Yes, successfully. This has been the shortest cycle in years, I’m sure.”
The knight continued bobbing his head up and down before extending a hand to my shoulder. When he looked at me, his eyes were narrowed. “You two are rangers, then? I was told I’d have to work with rangers.”
I forced a smile onto my face. “We are. These are the Ranger uniforms.”
Fyn pursed his lips, still squinting. “Good to know. I am glad you’ve dealt with your problem down here, though. Less work for me, if you know what I mean.” He leaned in closer to me and smiled some more. I knew what he meant. “They’re still dealing with ours back in Norn.”
Suddenly, memories from months back flooded in. I cringed, confirming my understanding as Fyn finally backed off. They’d been dealing with the quakes, with Rath and her cult all the way back then. But it was still going even now?
The thought left a very unsavory taste on my tongue.
“With what?” Carter asked. Fyn opened his mouth to reply, but for once, I was faster.
“Quakes, for one,” I said dryly. Turning toward my fellow ranger, I looked him right in the eyes and made sure he understood. “And cult activity. Apparently, Rath is rising again.”
The mention of the high-dragon’s name made Carter take a step back. He angled his head and furrowed his brows at me. The beautiful loaf of bread in his arms nearly fell to the street. “What?”
“How did you know that?” Fyn asked, his tone still laid-back and bemused.
I smiled, despite myself. “I’ve been to Norn as well. I even had to deal with a quake while I was there.” The memories streamed back one-by-one. Lady Amelia. The quake. Keris and his mention of her ire. They sent a shiver down my spine even now.
Carter blinked, shaking his head. “They’ve been trying to deal with that? I didn’t think Rath was more than a myth…”
Fyn smiled at the now-spooked ranger. “She still might be, you know. Just because her cult promises things, doesn’t mean they will happen. There has been cult activity, but nothing we haven’t been able to deal with.”
I nodded, wincing at myself as I remembered Arathorn’s ‘package,’ which had really been no more than stolen dragon’s blood. Even despite how confident I felt on the surface, I rolled my neck as doubt crept into my mind.
Carter squinted, only just starting to calm himself down. “You’ve been dealing with it for a while, though?” He turned to me. “Didn’t you go to Norn months ago?”
I nodded slowly, trying not to let any of my simmering worries out to the surface. And as I looked in Carter’s direction, I didn’t have to try that hard. Something else grabbed my attention. On the far side of the square—over by the town hall—a few knights were discussing something in hushed tones.
“Dealing with the cult of a dragon isn’t easy work, I’d say.” Fyn folded his arms. “They’ve even been requesting Marc’s help here and there, actually.”
My eyes widened at that, at the possibility of having to help against the cult again. Monotone words echoed from my memories, reminding me of the dragons’ power. Of their hatred for the beast. Even though the majority of me despised the idea with a passion, I couldn’t stop the little worm of hatred from making me interested. It wasn’t the kind of hatred I even could stop. It was old and thick and burning. Something that stuck to my bones and didn’t leave after a full night’s rest.
Without even realizing it, I gritted my teeth and clenched the hilt of my blade. But by the time I noticed, neither of my companions seemed to have. Fyn and Carter had been talking the entire time.
Fyn laughed. “Even after he left!” he said. Carter let out a breath of amusement at that, his fear taking a back seat again. “Marc left the mountain states to come here, and yet he’s still being roped in.” The broad knight calmed his own chuckles with a quick glance around. “Even as things change, some stay the same eh?”
I blinked at the words, opening my mouth. But by the time words had formed on my tongue, Fyn had already noticed his fellow knights congregating on the other side of the square and had muttered a rushed goodbye.
My lips snapped shut and I let out a sharp breath of mirth myself as I watched the man push his way back through the crowds. But as Carter finally moved from his spot and started walking to another stall, the conversation started to really set in.
And as I followed my friend, pushing down memories, fears, and hatred all at once, something became abundantly clear.
I had a hard time believing anything would stay the same at all.
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