With my companions’ ever-present thirst sated, we fly toward the moon. Should we follow long enough, it will supposedly lead us to the Agglomerate. Well, that or the Titan Alps to the north, but I expect to find a tribe to guide us once we’re that close.

If not for how infrequent meetings between tribes were out in the vast expanse of the wasteland, I might have found it strange that we found no áed tribes despite our great speed and incredible vantage sight. As high as we fly, far more of the horizon is visible and therefore we should spot any tribes that come within a hundred kilometres.

Not that it’s all that likely unless they are burning a pyre. My eyesight might have improved since I was last in the desert, but spotting something as small as a person from that far away might as well be impossible.

But what is visible, is the mountains that rise beyond the horizon to the west. The Agni mountains. A series of volcanoes that are home to Agni tribes. I’m surprised we are already this far west. Even if flight has cut down our travel time, we have come a long way.

The volcanoes do not rise in the sky beyond the looming Titan Alps beyond, but their devastated appearance reveals them for what they are. When they erupt, it is likely the most dangerous place in the wasteland, and yet there are tribes willing to live here indefinitely.

I’d seen them once when I was young. Unfortunately, my flame had been too dim at the time for my elders to let us close. While intense heat is good for growth, too much can still be harmful to an áed. As we age, it becomes far less of an issue, as our tolerance for heat grows exponentially with our own, but for children, the magma pools of each volcano are too much.

“Grímr, head toward those volcanoes to our west.” I didn’t expect to find them like this, but now that we’re here, it will be easy to ask for directions… and also inform them of Teine’s passing.

“Volcanoes? Why?”

“I want to meet with the Agni tribes.”

Grímr stares back with a single eye from his slightly tilted head. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. Of course there are áed living next to volcanoes.”

“Oh, no. They don’t live next to them, they live inside.” I think there’s five tribes that each live within their own volcano.

“Right.” Grímr makes no more comment, simply changing course and keeping his eyes ahead.

I have Grímr land a distance down from the peak of the mountain to not startle any who might be on lookout. A massive crater rests within the upper section of the volcano, in place of what once might have been a peak far higher. These volcanoes might not be impressive in their height, but many of those adjacent have rivers of lava either bubbling over the top ledge, or flow out the sides through molten tunnels. One on the far end of the range has half its side blown out, freeing the magma to flow around its base.

I’m curious to see what lies inside. The Agni tribes are the only áed besides those in the agglomerate that have settled. And, as far as I’ve been told, the Agglomerate is more of a gathering place for each of the wandering tribes than a true residential city only common in the eastern nations.

The surface of the volcano is hot, and while Grímr seems fine, a few markings light up across Leal’s body before her fur becomes drenched. She appears as if she just climbed out of an ocean. She nods at my questioning gaze, ready to move up.

It would certainly have been easier to fly in from above and land within the volcano’s crater, but it’s a good thing we didn’t; a dozen áed stand at the lip of the mountain above, each holding a weapon as their bodies remain unhidden by controlled flame. They are wary.

This is the first time seeing my own kind again after so long. We are the same, and yet I feel like an outsider. I take the lead and climb the mountain with my mum’s spear clanging against the hard black stone with each step. The Agni tribe warriors above grip their weapons tight and talk amongst themselves as we slowly make our way up. They are prepared to attack at any moment, but with our obvious, slow approach, they remain non-aggressive.

Spears, halberds, and all sorts of other polearms are the most common weapons, but there are a couple sabres amongst them. What is surprising is that only one holds a relic. Our tribe would usually have our relic holders at the forefront of any dispute, but maybe this tribe prefers to keep their wielders hidden? I can feel the heat of a few just beyond some rocks and ledges in the mountainside. There’s even a couple hidden within a cave to my left.

As I close the distance, I notice the áed above are growing increasingly agitated. Looking over my shoulder, I see their attention lies solely on Leal. The barely noticeable water through her thick fur coat is now letting off steam with the rising temperature. The markings that keep that coating active also shine conspicuously.

Oh. I just brought a water mage to a village of áed.

Stopping, I try not to scream at my idiocy. Leal and Grímr follow suit, coming to a halt a few paces behind me.

“Could you both wait here a moment?” I ask in a tone far calmer than I feel.

Teine and many of those held by the Henosis were abducted from here, so of course they would know of water mages; they’d experienced tragedy at their hands.

I walk forward alone, hoping it would calm the nerves and growing agitation of the áed before me. The one with the relic stands above the rest, exuding confidence none of the others can replicate. There is no doubt he is the leader. Him being the only one amongst them with a body of invisible flames helps to cement that idea.

It’s curious to see an áed almost entirely invisible and yet still have the solid form I’d long since surpassed. A dozen strands of white flame flicker across his face and body, likely an intentional action to not leave his body entirely invisible to all those around. It wouldn’t really be a problem anywhere else, but the Agni tribes aren’t partial to hiding what they are.

Before I can speak, the Agni elder engulfs me in a flame of his own. Reactively, I drop into a stance and hold my spear out. I hardly expected to be attacked, but I’m not about to let this go without a response.

“Calm, child. I only seek to confirm you are one of us.”

Only after the elder gestures his hand do I realise his fire isn’t trying to fight with mine. Instead, it pokes and prods at my flames, requesting permission to combine. It is like the beginning of Kindling. Before, Mum or Uncle could simply slip their flames into mine and that would be it, but now, I’m able to hold off his flames without issue.

I allow his scorching flames to mix with mine. Instead of becoming satisfied as I thought he might, his attention seems to intensify and his gaze — both through the flame and his physical eyes — hardens.

While he continues to combine with me, searching for whatever he finds interesting, I embrace the clear heat. Kindling might not be all that effective anymore, but I try to push my flames to the same heat as his. My spear can push me to this level, but it isn’t as natural and… full when achieved that way. But try as I might, I’m still a long while off reaching the next stage of my fire.

The elder pulls back his blaze and after a few seconds locked eyes with me, his gaze falls on my spear and the relic halberd tied to Grímr’s packs.

“It seems you have led quite a difficult and strange life, if your binding and companions are any measure. But I must ask, why have you brought a water wielder to our home?” He mustn’t be suppressing his heat toward the ursu anymore, as the steam billowing off her body suddenly intensifies.

I stand before him, trying to block as much of his heat as possible from boiling her where she stands. When our flames combined, I felt not only his heat, but the capacity of his flames, and I far exceed this elder’s energy. It isn’t even funny the difference between our pools of fire. His body may be hotter than mine, but I have the sheer brute capability to overwhelm him if he tries anything against Leal or Grímr.

“These are my friends. Leal is a water mage of New Vetus. She is not of those who hunted our kind.” I stand tall in defiance. The last thing I want to do is fight another áed, but if they intend to attack, then I won’t hesitate.

The elder’s gaze returns to the spear in my hands. White flames flickering across rippling air the only visible revelation to his body language, but my thermal sense paints a perfect picture, more distinct and sharp than creatures of flesh.

“You know of them.” It isn’t a question. I am carrying two relic weapons without being joined by another áed, one doesn’t need to make many leaps in logic to assume what happened. “And yet you trust this one?”

“Yes.”

That seems to send a round of murmurs through the volcano’s warriors. In a sense, I can understand how incomprehensible that might seem to them. Throughout my childhood, I’d been told of how terrifying water is. Inhospitable land with water perpetually falling from the sky was only the beginning of those horror stories. Mentions of creatures able to bend that water to their will always topped the list of nightmare inducing tales.

These people know nothing other than to fear water, so the very idea that a being able to bend that substance to their will might not be evil or monstrous is beyond them. I would probably have acted the same if the first ursu I met were water mages.

But Leal is my friend, and that they may all refuse her because of a simple mage discipline annoys me.

“You may follow me,” the elder says. “I think there is plenty for us to discuss. Your… friends may join too, but be warned; they will not be allowed near the village.”

With that, he turns and walks through the other uncontrolled áed forms standing in formation. Each stands back, leaving a wide berth between themselves and Leal. Taking the invitation, I wave for my two friends to join me and follow close behind the elder.

“Should we have stayed away while you met them?” Grímr asks under the watchful eyes of a dozen áed.

“It might have made things go smoother, but we should be fine.”

As we crest the mountain ridge, a large lake of bubbling lava sits within the crater below. It is a fair distance from here to the molten rock, but Leal brings a hand up before her face, scrunching her face at the heat it exudes. Her steaming grows stronger again, but not quite to the level the elder’s heat pushed her to.

“Are you alright?” I ask. If she can’t handle the heat, the áed around likely would have no issue letting me take her back down the mountain.

“Yeah, just fine,” Leal says through a deep breath. “Though, right now, I wish I’d chosen to become an ice mage back when I first entered the academy.”

Fortunately, the elder doesn’t lead us down to the lava lake, so Leal doesn’t have to worry about the temperature rising any higher.

Down below, on the other side of the boiling pit, are a dozen gers arrayed along the edge of the shore. Not one of the gers is normal, built with dark, solidified rock that was likely melted into place. The village is small, and honestly rather underwhelming after having seen all the cities and immense construction efforts over in the east.

Most of the áed I can see are poking their heads out of the water to watch us in curiosity. I’m sure it is incredibly strange for them to have visitors that aren’t a passing tribe. Especially not those of different races like Grímr’s massive alicanto form and Leal’s muscular stature. They watch curiously, but they don’t approach, fearful of outsiders. That fear will only grow once they know a water mage is amongst us. I can see a few warriors running down the slope already, likely to spread the word.

As I follow a pace behind the elder, I have a revelation that startles me. He looks short. Not only him, but every áed warrior is far shorter than I remember. Of course, I’m still smaller, but I come up to their shoulders now when I barely reached Uncle’s stomach before.

Mostly surrounded by beings either far larger than me, like Grímr, Leal, and Remus, or shorter like Jav, I guess I’ve not really noticed my growth. Even Bunny, who is the albanic I’ve spent the most time with now, is incredibly tall for her race.

I’ve spent years away from other áed, so it should have been obvious my default form would grow, but I’ve never truly internalised that I’ve become more than that little girl who lost everything so many years ago.

I have come a long way since then. I can melt iron. Heck, even sand melts into glass beneath my flames now. Despite whatever my default form might look like, for all intents and purposes, I am considered a full adult amongst the áed.

That is both strange and exciting, while at the same time completely irrelevant. Back then, I wanted nothing more than to grow up and contribute to the tribe. But now that I will be considered an adult, I realise how little it matters. Whether this elder views me as child or adult, it doesn’t matter. The only ones I wanted that respect from are now gone.

I shake my head of the gloomy thoughts before they can take root and raise my voice. “What’s your name?”

“I am Elder Tanwyn,” he says. “Of the Logi tribe.”

“Oh,” I blurt. The name Logi isn’t one I’d forget. “I’m surprised the first volcano I tried houses Teine’s tribe.”