He felt his stomach drop, a lurch that made him bend himself over. Evonne jumped forward with her hand on his back. He couldn’t grasp the thought that he was chosen to manipulate the future for the dragons. Everything they had done to him, everything they had shown him, it was all a form of manipulation.

Were they wrong to do so? How was it that they could deem who was worthy of this task and who wasn’t? They say that they can see inside a person, make a judgment on their value as a human and that’s how they bless people. If a person doesn’t represent whatever moral requirement, the dragons don’t bless them with magic. Somehow, they’ve made that same judgment on Kaden.

Instead of blessing him with magic, they’ve cursed him with foresight. It was clear now they wanted to manipulate the fates by using him. Dragons were being torn out of the skies by these forces and the Matriarchs have decided to use Kaden as their tool to stop it.

The weight of the responsibility was overwhelming. They were showing him the future, but they were also expecting him to act on it. Had he not stopped Ambassador Laramee in time, he would have killed both Serpents, and they would have no source into who or what these people are.

Those around him were in his vision that day, screaming and yelling at one another. Not like they were doing here. This was more casual, relaxed. Even after everything they had seen the last few days, they were lounging on couches and letting out annoyed sighs at each other, not screaming and crying. He wondered what the future may hold that would lead to that.

“I’m just a kid, just a poor farm kid. All I did was save a creature that needed help. I didn’t know I was signing up to become the avatar of the matriarchs!”

Sayori and Reese shared a look as Evonne continued to rub Kaden’s back in comfort.

“Is this going to happen at every matriarch we visit? Are they going to burden me with more visions, more future possibilities I need to change? Why am I supposed to do this?”

He couldn’t hold back the stress. His eyes started to water and tears streamed down his face.

“People have died. I have killed people, a lot of people! A month ago, I had only killed deer so my family could survive. Now I’m murdering people on the side of buildings and throwing shards of sharpened ice through their bodies.”

Reese looked at Sayori again with his eyebrow raised. She gave him an acknowledging nod.

“Who am I to receive such blessings? Such curses?”

Evonne leaned down closer to his face and used her sleeve to wipe away his tears. “You were the right person they needed at the right time.”

He took a deep breath, but it shook out of him as he exhaled. His emotions had truly overtaken him and he felt shame at them having to witness it. He worried Zuma would feel his strife and soon be knocking down the wall to save him again. Controlling his emotions was important when he had such a strong connection to so many dragons, it seemed.

Trying to take another breath, he sat himself back up, rubbing away the tears. “I just… it’s a lot.”

Reese crossed his arms and leaned back into the couch as Sayori had moments before. “It’s a burden to bear, yes. We don’t get to choose who we are or how we’re received. All we get to do is decide what we’re going to do with those burdens. You can wallow in pity and feel like an impostor, or you can rise up to the challenge and prove to everyone why you deserve the blessings you are given.”

Sayori nodded. “You need to stop acting like you don’t know anything. I’ve said this to you before. I know things are frightening, you’ve been granted something we can’t even relate with. So far though, you’ve said go and we’ve been behind you. You may not know what to do, but neither do we. All we can do is stick together when we do it.”

Kaden nodded and she smiled. He agreed with them and told them he just needed more time to process it all. Reese laughed and had made a joke about them being sent on the road to get over it. They laughed about their situation with gallows humor and Reese was the first to hunt for food.

The cupboards were loaded with various different snacks and preserved goods. He loaded up an armful and dropped them on the couch nearby. Munching away, they all went quiet as they ate and processed what had just happened. Several moments passed and they quietly enjoyed each other’s company. None of them felt like getting very heavy with their conversations that night.

Evonne asked about their dragons and every single one of them tried to feel them. Nothing was amiss. So far, the only drama was the one they had participated in. Kaden being summoned by not one, but two matriarchs, and the severing of an ambassador’s arm as a result of that summoning.

A loud scratching of stone caused them all to whip their heads toward the door. The lift was being used by an earth mage. The door flew open and Nortu and the rest of the white mages came through. They all jumped to their feet as they scrambled to look like they were giving the proper respect.

The Lord Commander came in the rear, standing near the door as the rest entered. There were a few faces that they didn’t know. All of them wore the white mage sigil on their clothing, all four elements surrounding a spark in white thread.

“Meinor and Laudy have informed us of what had transpired at the stables with the Matriarchs,” Nortu stated flatly. “It is clear that you were shown a vision directly from one of them to stop this incident. You do understand the severity of such an act, correct?”

Kaden shook his head. “No, sir, I actually don’t. I am… unsure what this means for myself and my team. This is not a common topic of discussion for new magic users.”

He saw the Lord Commander smirk behind everyone. None of them but the riders could see his expression.

Nortu cleared his throat. “Yes, indeed. Apologies. Matriarchs very rarely press visions onto a person. When they do, they are treated with the utmost respect. Not only are you blessed by magic, but you are blessed with a look through that magic and into a future possibility. You cannot speak of this to anyone lest it mess with the flow of magic and time.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Kaden couldn’t help but let his jaw slack open. Acting on the visions would mess with time and magic directly? He shook his surprise away and said, “yes sir. Under normal circumstances, I would have kept things to myself, but…”

“But you did what they wanted you to do, which was to inform us,” he motioned to Meinor and Laudy. “In doing so, you revealed a traitor and protected a captive. We are thankful for what you’ve done.”

Kaden heard the praise, but it wasn’t sinking in. He was waiting for there to be something else. They wouldn’t have brought so many white mages if it was just a thank you they were offering. He shifted his weight nervously and gave a polite nod in response.

Nortu started to talk with his hands. “We need the four of you to understand that things between the nations aren’t as calm as them may seem.”

Reese let out a scoff that he tried to cover with a cough. Kaden watched as Nortu eyed him, but didn’t break his speech.

“To have one of the ambassadors be a traitor will cause wide spread issues with the rest of the nations. We cannot let this get out.”

Sayori shook her head. “Wait, so you’re going to just push this under the rug and act like nothing happened?”

“For now.”

She threw her arms up. “Wow, I thought Laramee was shady but, wow.”

Evonne hissed at her and grabbed her hands, pulling them back down. It amused Kaden how proper Evonne always tried to be.

“We will use the recent attack as an excuse to explain the ambassador’s absence, but we will need to get you four out of here as quickly as possible.”

Kaden shook his head, confused. “WHy so quickly?”

“You’re going back to the water nation.”

They all gasped.

“This is going to get out. When it does, the other nations will not want to work with the water nation in an official capacity for some time. If we don’t get you four there and meeting with their matriarchs, it might be years before that happens again. We only have a small window before everything falls apart.”

From behind them, the Lord Commander’s voice boomed. “We are led to believe you four are special, more so than many of the pilgrimages before you. You actions thus far have proved that. You all need to meet with the matriarchs. I believe several of you will be joining our ranks.”

“There’s a water matriarch upstairs. Why can’t we just go to her?” asked Reese.

They all dropped their eyes. Nortu cleared his throat and said, “The fact that the young mage her even communicated with her is a surprise and a blessing itself. She has chosen to avoid humans for sometime now. She is not willing to bless anyone else.”

Evonne’s small voice pulled Kaden’s attention. “Is that why there is another one here? Did she need support?”

Meinor shook his head in surprise, but Nortu answered. “That is very astute of you. Yes. She was refusing to even leave a stasis state. It was a last resort and has proven to at least help her function from another matriarch’s support.”

“Everything you have learned will be kept secret,” said the Lord Commander as they all turned to look at him. “None of this will be uttered to anyone else. Not your ambassadors, not your lords, not your family members.”

Nortu turned back to them and said, “Talks of visions, House of the Serpents, our Matriarchs, you are forbidden from discussing these things with anyone else. Do you understand?”

They all hesitated before squeaking out confirmations as a wall of white mages gave them threatening looks.

“We can’t even mention the House of the Serpents? Everyone will know of the attack on the citadel no matter where we go. You can’t keep that silent. It was too big of an event.”

Laudy rolled her eyes. “Well, of course you can discuss that, but do so with restraint. Keep the Ambassador’s involvement out of it.”

Kaden let out a loud but annoyed sigh. “You do know the water nation has its own issues right now?”

“We do know this.”

“And you want us to go back there during the middle of it?”

Meinor laughed and said, “It’s now or never, kids.”

While it was his homeland, Kaden was ready to see something new. He had hoped this adventure would lead him to new, wondrous sights. He didn’t want to have to actively think about why people were kidnapping dragons. Now he had to think why they were killing mages and kidnapping dragons, all while making sure his companions paid their respects to his matriarchs.

He did long to see some of the more familiar faces he had learned to know. They hadn’t been on his mind in some time, but he did wonder how Jaxtor, Eloise, and Iratoi were fairing with the investigation. He wondered if his family had gotten the support from his blessing yet or if they were still waiting for the nation to send his stipend to them.

He huffed. “What about my king? Will he know what happened? Will I be expected to say something upon my arrival?”

“You will merely be a courier. We are going to send an enchanted scroll with you that is for his eyes only. If he asks for details, you know nothing.”

“You’re expecting me to lie to my king?!” The look of shock that covered his face had to have been dramatic as the looks everyone was giving him and Nortu were intense.

“Yes.”

“I can’t do that.”

“You can and you will. You’re not lying to him, you’re just not telling him everything. We are here to protect you, to protect all of you. We are blessed by all of the matriarchs to protect this land and the unity between the nations. Let us handle it.”

Kaden could feel his chest tightening with anxiety. They wanted him to lie to his king. His king! He understood that white mages were representative of all the magic in the world, but they were asking a lot of him.

The Lord Commander spoke again, pulling everyone’s eyes once more. “The fate of this realm is on you four in this. We don’t want an all out war if we can prevent it. You are new, new to us, new to dragons, and new to the world of magic. Trust us, we can handle it.”

Kaden looked at Sayori for support. She gave a look of confusion herself and shrugged her shoulders in acceptance. Taking a deep breath, he finally gave them a nod of confirmation.

“You don’t want to have to play politics on that level, quite yet.”

Nodding, he said, “so when will we be leaving then?”

Nortu tossed his hand around. “as soon as we can get the ceremony done. Which will be tomorrow. Then you four are out of here.”

Evonne sighed and said, “so you will talk to his King then?”

“You will deliver the letter and within a few days’ time, we will have a white mage come with more details as we discover them ourselves. It is better to hear from us than from anyone else. We will handle it. You four need to focus on your pilgrimage.”

Reese scoffed again, this time not trying to hide his irritation. “But we need to do a speedy run through of the water nation as quick as we can before things get hot there.”

Meinor laughed and said, “that’d be ideal for all of your sake.”

“What if our nations want us back?” asked Sayori. “If things do get heated and we’re still on the pilgrimage, that is.”

Laudy flipped her hand and said, “they can’t have you back and neither can the water nation. When on your pilgrimage, they answer to our order, not each others. Threats on you are threats against us.”

Reese let out another laugh and said, “let’s hope they respect that.”

The Lord Commander’s voice echoed out, “They will.”

Nortu gave a deep bow and said, “once again, thank you for what you’ve done today and the night before. We are indebted to you and you don’t even realize it, young riders.”

“Oh, I realize it,” said Reese with a snicker.

They all bowed and exited back out. The Lord Commander and Meinor waited for them all to leave. He stepped forward himself and motioned to Kaden. “We need to talk, young rider.”

Kaden gulped and the other three were ushered to follow Meinor out of the room.

The door closed behind them and he said, “Only I am able to discuss this with you. Do you understand?”