Closing her eyes, Riya imagined her father’s grounding voice as she focused on her breathing.
“You can work through any challenge so long as you draw breath,” he had told her more times than she cared to admit.
A hint of a smile threatened to break through her stoic expression as a flood of his annoying sayings came unbidden to her mind.
“Patience comes to those who wait,” or “if you can’t take a joke, remember you still have to get married someday,” were amongst some of his favorites. Even now, she could see that goofy smile on his face as if he were about to begin one of his nonsensical lectures.
It was hard to come face to face with those memories as uncle Helmund began the bidding war on one her father’s most trusted companions. Lun’Svet had been party to many practical jokes played against her and her sister, all in good fun according to her father. That, and what he considered essential training.
How chasing a Horse Lord around the village after he had snatched one of her precious books could be considered training, she didn’t know. But given their circumstances, she would give anything to go back to those carefree days where her only real worry had been chasing a stupid horse that liked playing pranks..
Riya’s attention was drawn back to the crowd as Helmund called out, “We have a bid for 4,500 gold from house Lensher! Do I hear 4,600?”
Again, she focused on her breathing. Both uncle Helmund and Jirea had gone over the plan with her the night before. No matter what, they were going to return Lun’Svet back to her people, but not before ascertaining how much they were going to charge her people for the Horse Lord’s recovery.
The Banished Elves were not a wealthy people. Over the centuries they had dwindled in both influence and wealth to the point where they were little more than a nondescript collection of outcasts, cursed to roam the grasslands for their ancestors' transgressions. The amount of wealth so casually being tossed around in the auction house would either ruin them or put them squarely into Helmund’s debt for decades to come.
Add on top of that her father’s recent passing and, well… she couldn’t see how they could possibly recover. The council was likely in complete disarray without the guiding hand of her father, the group falling into the well worn paths of infighting as they fought for whatever scraps of power they could wring from the situation. They were more than just a forsaken people at this point.
They were doomed.
And, somehow, she had to keep that from happening? Sure, an Adjudicator had directed her with that quest to make it home as quickly as possible and stop it all from happening, but what was she supposed to do about it?
By the rights of transition, she was supposed to inherit the title of Ki. But that wouldn’t help matters. Not only had the council barred her from inheriting because of her brand, something she might be able to refute, but she was still two years from reaching the age of maturity. Not only would she be escorting the man putting her people into what likely amounted to indentured servitude, but nobody on the council would even give her the time of day let alone listen to whatever ideas she had on their situation.
Overcome with monumental tasks before her, Riya rested her head against the glass wall as she struggled to breathe through the tidal wave of emotions threatening to drag her under.
What she wouldn’t give to hear one of her father’s stupid sayings right now.
“Do you think anyone else noticed that Helmund has food stuck between teeth?” Kedryn asked, coming to stand next to her.
“...What?” Riya asked, looking up to glance between uncle Helmund and Kedryn with a look of bemusement.
“Yeah, he has something in his teeth,” Kedryn said, gesturing down to the stage. “See the black thing when he smiles? I keep wondering if it's a piece of lettuce from that sandwich he stole from us earlier or if he ate a particularly messy snack before the auction started.”
Riya snorted at the ridiculousness of the statement, but soon found herself fighting down a full on giggle as she saw that Kedryn was right. How had she missed something so glaringly obvious! It was as plain as day now that she knew to look.
“How did you even notice that from way up here?” She asked, her earlier feelings of emotional drowning all but forgotten as she squinted her eyes in an attempt to make out what uncle Helmund had eaten.
“Gift from the Adjudicators,” he said with a smile as he tapped the sides of his eyes. “I have at least 20/10 vision now.”
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“That must be one of those things from your home that makes no sense to normal people,” she said
“Riiight…” Kedryn said with a roll of his eyes. “It means that I can see really, really well since the Adjudicator’s changed my race. That, and by noticing it I ranked up my perception skill.”
“Of course you have,” Riya said, shaking her head at the absurdity that Kedryn had once again gained a level in one of the harder skills to learn. She shouldn’t be surprised anymore seeing as both he and Glade had literally flown through both levels and skills since coming to Veil. “Did you come over here just tell me about the food in uncle Helmund’s teeth or did you just want to gloat over the level gain?”
“To be honest? Neither,” Kedryn said with a shrug. “I just figured you’d like the distraction. It can’t be easy to watch your dad’s bonded horse up for auction like this.”
Riya glanced at the young royal elf in genuine surprise. She hadn’t thought he could be so… thoughtful. Distracted to the point of being dangerous? Sure. She had seen that happen time and again since their abrupt return to Veil. But empathetic? This was a new side of him she hadn’t seen before.
“That’s very… thoughtful, of you,” she said carefully.
“Well, thoughtful is my middle name!” he said, giving her the most remarkable smile. It wasn’t one of his forced smiles that she had seen time and time again. Those honestly looked like he had a bad case of gas.
No, this was more like a quiet smile. Something that was just for her.
“Uh huh,” she snorted with a shake of her head.
They stood there for a moment in comfortable silence, watching the bidding war continue past 5,000 gold.
“I really don’t like how this part of the auction is turning out,” Kedryn said, his eyes darkening. “I know that Helmund is going to bring Lun’Svet back with us, but I can’t imagine your people are going to like, let alone afford, what he is going to end up charging.”
“You’re right, we won’t be able to afford it,” she said with a sigh, those feelings of helplessness starting to edge their way back like the creeping poison they were. “But I don’t think he’s after gold so much as favors.”
“What do you mean?” Kedryn asked, giving her a quizzical look.
“You saw how many high grade potions were up for auction, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” Kedryn said slowly, his eyes narrowing in that way that meant he was trying to work something out. “There were quite a few, including those two potions that could open up Corporeal mana channels.”
“You already know about our alchemist. So does uncle Helmund. He’s going to use the fact that we can’t pay the outrageous cost for Lun’Svet to get us to provide more powerful alchemical treasures for free,” Riya said, her eyes darkening. “We already sell him those potions at a significant discount because no other merchants are willing to work with us. In fact, selling our goods to uncle Helmund is pretty much our only source of income. By bringing Lun’Svet back to us like this, it pretty much guarantees he will own us.”
Kedryn didn’t say anything for a long while, his laser focused eyes glancing between her and Helmund as if trying to solve a complex problem. She already knew what he was going to say. Why call Helmund her uncle if all he was doing was exploiting them? Or, he might take another tact and ask her if there was anything he could do? That or any of a dozen other pointless questions that showed ignorance rather than genuine insight. But in the end, she couldn’t blame him. Kedryn couldn’t possibly understand the challenges her people faced. What she faced. How could he? He was a chosen of the Adjudicators. A Royal Elf with royal blood. He had been granted boons and gifts a plenty not only in this life, but from the world he had come from as well.
Inwardly, she wanted nothing more than to end this conversation right here and now. She didn’t want to hear whatever ignorant question he had for her.
“I can’t even imagine what you’re going through,” he said instead, his voice coming out in a gentle whisper. “Or what your people are going through. But I’d like to, if you’re willing to share.”
Riya looked up at him in surprise. She hadn’t been expecting that. When had the loud mouth Corporal focused on blowing things up with forbidden magic become so… interesting?
“Sold!” Helmand’s voice cried out, drawing their gaze back to the auction. “To our unnamed guests for 6,200 gold!”
Riya blanched, her thoughts once again becoming derailed as Helmund announced such an absurd price. There was no way they could pay that debt back in less than two decades, regardless of how many potions they made!
A comforting hand settled onto her shoulder.
“We’ll get through this,” Kedryn said, that quiet smile back on his face, though this time it had an underpinning of sadness to it.
“That about wraps it up then,” Glade said, interrupting her thoughts as he approached them both. He and Bragden had been talking between themselves at great length about their plans for the coming day. There were a great many moving pieces, but it wasn’t like she had to worry about the details. Her job was to stay by Lun’Svet’s side the entire time. It was Glade and Kedryn who had the hard parts. They were the ones who had chosen to go into the labyrinth in what sounded like a ridiculous rescue attempt.
An unbidden smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Ridiculous plan it may be, but she had seen them both accomplish far more outlandish things than this.
“What are you smiling about?” Kedryn asked.
“Oh, just remembering what Cirea said when we first arrived to Asylum,” she said.
“Oh? What was that?” he asked.
“She was wondering what you and Glade were going to do to the city,” she said with a small chuckle. “I’m beginning to wonder that myself.”