I’m starting to hate those bizarre dreams. The seemingly endless hours of drifting in the emptiness of nothing was starting to drain both my mental and physical energy, also the cryptic ramblings had no sense to them. It said “Wake. We begin. Improve.”, and I had no context for any of that. Screw it, I’m going to Tuleni’s clinic to see if I have a brain tumor or something. Maybe the ichor or whatever had left something in me that wasn't being friendly with the inside of my lizard head.
I shared my destination with my brothers while avoiding mentioning either the possible concussion or the voices in my head to them. Tokols was apprehensive to set foot back in the place that he had been getting secondhand drug exposure at, and actually turned green at the thought of being in there. Humey had no such reservations and was already waiting by the door for us to leave. Mibata was persistently trying to land a bullseye with his throwing knives until I was ready, and was chivalrous enough to carry my satchel for me. He definitely wasn't using it to conceal his knives that he had sneakily tucked in there behind my back, and was absolutely just being a gentleman.
With our parents still sleeping off whatever partying they had gotten up to, it was just the three of us on our way to the clinic. I was surprised when instead of taking an elevator we instead climbed a flight of stairs up one floor so we could access one of the marvelous extending bridges. It worked on the same steam power as the elevators, but instead of hoisting us vertically it would pull us across the gap via cables. This thing did not feel safe, but the rush of air flowing past my face and the sensation of vertigo it caused was actually a thrilling rush. Was every kobold secretly an adrenaline junkie, because all of the machines around here bordered on insanity.
From there it was another flight of stairs up then down a tunnel to a pair of double doors left open. I was expecting something like an infirmary with cots and stretchers with potions or bandages kept by the bedside, not an elaborate greenhouse with benches and chairs everywhere. This place was more like something you would expect from your typical fantasy elf, not a healer of the reptiles. The smell was also something out of place: woody and earthy, moist with a hint of spiciness from medicinal plants. Mana was flowing everywhere there were plants, and the enormous root going from floor to ceiling in the back was the richest vein of magic energy other than myself I had ever seen. Humey bumped my elbow as I gazed in awe at the majestic building.
"It's really neat, doncha think? Grandma says she's been growing this place her whole life. It's so weird and different from everywhere else.”
Mibata seconded that opinion in his own way.
“Yes, it truly is marvelous. Tuleni’s clinic rivals the mushroom forest in complexity. I doubt there is any medicinal ingredient that doesn’t grow here.”
Yeah, no kidding. I was letting my vision roam around the room to see all of the colorful plants and assorted potions kept along the back wall when a hand with dagger sized claws rested on my shoulder.
"Greetings Kayrux. Welcome Tuleni healing place. Sit, relax, tell problem."
She either had some kind of ability to sense when people were hurt, or she had some scarily accurate foresight. Regardless, I ignored the fact that she had once again snuck up on me so I could pick out a seat that was nestled between two bushy herb plants that had a nice fragrance. With Mibata and Humey acting as my interpretation I was able to convey my dreams to her. That warm familiar smile lasted for a long time into the explanation, but the mention of the silver eye and the single voice made her lose that kind expression. I couldn't tell what emotion she was showing, only that it wasn't a good one.
She was silent for a little while after the retelling was over, but eventually returned to her borderline crazy old lady talk and eerie smiling. She handed me a bottle of blue liquid and patted me on the brow.
"Kayrux avoid bashing head again. Damage bring wild dreams. Think nothing, drink medicine, recover soon. Boys, keep girl safe. Tuleni busy, speak later."
We couldn't get a word in before she had her back to us halfway out the door. Great, now she's hiding something as well. So much for our circle of trust being a family thing. Mibata placed a hand on my shoulder as he looked at the now empty doorway.
"Tuleni's behavior was quite suspicious. I fear that she may be withholding critical information from us, but until we can ascertain as to what the nature of her secrecy is we must remain vigilant. Humey, what is your stance on the matter?"
Mibata asking for someone else's input was rare. Humey mulled it over for a moment before giving his answer.
"I don't like this, but Tuleni is on our side. She probably has a good reason. I think we oughta stay out of it for now, least until we know more about what's going on. What about you sis, what do you think?"
They're right that we're in the dark once more and I hate being misled or lied to, but this was Tuleni. She had a purpose to everything she did, even if we couldn't understand what she was trying to do. She was our mom's mother, someone our idol looked up to. We had to trust her, even if it did seem like a bad idea. I handed the slate to Mibata.
"We're all in agreement. Tuleni is one of us. We can trust her. She might be trying to protect us. We fill the rest of the family in later. For now we keep quiet and go home."
They both nodded as we gathered ourselves on the way out the door. This situation was leaving a sour taste in my mouth, and the swig of the potion I had been given only made it worse. Bitter root water is an apt description of the flavor, though I could already tell that it was clearing up a haziness I hadn't noticed in my vision. I must have actually hurt myself worse than I thought.
Still, Tuleni prescribing me medicine for my injury and ignoring my other issue told me that whatever was wrong with me wasn't caused by anything that could be remedied with herbal concoctions. This had to be connected to the ritual, and by extension the elders that were there when it was performed. I know that Chalk Eater was in the stands, and that fanatical one with the black scales was running the show, but a third observer showed up towards the end while I was blinded. I could easily rule out Faerkurch, since his scrying eyes weren't the same ones I had felt back then, and lacked that darkness the others shared. That meant that out of the five remaining elders not accounted for, one had the same sinister eyes as the other two and was definitely in league with them. Three hostile elders, one confirmed neutral elder, and four unknown variables that had yet to be identified.
Speaking of evil eyes, one of the spy camera things was tailing us. I resisted the urge to scare it off so I could see what it would do if not interrupted, though I did inform Mibata discreetly that the eye was following us. His eyes flicked to the side, and I could tell that he was still unable to see the strange devices. Oddly, the eye somehow knew that it wasn’t actually being seen and followed us unimpeded.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
This little facade of a covert observation mission went on until we made our way back home, where it decided that approaching our lair was too much of a risk. What a shame, I would have liked to capture it for study. Mibata filled Humey in on what was going on, since he was being dragged along with us while we were being quite tense and silent. Our parents and Tokols also listened in on the explanation.
Humey was the first to react to the startling revelation.
“So wait, we’ve got invisible eyes floating around the whole city? That’s crazy…but not nearly as crazy as some of the other stuff they’ve done. I don’t think I need to go into specifics.”
Tokols added in his take on the matter afterwards.
“I don’t know. I think keeping a swarm of floating watchers around is the most creepy thing they’ve done overall.”
The next person to add their two Skrats was Juaki.
“I’ve never heard of any of this before, but there has been brewings of danger on the horizon. Perhaps they fear the workings of enemy spies."
We all looked to her for an explanation, but her head jerked towards Bahruk to continue for her.
“You know how Yabtin comes home every few weeks and leaves us with some goods from faraway places before talking to the lesser elders? He’s actually working two jobs at the same time: information gathering under the cover of a traveling merchant. He’s been doing reconnaissance on the war that rages in the far North, beyond the borders of our nation.”
He paused for a moment, then seemed to remember something.
"One moment, I have something that will help me explain."
In a blur he was on his feet and inside of his secret storeroom, then a moment later he was holding a large sheet of parchment bound in a roll with a small red sash. He took it over to the kitchen counter and laid it out for us to see. No way, is that a map?
"I went ahead and purchased this last night from the scribes hall. It was supposed to be discarded due to the mistakes drawn into the Reclaimed Kingdom, but they let me negotiate for a discounted price. It's still a good map of Old Pteronia, if you know where the cities are already."
On the map was a continent that bore many similarities to the valley shown in the ancient book from before. Forests, rivers, lakes and ponds* spanned the breadth of the land, as well as a sizable landlocked sea* that was depicted rather poorly by the prior illustration. The differences began with the inclusion of the shoreline and islands, and showing that the mountains were not in a perfect circle. The mountains themselves seemed out of place in a geographic sense, as though the dragons had placed them at key locations themselves.
One by one our mother pointed to the mountains of the land.
"The First, Phavina, the hub of all southern ships. The Second, Velthii, the largest Iron mine of the frozen west. The Third, Alkyth, holds the southeastern plains. The Fourth, Yukar*, stands against the border in the North. The Fifth, Terokos, our home and defender of the scarlet sands. The Sixth, formerly called Helkas, was the great flying island to the East that fell into the sea. These are our great cities of Old Pteronia."
That's odd, I count seven mountains. I pointed to the one on an island off the shore of the so-called "monster bog" to the North. Dad knew what I was asking and tapped the same spot for mom to narrate.
"The damned Mount Learwudt. That is where the undying dragons sent their most vile of monsters once their revenge was wrought. A relic of hatred, a lingering wound, and a disaster waiting to be unleashed. I recommend you avoid sailing the Northeastern seas, the monsters have made those waters more hazardous than the bogs."
Great, this place has its own danger island covered with killing machines. Why does every fantasy world need a post-campaign area that has crazy overleveled horrors? No matter, I've got better things to focus on, namely the border that he was talking about earlier. I tapped the North edge if the map and traced a circle where the parchment cut off. Dad took over the narration and continued with his explanation.
"That is the Reclaimed Kingdoms, where the war has been going on. The conflict is pushing its way South, right up to the Three Spires. They're old relics from the invasion era: a set of lookout towers made to spy on the dragons from the edge of their territory. Once the conflict passes the hills just to the south of the towers, it will have officially entered our lands and will draw the ire of the citizens of the Yukarans*. It could start another war between our lands, one that would devastate the world once again."
Okay, the looming threat of global warfare was definitely justification for the elders having an intel network, but it still didn't excuse them for anything else they've done. They were probably using the eyes to look out for spies, but at the same time there was someone using them to keep tabs on me as well. I doubt I needed any clues to guess who might be involved with that. Actually, I might be able to confirm these wild theories once I get on a certain master scribe's good side. I doubted that he would tell me anything, let alone the secrets of the elders, but he was too good of an intel source to pass up.
Humey had something to add, though he chose to take his time in wording the question.
"So… there's been this war going on for a hundred years. How did it all start, and what's gonna happen to us?"
Our father just shook his head.
"Nobody knows what started it. It seems like the kings all just decided that they wanted to kill everyone else, so they've been fighting ever since. As for us, we're going to get by. My storeroom exists because I want to keep us safe. We'll get through any storm as a family."
Something deep in my soul hooked on that phrase, and writhed and seethed at the notion. Why, though? Wasn't keeping my family safe something I would do as well? Sure, but there was more to it than that. I couldn't place it, but it felt like that wasn't enough.
Tokols joined in with a question I hadn't anticipated.
"I'm not in agreement with this line of thought, but what if we just leave? How screwed are we if one night we just pack up and go?"
Juaki hissed through her teeth in irritation at that.
"It is good that you won't be doing that, or else I would break your legs. We have nothing outside of this city. We would be branded as outcasts and forbidden from entering another kobold city. Our kind is not treated kindly in most places, and our language is not spoken or understood by many of the surface dwellers. A life of pain and loneliness awaits those who flee."
Okay, so the bottom line is we're stuck here for the time being. Wonderful. I didn't want to abandon my home any more than the rest, but not having the option was worrying. It looked like I wasn’t the only one troubled by this information, as Mibata was lashing his tail repeatedly. I nudged him with my elbow, only to get a grumble in response.
“Sorry… just bothered. Not liking this.”
He’s mincing his words again, which can only mean that he’s more upset by this than he’s letting on. I passed him my slate with instructions on them.
“You should go calm down for a minute. I know how you feel. You don’t have to force yourself to be here. Go sit over in the dorm, drink something, clear your head.”
Mibata partially followed my advice and got himself some water, but instead of going to the dorm he sat down in the sitting area here. That was fine, just as long as he wasn’t stressing himself out.
Mom decided to flip the script and ask us something instead.
“Tell me my spawn, how do you feel about this?”
Tokols answered first, and as usual was attempting to spin humor into his reply. A stress response if I’ve ever seen one.
“I think we’re in over our heads, but we’re smart enough to realize that. I’d rather be aware and clueless than clueless and ignorant. Make things more interesting.”
Humey rolled his eyes and stepped closer to the counter.
“You’re being a real jerk, Tok, you know that? Anyway, I think that there’s a lot more going on than we thought there was, and I’m not sure if I can say anything about somebody else’s war. All I know is that killing is bad, no matter who’s the one doing it.”
I guess I should join the dogpile of opinions.
“I feel like I’ve had enough. I already have a few plans I have set in motion, and no matter what they throw at us next I’ll have something worse waiting for them in reply. Just give me time, and I’ll protect us.”
Juaki smirked and nodded at our responses.
“I have raised smart children. Come, let’s do away with this seriousness and enjoy the rest of the day.”
More mysteries, less sense to be made of anything. I had more frustration than common sense in my veins right now, and I needed to find an outlet for it soon. Tomorrow was my first official day as an inventor, so let’s see if I can make something of my lab with all of this pent up rage.