It’s a nice surprise to have Breeze ask me and Meteor to accompany her and Sky all the way back to the cabin. Who am I to say no? Of course, the silence is as deafening as ever. Guess I’ll have to get used to it. It is a beautiful morning, though. By the time we get back the world is fully awake, whereas we are dead tired. All of us. I can bet on it. Breeze lands with Sky next to her. As soon as Breeze shifts back, Storm and Emerald emerge from the stables. Emerald gazes at me and nods. I answer her with a smile. The three dragons roar greeting each other. It has been a while since all of them saw one another as well. Sky and Storm are happy to finally be reunited. That much is obvious. Meteor’s anxious to see Storm as well. She does ignore him at the beginning, as all of her attention is set on her twin brother, instead of a potential mate. I laugh a little. Meanwhile, Breeze is petting Emerald. Probably telling her what happened. The door of the cabin bursts open and Marcus steps outside half dressed. Laira follows him in her night robe.

“Sky! Meteor!” The child in the young Druid has just woken up. Laira rushes over to the dragons and the two males nuzzle and muzzle her, letting out cheerful growls.

“What the…” The young mage, however, has a bit more trouble handling the situation.

“Take it easy.” Breeze steps into the dragon circle. “Seriously, guys.” The two girls get viciously attacked by the dragons and are almost nuzzled to death. That is till Breeze goes full beast mode and ends the circus.

“Now. That I have your attention. I would like you to meet someone. He will be joining us on our missions.” Breeze turns to the mage.

“Marcus, would you get your butt over here already?”

The boy snaps out of it and slowly makes his way where the girls are. Meteor and Sky inspect the boy thoroughly. I almost make a bet that Sky will eat the guy, if he won’t think he is good enough for Laira. To my surprise Marcus is not eaten. After the introductions, Laira comes up to me.

“Sir Crile.” She speaks to me in such a respectful tone of voice it throws me off a bit. “You’re welcome to leave your dragon here with us and stay yourself, if you wish.”

“Thank you.” I look her over. “I will be leaving Meteor here, however, my place is at the castle.” I look at Breeze. She catches my gaze.

“I will stop by later sometime to check on him. Please look after Meteor for me.” I tell Laira.

“As you wish, sir.”

“I should go now.” I turn to leave.

“You’re always welcome here.” Laira’s kind words reach my ears.

“Appreciate it.” I turn my head just to steal one last glance at Breeze and walk back to the castle.

    I stand next to Emerald and gaze at the three happy dragons, cheerfully roaring after being reunited once again. With the corner of my eye I catch a glimpse of Laira talking to Crile. The conversation is short. He leaves. I watch his figure as he walks away. Something inside me breaks. I feel an urge to run after him. Guess the downside of being the one who always leaves, I never knew the pain of watching somebody else walk away. I kill the urge and look the other way.

“Trouble, Child?” Emerald’s soothing tone reaches my thoughts.

“No.”

“You could never tell a lie to me.” She steps into my sight and locks her gaze straight into my eyes.

I crack under the pressure and turn away from her. “Hate it when you do that.” I feel her tail wrap itself around my waist. I tilt my head just a bit so I can see her. She has that warm look in her eyes. Motherly even. I hug her neck and go over to speak to Laira.

“I’m beat. Think I’ll only see you guys later in the evening. The dragons will calm down soon enough. No need for you to worry.” I look at Marcus. “You should probably get him out of there.” She turns in his direction.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” We giggle.

“I’ll see ya.” I walk Emerald back to the stables and go straight to bed. I lay across the bed dead tired. Yet I can’t fall asleep. Every time I close my eyes I see Crile. Shirtless. What is wrong with me? I get up and open the window. I see the mountains in the distance. That could work. I jump out the window and shift midair. I take flight toward the snowy tops. Figure some cold will snap me out of it and make me erase that little mental image of him out of my mind. I’m so tired from flapping my wings all night that I almost crash into a few tree tops. But I keep pushing myself. I think about this as a training exercise. I will have to face the reality soon enough. The king said it will be a month, before he will be able to officially incorporate me back into the Royal Army. That means I have a month, to get in top shape once again or at least something close to it. Oh boy.

Next. I have a month to gather information about the training of the soldiers, the strategist for the army and what else the stupid king is planning. Those are my main concerns. Of course, any additional information is good as well. I also need to come up with a quick and easy way to gain the soldiers’ respect. A sky show with Storm should do the trick. But then I would look like a snob and a show off. Ugh. Still. I bet my ass those old farts had no creativity, so a show of different skill, could work in my favor. The mountains! I shift back and crash into the cold fluffy snow. It’s freezing, but I love it. Especially in my wolf form. I shift again and curl up in a ball. Soon enough I fall asleep in the snowy mountain tops.

  It's already midday, when I come to. I shake of the snow and realize I’m too hungry to be shifting and flying back. Perfect. I have to find me some meat. Problem is. I still have to get down the mountain for food! I sigh. Clearly, I didn’t think this through, did I? Emerald. Now here’s a thought worth a hundred gold coins. I reach for her.

“Emerald?”

“I’m here.” She’s quick to answer, as usual.

“Is Storm there with you?”

“No. She and Sky are out. Meteor is here.” That will work.

“Do you remember the mountains, north-east from the cabin?” I ask her.

“The mountains? Yes, why?” She seems thrown off by my innocent question.

“Don’t ask. I don’t have enough strength to be flying back. Any chance you could?” I start explaining it, but Emerald has me figured out.

“Meteor is coming to get you.” She growls.

“Thank you. How are you anyway?” I ask her curling back into a ball.

“Like always.” She pauses. “I’m worried about you though.”

“Why?” Now I’m confused.

“You seemed troubled this morning.”

“Nothing slips by you. Does it?” I sigh.

“No.”

I growl. I try to laugh, but the wolf jaws fail me... “Yeah. I am. There’s a lot I need to do before I regain my title as the Chieftain. But that’s the easy part. My troubles will start right after I will begin training the soldiers. I need to find people that can train an individual class separately, so the young ones would unlock their full potentials’. But here’s the first problem. There aren’t that many trustworthy people, who think outside of the box. So, before I can break down and rebuild the system, I need to get together a team of rare creatures. I’m afraid I don’t have enough time for that. Next problem. Respect. Not just from the soldiers’ but from the Officials’ as well. Young minds are easy to persuade and impress, but the older ones. On top of it all, I need to get in top fighting shape too. So yes. Plenty of problems here, my lovely.” I sigh.

“I understand all of it. Except that last part. You have been surviving on your fighting skills for half the century, why do you believe they need improvement?” Emerald sounds concerned.

“Because fifty years ago that damned hunter would have never gotten us.” I grind my teeth to the memory of my capture. “I got careless somewhere along the way. I can’t afford such a luxury anymore.”

Emerald doesn’t say anything back. A roar reaches my ears in the distance. Meteor. I stand up and shift. He’s the fastest of the three dragons. Sure enough. There he is with wings blazing. He sees me and roars again. I wave at him. As soon as Meteor lands next to me I feel the heath coming off him. So nice.

“Hey there, big guy.” I pet his neck. “Thanks for coming to save my sorry ass.” He shakes his head and roars again. That means he disagrees. I smile and get on him.

“Let’s go.” The dragon roars louder this time as if telling the world to make way and we’re off. It isn’t long before we reach the cabin. I have to admit, I’m kind of disappointed. The warmth from Meteor’s wings is too good. I don’t want to get off him. But I have to. I let out a tiny sigh.

“Good job, boy. Go rest up, I’ll see you guys later.” I walk back up to my room. I take my clothes off and realize I reek. Bleh. I need a bath. I get some robes out of the wardrobe and go downstairs to the bath. There is water ready in the tub, but it’s freezing cold. That’s what I get for goofing off. I stick one hand underwater and begin slowly casting a spell. I‘m more focused on generating heat from it and keeping it going nice and steady, rather than trying to blow the whole house up. I’m a beast fighter, casting spells isn’t really my thing. I know the Vine spell. That I have perfected over the years. Besides, I use it more for everyday life, than for healing. I have only been able to cast one offensive spell since the Battle, in addition to my skills. After I got possessed by that foreign power, it unleashed something inside of me and I was able to cast destructive spells. I’m a beast type still, just with a little extra now. It takes me a while, but I get the water steaming. Perfect. I slide into the hot water. Oh, this feels amazing. My body melts away in the heat. Muscles ease up, I close my eyes and let myself drift away.

I remember how long and hard everyone was trying to unlock my powers. They thought I was destined to be a caster. Well that kind of back fired, didn’t it? There are a few types of Druids. Three types to be precise. But only two are around nowadays… Druids are linked to nature, spirits and even the heavens. Beast fighters, like me, are the ones that possess the power to shapeshift. However. It does not mean this kind of power is easily obtained. Most beast types have only one form they can change into. There is only one way to become a Beast Fighter. A Druid must encounter a beast spirit wondering the realm of the living and merge with it. It happens more often than people realize. A Druid is linked to nature, it can easily spot a strong animal spirit and bond with it, in order to obtain its power. In other words, you merge with the spirit. But there’s a catch. You cannot force the spirit to merge with you. Even as a spirit, the animal has to approach you on its own. There have been known cases when a merge was forced. The Druid would become possessed by the spirit and instead of taming the power, the Druid would turn into a raging, wild, human-beast type creature and would begin destroying anything in its path. These things would be called Furies. The only way to stop a Fury was to kill the host, setting both spirits free.

Another type of Druids’ is known as Ravos. They, like Laira, possess healing abilities. Ravos draw on nature’s power to speed up healing process and regeneration. That’s why they are able to use a spell like Vines. Tiny, root like branches, that incorporate themselves into the body replacing bone, muscle and even veins. This is the one and only spell a Ravo has in their arsenal. Of course, the Vines cannot be conjured out of thin air – so the Druid would either have to have a piece of medicinal Vines on them, or they would have to make them grow out of the earth. In the worst case – any piece of wood can do. At the same time, it is one of the most powerful healing spells out there. If perfected that is. To be able to cast Vines effectively, especially in battle, one must possess a tremendous amount of mana. Vines are all about precision. Detailed casting takes time. And time is a luxury in the face of death. Therefore, it is important for a Ravo to be able to cast the Vines quickly as well as accurately. That kind of a combination takes decades to perfect. Because of it there are very little Ravos that are battle ready. Cleansers are more of use in a real fight. On the other hand, the Vine spell is unique to Druids only. So, we have that going for us. Of course, in reality, any Ravo is simply a Cleanser that has a magic trick. Anyone with enough mana and a decent memory can be a Cleanser as their spells are learnt from Grimoires. Books containing spells and chants. Some magic is learned by instinct, some by studying. The reason why most Ravos don’t bother with Grimoires is simple – they have their hands full mastering Vines. So, they leave the other kind of healing, de-cursing and the rest of the mambo-jumbo to the real professionals.

The last type of Druids’ is called Celestians. These Druids, allegedly, since there hasn’t been any recorded in a millennia, have the power to channel the cosmic energy and cast offensive spells with immense destruction. They are an extremely powerful and a rare breed. This, in my opinion, is kind of ironic, considering Noxians are, allegedly, beings of the heavens. Our people have many origin stories, but my favorite is the one that begins in the sky. The story goes, that millenniums ago, a star descended from the sky and took upon a human form. Well, human-like. She was a star, so her body was like a beautiful ice sculpture: lean, tall, with light blue skin and white silver hair that engulfed her body in streaks of pure snow. Her eyes were glowing in deep, dark blue. The Star walked the earth, admiring all the living creatures. She became enchanted by the nature, the animals, the feeling of warm sunlight and the cold breeze of the wind, the refreshing rain and the pure air. She settled amongst the forest beings and began her new life as a simple humanoid. Time went by and more stars’ fell into earth, drawn by curiosity. Over the years the start-descended-humanoids spread along the terrain of the inhabitant forests’ and bit by bit a new civilization came to be. The First Star was given the title of the High Priestess, which now is passed on from one ruler to the next one, and the land, once full of nothing, but wildlife and thousand-year-old woods, became known as Noxanda. The people were named Noxians.

Back then everything was easier, simpler, until other nations learned about the new land and tried to conquer Noxanda. The first battles that our ancestors had to endure, brought out the warriors in them. Once the force was out there, there was no turning back. They fought with swords and claws, spells and magic, they used the nature itself and their bodies to regain the peace they built. Unfortunately, the outer world had a different plan for the habitants of Noxanda. Thus, an army was in order, to have an army, you need fighters. To have fighters, you need to train people. To train someone, you need to have people to train them, and here the never-ending chain of command began. Once the ruler of the land was crowned, the rest followed: The Army, the Diplomats, who weren’t that much popular or helpful, because they were responsible for talking to the outside world. Sadly, back in the day, the outside world did not show much interest in words, as they showed in blood and it being spilled. Therefore, the Masters’ were born – they were the ones chosen to be responsible for the training of the new talents. In other words – killer warriors. Of course, the Stars’ knowledge of fighting was pretty limited, as none of them really knew how to fight. Our ancestors were lucky enough that at the beginning they encountered the know-it-all Primerians, who were traveling around The Land of Race, surveying the land and finding new ways to use its resources.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Primerians are a peaceful nation by nature, their main focus is learning and basically more learning. They have all the knowledge that the world can offer in more than several life times. But unfortunately for Primerians, the nature itself did them no favors in not giving them the strength or the skills to utilize that knowledge. Especially in the weapons and war department. Officially the Primerians do not have an army or any fighting forces, what so ever, they just have their theory. That, kinda worked out great for Noxians at the time. Our predecessors originally didn’t have the intention to fight, but when push came to shove. Let’s just say we don’t think twice about it. And so, our first allegiance was formed. The agreement was simple. They teach us the theory and we use it in battle. Later on, the allegiance evolved into the exchange of and the trading of people themselves, as in: they send us the so-called Masters, they train us and we give them back people capable of fighting and then some. In time, these kinds of trades became widely known and were simply called “making a living”. People eventually began making their own life choices, which led us to the world we know now. Every race and class were given the right to decide for themselves who they wanted to be and where they wanted to go. Everyone except me. I was the first heir ever to be born. My life was set in stone before it even began. Yet I defied all the rules.

I open my eyes again. One of the perks of being a caster-ish type - the water never goes cold. I probably spent a couple of hours soaking and scrubbing my skin. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a decent bath. In fact. I haven’t thought much about what I missed out on, over the years I spent traveling. A comfy bed. A roof over my head. A warm bath. A delicious home cooked meal. Somewhere along the road I did get to sleep in a bed and taste good food that wasn’t running around alive, fifteen minutes ago. But to have really settled down for longer than a day or two… I didn’t think much of it while traveling. When I think of it now. I know I have been living of the land, so to speak, for half a century, but after spending a couple of days in the comfort of a house and friends, even I have a hard time believing I used to seek refuge in caves or abandoned houses, castle ruins, or just camp out. I get out of the tub and wrap my wet body in a light robe. I’m ravenous. No sign of Laira or Marcus. Guess the Palace life is busy for the two raising stars. I go into the kitchen. Nothing edible just left lying around in plain sight. I take the stairs down into the cellar. Now we’re talking. All kinds of meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, herbs, even booze are stalked up here. Not bad. I take a couple of a better-looking deep-sea fishes, some greenery and a keg of beer. Go back up into the kitchen and make myself a nice warm meal. Mmm… Smells so good. I grab a plate and go to the stables to have my dinner. To my surprise, Storm and Sky are back. Now the three dragons are resting quietly all huddled up. Emerald is in her usual spot. The dragons don’t even bother looking at me. My saber, on the other hand, gets interested in my fish. Figures. I take one and gave it to her.

“Enjoy.” I tell her scratching her ear.

“Thank you, Child.” Emerald looks at me just as she is about to gobble up the fish and asks.

“Will you be alright?”

“No. But hey, I have been worse, right?” I smile at her, but even I know my smile is a lie. At least the fish is good. And the beer of course. I sit there looking at the dragons. They are the image of what we use to be. Starlight. My heart aches. No. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I get up and go back into the kitchen. Wash my plate and glass, and go upstairs to change. I have a feeling Laira would have more of my armor in the War Room, that’s how I decided to call it. Sure thing. Drawers are full of leather armor pieces from light training to heavy casual. Another wardrobe had all kinds of fancy robes, dresses and cloaks hanging around. It’s so like her. I go back to the drawers and get out the simplest and lightest armor and slip into it. I go back into the stables and get Emerald.

“We are not going far, judging from your look. Are we?” I think I see a mischievous spark in my saber’s eyes. Huh.

“Let’s have some fun.” I get on Emerald’s back and she leaps straight into the forest.

“That’s far enough.” I tell Emerald and she stops. I get off of her and take off the saddle too.

“Just like old times, girl, and try not to eat me, ok?” I pat Emerald’s head.

“Ready, Child?”

“Bring it!” I say and turn to my wolf form smiling still. Emerald doesn’t hesitate. She leaps toward me, claws out, jaws wide open. I jump to the side barely making it in time. She skids on the ground and turns to see me. I charge her in my rhino form and knock her into a tree behind her. She roars. Sorry. But that doesn’t stop Emerald. She bites into the side of my face and claws the inside of my front leg. I let out a scream as I turn back into a human and slip through her massive jaws while giving the thorn flesh a quick touch up with the Vines’ spell. The arm that was the front leg just a second ago is feeling like Hell now. Damn. She must've severed the muscle. With a wound like that I can’t fly. Damn. She’s good. I turn again and run off as fast as my injured paw lets me. If I was a cat still, I could leap up in to the trees and tackle her from above. Flying’s out of the question. Not that I could even maneuver in these woods quick enough anyway. Oh boy. I have to think fast. Emerald’s gaining on me. Screw this. I force my body and push myself off the ground for one giant leap straight up. Mid jump I turn back and grab the first branch with my hand. I hang there for a short second and pull myself up. I wait. I know there’s no surprising Emerald as she has more than my scent to track me. She feels my presence even if she can’t see me. One of her many talents. Still. I listen. I hear her slow her pace down as she’s now stalking me. I hear her huge paws rustle on the ground. She’s close. I have to wait a bit more.

Closer. Closer. Come on. There! She’s right below me. I jump and turn into a rhino again. She dodges the five-hundred-pound flying rhino attack and jumps straight away. I don’t have time to react, so she knocks me over and bites into the same leg again. Ouch. I roar and stomp her paw that has me pinned. She roars this time and gets off me. I turn to a wolf and jump on her back, locking my teeth at the back of her neck. Emerald tries to shake me off. I dig my claws in, deeper into her fur. I have to wear her down. She keeps shaking and jumping round. It’s getting harder for me to stay on top of her. I feel her go upwards on her hind legs. Oh no. She stands up and smashes against the tree. Luckily, I jump off just before the impact. The tree shakes almost breaking. Wow. Her strength and abilities never cease to amaze me. But now’s not the time. I rustle to my feet and make an attempt to tear into the saber’s throat. But Emerald isn’t that easy to take down. She knows what I’m up to and she doesn’t even blink as her massive claw smacks me to the side, as if I were a fly. That one really hurts. My head swims. But that isn’t a good enough excuse for Emerald to spare my life. She goes right for me and I can get broken in two, if I don’t put on some more weight, seconds before her skull smashes into me, I ram my horns at the saber’s side. Blood gushes out. Emerald roars and steps back. Shit.

“I’m sorry!” I run over to her. “I’m so sorry!” I get on my knees and begin casting.

“It’s alright, Child.” She looks at me. “You shouldn’t have stopped. You know there is no mercy on the battlefield.”

“Well lucky you, this ain’t one.” I concentrate on the wound. “It’s just a graze. I’ll have you fixed up in a sec.” I’m still weak. It takes me a lot less time to get injured now, then when we used to spar before. I’m weaker. Damn it. I need to get stronger. This just proves it.

“All done. Let’s head back.” I stand up.

“You sure you want to end it?”

“Yes.” I wait. “Besides. I need to speak to the guys about a few things anyway, they should be back, don’t you think so?” I look at Emerald.

“Yes, Child. I also believe Laira needs to patch you up too.” She nudges my poor, hanging arm.

“That too.” So, we walk back. I carry Emerald’s saddle just to ease it up for her. I know the wound is just a scratch, but I feel awful. I’m angry at myself too. When we get back the lights are on and there are two more horses in the stables. They’re back. I leave Emerald and the saddle there and go inside the house. I hear laughter. Good.

“Knock knock.” I call out as I walk into the kitchen.

“Sis! I was wondering where the two of you had gone to.” Laira’s busy cooking.

“Training.” I take a deep breath. “Smells nice.” I sit down.

“What kind of training?” Marcus asks handing me a cup of herbal tea. Before I can answer him, Laira turns and shrieks.

“Your arm!”

I let out a sigh. “ I was sparring with Emerald.” I take a sip of the tea. Not the best taste in the world, but I feel strangely refreshed in a minute. I see. I take another sip.

“What now?” The boy’s lost as always.

“I spar with Emerald as part of my training.” I tell him as Laira begins patching me up.

“Right.” Marcus stares at me. Whatever.

“So, what were you guys up to?” I ask, trying to get the attention off myself.

“Boring, busy day at the castle, as usual.” Laira answers.

“I see some things really don’t change, do they?” This isn’t getting me anywhere.

“Guys, listen, I need a favor to ask of you and it’s a big one.”

“We’re listening.” Laira says, handing both of us a plate, before sitting down next to Marcus, with a meal for herself as well. The mage, on the other hand, is slow on the uptake still… I flex my arm. Good as new. Laira sure has improved…

“Thank you.” I wave to her. “I need the two of you to keep a look out for people, who have a bit more out of the box thinking. I need to assemble a capable and trustworthy team, before the king officially announces my come back into the army, and I need each for every class. Laira and I can take care of the Druids. I imagine Crile will deal with the Assassin training, if asked nicely. I’m counting on you Marcus, to show some skill and ingenuity with the Mages. “ I look at him. What a lost puppy.

“That still leaves five classes I’m missing. I might have a hunter in mind. Provided he can be trusted. So, at the best case that leaves four: Warriors, Necromancers, Shamans and Cleansers. If you know anyone who could be of any use to me, let me know.”

“We can try. Although, it might not be as easy.” Laira gets me, but has her own concerns.

“There are always at least a few rebels here and there, so there might just be a couple of odd ones that are willing to amuse you.” Marcus has finally caught up. He has a point. Youngsters these days are awfully proud of themselves and rarely anybody can influence them enough to give out orders and such. Of course, there is always the chance, such prideful ones, would not miss out on an opportunity, to show themselves and their skills off. That gives me an idea. Although, it would take a lot more time than I have. I have to come up with something else. That reminds me.

“Laira, are you familiar with the Official named Hannah?”

“The top Cleanser. Soon to be replaced, but yes, I know of her. Why do you ask?”

“She knows of you as well. I asked her and a couple of other Officials to stay in touch with you, if they needed to reach me. The three of them are survivors of the battle. I met them when I crashed the last Congress meeting.”

“Survivors?” Laira puts her glass down.

“Yes.” Finally, I take a bite out of my meal. Delicious.

“Right. Good to know.” She takes a sip of her drink.

“What do mean she will be soon replaced?” That small detail actually caught my attention.

“She has been the top Cleanser for years now. But, considering how long she has been in the game, the King suggested that she should think of a replacement for her. She does give lectures and training now and again, and she is very much involved in helping people in general. Especially, when it comes to curing diseases. The King wants someone younger to take over from her. With the condition, of course, that her initial work will be continued.” I’m getting confused listening to Laira talk.

“What kind of initial work?” Something’s off here.

“It’s related to Lady Hannah’s research into diseases.” Why do I get the feeling Laira’s afraid of something?

“Laira, just spit it out already.” I demand.

“Lady Hannah began her research as a means to help people living in desolated places, where no casters, healers or any of the sorts live, in order to ease the access of medication. Yes, there are herbs and all, but every now and then some sort of plague like illness comes around, so a lot of people die, because they don’t have any kind of medicine. Or, the ones that they do have are not effective. So, Lady Hannah began creating these mixtures and drugs, what could be called “a healing spell in a bottle”. However, it still has very little success rate, since every case is different, even if the affected ones have the same disease in their system. When using healing spells, you can adjust the strength of the spell and you can access the area of effect easier, eliminating or minimizing the cause of the wound or illness. Same goes for poison. Herb mixtures are only useful against one thing and one thing only. Either cleansing out the poison or closing up a wound. Herbs cannot do both at the same. As a Druid I am limited to what I can and cannot heal. A Cleanser does not use one spell to heal it all either, it is a combination of spells. That’s why the Cleanser class is called the “Infinity” type as well. The number of spells they need to learn is infinity plus one, figuratively put. Yet Lady Hannah somehow is making her way toward a utopia. Rumor has it, she is very close to combining separate traits of heals’ into one. An “All Cure”, so to speak. Well, at least for the diseases.“ I vaguely understand all that Laira just told me. I take a moment to process.

“So, are you saying that one bottle will soon be able to cure any disease?” Marcus joins in.

“It would appear that way, yes.” I notice Laira has a grim look on her. Something’s definitely off.

“If Lady Hannah succeeds, what will happen to the healers?” Marcus is asking the right question.

“I doubt the King will throw out all the healers out completely. But still…” I have a bad feeling about this. Wait! It hits me.

“The King’s plan isn’t just to gain more profit by selling the “All Cure”, given the scenario that Hannah succeeds. The plan here is to make Cleansers and healers into an exotic breed.” My brain hurts trying to figure this out.

“What do you mean?” Marcus sits there all confused.

“Think about it.” Laira takes over. “If an all-powerful cure is released to the public – the need for healers decreases, right? But what if, a new type of disease appears that cannot be cured by the drug? What happens then?”

“If the diseases are no longer of Cleansers’ concern, since there is an alternative healing for them, then obviously the focus would shift more towards the curses and poison. Right?” Marcus might be slower on the uptake, but he is on the right track.

“That is a possibility.” Laira agrees.

“If so, then gaining access to a disease orientated Cleanser, in the event the “All Cure” does not work, would be almost impossible… Oh.” Marcus’s expression says it all.

“Yeah. The King could use that to put a price on such a specialist and gain profit, obviously. The idea is to use such a skill only-when-necessary. Meaning the knowledge of healing spells and techniques for fighting diseases would be closed off to the public. The people already have a drug for that, so why would they need anything else? In the event the drug does not work – you’re welcome to use the limited resources that are at the King’s disposal. However, for a price, nonetheless.” I’m getting sick just from listening to myself. That Bastard. Now I understood why Laira has such a sullen face on her… Marcus is stumped too. And I’m furious.

“Is there anything else you’d like to know?” Marcus finally breaks the silence.

“I heard plenty for now.” I look down at my plate. The food’s great. Unfortunately, my appetite’s gone. On the other hand.

“One last thing. Can you give Hannah a message from me?” I look at Laira.

“Sure. What is it?” Suddenly she seems as chipper as ever.

“I need a list of Hunters from Freeter, especially any Trackers with a chimera for a companion. Adamantis should be able to provide me with a same kind of a list with his top Warriors. Same goes for Hannah with the Cleansers. Needless to say, this isn’t supposed to be public knowledge.”

“Yeah, ok, I will tell her.” Laira nods.

“Thank you.” I get up and take the plate with me.

“No problem. Good night, sis.” Laira smiles at me.

“Sleep well.” Marcus tells my back.

“Good night, you two.” I go upstairs into my room. I have a strong urge to kill something or someone. I shake that thought away. It’s late. I should consider sleeping. But something’s keeping me awake. I glance at the plate next to the bed. I sit up and cross my legs. Even cold, the meal Laira prepared tastes amazing. I clear the plate and stare out the window for a while longer. There’s so much I have to do. I need help. Question is. Who? Who could possibly help me? Hannah and the others would be a huge help, but I honestly do not want to drag them down with me. I need somebody who is not under the Royal influence. Meaning – someone outside the Royal City. And someone who isn’t afraid of getting their hands dirty, let alone, would be able to withstand a bit of, well, probably a lot, of humiliation as well. Do I know anyone like that? One. Maybe two? Argh! The Hell am I supposed to do? I doubt it would work. But… I‘m not seeing any other options… I’m pretty sure Laira and Marcus can take care of the assembly of the young, promising minds here without me. But that would mean I would be gone for a month or two. I need a ship. I’m tempted to get on one first thing tomorrow morning, but the tiny feeling of responsibility tells me to go see his bastardness before anything else. Oh well. It can’t be helped. I get undressed and slip under the covers. Doesn’t take me long to fall asleep.