Oracus awoke to the sound of birds singing outside his window. It was early morning and a slither of sunlight was creeping through the window into his palace room. He had dreamt about Catania again, and now he was certain his dreams were actually visions. Catania was the Princess of Tallarin, the same woman who had been discussed during the meeting in the council room. He had seen her crossing endless desert with her Wolf, Alticon. They had been set free by the King and were returning to Tallarin.

Oracus sat up in his bed and looked at Bandor. Together, they had been in Afarra for several weeks now, and the Lavorian had grown to an impressive size already. When he stood up, he was as tall as Oracus’s chest, and his mane was developing and beginning to shroud his face. But right now, he was curled into a small ball in the corner of the room, deep in sleep and completely peaceful.

Oracus and Bandor had been training their connection regularly and constantly speaking to each other through their minds since their arrival in Afarra. Through dedication and lots of practise, it became easier for them both to access each other’s minds, and now Oracus could connect with Bandor without losing focus on his surroundings.

Oracus had also been sparring regularly with Garrin. At dawn almost every morning, they would meet in the sparring area and swing their swords at one another. For the most part, Garrin would be victorious, but occasionally Oracus would deal him a painful blow and put him on the floor.

But despite the successes in most aspects of his training, Oracus had managed no further development of his power. In fact, since throwing the goblet across the council room with his mind, he hadn’t been able to access his power again, not even once. But it wasn’t for the want of trying. He had attempted to move goblets at every meal-time since, and he had even sat in the airless council room until the heat began to send him to sleep, in the hope that it would awaken his power again. But so far, he’d had no luck, and it made him ever more frustrated.

In the corner of the room, Bandor fidgeted, and Oracus’s thoughts returned to his dream about Catania. He’d discussed his previous dreams with his Lavorian quite regularly, so he was eager to share the latest one too. He focused on the Lion’s mind and connected.

“Wakey, wakey!” he said.

Bandor's body remained still, but his mind stirred. “Morning,” he replied.

“I've had another dream.”

“About Catania?” Bandor assumed.

“Yes, the Princess of Tallarin…”

Bandor lifted his head and turned to Oracus. “She is the Princess?” he said out loud.

“She was travelling to Tallarin with Alticon,” Oracus answered, returning the conversation to their minds. “The King is in control of her somehow, and he’s sent her to Tallarin so he can rule the city through her.”

Bandor thought for a moment, “And this dream felt as real as the others?”

“Even more real,” Oracus said with a nod of his head.

“Then I think you should speak to Torvanon.”

Oracus sighed, “I don't want to, Bandor. Whoever I tell will think I'm crazy – even Torvanon. The people here have been good to me. I don't want to ruin my relationships with them because I have strange dreams.”

Bandor didn't reply but Oracus could sense he disagreed.

“I think the only way we can understand this is if we travel to Tallarin,” Oracus claimed.

“You want us to travel there?” Bandor questioned. “We don’t even know where it is.”

“I know we don’t, but I’m sure we’ll find some answers there.”

“We’ve only been in Afarra a few weeks. Are you sure you’re ready to leave already?”

“No, but we’ll have to see other parts of Pharia soon anyway if this war is building like everyone says it is. At least leaving would be our decision this time and not somebody else’s.”

“But if the King is controlling Catania, won’t we be in danger there?”

“If these dreams are real, Bandor, then Catania thinks she has to deal with this alone. But we can help her!”

“And how do you expect to help her if the King is controlling her?”

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“I don’t know. But we’ve got to try.”

“And if it turns out the dreams are only dreams,” Bandor said. “What then?”

“I really don’t think they are,” Oracus answered. “I’m convinced I’m seeing her for a reason.”

Bandor stood and padded across the room to the side of Oracus’s bed. Oracus could tell he was against the idea. He thought it would be smarter and safer to remain in Afarra where huge walls and other Riders could help protect them.

“I can see this is important to you,” Bandor said anyway. “I don’t think it’s the wisest choice, but if your decision is to travel to Tallarin, then I’ll stand by you the whole way.”

Oracus smiled warmly and patted the Lion’s head. “Thank you,” he said out loud.

*

It was the time of year when temperatures began to dwindle. Autumn clouds were covering the summer sun and the trees were shedding their browning leaves. There were cool breezes in Afarra, and sword training was finally becoming more bearable.

Oracus was wearing his green leather for another morning with Garrin. The sparring area was empty again, as it always was at this hour, and Oracus and Garrin stood alone. But when they had donned their helmets and were preparing to fight, a shout came from the palace doors and both Oracus and Garrin turned to look.

Kivali marched purposefully across the gravel towards them. She wore polished leather armour from her shoulders to her legs, all with a tinge of blue, and she held a sword in one hand and a wooden shield in the other. Her dark brown hair was tied back, and her blue eyes sparkled.

“Is everything okay?” Garrin asked her.

“I’ve come to spar with Oracus,” she answered.

“We were just about to start actually,” Garrin said.

“Then I’m just in time.”

“But we’re trying to stick to a schedule here!”

“It’ll do him good to train with someone other than you, Garrin,” Kivali claimed. She smiled at Oracus. “I’m sure he doesn’t mind.”

Oracus shook his head. “I guess not.”

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Garrin said with a shrug. “I’ll get some breakfast and relax instead.”

He strode away and left Oracus and Kivali alone. Oracus looked at her and felt a warmth in his cheeks. He hadn’t spoken to Kivali much before, but she had caught him staring at her once or twice during evening feasts.

“Have you fought a woman before?” she asked.

“Women didn’t learn to fight with swords in the village I’m from,” Oracus replied. “So you’re the first.”

“There’s no need to take it easy on me,” she said. “I can more than hold my own.”

Oracus couldn’t help but size her up. Kivali wasn’t short, but neither was she tall nor powerfully built. And in no way did she look fierce, so it worried him that he might hurt her if he struck her too hard with his sword.

“Are you ready?” she prompted.

Oracus nodded and raised his weapon. He had no shield to protect himself, so had to rely on his blade, whereas Kivali was already crouched behind her shield and peering at Oracus over the top of it.

Since starting his training with Garrin, Oracus had learned to be more patient. He often waited for his opponent to strike first now, instead of committing himself and getting hurt. And as Kivali began to circle him, he decided that allowing her to make the first move would be to his advantage. But when Kivali did strike, her movement was so fast and aggressive that Oracus barely blocked it, and he staggered backwards in surprise. Any doubts Oracus had about Kivali’s fierceness were quickly erased when she swung for his head, kicked him in the chest, swiped his legs from beneath him, and knelt on his chest in victory.

“You underestimated me,” Kivali said calmly.

“Yeah, I think I did,” Oracus grunted.

Kivali released him and offered a hand to help him up. “I did warn you.”

Oracus brushed the dust off himself. “I just wasn’t expecting that.”

“Well now you know,” she said. “Ready for round two?”

“Definitely,” Oracus replied.

A similar ending followed round two. And for the next hour, Oracus endured the same helpless feeling that had plagued him when first sparring with Garrin. He got knocked down again and again, until his body ached, and his armour was filthy and scratched. Not once did he defeat Kivali, and by the end of their training, he was exhausted and she looked barely out of breath.

“How did you learn to fight so well?” Oracus asked as they sat down to rest beside the meadow.

“I’ve been using a sword since I was a small child,” she said. “And there’s a good trainer in Tallarin too.”

“Are you going back there soon?”

“Quent and I have been planning the trip for a while now. We’ll leave in a week.”

A sudden idea came to Oracus and the words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them, “Do you think Bandor and I would be allowed to travel with you?”

Kivali looked at him curiously. “You want to leave Afarra?” she said. “You only arrived here a few weeks ago, didn’t you?”

“I just feel like I need to go to Tallarin,” he said.

“Why?”

Oracus paused, unsure what to say without uncovering his dreams about Catania. “I think I need to learn more about Pharia before I’m ready for a war,” he lied cleverly. “There’s so much I don’t know yet.”

“Is it true that nobody from your village knew about Jowra or the uprising against him?”

“I don’t know,” Oracus answered honestly. “I think some people knew more than they claimed to know. Garrin, for example, or the old man who told stories in the local inn. And my father too actually, he told me he knew of Lavorians just before he–” A lump caught in Oracus’s throat as he recalled the moment his father passed. He looked away from Kivali and fought back the tears. “How often do you travel here?”

“I’m sorry about what happened to your father?” Kivali said. Her hand gently touched Oracus’s arm and he turned his head back towards her. “This is my first time in Afarra too.”

“What did you come for?”

This time, Kivali looked away. “Just a change of scenery, I suppose. I miss home a lot now though.”

Oracus felt her pain; he missed Thessley a lot too. He would give anything to spend a day there with everything back to how it used to be. He could sense that Kivali wished she was back home too, and together they let their minds wander in reminiscence.

“Shall we go and speak to Torvanon now?” Kivali asked after a moment. “I think we need to speak with him if you really want to join us on our journey.”

Oracus offered Kivali a grateful smile. It was nice that she was so willing to help him.

“You should go and get Bandor too,” she suggested. “I’m sure Torvanon will be more than agreeable if the three of us convince him together.”