Jake’s POV

After leaving the festival, I flew around aimlessly for a while on Chariot. Without any real destination in mind, I just enjoyed the feeling of wind in my hair while flying. Staying well below the tops of the city walls kept me close enough to the ground to spot Ceil, flying towards a gate on the wall alongside another Neame. “Ceil!” I called out, and waved. He spotted me, and stopped the other Neame so that I could catch up. They beat their wings, like slightly slower humming birds, to stay suspended in midair. A gentle, red, mist-like aura wafted off of them as they did.

“Hello Jake, did you all find yourselves a place to stay yet?” Ceil asked, perching on the back of Chariot. His friend followed suit, but looked at it wearily.

“I don’t know, Suma hasn’t told me yet.”

“Ah, well, allow me to introduce my son. Son, this is the one I told you about.” Ceil said.

Ceil’s son bowed, both wings spread how Suma did when we first really met, or when we met the Queen. “It is my great honor to meet the one who has done so much for father. Not only to name him, but to personally escort him between cities, and support his business with such grand purchases.”

“There’s no need for all of that. I just helped him a little, and naming is easy for me.” I said, not wanting to be praised. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you too. Ceil has told me a bit about you. He said you were a blacksmith too? If I need any work done while I’m in Ambos-Ompera, I’ll stop by your shop.” He nodded and thanked me.

“My son and I are going to the forest of death to perform a remembrance ritual for my late and oldest son, Ivor. Would you care to join us, Jake?”

Curious, but hesitant to intruded, I said, “I’d like to, but I don’t know the ritual. What if I mess it up?”

“The ritual is simple. You can watch my son and I do it first, and then you can do it. We would be very happy if you came along.”

“Well then, I’d love to.” I said. Ceil’s glitter glow brightened a bit, and he and his son flew off Chariot. Following closely behind them, we talked a bit about his son.

“Ceil, when you talked about your son a second ago, you said he had a name?” I realized.

“Yes, he was given a name during his time in the city’s guard; Ivor.”

(Sounds Norse.) I thought. “Why was he given one?”

“For acts of valor. His name was given to him after his death however, in recognition of his deeds.”

“What did he do?”

“While on his normal patrol, he saved a group of travelers crossing the wastelands. They’d been attacked by a pack of sand-snatchers while resting in an oasis to the North.”

“Evil bugs.” Ceil’s son spat.

“Have you ever encountered them before, Jake?” Ceil asked.

“No, what are they?”

“They are large insect-like creatures, with a hard shell and many tentacles. They lay in wait under the sand, and when something comes close, they wrap it up. On the tentacles are spines and barbs, ripping you up if you try to wiggle out. Even just getting hit once can be deadly.”

“But, don’t your people have magic? Why not just cast a fire spell and fly away?” I wondered.

“Sand-snatchers are resistant to magic, especially fire magic, so to attack them you need to be close.” Ceil’s son said. “Not as magic resistant as a borog beast, but still enough to pose a major threat to any normal Neame with no experience fighting, like seed farmers and stable-mages.”

“Ivor saw the attack, and flew straight in to help, killing six of the bugs, and allowing most of the Neame to escape, but he died fighting.” Ceil explained. He was clearly sad, but he didn’t sound like his voice was breaking, or that he was on the verge of crying, or rather ‘singing.’ No, instead it was a cold, quite sadness that made his voice feel hollow. Like something he’d come to terms with a long time ago, but still hurt to think about.

“How long ago was this?” I asked, trying to be respectful.

“Over twenty years ago. He was hatched thirty-six years ago today. That is why we are going to visit his death tree.” Just as Ceil said this, we arrived at a gate leading outside the city walls. A guard stopped up, questioned us, and then let us pass. This wasn’t the gate we entered the city though, and it didn’t lead into the desert, but to a grassland. We flew for about fifteen minutes before the forest was within sight. Once we got closer, I could see that almost every tree here had carvings in them. Most were just empty, but the further into the forest, the more often the carvings had clay or paint in them. They were runes.

“It is that one.” Ceil said, folding his wings and diving downwards. Less than ten meters from the ground, he flared his wings and landed safely, his son just behind him. It took me a little longer since Chariot can’t really do dives well. We landed at the base of a tree with wispy yellow flowers in its branches. I stepped off Chariot, and unsummoned it.

“It’s a beautiful tree.”

“The flowers have already yellowed. It must not have rained much this year.” Ceil said.

“Yes, it was a very dry season. A month’s worth of water has gone from one-fifteenth to one-tenth a daljar.” Ceil’s son said.

“Speaking of, we need the daljar.” Ceil said, and his son nodded before summoning a small daljar. “How much?”

“About halfway. That was all I could spare this year.”

“It will be fine. Hopefully we will have some good rain this year to hold the tree over. Besides, thanks to Jake, I have much more mana to spare myself. I can make another trip in a few months.”

“Why do you need mana?” I asked.

“To replenish the tree’s strength. When it is healthy, the flowers turn a vibrant red, but when it is weak, they shift to yellow.”

“Could I add some mana?” I asked. “It would need to be in another daljar, but if that’s okay, then I have one you could use?” I summoned my bag, and pulled out a smaller daljar filled up with my mana.

“Father mentioned that you have Chaos Magic. Will that hurt the tree?” Ceil’s son asked.

“I doubt the tree will care. As long as it gets plenty of mana, it should grow strong.” Ceil said, happily.

“Still…”

“Don’t worry. For some reason, plants seem to love my mana. Whenever I grow anything using it, it comes out better than using normal mana. Fruits tastes sweeter, seeds grow faster, taller, and make more fruits.”

“Is your affinity for Nature Magic then?” Ceil’s son asked.

“No, mine is inversion.”

“Well, it should be fine then, I suppose.” He agreed. I set the daljar from my bag in front of him, and he used a spell to pick both of them up and carry them to the base of the tree. Surrounding its base was a tangle of roots, woven together like a pie crust or a knitted sweater. Using magic, Ceil parted the vines, revealing an empty daljar, with dozens of tiny web-like roots wrapped around it. His son placed the two daljar inside the opening, and fluttered back to his father’s side.

“Okay, Jake, we are ready to begin the ritual. Please watch my son closely. After he has performed it, then I will, and then you.” Ceil said.

The ritual itself was simple, and easy to do. It started with saying Ivor’s name, and then pulling a root from under the ground with a spell wrapping that root around the daljar that was placed into the opening we made earlier. Once that was finished for all three of us, the two of them removed the roots from the old daljar, and offered it to me to replace the one I’d given them. I thanked them, filled it with mana, and put it into my bag. With that, Ceil closed the opening we made, and the ritual was finished. Looking up at the flowers, I noticed they were still a sickly yellow.

“They won’t turn red for a little while. It will take time for the roots to drain all of the mana from the daljars, and longer still for the tree to get healthy again.” I nodded, not really knowing what to say. “Thank you, Jake. You mana is strong, I’m sure the tree will still be red when we come again next year.”

“It was my-” I started, but got cut of by Suma’s voice in my head.

“Jake, we found a place to stay.”

“Pleasure.” I finished. “Sorry, Suma is talking to me over our connection.” Through the connection, I replied, “okay, just give me a few minutes. I’m with Ceil at his son’s grave.”

“Oh no! His son died before we arrived?” She said, horrified.

“No, his late eldest son. I’ll let you know when we are finished.”

“Oh, alright then. My apologies for the interruption.”

“Father,” Ceil’s son said, “I think I will stay for a little longer. You and Jake should go back to my home.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Are you sure? I could stay as well?” Ceil offered.

“There is no need for that. Suma is ready for me anyway. So, I can’t stay much longer. You two should stay.” I told them. Ceil’s son nodded, and I said my goodbyes just before getting summoned to Suma and Luna.

Darkness enveloped me, which has always been disconcerting, but now a knot forms in my stomach whenever this happens. Thankfully, nothing has happened since the incident in the desert. Just darkness. However, this time I felt something. I cold shiver ran down my whole body, expecting the worst. Around me was darkness, just endless darkness. No lights, no half-man half- evil dragons, and no voices calling to me. But there was a feeling like something was there. Like eyes watching me from a distance.

Swallowing a lump in my throat, I called out to those eyes. “Is that you? Zachariah?” No response, and the feeling didn’t change. Whatever it was, was keeping its distance. “Who’s there?” I called out, afraid. My body was suspended in the darkness, helpless, feeble. Alone? “Answer me!” I demanded, starting to freak out. Focusing on the feeling, I realized that I’d been wrong. It wasn’t watching me, it was just… there, somehow. Like, it was just a passive presence. “I was in a graveyard. Are you a ghost?” I called out. “Ivor?” No, it was bigger than a Neame. I don’t know how I knew that, but just did. That feeling in my gut turned into a steady churn as I worked up the courage to call out the name I’d been dreading. “Deyja?” The presence shifted, but didn’t get closer. More like, it was roused from a nap after hearing a startling noise. At that point, I felt it focus on me, and me alone.

But, just as quickly as the darkness came, I was pulled out of it, and was now standing in a room that kinda looked like a log cabin. “Well, what do you think, Jake? Will this be a good place for you to stay for a few weeks?” Suma asked from behind me somewhere, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn around at that moment.

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Suma’s POV

“Jake?” I asked, concerned that he had not spoken for a moment.

“Sorry, I was just… are ghosts real here?” He asked suddenly.

“What? Ghosts? I do not… why?”

“I think I just met one.” He said.

“By the dragons.” My mother muttered. She was not religious, but did have a healthy respect for some Ashimda values. One of which was to be weary of ghosts, since they were signs of Death Magic being used.

“So, ghosts are real here?” Jake asked, his eyes widening.

“Yes, but why do you think you have met one? Was it during the summoning?”

“Yeah, I felt something watching me. At first, I thought it was… him.” He said, glancing at my mother, since we had neglected to tell her about Deyja by order of her majesty the Queen. My mother was preoccupied however, saying a prayer, that she probably learned from a nun when she was young, and casting a spell to Ahshem to ward against ghosts. “I don’t really know how to explain it.”

“According to the church, ghosts can only last for a few hours before they disappear, and no one besides you is capable of even performing such a spell. At least, not anymore, and before Harbinger, not for centuries; maybe longer.” I explained, trying to reason everything out.

“So, not a ghost?” Jake asked.

“Right…”

“You don’t sound very sure.”

“She is not.” Mother said. We were interrupted with a scratching on the outer wall of our room.

“Come in.” I announced, but there was no answer, and no one entered. Fluttering to the wall, I cast a spell, and opened a hole large enough to fly through comfortably. But rather than a Neame, a large, black and red furred, shadow-hound leapt through, and landed inside the room, frightening all of us.

“What the?!” Jake shouted, and summoned his metal garment, his armor, Jericho, as well as his sword, Mori. “Suma back up!”

On its neck, I spotted a metal ring, with the symbol of the royal family engraved on the side. “Jake, wait! This is a familiar.”

He looked the beast over for a moment, realized that it had not taken an offensive posture, and sent his weapon away, but not his armor. “It’s a gigantic black wolf with completely black eyes and red ‘go-faster’ stripes on its mouth that look like blood stains; forgive me for freaking out a bit.”

“What does it want?” Mother, who in a panic had perched herself on the other side of the room as high as she could, asked.

“Probably waffle fries.” Jake answered, sarcastically.

“Jake, if this beast kills us, I would prefer the last thing I hear to not be a joke. Especially one I do not even understand.”

“Should I tell ‘knock-knock’ jokes instead? Just to be safe.” The hound’s eyes began to glow, and it lowered its head while opening its mouth. A small wooden tablet with runes engraved on the flats dropped out of its mouth, and a voice started to speak.

“Greetings, Lady Suma and her familiar, Sentinel. Your request for an audience with Queen Ompera has been approved. Please follow this familiar. It will guide you into the palace.” A voice from nowhere said.

“Ah, a voice recording. Neat.” Jake said, just as the eyes of the familiar stopped glowing. The hound turned back to the hole in the wall and looked back at us expectantly. We were to follow it, immediately, it would seem. I widened the hole for Jake, and he walked out. We tried to leave Jake at the stable, but the hound refused to move unless he followed as well. As Jake walked behind the hound, we rode on him.

“Jake,” I started, “the next time we think our lives may be in danger, and you tell a joke to ease our tension, could it please be one I can laugh at as well?”

“Suma, I’m in my early twenties, and British. All of my jokes are centered around memes and sarcasm. If those aren’t funny to you, we’re both out of luck, because that’s all I have.”

“What is a meme?” My mother asked, and Jake spent the rest of our journey trying, and eventually failing, to explain the concept to her.

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Jake POV

Arriving at the tree-castle, the wolf familiar led us through the entrance. I expected us to get stopped like last time, but despite a few of the guards glancing our way, they left all of us alone. Unlike last time, no one met us to guide us in, rather, we just kept following the wolf. We went straight past the meeting room that we’d used last time we met with her, and went down a long, tall hallway.

“Is this what happened the last time you were summoned to the castle?” Luna asked, sounding nervous.

“No, this is very different. During out previous visit, we attended a formal audience with her majesty, Queen Ompera, in the room we just passed. The time after that, I believe the meeting was in her personal chambers.” Suma said.

“I’ve met with her quite a few times, usually in her room, since we discussed private matters.” I said.

“Wait… are we about to meet the Queen?” Luna asked, suddenly very aware of what was happening.

“I think so.” I said.

“Most likely.” Suma agreed. Both of them were still perched on each of my shoulders, but Luna was starting to shift around worriedly.

“You nervous?” I asked Luna.

“Are you not?”

“Not as much as I was the first few times, but a little. She is a queen after all. But I’ve met with her five or six times now, so I’m getting used to it at least. What about you, Suma?”

“… Is it too late to ask to go and relieve myself before meeting her majesty?” She said, half joking. I snorted, trying to stifle a laugh, and Luna shook her head.

Getting close to a wall, the wolf stopped without warning, and pawed at it with its claws. The sounds of creaking and splintering, the wooden wall split apart wide enough for us to crawl and fly through. Inside, three Neame, one of which was Queen Ompera, were perched on a stone table.

“Oh, Suma, Sentinel, and you must be Luna, welcome.” The Queen said. Suma and Luna flew down to the floor and bowed. I got down on one knee as well.

“It is good to see you once more, Queen Ompera.” Suma said.

“And you as well. Please, rise. This is an informal meeting. I received your request to see me, and sent for you immediately. I am told you wish to leave the army, is that so?” Queen Ompera asked.

“Yes, my Queen. Sentinel and I have discussed it, and if your offer to leave the military is still available, we would like to accept it.” Suma said, speaking as formally and respectfully in tone as she could manage.

The Queen turned to me, “Is this true, Sentinel?”

“It is, Queen Ompera. When we last met, I was so angry about what…” I stopped talking and looked to the other two Neame and Luna, who had been quiet so far. Queen Ompera noticed my hesitation.

“Ah, of course.” She turned to the two Neame. “Leave us for a moment. Lady Luna, would you please follow my attendants? They will see that you receive food and water while I speak with your daughter and Sentinel.”

“Yes, of course, your Majesty!” Luna said, still bowing. She quickly followed the other two Neame as they flew out of the room in a hurry.

“Please continue, Sentinel.” She said.

“When we met last time, I was so angry, all I could think about was revenge. And I do still want that, but…” I sighed, “I’m not a warrior. I’ve never been one. And being on that battlefield, it just reminded me of that. I got my butt kicked by another person, not even a dragon. I wouldn’t stand a chance of ever beating Deyja.”

“What will you do, then? Suma, you are a healing mage, you have a future ahead of you once you leave, but you Sentinel? Do you have any plans?” She asked, her tone neutral, and her sparkling glow was unwavering.

“I am going to start working with a runic researcher named Sela-Car.”

“Have you given up on retuning to your home then?”

“No, your Majesty. I think, perhaps if I find a way to improve my runes and my magic, I can find another way home; without having to risk fighting Deyja.” I explained.

“I see.” She looked away from us, and to her stone table. “I will accept your request to retire from the military.”

“Thank you, your-” Suma said, but was cut off.

“On one condition.” The Queen’s eyes did not break from the table as the stone shifted and molded itself. “Come, look at this.” I stood up, and Suma flew and perched on the table, opposite of the Queen.

“What is it?” I asked, and the table settled into a series of shapes, then parts of it began to change colors. It shifted from stone gray, to blue, and green. Forming Islands and oceans.

“The Eastern Isles of Taldre. A coalition of island nations directly south of Sangu-Dragon.”

“Your Majesty, may I ask what your condition was?” Suma asked.

“One of our spies was on the main island, Taldre itself, when a large force from the Southern Union invaded. He sent word beforehand that he had found important information, and that he needed to deliver it to me personally.”

“So, you want us to find him, I guess?” I asked, annoyed and nervous.

“No, I assume he died during the invasion. The Union does not tend to take survivors, and while he may have been excellent at infiltration, he was unequipped to be a warrior.”

“Then, you want us to find the information he had?” Suma asked.

“No, he had an assistant, a guardian. She may have survived. Find her, she might also have known the information.”

“Why didn’t he just send it with someone else? Someone trusted. I know he was behind enemy lines, but he was still able to get a message to you, right? What could it have been?” I asked.

“His message was encoded. It was meant to resemble a decorative statue, but the inside was engraved with runic symbols. We received messages this way at regular intervals, but complex communication was nearly impossible. His message was just four symbols. Urgent, return, danger, and dragon.” She said. A chill immediately ran down my body as a cold sweat dripped down my back.

“No,” Suma whispered.

“It may not be what you believe. ‘Dragon’ was a code word that meant a level of danger. He was saying that there was a threat to the country.” Queen Ompera explained. I breathed a sigh of relief. “However, due to recent events,” she glanced at me for a moment before returning her gaze back to the islands, “the possibility cannot be ruled out. Go to the island on one last mission with the Drakes, find the guardian named Völundra.”

“What if she is dead too?” I asked. “Should we try to find the information?”

“That, and all other options, have already been explored. If we cannot find Völundra, we must consider the information lost, and hope that we can find rest in the eye of whatever storm may be coming.”

(Awesome, I ask to get out of the army, and her response is “sure, but go on this mission behind enemy lines first. Oh, and our whole nation may depend on it.”) I thought. “No pressure.”

“Actually, a fair amount of pressure. Our whole nation could depend on your success.” She said, and I sighed.

“If we do this, you will let us leave the army?” I asked.

“If you do this, I will personally ensure that you are retired with honors, and if you do manage to locate the information, I will give special assurances to the researcher you wanted to begin working with.”

Using our private connection, Suma asked, “Well Jake, what do you think?”

“Sounds like we don’t really have much of a choice.” I responded, also through the connection.

“We accept.” Suma said. “When do we leave?”

“Preparations will take three days. Word has already been sent to the Drakes. Your team is on the way here as we speak.” The Queen said, her sparkling glow getting slightly brighter, and the feather around her neck puffed slightly. She knew we would agree, and was smug about it.