While the outside of The Sky looked calm and normal, the inside was anything but. The windows had been blacked with curtains and people huddled in, mostly women and children. Those men who had avoided the draft were up to a few moments ago waging war on those who hadn't. I recognized a few, nodding here and there to them as they tried to find somewhere to sit with friends or family, old regulars who'd been here even when I was young.

Jackson was running things so far as I could see. He looked to have aged a decade since last we'd spoken, and smiled as I came over.

"So... what's with?" I gestured to the people all around us.

"Simple thing that. Most people understand that few really want to tangle with a caster. So when the fighting in their neighborhoods got too bad, or their homes were set aflame a few came here to seek shelter."

"Wouldn't the temples be safer though?" Kala asked, quirking her brow.

"Sure, if you could get to them. You two haven't been around the last few days have you?" Both Kala and I shook our heads in unison. "Well," he continued, "it's been pretty rough. Though if everyone is respecting the truce that 'Lord of Shadows' called for I suspect a lot of them will head towards the temples."

"Alright, where's Lucien?" If we'd need to move again, talking to him would be the fastest way to sort it all.

"Downstairs."

Kala stayed behind with Jackson. There were several wounded among those who'd come here seeking shelter. That wasn't honestly the worst idea, while they may not have been invited like me the old fart was not a bad guy, and even now I wouldn't want to tangle with him. I was unfamiliar on the exact rules she had to follow for her particular Order, but the people here seemed to be non-combatants in every sense, so there should be no issues.

The basement was the same as always, save for one thing. There was a door supposedly leading into the undercity down here. It had been there silently for a long long time. Lucien had even warned me against trying to open it when I first expressed interest in the tunnels.

It now stood open, unsealed by the man who'd built this bar, who'd plugged up that hole in the first place. Lucien himself was nowhere to be seen, but what I could see were wards around the opening, keeping it all contained. They surrounded a small spiral staircase, leading down into the depths.

Taking out my lamp I began to descend. Interestingly the lamp was not needed for long. At first it was almost unnoticeable, but there was a slight, almost blue-black glow to the walls in places. In other places there were points of faint light, or gentle swirls of the same. The lower I went the more attached the patches became, until soon it looked like the stone instead with the patchy part. I didn't dare touch whatever was causing this, it was obviously some form of magic.

After what felt like five or more stories worth of stairs they ended. The room I came out in took my breath away. The ceiling, the walls, every surface was covered in the same thing that had been in the stairwell. Except here, in this room that had to be fifty feet across, it looked like I was standing in an infinite sky.

Swirls of galaxies adorned the walls, in myriad colors and shapes. the space between was dark, but even that darkness seemed to hold some faint light, stretching between in an almost three dimensional effect. There was one small pulsing bit that looked like it was supposed to be a nearby star, round and with an almost swirling effect.

"It's magnificent, isn't it?" Lucien stood in the middle of the room, looking around. There were small patches of light glowing around his feet, and a path leading from the stairwell to where he now stood.

"Beautiful, what is it?"

"Starlight Mold. It's harmless, in case you were wondering. I found this place years ago, took the name of my bar from it. I sealed up all the other entrances to down here, but we're deep and it should be safe regardless of whatever they do on the surface."

"Why? Why hide it?"

"This stuff is like so many other beautiful things Alana." He motioned to his feet, and I could see that, very slowly, the small glow there was retreating. "It's fragile, just coming down here will damage it severely. It will take years for it to recover just from our walking here. If we were all to come and hide here..." He set his jaw, looking mournfully again at the vista all around him. "It will be worth it though."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

I realized that he'd kept this place for years. Letting it grow and flourish into the wonderful place that it now was. He would destroy it though, for those he cared about, letting the colony of magical fungus collapse from our very presence. This was what he would sacrifice for those he cared for.

"I'm glad you got to see it like this. We should hurry and bring Jackson down too, before everyone else. I'd like him to see it once." With that he began to walk back over to me.

"Well, he should, but let's not bring everyone down yet. Looks like there's been a truce."

"Really? That won't last long I imagine, but it's something. Let the innocent get out of the way."

As we ascended I turned to talk to the older bard. "How did you know they were communication tools?" I asked, "Charles said you told him that, but I don't think I ever explained exactly what they did."

"They go in your ear girl. That's so obvious it's painful. Also, I don't want to know where you got military-type magical items like that. It hurts my head just thinking about it."

"Okay, fair enough. Why Charles?"

"Because he's good at what he does now. He's also rather discreet. Finally, he really likes you."

"I'm a bit young for him." I replied sarcastically.

"I don't mean in that way. Though in the future perhaps. You're not there yet, but you've never been bad looking girl. I reckon in a few years you'll be quite attractive. Don't rush it though, youth is a gift." He still seemed a bit sullen, even if it were possible we'd have an out now.

"Back on the subject."

"Back on the subject I think he views you lot what saved him as his best friends. He seems more fond of you in particular than the other two though. Could be because you're a girl, could be because you remind him of something else."

I sighed, shaking my head.

----------------------------------------

Kala decided she needed to head back to the temple district once we returned. There were a lot of people who'd seen seeking shelter here that had already left for that particular quarter of the city, and a number more who were waiting to go with her.

That left me in a bit of an odd spot. I really wanted to stay with Lucien and the others, but at the same time I wanted to be near Kala. I was hoping that she might opt to stay here for the duration, but realistically that was never going to happen and I knew it. With a sad smile I turned to my friends at the bar and bade them keep themselves safe.

Our group consisted of around thirty people. There were only a couple of older boys mixed in with the women and children. They were too young to be drafted, and had opted instead to stay with their families instead of joining either side.

About half way to our destination we encountered a small issue. At one of the crossroads it seemed a checkpoint of sorts had been set up. There were around twenty guards in the standard issue armor of the kingdom, all lined up and going into and out of a few requisitioned houses.

One of these men, older, with a slight belly moved in front of our group. "Attention, due to the recent attacks all citizens are required to return to their homes."

"We can't, that's why we're heading for the temple..." one of the women in our group began.

"I'm afraid not, you all need to turn around and go home." He stood back, crossing his arms like a middle manager. He seemed to be in charge of turning groups like ours around, and based on the way he spoke he also seemed to think he could just order people to go back to a war-zone or burned out husk.

I took only a second to hum together the most basic of my shields, one that would protect me from crossbow bolts and the like before I spoke.

"Sir, the people here are not soldiers, and they are seeking shelter with the Orders, certainly..."

"Little girl, you don't seem to understand, you're not coming through here," he cut me off before I could even finish.

I saw red. This tiny little tyrant reminded me of all the people I'd ever met just like him. He was the man given just a smidge of power and determined to use it. He was the poor leader that everyone below him dreaded. He was just like our former mayor Malke.

That last though flowing through my rage-filled head was what stopped me from doing anything I might regret. Sure this guy was petty and being stupid. I could also probably wipe the floor with him and all the little soldiers he had here with some effort. If I did so though, if I really hurt or killed them, then I'd have to live with that. It would be so easy to send down a thunderbolt and fry him, but it would also haunt me if I did so.

A hand rested on mine and I turned a bit to see my dear Kala smiling. It was not a nice smile, but her light touch had brought me fully back to my senses.

"No little man, you don't seem to understand," she began in a sickly sweet voice, and the man puffed up. She didn't give him enough pause to speak again before continuing. "My lovely friend here is a trained battlemage, I am a priestess, and these people with us are refugees who I am escorting. We will be passing to the temple district, and you would be heavily advised not to lay a finger on any of them. Understood?"

"I... um..." he sputtered, seemingly unable to come up with something to say to that.

"Good! Come along everyone." Kala gave a bright smile as she began to casually walk us past the man whose mind still seemed to be trying to process.

I was gathering mana up just in case as the group walked, and it was fortunate I was doing so. One of the older boys with us, probably fifteen, stupidly chuckled as he walked by. That was enough to illicit a response from the would-be guard.

The pair were both acting absolutely foolish. The guard grabbed him, intending to do something, it didn't really matter what. As he did so the boy pulled back, falling to the ground. From there I wasn't sure if it was Kala, or myself who hit him with a spell first. Hers was a small bead of the purplish light she seemed to favor as a visual cue. Mine of course was a simple concentrated scream, as I didn't want to kill the guy.

It had been awhile since I'd used that against someone without any resistance to magic. In a second he was bleeding from his ears. He was also laying on the ground, somewhere between being curled up in the fetal position and shaking like he was having a seizure. I was fairly sure I hadn't put that much into it.

The other soldiers bristled before a voice from one of their own spoke. "Do nothing, he was warned." From the look it was another of the older soldiers.

"But..." one of the men began, looking at the downed guard.

"But nothing, those are casters, and I don't fancy being turned inside out. He was warned that they were under the priestess' protection. He grabbed the kid anyway. Let him be."

"He should live..." Kala looked to me and I nodded to that statement.

"Thank you for that." The new leader nodded politely as we finished passing by.

Once we were through the kid came up to the two of us. "Hey, thanks for that," he tried to give a big grin, only to be met with glares.

We all collectively spent the rest of the walk to the temple district telling him just how stupid he'd been. His mother was nearby and began piling as much of everyone's luggage as she could on him, informing him that if he had enough energy to screw around, he had enough energy to work.