Pulses of indigo energy swelled around Mirio’s hand like ink in water as it laid on Tad’s chest. Flutters of golden light shone at its edges, and blue green streaks spiralled up from within each of the thicker parts of the energy clouds. Red dots flashed and popped within the mix before all the colors started to move and shift in sync with one another like layers of colored sand within a bottle.

Mirio’s eyes were closed in a meditative state, using his feelings to search through Tad’s body. His hand was gentle and warm against his brother’s skin, and the energy moved as though responding to a gentle melody like chimes in the wind. Tad’s eyes peeled open ever so slightly. Streams of colorful light filled the room around him as the gentle warmth of his brother’s hand made the anguish and pain throbbing in his body relent for a moment.

Tears welled at the corners of his eyes, and he took in a short sharp breath and whimpered like a trapped animal. Scared and exhausted from the inner battle he had been facing with his eyes closed, he opened himself up to Mirio in a moment of vulnerability.

“Thanks, that really helps, makes me almost feel okay” he smiled.

“Something has a hold of me… And I can’t pull free…”

Tad grimaced and tightly shut his eyes and knocked away Mirio’s hand.

“Don’t, it’ll grab you too”

He snatched his arms tight to his chest and rolled onto his side with tears streaming across his face.

Mirio looked at his brother with a sense of calm and gently rubbed the oasis energy across Tad’s back. His brother sobbed for a while as Mirio patiently stayed beside him as day turned into night.

With stomach grumbling and his brother returning to sleep he stepped out of the wagon. Hopping down on his one good leg and resting on his walking staff on the other side. Standing in the middle of the road he watched on as the wagon’s pulled off to the side to make camp for the night.

People walking by lit lantern stones as the last of the sunlight drifted below the red mountain. As the gentle night breeze rolled in, Mirio looked towards the summit of the great peak before him.

“They say it is green on the other side of the mountain range” Yana said as coming up from behind him on Rocky. Ezee followed up along behind them and nuzzled under Mirio’s hand, prompting a few casual pets from him and a tussle behind the ear.

Mirio responded with a stoic nod and then turned to her. “Did you find some council members?”

“I did” she smiled “Will you follow me to where they are gathered?”

Mirio nodded again and limped on after her. Ezee scooted about sniffing his way under and around each of the wagons as they pulled into their final position off the road and people began stretching canvas between each of them to create shelters for the night.

Mirio reached into his side pouch and pulled out a handful of dried meat.

“Here boy”

Ezee’s ears perked up as he quickly circled back around to Mirio. With a few casual tosses of the meat Ezee snatched them out of the air and gobbled them down.

Ahead was a circle made of a few chairs and red boulders. Members of different communities sat in each of the seats circled around a large lantern stone. The stone was brighter than most and lit up each of the council member’s faces. It was about the size of a fist and was placed on a small table with parchment, ink and a quill.

Yana entered into the center of the circle and turned around to greet everyone with a nod and Mirio followed after her. He didn’t bow but instead caught the eyes of each of them; a brash looking man with a hearty beard standing for the wood cutters, a woman with honey brown plaited hair standing for the millers, a well dressed woman with her hair in a bun standing for the merchants, a stout beardless dwarf representing the haulers, and a slender gentleman with short sun bleached hair representing the farmers.

The beardless dwarf stared at Mirio with one raised eyebrow. “Forgive me for staring lad, but I don’t know what to make of you yet”

“Oh hush now, he is just a kid, swept up in this mess just like the rest of us” the miller with plaited hair said with a homely accent.

The merchant woman with her hair in a bun looked particularly untroubled and inspected her nails while waiting for the others to have their say.

The slender farmer scratched his sun bleached hair and tilted his head to the side.

“Seems we are all representatives of the vale in one way or another, as the last of the guard would you take a seat with us, honor those who fell in the fight?”

He gestured over to a rock beside his own and smiled as though he hadn’t a care in the world.

The bearded man representing the cutters leaned forwards on his stool and nodded at Mirio as he took a seat. “Thanks again for what you did, we appreciate it”

“Shall we get a move on?” the merchant woman replied as she put down her hand and looked up towards Yana.

“Yes, as you all know, we will arrive at the capitol tomorrow. We are here to make a plan on how we will negotiate with the Duke, and make a plan for how we can contribute in exchange for allowing us to stay. So I would like to hear from each of you in turn, what your opinions are, and we will discuss after. I would ask that you let each other speak, and wait until all have spoken before we make any comments”

The farmer nodded and stood up as Yana motioned to him.

“The way I see it, there isn’t any chance of crops this side of the mountain range, so the farm hands shouldn’t stay too long, just long enough to supply ourselves and head through the range. If the duke will help us arrive safely we can bolster the production of food in the western regions and hopefully this offer will set him at ease and make him consider you all in a better light”

The miller woman brushed off her shirt before standing.

“Yes, well, the way I see it, the red city is a mining town at its core since it is dug into a mountain. Milling wood isn’t too different from milling stone, just different saws really. We could help in the mines, and if they haven’t a need for that we could help in any construction they have happening in the city, help them get it done quicker for the time being. And like he just said, we’d keep an eye to moving on to where we’d be needed after a while”

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The beardless dwarf smirked and crossed his arms confidently.

“As a hauler there isn’t nothing to be said. You want something moved, we’ll move it”

The merchant woman chuckled under her breath.

“Well, people can say what they will about a dwarf without a beard, but he certainly knows how to keep it short” she said as she stifled another chuckle, “The merchants would ask for a small space to set up our carts, we would pay for the licencing of the spot like any other. It is always a boon when traders from other regions come to a city. While other merchants would caw at first about new competition, with more people in the city we’d actually just be making up for the increased demand. More taxes for the Duke couldn’t possibly be too disagreeable”

The woodcutter nodded along solemnly, “Well, shit, guess you all have a plan. I’ll be honest, I ain’t got shit to offer. Us cutters know how to size up a forest and I don’t see any here. Maybe like this other lad said, we’d move to the west after a while. But I dunno what place would need as much lumber as a port so, seems we cutters have drawn the short straw. Heck, we are strong so we could exchange our axes for picks, but we don’t know squat about where to strike the stone but we’d be quick to learn, can’t be that different than swinging an axe can it. But like I said, we’ll just have to adapt. I don’t see why we can’t just wait it out until they take back the vale, get back to business you know?”

Mirio turned towards Yana and lifted a finger to speak.

“Just one question, where are the game hunters? I thought they’d be here too”

A man stepped from the shadows a quiver of arrows at his side and his hair tied back.

“I’m here, just don’t like to make a show of it. You can go first as the guard, or I’ll just say my piece. Haven’t much to say anyway, we just need land to hunt, we’ll set up a cabin to store the goods and further ease the food supply of the city. If they have forest enough for it on the western range that is…”

He then swatted Mirio on the shoulder and sat down on a boulder beside him.

Each of the council members turned to Mirio and waited for him to say something.

“I suppose Yana will speak for the folks that are wounded, so I guess… There won’t be much for me to say, since the guard is gone. I suppose I’ll just let the Duke know what really happened. And outside of that, I won’t do much, just find my own way…”

The woodcutter laughed, “Ha, find your own way huh? I like that. You know as a fighter maybe you’d do well in the arena. I hear there is a huge fight scene here. If not you could work by the nightlife, friend of mine said they are always short handed and in need of good guards inside the city. You’ll be alright”

“Ha, I don’t know if I’ll commit to fighting in the arena. I suppose I’ll look into the nightlife scene though”

Yana put her hands on her hips and looked around the circle “This sounds about right actually, I think if you all say your piece to the Duke, he will either listen or he won’t. We just need some good luck. As for the wounded I will speak to the churches, and find room for them where I can. Surely the Duke can sympathise with the folk who had it worst”

Mirio perked up and lifted his finger again to speak.

“I just thought of something that could be on the Duke’s mind. What if he is worried about crime in the city rising. He might think some of the people here are poor, that they can’t pay, and that it will lead to more shoplifting and conflict and such. Without a contingent of the guard, he might still worry about that. Maybe I should help with that, get to know the people, and make sure nothing is up. Keep things in the right?”

Yana couldn’t hide her delight and shone with a bright smile, “I think that is an excellent idea! And you’d be perfect for it! Please do keep an eye on the people… I’m sure the Duke will listen if we all keep to what we said here. And I suppose, all we need to do when we arrive is to stand together and ask for an audience”

Each member of the council nodded and agreed in their own way.

“I suppose that settles it then, but I suggest I do the talking initially” the merchant woman said. “Since I am more familiar with negotiations and the like, trust me, you’ll be glad I’m here”

“Of course,” Yana said, smiling and cupping her hands together.

“Now is there anything to discuss, or are we all okay with that?”

“Nope, I’m good” the woodcutter responded as getting up.

“Same here, ain’t nothing more to say I think” the dwarf replied.

“I think it is a good plan” the miller responded.

The hunter winked and tapped Mirio on the shoulder, “We’ll manage won’t we mate”

“Yeah, we’ll do what we can” Mirio replied.

The farmer walked over to the lanternstone at the center of the circle and tapped his finger on the table “Do you suppose we should do something with this? Like write a fancy letter or something?”

Yana swatted her hand at him “Oh no, let us just forget that for now, I think we have our plan for now, I just had it there in case we needed to make some notes. I’ll write them down after you all head back to your families”

Yana and Mirio gathered together by the table and spent the next hour scribing and helping each other remember the points of each member of the council and then said goodnight, eager to followup on the plan the next day.

Just before they left sight of each other the sound of enormous wings beat in the air.

REEEAAK

The ground rumbled as a wyvern thudded to the ground. Its green scales shimmered in the light of the lantern stone and Yana stepped back in shock as it stalked closer towards the council’s circle.

“Shit” Mirio said as he drew his blade, and hobbled over towards them as quickly as he could.

The wyvern turned its head up to the sky and screeched again, but this time softer as the rider tugged on the reins.

“Easy Chima, easy”

He swatted its scales with a few hard pats before hopping off the saddle and stepped towards the light by Yana.

“Who here leads these people?”

Mirio rushed up alongside Yana and the stranger with a look of confusion, but after quickly putting the pieces together in his mind that it was a scout rider from the capitol he sheathed his sword.

“Tell your leader the Duke will speak with you in the afternoon tomorrow, until then your people are asked to stay half a league from the gates of the city”

Yana nodded “We just finished meeting with our council, there will be eight of us, and we look forward to speaking with the lord. Please send him our gratitude”

The man looked dismissively at Mirio for a moment and headed back to the side of his wyvern, he nodded at Yana before mounting the great winged beast.

“Up Chima, up up!”

With a whip of the reins the beast stood high on its hind legs and leapt into the sky. The wings beat with tremendous force, sending itself low over the land and then steering up towards the mountain.

Yana looked at Mirio with her mouth wide open and her hand on her heart “That scared me half to death!”

“Haha, I guess they can see us from here. It is a good thing though, means we don’t have to worry about being just turned away at the gates. Amazing creature though wasn’t it”

“I’m just stunned” Yana replied with a smile. "Incredible though, I've heard of the riders of the western empire but I wasn't expecting one to come slamming into camp!"

"Yeah, I've never seen anything like it either. Guess the city is going to be a lot different than Gimly"

Mirio shook his head and lowered his head with a smile.

"Probably a good thing too. It is time for a change afterall"

Yana and Mirio looked towards the red mountain, now a silhouette carved between the stars, and allowed a flicker of hope to come alive within their hearts.