“I want to go with them,” Avira told her father. The two of them stood outside of their home back home in Central City with Naroe and Reil loading their wagon in the driveway.
Only after White had explained what had happened with the Planes had the dragon found out he had inhaled all fog in the chamber while he was in his trance. That fog, he was told, had been the runoff of the Heart’s energies. In time, it would reaccumulate in the chamber and no harm had been done, but it certainly hadn’t been expected. Things seemed to calm down somewhat after White had given a full retelling of the communication through his brother and sister.
“There’s no reason for you to,” Rain’s literal and figurative stance had appeared to turn him into one of the Crucible’s walls.
“He’s calling me his sister,” Avira argued, the point somehow making a crack in the General with the smallest wince. “I think that’s a pretty good reason.”
“That’s the child in him,” Rain retorted. “He’s grown attached to you like any child would. Now he needs to grow attached to His Majesty and that’ll be easier without you there. The only reason Naroe is going is because he’s Reil’s apprentice,” he gave her a look then. “Which means they stick together.”
She met his eyes, arms crossing and mimicking his stance despite needing to look up at him. “I’d be gone two weeks at max and much less if I fly back with His Majesty. They’re not going on another world tour, it’ll be less than a month.” Avira let her arms drop then, her gaze softening. “I’ve never been out of the Kingdom and now I have a pass to go to Andromeda. This’ll be a good experience for me and I’ll be with family who’ve been there.”
Rain cracked a smirk at that. “Is Naroe family now?”
“According to White, he is.”
“Since when does White determine that?” Rain asked, still smiling.
Avira shrugged, shaking her head. “I kind of saw him as a cousin to begin with, but that doesn’t really matter. Look, I’m not leaving the continent, I’m going to its most developed civilization outside of the Kingdom. I’ll have Pop-pop on the way there and his successor plus the most powerful individual in the world on the way back. And if both Planes say that White will bond with His Majesty, I really doubt my presence alone is going to prevent that.”
Rain was silent for a while, his smirk steadily fading before he sighed. “Look, I was hoping that the connections he made with you two would break under the Heart–”
“But they only got stronger,” Avira interrupted, but her father held up his hand the exact way he had done with an enraged Reil. The way that silenced any speech.
“And I’m not sure how to feel about that,” he continued. “Now he’s going to add Elicus into the mix. Things are getting even more complicated than I had expected and I bet it’s only going to get more so from here. I want you here, so we can finish what we started before jumping into something that we are only just starting to comprehend.”
Avira was unmoved. “Dad, I already jumped into this. I’ve already made efforts to comprehend this. I helped interpret the Planes’ message! I know how much of a rush I was in to get down there, but now I understand that age isn’t the biggest defining factor. Trust me, I want my blessing more than anything, but I don’t think staying in the kingdom is cutting it.” Again, she softened her expression, looking up at him. “It’s less than two weeks.”
Rain stared down at her. He felt his resolve slowly crack under her violet eyes, eyes that, to him, had remained unchanged since he first looked into them over eighteen years ago, and he caved. “Fine,” he breathed slowly. Avira grinned and lightly jumped in place. “But,” he continued, “you do not wander off. You do everything your grandfather tells you to do. You remember your manners when you see Elicus. You say hi to Aria for me. And,” he clasped her on her shoulders and leaned in close, “You do not try anything else with White. Understood?” Avira’s smile never faltered as she nodded in agreement with him. “Good, go pack. Essentials and backups only,” he tapped her shoulder before she rushed inside. The General sighed again, his massive shoulders sagging in the dark armor, before he approached the now nearly packed wagon.
Reil was organizing the front trunk with White laying in the front seat and Naroe organizing the back bed. “So she’ll be joining us?” Reil asked without looking up.
“I assume you’re happy,” Rain said.
“I get to spend time with my granddaughter, of course I'm happy,” said Reil. “But I think she is right. Being aware of the world is incredibly important for a member of the Order,” the old man looked the General in the eye then. “It’s why I took you everywhere I could and why I’m disappointed that she’s never been outside our borders.” Rain said nothing as they stared at one another, letting the silence hang and tense. Reil was the one who broke it. “I understand why, of course.”
Rain nodded, his face breaking into an apologetic smile. “I know, it’s my own issues and I appreciate you still consoling me despite me not doing the same when it came to White. Especially when you were right.”
The old veteran waved him off as he shut and locked the trunk. “We were both right in a way, which I think is the best kind. And besides,” he looked at Rain again, matching the General’s expression with his own mirthless smile, “you aren’t the only one to have those issues.”
Rain’s own face grew both grateful and pained then before he mastered himself to turn to White, who had watched the exchange as still as possible. “You’ll like Andromeda,” he said. His words felt more forced than White had ever heard. “Plenty of great sights and different foods. Hopefully you’ll have time to enjoy it before work calls.”
White raised himself to sit up before slowly dipping his head towards the General, his eyes closed as he held the bow.
The small gesture had been more intentional than anything White had done before. They weren’t the movements of a newborn, he made them with recognizable practiced grace and Rain had understood their meaning immediately. The dragon was thanking him.
Rain was momentarily stunned, the unexpected gesture shocking him out of his growing stupor. Real joy returned to his expression as he bowed back at White. “You’re welcome here any time,” he said before turning to the back of the wagon. “And that goes for you too Naroe.” The apprentice in question emerged from the other side of the wagon having just finished loading the supplies, Rain jutted a thumb at Reil. “We’ve both been this old nut’s apprentice, so if you ever need anything, you can come to me.”
Naroe didn’t attempt to hide his surprise at the show of comradery from the man who was in every way his senior. The statement wasn’t unexpected when it came from Rain, what was unexpected was the emotion he had put behind it, as if Naroe truly was a member of the family.
“Yeah,” he said, not even trying to hide how the General had thrown him off balance. “I definitely will,” but he did his best to inject just how grateful he was into his words.
Rain nodded in satisfaction before turning back to Reil. “If you need me, send a communion.”
“You have your own responsibilities here, Varen.” Reil replied somewhat sternly. “An entire nation to look after even and you’ve already spent plenty of time on us.”
“This was an issue worth spending time on,” the General said.
Reil nodded in agreement. “Yes, but now it’s been handed off to myself and soon to His Majesty. You currently don’t have any reason to give this matter more attention.”
“My apprentice is going with you,” Rain countered, “I think that still gives me some official responsibility in this matter.”
Reil gave him a withering look. “You know that won’t hold up in a court if you go awol. You’ve given temporary responsibility to me, which means it’s now my job to take care of her.” Then he side-eyed the larger man. “Unless you think I’m incapable of taking care of two people.”
Rain gave a deep chuckle as he held his hands in surrender. “Of course not, just wanted to throw that line out there.” Naroe hopped in the front seat with White, placing the dragon onto his lap. Rain looked at the pair with thought before speaking. “How do you two feel about the ‘brother and sister’ thing?” The General asked.
Reil only shrugged. “The Planes didn’t even bring up their connections, so I don’t see much of a problem with it.” He turned to his apprentice then.
Naroe beamed back at the two authority figures. “I have a little sibling, and it’s not just a dragon, it’s a mythical dragon. I’d say I’m pretty happy with that,” he said as he scratched White’s head.
Rain chuckled, the last bit of tension leaving him as he shook his head smiling. “I should learn to look at things more like you, Naroe.”
The response left the young trapper visibly confused. “I always thought you were a pretty positive person, Lord Rain.”
“It’s just ‘Varen’ to you Naroe, and I’m glad you feel that way,” his smile turned tired then. “When I send out the weekly missives to the people or when I speak before them, it’s not a complete act. I never lie and I never exaggerate, but I don’t always tell them everything.” He looked at all three of them, surprising White most of all with an expression that the dragon somehow knew was a command to listen. “What the planes said lines up with what we’ve been getting reports of. Last year, Salra took out thirteen cells of Empire agents on the continent. We’re only a quarter of the way through this year and she’s already hunted down six.”
Reil and Naroe tensed, though neither said anything, and White could feel his older brother’s flame grow and roil. Its proximity was enough to begin fueling his own.
“I don’t think I need to tell you,” Rain continued, “but Salra’s age has not dampened her abilities. I highly doubt she missed any last year, and if she did it certainly wasn’t that many.”
Reil nodded in understanding. “They haven't been this quiet this long in centuries. It was only a matter of time before we began to see the signs.”
Rain’s lips curled. “But this time is different.”
Reil’s brows furrowed and his frown deepened, as if Rain had suddenly insulted him. “How so?”
The General put his gauntleted hand below his chin as he mentally reviewed the information for what was clearly not the first time. “The Empire’s psychological conditioning has taken a strange turn. Salra described them as ‘savage.’”
Reil practically snorted and scoffed at the statement. “Is that anything new?”
“That’s the crazy thing though,” the General said. “We’ve seen their agents do some gruesome things, but it was always done with purpose, not here though. Besides that, they screamed.”
There was a pregnant pause as everyone stared at the General. Reil was the one to break it. “What?”
Rain nodded, as if Reil had just pointed out the main issue. “It wasn’t from psychological damage by Salra or her Runners either. It wasn’t provoked, they hadn’t even been cornered, yet the instant the agents recognized that their cover had been blown, they attacked like enraged beasts. If anything, it was like they had intended to make the biggest scene they could before being put down.”
“What about the ones captured?” asked Reil.
Rain didn’t say anything for a moment, but it was clear he wasn’t sure what words to use for what came next. “The moment they became unable to inflict any more damage, their heads...” Rain looked down at White before looking up at Reil. The General raised a closed fist before letting his fingers explode out, his expression one of pure disgust. “Salra doesn’t think they’re even aware of it.” He shook his head then. “I’ve seen their expressions through communion and I’m inclined to agree with her.”
Naroe swallowed hard and, despite the General’s attempts to spare White the image, couldn’t help but imagine the scene, giving White a pretty clear picture of what Rain was talking about. It did startle him, the dragon flinched involuntarily at the pop that resounded in Naroe’s skull, but the image didn’t hold any real revulsion for the dragon.
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Naroe on the other hand was visibly disgusted, but White didn’t understand why. Weren’t the people they were talking about bad?
Naroe gently patted White’s head, hoping to calm some of the thoughts he knew he was responsible for. You’re right, he said. Those people were trying to do bad things here, but the people who sent them here are worse. They sent those people, whether they were bad or good, to do terrible things and find terrible deaths.
“Were they able to gather any information at all?” Reil asked.
Rain shook his head. “They came here through the expected methods, either smuggled through the islands or the long way by boat, but if they had any real plans, we have no idea what they were. They came with minimal supplies and had no evidence of correspondence with the Empire, planned acts of terrorism, or any espionage. Voids, they never even came close to the kingdom. Instead, they committed comparatively smaller crimes within the tribal territories. They stole seemingly random letters and packages from mail carriers, defaced or destroyed historical artifacts and places, and spiked dozens of food shipments with hallucinogens and other unknown drugs. Yet there have been no fatalities. What’s more, they’ve never directly targeted the Order, only the Tribes themselves. Our branches have only ever been hit by the waves of their impacts.”
The old trapper was silent for a moment, taking all the information in. “I’ve been hearing about some of these issues for a while now. They’ve caused a lot of discourse in the territories and even sparked a few conflicts between them.” He sighed and scratched his head through thinning hair. “They can guess who’s really at fault, but rivalries always turn into wars so quickly. Regardless, this is the first I’m hearing the details so I imagine this isn’t that widely known yet.”
Rain nodded. “Salra has been meeting with each of the Chieftains personally to discuss everything, but she’s also having to stop and deal with whatever new cells she finds. So far, Canis, Ursa, Draco, Leo, and Ares have all renewed their agreements with us and begun war prep. Our branches in each have kept our relations as good as they’ve ever been and I expect the rest of the continent won’t be an issue either. But the islands…” he trailed off, looking at his former master.
“Orion is as ready as it's ever been,” Reil assured him, “all they do is prep for the next war. Aquarius has not only rebuilt, but expanded their navy. I know their current Chieftain isn’t too thrilled about the possibility of needing to rebuild it again, but she understands how limited her options are. I believe she’ll be as cooperative as her predecessor, but we’ll probably need to reimburse her fully this time if they lose that much again. As for Libra, they’ve fixed a lot of the damage and the defenses are impressive, but…” he sighed and rubbed his face with a hand. “They’re preparing for the possibility of a full evacuation.”
Rain blinked, taken aback by the news. “Where do they plan on going?”
Reil shook his head, rolling his shoulders. “I don’t know and I don’t think they do either. I’ll bet they’ll petition us and the tribes for emergency sanctuary during talks, but I don’t know if anyone besides us will take them.”
Rain sighed and leaned back to look at the darkening sky. “Then it’ll probably be us, but I don’t think it’d be that bad. Aria’s improved their reputation here considerably, despite a few holdouts, and the Southern Province has the space. I bet they could set up a good city there.”
Reil gave a humorless chuckle then. “Then this Kingdom really would change, I can’t even begin to imagine what sort of technology they’d bring with them.” He shook his head. “I’m almost scared to see what it would turn into.” Then he saw his former apprentice looking at him and smiled. “Good thing that won’t be my problem.”
The tall doors to the home swung open then, revealing a running Avira dressed in a buttoned deep blue long coat, gloves, and boots. Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail that hung against two stacked sacks tied to a large backpack. She ran to the back of the wagon and began finding the best place for them amongst the cargo.
“Are you sure you have everything?” Rain called out.
“Yes,” Avira called back. “Triple-checked with backups.”
Rain’s smile returned as he and his former master embraced, his armored bulk patting the smaller, older man’s back with heavy thuds. “You guys be safe,” he said.
“Of course,” said Reil before pulling back and hopping into the front seat.
Avira came around to hug her father, having to jump up to wrap her arms around his neck. “Bye Dad,” she said while hanging from his height.
He hugged her back, “Bye, my little aquila. Be good and be safe.”
“I will.” She let go and hopped into the back of the wagon.
“I’ll have us there in a couple of days,” Reil assured him.
“No, don’t rush it,” countered Rain. “Top speeds for extended periods probably wouldn’t be good for the wagon. The last thing I want is for you to break down in the middle of nowhere with no way to fix it.”
Reil nodded. “A good point.”
“And you’re getting old,” Rain continued. “You need your rest–”
The wagon came to life as Reil compelled the wood to swerve across the stone in an impossibly smooth turn. White felt the Light course through the wood, the now clearly noticeable embedded circuits alight with the old trapper’s will. He put enough power in to lift the wooden wheels just enough off the ground to turn on a single point away from the General, who backed off to not get hit as the wagon cut through the air and out their open gate. The sounds of Naroe and Avira giving their goodbyes fading in the distance as Reil drove down the quiet road.
After a few moments, Naroe turned back to his master. “I get that the planes gave us a mission and we’re in a hurry, but I think Varen was right. Maybe we should have waited until morning to leave.”
Reil shook his head, his eyes focused firmly on the road. “That little trip to the Heart has left me feeling spry and I want to take advantage of it. Besides, Isaac and Poe offered to set up a teleport circle and I’d rather not make them start their mornings with that.” Naroe nodded and turned back to Avira.
She had organized a nook in the bed by the front seat and appeared to be getting comfortable. A long cushion had been placed between her and the wood with a thicker but smaller pillow acting as her head rest.
“Comfy?” Naroe asked.
Avira nodded, leaning against the fabric top of the wagon and unrolling a blanket she had packed. “I figured I should be, it’ll be a long trip.”
Naroe chuckled. “Just be happy you’re traveling with us with no cargo,” he said before turning back to the road.
“I can imagine,” Avira smirked. “I can still smell them.”
________________________________________________________
White watched the now familiar sight of the world warping around him as the wagon emerged within a circular pattern of planted crystals, Poe and Isaac stood flanking the design. They had appeared in the Western Province, the market hub of the Kingdom. Beyond the fenced pavilion they had arrived in, a city of steel, stone, and wood stood proud and lively.
There was no part not decorated in some sort of fashion to catch the eye. Various themes of color ranging from monochrome to the full spectrum made their homes in storefronts, competing with one another in the forms of signs, statues, and trinkets. They stacked and lined up along buildings several stories high, sometimes taking up to half their floors as store space. Platformed walkways were built to reach the higher stores with stairs both inside and out to move throughout the multilayered market. On every level, people filled the pathways on their evening activities. After giving thanks to the Speaker and Deacon for their assistance and bidding them farewell, the wagon entered the sprawling maze of commerce.
This was Pollux, the entrance city of Lugatea, and in their sight stood its most notable and busiest section. The city stood both on The Sanctuary’s border and in the center of the Teeth, making it the main route both in and out of the Kingdom. It was also the start of a very large road that had come to be known as “the Monarch’s March.” The road stretched from Pollux directly to Central City and was lined not only with inns, restaurants, and stores, but also bases of the Order who were all too aware of the risks the route posed. In some circles, the road had even become known as “the Invader’s Invitation.”
White was getting better at passively processing information from Avira. With the strengthened connection, White had begun to find knowledge within him that had never been there before. If he spotted something new to him, it would almost instantly be understood. He appreciated the convenience, but found himself missing that feeling of discovery. It did bring up a question however. Why didn’t he get the same experience from Naroe?
Naroe had knowledge, but it was different from Avira’s. The dragon could see it as wicks in his flames, condensed and sorted, these had been put away to be accessed only when needed. Instead, the knowledge he let flow did so freely throughout his body. It poured into every cell, down to the smallest level, and it was used to infuse every part of him with a singular flaming will.
White had no idea what that actually meant or what he would receive from Naroe as a result, but it did mean he found Naroe warm in multiple ways now. Which made him a very comfortable place to rest.
The group approached the main gate of the city, a massive version of the one White had initially entered through that stood open and close to the height of many of the buildings he had seen by Center city. Lookout towers and bulwarks were stationed with defenses ranging from simple ballistic weaponry to thin rods of crystal for channeling the Planes’ energies in group efforts. Beyond the obsidian structure was a worn road almost as wide as the March. It flowed between the two snow capped mountains that were the fangs of the Teeth and was filled with travelers and the temporary stalls of traders.
The guards of the border bowed to the group as they passed, already having been made aware of the departing party. Reil and Naroe waved back, but Avira remained hidden in the bed. It was only when the members of the Order were fully behind them and able to see inside, did she reveal herself with a wave to the onlookers.
White felt her amusement as bubbles in the flow. She had recognized a few of them and was enjoying guessing the reactions hidden beneath their helms. A fair few waved back excitedly, their muffled laughs loud enough to be heard from the wagon. Most seemed temporarily bewildered and confused at what they had just seen.
“So,” she said, now turning to Naroe. “How long do you plan on keeping him to yourself?”
Naroe gave her a skeptical look. “Are we going to do this the whole way there?”
“That depends,” said Avira, her eyes wandering to the dragon in question. “White?” The small head looked up from where it had been laying. “Do you have any input on this? Or do you just want to be passed around and argued over for a few days?”
Well when she put it like that, there wasn’t much other option. White got up from his spot, stretched out his limbs, then climbed onto the warmest lap on the wagon.
Reil chuckled and scratched behind the dragon’s horns, eliciting a low rumble from White’s chest. “There,” he said, “the choice has been made.”
Naroe’s eyes shot to Avira. “You could have just waited for him to come to you.”
“Don’t get upset because you’re experiencing my pain,” Avira said.
“I’m experiencing it because of you,” said Naroe evenly.
“You’re both acting like children,” Reil declared with a grin and no hostility. “It’s getting dark anyway, why don’t you two get some sleep. We have a long road ahead of us and there’ll be plenty of opportunities to argue over White later. Or, if you two are able to compromise, even play with him.” He looked at both of them. “Sound good?”
In unison, they both breathed deeply then voiced their acknowledgments with nods, a moment that gave White an unexpected amount of joy.
________________________________________________________
Evening had turned to night as their wagon made their way across the rolling hills beyond the teeth. A moon shadowed into a crescent had risen from the horizon, its pale light shining bright despite its thin cut in the dark sky. There had been several other travelers that had been on the road, but all had been heading towards the kingdom, so their wagon had the night to itself.
Naroe had gathered his sleeping materials and made a spot for himself on the other end of the wagon’s bed. Both he and Avira had fallen asleep some time ago, but Reil had kept a steady pace since they had left the mountain range. White found himself either unable or unwilling to sleep, he wasn’t sure which, so he had remained in the old trapper’s lap.
“I don’t understand you,” Reil suddenly said.
White’s only reaction was to lift his head up at him. With both his interpreters asleep, he was only confused as to why Reil had chosen that moment to say it. White had no way to respond.
“Don’t worry about it,” Reil said, his eyes still on the road.
White blinked in surprise. Had Reil understood him?
The old man smiled then, his eyes glancing down at the dragon. “I’ve got the gist of what you’re saying, I think. It’s gotten easier as we’ve found out more about you, but I’ve been watching and listening to your soul as you speak to Naroe and Avira.” Reil looked behind him into the wagon, ensuring that both his passengers were still asleep. “Whenever you communicate with them, your soul, or what I think is the equivalent to your soul, fluctuates. Its rhythms are as subtle as they are complex, but it’s been growing stronger since I noticed it the first night you spent with us.” He turned back to the dragon. “Now that I don’t have to work so hard to see and hear it, it’s a lot easier to make out what you’re feeling.”
Well that was all well and good, but that just brought the initial statement back to the forefront of White’s mind. Reil should be able to understand him better than ever now.
Reil gave a patient elder’s smile. “Not what I meant,” he said. “Let's start with this, every dragon I have ever met has been a fiercely independent creature, yet not you. You’ve allowed us to handle you, take you where we wished, and subject you to all manner of activity, yet you’ve never even tried to leave. Of course, there’s the possibility that you’ve only taken the form of a dragon, plus we have been feeding you plenty, but still...” He looked back to the road, his eyes drifting up to the starry sky. “Then there’s this message from the planes, this threat in contact with the Empire, their new agents, and whatever it is that Andromeda picked up to drag Elicus away in the first place.” Reil took a tired breath. “I guess what I’m saying is, why just go with whatever we say? It’s clear that you could argue for your own opinions if you wanted.”
White looked at him nonplussed. He knew next to nothing about the world or himself, but thanks to their decisions he’s found people he’s liked, been given food he’s loved, seen wild sights one after the other, and now he’s been told he’ll get more of that when he meets their King. White couldn’t possibly fathom why he wouldn’t want to spend all his time doing what they wanted.
Reil said nothing for a while and White began to wonder if he had said too much for the old veteran to understand, but then he nodded. “I can accept that reasoning. I have another question though, if I may.” He looked back down at the small would-be dragon. “The threat the Planes spoke of, did it mean anything to you?” When White met his gaze, Reil saw a new focus that had freshly bloomed behind the dragon's young eyes, but those colorful glowing orbs were still those of a child with no answers. “Yeah,” he said, “I thought not.”