Breakfast was uneventful but enjoyable and it wasn’t long before four figures left the massive home for the morning air. The mist had cleared and there were fewer puddles than when White had woken up. Spotting one in the road as they exited the property, White could see the water sink into the dark stone as easily as it did into the soil.
Reil closed the gate behind them as they stepped onto the slabbed path next to the road. White had seen them a lot during his ride with Avira, they stretched along nearly every road they had used. Though, from where he sat on Naroe’s shoulder, he had a much better view than from behind the tinted screen of a carriage.
The winds were back and were buffeting against his scales. White now understood why all three of them had donned longer clothing. Reil had thrown on his ivory cloak, the thick fabric barely waving against the wind. Naroe had his own, but his was the natural white of a fur pelt, one large enough to cover most of his tall form. It was this soft cloak that made White choose Naroe as his perch.
Beneath these regal coverings, both were dressed rather casually. Naroe opted for a similar getup he had arrived in the night before and Reil wore what White had found him in that morning, but with only their faces and the tips of their worn leather boots showing as they walked, now they appeared as the archetypical master and student.
The last member of their party, Avira, was dressed in her father’s colors with a black insulated padded body suit as her first layer. A knitted midnight blue sweater clung to her top above a white belt that clasped around black denim pants. She wore the same worn boots as she had in The Sanctuary, freshly cleaned after her duel with Naroe. She strode with the two other figures with her usual grace, adding herself to the image next to her grandfather as a separate but equally present companion to the matching duo. While on the inside, White knew she was pouting over his chosen seat.
Varen had intended to go with them, but Poe had contacted the General that morning and requested his presence. Varen had not told the others why and Poe had not given any specifics, but the implications were clear enough to them all.
“Go ahead,” Varen had told them. “Having me there won’t make much of a difference, John’s opinions are his own. Just be sure to give him my regards.” So they had left, with Varen stating he’d catch up if possible but the group shouldn’t wait on him before making any decisions.
Reil took the lead, followed closely by Naroe then Avira, with the younger woman keeping just behind where White perched.
The day before, the hatchling had perceived the passing roads and buildings as interesting but unimportant sights. After all, there were plenty more immediate matters to turn his attention to. So, while he could recall everything he had seen the day before in perfect clarity, none of it had actually meant anything to him at the time. This stroll through the towering buildings and lines of roads was a much different experience.
White could feel the changes Avira had spoken of much more keenly now. His mind not only archived his experiences, now it made sense of them at subconscious level. A map began to form in the small dragon’s mind, starting out as a simple overview of the roads and paths he had traveled. The more attention he gave this strange thought pattern, the stronger it became. Simple shapes that had represented the buildings became three dimensional, obtaining the smallest details from White’s perfect memory. This trend continued to the storefronts at their feet, their goods on display, the drains along the roads, even the cracks in the paths. Before long, White had perfectly mapped out every visible part of the city they had passed.
Despite having caught glimpses of this process, neither Naroe nor Avira were free to question him on it. This was because multiple people who were acquainted with the hatchling’s companions had noticed their group, and most were comfortable enough to question them on the stunning creature who appeared to be staring off into space. It hadn’t helped that his eyes had drifted away from one another in an attempt to expand his field of vision, giving White the wall-eyed stare of a common lizard.
“Is he okay?” Reil had asked after saying goodbye to an old friend.
“Yeah,” Naroe answered before Avira could decide her opinion. “He’s just taking everything in,” the younger man said with a chuckle.
His master blinked, weighing the words before continuing forward. “Does he have any questions he’d like answered?”
That had been what pulled White out of his mental project, the small dragon’s gaze returning to normal as the group turned another corner. He found his mind could produce a large number of questions for the elder now, enough that picking out the most pressing proved challenging.
So he went with the most immediate.
“We’re going to see one of the Generals of Light,” said Avira, answering his thoughts. She pointed towards a wide building, made from cut ivory stone that layered up and around lines of arching windows. It stood shorter but much wider than most of its counterparts. “He lives on Lugatea’s Northern Province, so we’ll take the train to get there.”
Reil glanced back at the three of them as he walked. “Avira, please remember that I’m relying on both of you to communicate for White. I’d like to hear his questions as well, not just your answers.”
Avira swallowed her embarrassment and White felt the tides of her emotion recede as she reigned them in. “I’m sorry,” she said.
Reil looked forward again before speaking. “It’s alright, just please understand that I’m not privy to White’s thoughts like you are. If I’m asking him a question, I ask that you relay his thoughts as best you can.”
Avira nodded, but her eyes shot to Naroe. She wasn’t quite glaring, more scrutinizing, but it was close. “What?” he asked, unperturbed by her gaze.
“You’ve spoken for him multiple times, even just now,” she said. “I felt I needed to be quicker.”
Naroe glanced at his master, but he never looked back. Naroe could tell the old man expected them to figure this out themselves. He looked back at his fellow apprentice, meeting her patient violet eyes to find no expectation behind them.
White found himself impressed with how well he read her.
“I’m sorry,” Naroe began. “I tend not to think when I talk and if I can answer something, I feel the need to do so. But I should be giving you the chance to develop things with White.”
To Avira’s credit, not even Naroe noticed her carefully contained surprise. She shook her head, the edge in her voice completely gone. “It’s a weird situation, especially with everything else happening.” She smiled then. “I tend to get a little competitive and I apologize.”
Naroe waved off her apology. “No harm done, it was an honest concern.”
Only White felt the light in Reil grow brighter at that moment.
When they entered the building at the end of the road, they were greeted by the rush of the kingdom’s morning commute. Stores and bars lined the walls and middle of the massive hall, each hosting anything from a few to full lines of customers and serving everything from travel supplies to drinks and foods.
Reil began to lead them through the hordes of shifting travelers, taking Avira’s hand as he set off. White knew Avira had confidence in her ability to stay with them, but she said nothing as her grandfather made their path.
Neither did Naroe as he resisted both White’s and his own urges to stop for a quick taste, much to the small dragon’s dismay.
When the group slipped free of the masses, they found the end of the hall just as busy. Lines of civilians steadily filed forward towards wooden checkpoints, each manned by a gray-suited individual that took presented papers or cards and judged them. Some were quick with only a single item presented, while others took longer. One shook her head, saying something as she handed back the papers. The older man she had been serving groaned up to the ceiling before walking away, shaking his head.
Behind that sat a long staircase that descended into distant noises of people and machinery. Standing in front of those stairs at equal intervals were six towering guards of the Order. Light and Dark, one after the other, stood completely unmoving and in perfect attention. Spears stood strong in armored hands, as if nothing could move them from their station, and were paired with tower shields that reached almost as tall as their users. Each was engraved and painted with a scene of the sky, clear sunny days for the light and starlit nights for the dark. If it wasn’t for the constant pressure of their blessings, White would have thought them to be decorative statues.
Reil looked back at his granddaughter with a grateful smile before letting go. Then he turned back to an empty checkpoint, past the back of the lines. There were a number of glances toward the group as they walked by, several of which even recognized the old man in the lead. White felt those that did come to life with fresh excitement and joy. A hero had returned home and that brought a lot of joy, but none dared to interrupt his day.
Others did not know him or those following him. They only saw the monochrome shades of the order and the unusual dragon before deciding to see what the guards did.
To the surprise of many, one of the guards, a Light warrior clad in the claws and helm of a bear, began to march forward. It dropped its spear and shield, both fading from existence in white silhouettes before they hit the ground with the sound of distorted wind.
As both Reil and the guard converged at the unmanned station, White could feel an anxiety build in many of the witnesses, particularly those unaware of Reil’s identity. It was only when the guard raised the barrier for the group with a bow did their feelings turn to surprise.
Reil and his companions only said their thanks as they continued down the steps. The lower they went, the greater the noise became, and when White finally saw the floor that awaited them, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped.
The crowded path stretching from the steps was flanked by more restaurants, bars, and food stalls, filling the floor with a variety of new scents. They trailed up to and around a circular pillar that hosted more downward stairs. In the distance, metal carriages glided in and out of bays, leaving out of sight down dimly lit tunnels. But while the new foods and new to experiences excited White, that wasn’t what had left him dumbstruck.
Beneath the surface of the kingdom, he could now feel the staggering network of power around them, beyond the walls around them and the floor beneath their feet. He knew, through the shifting paths of dark and the busy trails of light, the true size and complexity of the station.
They stood at the top of twenty floors, each similar to the one they were in now with their own bays and facilities. The metal ceiling was lined with thin strips of crystal, each holding a charge of light and providing gentle lighting for the entire facility. But beyond the tunnels where the trains departed was a living network of rails that grew, attached, and detached seamlessly. The trains that rode this network were unmanned and relied on the rails to get them where they needed to go. It didn’t take much for White to see that the Dark handled the rails while the Light moved the trains, but they did so without any recognizable input.
Avira had already caught on to the dragon’s train of thought, and assured him they could talk about it later. Meanwhile, Naroe stood staring at a line of fizzling deep fryers.
He swallowed dryly. “Hey Reil–”
“Floor six, bay twelve, twenty five minutes,” Reil cut him off before turning and holding out a jingling fabric pouch. “You can grab what food you want for the trip and meet me there.” Naroe said nothing as he took the pouch, but he had the same grin as a child with free reign in a market. “And take Avira too.” Then he was gone, through the crowd and down the steps.
“How much did he give us?” Avira asked as Naroe opened the pouch.
“Enough that we have our choices,” he responded before putting it in his cloak. “Any preferences?”
Avira shook her head. “How about something for White?”
The two of them looked at the dragon in question, who was still sitting awe-inspired at the sight that was Lugataea’s main station. It ended when Naroe snapped his fingers in front of the dragon’s face.
“White?” he asked while drawing the dragon’s attention. “I know it’s cool, but trust me, the food is better.”
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They wandered the floors then, White’s two guides suggesting, commenting, and occasionally arguing over what they should ultimately get. When this happened, White would pick something that interested him, either a sight or smell, and ask them to pursue it. When Avira confirmed they only had five minutes left to meet with Reil, White followed a scent of mixed fruits to an uncrowded smoothie bar. A choice that not only Naroe approved of, but Avira had an apparent weakness for.
Their entire stock was held in tinted glass containers that coursed with dark energy and seemed fused to the foundation of the station. They were built to preserve the fruit for an extended period of time, which begged the question as to how White had smelled the fruit in the first place. While Avira considered asking White if he had any idea, a different question was asked.
“So why fruit?” Naroe spoke as they walked away, all three holding wooden cups containing different frozen mixtures.
White gave his best shrug after breaking between sips of his oversized cup. At the time, the cut ingredients provided the most interesting scent, so he went with it.
“But why was it interesting to you?” Naroe asked as he sniffed the air. “I’d say there are a lot of nice smells.”
“Does it matter?” Avira asked between eager sips.
“Well, he’s a dragon,” Naroe responded. “The first time we met, he was eating an apple. He did eat some meat on the wagon and fish last night, but we’re back to fruit again. Do you just prefer fruit?”
White blinked, unsure of how to answer. To him, it was just how had felt at the time. It wasn’t that other stands didn’t smell good as well, some of them smelled far more incredible than the fruit, but it had been the mix of individual scents that had caught his attention. It had been as simple as following his curiosity.
“Plenty of dragons eat fruit,” Avira said. “If he can eat both, he can prefer fruit at one point and meat at another. So, I wonder again, why ask?”
Naroe shrugged. “None of us know how his mind works, questions can stimulate his thinking and help us learn something.”
“And you chose food as the topic to do this?” Avira asked, having beaten even White in finishing her drink.
Naroe glanced at her empty cup as he answered. “Have you not seen how much White loves food?”
She nodded, placing the cup onto a rack filled with empty cups and trays by the stairs. “True, but considering our links, I think it’s a rather inefficient way to gain that info.”
White finished his drink and Naroe took it from his small claws to put on another rack. “I don’t think we’re looking at the same mind.” He gently tapped the small dragon’s skull, drawing its eyes up in a near cross. “There’s nothing in here that isn’t already sitting in front of him.” His eyes moved to bay twelve then, looking for his master. “The best response we get is through food.”
“You’re forgetting an important advantage we have,” Avira responded. “We can observe his reactions on the deepest level,” she tapped him on the shoulder then, pointing to an emerging Reil from the restrooms. “We get plenty from letting him just experience the world around him.”
“You’re right in that sense,” Naroe admitted, “but where we disagree is how much there is to observe. Letting him experience as much as he can early on is important, but right now we don’t have the time to do that. Pursuing what keeps his attention can provide more results. For example, how do you think White feels about this conversation?”
Both of them turned to the small dragon, who still sat comfortably on his perch, watching the station around him and the people who occasionally caught his gaze. He had been listening, but the truth was White didn’t much care about the outcome of the conversation. He trusted the two of them, and thus believed whatever choice they made would be the best one. He was simply happy to continue seeing the world and experiencing new things, though he had certainly loved the food so far.
Naroe smiled smugly at Avira. “No thoughts,” he grinned. “This is why I love newborn animals.”
Avira huffed. “He’s not a beast you can train with treats.”
Reil had already spotted them and was moving to meet them at the entrance of the long bay when Naroe replied. “Yeah? Watch this.”
When Reil reached them, he motioned to the empty bay where the train was set to arrive. “It should be here any minute,” he said, eyes flicking to his apprentice’s cup then back to the hazel eyes above it. “Did you get anything for me?”
“Here’s a good lesson, White,” Naroe began, bringing a finger to the air. “You need to know how to use your senses. My master here has already gotten himself some food and hidden it on his person.” Reil’s eyes widened and began darting between Naroe and the dragon perched on his shoulder. “If you find it, I’ll give you the rest of my smoothie.”
Immediately after White launched himself toward the older man, the whelp was plucked out of the air by his target. Reil had not turned away from his apprentice even as the dragon struggled in his grip. “What are you teaching him?” his voice was calm as he slid White under his arm, careful of his wings.
“Was I wrong?” Naroe asked.
“Naroe, we can’t be teaching White that jumping on people is okay.”
“But was I wrong?”
“You were wrong to use White to prove a point, but neither of you are necessarily wrong in how you wish to raise him. He needs stimulation and exposure, but how we go about both is still something for debate.”
Naroe put his fists on his hips, looking down at his tranquil master. “Reil, stop reading us and answer the damn question.”
Reil turned then, motioning again to the tunnel behind them just as a pair of lights appeared from the unnatural darkness. “Ah,” he said, “our train’s here.” At a speed that left most unable to notice and angled so that Avira and Naroe couldn’t see, Reil’s hand moved. White saw up close as his free hand reached into his white cloak, pulled out a muffin, bit off half, then presented the other half to White. White, whose mind processed information fast enough to keep up with Reil’s speed and had food pressed up to his face, ate the other half as fast as he could.
Naroe and Avria watched them walk to the approaching train in silence, very aware of Reil’s actions. The long metallic carriages came to a stop along the line, the windows revealing the passengers lining up to disembark on the other side of the bay. Naroe was the first to break the silence. “You know, the tribes see how much the kingdom loves its food.”
She looked at him quizzically, but responded earnestly. “We’ve historically almost always had a surplus thanks to The Sanctuary, so we had a lot of opportunity to develop cuisine.” She glanced back at the milling commuters moving between bays, stands, and stairs. “But we’ve done our best to share that bounty with others.”
Naroe met her eyes as the last of the arrivals filed out. “I didn’t mean anything by it,” he jutted his chin over to White, who still lay tucked under Reil’s arm, the small dragon looking a little large under the lean limb. They stood in front of a train door that remained unopened, even as others began to move inside. “I’m just saying it’s pretty convenient for him.”
Avira followed his gaze and nodded. “You’re right about that.”
“Growing kids eat a lot,” Naroe continued, “but not only has White eaten raw energy in addition to his own weight in two days, nothing’s come out. Even if it did though, there hasn’t been any physical changes either. I don’t think he’s even grown at all.” His hazel eyes closed then, brow furrowing in concentration. “So now our top questions are,” he held up his fist and began counting fingers with his questions. “‘Where did he come from?’ “What does he need to grow healthy?’ And ‘was he purposely sent here?”
“And if he was sent here,” Avira added, “then what are they hoping we do with him?”
“I imagine it’s what we have been doing,” Naroe said. “But I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”
Avira’s eyes grew a near imperceptible amount. “You say that before he’s seen General Graves, his Majesty, or even the heart. This could go a completely different direction from what either of us hope for.”
Naroe only shrugged. “I don’t see you hesitating. Besides, we both know that the Empire more than likely isn’t a part of this. I don’t think they could make anything like him and not have it be rejected by the planes.”
There was a soft but loud buzz, announcing that the train doors would be closing soon and that the two should be moving. As they approached where Reil stood, they saw him speaking to a black robed figure, their face covered in a flat, darkwood board of a mask. They stood near the doorway of the frontmost carriage, a section that no other passenger had entered or even approached. The figure nodded with what Reil was saying enthusiastically, then stepped further inside while beckoning the elder to follow.
Reil and White had taken a seat on the other side of the roomy cabin, resting on a padded metal bench built into the wall under a wide tinted window. On one side stood the door to the next cabin over, on the other was a long, thick curtain that housed the robed figure they had seen earlier.
Naroe and Avira took the seats closest to them, across from where the other two travelers sat. It was only then that Naroe realized that their private conversation wouldn’t stay private for long. Both he and Avira knew that White would realize it at some point through their links, but only Naroe knew the extent of Reil’s senses, both natural and gifted.
But, to his surprise, as the doors closed and the train pulled into the complex network in the darkness, his master never said a word.
Their ride was set to be long but not unpleasant. White watched as they smoothly exited the rail network, standing on his hind legs to lay his head against the edge of the back cushion, his fiery eyes staring out the window behind his seat. The black void beyond the small softly lit gray cabin had given way to an open blue sky, the sun still making its ascent, casting its golden curtain through the opposite window where Naroe and Avira still sat. The former sat reading his notebook silently while the latter let her eyes wander out the window the small dragon watched, occasionally glancing at both the small form and her grandfather. She didn’t possess the surety Naroe did regarding his abilities, but she was still surprised when he had laid his head back, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes. Before the light of the day had revealed itself, his mouth had fallen open to allow quiet snores to escape into the cabin.
While their transport shot high above the ground on raised rails, the land below was a grid-like expanse of urban development. Occasionally, a building taller than any White had seen in the city before would pass by. As they continued, these appeared less and less often, making way for smaller structures of bricks and wood, and the small dragon found himself fascinated with the transition.
Want me to tell you about it? Avira’s voice reached his mind like an echo, and he turned back to her.
White experienced something strange then, something he wasn’t sure how to feel about. Avira’s words could only have been heard by him, but his reaction to them had not gone unnoticed by Naroe. There had been a flicker in his flame, as if the dragon had blown a gust of wind at him. What had that been then?
Anxiety, White suddenly realized. Something had changed with White’s state that Naroe hadn’t recognized, and that had caused him to emit a flicker of panic. Yet he had been able to, faster than even White had realized, register the lack of threat and prevent his body from reacting. But still, White didn’t like causing him discomfort, and briefly considered relaying Avira’s words to him.
You’re allowed to have private conversations, Naroe thought to him without looking up. I think she just doesn’t want to disturb the silence.
Avira had noticed White’s hesitation by then and glanced between him and her neighbor. White realized then that Naroe had been right, as he could see the concern rising to the surface of her mind, and he realized he needed to respond to calm that concern.
It only took a second before Avira relaxed and smiled at him.
The Sanctuary’s hull stretches out in a big circle, with Center City at, obviously, its center. The rest is split up into eight equal parts, four provinces and four parks. The closer you get to Center City though, the more you see its influence no matter where you are.
White asked multiple questions at once then, each one Avira sorted and tackled with excitement, enjoying the mental exercise.
The Heart at the center of The Sanctuary allows for the easy building of those large metal structures, the farther you get from the Heart, the harder building them becomes. They’re larger outside the Center City because the city actually sits on an artificial plateau built long ago, so most people moved out of and around the city rather than build further up. A lot chose to set up new settlements throughout the provinces. Most of our food comes from the farms and fisheries everywhere in the eastern province, but we use the parks to preserve natural ecosystems. Sometimes, certain people are authorized to remove creatures to renew, rotate, or create new livestock. We trade a lot of it with the tribes too.
She was able to convey all her answers within less than a dozen seconds. The more she had projected her thoughts, the more efficient she became at transferring the information. It became less about speaking her thoughts to him and more about transferring the information through the connection, like two friends sharing a book..
________________________________________________________
Midway through the ride, after a young man no older than Naroe but standing half his size in a cleanly pressed marine blue dress uniform had offered them a selection of snacks and drinks, Naroe had decided to join in on the conversation.
“Seems like you’ve done a lot in six years,” he said as they were putting their trash into a bag that had been left with them by the attendant.
Avira stopped sipping the juice she had been given. Reil had not woken up at all, even as they had made their orders, so she spoke with the same volume. “Same to you. Though I’m surprised you didn’t return when you turned eighteen.”
Naroe swallowed the cookie he had been eating. “We were at Libra at the time and Reil still hadn’t finished his business there, and I’m not in any rush. It’ll happen when it happens.”
Avira looked at him quizzically. “You think you’ll receive a direct summons?”
Naroe shook his head, wiping his mouth with a cloth. “I doubt they would go that far for me. I’m saying that I think I’ll find myself there when it's time.”
Avira blinked and slowly turned to White, who had procured a full box of the cookies Naroe had been eating. “Six months ago I started begging my father to let me see the Heart right after my birthday. It took two months to convince him, but I just think he didn’t want me to be disappointed.” She smiled then. “I ended up getting cold feet a week before, and told him I wanted an extra month of training. But…” she trailed off, shrugging. “You saw what good that did.”
Naroe wrapped his hands behind his head and leaned back. “I’ve got three years on you, do I look like I’m in a rush to check if I’ve earned my blessing?”
“Why aren’t you?” Avira finally asked, releasing the question she had been holding back since he and Reil had arrived.
He looked at her and smiled, “Because I’d rather get it when I’m overprepared rather than just prepared.”
Avira stopped, visibly processing Naroe’s words. “That’s… not a bad point,” she said finally.
“Right?” was Naroe’s only reply before wordlessly asking White for another cookie. The dragon obliged by tossing him one from the packaging. There was another pause where the only sounds were Reil’s snoring and the two sources of munching.
“So, what was Libra like?” Avira asked.