It wasn’t until later that day, after the sun had dipped below the horizon for a few hours, that the driver announced it was time to land the flying carriage—and that Brianna finally went silent. The woman had been astounded by my growth and changes, but she seemed to be coming around. I had suggested we fly through the night, but the driver informed me that the wyverns were tiring and needed to rest or they'd be no use the following day.
When the decision to land had been made, both Nida and Brianna were suddenly all smiles. Talks of showering and food filled our carriage as if the two women hadn’t indulged in either for ages—rather than just a single day. Not that I would turn my nose up at a place to cultivate in peace. I didn’t have much hope for the quality of the bed or the food at whatever backwater inn we ended up in, but at least there’d be some peace from Brianna’s pestering.
The carriage landed a few miles short of the nearest city, which Nasq had referred to as Brightstone. The driver offered to set up a campsite and build a fire, though Brianna immediately shot down that suggestion, declaring that if she were going to work with us, there were a few things she absolutely would not negotiate on.
Apparently, a bath and a bed were two of those things.
I sighed and waved our group forward, but the driver merely shook his head.
“I shall remain with the wyvern,” he whispered, his voice coming out in its usual raspy, almost breathy way. It was unsettling—like listening to someone with a dagger through their neck. “They cannot go into that village without attracting attention.”
Brianna wore a concerned expression, but the rest of us pushed her onward.
“Don’t worry,” Nida assured her. “He’s driving a House Alistar carriage with ducal wyverns. He’ll be fine. Probably safer here than surrounded by strangers like we're going to be."
Brianna hesitated for a moment, then gave in and trudged along behind me. I took the lead, heading in the direction Nida had indicated. It didn’t take more than perhaps twenty minutes for Brianna to start complaining.
“My lady,” she huffed, placing her hands on her knees and doubling over. “Can we please slow the pace? I am afraid I cannot match your speed, especially on this terrain.”
I glanced around, seeing only slopes and mounds of sand in every direction. Though some of the heat lingered, the sun had long since been replaced by the pearl moon and a star-filled sky along. It wasn't even that hot anymore.
“What about this landscape is difficult for you?” I asked, glancing at Nida and Nasq, who both rolled their eyes in unison.
“It’s the sand mounds,” Brianna wheezed, grabbing a waterskin from her side and drinking deeply. “Gods, I am covered in sweat. I feel utterly disgusting.”
“For the head of an intelligence network, you are quite needy,” I said without thinking, then nodded after considering it more carefully. “Yes, quite needy indeed. You cannot walk a few miles?”
Brianna groaned while Nida snickered. Nasq stepped forward and made a calming gesture with his hands toward the noblewoman. “Lady Brianna, may I cast a spell on you? I’ve never used it for this purpose before, but I believe it should temporarily relieve your exhaustion.”
She looked back at the mage suspiciously. “What do you mean, temporarily?”
“The magic only tricks your body into thinking it isn’t exhausted. Once it fades, you’ll feel it all at once,” he explained. “We have just a mile or two left, so the backlash should not be very great. A good night’s rest will likely cure it.”
“Do it,” I said, not waiting for Brianna to answer. “I’d like to get there before the night’s peak. The sooner we are able to sleep, the sooner we will be able to wake in the morning for training.” Nida groaned. I ignored her. “I should have had that driver land closer. I had not expected you to travel so slowly.”
That was a miscalculation on my part. I’d become so used to the Duke’s knights, guards, and my Paragons that I’d overlooked the simple fact that most people in Lysoria hadn’t even attained a core. Most didn’t even have a handful of heart rings. They were just weak.
I eyed Brianna. “You should join us for training tomorrow morning. You might gain something that’ll save your life in the future.” She grunted but didn’t verbally accept. I shrugged; at the end of the day, it was her life.
Taking the grunt as reluctant consent, Nasq cast the spell. The tired look on Brianna’s face instantly vanished. Her drooping eyes shot wide open, and her sluggish movements turned into energized bounces. She shot forward like an arrow, leaving us in her dust as she whooped far too loudly.
Nida lifted an eyebrow at me. “This is one of the leaders to the largest information network on the continent?”
“Give her a break,” Nasq said, suddenly and inexplicably defensive. “I basically just injected her with a shit ton of adrenaline. It’s probably overstimulating her brain and heart. With that surge of adrenaline, right now her body should be feeling somewhere between being electrocuted and set on fire.
“Isn’t that overkill?” Nida shot back.
“It’s already done,” I cut in, not letting the mage respond. “Just make sure she doesn’t die. I need her at the top of her game. This will not be the first duchy that I tangle with and they are never easy. Don’t handicap our allies.” Nasq nodded and I could tell he wanted to argue that he hadn’t handicapped her, but he stayed silent.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
I turned and stalked after the noblewoman-turned-rabbit, with Nida and Nasq close on my heels. I could hear their low whispers behind me. For a while, it amused me as the whispered words turned heated. When I became bored, I focused on my core and circulating the energy within it. Circulating while in motion was still difficult, but was becoming easier on Lilliana's body the more I practiced.
Less than an hour later, we arrived at the little village of Brightstone. The nightlife was nonexistent. Instead, an eerie yet tranquil atmosphere enveloped the city, casting it in a comfortable silence. If I had to choose a word to describe Brightstone, it would be cozy. Mid-sized stone cottages lined a casually made cobblestone path, interspersed with the occasional wood-framed shop—all nestled together in the small desert clearing. To my great surprise, there was no sand inside the city. It was like a little utopia within the ocean of sand.
The moon hung overhead, casting a cold silver light that gave the stone buildings a soft shimmer. That must have been where the village got its name, I realized, trying—and failing—not to gawk at the sight. Each of the glittering buildings was adorned with a half-dozen candles that flickered against the silver glow with their own warm golden light, creating pools of intermixed gold and silver along the cottage exteriors.
A faint mist curled around the village like the smoke from a campfire, though there was no flame or reason for there to be fog. Fog in a heated desert was extraordinarily odd. I wasn’t the only one to notice this either, judging by the way Nasq and Nida both tensed beside me. Brianna also narrowed her eyes, backtracking to stand behind us even as I opened my mouth to call her over.
As we walked the cobblestone path and further into the fog, the faint smell of pine and damp moss wafted over us. The village was dead silent, save for the occasional creak of wood or rustling of… leaves? A heaviness weighed began to weigh on me, like something was attempting to apply Authority on me.
“Is this magic?” I whispered, leaning toward Nasq. He brought a finger to his lips, signaling silence. Normally, I would have been insulted, but Nasq knew that. If he was risking my displeasure, he must have had an idea of the situation, and it was not good.
We continued to walk along the path until we hit the town square, where a single well was planted at the center and was long since overgrown with slick, green ivy that twisted and tangled around the stone with a snake-like death grip.
Then, like a breathless whisper, the fog vanished with a gust of wind, taking with it the sense of Authority that had pressed down upon us.
“What in the Gods was that?” Nida hissed at Nasq, who was still wide-eyed and scanning the area.
“That was a windwalker,” he said quietly, his hands whisking through the air drawing magic runes in front of himself. “I've only heard of them. Most people don't even see them since they use their fog abilities to cover their tracks or appearance. They're known for the forest fog that follows in their wake. I don’t know why it just left. Maybe it wasn't here and this was just part of the fog that hadn't followed yet. They’re usually extremely aggressive." He paused. "I suppose it could have been something else, though. I'm not exactly a walking bestiary."
“Are they strong?” I asked.
Nasq nodded. “Very. It could have taken Nida and me both on its own.” He gave me a sheepish smile. “I’m not sure how it’d fare against you, my lady, since I doubt you’ve shown me everything you can do.” I returned his smile with a smirk and a shrug. “In any case, I’m glad we don’t have to fight it.” He let out a long breath, his shoulders slumping.
“Are we in the Alistar Territory, yet?” I crossed my arms, tapping my elbow in thought.
“We are. Entered it a couple of miles ago. You can usually tell by the height of the sand dunes. The closer you get to the central cities of Alistar, the smaller the dunes get until you exit the desert.”
“Hmmm,” I mused. “Well, shall we head to the inn and see what is available?”
“Assuming anyone is even still alive,” Nasq muttered. Brianna shot him a look full of incredulity.
“You think everyone is dead?” Her voice rose, almost shrill by the end.
“I guess we’ll see,” Nida responded, squinting at a sign now visible in the fading fog. “The… what? I can’t read it from here.”
More silver light bounced around Nasq, settling around his eyes. “The Veiled Lantern.”
The four of us moved towards the inn, the unsettling atmosphere trailing behind like a shadow even if that pressure had disappeared. We reached the building within minutes, and Brianna immediately knocked on the door with a few heavy raps of her knuckles. “Hello? Is anyone there? We’d like to rent a few rooms for the night.”
There was no answer at first, only a thick, almost tangible silence. Then, after a few tense moments, we heard the sound of hurried footsteps descending the stairs. The wooden door of the stone inn creaked open, revealing a middle-aged woman with dark brown hair and green eyes framed by deep lines of worry and age. She smiled and beckoned us inside.
“Welcome, welcome,” she cooed in a way that caused the small hairs along my neck to stand straight up. “I’m glad to see you’re all safe. You really shouldn’t be out at night in this part of the Lysorian Desert. There are... things that stalk the darkness.”
Her words hung in the air with an unspoken warning. None of us responded immediately, exchanging wary and tired glances. With all I'd been through, I wasn't particularly worried. Whatever was lurking, whatever secrets this town had, it could keep. We were simply passing through. If the secrets interfered, however, it would be dealt with.
“Four rooms,” I said finally, jerking my chin towards Brianna and then to the innkeeper. “Pay her.”
Brianna raised an eyebrow. “Why me? Can’t you pay her?”
I shrugged. “I do not have any money.”
It was true, unfortunately. Even when I ruled Sealrite, I had never needed money. Everything had simply been provided to me—most likely charged to House Alistar’s treasury.
Brianna stared at me for a long moment, then sighed in resignation. “At least some things haven’t changed,” she muttered, shaking her head. She fished out a small pouch and exchanged a few quiet words with the innkeeper, handing over four copper-colored coins.
Coming back over to us, Brianna gestured absently toward the stairs with the hand not pinching a strand of her hair. “First two on the right and first two on the left,” she told us when she returned, then hesitated. “I know we have four rooms, but... I’d rather not sleep alone. Something is really off about this place.”
I grabbed the key to the first room on the left and purposefully made my way up the stairs without another word, leaving them to figure out the sleeping arrangements on their own.
The moment I was alone, my core surged with anticipation. I began cycling the energy within, pushing closer to forming that elusive second ring. The room's door opened and closed with a soft click and turn of the key. I sank into the surprisingly soft bed, my focus narrowing to the perfect, circular silver sphere within me.
A smile crept across my face. Tomorrow would be an interesting day. If the opportunity arose, perhaps I’d get to test the strength of that windwalker. If only I had more time to hunt without the nobles breathing down my neck...
With a sigh, I set aside those thoughts and refocused on my core. The world outside faded away as I immersed myself in cultivation once more.