“The Nest only just told us what happened. We had no idea you were coming home so soon,” my mother said once she could pry herself off of me for a second time.

“Neither was I,” I replied.

“I only heard what happened from The Nest minutes ago. Your father is still at work, and I don’t think he would know unless I told him. He’s on his way right now, but it will take a few minutes. But come, you have to be exhausted; I’ll have Dragoslava prepare something for you to eat. I know they gave you energy, but a warm meal is so much better than magic,” she rambled, pulling me along as she talked.

Leading me to the sitting room, my mother’s magic began manipulating the furniture. Chairs moved under us, and the fire ignited, filling the room with instant warmth. Walking on its legs, a table moved in between us, cups of black, steaming liquid filling all at once.

“So, besides the…unfortunate events that occurred, how did you find your trip?” she asked as she took one of the cups.

“It’s huge, Arindoth, I mean. It’s enormous,” I recalled, feeling a sense of amazement return to me as the memories came back.

“It is, isn’t it? Your father and I had the same thoughts the first time we saw it. Even now, after all the trips I have taken there, it still takes my breath away,” she confirmed.

“Do you know how big it is? I couldn’t see the top or bottom, so there has to be more, right?” I asked.

“It’s constantly expanding, so that is a bit difficult to answer, but I believe it currently stands at a size eight times larger than Asia.”

“What do they need all that room for?” I inquired.

“The dragons take up most of it. They can be very territorial, so they all have a wide berth. Most of it is also residential space. I’m sure you saw all the cities. Those continue all throughout the cavern. I think you underestimate how many people live in Arindoth. There are more people there than there are humans throughout Pangea,” she explained.

“Where do they get all the space? Wouldn’t something like that even reside?”

In response, my mother burst out into laughter.

“I suppose your lessons wouldn’t cover that yet, but I see no harm in jumping ahead. There is a lot more to this planet than those maps your academic tutors teach you. There are several realms, all existing on different layers on top of one another. Pangea is the smallest of them and magic has the hardest time moving through the air. In fact, casting magic here is harder than doing so in Arindoth or any other nation, for that matter. When you get stronger, it will matter less, but I’m sure you noticed it, didn’t you,” my mother answered.

She paused for a moment to allow me to consult my memories, but despite the time she gave me to think about it, I could not remember if what she said was true. I had bigger things to worry about at the time.

“I suppose I could cast more than before,” I considered, remembering how much water I created during my escape.

“May I ask what Master Harok wanted of you?” she asked, moving on to the next topic.

I fell silent at the question as the anxieties I felt before came back.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, then we can-”

“No, it’s fine. I’m just nervous about it, that's all,” I interrupted. “Master Harok wanted me to go to the New World to help regulate potential leaks, either from the British, Spaniards, or French looking where they’re not supposed to, or the Ordelia Order trying to reveal magic to Pangea,” I answered.

My mother froze mid sip when I explained the job The Nest assigned to me. Through her eyes, I could see the wheels of thought turning as she contemplated what I told her.

“Is that so? Are you being sent alone, or will there be others?” she asked.

“They told me other children from other families would be sent as well. They said nothing about whether someone from The Nest would join us,” I recalled. “I was told they would send us to a training camp to prepare us for such a thing and that we wouldn’t be sent out right away.”

Much of the stress that built up in my mother melted away with a sigh.

“They wanted you to come to Arindoth to tell you that? I suppose it was about time for you to meet the dragons in person, but it still feels like a bit much, especially over something that could have been told over telepathy,” she mumbled to herself.

“Is there a problem with it? You’re not going to say no, are you?” I inquired.

“No, no, of course not. I am thrilled that you were given such an important task at such a young age. I am just confused by Master Harok’s thinking is all.”

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Before my mother could elaborate further, a knock came on the door, and before either of us could answer, my father opened it and came through.

His ruffled clothes, heaving chest, and wild hair all proved that he ran at least part of the way here, and the stoic expression he wore convinced no one. Trying to fix the clues through magic did not help his case.

“I came as soon as I could,” he huffed as he walked in to join us, a chair coming to meet him as he entered.

“Guinevere was just telling me the mission Master Harok wanted from her,” my mother explained.

“Were you? And what was it that our Lord wanted from her?” he asked.

“The Nest is assembling a team to do what we’re doing here in the New World,” my mother answered.

“Don’t they have families in the Americas already?”

“It’s meant to be a more mobile group, one dedicated to preventing the colonies from uncovering things the natives know to stay away from,” I piped in.

“It’s the Mongols all over again,” he mumbled, shaking his head.

“Indeed,” my mother agreed, “except this time those who want to expose Pangea with magic have the ability to infiltrate Arindoth.”

“What kind of training are they going to receive to prepare them?” he asked.

“Master Harok said we would be taken to a camp to be trained on how to fight,” I answered.

Despite already being seated, my father fell deeper into his chair, a motion my mother imitated.

“I knew this was going to happen; I just didn’t think it would come so soon,” he muttered. “Dragoslava!”

Upon his command, my maid entered the room with a tray of bread. After placing it down in front of me, she bowed to my father.

"Yes, m’lord?” she asked.

“Go to the armory and prepare what we discussed while Guinevere was away.”

A look of horror struck my maid’s face, and she stumbled with her words, trying to say something comprehensible but failing. It surprised me that neither one of my parents moved to scold her, allowing her to bumble on until she regained her stoic composure.

“Of course, m’lord,” she said with shaky words, her voice ready to collapse at a moment’s notice.

After exchanging a single glance with me and bowing to the three of us, she turned around and left the room.

It felt wrong to reach down and grab a slice of bread, but such an idea fell on deaf ears when my stomach started grumbling. While magic kept me going until then, I did not want to run off of it forever. I didn’t get the chance to taste the bread before it found its way into my stomach. I felt all the worse when I realized doing so had drawn the gaze of both my parents. In embarrassment, I shrank deeper into my chair to hide my unladylike manners. When their gazes did not change, I realized it was not my manners they frowned upon.

“Guinevere, we knew that one day you would have to fight; it’s a requirement in our line of work. My father fought, his father fought, and his grandfather fought, all to keep humans in Pangea. Such a fact is not easy for any parent to swallow, and for as long as I could, I tried to hold off this fact. But when Harok said he had a mission for you, I knew I could hold it off no longer,” my father started. “So like my father and all of my ancestors before me, I decided I would give you every possible advantage in your fights ahead.”

With a gesture for me to follow, he stood up and walked off in the same direction Dragoslava did. Stuffing one more piece of bread into my mouth, I hurried out the door to join him.

The mystery of what was waiting for me kept me in silence, and my father mimicked me in order to keep the secret. When he came to a stop at my room, I looked up at him for an explanation.

In my mind, I thought he would take me back to the room I just came from or to the study to retrieve the item. I even felt it was possible he would take me outside. Not once did I think we would arrive at my room.

“The entire suit isn’t finished since we thought we had more time, but what they finished should be enough to get you started,” he said.

With the flick of his wrist, my door flew open, revealing Dragoslava standing next to a dress mannequin donned in a silver breastplate. I could feel and see magic radiating off the metal, and in the crevasses I saw runes glowing a light blue.

“It looks a little big,” I noted.

“It will morph to fit your frame. Come, try it on,” my father assured.

Dragoslava lifted the breastplate off the mannequin and placed it over my head. Without touching the clasps, they fastened themselves. Just as my father said, the metal shrank, groaning and moaning as it closed in to hug my body. Only after finishing its transformation did the metal gain any weight, and I slumped under the sudden effects of gravity.

At least it’s still better than those frilly abominations, I thought while looking at myself in the mirror my maid provided.

I never cared much for military affairs. Topics such as weapons, armor, or tactics bore me to no end. I found them so boring that I once fell asleep in the middle of my father explaining to me the growing importance of guns in warfare. Despite my disinterest in such things, I felt protected in the armor. While it only covered my torso, the weight alone made me feel safe, and the way it moved like a second set of skin made the weight feel like a meaningless factor.

“Try jumping,” my father suggested.

Doing as he said, I hopped twice, watching in awe as the armor resisted the temptation to shift from the movement. It did not hit me in the chin and made slight movements to accommodate what little the metal moved. The armor exposed nothing, no matter how I moved or stretched.

“It will take some time for you to get accustomed to wearing it since it's so heavy, but with your Aura growing the way it is, it shouldn’t take long for it to feel like a feather,” he explained.

“It already feels perfect,” I replied, turning around and embracing him in a hug.

I continued looking at myself in the mirror a few minutes longer before I yawned, reminding me how sluggish my limbs had become. The bread had done me wonders, but it couldn’t replace my need for sleep.

“I think it’s time for bed. Your daughter has been through a lot today,” Dragoslava suggested.

Giving his nod of approval, my maid moved to take the breastplate off, only for me to step back.

“I’ll keep it on for tonight,” I said, running my fingers across the metal.

Dragoslava looked over at my father for his approval, and when she got a smile, she gave me a nod.

Wearing armor in bed felt strange. Not only did the disconnect between my body and the fabric feel new, but my bed gave under the additional weight.

Regardless of how different it felt, the armor made me feel safe. I felt invincible, and when both my maid and my father left my room, I started beating the metal to test that invincibility.

As minutes of chest thumping turned into an hour, it became too much to hold my eyes open. By the time my thoughts became an incomprehensible mess of babbling, I still beat on my chest to a metallic lullaby.