They did not have any time to process this Illaya woman's sudden revelation before she had turned and started walking away, deeper into the copse of trees. A few of the rangers from before still stood nearby, though their weapons were no longer drawn, and as soon as their leader started walking they took up formation around the new arrivals, eyes peeled outwards for any sign of trouble this time.
Without any other options right now, especially since they had no idea where the other people were now after they melded back into the wooded surroundings, Valen and the others followed after her, even while Raenelir kept his head cocked to the side as if listening and watching for any sign of trouble.
Knowing that the wyvern would notice if something dangerous was about to happen long before the rest of them, Valen gave up trying to be vigilant in the midst of his exhaustion and confusion.
What in the Names of the Four had this strange woman meant about him being the key to to defeating the Empire? And what had she said about a darkness about to swallow Parovia? It did not make sense to him in the slightest. Not to mention he wanted nothing to do with any of that. He just wanted to find a safe place for himself and his sister for now, and maybe if they survived long enough to find that they would be able to live a nice, simple life. Maybe they could even work with wyverns if they were lucky.
Though he knew that might be nothing but a dream now that the Empire was seeking to kill or drive out all wyverns within their borders, he was fine with holding on to that dream. Doing life without his parents or brother would be painful, but as long as he still had Hera, Raenelir and even Aevra - the wily little wyvern was growing on him more and more - by his side, he would be okay.
Whatever strange business Illaya was talking about, he wanted nothing to do with it.
"You guys think we can trust her? Trust any of these people?" Samuel asked, speaking quietly so as not to be heard by anyone else. Valen and Simon drew in closer, though Hera did not move as close, looking after the strange woman with a look of fascination on her face as they followed.
"I think so. She seems like a good person," Hera said, speaking at a normal volume. The other three turned sharply to look at her, but Valen's sister simply looked over at them and gave a smile and that was enough to set their troubles at ease a bit. With everything that had happened, it was easy to forget now that she had just that very day been about to be executed in front of thousands of people. Not to mention, this was the first time that Samuel and Simon had even seen her in years, and yet they had been so wrapped up in everything else that had been happening that they had not yet even really spoken with her.
"Sorry, Hera. I know we didn't say it yet, but it's really good to see you. I just don't know if I agree that we can trust this woman. Illaya, was it? We know nothing about her. Even if she claims Orik as a friend, how can we know she isn't lying?" Samuel replied, giving Valen's sister a warm smile when he first started but then his face returning to a distrustful glare as he turned his gaze back toward the woman in question, who was now a few good yards ahead of them. They still followed her, but her pace was quick and they were distracted by conversation.
The other rangers arranged around them did not rush them, however, which did help to put Valen at ease.
"I don't know, Sam. I feel like there was no reason for her to lie to us. She was right. We had no idea any of them were there as we approached. We were too exhausted to have reacted even if we had noticed! If they wanted us captured or killed, they could have done it before we even knew what was happening. Besides, how could she have possibly known about Orik unless they really are old friends? We know where he came from before Lakevale, and we know he's kept his identity well hidden since the Children of the Sky first formed. I believe we can trust her," Simon interjected, before Valen even had to say anything else.
Once more, though Valen had noticed moments where Simon's hatred for the Empire seemed to run even deeper than his brother's, he proved himself to be the more rationally minded of the two. Valen found himself nodding in agreement before Simon had even finished speaking, which led to a frustrated groan from Samuel.
"I don't know that I totally believe this weird story she's telling, but I definitely don't think she's our enemy. Like Simon said, if she wanted to hurt us she could have already. For now, I think we just trust that and see what happens for ourselves," Valen added, finally pulling an irritated but affirming nod from Samuel. A moment later Valen was glad they had reached an agreement on the subject, because suddenly they walked out from the trees into a huge clearing where all the underbrush had been cut away, while overhead they were still covered by treetops.
It was a clearing that no one could see from the sky, still protected by the dense trees all around, and these trees seemed taller than the others in the area. He did not know if he had not noticed the increasing size because of their conversation, or because he was distracted thinking if what Illaya had said could even be the slightest bit possible. Regardless, they were now surrounded by towering trees the likes of which Valen had never seen.
Raenelir stretched out upon entering the covered clearing, his head reaching high into air atop his long, muscular neck as he let loose a rumbling growl of approval. Valen's attention, though, stayed glued to the camp spread out across the open space; three concentric rows of gigantic tents, with maybe ten in the outmost row, and four at the innermost, with a larger command tent at the very center. Rangers roamed about on one task or another, though the appearance of a wyvern of Raen's size drew their attention for a long moment.
All of them wore the same green cloak, leather armor and wooden masks as those that Valen and the others had already seen. Apparently, it was their uniform. Here at their actual camp itself, however, there were more of them that had removed their masks like Illaya. Valen realized with a start that they shared the same dark complexion as Illaya but with completely dark hair, regularly colored eyes and none of the strange markings that seemed to cover their First Ranger.
Why was she so different from them? Beyond that, where had these people come from? Though he knew of people with complexions as dark as theirs, the only place in all of Parovia that they called home was... but that would mean...
"Illaya!" Valen found himself calling out before he could think to stop himself. The woman paused, turning back to look at them though she was already halfway across the clearing towards the first row of tents.
"Yes?" she asked, a brow raised quizzically.
"Are you all... are you all from Manidar?" he asked, hardly believing the words as they came out of his mouth. Yet he knew even before she answered that he had to be right.
"Indeed, we are. Shush about that beyond here, though. We've taken great strides to be here in the Empire without being discovered by the Imperial Legions. Evading dragon riders can be a lot of work!" Illaya replied, before turning with a smile and continuing on her previous route. Valen knew that they had them now, though. They might not be in danger right now, but that did not mean that they had a choice in whether or not they could leave on their own.
If Manidarians were in the Dagoldan Empire, that would mean a break in the fragile truce that currently existed between the Emperor and the ruler of Manidar, the Iron Queen. They might have been here for a reason, but that did not mean they would allow anything to risk the truce their queen had worked so hard to achieve.
They would have to do whatever these rangers requested of them.
Valen felt a resignation fall over him at that thought, though there was a chance this wouldn't be entirely bad. After all, just because they had to obey this "Iron Watch" did not mean that whatever they might ask of them would stray far from his own mission; finding a safe place for himself and his sister to live could very well be accomplished by working with them.
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Until he actually knew what they wanted, however, all of his thinking would get him nowhere. He would have to be patient and wait a while longer. They were being led amongst the tents now, which mean that they would hopefully have their answers sooner rather than later. At least, he had to hope that they would. Answers and a good place to sleep before anything else happens, he mentally added as he glanced back at the exhausted faces of his companions.
Raenelir was no longer even accompanying them. The wyvern'ss eyes followed their party through the tents still, but the drake had stopped a short way from the first of the tents so as not to do any damage to the camp. Valen was grateful that the Highborn seemed to have some form of draconic common sense that he stuck with, because entering the camp of a bunch of Manidarian warriors and making a mess of things would not have made a good first impression.
When they reached the center of the camp, they found Illaya waiting for them at the entrance of the central tent. The flaps were pulled back and held open by rope and stakes so that they could see inside before they entered. Valen was immediately reminded some of the high table in the barracks of the Children of the Sky. He had not spent much time in their underground city, but it had been enough time to be able to compare the long table here in this large tent as they entered it to the one back there.
That was where the similarities ended, however. Here, everything was made of a nearly pure white wood, unlike any other wood Valen had ever seen. It was beautiful. As Valen was directed to take a seat at the table and pulled back one of the chairs, he found that it was incredibly light as well. He was almost worried that it might collapse beneath him when he put his weight in it, but it turned out that he need not have been worried.
It was as sturdy as it was beautiful.
Around them, the walls of the tent were lined with shelving and more tables made of the same odd wood, all of which stored or were covered in maps and other assorted documents. Never in his life had Valen ever seen so many maps. Detailed, hand drawn images depicting places and cities that he had never seen before, though he certainly recognized some of the names. The center table had a map of Lakevale rolled out towards the middle, with more intricate depictions of specific buildings arranged around it, though what buildings they could be he had no idea.
On the maps around the edge of the room, Valen could make out some of the names. Many of the ones scrawled across their tops he could not recognize, while others appeared to be written in another language entirely. With a sigh, he realized there was no map of Bayhold, which lay far to the West of Lakevale, across the Bay of Scales, and connected to the main continent by the Serpents.
It was a place he had always wanted to visit since he was younger. What child did not dream of travelling to the grand city of explorers, to set sail across the sea with the greatest captains the world had ever known on the grandest adventures the mind could imagine?
Of course, Bayhold had stopped being the city of explorers a long time ago now. Now, it served as yet another stronghold from which the Empire kept the people of Parovia imprisoned and in the dark about what might lay beyond their shores. Like every other Imperial citizen, Valen had learned the 'importance' of putting the Empire first in all things from a young age.
The presence of the Empire could be felt even in the mountain home of the Galars, something that he now had a permanent reminder of in the broken, burnt remnants of the place he had grown up and the loss of most of his family.
Valen shook himself from those dark thoughts; he could not allow himself to be taken in by memories and sadness right now. Not when he had no idea what was about to happen to him, his sister and the rest of their party. The others had all taken a seat, save Illaya who stood at the far end of the tent looking over a map that none of them could see.
Samuel cleared his throat and then opened his mouth to speak a moment later when the woman did not turn around, but right as he started to say something Illaya began.
"I know you all must be very confused right now, and I apologize for that. I wish that I could explain everything in a way that made sense to you, but for now let us begin with introductions. You already know who I am. What, may I ask, are your names?" she asked, turning as she finished and setting down the map she had been holding as she did so.
Valen and the twins looked at each other, each of them hesitant for some reason to be the one who began, but Hera simply sighed and then answered Illaya's question.
"My name is Hera Galar. This lump-for-brains is my brother, Valen. I'm sorry he's being so rude," she said, gesturing to Valen as she spoke with just a hint of mischief on her face.
"Hey!" he replied, but despite her choice of words he was just glad she seemed to be alright after her time with the Imperials. Aevra, still nestled comfortably around Hera's neck, gave a little huff before rubbing her head up under his sister's chin and eliciting a grin from Illaya in the process.
"Oh! And what is this wonderful little one's name?!" the woman exclaimed, coming around the table to stand beside Hera and reaching down to rub the smaller wyvern's head affectionately. Valen realized with a start that Aevra had actually grown quite a bit since leaving the hatchery, despite not necessarily being fed as often as she had been before. With everything that had happened since they fled their home, he had not thought of it, but she was at just about the right age for her Changing to begin.
It happened to all drakes. Upon reaching a certain age, they went through a period of explosive growth over the course of about six months, during which they could increase in size up to nearly tenfold. Depending on how much they grew in that time, one could usually determine the rough size they would eventually grow to be once they reached their full maturity as well.
"This is Aevra!" Hera answered, grinning as she turned her neck to look down at her shoulder where Aevra now let out a contented rumble in response to Illaya's touch. The woman smiled even wider on hearing the name.
"Well hello there, Aevra. Aytali menir ma'aro," Illaya said. As soon as she switched languages, the little wyvern's head shot up and her eyes locked onto hers, even as she cocked her head to the side. She looked absolutely fascinated by what she had just heard. It was one of the strangest things that Valen had ever seen, and he had seen quite a bit recently. He could have sworn that it seemed as though Aevra had recognized the language. But that could not have been possible. Even if wyverns were intelligent enough to understand languages, she had never even heard this one before.
"Ah, we are-" Simon interjected, beginning to introduce himself and, Valen assumed, his brother, but he was cut off before he could say more.
"Let me guess, the Romari twins? I don't know what other pair of twins would have accompanied Valen and Hera here out of Lakevale. Orik regularly provides me with updated lists of the members of the Children of the Sky, and your names have been on those lists for quite a while now. Samuel and Simon, yes? Though, I'm afraid that you'll still have to tell me which of you is which," Illaya said. At this, they all showed genuine surprise. That at least confirmed that this woman did know Orik, and they knew one another well enough that he had even been sharing the names of those who served in the ranks of the Children.
Samuel looked as if his suspicion was finally going away, while Simon looked perturbed by the turn of the conversation.
"Ah, I'm Samuel," Samuel replied, rather lamely, which drew a raised brow and a smirk from Illaya. Valen smiled a little at that, growing more and more comfortable with this strange woman by the second.
"Then I suppose that makes you Simon, yes?" Illaya asked, turning her gaze toward the other twin, who gave a nod of affirmation even as he seemed to be looking over the woman with a strange discomfort. She did not apear to notice that, however, simply returning her attention to Hera as she asked her next question, since the younger Galar seemed the most inclined to answer her so far.
"And what about your wonderful Highborn friend outside? What's his name?" she inquired, but this time Valen spoke up before his sister could, deciding that they would simply have to trust this woman for now and hope it would not come back to hurt them later.
"Raenelir. Though, I call him Raen for short. I think he likes that," Valen said. Upon hearing the name, however, Illaya's eyes widened more than he thought should have been possible, before her features twisted in anger. If he was not confused enough by that, what she said to him next certainly did not help matters.
"Raenelir. And I suppose you chose that name for him from the children's tales of the first rider, yes? With no idea what it really meant, or the destinies born from the naming of things. You foolish child," the woman snapped, and it was like all the air had gone from the room. Valen was not sure how to reply now; what could he possibly say to relieve the sudden tension?
"I don't understand," he began, mind struggling to bring him words. "What's wrong with-" he tried to continue, but he was interrupted before he could finish the thought.
"Of course you don't understand. You're a child, a child so far out of your depth that you're on the verge of drowning, and yet you don't even know it," Illaya hissed. Now everyone, even Hera, was completely silent. No one knew how to reply. No one knew what might happen next.
Then a rush of anger that almost felt like it didn't even belong to him hit Valen and he was on his feet, his lips peeling back into a snarl as he spoke.
"His name is Raenelir, named for the Son of Storms. I did not choose it on my own. He chose it just as much as I did. He chose it with me, and then the lines of my hands changed. Isn't that what you were so fascinated by before? But please, if you have a problem with our choice, let us know. Please. We will be happy to explain things more clearly for you," he growled. Now it was his turn to be stared at by his companions, even while the anger faded from Illaya's eyes and she backed away just a bit, a satisfied smile returning to her face.
Of course, then Valen followed everyone's stare and realized they were looking past him, not at him. He turned around to see Raen's head coming into the tent, the Highborn's teeth peeled back in an angry, silent threat.