They passed through the manor’s foyer and Venza told them to wait as she practically flew up the stairs, grabbing her training staff from her room and putting on her black brigandine. She exited as quickly as she entered, luckily seeing no sign of her mother.

As they passed the front doors, Venza found one of the family's carriages waiting, drawn by a pair of horses.

"Good morning, Heir Greyfield," the driver said. Venza swore internally. She was sure she knew his name. Probably started with an M.

"Good morning," she said back. "We'll be right back. Aiela's in the back fetching something."

"As you please, my lady."

When they returned to the garden, Aiela was already waiting on a bench. To either side of her were two large, green circular objects that reminded Venza of woven basket lids. A single leather bag rested on Aiela's lap.

"What are those?" Venza asked.

"A little something I'd been working on for myself," Aiela answered. "They're shields that deliver a nasty surprise to would-be attackers. I call them Entanglers."

Aiela traced her left hand along the green material that covered the shield's surface. Upon closer inspection, Venza realized they were a mass of interwoven vines.

"These are special vines I’ve cultivated," Aiela explained. "They react to physical trauma by coiling around whatever struck them. I made them so I wouldn't be overwhelmed in close quarters by a group of enemies, but-" she trailed off.

"But?" Venza said.

"They're too heavy," Aiela admitted. "Especially since I typically use two shields. I don't have as much muscle as you three do."

"Ah. So that's why you wanted two soldiers who were used to lifting heavy things," Venza concluded.

"I may not be able to use them, but it's a good chance to test the concept," Aiela said. "Even a grown man shouldn't be strong enough to break free."

"It's clever," Venza said. "You could use it to stop people without killing them."

"Not really something I was thinking about," Aiela confessed. "But that would be a good use for it. Roeder, Carver, please take a shield each."

"Do I not get one?" Venza asked. "I'm pretty sure the weight would be no problem."

"I only had two ready. Besides, it would just get in your way, I think," Aiela answered. "You need one hand free to use Reach. You can have these, though."

As Roeder and Carver reached for the shields, Aiela offered her the leather bag. Venza took the pouch, opened it, and saw what looked like dark green tomatoes. "Er, thanks?"

"They're Tanglefruit," Aiela said unhelpfully.

Venza gave her a questioning look which prompted the mage to actually give a useful answer.

"You toss them and they explode into a sticky, gooey mass that hardens after a few seconds," Aiela explained. "Good enough for people, but not against anything much stronger."

"Handy," Venza said, re-closing the pouch and slinging the strap across her right shoulder. "Are we good to go or was there anything else?"

"How do the shields feel, boys?" Aiela asked.

"They are heavy, Miss," Roeder confirmed. "But nothing we can't handle."

"Aye, we'll manage," Carver added. Venza wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but they seemed rather excited about actually trying them out.

Aiela nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"That's all I had," Aiela said. "Though if these work I have a few more designs I want to try. Herman should be waiting in front with the carriage."

"Yes, I saw," Venza said.

"Did you remember his name, though?"

Venza rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up."

----------------------------------------

Aiela

The carriage brought them downstream and west, towards Green Meadows, one of the agricultural provinces that made up Astamarr. Carver and Roeder rode alongside on horses from the Guard.

Farming required a lot of wide, open space, which made their lands difficult to defend from vagabonds, so Aiela supposed she understood why the Empire would put them under the protection of the Greyfields.

It didn't stop it from feeling like the other lords pawning off the territory that was the most trouble to them, though.

She regarded the map in her hands carefully. "If I'm right we'll be there in ten minutes."

"The underground river, huh?” Venza muttered to herself. “I’ve been to the entrance, but never down there.”

“Apparently, no one’s been there at all, at least not recently,” Aiela said. “There used to be guards posted at the entrance, but with the threat of attack from the South...” Aiela trailed off.

Venza nodded. Vosmer said they’d needed to divert men to the border, which left fewer men to spare in Astamarr. Sending troops outward had been the sound choice. It did, however, leave them short-handed.

“Remember,” Aiela said. “We’re only here to investigate and if possible, remove the blockage.”

“But you’re only one mage,” Venza said, guessing what Aiela was about to say. “I know, I know. If it’s too much, we report to Vosmer and he’ll deal with it using a bit more manpower.”

Seemingly growing bored, Aiela began weaving a simple protective spell on the carriage. She'd always had her fun with her magic. No reason to stop now.

"We're here," Venza said, almost exactly as the carriage pulled to a stop.

----------------------------------------

Venza

She turned to her family's carriage driver as she stepped off. "Wait for us for a bit. We'll be back shortly."

"Yes, ma'am."

Aiela paused, looking sideways at the driver before she left. "And Herman, please don't do anything stupid like defending the carriage with your life if some lowlifes try to steal it."

The driver nodded. "Er, yes, Miss Aiela."

"It can fend for itself," Aiela added with a smirk, and Venza was mildly concerned she wasn't surprised anymore when her friend did weird magic to her family's property.

"I- I see," the driver said. He had Venza's sympathies. Aiela was a handful.

Venza scanned their surroundings. If she remembered right, they'd need to go off the main road for a bit along a rough path to reach the cave. "This way," she said, taking the lead. Roeder and Carver left the horses in Herman's care and took point, spears and experimental shields ready. Aiela strapped her training shields onto her arms.

Despite it technically being a path, the brush was still thick in places, but they managed to get through with little issue as Aiela's nature magic shifted obstructive plants out of the way.

"Found it," Venza said, spotting a cave opening beyond the next set of trees.

"I think you're right," Aiela said, tying a handkerchief around her nose and mouth. Venza saw the wisdom of this and did the same. The two boys luckily had their own. "Let me just send my Hidden ahead to take a look and- watch out on your left!"

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Venza raised her staff to block despite not knowing what to expect, but managed just in time to jab her weapon into something green that had jumped at her. The impact sent a shock through her arms, but it had been enough to create space between her and whatever had attacked.

A set of jaws filled with sharp teeth hissed at her. She couldn't get a good look, but the creature seemed about the size of a large dog and stood on all fours, a long neck protruding from a slender body.

Venza prepared her staff to intercept another attack, only for Roeder and Carver to position themselves between her and the creature, their shields raised and ready to snare it should it attack again.

The creature, which Venza now realized looked like a large lizard, seemed to be weighing its options, faced with four opponents that stood taller than it did.

"Two more incoming," Aiela warned. "From your right!"

"I've got it!" Carver cried out as he left Roeder to occupy the first lizard, quickly turning to cover Venza's flank. As soon as Carver's back was to the reptile, it leapt forward, only to be caught on Roeder's shield. As advertised, the vines on its surface came alive and coiled around the creature like a pit of snakes.

It fell to the ground, bound, allowing Roeder to switch his attention to the two lizards engaging Carver.

The creatures stopped in their tracks, skidding to a halt on the dirt. They watched the group intently, looking for a sign of weakness, then seemingly spotted Aiela for the first time. Without warning, the pair bolted to either side of the two boys, attempting to flank them to get to Aiela.

A blast of lightning struck the one that had gone right, originating from Aiela's direction, throwing the creature back into a tree. To Venza's surprise, it simply stood back up before fleeing into the foliage.

Venza focused her mind and invoked the power of Reach, slamming her free hand down hard. The other lizard flinched as if slammed by an invisible force, its legs buckling as it fell headfirst into the dirt. Carver and Roeder took the chance to skewer it with their spears, putting it out of commission.

"Thanks," Venza said. "I'm not used to having help on the front lines."

The boys nodded, looking pleased with themselves.

"You alright?" Aiela asked.

Venza nodded. "I'm surprised you held back."

Aiela gave her a questioning look. "I most certainly did not. Damn thing is tougher than it looks."

Venza blinked. "You mean you weren't going easy on it just now?"

"No, that Bolt spell would have killed a full-grown cow," Aiela explained, looking at her open palm as if something was wrong with it. "Must have some innate lightning resistance. It can't be its hide since your spears did good work."

"An animal that resists lightning?" Venza asked, eyeing the remaining lizard that was firmly bound by vines. It struggled against its bindings, but to no avail. It seemed the Entanglers had succeeded on their first field test.

"Oh, these are no animals," Aiela said, letting her hand fall to her side. "These are monsters."

"You mean, these things can do magic?" That was the difference between animals and monsters, after all. Monsters had magic cores like mages did, along with their own affinities. Just like the Bloodbeaks from when she was younger.

Aiela nodded. "Water and earth spheres."

Venza made a thoughtful hum. "How strong?"

"Magic-wise? Not very," Aiela answered. "I'd say it has about as much magic as a seven-year-old."

"Never heard of a seven-year-old who could survive lightning without needing to be taken to a healer."

Aiela smirked. "I meant me at seven years old. Still, I've never seen creatures like these before."

Gingerly, Aiela stepped towards the living reptile and placed a hand on its side. Immediately, the creature went limp, though it still seemed to be breathing.

Venza saw the astonished looks on the boys' faces and explained, "She's just put it to sleep for a bit."

She considered explaining that Aiela probably wanted to study the creature, but realized she couldn't really explain what Aiela did well. Heck, she barely understood what Aiela did.

"Fascinating," Aiela muttered, her eyes turning the bright shade of green they did whenever she appraised something.

"What is?" Venza asked, moving closer.

"This creature is a mess," Aiela answered bluntly. "It's like a bird that never learned to fly."

"How do you mean? Is it young?"

"No," Aiela answered. "More like these things had a chance to grow, but instead they stayed like this."

"Grow? How much bigger?" Venza asked.

"Hard to say," Aiela admitted. "They're like ants or bees, essentially. Most of them are like this, but a few will be king or queen, with abilities I can't figure out just from seeing these runts. However, if that's true, that means there might be more of them under the surface. Perhaps it would be wise to go back and get help?"

Venza considered. They weren't sure these creatures were related to the town being poisoned. "We haven't found the source of the poisoning yet. Once we do, we can go back for help. Besides, I think we can handle a few of those things."

Aiela crossed her arms. "Aren't we optimistic, thinking they'll only be a handful?"

"If there were more than that, we'd have gotten reports of monsters in the area," Venza pointed out. Her eyes narrowed as she inspected the creature. "Do you think these things can swim?"

"It's possible," Aiela said. "The body's kind of like a crocodile's, though a lot smaller."

"Do you boys know how to swim?" Venza asked.

"Yes," Roeder answered, at the same time Carver said "No."

"There should be room to walk," Venza said. "But if there's something blocking the river's flow, we might have to fight on wet terrain."

She grimaced. She should have worn a cheaper pair of trousers. Aiela frowned, which didn't help Venza feel at ease.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I'm just thinking," Aiela began. "Beasts normally scurry away from poison, unless they're scavengers or something that can negate it."

"And that thing tried to attack live prey," Venza added, seeing Aiela's point. "That is strange."

"This warrants reinforcements," Aiela said.

"I thought we were clear we wouldn't go back until-"

Venza stopped as Aiela weaved a spell. It was an unfamiliar spell, even for Aiela. "Swarm," she invoked. Something brown suddenly appeared next to Aiela, followed by another, vividly blue-green.

Venza instinctively took a step back as she recognized two giant scorpions, their stingers as high as Aiela's chest. Roeder and Carver immediately raised their weapons.

"Relax," Aiela said, looking a little pale. This was clearly close to the limit of her spellcasting. "They're under my control."

Venza narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Where did you learn that?"

"Bit of light schooling from before we met," Aiela answered. She looked likely to keel over at a moment's notice.

"Do you need a breather?"

"Would love to," Aiela answered. "But I can't. Spell only lasts around an hour."

"Then they shrink back?"

"Yes, but more importantly they can't handle the strain of shrinking down," Aiela answered.

"Meaning?" Venza asked.

Aiela gave her a meaningful look, then shrugged.

"They die?!?" Venza exclaimed. "Are you sure this spell is legal?"

"Perfectly above board," Aiela said, quirking an eyebrow. "It’s not like I’m raising dead bodies to use as minions."

"That's not the part that makes me think this should be forbidden magic," Venza said pointedly.

“Do you count every ant you happen to step on when you’re training?” Aiela asked.

“Well, no, but doing it like this is-”

"We should go," Aiela said, ignoring her protest. "Need to wrap this up before they expire."

Venza grunted then offered Aiela her staff.

"Don't be daft," the smaller girl said. "You need that to protect us in close quarters."

"We have two giant scorpions and the boys with us," Venza reminded her.

"And you are still Heir to House Greyfield," Aiela shot back despite her weariness. "These things are likely mildly venomous. I can treat you, but I'd rather it not come to that."

"You should have started with that," Venza said, then wrapped an arm around Aiela's. It was a little awkward with the shield in the way. The girl stiffened, but didn't recoil from her touch. "Lean on me, then."

Aiela rolled her eyes and let it happen, leaning her light weight against Venza.

The cave entrance opened up ahead, inviting them into the the river that ran beneath Astamarr.