A knock at the door to the training room woke them. They’d fallen asleep on the mat late in the night. Darren sat up and squinted as a beam of light caught his eyes. He looked down and saw Silvia blinking, groggy and confused. He stood and walked to the door to find Archard on the other side.

“Uh morning, sir.” Darren stammered, completely unsure what to expect.

Silvia shot to her feet when she saw him through Darren’s eyes.

“Relax, you two aren’t in trouble.” Archard said as he strode through the doorway. “Avarith told me everything from your journey. I wanted to check on you both.”

“We’re sorry, we did what we could, uncle.” Silvia sounded nervous.

“I know you did, dear. You both did well. I’m sorry for how your first assignment ended. Had I known what you would be walking into, I would’ve gone myself.” Archard’s voice was heavy, his words slow. “The life of a mage, and a guardian, is rarely an easy one. But that is one of the hardest days I can imagine, especially for two so young.” He placed a hand on Darren’s shoulder.

“It was hard, but there’s nowhere we’d rather be.” Darren said, meeting the man’s eye.

Archard looked surprised at his reply, but a weary smile spread slowly. “The kingdom is blessed to have two such people in it.”

“Thank you, sir.” Darren replied.

Archard walked over to his niece and took in her downcast features, he placed a hand on her head and pulled her to him, hugging her tightly. She hugged him back before he felt her take a deep breath and straighten.

“We’re ready to get back to training.” She said with her head buried against his chest.

“So soon?” he asked as he pulled her back by shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “You can take more time.”

“They won’t take time.” She said, “We can’t either.”

Archard shook his head slightly “Well then, I will let Leon and Avarith know to meet you here.” He looked at Darren, then Silvia again. “Those bastards from the ruin will rue the day they met you two.” and his eyes showed he meant it.

“Goddamn right they will.” Darren’s hands clenched into fists.

“And Darren, Avarith told me of the portal those men used. I will be heading to the ruin myself to investigate and see what I can find, but we will look into it as best we can. I know you wish to see your family again.” Archard told him. “I’ll be gone for a few days, when I return, if you’re both able, there will be more assignments. I know you say you’re ready, and I don’t doubt you, but take your time. Maintaining a blade is just as important as wielding it, and your minds are your sharpest weapons. Take care that they are prepared.”

“They will be.” Silvia said as she walked over and stood next to Darren.

Archard took one last look at the two and gave a nod before he left.

Shall we get to it? Darren sent the question to her immediately.

Food first.

Of course. He shook his head at her.

They spent the day working back into their daily routine. Training, eating, training some more. Physical the first half of the day, academic the second. They gave themselves, and by extension Avarith and Leon, no time to rest. Day after day, without rest or complaint they worked until their bodies flat out refused to do more. Darren made it a point to train for at least an hour every day against a halberd. Silvia learned to fire her spells quicker, and use them to support Darren’s approach. Knowing when to shield him from incoming attacks and when to provide openings for him to strike.

Then one day they stepped out into the courtyard and saw Leon and Avarith waiting beside two soldiers as well as the garrison commander.

“What’s up, do we have a job?” Darren asked as he walked up and shook the commander’s hand.

“No but they do.” Leon smirked.

The commander ripped Darren’s hand down and grabbed him in a hug around both arms as the soldiers pulled dull training swords from their scabbards.

Silvia didn’t miss a beat, firing whatever spell she had last selected. A shotgun blast of cold mist fired over the two men, turning from vapor to stinging particles of ice in the blink of an eye. Their joints and limbs fought against the cold as they tried to strike slowly.

Darren hooked his foot behind the man’s knee and threw himself backwards away from the blades, landing on top.

The commander knew his way around grappling and managed to keep hold. He rolled and pushed Darren away as he came up and pulled his own sword and swung at Silvia.

She fell back as she selected nature, narrowly avoiding the tip of the blade. As he kept swinging she charged and fired small orbs in the air, forming flat stone plates to deflect the blows.

Darren drew his sword but the two soldiers shook off the cold and circled around him, cutting him off from her. He moved quickly, not allowing them to get around him completely, always working to keep one of them between him and the other. The clashing of steel rang out as he stayed one step ahead of them in each flurry of blows. He held a high parry and let a blow slide down his blade before using the momentum of his opponent to swing around and strike the man in his helmet, hard enough to drive him to the ground. The other man caught him in the right arm as he made the swing. Counting the blow Darren tucked the arm against his chest and swapped his sword to his left hand as the man advanced.

Silvia slammed a slab of stone into the commander’s feet with one hand as she drew her short sword with the other. He tripped forward but stayed on his feet as he stumbled.

The commander smiled at her, “I helped teach you how to use that sword, think you can surprise me, lass?” He changed his guard, low with the handle in front of his waist and the blade out, pointed at her face.

“I’ve got more than just the blade nowadays.” She said as she formed a thick bark covered shield around her other arm and drove forward. She kept the shield high, using it to cover her own openings as she struck at him.

The commander gave ground, easily batting her swings aside but finding no opportunity for a counter blow.

“Sir!”

The commander barely heard his soldier call out, just in time to duck a swing from behind from Darren. Both sides separated, facing each other down with weapons raised.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Now that they had their footing they were ready, Darren stepped forward as Silvia fell back and let the rock on her arm crumble to shale and eventually smoke. She selected shield in one hand and control in the other.

Seeing this the soldiers knew they couldn’t give her the chance to pool too much energy or whatever she cast would be beyond their ability to deal with. They pressed in and began to try and work around Darren.

This time he let them get to either side, knowing he was covered. He focused on the commander and began raining blows down against his guard.

Seeing an opening the other soldier tried to land a shot on his back. His blade crashed off the air, arcane symbols of the shield Silvia had cast lit up. Sparks flew as his sword bounced violently over his head, almost out of his grip. He readied to swing again but as he stepped his foot launched out from under him as Silvia’s magic pulled it violently to the side, landing him in the dirt trying to suck in the air he just lost.

Darren gave the commander more trouble than Sil, but not as much as he would have liked, even one handed. He found his opening as the man’s blade arced too far to one side, mana leaking off it as Silvia landed an orb on it mid swing. Darren didn’t let it go to waste and drove the pommel into the man’s helmet before striking him across the gorget covering his neck.

He turned back to the final soldier as he stood and the man just raised a hand holding his ribs and laughed. “No, I think I’m good on that round.”

Darren scoffed and reached down to help the commander up. “Bit of a cheap start, ya?”

“Well, not every enemy is a giant dog or a bandit with a mask. Some are a little less obvious.” the commander said as he accepted the hand and reached his feet.

“Well, that was just one try, if you gentleman are up for it, you’ll go again.” Avarith said.

“Aye, we are, aren’t we boys!?” the commander called out as he looked at the other two.

“Yes, sir!” they called back as they readied themselves.

Darren and Silvia exchanged a glance as they stepped back from the men and stepped into their guard positions.

“Don’t give her a moment to set up, get ‘em!” Leon shouted as the men circled out.

Their training got more difficult as they moved forward. Training against Avarith and Leon as well as groups of soldiers. Three at first, but quickly they reached five. Silvia would wall them in or separate them, or cast just enough of a charge to sweep them off their feet with a vine, a blast of wind, or a patch of ice allowing Darren to pounce on the opportunity. They didn’t always win, but day by day they won more often. A week passed in what felt like a blink.

At night they conversed about things they had learned and things they needed to improve at. They sharpened their bond and honed their mental skills. They learned how to send each other concepts and quickly transmit ideas to one another. Darren could instantly show her a technique in wrestling that she could execute almost as if he was controlling her body. She would send him exactly where she planned to cast stepping stones or vines so he could plant his feet on them just as they formed. They functioned and flowed better than ever, and though duress and stress had weakened their abilities somewhat, they trained everything over and over trying to make it second nature. Almost every night ended with quiet music as the two of them stared at the sky, letting their bodies and minds finally cool off. They never got as much sleep as they should, but they never let it slow them down.

Finally on the ninth night they sat in their training room, bruised and beaten from dueling against Avarith and Leon the entire morning. For the last three hours they had sat and played their mental games, guessing numbers and sending images of objects and animals back and forth. Darren sent an image of a bear but with Erol’s face and the thought that the bear body actually looked smaller. Silvia laughed and turned away from him, her hair flipping through the air around her face. It was the first time either of them had actually laughed since returning. Darren accidentally sent just one word, beautiful, and a mess of jumbled thoughts before walling himself up.

Silvia stopped, stunned. She felt a flash of dizziness from everything he sent in less than a second. A confusing feeling welled up inside, she stuffed it down within herself.

“Sorry, peach is just one of my favorite colors.” Darren rubbed the back of his neck as he looked away from her.

“Mine too.” she said, trying to move past the awkward exchange.

Darren just nodded and cracked his knuckles

“My uncle’s getting back tomorrow, I hear.” she looked at him, her tone suddenly serious. “Are we really ready to get back out there?”

Absolutely. He sent back, without hesitation.

She could feel his mind, heated, like a pot ready to boil over. Mirroring her own. Just what I wanted to hear. She knew they were ready, since the moment they got back.

In unison, they stood to go to bed, knowing they had to be rested for Archard’s return. Each one hoped they would be leaving the same day he got back. They could get better here, sharper, but they couldn’t do what they were meant to.

They fell into their beds and walled themselves off. The day had beaten the energy out of them and soon they floated off to sleep.

They still dreamed of the cages, stepping through blood an inch deep as bodies soaked in it on the floor. Just as they had every night since it happened, but they were getting better at pulling the other in with them. They kept each other's eyes up and changed the landscape, dragging themselves away and out of the memory. Most of the time they spent their nights in empty space just speaking together. Anything visual seemed to warp and change to the temple and the spiraling ruin, so they left it all empty, a deep void within their dreamscape. Being together kept them from getting as much rest, but more than they got waking from nightmares. This night was no different. Their disembodied consciousness coalesced, they could read everything from each other instantly. Less communicating with their minds, more a communion of their minds. They waited together for what felt like an eternity, holding out for morning to come.

****

Castor stepped through the portal and out into the ruin. The same one he’d been meeting them in for months, with its newly added furniture and torches. He watched as the familiar grey portal he cast opened across from him. The bright light it gave off still seemed small in the immense empty chamber within the Ovrenell tomb. The same men and women in plain grey hoods and masks stepped through and sat at a large table across from him.

“An even trade?” Castor called out as he held up the large tome he had worked so hard to attain.

“Our deal is intact. You will get what you want.” The hood in the center spoke in a calm but deep voice. “We have their locations and enough gold for you to pay people to cover them all.” The center hood looked to one of his compatriots. “Tell me Castor, did you look in the tome?”

“Of course I did. Picked up a few tricks, gave that ritual a good look over, aside from that it doesn’t mean much to me.”

“Doesn’t mean much?” a confused female voice came from the end of their line. “It’s one of the greatest arcane discoveries of the age.”

“And I took what I needed.” he replied.

“You’ve no desire to join us then?” the center hood spoke again.

“Look, I have no guile in me. I’m a straightforward man and have told you exactly what I wanted. I’m not seeking great change or power or any other bullshit you seem to be pushing. I came here to make a deal to achieve a very simple thing, one you can help with for now.” Castor unceremoniously dropped the Ovrenell book on the table in front of him. “Give me the lists, give me the money, and let me know if you find anything else that can help me. I’ll do the same for you and we’ll continue our dealings unburdened by criss-crossing interests.” He settled into his chair and kicked his feet up on the table as he waited for them to oblige.

“Fair enough Castor, but you know you could be doing more.” the hood shook its head. “You aren’t the only one that’s been ruined by the way things work. And after reading that book, you know it doesn’t have to work that way.”

“I’ve other places to be, let’s move this along.”

Another line of hooded figures walked through the far portal and brought in several chests of gold as well as journals and notes. They set them on Castor’s table as the first one to drop its load off picked up the tome itself. The hooded figure worked it over in her hands, opened it to a few random pages in the middle and apparently satisfied with its condition took it back and handed it to the center hood across from Castor.

“Very well. You have what you want, we have what we need.” The man plucked a hair from his head and set it on the table “For the next time you need to reach us.” They slowly retreated through the portal until only the center one remained. “If you ever change your mind, or if you achieve your goals and don’t know what to do next, our doors are always open.”

“Trust me, you want me on the far side of your doors.” Castor gave a little wave.

The hood scoffed before turning and stepping through the portal.