Aster

It was two days after Roslin had left, and the exams were announced. My sleep schedule was looking worse and worse.

I rested my head in my hands, resisting a yawn. I had spent almost the entirety of that night explaining how I had gotten the token to Baldwin and Roslin, trying to answer every question they asked. I had only gone to sleep when I had almost fallen asleep at the table, and Umbra started growling. The next night, I worked with Umbra using meditation, getting used to it, and spent time working on the bowstring for my enchantment course.

I tried to focus on what Mage Eldrim was saying, but a poke in the side from Kat drew my attention to the party chat. I had, of course, let her and Fernand know that I had talked to someone about the token yesterday, and they still didn't seem to be over it. We hadn't made an agreement not to talk about the tokens to others, but it was apparent now that they had expected me to keep quiet about it. They still weren't upset, for say, just unhappy.

Looking at the conversation going on at the moment between Fernand and Kat, I saw where she had asked me a question.

[PMS, Kat: Aster, I know you said you told two people, but how many are they going to tell?]

I thought about the question for a moment. Baldwin had said he was going to let Cassin and the king know. Roslin had left earlier when dawn broke.

[PMS, Aster: Two, maybe more? I didn't think to ask, but it should be fine. They won't tell anyone they don't have to.]

I heard Kat sigh from my side, but my attention was on the diagram Mage Eldrim was projecting with one of his skills. The exam was at the end of the week, and I wasn't going to just fail it because I was worried about what Baldwin would do. After copying the diagram onto my notebook for the course, I closed it and put the book in my spatial storage. Almost as if on cue, the chime of the bell sounded. I had gotten really good at timing when each class ended; it wasn't an important skill to have, but it was a fun challenge. Standing up, I stretched. Kat picked her books up, and I followed her, spending the walk answering the questions that were streaming from Fernand over party chat. He was more interested in what information had been given to me about the token, not that there was anything new that I had been told.

We were halfway to our next class outside when the ground rumbled. I was used to the ground shaking. Living in the tower where dragons took off made the motion almost normal. This shake, however, was more violent, nearly knocking me off my feet and sending other students to the ground. What followed was the loudest noise I have ever heard. It sounded like hundreds of trees falling at once, louder than even Kulni’s howl.

Looking in the direction of the noise, in the distance, all I could see was a blooming yellow light. Then, all the bells of the city started to chime in groups of three. I looked over to Kat, whose eyes were as wide as mine felt. That was when the yelling and screaming started.

Baldwin

“The Western Gate,” Emyr’s voice flowed through my head, answering my unasked question as I dodged through people and guards alike.

Having been in a meeting with the King, the timing couldn't have been worse. He had sent me on my way before the rumbling had even stopped. The talk of an upcoming event could always wait.

Looking around, I found what I was looking for and had to dodge around a group of maids who looked terrified. I let out a grunt of annoyance as I opened the two doors to the balcony and lept off in one movement, moving over the cluster of people who were looking at the western gate. The surprised shouts were nothing compared to the screams they let out as Emyr passed by his green scales, most likely a blur to their eyes.

My landing wasn't smooth, but a grip on the harness was all I needed, and he banked upwards into the air, giving me a moment to snap one of the claps into place. I could feel Emyr’s anger and worry mixed with my own. We were the only pair of riders in the capital at the moment, the first time there had ever been less than three in Arilon’s history since the riders had been founded.

With the increase of raids on the northern coast and the massive increase in grade five and higher best from the south, the riders had never been more strained to try to keep the borders safe, not to mention that compared to thirty years ago when our numbers had been almost a third higher, now we had less than four dozen bonded dragons.

“The gate is burning.”

Emyr’s voice drew my gaze to the rising cloud of smoke that was drawing closer fast. Using Emyr’s eyes, I inspected the situation. The skies were clear and cloudless, lacking any griffins, and there were no screams of battle. As I got closer, the scene became more apparent. The gate was a mess of stone, wood, and metal collapsed in on itself, but the order was already reasserting itself as someone with a first lieutenant’s badge on his shoulder called out orders. A space cleared as we landed a slight way off where the road was clear of any rubble. Military mages cast water spells, putting out stray fires that had already started to spread to buildings nearby, and a priest of some god was already casting healing spells, stabilizing the injured, and closing the eyes of the less fortunate. By the look of it, the knights had yet to arrive.

Sliding down the side of Emyr, I made my way into the ordered chaos. All it took was a glance at any private to be pointed to the nearest officer after they saluted. I didn't rush. I was well aware that there wasn't a reason why whatever had happened was already over. Keeping calm in this situation would ease everyone else.

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Finding the officer I had spotted from above earlier, I approached him. It took him a second to notice me but identified let me know he was in grade three, where he had most likely stalled in his class quest.

I waited a moment as he continued to give orders, waiting for him to turn and see me before I stepped forward.

“Lieutenant, what happened here?”

The man had a gash on his forehead, turning his blond hair, which was past regulations, to red, but he seemed unbothered by it and saluted before he began to explain, “Sir, I haven't been able to gather all the information, but it seemed that a cart that was trying to get into town was noticed by Captain Tarlo who was on duty for the day. There was a noise and this.” He gestured to the gate. “No one seems to know what was in the cart yet, but we have mages coming to inspect the remains. Whatever it was, though, it packed a punch.”

My mind wandered through the possibilities as I looked over the rubble of the gate. “What of Captain Tarlo?”

“Alive, sir, he lost a leg and an arm, but he's being tended to. The recruits he was with weren't so fortunate.”

I nodded. Captin Tarlo was a special case in the military as we're all captains since they had to be in grade four to earn the rank. If I remember correctly, his defensive skills were something to be admired.

“What of the other side of the gate?” I asked as I picked up one of the still smoldering stones, frowning at it.

“Rerouted to the east entrance with guards positioned along the wall…”

I half listened as I inspected the rock. Its color didn't match the wall. Too dark by a big margin. It was still burning as well. If my bond to Emyr wasn't present, it might have even started to melt and char my skin.

“There's only one stone that burns like this, one race that even can access it,” I said to Emyr and felt his anger swell as he put the pieces together. “Dwarves.”

Aster

“Are you sure you're okay?” Umbra asked.

Leaning back in the seat, I let out a sigh, drawing Fernand and Kats's gaze. We were all in the library in one of the small alcoves. Courses had been canceled for the day, and students were not to leave campus until further notice, so studying had been the best option.

“I'm fine. The explosion was at the gate. You told me that yourself,” I tried to send soothing emotions down the bond.

“Are you okay, Aster?” Fernand asked

I almost started laughing at the words that almost matched Umbra’s, but instead, I shrugged a shoulder, getting up to stretch. Sitting in a chair that wasn't meant for tails could be a pain. After shaking off the sleepiness that had started to form, I replied

“I'm just bored of studying. Who knew memorizing a hundred answers to a single problem could dry a brain out?”

Kat snorted. “I'd rather be in a dungeon gaining levels,” she said, closing her book.

“You know the academy offers a lot more than a single dungeon run could,” Fernand said.

Kat waved a hand, acknowledging his words before she seemed to reach her limit on looking at books, and she got up with a groan. “How about a little sparring? It's been months since the academy started, and I've yet to try out these pendants.”

I looked down at the little price of metal that I had all but completely forgotten about and smiled, my tail flicking in excitement at the idea.

The arenas around the school used for matches were about half the size of what we used in the adventuring course. The first problem we ran into was finding one not in use. With no courses going on, it seemed every other student in existence had the same idea we did. Groups seemed to surround every other arena. With no chance of finding an empty one, we went to the one with the smallest amount of people. Fernand, who had decided to come along against what he said was his better judgment, was the one to point out the stone slab next to the arena. Something I hadn't noticed before.

The idea of the slab or stone board was simple. To register to fight in the arena, you had to enter a queue by slotting in the pendent you had with into a place on the board. Then, the person you planned on challenging would do the same. Names would appear in an order, moving up a list until you were up to fight. After following the simple directions, I identified the pendant again before repinning it to my shirt.

[Arilon Academy Pendant - Rare - This pendant has multiple enchantments, allowing mana to be drawn from the air. Enchant types include Location, Mana Draw, and Mana Shield.]

Kat and I were currently fourth on the waiting list, so we sat down at the benches to watch the fights that were preceding us. With so many people watching the fights, it seemed the students fighting were putting on more of a show rather than trying to break the shield as fast as possible, using skills that flashed and sparked but didn't seem to have any effect besides making the other students cheer. Fernand was the only one around who seemed not as interested in the fight. Instead, he had his head in a book, engrossed.

The first fight ended with one of the students being knocked out of the arena, the shield around him flashing red. One of the year two students who had taken the role of referee stepped into the pit and raised the winner's arms, eliciting more cheers from everyone. Letting out my own cheer, I watched as two more students stepped up, one wielding a long spear and the other a heavy-looking greatsword. The fight didn't go well for the spear user.

Baldwin

Looking down at Captain Tarlo, he looked more like an undead at the moment, but the need to talk to him was urgent. He had gotten both of his missing limbs started on the regeneration process, but it would be a bit before he had enough food in him to continue the process.

“Explain to me again, captain, what you saw in the back of the cart.”

“Sir, it was a curricular stone about as wide across as a horsehead. The top was glowing a deep red, and then it exploded. I attempted to bring my shield around to cover the recruits, but the explosion was too fast. I lost my leg trying to kick one out of the way, but I didn't think the explosion would be that big. It was luck we decided to inspect that cart out of the bunch, or unlucky, depending on who you ask.” Captain Tarlo explained while pausing every few words to take in breaths.

Gritting my teeth, I held back quite a few words while trying to think.

“There could be more in the city,” I said through the bond.

Emyr was currently at the tower only two blocks away, resting, but he was watching through my eyes.

“With the remaining pieces, the mages can find them quickly. Karvum knows we can track dwarven magic.”

Nodding slowly, I turned to leave but stopped when Captain Tarlo started to speak again. It seemed he had the same thoughts I did, but his mind had led him down a different scenario

“Rider Barlow, Sir, do you think the bomb could have been a distraction?”

I motioned for him to continue. Captain Tarlo, on top of his defensive skills, was known for two other things: his excessive gambling, which had gotten him demoted three times, not because he lost, and his instinct with had gotten him the rank of captain

“Do you think that some people could have used the bomb to sneak out or in?”