Silence lingered between the twins; they shared a look of relief before turning their attention toward the Brimborne who had saved them. A second glance let them know the other shared the same thought; ‘What do we do now?’
Kai collected the Eye, finding it caught on a loose cobblestone brick. When he turned to face his sister, he found her wide-eyed, vision locked on the northern horizon. Following her line of vision caused him to do the same. There was no mistaking the silhouette fast approaching. The dragon was returning.
“We need shelter,” Kai said. He signaled toward a storehouse just outside the bakery. “In there.”
“What about Lucian?” Vivian asked. “He saved us, we can’t just leave him.”
“He’ll be—” Kai stopped himself. His sister was right. Together, they raised the Brimborne from the street and balanced him between themselves. Each acting as a support on either side of him.
Now hidden among the sacks of grain and flour, the pair watched through the dust-coated window. Startled by the heavy sacks slamming to the floor in response to the dragon’s landing. Just the beast’s head dwarfed the twins by double their height.
Knowingly, it sniffed at the street where they had just stood. Tracking the scent of something with the keenness of a hound trained to hunt.
Shit, Kai looked at the orb in his hand. He could only imagine that the dragon could sense the artifact. No, don’t be ridiculous, he reminded himself. Had the dragon had that power, why had it gone to the temple instead of Jorn’s estate? If it could sense the magic, surely it would have known the orb had been moved. The logic was sound. Sighing in relief, he turned to his sister, “Lucian is safe. We need to escape, now?”
“And how do you suppose we do that, brother?” she asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She waved her arm dramatically through the air. “There’s only one way in and out of this forsaken shed, and that thing will see us.” Kai knew she was right. Still, he had the growing suspicion they needed to distance themselves from the dragon before it was too late.
“All right,” he lamented. Kai then handed his sister the orb, “I’ll act as bait, and you can escape with the orb.”
“You’ll do no such thing.”
“I’ll be safe.”
“You’ll be dead. Even father would disapprove of this, and he was one of the greatest.” Of all the creatures that called Valstrom their home, dragons were the fiercest; Alister, their father, had told them stories of his exploits against all sorts of monsters. Giants, sea-serpents; he’d even once faced off against what he described as a ‘tentacled horror from the mortal realm’, but he never told them stories of encountering dragons.
“He was one of the greatest,” Kai said, seemingly ignoring the rest of what his sister had said. “Don’t worry, I don’t plan to fight the thing.” Kai stood and took a deep breath. “Dragons are said to be intelligent. I’m going to talk to it.” Vivian had no time to protest. It was his fault either of them found themselves trapped. If he’d left well enough alone, he never would have been cursed. Had he not been cursed, they never would have wound up on Karo. Never having been tasked with collecting the Eye, which means they’d have never found themselves faced with a dragon. Now was the time to make up for his mistakes.
Kai watched the behemoth’s pupils constrict and dilate as he approached. No sudden movements on his part seemed to keep the beast at bay. For now, all seemed safe.
“Spark-touched,” the dragon roared; a voice rough as gravel echoed in Kai’s mind. Telepathy.
Kai paused. Could the beast peer into his thoughts? Would it know what he was doing? Why was he doing what he did?
“Why do you approach me?” questioned the dragon. Pulling back its lips, it revealed razor-sharp fangs. Each as tall as Kai. Remnants of bloodstains still lingered.
“I’ve never met a dragon,” Kai said. Despite his best efforts, fear still crept into his voice, his words cracking like an adolescent’s voice. “Why have you come here?”
Smoke and debris scattered as the behemoth slammed a clawed hand into the streets. “You dare to question me?” bellowed the dragon.
Kai had never had one shout in his mind before. The inescapable fury echoed into a splitting headache, nearly dropping him to his knees.
“You are a brave one,” the dragon continued. “My business is mine, and mine alone.” Despite it being unable to turn its head—the streets far too narrow for it to directly watch Kai—he could feel it peering daggers his way. Or in its case, claws. “You are an oddity. You don’t cower from me, and you are Spark-touched. How odd.”
“Spark-touched?” Kai questioned. He’d never heard the term before. “Is that something I should be worried about?”
What Kai could only assume to be laughter filled his mind. “So, you obtained the gift unknowingly?” the behemoth’s jovial sounds ceased. With barely any movement, the dragon now had its massive eye less than an inch from Kai’s form. “Where is it? I have played along long enough. You reek of my treasure.”
Kai grew tense. Beads of sweat dotted the nape of his neck. “Your treasure?” Kai feigned confidence. “I’ve never seen a dragon, nor its hoard. Have I stolen from you by accident?”
“Surrender the key,” the dragon raised its head to the sky. Torrents of ash and flame flared between its teeth. “Surrender it, and I shall spare your brother.”
Kai paled. It was no longer speaking with him. He slowly turned to gaze over his shoulder. Vivian stood only a few feet back from him. Eye of the Storm in hand. “Why are you here?” the words choked from Kai’s throat. “You were supposed to get away.”
“Brother, I couldn’t abandon you,” Vivian said. She walked past him. Sorrow in her eyes as she did. Eventually, Vivian held the orb out for the dragon. “If you will spare us and the people of this island, take it.”
“Sister,” Kai protested.
“There is no other way,” she argued back. “You saw what I saw. It can find the orb. Follow it. We’d never be safe with it in our possession.
Kai’s knuckles paled, nails digging into his palms until blood was drawn. As much as he wished to say something to change her mind, he knew in his heart there was no point. Arguing with her decision could only be lying to himself.
“A pair of Spark-touched,” the dragon said. Claws gently plucking the orb from Vivian’s hand. “Now you intrigue me far more than before.” Triumphant in his claim, the dragon took to the skies. Whipping the loose debris into a sandstorm as he did so. Leaving the twins blind to his departure.
Unable to see, Kai found himself on the wrong end of a chunk of stone. Air knocked from his lungs as it rammed into his gut. Desperate for air, he quickly took in a deep breath. Dust coated his lungs; Kai was trapped in a coughing fit, each one irritating his now-dry throat.
Once the dust settled, he saw his sister’s apologetic stare. “Brother, I—” she stopped as Kai shook his head. They were safe. That was all that mattered.
“The others are likely worried,” Kai said. He turned back to the storehouse, “I suppose we should tell Lucian what happened as well.” Losing the Eye weighed heavily on Kai’s heart. He’d been sure they would have been able to keep it safe. They had owned it for less than a half hour, and it was gone. Defeated, he made his way over to awaken the Brimborne. Ready to tell everyone he’d failed.
“What do we do now?” he asked Vivian.
“I don’t know,” she said. The defeat in her voice mirrored his own. “What can we do? How do we stop a dragon?”
Vermilion Wing gathered together once again, and Kai explained the situation to everyone. Worried filled Mira’s face, Torrik seemed undisturbed by the news.
Lucian had been brought to the inn alongside the twins. Quietly watching them from the corner. His trust in the group still seemed unearned. Their recent blunder only seemed to further cement his disdain for the adventurers. “If you hadn’t taken the orb from the vault,” Lucian said, “this wouldn’t be a problem.”
“And how would you have stopped it?” Vivian asked with a snide tone. “The dragon went to the temple first. It knew where it should have been.” The Brimborne gave a huff but said nothing else. “Brother, that sheet?” Kai pulled out the page they’d found in Jorn’s desk. Presenting it to the others. Vivian turned to Mira, “Do you recognize this language?”
“Sorry, I don’t,” Mira said, a slow shake of her head to emphasize her answer.
“Torrik?” Kai questioned.
“No,” the dwarf replied. He then tapped the arch. “But this, I’ve seen something like this in the dwarven archives.” It was unsurprising to hear such a thing. If you ignored the few elven immigrants, dwarves were the longest-lived group in all of Valstrom. Histories recorded back to ages long forgotten by men and other races. “I bet we could find a translation in the dwarven city.”
It was a long shot, but their best bet at the same time. “How far off is the dwarven city from Arasta?” Kai asked.
“About a week’s journey,” Torrik answered. “Though I must warn you, dwarves aren’t exactly known to be friendly to outsiders. Even with me by your side, there’s a chance they’ll only let me in.”
“Lovely,” snarked Vivian. “Still, it’s better than nothing.”
Mira, you wouldn’t happen to have any leads, would you?” Kai asked.
The priest shook her head, “The teachings of the Mother never spoke of these beings. I wonder why though,” the half-elf looked over the sheet again. “I could try to commune with the Mother—maybe even the Serpent. Find out if they have anything they can tell me.”
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
“Brilliant,” Kai smiled. The members of Vermilion Wing began to converse with one another. Coming up with ideas for how they could learn about Primordials. Vivian and Kai suggested the libraries of the great cities. Suggesting postponing the visit to the dwarven city long enough to check out Arasta for answers.
Mira suggested searching for an embassy of Tir’Ava. Diplomats from the elven country might be willing to share the vast knowledge of her people in such a time.
All of them fell silent; Lucian slammed his fist into the table. “Idiots,” he spoke, mumbling the word just barely audible.
“What was that?” Kai asked, narrowing his gaze.
“The dragon has the orb,” Lucian continued on. “If what you said is true. If it can somehow sense the presence of the keys, it likely already knows where the others are. We’ve lost.” The members of Vermilion Wing kept their eyes locked on Lucian but said nothing. The Brimborne continued, “Even if we could capture one of the keys, we would never reach the arch. That has to be under the dragon’s constant protection.”
“We have to try,” Kai spoke up. “It might seem hopeless, but we have to try.”
“What’s the point in trying? All it will do is walk you into an early grave.” Lucian’s concerns were far from ignored, but none of the members of Vermilion Wing seemed to falter in their resolve. “You all still plan on following through? You still plan to visit the dwarves? Still hope to learn more about these keys? Why?”
“We aren’t cowards?” Torrik answered. To everyone’s surprise. The dwarf continued, “It might be a losing battle, but I’d rather die trying my best than wait for the end to come.”
“If we do nothing, who knows what will come of it,” Mira said. The half-elf’s voice resonated with resolve. “If we try, we might be able to do something. If we don’t succeed, we might at least be able to save lives.”
“It’s what my father would do,” Kai said with a smile. “Alister Runescar never gave up, and neither will I.” Vivian said nothing, but put a supportive hand on her twin’s shoulder.
Lucian looked at the four of them. With a sigh, he spoke, “You all must have a death wish.” Getting up from his seat, the Brimborne glanced over his shoulder at the group before walking off, “I wish you luck.”
Outside of her room, Mira and Kai said their farewells. “Sorry our night was cut short,” apologized Kai. “Next time, I hope there won’t be a dragon.”
“It was still fun,” Mira said. Handing him back the book he’d purchased. “No complaints from me.” The two stared at one another for some time, then Kai stepped away with a bow. As he made his way toward his own room, he saw his sister watching. Smiling as she gave a shake of the head.
Back in his room, Kai positioned himself into a chair in the corner. Why did you want me to have this? he asked while flipping open the black book. If the Night Weaver had brought it to him, perhaps it had answers to their dragon issues. Yellowed pages crinkled as he riffled through them. Brow furrowing as he scanned over the blank pages.
Why did you want me to have this? Page after page, Kai found nothing but emptiness. There has to be more. Why else would the Night Weaver have surrendered the tome to him? Was it some kind of divine prank? Upset that he’d failed to die within her temple, so she gave him false hope?
Just as he was ready to slam the book shut, something caught his eye. Faint at first, lines began to etch themselves into the paper. Glowing with the light of dying ember
Where there had once been nothing; Kai found himself greeted by ancient runes, self-translating to the common alphabet and allowing him to read. It seemed to be a journal of some kind. But if so, why was it in the possession of the Weaver? Kai scanned through the story, hoping to find answers.
My journey had taken me to the Orros Valley. Where the Veredon Trail meets the Trnquis River.
Here, I hope to find the evidence of the immortal king, the phoenix. With the spark of its flame
I hope to revive my lost sister.
Hopefully, if the legends are true, I’ll soon see her sweet smile once more.
Orris Valley, Kai’s eyes grew wide. But that can’t be. Orros Valley, Veredon Train, even the Tranquis River; he’d been to all those places before. His home, Hamal, it had been erected within the Orros Valley. He flipped the page over. More text burned into existence.
I have reached the Valley, but there is no sign the beast exists. There is nothing here. Only a wasteland.
It would seem the land was raided for all its resources. Even the river has run dry.
That couldn’t be. Kai had spent much of his childhood by that river. It couldn’t have been dried out, and the lands in the valley had been lush. Fields of green stretched across rolling hills. The Hamal Woods stretched on for miles, creating a natural defense from most of the world.
If it had been as the book described, he’d never have called that place home.
Knock. Knock.
Kai scrambled to put away the tome. “Come in,” he called to whoever was on the other side of the door. Passing the threshold was his sister, Vivian. Eyes were downcast as she entered.
“Something wrong, sister?” Kai asked. Seeing that expression on his sister’s face caused knots in his stomach. Between the two of them, she had always been what he would consider the stronger one. Never letting her mask slip, always portraying the ever-fine persona.
She said nothing. Biting at her lips, she tried to find the words to reply.
“Sister,” Kai spoke up. Now approaching her side. Draping an arm over her, and pulling her into a hug, Kai spoke in a whisper, “Please, tell me what’s wrong.”
“I’m worried about what Jorn told us,” she admitted. “That orb, the primeval beings; what have we gotten ourselves into?” She broke free of her brother’s embrace, “And whatever that dragon does with the orb, it will be my fault. I gave it the orb.”
“It would have killed us otherwise,” Kai reminded her. There had been no other choice. Even if they had wanted to hide it, how could they? Without even seeing the orb, the dragon knew where the orb was. Except when it had been under the care of Jorn.
“Hopefully the dwarves will be able to help us,” Kai said. Clinging to that hope, Kai made his way over to his bed. Lying down as though there was nothing to be worried about. “Even if they fail us, we’ll find an answer.”
Vivian seemed hesitant to accept his answer. Gaze locked on her brother, worry still reflected in her eyes. “There has to be something we can do,” Vivian said, sighing as she crossed her arms over her chest. “If we could find out how the Primordials were sealed, maybe we could use that to defeat the dragon. But it’s doubtful Jorn knows the answer to that.”
“Or that he’d be willing to share it,” Kai said. “When we meet with the dwarves, maybe we’ll get the answer to that as well.” Sitting there, Kai couldn’t help but think of the owners of the bookstore having mentioned being touched by a phoenix. Then the dragon had called him and his sister ‘Spark-touched’.
“Viv,” Kai asked while sitting up, “did we ever see a phoenix?”
“A phoenix?” she asked, making sure she had heard her brother right. Kai replied with a nod, and Vivian closed her eyes. “I don’t remember a phoenix. Why, do you remember a phoenix?”
She doesn’t recall meeting a phoenix either. Kai shook his head, “No, just thought I’d ask.”
“That’s a strange thing to be asking about, brother.”
“When I was out with Mira, I overheard someone talking about wanting to see one. And I couldn’t remember if we had. That’s all.” She seemed to accept that as an answer. With a quick farewell, Kai was left alone once more. He made his way over to the tome once more. Tempted to continue reading through. In the end, choosing to once again tuck it away for later. Just whose journal are you?
ΦΦΦ
Come morning, Kai was the first member of Vermilion Wing down in the dining hall. Awake before even the sun. Not many had broken free from sleep as he sat reading. Enjoying both the quiet and perfectly crisped strips of pork. Paired with a bitter drink made through the roasting of beans. It was unlike anything he’d ever tasted, and he was unsure whether he actually enjoyed the drink or was only consuming it as not to let it go to waste.
Worried someone might see it and ask questions, Kai had chosen not to bring the black book with him. Opting to instead read one of the many stories left for the public within the inn’s common room. This a tale of an adventuring group not unlike Vermilion Wing fighting a vampire and his warlock bride.
While it found it amusing, he had no intentions of finishing the tale. Only using it to provide entertainment until the sun peaked over the horizon. Buying time for the shops to open. Kai wanted to make sure he was well prepared before the airship arrived to take them back to the mainland.
Despite them having forcefully taken the orb from him, he hoped Jorn still planned to return them to the mainland. Kai still carrying the letter he wished to have delivered to Percival. To think, he mused to himself, all of this started because of a game of darts? Since coming to Karo, Kai had often wondered what would have happened had he ignored his gut feeling to investigate Percival. Had he ignored the generosity of the old man, what would they be doing at this moment? Had he never thought it suspicious the old man was willing to throw away that large sum of coin, Vermilion Wing would be blindly off looking for their next job.
Unaware of the Primordials, the dragon, or how the fate of the world could be resting on their shoulders. It would be a simple life.
Finished with his meal, Kai headed out into town. Returning the book he’d been reading to its shelf. He’d made sure to leave a note for his sister in case he didn’t return before they awoke.
Kai found himself at the smithery, browsing through the collection of daggers while waiting for the blacksmith to finish with a customer. Finely crafted, any of the daggers would have made a fine purchase. Though he was more interested in buying a new set of whetstones and hanging onto the blades he currently owned. His attention paused on a pair of black-steel daggers; handles curved to match the natural groove in one’s hand. Like the bow he’d managed to swipe from the Weaver’s temple, these daggers had a dragon motif to the handle.
Once he was freed up, the blacksmith approached with a full-bellied laugh, “You got a good eye on you. Some of the finest blades crafted in Karo.”
“And not by your hand,” noted Kai.
“How could you tell?” the blacksmith asked with a haughty laugh.
“Aside from how rare this type of steel is,” Kai explained, “the edges are much finer than any other weapon here. Plus, these blades aren’t engraved with the marking you’ve been sure to forge into every other blade you’ve made.”
“A keen eye for the finer details. Are you in the market for a new pair of blades?”
Kai drew his blades and handed them over, “I was hoping all I would need is a whetstone or two. What do you think?” He watched the blacksmith examine the pair. Face scrunching as he tested the sharpness, and as he looked to see the bend in the steel.
“If I told you I thought you needed new blades, would you think I was only trying to sell you something?”
“Possibly,” Kai answered truthfully. “Though, I would hope you had more professionalism than that.”
“I’ll be honest then,” the blacksmith handed over Kai’s daggers. “You still have some mileage with these blades. Though, if you look here, you’ll find some chipping and cracks in the blade. The damage is minimal, but you would want to be careful.” He then pointed out a small bit of rust on the blades from where Kai had been failing to properly polish them. “Finally, the tip is beginning to bend. Again, you have some time left with them, but replacing them sooner than later will be the best call.”
Negotiations were swift. Kai found himself the owner of the dragon daggers—as well as a proper polishing kit and a handful of whetstones. After that, Kai found himself at the bowyer. Having the bowstring examined and replaced. Sitting around for untold time had caused some damage to the material, and he was able to get a decent price on what he bought. Even buying two replacement bowstrings to have on his person. So long as he stowed them carefully, he would be able to keep them in a fine condition for when it came time to change string again.
Kai continued on his shopping spree for quite some time. Replacing the leather on his bracers, and patching holes in his tunic. His last stop was by the apothecary. Purchasing a few extra potions of healing, as well as some anti-venom as a precaution. Knowing that the travels toward the dwarven cities would need them to cross through thick woods where giant spiders and snakes weren’t common, but were far from a rarity either.
Once everything was bought, he made his way back toward the inn. The next step in their adventure finally ready to begin. A chill ran down Kai’s spine on his way back toward the inn. The color of his surroundings melted away as he saw his breath fog before him. The people around him began to slow until they became frozen in place. Sounds slowly died out around him. Leaving Kai in utter silence.
Frantically, he looked all around. Not sure what he was looking for but somehow, he knew he’d know it when he saw it.
Standing only a few feet from him was the Night Weaver.
“What do you want from me?” Kai asked. Gulping down the fear he felt. She remained still and quiet. Kai spoke again, louder this time, “Answer me, why are you following me?”
It felt like waking from a dream. Sound, color; the world was as it should be. Kai’s hand trembled as he brought it to cover his mouth, a feeling of bile growing in the base of his neck. He managed to swallow it down. Only then did he notice, as he pulled away his hand, that the Weaver’s sigil was woven into his bracers.