~March 26th x800~
It's warm, Silver thinks, her mind still hazy and half asleep. In the distance, she can hear laughter and clinking dishes. The scent of frying bacon makes her stomach growl.
A sticky tongue laps against her cheek and lips, and she finally opens her eyes. Aether doesn't seem to notice she's awake and continues to lick her.
"Ew," she yawns. "Dog breath."
Her back feels stiff, and her neck twinges; falling asleep on the chair was a bad idea. Gently, she pushes Aether away and scratches between his ears. He wags his tail in appreciation. She stretches, sighing in relief when her back pops, and rakes her fingers through her hair. A soft, knitted blanket pools around her lap. Someone must have draped it over her while she slept.
Judging by the sunlight breaking through the window, it's early in the morning. She lets her stomach lead her to the dining room.
"Good morning, Silver!" Eugene calls, his head poking over the counter for the kitchen. "Come join us before this one eats everything."
He points to Razi, whose cheeks bulge as he shovels forkfuls of scrambled eggs into his mouth. He mumbles something that sounds like it could be a greeting, but it's unintelligible through the barrier of half chewed food.
"Nice to see you rejoin the living," Blue says as he floats above everyone, letting his scarf dangle over their heads. "You drool in your sleep, by the way."
Silver grabs an apple off the table and throws it at Blue's head. He catches it with a grin. At the end of the table, the woman from the night before chuckles.
"It's so nice to be here. It's been a while since we've interacted with other mages." She says, reaching for the hand of the man beside her. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Lillian, and this is Richard."
"I'm Silver," she says as she takes a seat. "I feel like I can't go ten feet without running into a mage. Are you not from Fiore?"
"We are," says Richard, "but we've spent the last two years in Seven."
"What brought you there?"
"Mostly building bridges. I'm something of a diplomat."
"And we just love exploring Earthland." Lillian adds. "It's a big continent, you know? It'll take a lifetime for us to experience it all properly!"
"What brings you back to Fiore, then?" Blue asks, finally floating down to join the others at the table.
Lillian beams as Richard bashfully ducks his head while she shows off her finger.
"We're getting married!"
"Congratulations." Silver says.
"Thank you! We're absolutely thrilled!" Lillian giggles. "Honestly, we would've eloped by now, but my mother would have hunted me down if we didn't come back."
"We're on our way to the capital to stay with her and start planning."
"But we heard the rumors of the orchids, and we just had to see them!" Lillian leans her head against her fiance's shoulder. "A one day delay won't do any harm."
The morning chill seeps into their bones as Silver, Razi and Blue explore the woods once more. This time, however, they stay together. After the ruckus with the lynx, it'd be a miracle if the witch wasn't aware of their presence, anyway; Razi takes the lead with Aether, the both of them sniffing around for any clues and keeping an eye out for any other beast that might be lurking. As they travel deeper into the woods and off the path, Silver and Blue tie red ribbons to trees to mark their progress.
"This is boring." Blue sighs as he secures a ribbon around a pair of entwined tree trunks. "Why are we even searching the woods? Eugene said they scoured basically every inch already."
"A fresh pair of eyes never hurt." Silver knots a ribbon around a large, moss-covered boulder. It's almost shaped like a rabbit with its ears down. "We might catch something they couldn't."
"Like what? A big, flashing sign pointing right at the witch?"
"Well, do you have a better idea?"
"Not really."
"Then shut up!" Silver snaps.
Blue rolls his eyes and floats ahead a bit to catch up with Razi.
"Have you spotted anything interesting?" He asks the younger teen.
Razi shakes his head. "Just a funny-looking rock." He sneezes and growls a bit. "I can still smell the flowers, even all the way out here. When we get home, I'm never going to smell a flower ever again."
"Right." Blue sighs, reclining in the air. "Good luck with that."
The three fall quiet, only the sound of their footsteps and the rustling of the wind against leaves to break up the silence. Razi keeps his ears perked, straining for any sound he could follow. Blue gives up on tying ribbons altogether, instead loosely draping them over whatever he can; an old stump, a patch of mushrooms, a large, lumpy boulder covered in moss. Silver doesn't bother scolding him about it, knowing it'll just make him be even lazier about it. She lets her mind wander as she ties her ribbons in proper knots.
As she struggles a bit to fit a single ribbon around a pair of trees sharing one trunk, she thinks about the photos Eugene shared with them. Something has been bothering her.
"Hey," she says absentmindedly, "why do you think Master Ajax retired from the Rune Knights so young?"
"What do you mean?" Razi asks.
"Well, he apparently has a promising career, and it's not like he quit to start the guild."
"Maybe he just wanted to focus on being a dad." Razi suggests.
"Maybe," Silver acquiesces. "What do you think, Blue?"
Blue shrugs, tossing a ribbon onto Aether's head. The dog either doesn't notice or doesn't care.
"I've heard rumors, but nothing really concrete."
"What rumors?"
"Apparently, his last mission went south. No one can give me any details, but the word is that the Rune Knights gave him the option to either retire early and save face, or be kicked out and face charges."
"Charged for what?"
"Beats me. Like I said, no one has all the details, and it's mostly gossip from the fishers, anyway and snippets of info they've half heard from out-of-town merchants at that." Blue eyes spark a little with something Silver can't understand. It's gone so quick though, it feels like a trick of the light. "We could probably pry the full out of Eugene. He seems like he'd be easy enough to convince. But it's not like Ajax is the only one with secrets at the guild. Everyone there is hiding something. Even Razi." The boy stiffens, his ears lying flat against his head before he runs ahead a little. Blue stops levitating in Silver's path. "And even you."
Silver crosses her arms.
"And you too, I guess."
Blue grins and shrugs.
"Only because it's more fun that way. I'd say I've got a pretty decent idea of everyone, though." He pauses and rubs his chin. "Except for Bors. I just can't get a beat on the guy."
"He seems nice enough."
"Yeah. Almost too nice. And the fact he's from Iceberg is weird. I have met no one else from there in Fiore. It's too far."
"I mean, you could just talk to him about it." Silver suggests, distractedly tying another ribbon around a large, moss-covered boulder. "Why not go on a job with him?"
"I've been thinking about it."
"I found something!" Razi shouts. Silver and Blue drop their discussion and rush over, as the younger boy holds up a golden bracelet covered in dirt. "It was buried beneath these hugging trees." He points to the half exposed roots of two entwined trees.
"It looks like it's been in there for a while." Silver examines the bracelet. It feels warm to the touch, and as she brushes aside some of the dirt, she finds s etched inside. They're so tiny, she can't make them out. Impulsively, she slips it over her wrist, and it shrinks down to match her size and hums against her skin.
"Interesting." Blue says.
"We must be heading the right way," Silver says. "Let's keep going, I guess."
They travel deeper into the woods, all of them now hyper aware of their surroundings in case any more clues are near. The ribbon tying has taken a backseat in exchange, but Silver still tries to at least tie one around distinct landmarks; a dead tree that appears to have been struck by lightning, an exceptionally large stump, and odd shaped boulder covered in moss.
Wait.
She stops dead in her tracks and takes a closer look at the boulder. It reminds her of a rabbit with its ears down.
Surely it isn't the same boulder she saw over an hour ago. She distinctly remembers tying a ribbon around it. Could there just be several boulders of similar shapes and sizes? She ties another ribbon around it, as tight as she can make it. After walking a little further, though, she comes across a pair of trees sharing a trunk.
"Blue! Razi! Stop!" She calls after the boys.
"What's wrong?" Razi asks.
"We've been through here already." Silver thinks back through the past hour, heart beating faster as she realizes the truth. "We've been walking in circles."
"How is that possible?" Blue asks. "Where have our markers gone?"
As if being summoned, a giant owl swoops overhead and lands on a branch. It's a great horned owl, with gray feathers and bright yellow eyes, and as it's talons dig into the wood of the branch, a red ribbon dangles in its sharp beak like a dead snake. Silver takes a step back as the bracelet buzzes against her skin. The owl regards them with a gleam in its eye before letting out an ear-piercing scream. Razi winces and covers his ears.
A gust of wind howls through the forest, so strong it makes the trees bow, and what must be a hundred red ribbons flutter around them like fallen leaves. Once the wind dies down, they cover the floor in a pile of crimson.
Blue looks up at the tree, but the owl has vanished.
"I think we should go." Silver says. "We need to get back to the path."
"But which way is back?" Blue asks. "The whole point of the ribbons was to help us find the path again."
"Razi? Do you think you can lead us out of here?"
"I don't know. The flowers are still messing with my nose. They're the only thing I can smell."
"That's it!" Blue places his hands on Razi's shoulders. "Do the flowers smell stronger in one direction than the others?"
Razi frowns, closing his eyes and focusing. After a second, his eyes snap open, and he points.
"That way."
It takes a while for Razi to lead them back to the path, having to stop every few minutes in order to tell where the scent of the orchids is strongest. Eventually, though, they not only find the path but the entrance to the woods as well.
As they head back to the village, a pair of yellow eyes watches from the shadows, eyes locked on the golden gleam around Silver's wrist.
"Have either of you ever seen something like this before?" Silver shows off the bracelet back at the inn. She's taken it off, and it's returned to its former size. After examining it for a second, Eugene shakes his head, but Raylin holds it closer to his face.
"It looks kind of familiar, but I can't place my finger on why."
"Can you make out the writing inside?"
"No. Sorry." Raylin sets the bracelet down on the check-in counter. "There are a couple of books I can skim through, if you don't mind me keeping it for a while."
"Not at all. Technically, it's not even mine."
"I guess not. I'll get it back to you sooner than later, though."
Silver walks over to the lobby, where Razi cuddles with Aether in front of the fire, pouting.
"What's the matter?" She asks, patting Aether's head.
"I'm tired of this place. I don't like that animals keep sneaking up on us." Razi covers his nose with his hands. "Dumb flowers."
"At least they were good for something." Silver sighs. "I don't know how we would have gotten back otherwise."
"Owls are nocturnal." Blue says suddenly, floating from upstairs.
Silver rolls her eyes.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious. What other wisdom would you like to impart to us today?"
"If they're nocturnal, why was one flying around midday?" Razi asks.
"Exactly." Blue says. "It seemed trained, too."
"It must belong to the witch," Silver says.
"Do you think the lynx is hers, too?" Razi asks.
"Probably." Silver pauses and thinks. "Instead of trying to find the witch or the girls, maybe we should try tracking the animals. They'd have to lead us to her, eventually."
"How are we gonna track them if I can't smell them?"
"Maybe we don't even have to track them." Blue smirks. "I have an idea."
It's midafternoon, and a warm breeze pushes against their backs as Blue, Silver and Razi once more find themselves in the woods, careful not to stray too far from the path. They're silent, all of their senses on high alert for the slightest shift. Silver has even sent Aether away to avoid any distractions.
Suddenly, behind them, is the snap of a twig, and while all three hear it, they feign indifference, continuing down the path. A pair of yellow eyes follows from the shadows as the lynx stalks its prey. It creeps closer and closer until all that separates the lynx from the group is a few scant feet of distance. At any moment, it could take its attack, but it bides its time.
Then comes the moment it was waiting for; Razi stops abruptly, bending down to tie his shoe, and with extended claws, the lynx pounces at his throat.
"Now!" Blue shouts. The illusion he created of Razi dissipates beneath the lynx's paws.
"Moonlight Magic: Shadow Sneak!" The real Razi phases out of the shadows of the woods. He leaps onto the lynx's back, wrapping his arm around its throat. Yowling, the lynx tries to buck him off, but he holds tight.
"Creation: Rope!" Blue materializes a braided rope and tosses one end to Silver. Together, they get it tied around the lynx's mouth, neck and paws. The beast struggles, but eventually it has no choice but to sit there, glaring as a continuous growl rumbles in its chest. Razi slowly releases his grip.
"Alright," Silver pants, hands on her knees. "Now what?"
"Now we wait for the witch to come for her pet." Blue reaches out a hand to place it on the lynx's head. As soon as he makes contact, the creature's eyes flash, and suddenly Blue's rope vanishes. The lynx pounces and pins him to the floor, its jaws snapping in his face.
Razi tries to jump back on the lynx, but it dodges, and smacks him away with a swipe of its claws. With a final yowl, it turns and bounds off into the woods.
"Damn it," Blue says. "After it!"
"Beast Tamer: Razor!" Silver summons a small, purple bat and points it after the beast. "Catch up to the lynx! Don't let it out of your sight. We'll be right behind you!"
The bat lets out a high-pitched screech and takes off like a bullet. In no time at all, it closes the gap between itself and the lynx. Razor tails the beast through decaying trees, dodging dangling dead branches and debris deliberately kicked up by the lynx. The forest gives way to the forgotten remnants of what might have once been a small village, and Razor continues to keep up with the lynx as it weaves in between the rumble and ruin of burnt down buildings until they reach the border wall of a castle.
Before Razor can approach any closer, however, the lynx turns and leaps, crushing the bat in it's jaws.
Silver stops and sucks in a deep breath as she feels her connection to Razor shut off.
As the sun quickly sets, they return to the inn in defeated silence, Blue stomping up to the building and throwing the door open while Silver and Razi follow at a more sedate pace.
Lillian and Richard offer the teen a greeting, but he ignores them in favor of continuing his march up the steps.
"Blue, hold on for a second. Just because your plan didn't work-" Silver tries grabbing into his scarf, but he yanks it out of her range.
"We can't do anything until tomorrow, right?" Blue snaps. Silver doesn't refute him, but presses her lips together in a thin face. "Then good night."
"What about dinner?" Razi calls after him.
"Not hungry!" Blue shouts back. The sound of his door slamming shut excited throughout the building.
"I take it your mission isn't going well?" Lillian asks as she reaches out to pat Razi on the head. The boys ears droop as Silver sighs.
"That would be an understatement."
As the four of them move together from the lobby towards the dining room, they come across Boron clutching a single suitcase at the check out desk. Eugene stands on the other side of the counter arms crossed and expression stern.
"Please sir, you must let me leave."
"I can't do that," Eugene says.
"But you must. I'm all out of money," Boron says. "I can't afford to stay here anymore, and I've already taken too much-."
Eugene holds up a hand, cutting off the young man mid-sentence.
"Tell me, did you really think I would kick you out when your sister is still missing and you have nowhere else to go?" Eugene reaches across the counter and clasps Boron's shoulder. "Money is not an issue. As long as your sister is missing, you are welcome here."
Boron breaks down crying.
"You're too kind, sir." He sobs. "Far, far too kind."
"Not at all. This is the least I can do. Now let's get you settled back in your room." Eugene pats Boron gently on the back and leads him upstairs.
"It seems dinner is delayed." Richard says. Lillian loops her arm with her fiance.
"That's alright. We should clean up first, anyway. The orchid's were beautiful but now we're covered in pollen."
As they also head upstairs, Silver huffs and throws herself on the couch.
"What are we gonna do now?" Razi asks, sitting down by the fire once more.
"We'll just have to try again tomorrow." Silver summons Aether again, patting the dog for comfort. "We'll just need to build a trap or something. Or maybe one of my beasts can do something."
"I can try tracking them by sound, too."
They stop talking at the sound of footsteps descending the stairs. Eugene spots them lounging in the lobby and sighs.
"I can tell by your faces that today wasn't successful."
"How's Boron?" Silver asks.
"Poor kid. He has no idea what to do with his sister gone."
"He really doesn't have anywhere else to go?"
"Afraid not. She's his only family."
"What's gonna happen to him if we can't find her?" Razi asks. Eugene scratches his beard.
"Can't say for sure. I have some friends who'd be able to help get him situated somewhere else I suppose. He can stay here for as long as he needs as well, though I can't imagine he'd be happy being so near to where his sister was taken." He looks up at a nearby clock and frowns. "I'd better get dinner ready. Would you like anything to drink in the meantime?"
Both Silver and Razi decline, and Eugene heads into the kitchen just as Raylin comes downstairs. Tucked in his arm is a small book with yellow pages and a torn cover.
"Just the girl I was looking for. I'm pretty sure I found it." He settles on the floor next to Razi, and carefully flips through the pages of his book. The pages are so thin and fragile, some of them tear just from being touched. Finally, he points to a sketch of a group of bracelets similar to the one Silver found.
"What are they?" Silver asks.
"They're called Link Bracelets or Contract Bracelets. They were pretty popular during feudal times. Essentially, they were used to bond a mage's magic to another person. The master could make the mage do anything they wanted, and in exchange, the mage fell under their protection. They couldn't be killed so long as their master was alive." Raylin flips to the next page. "They fell out of practice towards the end of the Dragon King Festival, and were outlawed shortly after the Second Trade War."
"Why?"
"It takes someone with a strong magical core to create the bracelets, but to bind someone, you only need a drop of their blood. Younger, weaker mages were often being taken advantage of and forced to fight against their will. What's worse, only the master can end the bond, and at that point the bound mage is often so exhausted or injured, they die. I don't know how one ended up in the forest, but it seems inactive anyway."
"How can you tell?"
"The name of the master is carved on the inside, and when the bond is active, it glows red." He takes the bracelet out of his pocket and hands it to Silver. It's much cleaner now. "I did my best, but I still can't make out what it says. To be fair, though, I'm a bit far-sighted."
Silver holds the bracelet close to her face. She twists it back and forth, trying to capture the etching in just the right lighting.
"I think it says... Moros... Titanes?"
Blue slams the door to his rented room and clocks it. He pushes his dresser in front of the door, just in case, and draws the curtains on the windows. Once he is in complete darkness, and certain no one will disturb him, he reaches into his pocket dimension and pulls out a silver hand mirror. He bites his thumb until he breaks the skin, then smears his blood over the mirror's surface. A soft, gray light emits.
"Yes?" A deep, raspy voice echoes from the mirror.
"She broke my spell." Blue says. "You didn't tell me she had dispelling abilities."
"Interesting. She must have kept more of her strength than I thought. Was the bracelet not of use to you?"
"Silver didn't bring it with her."
"That's the key to your success. Be sure she uses it on your next endeavor."
"How? You haven't explained anything to me."
"I'm paying you well for that exact reason. I even gave you a handsome advance."
Blue shrugs. "All I'm saying is if you really want me to ensure she's not a loose string, I'm gonna need a little more information."
"Very well," the voice sighs. "What do you wish to know?"
The silence is suffocating, and as far as Razi can see, there is nothing but a void of white space. He's not sure how he got here; the last thing he remembers is a somber dinner at the inn.
"You're dreaming," a voice whispers behind him. "But you're also not."
Razi turns around. His shadow is there, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently.
"That doesn't make sense." Razi frowns. "What do you even want?"
"You've been ignoring me. You'd be able to help more if you let me loose, you know."
Razi shakes his head. "I can't. It's not safe."
"So you're just going to let everyone down? You can't stay here forever. After a couple more days, you'll need to leave and return to the guild as failures. Master Cinerus won't be pleased."
Razi's ears flatten and his tail tucks between his legs.
"He won't be angry with me."
"No, but he'll be disappointed. What good are you if you can't meet their expectations? You were brought because they thought you'd be useful, but what have you done to help?"
Razi crouches down and covers his ears, but it does nothing to block out the shadow's voice.
"Let me out. I'll find her in no time. I'll destroy that lynx and that owl. The witch doesn't stand a chance against me."
"I can't."
"Yes you can. You're so much stronger now. You can handle it. Now, let me out, Razi."
The shadow holds out his hand. Razi stares at it for a second, then reaches out with his own. Before he can grasp his shadow's hand, however, loud screams wake him.
"LILLIAN'S BEEN TAKEN! HELP"
Razi recognizes Richard's voice and quickly throws on his hoodie to rush downstairs. He runs into Blue on the way, while Silver, who had been sleeping by the fireplace again, is already grabbing the panicking man by his shoulders. She shakes Richard roughly, forcing him to look at her.
"Tell me exactly what happened!"
"Lillian wanted to see the orchid's one more time, but we would not be able to before we left tomorrow. We went after dinner and thought we could take a shortcut through the woods. But we got lost somehow. We thought we saw the lights of the town, however, and followed them, but we came upon a castle 'd only just barely reached it when suddenly I was frozen, and a woman appeared out of thin air. She transformed Lillian into a dove and captured her in a cage. Then she turned to me and smiled, and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was back in town."
By the time he finishes, Eugene, and Raylin have joined them.
"I'll get the search party assembled." Eugene grabs his coat and runs out the door.
"There's not time for that." Silver ties back her hair and summons Crystal Wolf. "Richard, do you think you'd be able to lead us back to that castle?"
"Yes. I think so."
"Alright, Razi. Blue. Let's go."
"Hold on!" Raylin says. "It's dangerous at night!"
"This might be our only chance! We can't hesitate!"
"Dammit! Fine! I'll let my dad know. We'll send the search party in after you."
"We appreciate it. Lead the way, Richard!"
And with that, the four of them run out the door while Raylin starts gathering supplies. In the chaos, no one notices Boron sneaking away.
The dove coos as it beats its wings inside its cage, calling for her former love as he walks away from her.
"Now, now my little one. You should calm down or you'll hurt yourself." The woman strokes the back of the bird through the bars, paralyzing it. "That's better. My, but aren't you beautiful? You'll fit in with my collection nicely. Master will be pleased."
She swings the cage as she walks towards her castle; the gates swing open as the music swells. Inside the courtyard, ninety-eight cages each with a bird of different species and color sing and caw and coo and cry as she walks past them. Her li[s curve into a smile as she sings along to her ghostly orchestra.
"Sing for me, sing for me
Pretty little birdie."
She settles the dove amongst the rest of her cages, stroking it once more to end its paralysis. Immediately, it restarts its cries.
"Don't worry, my dear. He'll be back for you soon. And with friends, no doubt. Just one more." The woman's eyes turn glassy with tears. "Just one more, Master."
She turns away from the birds, throwing open her castle doors.
"Cry for me, cry for me
Pretty little birdie."
Alright everybody, I've gotten the rough draft about 80% done. I should have it finished by the end of this month.
My current goal is to post a new chapter every Friday. That may cause slightly shorter chapters, but I hope the frequency will make up for this.
I'm super excited for you all to see where the story is going!
Thank you for reading!