A/N: I forgot about another species, draconian, that I do in fact mention in this chapter, but only briefly as a joke. Just so you know, draconians are water people (not like merpeople though) who can recycle used oxygen and live underwater for long periods of time. And no, they do not have half fish bodies, because that is just creepy. Right, thanks much to the people who reviewed! They were anonymous, so I'll respond to them here.
Bluelighteninggirl: Glad you like the story so far! I thought of the good/bad switch because I thought that the mythical creatures were too polar, and that they really should be seen from different perspectives.
Emily: Again, happy that you like it! Following your request, I have inconspicuously integrated some brief comparison between species, although it is very surface and not scientific, because the one who is doing the thinking isn't a scientifically minded personage, and doesn't know a lot yet. Maybe as the story progresses, I'll be able to go into more detail.
Also note that I am super lazy. If people don't review, I still write, but it gets cranked out way slower. Knowing that people care makes me guilty and spurs me to update faster.
Okay, I'll shut up now. Please attempt to enjoy the chapter.
xxxxxx
I woke up to a pair of glinting red eyes. Ridillyn. Once I was awake enough to realize that he was leaning over me, I screamed. He moved away, and then snickered.
"Sorry to have startled you Kite, but we should be heading out now. I know it's only just dusk, but market is already starting up, and I want to get out there and buy something. It's what I came here for, anyway." he said. I groaned inwardly, still feeling tired.
"What day of the week is it?"
"Amoreve, of course."
"What?" I ask, nonplussed. "What happened to a Monday or Tuesday?"
"Those refer to times of daylight. As soon as the sun sets, the times of night begin. I believe that Amoreve is Tuesday night, if you must know."
"Oh. What are the other, er, nights of the week?" He smiled at me, an eerie smile that made me feel strangely vulnerable. It might have just been those teeth.
"Starting with Sunday night, we have Darkeve, Cyneve, Amoreve, Omnaseve, Matheve, Thymeve, and Eirreve." he recited. "Now hurry up, I don't want to miss anything. Oh, wait." He reached into his sleeves, pulled out a folding blade, and thrust it at me. I fumbled, but caught it. "If you find the need to make a purchase." he explained. That sounded ominous. He stood up and looked ready to go, but then seemed to remember something else. He pulled a white square of fabric out of his sleeve, and it reminded me of the cheap 'magic' shows that traveling circuses performed. My thoughts were interrupted when he tossed the fabric into my face.
"What's this for?" I mumbled.
"Tie it around your neck. White marks you as mortal." Ridillyn explained. I didn't feel comfortable with advertising the fact that I was mortal in a town populated largely by vampires, but Ridillyn was staring at me, and I complied.
I didn't have time or ability to say or do anything more, for he grabbed my arm and practically flew out the door. Although vampires weren't able to run at supernatural speeds, Ridillyn moved pretty quickly anyway, and by the time we got to the center of town, I was already winded. He darted around gleefully, dragging me along as he looked at various merchandise. We finally stopped in front of a stall where a merchant was selling pottery, trinkets, and bottles of thick, purple liquid.
"Hey Aire." the man greeted cheerfully. He was scrawny, with droopy eyes and a halfhearted fake smile plastered on his face. He was wearing a red neckerchief, which I'd deduced by now meant that he was a vampire.
"Evening Raefel." Ridillyn acknowledged, nodding his head. Raefel turned and looked me up and down then inhaled sharply, taking in my scent. I squirmed a little.
"And who is this ya've got with you?" he inquired, perking up noticeably.
"Hi, I'm Kite." I said, trying to hide my nervousness. It seemed to have worked, for he grinned and held out his hand. I shook it uncertainly.
"Pleased ta meet ya, lassie." he said amicably. "Could Ah interest ya in making a purchase?" I shrugged, and he seemed to take it as a yes. "Anything ya see that ya'd like?" he asked hopefully.
"Maybe, but I don't have any money." At this, Raefel chortled, and Ridillyn smirked.
"New here, lassie? It's all fine, ya can pay with yer blood. Provided ya have a container fer it." Raefel said lightly.
"Still have that knife I gave you?" Ridillyn asked, shoving me lightly. I turned bright red.
"Oh right, yes I do."
"Nothin' ta be embarrassed 'bout, if ye'r from Lytas. Takes some time ta get used ter it." I nodded, feeling only slightly better.
"Raefel, what's that over there?" Ridillyn pointed past his head towards a jagged orange stone hanging from a necklace.
"Want ter see it?" Raefel carefully took it down and handed it to him. Ridillyn's eyebrows furrowed, and he stroked it with his fingers thoughtfully.
"Kite, hold this for a second." I took it from him, and immediately felt a weird thrum. I gasped, and almost dropped it. It kept pulsing oddly, with some unseen power.
"What is it?" I asked, wondering why it was acting this way. Raefel looked perplexed. Ridillyn grinned widely, eyes glinting.
"Perfect! You have a great magical potential there, Kite. A few years of studying and you'll be a decent sorcerer, maybe even good enough to apply for Royal Archwizard." he exclaimed. I stared at him, shocked, and I wasn't the only one. Raefel was gaping at him too.
"Royal Archwizard? That's somethin' big ter be predictin' this early, Aire! It's awful hard ta make it ter that kind of position, ya know."
"Well, she felt the magic off that little thing, and you have to admit not many could. You didn't even know it contained magical energy until she touched it." Ridillyn pointed out. Raefel nodded slowly, and turned to me.
"So, would ya like to buy that? A small vial should be a fair enough trade, what do ya say? Not often I get my hands on pure tindrin blood, I can't afford that kind of luxury!" he muttered enthusiastically. I couldn't see why not, he did seem extremely eager, and it would me mean to disappoint him. Besides, the necklace was fairly pretty. I nodded, and he was practically jumping up and down in excitement.
Ridillyn beamed and pulled a vial and the stick that was apparently a wand out of his sleeve. He handed the vial to me, and readied his wand. I flipped open the knife and reopened part of my previous arm wound. No point in making more scars, right? It stung a little. I let the blood run into the vial until it was nearly filled, and then Ridillyn tapped the cut with a flourish of his wand. It sealed up in a bright haze, and I corked the vial and handed it to Raefel, who took it from me carefully and gave me the necklace.
"Thank ya very much, lassie. Ah'll enjoy every drop!" he told me enthusiastically. Ridillyn laughed lightly as we walked away.
"See, Kite, you're an instant popularity. You could probably get any kind of deal off of these people. It's not often people like you arrive in Sonfun. Unfortunately, this is a country of desperate people looking for second chances, and rarely do we find the desperate tindrin."
"Was that a compliment or an insult?" I muttered, unsure.
"Compliment. It's always a compliment when a vampire praises the quality of your blood." he drawled. Probably to emphasize his point, he leaned in and inhaled deeply, licking his lips contentedly. I did my best to ignore the smug smirk on his face as we walked along.
"Does this mean I really am a witch?" I asked him. Maybe the inquisitor was right after all. Still, that didn't mean I was evil, did it? I didn't feel evil. Ridillyn wrinkled his nose.
"It doesn't mean you're a witch necessarily. You could be a wizard or a sorcerer. Or both." he added as an afterthought. "You don't seem the witchy type. Witches are snappy scientific perfectionists. Wizards are more laid back. Much better, in my opinion. Then again, my opinion is biased because I myself am a wizard." He lapsed into silent thought after that, so I stopped talking to him.
Ridillyn seemed to know almost everyone in the town. As we passed by other stalls, he called out casual greetings to many of the sellers, and bought random junk from them. Or at least it was junk in my opinion. We stopped again at a stall where a silvaen woman was handing a bag to another vampire, who gave her some coins. Her neckerchief was a vibrant yellow and green.
"Excuse me, we need a healing potion, remedy for blood loss here." Ridillyn told the woman. Her eyes darted suspiciously from him to me.
"Of course sir, that will be twenty lox." She was still glaring disapprovingly at him as she passed him the medicine in a bag. Ridillyn dropped some copper coins onto the counter. As we made to leave, she stopped us for a second. "You should take better care of her." she muttered to him. The meaning of her words hit us at the same time. I reddened, and he shook his head.
"It isn't like that, I found her staked out in the desert, bleeding half to death. Intolerant Lytians." he whispered. The woman's expression softened and she grimaced knowingly. She gestured at my neck.
"No silver though?"
"We'll get her proper identification later. White was all I could find on short notice." Ridillyn responded. I sort of understood what they were talking about. The woman was asking why there wasn't silver on my neck cloth, but I had no idea what silver meant. What else was I, besides a mortal? Then I remembered the silver that Ridillyn wore. What did him and I have in common?
I asked him just that as we walked away.
"You'll see." was all he said before he rushed off again. I trailed after him, following him to another stall, where a sign that read "Apothecary" was tacked up.
"Excuse me, apothec'ry, do you have any powdered everlasting ice?" Ridillyn asked the man behind the counter. His neckerchief was yellow and red.
"As a matter of fact, I do. But it'll cost you." he said, reaching under the stall and coming back up with a jar full of clear blue crystals.
"How much?"
"Seven faelox." Ridillyn shook out his sleeve, and silver and copper coins rained from it. He counted them carefully, cursing under his breath.
"I'm ninety-seven lox short. Is there anything I could trade you?" The apothecary contemplated this for a minute, and then answered.
"Come back here with me." Ridillyn went and pulled me along. The apothecary glanced at me then shrugged and kept going. He led us behind the stall, where a pot sat over a makeshift stove. He shot a grin at Ridillyn. "The potion calls for Nosferatu blood. I don't know what someone as powerful as you is doing in a dingy town like this, but it's really not my business to know, is it?"
Ridillyn shrugged and walked over to the cauldron.
"How much does it need?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Three fazings or so." the man replied curtly. Ridillyn leaned his head down and bit into his wrist. His sharpened teeth cut easily through his flesh, and blood poured from the wound. The apothecary raised his eyebrows at this. "You're a true born?"
"Obviously."
"Your kind are rare."
"My kind die off too quickly. All for the best, we shouldn't exist anyway."
I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. What did he mean by true born? And how did his kind "die off?" Ridillyn was staring at the blood flow in concentration, as if counting the drops. After a while, he pulled away and licked himself clean. Then he used the same spell as before to heal himself. He took the jarful of ice from the apothecary and thanked him. The man grinned broadly.
"That man grins too much." Ridillyn muttered as we left.
"Speak for yourself, Master Smirk." I said to him. It was true; he did smirk a lot for no reason. There, he just smirked! "What's that ice for, anyways?" I asked him.
"It's not actually ice. It's called everlasting ice because the person who discovered it was an idiot and thought that it was some sort magic ice." Ridillyn responded. Then, at my confused look, he reiterated, "It is magic, but definitely not ice."
"Okay, okay, I understand." I grumbled. He could be extremely annoying sometimes.
"I was right about you being good for Royal Archwizard. You're already irritated by me, aren't you? That's part of the job description, 'Prince's favorite thing to annoy.'" he chuckled.
"Anyone would be irritated by you." I retorted. Ridillyn only smirked again. Again!
"You still haven't answered my question. What is the fake ice for?"
"It's not fake ice either, it's just not ice, see--"
"I get it! Screw technicalities. Just tell me what it's for already!" I shouted at him, turning red. He trembled, probably trying not to laugh.
"It's used for some potions and spells. You can put it into fire, and it turns into cold fire, which will affect mixtures differently. Of course, the fire is still hot, but another idiot decided to call it cold fire as a joke or something because it's light blue." he finally told me.
"Oh. Well you could have just said so before." I said, deflated. I felt the strange exhaustion that comes after being angry. Either it was that, or I was tired from the night of shopping and more blood loss.
"I could have, but it's good to be accurate." he said haughtily.
"Speaking of accurate, exactly what species are you? I still haven't figured it out." It was true. He didn't seem to match the descriptions of any of the different species. He definitely wasn't human, because humans did not have that many teeth. He was much too tall and lanky to be silvaen or tindrin; silvae were much more muscled and bulky, and had a lot more hair, while tindrins were naturally short and wispy, with large heads. Well, relatively large heads. I didn't think that my head was that big. He could have been nitori, but I wouldn't know, because the only nitori I've met so far is Phaeon, and he doesn't seem to have similar body structure. Then again, he isn't female, so that may have been it.
"You didn't think to ask that when we first met?" he asked me incredulously.
"It wouldn't have been very polite, and besides, it didn't really matter before." I told him. He looked offended, but it might have been a ruse.
"If it didn't really matter before, it doesn't really matter now, does it?" he muttered crossly.
"Fine, don't tell me. I'll just assume you're draconian or something." He turned pale. Well, paler than he was before.
"Alright, I'll tell you. I'm some sort of freak of nature, with screwed up genetics! I think my family used to be nitor, but when the first true borns began appearing, they decided to keep it going by inbreeding, and of course that caused a lot of problems. It wasn't only genes, it was division of magic as well. I'm less messed up than the rest of my family, because my mother was a normal nitor, which afforded me some sane DNA." he blurted. I didn't think I'd ever seen him so flustered, although it was hard to judge him, as I'd only known him for two nights.
"What are true borns? And what's DNA?"
"Oh, they stopped teaching science, didn't they? To prevent another disaster..." he mused, seemingly lost in thought. I was extremely confused.
"What do you mean? What disaster?" He ignored me and went on.
"A true born can be from any species. Instead of the normal spirit, the child is born with a demon. This effectively changes the physical body structure, as well as the abilities and needs of that child. I am a demon. I cannot produce my own spiritual energy, and must rely on that of others. In fact, I drink blood not only for the spiritual power, but for the sustenance and nourishment of my body as well. Unlike most other vampires, I cannot exist on such things as rimwood alone." he hissed softly. The tone with which he said this made me shiver. It was a loving, tender purr.
"Where's Sirros?" I asked, attempting to disperse the misty air that was smothering us with a change of topic.
"I believe he is taking Kysis out for a ride. I swear, he has feelings for that girl." Ridillyn answered in a normal tone. It had worked. The night air was once again crisp and refreshing. I sighed in relief.
A shadow slid over us, and a shriek assaulted my ears. The sound of steady leathery wingbeats passed overhead. I looked up, dreading what I would see, and then realized that it was the night mare, Kysis, and that she was flying. Perched precariously on her back, torn between amusement and fright, was Sirros, holding on to her mane for dear life.
Ridillyn mumbled something that sounded something like, "Blockhead...what's the point...inconspicuous...screws things up!" and ran after them, shoving people aside. I followed, running as fast as I could.
Kysis flew much too fast for us to catch up, so Ridillyn thought better of it and whipped out his wand.
"Kalte Mifet, I command you to turn around and come back this instant!" he spoke calmly. The words had a soaring, warped quality to them, and I realized that this was some sort of magic. A few minutes later, Sirros and Kysis came racing back, landing in front of them. Sirros looked extremely flustered.
"I'm sorry, we got a bit carried away." Ridillyn rolled his eyes.
"A bit? I had to use spiritual control to get you to come to your senses. What happened to being inconspicuous? Now the whole town will be talking about it. It's one thing to go out for a ride, an entirely different matter to fly through the main street! You weren't even supposed to be in the air in the first place." he muttered, stowing his wand. "Since you're infatuated with Kysis, I'll let it slide."
"I'm not--" Sirros began indignantly, but Ridillyn cut him off.
"You better hope you are, or I'll rethink this and punish you anyway." He stalked off. I glanced nervously between them, and then went after Ridillyn. I like to be on the winning side, thank you very much.
He led us to Phaeon's stables, where the cart was, and wrote a note on paper that probably came out of his sleeve. He tacked it to the driver's seat, and dragged me away.
"Come on, we're rounding back to Kastinon. I need to get you proper clothes and identification." he said tonelessly. I looked down and realized that my tunic was torn, where I had been cut at the gates of Sonfun. I was disheveled and dirty, as opposed to the immaculate feel that Ridillyn gave off. In a small farming village like this, it was fine, but if I was to go anywhere else, I needed to look more presentable.
Ridillyn was using a stick to draw a pentacle in the dirt on the outskirts of town. He sketched a circle around the star shape, and then started sprinkling some of the 'everlasting ice' onto the outline.
"Adaven fo ymadaka nostivad et." he chanted, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the pentacle. "Nonitsak leditic!" he shouted, and the world went up in a plume of smoke. I felt dizzy, nauseous, as if I'd been spinning around in circles. I stumbled, and Ridillyn caught me, steadying me.
"It takes a while to get used to the feeling." he whispered before moving forward, pulling me along. I recovered enough to gaze at our new surroundings. We were standing in front of another huge gate, though this time it was guarded by two armed men and a gatekeeper. They pointed their spears at us as we approached.
"State your identity and purpose." the gatekeeper barked. Ridillyn looked calmly into his eyes.
"I am Prince Ridillyn, as I hope you know, and beside me is Kitaek..."
"Fen." I supplied.
"We're here to get her proper identification, and to say hello to Father." he continued. The guards looked at him with narrowed eyes. Ridillyn smiled eerily, purposely showing the majority of his sharp teeth, and pulled his sleeve back to show the etching on his arm.
"The Royal Archwizard will see about it." said the gatekeeper. Sure enough, a minute later, an old tindrin man stalked into view.
"Oh hey, back so soon Your--" he stopped when he caught sight of me. "Who's this?"
"Lanveld, this is Kitaek. Kite, Archwizard Lanveld." We nodded at each other awkwardly through the gate.
"What're you doing, idling about? Let the prince in!" Lanveld snapped at the gatekeeper. He jumped and did as he was told. "Where's Sirros?"
"Still back at Merlis. We're not staying long, just getting Kite here registered." Ridillyn responded, walking up the path.
"Yes, the Gate opened twice yestereve, with three going in and two going out, one new arrival." the Archwizard confirmed, nodding his head. I wondered how they tracked how many people went through the gate.
"Yes, we'll need to get her filed for citizenship. Otherwise she could be attacked." Ridillyn muttered, glancing my way. I glared at him. He could have told me that earlier! We went through countless winding corridors, up several spiral staircases, through a plethora of random doors, and finally arrived in front of a huge double door. The doors were probably the most elaborate things in the area. For a palace, it didn't seem too fancy. The walls were plain gray stone, the dim passageways lit with flickering torches. It was a bit eerie.
I wondered what was behind those doors. Perhaps it was the throne room. But why would the throne room be so far up? I was sure that we were on the third floor at least. But I didn't get to find out what was behind the doors, because we swerved down a side passage, coming to a stop before a blank wall. Archwizard Lanveld produced a staff from nowhere and jabbed at the wall, waving his hands wildly. Instead of a door appearing in a puff of smoke, or something dramatic like that, nothing seemed to happen. It was a bit anticlimactic
I regretted thinking that as I fell hundreds of meters, straight down a shaft of stone. However, instead of splattering at the bottom, I landed in a swirl of strange, thick, tangible fog. It obscured my vision and hearing, like a swath of cotton. I couldn't even tell if I was stationary, falling, or something else. I felt lost, and alone. Then I was hit with a wave of real fear. What if I was lost in this smothering fog? What if I never got out? Hundreds of what if's, each more gruesome than the next, chased each other around inside my head. I thrashed, desperately trying to 'swim' out of the stuff.
Someone grabbed my hand. I struggled, shrieking unheard, but then I realized that this was probably a good thing. Whoever it was pulled me along, as if they were walking. Suddenly, I realized that we were walking, and that the surroundings had cleared. We were in yet another hallway, and Ridillyn was clutching my hand securely.
"Sorry, I forgot to mention how to navigate the controlled termite passageway." he said sheepishly.
"I think you forgot to mention a lot of things." It was meant to be sarcastic, but it sounded more like a high-pitched squeak. Ridillyn chuckled.
"We're in the sublevels. This is where the individual files of every resident of Sonfun are stored, containing detailed information. Of course, they are kept concealed by an absurdly large number of security spells. We're here to create your profile." he explained. I felt rather queasy knowing that my information would be filed away. What if someone was able to break through the security? My thoughts were interrupted as Archwizard Lanveld turned up and spoke.
"Alright, first thing we need to do is create your own pocket in the nest of spells. Speak your spirit name into the air, make sure you speak clearly."
"Er..." I muttered. I felt uncomfortable just shouting it aloud with them present.
"Just say your name." Ridillyn told me.
"Could you cover your ears or something?"
"I'm afraid not, I need to hear it to perform the necessary spells, and the prince is supposed to know the spirit names of all his subjects." So I was one of Ridillyn's subjects now? That's nice? I shrugged.
"Now?"
"Yes now!"
"Safirus Akita Elio!" I shouted at the wall. I felt a weird hum in the air, and saw a twisting ripple nearby. I whirled around to look at it, but it had already smoothed back into nothingness.
"Who taught you to hide your spirit name?" Ridillyn asked me curiously.
"My father."