Onwards to Everdawn
"I can see why Elissa gave us that specific phrase," Taka muttered when they spotted a young boy — a grey cat Warmblood with dark blue hair and bright green eyes — leaving a stall in the outer market. He was clearly a nobleman, dressed in scarlet finery of velvets and silks, but he didn't carry himself in such a way. "His posture is awful."
"You're telling me," Dust agreed. "Mom would have a fit if I went around like that." Taka and Fidget didn't doubt it. The boy was slouched over, his shoulders hunched as he wondered almost aimlessly through the market. Dust noticed that the pickpockets avoided him — must be the friendships that Elissa was talking about. Seriously, when he wasn't disguised in oversized traveller's gear, Dust looked more noble than this boy did. They winced when they saw him kick over a stool outside on of the town bars.
"And…there's the childishness," Fidget moaned. "Perfect."
"Let's move quick," Dust hissed, moving forward purposefully and tugging his hat down so that no one nearby saw his face (by the Overseers, he was burning this entire outfit as soon as he got the chance…). Aiming his walk carefully, he moved so that he crashed straight into the boy, sending them both tumbling into a cabbage stand (the owner was furious).
"AH!" Jarin yelped. Footmen came rushing to his aid, just as Taka ran over to Dust's side. "Good grief! Watch where you're going!" he snapped.
"Marquess Jarin! Are you alright?" a footman asked. Jarin nodded haughtily as the footman turned to Dust. "Explain yourself, child! Do you realise what you have just done?!"
Dust mumbled incoherently, as his cover story went, and Taka stepped in.
"Please, good sir, forgive my brother," she apologised profusely, keeping her head lowered in a deep curtsey. "He is mute and his mind is addled. I will accept all responsibility for his actions and pay for any damage he may have caused."
"Don't bother yourself, I'm fine," Jarin huffed, brushing his coat down. "You should keep a closer eye on your brother."
"My most sincere apologies, Sire," Taka curtsied over and over. Dust discretely nudged her — now was as good a time as any to get that phrase in. "I tell him so many times to keep his head up and watch where he is going, but he is forever curling in on himself. I tell him: 'Keep slouching and someday you'll turn into a hunchback', but does he listen?"
Dust peeked out from under his hat and saw Jarin's eyes widen with recognition of the phrase. The young marquess turned to his footmen.
"Leave these pedlars be," he ordered. "And let me go," he added snappishly. "I don't need my hand held."
"But, Marquess…"
"I said leave!" Jarin barked (odd, seeing as he was a cat Warmblood). The footmen scurried away as Jarin turned to face the others again. "Walk with me," he ordered. "I want to go outside the gates."
"Well, isn't this guy just a ray of sunshine," Fidget grumbled into Dust's ear. It took all of Dust's self-restraint to not snicker.
Once outside Falun, Jarin led Dust and Taka around the wall until they were out of sight of any guards before he turned on his heels and glared insistently at them.
"Where did you hear that phrase?" he demanded. Dust sighed and pinched his brow together.
"She said you'd be like this…" he muttered.
"Wait, you know Ellie?" Jarin blinked. "How?"
"Long story short, we're on the same side as the princess," Taka replied shortly. "She told us you could give us some information."
"Information on what, exactly?" Jarin pressed. "And who are you anyway? Ellie's never mentioned having pedlars for friends."
"Technically we only just met," Dust explained, ignoring Jarin's comment about him actually being able to speak. "My name's Dust. Sorry about barging into you earlier."
"You're gutsy, I'll give you that," Jarin pouted. "Luckily you didn't cause any permanent damage."
"I knocked you over into a cabbage stand!" Dust protested. "You had a soft landing!"
"Boys!" Taka snapped. "Can it."
"You can't tell me what to do," Jarin glowered.
"Are you going to help us or not, Coat Tails?" Taka huffed. "Because according to your princess friend you're the best source of info to help find Dust's mother and possibly save the entire kingdom while we're at it. And I seriously suggest that you share any and all information you have on the matter because we're the ones with a nimbat on hand." Jarin froze.
"Your…mother?" he frowned, looking at Dust. Dust nodded. "Is she…is she the red-headed fox that was brought before the court two days ago?"
"Yes, that's her," Dust said. "Elissa said she's still alive." Jarin looked worried.
"I don't know how much longer that will last," he grimaced. "The King took her and a new legion of soldiers to Everdawn Basin yesterday. There's been a battle with the Moonbloods up there for the last week."
"Why does everything we do lead back to those volcanoes?" Fidget mumbled nervously. Dust inhaled sharply.
"We were just in the mountains!" he exclaimed. "We could have skipped this leg and gone straight there!"
"Easy, Shrimp," Taka soothed in the only way she knew how. "Don't get your tail in a knot."
"This is my mother we're talking about here, Taka!" Dust snapped. "We're going to Everdawn right now!"
"Dust, calm yourself!" Ahrah said firmly, its voice rising a lot more than it had ever done before. "You're working yourself up, and you are losing rationality as a result! Clear your head, and think this through before…"
"Clearing my head is the last thing on my mind, Ahrah!" Dust snapped, ignoring Jarin's exclamation of shock at hearing Ahrah speak. "I can't just stop and think things through when I'm this close."
"Hey, cool it, Dust!" Fidget interjected. "Ahrah's right. Marching straight to Everdawn does get us to Ginger, but it also leads us right to King Julius. Who, may I just remind you, has the one thing that could take you out of action at this point in time?"
"That's besides…"
"That is not besides the point, Dust, and we are going back to Kim and Ash to talk this through sensibly before we go anywhere!" Fidget cut across, flying so close to Dust she was practically nose to nose with him. "Ginger would skin me alive if you just went throwing yourself into danger like that!"
Dust took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. Jarin looked a little spooked by the exchange.
"Is that everything you need because honestly you guys are completely off your rockers," he muttered.
"Unless you can tell us how many men the King has and what his weapons are, yes," Taka replied. Jarin thought for a moment.
"Same tech that was developed for General Gaius' army nearly twenty years ago, with added upgrades," he said.
"Wonderful…" Fidget groaned.
"I don't know how many soldiers he's got, but it's a lot," Jarin added.
"Great," Taka nodded. "Thanks. You've been a help." She beckoned for Dust to start following her back into the plains when Jarin grabbed Dust's tunic, pulling him back for a moment.
"Listen, I don't know what King Julius is up to," he murmured. "All I know is that he's planning something big. I don't know who you are, Dust, or what your deal is with the King, but I don't like this. At all."
"You and me both," Dust agreed.
"I can meet you at the basin tomorrow," Jarin offered. "I can give you more information by then. Like I said, I don't know the full extent of what's going on but I know enough from Ellie that it needs to stop. If you're a friend of hers, you're a friend of mine. I'll help in any way I can."
"You've done enough, Jarin," Dust insisted. "I'm not dragging any more people into this. Go home and stay out of it."
Dust dashed off after Taka before Jarin could protest any further.
"Everdawn? You're kidding, right?" Kim groaned once Dust and Taka delivered the news.
"I wish we were," Dust sighed. "It's not a place I'm looking forward to going to either."
"Why would he set up camp in the most volatile place in the entire kingdom?" Ash spluttered. "The King is madder than I thought!"
"Well, to paraphrase Elder Grey-Eyes on the matter, what better defence is there?" Fidget huffed. "You guys may not remember but the Moonbloods used pretty much the exact same tactics."
"I remember…sort of," Dust sighed. "And there's more bad news. We think the King has the Eye of the Life Thread."
Ash spat out the tea she had just brewed.
"WHAT?!" she shrieked. "Please tell me you're messing with us, Dust! Because this is not funny!"
"Do I look like I'm joking, Ash?!" Dust snapped. "I don't like this anymore than anybody else here does, but we've still got to go! We don't have a choice!"
"There is always a choice, Kid," Kim began.
"Not this time," Dust countered. "Not for me, anyway. No matter how we slice things, if I'm going to do this, I have to go to Everdawn. Mom's up there and so's the King. This is my only chance to end things and I can't afford to miss it. Not just for Mom's sake but for the sake of all Falana, especially the Moonbloods!" he shouted, tears starting to well up in his eyes. Taka was shocked. She'd known this kid for little less than an afternoon, and she was horrified at the responsibility he'd piled on himself. "Look, if you want, you guys can go home. I won't stop you. You have a choice…" Dust continued, choking on his own sobs. "But I don't…I have to do this…I have to save her…"
He was cut off by Ash throwing her arms around him, pulling him into a comforting embrace.
"I know you do," she murmured soothingly. "And we've discussed this. You're not doing this alone." Dust hiccoughed into the young Mage's shoulder, his shoulders shaking as he let out relieved sobs. "It just threw us off, that's all."
"Ash is right, Kid," Kim smiled gently. "We've got your back. And we're counting on you to have ours as well." Dust nodded, unable to speak through his crying. Taka placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"We should get moving," she suggested. "The Everdawn Basin is a fair walk from here. Even I don't want to spend another night on the Plains."
The group decided to set up camp once they reached the foothills of the Blackmoor Mountains. There, at least, they would be outside of bandit territory and a great deal closer to their destination.
Dust tossed and turned restlessly in his sleeping back, trying to distract himself by staring at the dancing flames of the campfire. Across from him, Taka was tending to things, taking her shift of the nightly watch while Kim rested. Questions kept going through Dust's head as his gaze shifted to her — what were her connections to the Blades of Elysium? How was it that her family had the Starsheen Knives, a set of weapons that, until now, he'd never heard of?
"You really should be getting some sleep, you know," Taka sighed. Dust winced and sat up — he hadn't thought he was that obvious.
"Can't," he said.
"Bad dreams?" Taka asked. Dust curled into himself — he didn't like admitting to nightmares. He'd hoped he'd grown out of those. "Don't keep it to yourself. It's not healthy."
"I'm fine," Dust insisted. Taka raised a brow — clearly he wasn't. She kept pressing. "I'm just worried about Mom, okay? Last time we were at the Everdawn Volcanoes…" he trailed off, remembering that Taka didn't know his full story.
"What happened?" she pressed gently. Dust took a deep breath.
"There's…something you need to know about me if you're going to be sticking with us," he said carefully. "I only found this out a few days ago…it's still really new to me."
"Does it have anything to do with what Fidget brought up when we were talking to the princess earlier?" Taka guessed. Dust nodded. "What did you mean by 'another lifetime ago'? You can't mean that…"
"I do," Dust sighed. "This isn't my first time living. Fifteen years ago…I was the warrior that stopped Gaius' campaigns against the Moonbloods." Taka gasped quietly in surprise. "Do you remember what Elissa called me?"
"She said something…Sen-Mithrarin, was it?" Taka recalled. "I've never heard that name before."
"It's the name given to the hero that would save the Moonbloods in their hour of greatest need," Dust recited, almost as if remembering an old story. "That was…and still is…me. And fifteen years ago, when I was first around, I died in the Everdawn Volcanoes."
"But…how…?" Taka nearly whispered. "This…this is impossible!"
"I'm sitting here now, aren't I?" Dust huffed sleepily.
"How do you know all of this?"
"Fidget and Ahrah filled me in on a lot when we reunited," Dust explained. "Since then, I've been remembering bits and pieces of what happened last time. I've pretty much remembered everything…some things are still fuzzy…but it scares me. Until about three days ago I was just a normal thirteen-year-old."
"That's…unbelievable," Taka exhaled in awe. "You really are something else, Dust." Dust sighed and shrank further into himself. "What did you and Fidget mean when you said this Eye of the Life Thread is the only thing that is of real threat to you?"
"Well, it's not just the only threat," Dust shrugged, trying to lighten things up for himself and failing miserably. "I mean, I'm still mortal and all and…"
"You're rambling."
"Sorry." Dust paused before continuing hesitantly. "Sen-Mithrarin…is a body made up of two souls. One half is goodness and the will to do the right thing, and the other half is power and the ability to stand up against any foe."
"Well, you're strong for your age," Taka smirked lightly. "Not going to lie. And you're the nicest kid I've certainly met in a while. So you have two souls? That what you're saying?"
"Yeah…" Dust mumbled. "Two souls that are technically a part of the Life Thread." Taka caught on and a small 'Oh' escaped her lips. "They're dormant for now…and hopefully stay that way…but if they were to awaken…" Dust shuddered involuntarily. "If the King has the Eye, then he could take control the souls that rest within me," he explained, his voice quivering. "I'm…I'm scared… He could make me hurt someone…or…or….or worse and then…"
Dust was cut off once more by a pair of arms pulling him close. In his rambling, he hadn't noticed Taka change her position so that she was next to him, pulling him into a hug that wasn't quite maternal, but instead more sororal in nature. Dust froze in shock for a moment — although she had said that she had a sister, he hadn't taken Taka for the sisterly type.
"We won't let you," she promised softly. "If anything happens, you are not going to hurt anyone. We won't let it happen."
Dust's shaky mumbles of protest were muffled by choked sobs. For the first time in the longest time, Dust was scared for himself…he'd been scared for others, but now he wasn't even sure if he knew what he was getting into. He thought he had, but he was now remembering that he wasn't a fully grown Warmblood this time. He was little more than a pup, fighting a war far greater than he could have ever fathomed.
"What if I fail?" he cried softly. Taka patted his head gently.
"You won't," she said soothingly. "You're an Elysian Warrior." That doesn't mean anything, Dust thought. I'm still just a kid…how can I do this? "And you've made it this far. Don't give up just yet. We're going to save your mother, and we're going to put this kingdom to rights. You'll see."
Dust nodded shakily, but he wasn't entirely convinced. He'd saved Falana last time, if only for a while, but he'd still lost his life doing so. As Ahrah had said: sometimes you could do everything right and it still wouldn't be enough.
After so long I've now gone home…
Dust's breath hitched, causing him to choke on a rising sob again. The melody was so recognisable…the lyrics as familiar to him as his own voice.
Now that I have reached my journey's end.
That was the lullaby that Ginger used to sing to him.
Don't know how long I will be gone…
Dust's eyes closed as he began to fall asleep in Taka's arms, the lullaby having as much of an effect on him now as it had always done.
But I hope that I'll see you again…
Dust drifted off to sleep, his dreams filled with visions of a past he was still trying to grasp. Some scenes were clearer than crystal, others were hazy but recognisable. Then there were visions that he couldn't recognise; of fireplaces and laughter, of training yards and ringing metal, of snow and flame, and of rich crimson spilling onto fertile ground.
…my friend.