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A flash tore through the Lux Aurean sky, closely followed by a violent crackle of thunder that hammered above the city. Torrential rain pelted the buildings, swept up and carried by powerful gusts of wind whipping through the different avenues and streets.
Another lightning flash.
If anybody had been out then, they would've likely seen a hooded figure scurrying their way through a narrow walkway into a more open, plaza-like area with tiny but immaculate golden houses lining each of the four sides. At the center was a small square of shrubbery, with perfectly trimmed hedges and flowers, all with a large Xadian evergreen tree in the middle, standing tall enough to stretch beyond the buildings and bask in the sun forge's eternal light.
The hooded one stopped at the entrance to the plaza and darted their head around quickly, scanning the white marble roads that outlined the growth in the middle before looking into some of the windows of the nearby houses.
Another bright light crackled through the sky, and only then did they scurry over to the home closest to the small path and quickly open the door. They gestured hastily and urgently to two people out of view: a small blue sky dragon and a masked one. The former of the two tried their best to leap into the tiny house, barely being able to squeeze their body through the entrance doors, with the masked person following closely behind.
Immediately, the hooded figure slammed the door shut before removing their headwear, revealing the face of no other than Kazi, a short-haired sunfire elf student with small round glasses. The glasses had been completely fogged and wet from the everbearing storm outside.
Kazi sighed and wiped their brow before moving to the window closest to the door and immediately pulling down the blinds. "Sorry, there's not much space for you, Azymondias…" They said, slightly apologetic. "Student housing isn't the best." They chuckled.
Zym looked at them and emitted a low, barely audible "Hm" of acknowledgement before finding a space in the house's main room. He curled himself up so that his head was facing his tail, staring absentmindedly at the wall.
It was cozy, all things considered. Right after the entrance, the main room consisted of a dining area with a small wooden round table surrounded by three chairs of the same material. Just behind it was a small marble island that separated the miniature kitchen from the rest of the room. To the right was a dark doorway that led into the bedroom, which bore nothing but a lone bed on the far right side, a desk to the left, and a closet directly next to the door, behind the wall just out of view.
The booming thunder from the outside storm was still audible, rumbling through the house as Kazi lowered the last blind and turned around to face the two new houseguests. They regarded Zym for a second, who was still absentmindedly staring at the wall, not even noticing them, before Kazi turned their attention to the masked figure, standing at the entrance, looking back at them.
"So uh…" Kazi said nervously, touching their pointer fingers to find the right words. "Who's this?".
Zym raised his head and looked at Kazi briefly before turning toward the masked one. He formed a slight glare. "Yeah… I've been trying to figure that one out myself…"
The masked figure turned its head towards Zym, unmoving, not reacting in any other way.
Zym's response did not make Kazi any more comfortable. Their right eye narrowed a tiny bit as they tilted their head and grew a somewhat nervous smile. "Ah-h-ah"..
Kazi looked back towards the floor, contemplating something, before closing their eyes, removing their glasses, and rubbing them with their cloak to clean the fogged-up mess that built off them. "And… why exactly are you traveling with them then?" They asked meekly as they did this.
Zym rolled his eyes and stared back at the one in the mask. "Hmm… I don't know… you want to answer that one?"
The one in the mask didn't speak.
"Of course, you don't… they've been… following me since all this crap started" Zym's expression became more stern. "I don't know who they are or what they want." He then looked back at the floor, his eyelids separating again as his face became more reflective. He sighed. "...But they did save my life a couple of times".
Kazi stared with their mouth slightly agape at the strange individual and then stared back at Zym. "Uh… ok… well… uh…I guess I'll let it slide then…" They said, still unsure of themselves. They then sighed before gently asking. "Azymondias… what happened…"
Zym gazed at Kazi with an unreadable expression for a few seconds before looking at the kitchen, averting his gaze. "I don't wanna talk about it…"
"Azymondias…we all thought you were dead, then you were suddenly alive again, then…your wing-"
"Enough…"
"Azymondias-"
"ENOUGH!"
Kazi immediately jumped back and almost hit the wall behind them at Zym's sudden outburst. Even the one in the mask seemed to twitch slightly as if they hadn't expected that from him. Kazi watched with shock and slight fear as their gaze met that of the blue sky dragon… his cold… stern… glower. But that only lasted a couple of seconds before his face seemed to flush with a sudden wave of regret, and he looked back at the floor and shook his head. "Just… tell me how to get out of here…" He said weakly.
Recovering from their initial scare, Kazi exhaled and shook their head. "Azymondias… I don't know… it's not going to be easy… All of Xadia is looking for you… King Sol Regem-"
"Don't call him king." Zym hissed.
"Right… well… Sol Regem… he put a bounty on your head… and not a small one."
Zym lowered his head back down, his eyes sad, hopeless, and reflective.
"Is there any way I can speak to Janai?" he asked, not moving his head to look back at them.
"Azymondias…" Kazi shook their head. "Queen Janai went missing three days ago… we have no idea where she is."
At this, Zym closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, clearly thinking about something before pounding the ground with one of his claws.
Kazi watched on sympathetically. "K-Karim has taken her place, and I don't think you'd wish to be talking to him… he's going to make escape… difficult…" They paused for a moment. "After that stunt you pulled, he's probably got the whole city on high alert."
Kazi looked to their right and angled their sight down towards the floor, deep in thought. There had to be something they could do. They thought as deeply as they could, back to their entire student life and their experience of Lux Aurea, about whether there was anything to help them get out of Lux Aurea unseen.
Suddenly, something came to them. It would be risky, but it was the only shot they had.
"I have an idea."
As the sun rose the following morning, Kazi grunted as they struggled to heave a massive cart carrying a rather large wooden boat behind them to one of the city's river channels. It was a beautiful, hot, Lux Aurean summer day, a completely different change of tone from what they had experienced the night prior. But right now, Kazi hated it.
The sun was beating down on them relentlessly, making them suffer all the more as they pulled the rope towards the shore of the channel bed. To make matters worse, the warmth of the sunforge, which people always felt across the entire city and was usually a welcome feeling to sunfire elves, only added to the heat. Everything that sunfire elves should usually be overjoyed by seemed to make Kazi miserable today. They were just lucky for that extra energy boost that the sun provided, at the very least. Without it, this might've been impossible.
Finally, they turned the corner, and the dock peaked through the narrow street. From here, they could see several boats tied to the short wooden walkway and a large grassy area in front of the dock to park belongings that weren't coming with one on a river voyage… such as their cart.
They were finally almost there.
Kazi rolled the boat into one of the empty spaces on the grass lawn and began to pull it to the water. Getting the thing to move without wheels proved to be more of a struggle than before, and some other people in town took notice as what looked to be a big, burly male sunfire elf quickly walked up to them.
"Need any help there?"
Kazi looked back, utterly surprised, before a slight panic set in. "OH- uh… n-no, no thanks!" They laughed nervously. "I'm all good here."
The other elf tilted his head and looked at them confusedly. "Uhhhh… you sure?… you seem like you're struggling a little bit…"
"N-no," Kazi laughed. It's Okay, " they said as they heaved the boat one last time from the wheeled vehicle. It finally landed on the ground with a huge thunk. They took a moment to catch their breath before looking back at the sunfire elf with a satisfied expression. "See?"
The elf regarded them for a moment, his arms crossed. "Okay…" He said, still obviously a little confused, before walking back to where he was prior.
Kazi tried desperately to pull the boat up through the dock to the first available open space.
This stupid thing cost me most of my savings to rent. This better be worth it. They thought in dismay at the state of student income as they grunted hard, pushing the boat into the water with all their might. It fell into the water with a big SPLASH. Droplets of liquid flew everywhere, some landing nicely on Kazi's face and shirt before they could shield themselves.
Perfect, they thought to themselves sarcastically. They did their best to quickly wipe off some of what had stained their uniform before looking back at the vessel, slowly bobbing in the water.
All things considered, it was a relatively sizable wooden craft made for more people than just themself. In the front lay a long wooden board meant to serve as a seat for riders, while the back… the back was covered in a large, brown cotton tarp.
They pulled the boat into the dock again as it drifted away, noticing how much easier it was to move when it was in the water, before they hissed a whisper at the brown tarp in the back of the boat. "Keep your heads down, don't move, and stay quiet."
They quickly looked around to make sure nobody was looking at them like they were a weirdo from what they had just done, but nobody seemed to notice. Satisfied, Kazi jumped into the front, grabbed the large wooden sticks from the front bench, and began to paddle their way out into the river.
Kazi continued paddling anxiously for several minutes through the primarily empty channel running through the city. The eloquent marble streets and golden buildings passed by them slowly on either side as they watched them with feigned interest. They were trying to stop themself from looking at all the people passing them by on the sidewalks.
Now and then, they would catch the eye of one of them walking and have to dart their head away immediately to avoid appearing suspicious. The large number of golden armored knights out on patrol today worsened everything. Many more than usual were coming out of every street corner and intersection in groups of two or four.
Kazi knew who they were looking for.
And so they settled, trying to keep their heart rate down, worrying that their slight movement would make them look suspicious. But despite how nervous Kazi was, nothing ever happened.
That was until about an hour later when Kazi had almost reached the city's outskirts, they had locked eye contact with two knights gazing at them from the bridge. They immediately darted their head in the other direction but realized how suspicious that looked and began to panic. They were stuck between looking at them and the sidewalk, so their gaze switched between them a few times, eventually becoming stuck onto them as the knights latched onto Kazi.
With their heart hammering in their chest, they didn't know what to do, so they froze, unable to think or process anything. Their brain had short-circuited entirely, turning into a whirling mess.
Finally, Kazi's chest dropped when they heard the unmistakable sound of a voice yelling from ahead.
"Hey!"
The knight on the right was motioning them over to the right river bank.
Oh no
Kazi debated their options. They could run… but they'd never escape them; They were far too slow, and they'd have the entire city chasing after them then. Plus, failure to comply would make them look even more suspicious. No… the only choice was to follow the knight's orders, as terrible as that made them feel.
Slowly and shakingly, Kazi paddled over to the bank the knight had gestured to as the two officers made their way down the bridge, seemingly wholly relaxed, to greet them.
They arrived roughly simultaneously. Through their nerves, Kazi didn't realize the water was still carrying them and that they were drifting off until one of the knights swooped down and grabbed the boat, pulling it back toward shore.
"Woah there," a male sunfire elf voiced.
"S-sorry…" Kazi replied sheepishly, laying their hand on the sidewalk to prevent the boat from slipping away. "G-good morning…" They stuttered out. "A-anything I can help you with?"
"Good morning, " a female-sounding sunfire elf voice replied. She sounded really… friendly. "We are sorry to inconvenience you. We are sure you are very busy. We just had a few questions we hoped you could answer, and then we'll send you on your way."
"O-Of course…" Kazi replied, holding onto the sidewalk for dear life.
The knights seemed to notice their attitude. "You seem a little nervous today…" The woman said. "Anything on your mind?"
A chill speared through Kazi's spine as their breath hitched momentarily. They debated what to say before simply responding, "N-no… it's just… you have to understand… it's always a little nerve-racking being confronted by armed personnel." They laughed anxiously.
"Ah, of course…" the knight said. "Our apologies. We know this is not a regular stop, but you must understand. We are on… higher alert right now, given the sightings yesterday. I'm sure you've heard."
Kazi nodded
"Okay…" The knight started. "If you could… state your name for the record, please?"
The voice was still so… calm…and professional…, but it didn't make Kazi feel at ease. In fact, for some reason, it only made them feel worse…
"K-kazi Sultana"
"Okay, Kazi, what is the reason for your trip today?"
Oh crap.
Kazi mentally slapped themself in the face. They glanced around nervously, trying to think of something before looking back at the unmoving knights still staring at them.
Kazi's heart was thundering in their chest, and their palms were beginning to sweat.
"Kazi." She said more directly.
Kazi looked up at her, panicked.
"The reason for your trip…?"
"U-uh," Kazi stuttered nervously. "I mean, sorry, I'm…delivering a shipment of these apples to a friend outside Lux Aurea."
"I see… so I assume there are apples in here?" The woman asked as she gestured to the tarp.
"Y-yes…"
"A lot of apples…" The man added in abruptly… clearly suspicious of Kazi's story.
Meanwhile, Kazi was wringing their hands inside each other, looking down at their boat, hoping this interaction would end as soon as possible.
"I see… where does this friend of yours live, Kazi?"
"I-Isurium," Kazi immediately said, the first town that came to mind.
It was a small sunfire settlement close to Lux Aurea, not that long of a journey down this river.
"Hmmm… you wouldn't mind if we had a look, did you?" She gestured to the tarp.
Kazi's heart pounded even harder, and they began shaking softly. Their stomach dropped so hard that they began to feel a little sick. There was nothing they could do right now, though. "Y-yes, of course…"
She slowly walked over to the tarp as Kazi watched in fearful anticipation, tears beginning to build in their eyes. They tried as best as they could to focus on their breathing.
Everything is going to be okay.
They told themselves, but they didn't quite believe it.
The knight grabbed the corner of the tarp and slowly began to peel it back, revealing…
…Apples
Just as Kazi had said.
"Huh…" She said, sounding honestly a little surprised.
She pulled the tarp back over before walking back to Kazi. "Okay, Kazi, you're free to go… sorry for all the trouble."
Kazi breathed a deep sigh of relief as their nerves finally settled. "T-thank you…"
They had never signed up for this when becoming a university student, and it was the most stressful thing they had ever done. They couldn't imagine how those cool spies from all the stories they had read put up with this daily.
The rest of the trip outside the city was utterly uneventful. Eventually, the golden sprawling town gave way to lush forests with trees blooming in autumn-like colors, reds, and oranges, even though it was still dead in the middle of and approaching the hottest part of summer. The river went from a nice straight, well-maintained channel to a more natural-looking, ragged, dirt-banked stream, which then cut through one of the only places around the city that didn't consist of a giant wall of hills; after that, they were officially outside the city limits.
Kazi pulled the boat over to the side, beaching it a little so it wouldn't float away before turning around.
"Alright, guys, we're here…" They said, pulling the tarp back.
Immediately, Zym and the masked figure's heads popped up out of the pile of fruits, with apples rolling off of them and bouncing down the hill.
As all three of them vacated the boat, Kazi sighed and looked at both of them. "Unfortunately, I can't go further with you… I'm expected to be in class tomorrow, and I have a lot of responsibilities coming up, so I hope you find your way to… wherever you're going… We're near the settlement of Isurium. However, it's a tad north from here. You should be able to avoid it if you stay on course."
Zym didn't respond for a moment and looked at Kazi with an unreadable expression before sighing. "I'll figure it out…".
Kazi glanced back at Zym, a nervous question on their face, but they never asked what was on their mind. Instead, they balled up their right hand and wrapped it in their left, rubbing them together for a little while. "U-uh okay… Azymondias." They said. "I-it was a pleasure meeting you again… and you…" Kazi looked at the masked figure before hesitating for a moment. "You too… whoever you are".
The masked figure stared back at Kazi, unresponsive.
"Good luck to the both of you," Kazi bowed before getting back in their boat and paddling upstream, now back towards the city of the Lux Aurea.
Zym watched Kazi leave before they disappeared behind the hills in the distance. He sighed and shook his head, staring at the floor.
Suddenly, Zym heard footsteps to his right and snapped his head towards the masked one, who appeared to be in the middle of leaving.
A tinge of frustration built up inside Zym as he blurted out. "And just where are you going?"
They stopped but didn't turn around while Zym glared harshly at them.
"What, so you're just gonna leave again now?" The masked one turned their head back as Zym rolled his eyes.
"If you're gonna follow me around anyway, you might as well come with me; I think that would be a lot less of a headache for both of us."
Zym wasn't telling the whole story here. The truth was that Zym had built some trust in this strange person after all this time. They had multiple opportunities to hurt or kill him but never did. They seemed to want to help him genuinely… in… their own… weird way… and would be pretty helpful to keep around. On top of that, though… it would be… nice to have some company… even if that company never spoke to or communicated to him. But Zym would never admit that out loud.
The masked figure turned around fully, and Zym did the dragon equivalent of raising his eyebrow, waiting for… some response.
The masked one stood there for a moment in complete and utter silence before they seemed to make up their mind.
Zym watched as they slowly walked back towards him.
Callum closed his eyes and took a deep, long breath as a warm breeze swept through his hair. He leaned back with it as he listened to the slight hiss from the trees as their leaves rustled in the gentle sway of the wind. He was sitting on the top porch stair of the banther lodge. Thanks to the sunroof above his head, the intense August sun couldn't beat down on him like it otherwise would have, so instead, he was left with a pleasant temperature that made sitting out here… quite relaxing.
This was precisely what he needed right now. It was nice, after everything, to take a break. To clear his mind. The advice from his mother still always rang in his head each time he suffered from a panic attack.
Breathe.
And so he did.
In.
And, out.
Janai was sitting one step down next to him. She was drinking in the sunlight, doing essentially the same thing.
They hadn't talked much since they got out here. They had no reason to. They had already said everything there was to say. What came next was… still uncertain. Janai had said she wanted to help, but Callum didn't know what she could help with right now. There was so much that was still so… unclear. And so neither of them knew where to go from here. He still hoped things could improve, but that required action; he was aware of that and didn't know what steps to take.
Things were so much more manageable two years ago…
It had all been clearer then… return the egg of the dragon prince, stop Viren, make peace. He supposed the goal here was simple too:… somehow… find a way to stop Sol Regem. The thing was, though, two years ago, he had all his friends with him; he had an entire army of elves and dragons helping him; he had none of that now. He didn't even know what was going on in his own kingdom-
A piercing roar suddenly cut through the serene silence.
Callum's eyes immediately snapped open as his heart leaped in his chest. Janai suddenly stood up and sprinted past him. Before Callum could even ask what she was doing, he heard an audible slam behind him on the lodge door.
And right at that moment, the sun went out.
A horrible, dark shadow enveloped the land as Callum spun back around just in time to see a dragon's large, dark outline just above the lodge. The trees bent over in its wake just before the tremendous wind from the creature crashed into him like an invisible wall.
And then it was gone, but not without a second roar that trailed off in the distance.
Callum sat there for a moment, stunned. He stopped and stared at the crow master, who was off in the field, looking back at him with a worried eye. Neither of them could say anything about what had happened. He had seen dragons flying on trade routes before, but given the circumstances and how that dragon was behaving, this was not a trading dragon and a dark pit began to open in his stomach at the thought.
Creeeeek.
Callum's gaze snapped to the sound, finding himself face to face with the entrance of the banther lodge, the door was now open just a crack, with Janai's face peeking through timidly.
"I-is it gone?" She asked nervously.
"Janai…wha-?"
"Sorry Callum…" She walked out the door with her head down helplessly. "Like I said, I can't be seen."
"Oh… oh yeah…" Callum didn't know how he had forgotten that; Janai's behavior suddenly made complete sense. Who knows what that dragon would be capable of if it saw her? But as soon as that question was answered, another one immediately entered his head. "Wha-what was that?"
Janai's eyes rose to meet his, deeply solemn and a little sad. "Callum…It might've been a patrol."
Callum froze. "Patrol?"
Janai nodded, then sighed, looking off into the distance, clearly trying to figure out how to break the news to him. "Callum… Sol Regem owns Katolis now… he's going to want to make sure his new colony remains… in check… and dragons are very good at… well…" Janai looked down nervously, wringing her fist in her palm before continuing softly, "S-scaring people into submission."
He took a moment to let this new info sink in. He supposed it made sense despite how much it made his stomach turn. How did he not think of this? Or maybe he did, subconsciously, but just never accepted it. But now, being indeed confronted with it for the first time, it forced him to wonder once again.
What is Happening in Katolis?
The question frustrated him to no end. He had sent soldiers out to survey the situation in other kingdoms, but he had done nothing to keep what was happening here in the loop. How were his people? What was Sol Regem doing to them? He felt utterly pathetic. What kind of prince… or… ex-prince… couldn't even be bothered to stay informed of his home?
But then, he realized something, and suddenly, all his thoughts changed. "B-but there's no town that way… the closest civilization in that direction is…" Callum's heart dropped as an icy chill crept through his veins. "Del Bar…"
"CALLUM!"
Callum turned to see the crow master sprinting towards him urgently as a bird took off into the distance. He was carrying a rolled-up letter in his hand.
Another update.
Callum snatched the letter from him with haste and tore open the seal, diving into the contents.
Janai watched as his face morphed into one of shock, then confusion. Finally, he rolled up the letter and placed it gently in his pocket before meeting everyone's expecting eyes with a hint of sadness.
"I-it's from my officer up in Del Bar… they're under attack…Stars," Callum realized. "They don't stand a chance…"
Callum knew very well the state of Del Bar's military after the battle of the Storm Spire. It was one of the reasons why counting on help from the likes of them, Neolandia or Evenere when Sol Regem first attacked Katolis wouldn't be an option. The Battle of The Storm Spire had decimated their armies. Even though relationships between them and Katolis had healed, for the most part, their military hadn't. And now they were left with very little to defend themselves with.
The cost of war.
Callum suddenly felt a wave of regret about the events of that day. He and his allies might be why these kingdoms were going to get overrun now… but he had to. They were after The Dragon Prince; they were going to murder an innocent child, and peace with Xadia would never be a possibility. He had to stand against them then.
Not that that matters now.
There may be something he still could've done. If they could've convinced them not to attack somehow… or helped them recover more after the battle as a sign of goodwill, maybe he wouldn't have left them in the predicament they were in now.
"Callum?" Janai asked, concerned.
Callum sighed. "Nothing."
But then another thought hit him. Sol Regem's forces were after Del Bar, and for all he knew, Duren was still standing. Callum felt a wave of hope at the idea. "I-if they're after Del Bar, they may have given up on Duren…at least for now," Callum rationalized.
Had Duren done it? Had they successfully repelled Sol Regem's attack? If so… this was… this was big. It meant… it meant… Duren was a sign, a sign of hope.
"T-they might be able to help." Callum finally said hopefully, a smile beginning to form on his face.
Janai, however, did not seem all too convinced.
Hang on, guys, Callum thought. We need you.
General Livius stood on a wooden platform and overlooked the wall between Duren and Katolis, hands crossed behind his back as he took a deep breath. His Durenian uniform flapped in the gentle breeze as his eyes scanned the road coming in from their neighboring kingdom.
There had not been any skirmishes yet today.
Battles happened almost daily since they had held off that first attack from Xadia's forces. The nation in question had set up an outpost out in the forest, away from sight, launching the occasional dragons or knights or sometimes combined forces to rush the border, trying their hardest to breach the exterior. They had been able to hold them off with minimal damage to the fortifications for now, and adding the reinforcements he had called for made this all more manageable.
But that's the thing… It was too easy.
And this unsettled him. As an experienced general of twenty five years, He knew of Xadia's might and sheer power. Holding them off as one kingdom would be incredibly difficult; a combined force of elves with magical weapons and dragons that can incinerate anything they desire within seconds was not to be reckoned with unless you had help… or dark mages. But here, they had repelled them relatively quickly; they came in small numbers and always retreated rather fast when fired back against. It… didn't make sense; it was like they weren't even really trying.
He didn't know what Xadia was planning, but he had volunteered to watch almost all day and ordered his men to stay on their highest alert should something come forth. He knew it would.
It was only a matter of time.
Suddenly, a scream tore through the woods ahead. General Livius immediately escaped his thoughts and scanned the stone walkway and the treeline for the source of the sound, though he couldn't find anything.
As a precaution, He shouted to his men on the ballistas and inside the fort to get ready.
He didn't know what this was, but something was happening now, and he would not get caught off guard. He continued to scan his environment but found nothing. The screaming continued, however, getting louder and louder, instilling an eerie atmosphere over the fort. He looked at his men; they felt it, too.
It was coming from his left, he knew that much now. He immediately raced down the stairs, ran towards the location, and climbed up on the nearest wooden platform, spotting Commander Solon.
"See Anything?" General Livius asked
"No… but whoever it is, they're coming closer… I hear their footsteps."
General Livius strained his ears, and he could hear it, too, now: the sound of foliage being tossed aside and trampled, getting nearer…
"Sounds like a woman…" Commander Solon said
"Yeah…"
"Orders?" Commander Solon looked at General Livius with an eyebrow raised.
Livius slowly pulled out his sword. "Just be on your guard…"
General Livius didn't think they were being attacked. That scream wasn't a battle cry, but a scream of terror, and those footsteps were panicked. But there were multiple pairs, and they had to be ready for anything and defend the border regardless.
"General Livius!"
Commander Solon quickly pointed into the tree line. Following his finger, Livius spotted a human woman in a white robe practically leaping out of the woods, sprinting right at the wall. She was being closely pursued by a small band of golden-armored Knights, who seemed to be gaining ground on her.
The women looked back just as one of the knights threw their spear. She dove to the ground, her hands unable to break her fall. Her face planted in the mud, and she slid forward a few inches before abruptly stopping.
The spear embedded itself into the ground right in front of her, sinking. The woman turned around, trying desperately to find her footing as the knights approached her. They were walking at an almost casual pace now.
General Livius knew he had to do something. He yelled at his archers on the adjacent platforms, who were also watching the situation unfold, their bows ready.
"FIRE!" He yelled.
The knights looked up at the wall, hearing Livius' command, and began stumbling backward to try to brace themselves for what was coming.
A flurry of arrows erupted from the top before raining down on the knights, who began to retreat into the forest. Some didn't make it, the arrows caught between the folds in their armor, causing them to fall to the ground.
The woman screamed, but after realizing no projectiles were coming for her, immediately got up and sprinted at the wall again. Before Livius and Solon could say anything, she was already at the sandbags, desperately trying to claw her way up.
"Wait, wait," Livius said, but it fell on deaf ears. The knights were now beginning to re-emerge from the forest, running at the women with their spears at the ready.
The border was on lockdown, and Livius technically wasn't supposed to do this, but his conscience was screaming at him. He crouched down, grabbed the woman's hands, and heaved her up over the wall. As soon as he did so, the knights stopped and backed off, disappearing into the trees.
The woman was still in hysterics, screaming unintelligible words and flailing as General Livius
and Solon struggled to apprehend her or at least to help her up. This was when Livius finally got a good look at what she looked like up close, and it did not look good. Her white robe was stained almost everywhere with mud and green and… Oh god, was that blood?
"Ma'am… Ma'am," General Livius said as Commander Solon finally got the woman to her feet and attempted to stabilize her.
"PLEASE! PLEASE! JUST LET ME IN! I CAN'T-" She screamed.
General Livius raised his hands in front of him as Solon held her steady. "Ma'am, please calm down."
The woman looked around and back at the Katolian forest she had come from. Then, seemingly realizing the danger was over, she took several deep breaths and looked at General Livius with a somewhat desperate face.
Her head was in the same state as her robe. It had caught huge splotches of mud and leaves and was covered in cuts of varying sizes. All sorts of dust, dirt, and leaves filled her hair. She looked… awful.
"I…. I need to go to Duren… I need to get away from Katolis… Please… help me… let me in," she said between breaths. "I-I can't stay there anymore."
General Livius and Commander Solon exchanged a helpless glance. They wanted to help her; they did. They didn't know what was happening in that kingdom, but from the state this woman was in, and what they knew about Sol Regem, it wasn't anything good. They would want nothing more than to take her to Berylgarten right now with the rest of the refugees… but they couldn't. And so… now they had no idea what to do.
"Ma'am… " General Livius said carefully. "I understand your situation, but the border is on lockdown… no one is allowed in or out."
"No-NO PLEASE LISTEN TO ME! YOU CAN'T SEND ME BACK THERE! THEY'LL KILL ME PLEASE! PLEASE!" The woman broke down into hysterics again and planted her face in her hands, shaking her head. "Please… please… please…" was all she could mutter between sobs.
The two Durenians looked at each other, wholly and utterly heartbroken. They knew she was right. If they sent her back into Katolis… she'd die… those knights were probably waiting for her in the forest… she wouldn't make it five minutes. There was no way they could send her back into Katolis, but according to the rules as stated by Queen Aanya… they couldn't just let her into Duren either…especially now with the rumors that Sol Regem was using human soldiers…
Livius thought for a moment, and slowly an idea began to build. He didn't like it at all. It was ugly, and horrible, but it would be the only option. "Okay, okay… there's one way we can get you into Duren… but you're probably not going to like it."
The woman's eyes lit up with hope. "Yes, yes. Please! I'll do anything!"
Commander Solon looked at him with an eyebrow raised, not sure what he was getting at.
"We can get you into Duren, but it must be…" General Livius sighed. "As a prisoner of war…"
Suddenly, the women stopped, and everybody went silent for a moment.
"...What?" Commander Solon asked.
General Livius shook his head, his expression completely helpless. "This is the only way…" He then turned back toward the woman. "We will ensure you have the best accommodations Duren can provide…" he said, hoping to make it all easier on her. "Unfortunately… this is your only way in right now."
The woman looked down towards the floor, seeming to consider things for a moment before she looked back at the Katolian forest and finally sighed. "Ok… I'll do it…"
General Livius took a deep breath. "Okay… Ma'am, place your hands behind your back," he said as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs.
"Come on, man, are those necessary?" Commander Solon said, distraught.
General Livius shook his head helplessly as he fastened the cuffs around her wrists. "Protocol still has to be followed…"
"I-it's alright…" The woman smiled trying her best to diffuse the situation.
"Alright, Ma'am, come with me, Commander Solon. You're in charge while I'm gone, okay?"
Commander Solon saluted.
General Livius gave the woman a slight tap on the back to let her know they were starting to move, and then the two were off, past the wall and into the Kingdom of Duren.
King Caelius sat at the end of a small round wooden table, his head resting on his interlocked hands propped up by his elbows. Surrounding him was a council of different advisors, all fitted with brown and blue uniforms, the colors of Del Bar.
Before him, etched into the table, was a map of the entire Xadian continent and several scrolls on top providing… grim updates. However, there was one from Sol Regem, a stern and commanding message demanding his immediate surrender of Del Bar…
…Or the entire kingdom would be reduced to ash.
King Caelius sighed and looked behind him out the window, overlooking Del Bar's capital city of Hinterpeak. He listened to the howling wind racing down the mountains surrounding the diamond shaped street layout in front of his castle which was built high into the cliff. It always helped calm him down when he was stressed out in times like this. Having taken the throne as a teenager when his father, King Florian, died to Lord Viren's shadow assassins, he lacked the proper training and know-how to manage the kingdom he had inherited. Especially not in these situations.
He didn't know what to do. His advisors had always been a tremendous help with all the other issues he had faced in the two years since he had become king. But things were different now—things were so much different.
"King Caelius," the advisor on the right started. "We can confirm that Xadia's forces have taken Hollow Horn, and Nearon is currently under siege."
Caelius knew what "taken" meant. Based on Prince Callum's warning and Sol Regem's… terrifying message, it was clear precisely the type of game he was playing.
Everybody in Hollow Horn was dead.
He hoped at least that a few stragglers would've been able to escape from the chaos and find safety elsewhere. But he knew that no matter where they stayed… that wouldn't last forever.
"Our armies cannot provide enough resistance to hold Xadia back." The advisor started again. "Given the time it takes messages to arrive, Nearon may have already fallen."
King Caelius sighed and sat back in his chair. He wished his father were here; he would know what to do. He was always good at things like this, but that wasn't possible. He was dead. How would King Caelius ever be expected to combat something like this? The news was just too overwhelming; too much was happening at once. First, one town, then another, falling like dominos. A great pit fell in his stomach as he considered his options, which, admittedly, he couldn't think of many. Despite everything he was going to try here, he knew,
The battle was over before it had even begun.
And he couldn't help but feel like part of that was his fault. He was a true leader; true leaders aren't overwhelmed by situations like this. They tackle them head-on and be a figurehead for the rest of the kingdom to stand behind and be motivated by. But he? He was just a scared little teenager, and that frustrated him to no end.
"What do you want to do, King Caelius?" The advisor asked expectantly.
King Caelius planted his face in his hands. "I-I don't know…" He stuttered. It was a pathetic answer, but it was his only one.
They were all watching him, and he could feel it. Behind his hands, he couldn't help but feel they were judging him… judging his incompetence; how… How were they left with someone like this?
The door to the war briefing slammed open, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. A red-haired man with blue eyes, freckles, and a blue uniform had burst through.
"King Caelius, two crows just came in," He said between breaths. "Dragons have just attacked the towns of Todmorden and Serpentounge!"
King Caelious immediately rocketed out of his chair and slammed the table. "WHAT?! I thought the Xadian army was closer to Nearon. How did they manage to get that far into Del Bar already."
"It's possible that the dragons have gone ahead on separate missions and are targeting major military targets and towns to weaken our defenses and lower our morale…" A male dark-skinned advisor with long black hair sitting to the left of the king offered. He then looked down solemnly. "As of now, we must assume any town in Del Bar is susceptible."
Great, this was just what he needed right now. There was too much happening at once, way too much to keep track of. He just felt so utterly helpless. The situation was worsening by the minute, and all he'd done was sit here in his ivory tower, asking other people what to do, and he had gotten nowhere.
All this hopelessness and dread finally manifested itself… into burning anger. In a rage, he picked up Sol Regem's message and violently crumpled it before throwing it back onto the table. Everyone in the room looked at him, not saying a word.
King Caelius sighed and sat back down in his chair… defeated. "Send messages to every population center in Del Bar. Tell them to prepare their Ballistas and be highly alert for dragon attacks. Hopefully, that will slow them down a little."
He doubted it. He knew what he had to do now. This kingdom would fall in days if they tried to tackle this independently, especially with his leadership. So now, he would do the one thing he was good at. Call for help. "We need assistance… we can't fight Xadia alone, we never could… send a request to the other kingdoms to aid Del Bar. After us, they're likely next on the chopping block anyway, so it's of interest to them, too."
"C-can we be sure they'll get here in time?" The advisor on the right asked.
King Caelius sighed… "No… but it's the best we've got…" He then thought a bit longer before adding. "Plus, Del Bar sits in a unique position; if all the human kingdom's armies were to get anywhere in a moment's notice, it would be here."
"Okay…" The advisor said, clearly uncertain herself.
He didn't blame her. He was almost sure this plan was doomed to fail in various ways. He looked at the deserted town outside, the snow wafting off the peaks in the distance ever so peacefully. As inexperienced as he was, this was his kingdom and his duty to protect it. And so, he knew he would hold out for as long as he possibly could. But it was also his duty to protect his people, and now, it was looking more and more like he would have to make a decision he was dreading, a decision that he swore he'd never make since Callum's letter had first arrived. But now, he found himself in his shoes, and so silently, as he looked out into the skyline of his capital city, he began mentally preparing himself for it not to be his city anymore.
For the possibility of surrender.
Zym lay in his usual curled-up position, his breath quiet and slow, listening to the distant crickets and the variety of night-time animals as he stared at his tail absentmindedly. The sound was very relaxing, and the humidity made his eyes feel heavier than they usually did. He let them close for a moment, and he began to drift off slowly before he caught himself and shook his head.
He couldn't go to sleep now. Zym and the masked one had agreed that they would slumber in shifts tonight to keep watch for anybody who threatened to come after them. Well… actually, Zym had just offered it, and the masked one didn't respond at all, which at this point was masky talk for "I agree."
Masky… It was a fitting name, given that Zym had no name to call this mysterious figure who was… for some reason helping him. It was a little entertaining, at least, that even in such a dark place, he could still come up with nicknames for people, but that's beside the point now.
He opened his eyes slowly and groaned, looking at his tail and then out into the distant trees. He had been on watch for about two hours now with nothing of note. All that happened would be the occasional rabbit or animal that hopped through the shrubbery and managed to make Zym jump a little each time. Despite his trying, he still got scared at every little sound, which annoyed him. Though he supposed that was to be expected, after all, he was being hunted… with a hefty bounty on his head now… according to Kazi, it was better to have too many false alarms than no warnings at all.
Still, despite that, he was finding it increasingly hard to stay awake. Perhaps it was all the aforementioned factors, or perhaps it was all the "excitement" he had experienced previously, and his body was just giving out without an ounce of energy left to spare… but he was in danger of succumbing to sleep soon if he didn't do something.
Zym stood up and tried to watch the stars bleeding through the canopy. There weren't that many to be seen, though; the treeline was way too thick. If he had to guess where he was, he supposed he was entering the forest west of Lux Aurea… just east of the border. Soon, he would have to turn south to make it to the breach. As for what his plans were when he got there… he didn't know.
He didn't know what the breach looked like under Sol Regem's control. When he and Zubeia were in charge, a bridge had been constructed over the thing, and getting across was as simple as just… walking over… Xadia and Katolis had tried to make transit between the two nations as easy as possible as a sign of peace and unity. Now, with Sol Regem at the helm, though… things could be a lot different.
He couldn't think of that now though; that was a problem for future Zym…
Helooked back down and sighed as his eyes caught the sleeping figure of the masked one. They were on their backs; their head turned away from him. He could see their chest rising slowly with each breath they took. They looked… peaceful… It was odd to think that this was the weird, mysterious stalker who had been following him around all this time.
Still…
Here they were. Sleeping… vulnerable… It was around that point that Zym got an idea.
He slowly walked over, being careful not to tread on any leaves or sticks, being as light-footed as a dragon could be to not disrupt their sleep.
He stopped just next to them and stared closely at the mask—the mask they had refused to take off this whole time, the mask that had been the subject of mystery for so long… the mask that now… would be so easy… just too…
He slowly held out his claw and hovered over it, his heart beating harder in his chest as he did so, partly out of fear of being discovered… but partly because of… something else.
His claw started to shake.
If there were any time to unravel the mystery behind who this was… it would be now.
Something was stopping him though. It was like there was an invisible wall, a forcefield making it increasingly more difficult to move.
The claw shook harder.
And he stopped.
He ripped his talons away as fast as he could and planted them back on the ground, sighing as he stared into the eyes of masky, who appeared to be still oblivious to all of this.
He couldn't do it.
Had he had this opportunity almost a week ago, when he first saw this figure, he would've jumped at it. But now, after everything they had been through together… he just couldn't. The one in the mask didn't want their identity revealed, and while strange, they had been helping him all this time. Throughout that period, Zym must've built some form of… respect for this individual—enough to abide by their wishes now and not ruin their… admittedly weird relationship.
As odd as it was… it was clear that masky trusted him enough to sleep in his presence, and… he was beginning to trust them, too. He didn't want to breach that trust now.
And so, after much consideration, Zym sighed before turning around and walking back.
Queen Aanya stood before the massive door leading out into her palace's bedroom balcony. The rising sun shone through the glass windows split up by the intricate design of marble and gold, hitting her face in various patterns and narrow streaks. She heard the sound of the crowd outside.
They were roaring…
All gathered to hear her speak today, to finally get some much-needed discussion from their ruler about this dreadful catastrophe. Aanya took a deep breath and let it sit for a while in her lungs, listening to the sounds of them. They were her people, and she was their leader. In a time of travesty such as this, she would be the one to lead them to salvation. She was going to make sure her people survived; such was the duty assigned to her when she was born and the burden she had taken all those years ago.
She let her breath exhale and moved to her bed, where her rarely worn white gloves and crown were neatly placed at her foot.
She slipped on the left glove, twisting her hand around so that her palm faced her head before squeezing her fingers into a fist. She would be this now, the sparkle of hope that her people needed. She slowly slipped on the other one before delicately picking up the golden crown, holding it in her thumbs and pointer fingers. She watched her reflection shine back at her through the outside glow.
She was still a child, but you could see none of that in her face. There was no time for childish games; she had a kingdom to lead to victory, to freedom.
There was a knock.
"Queen Aanya?" A female called.
"Come in." She said with a monotone voice.
She heard the door open behind her but did not look to see who it was, at least not yet.
"I-is everything alright?" It was one of her servants.
"Yes." She finally turned around and smiled. "It is. Thank you."
The servant smiled kindly in return and silently closed the door, locking it behind her. She left Aanya alone, ready to face her people.
She walked back slowly to the red carpet on the floor that spanned from the room's entrance to the balcony exit and took one last look at her crown before she placed it over her head. She closed her eyes, took another deep breath, and lowered her hands down slowly until she felt it fasten around her.
She opened her eyes and looked onwards at the great entrance with fierce determination before slowly beginning the walk towards the outdoors and the rest of Berylgarten.
The massive glass doors swung open with incredible force as she pressed on them hard, letting the summer sun finally flood her face. The crowd cheered loudly as she walked toward the edge of the balcony.
She gripped the railing hard with her left hand and began to wave with her right, smiling slightly as the audience's thunder became louder and louder, chanting her name.
"Aanya!"
"Aanya!"
"Aanya!"
There was a genuine sense of happiness she felt then. She had never seen Duren so unified before. Her role as queen had been… controversial, to say the least. Several people believed a child had no place on the throne, no place in charge of their kingdom. And she didn't didn't think they were wrong per se; there were many things that a child couldn't do. It was just the unfortunate circumstances of her mothers' deaths that led her to this now. It was why she always kept a panel of advisors close and did her best to suppress her childish tendencies and appear as adult as possible… even when it was hard.
But now, all of that seemed utterly irrelevant. Her entire kingdom seemed to be rallying behind her with a sense of hope and love. She gazed across the vast crowd size; they had filled every avenue and every street. It was like everyone had come out to see her today, and in a way, they did. The refugees from the bordering towns, who had been evacuated here to the capitol, were here too, some out on the street, some applauding from their shelters or even just outside the tents that were set up to handle the excess amount of people they couldn't house.
It was a fantastic sight, and it almost brought a tear to her eye. But she couldn't cry… she had to stay strong… she had to keep up the unifying force she was expected to be, now for everyone.
So, after taking it all in for a couple of seconds, she raised her right hand, and everyone slowly crawled down to a hush. She waited until all that could be heard were the distant mumbles of the last stragglers, and then she lowered her hand, this one too, gripping the handrail in front of her tightly before her face once again flared with determination.
"Loyal citizens of Duren!" she started before placing her right hand on her chest. "I send my humblest apologies for my lack of communication these past couple of days… I am well aware I should have addressed you all sooner, and for that, I apologize." She lowered her hand back to the handrail. "We are in difficult times now, as you are all aware, a time that has been confusing for many… including myself.
"As I am sure you all know, eight days ago, I received a message from Prince Callum of Katolis…" She closed her eyes and sighed. "The contents of this message… were alarming to me.
"Callum had written that the infamous Archdragon known as Sol Regem had taken control of Xadia and had rallied his armies behind a cause of cruel subjugation for humanity… In a devastating surprise attack, Sol Regem conquered the Kingdom of Katolis in less than a day and, since then, has been attempting to breach Duren's defenses so we may suffer the same fate."
The audience remained silent as Aanya paused momentarily and looked down towards the floor. "My heart bleeds for our brothers and sisters back in Katolis who are suffering greatly under Sol Regem's tyrannical claw… But for now, we must look forward as our species still has hope!
"One week ago, Sol Regem's forces attempted an attack on our southern border, attempting to take our dear town of Windrip… They…have failed."
Cheers erupted from the mass as it sprang back to life; Aanya let their voices be heard momentarily before raising her right hand to silence them.
"This… critical mistake in Sol Regem's plan, my loyal citizens, gives me hope that we Durenians can overcome this threat… and should all other lights go out, Duren will remain a shining beacon of hope, a stronghold where humanity can continue to thrive and live in peace, freedom, and tranquility!"
More cheers.
"And we will fulfill our duty as part of the pentarchy and restore that peace, freedom, and tranquility to the rest of the world, for my loyal citizens, once we have neutralized the threat of King Sol Regem here in Duren…" Aanya tensed her body and leaned into a more commanding and strict posture. "We will gather our armies and march right into Katolis, liberate our brothers and sisters, and restore their rightful leaders to the throne!"
At this, the crowd erupted into absolute pandemonium. Many parents were carrying their children on their shoulders as they roared along. Waves of excitement swept through the area as people flew banners of Duren, sacred kingdom symbols, as well as some black flags etched with Katolis' uneven towers in white with "PRAY FOR KATOLIS!" inscribed underneath.
Then, at the peak of the momentum, Queen Aanya yelled out, as loud as she could, "FOR THE KINGDOM OF DUREN, FOR HUMANITY!"
And the crowd echoed back.
FOR THE KINGDOM OF DUREN, FOR HUMANITY!
Aanya leaned back from the railing, and a smile again resided on her face. While she gave hope to everyone else in the kingdom… today… They had also given the same to her. In a crisis, they could band together, defeat the common enemy, and act to save what they loved. She continued to wave as the crowd's cheers flooded like a tsunami.
If Sol Regem wanted Duren, he would have to rip it from her cold, dead hands.
CRRRUNNNCH.
Zym watched closely, with a dull expression, as the masked one sitting just before him pounded a variety of different Xadian herbs and fruit over and over again with a large stick, thoroughly crushing them into small chunks as colorful juices and particles splattered all over the stone below.
They were making some sort of healing salve, or at least something that would make the pain more bearable.
They had been traveling the whole day starting the morning after Zym… almost… unmasked whoever this was and the sun was beginning to set now. Somewhere along the way, masky must've noticed the constant agony Zym fought through with every step he took, because they immediately stopped every now and then to pick the various ingredients for what they were making.
It wasn't hard to miss, he guessed. He wasn't exactly trying to hide it, and even if he was, the visible wounds and dirt on his body… especially on his wing… gave away quite a lot. Still, he didn't want to be doing this; it was a waste of time. Zym had tried to protest earlier, of course. His confusion and curiosity about what the masked one had been doing wore off pretty fast when they picked a batch of fresh and prime Stasia from a nearby bush. Without them even saying anything, he knew that was for him.
They needed to focus on getting over the border, he told them.
Zym could see them now. The peaks of the mountains above the treetops, faded into the distant haze. They looked so… peaceful…so dormant… sleeping giants. It was hard to believe they had been created, with such ferocity and cruelty from the dragons a thousand years ago, a cataclysm on a continental scale, a way to ensure that humans and elves and dragons would never coexist again.
He had tried to assert, hard and bluntly, that he was fine and that they needed to keep moving and were wasting daylight. But this masked fella, whoever they were, seemed as stubborn as they were stalkerish. It was clear they wouldn't take no for an answer. Every time Zym had tried, they just stared back at him, unmoving for a second before continuing onward.
And Zym just no longer found it within himself to fight back against this. Perhaps because he was just tired, or because a small part of him wanted this, wanted the pain to be somewhat relieved. And so he watched, as he was doing for the last couple minutes after they settled in for the night.
To be honest, Zym had no clue what they were making at this point. He had never heard of any sort of concoction that used these specific ingredients, then again, there was a lot he didn't know about Xadia. He only had two years of experience here after all. It was just… surprising that a human would know this much about the fauna here when the border had only been open for about two years, and so, out of curiosity, he sighed and rolled his eyes. "Now that you've forced my hand, care to explain where you learned to do all this?"
Zym wasn't expecting an answer, but what he ended up getting… was a little surprising. The masked one… for some reason… they had just suddenly stopped everything and stared at the stone and the pile of unfinished, mish-mashed components in front of them for a good couple of seconds.
Zym raised his eyebrow slightly and drew closer as they remained utterly motionless. He moved his claw in front of their face to get their attention. "Hello?"
Only then did he notice that Masky's hands… were shaking. It was only slightly at first, but it escalated steadily, becoming increasingly difficult not to notice.
Before Zym could say anything, they dropped their stick and ran into the trees.
"Hey!" Zym yelled after them, but they disappeared behind the shrubbery almost immediately.
Nice going, Zym.
He mentally slapped himself in the face and slowly trudged after them. Wherever they went, Zym didn't want them to leave. He was getting quite comfortable having this companion with him, even if he wasn't exactly showing it at the moment…
Emerging through the brush before him, he had to immediately stop himself because the floor ahead of him dipped off into a steep grade, and healmost slipped. He didn't want to go through that fiasco again…
But as luck would have it, he didn't need to go that much farther anyway because the masked figure was sitting just up ahead, at the bottom of the steep incline; their back turned to him as they faced a small pond.
The mask was lying on the floor next to them.
Zym sat there for a while, watching them, they were unmoving, staring into the water ahead. Well, that's what he thought at first because closer inspection did, in fact, reveal some movement.
Now and then, their shoulders would spring upward, just slightly, not enough to be obvious, but just enough to be noticeable if you were paying attention. This was accompanied by their head and neck shifting downward ever so slightly in unison.
Were… Were they…. Crying?
Zym couldn't help but feel sympathy and a tinge of guilt. Whatever memory had awakened inside them was a rough one… and lord knows… Zym has had his fair share of those recently.
"Hey…" Zym said.
Immediately, the figure stopped. They reached for the mask and fastened it around their hood quickly before they stood up and turned to stare at Zym.
Sensing that he was unwelcome, he winced slightly and dipped back into the vegetation.
They returned a couple of moments later, their mask now properly fastened underneath their hood as it had been before, and… predictably… they didn't exchange any words with him, instead opting to sit down at the unfinished salve, continuing to mash at it like nothing had ever happened.
The setting sun highlighting them in a blood red.
Janai stared at herself in the mirror within her small makeshift room, slowly putting together her attire for the day. It was a small, old guard's quarters with a bunk bed just behind her, attached to the wall via chain. Theia was curled up in the far corner, still sleeping; the mount stirred briefly as the tiny golden plates on Janai's outfit began to jingle as she put it all together.
Once that was all done, she looked back into the reflective glass and stared into her eyes for a long time. She thought of… nothing… for the first time in quite a while, there was absolutely nothing going through her head, just an empty silence. Then, she took a deep breath and sighed.
With that, she slowly made her way to the exit, her heavy metal boots pounding on the wooden floor. The door opened with a slow creak as she saw the light from the morning sun begin to flood in from the outside.
It was silent on the lower level.
Should the others still be asleep, she made her way down the steps as quietly as she could. However, she learned very quickly that that was not the case. They were all here—Opeli, Iris, The Crow Master… and Callum.
He was hunched over the dining room table, with the others standing in a semicircle at the entrance, intently reading what appeared to be some letter. Janai's face was immediately flushed with concern when she saw how he acted. His face was reddened drastically, and his hands clung onto that paper, grinding wrinkles into the parchment. They were shaking.
"...Callum?" Janai broke the silence
Everybody else jumped back in surprise and looked at her, startled, as if she had just appeared out of nowhere.
Callum set the parchment back down on the table but held on to its face tightly with his right hand. He looked back at her, his eyes glazing over with a mix of grief and hopelessness. He shook his head.
"Del Bar…"
Janai tilted her head in confusion. "What?"
Suddenly, Callum violently tightened his grip on his right hand, scrunching up the paper with excessive force until it was a crumpled mass.
"Del Bar has fallen…"