Thank you to gagaball88 for beta reading this chapter, you've been a tremendous help!
I apologize for my absence, but I have diligently been working on the story since the last chapter. It has been actively updating on AO3 and now I will catch up the FFN version. This means there are three more chapters that will be uploaded here hopefully weekly so stay tuned for that!
All reviews and comments are welcome please do not hesitate!
Oh no…
It was the only thought ringing through the dragon's mind.
Of course, this would be standing in his way. He was heading west from the storm spire. Either he was going to run into the midnight desert or Lux Aurea. He didn't know why he hadn't thought about it before. Now, he was standing here, on top of a hillside, looking into the gleaming city that once filled him and everyone who saw it with a sense of awe, with undeniable dread.
The city appeared to stretch on infinitely, miles and miles of golden structures lay before him in a massive circle, spreading out so far that the end of Lux Aurea disappeared into the distant fog, providing an ominous feeling. Then, there was the burning hot sunforge in the middle, which the whole city retreated from, glowing so brightly he could barely hold his eyes open looking at it, even from here—a stark contrast to the darkened, corrupted forge from two years ago.
He had helped restore it then, to bring it back to the vibrancy it exhibited now, and had offered all of his services to get the city back up and running. It had been a good time. He wondered if any of that even mattered now. After Sol Regem took over… would they all have just… forgotten about that?
He didn't know, but one thing was certain: he couldn't trust anyone here. The city would be crawling with Sol Regem's knights or people loyal to him. He had always heard about how many Sunfire elves still revered Sol Regem, even after the things he had done. He had never personally understood it, but had never commented on it because it was a deep history he was still new to. He never wanted to make his citizens uncomfortable with his rule or stamp on their culture. It was a shame it seemed to happen anyway.
Zym looked around, trying to determine if there was any possible way to go around the city, but the entire thing was too expansive; he wasn't sure if his body could take the trek around the vast area. In addition, the more he thought about it, the worse the idea sounded in his head. There were bound to be knights patrolling around the place, too, and he knew from his time as dragon king that several high-activity trade routes surrounded Lux Aurea with little cover. People were bound to find him if he traveled along one of those.
Further out was the midnight desert, which was… impassible unless he had… Nyx. Her name still hit Zym with a tinge of frustration, but even if he was willing to work with her… which, at this point… he would've probably taken any opportunity, to be honest… Nyx was currently busy with Rayla and the others…
How were they doing, anyway… Were they okay? Was Ezran okay?
He shook his head; he needed to snap out of it; there was no time for that now.
No… Zym would have to go straight through… how was the question…
He was mid-thinking when he felt something tap his shoulder. He snapped his head around, prepared to defend himself, only to find the one in the mask looking back at him.
Right, he had practically forgotten they were here.
Once the figure had his attention, they gestured into the trees behind them before retreating. Zym was left confused until a roar from the sky, which appeared to shake the ground as it approached from behind him, cut through his thoughts.
Another dragon
Quickly, Zym followed the one in the mask back into the trees as the large shape flew directly overhead, blocking the small amount of sun making its way through the canopy.
He watched as it flew directly over the city, a mid-sized Sun Dragon, about the size of Pyrrah, with its scales glowing a deep orange in the reflection of the sun-forge, and a design of red lines spread out across the body and wings. It circled the sunforge briefly before landing somewhere behind it, out of sight.
Fantastic.
He was going to have to deal with that, too… He may as well call everything off here… he had no idea how he would get past all this.
However, the masked figure seemed to be one step ahead of him. Silently, they began to move out of the shrubbery, creeping slowly, crouched down as if not to make any noise.
"Hey, wait, where are you-" Zym started to say
But the one in the mask paid no attention, having already gone over the hill. Zym sighed and began to follow. Apparently, they knew where to go, and while he still didn't entirely trust them, it was better than waiting here to get picked off.
And so the two slowly descended the hillside, ducking behind any cover they could, cover which consisted mainly of rocks and some stray trees, hoping nobody in the ever-approaching city would notice them.
The whole place appeared to get more intimidating as they got closer, coming to eye level with some of the buildings. He could feel the warmth of the sunforge as it towered above them, watching them. However, as its gaze passed across his wounds and broken body, it didn't feel as harsh as the sun did the past couple of days… it almost felt… comforting… Though the chilling anxiety he felt as he got closer and closer to the city limits, wondering what was going to jump at him first, nullified that.
He didn't like this. He must have checked his surroundings a thousand times by now, and sometimes his heart would drop as though he had seen something, but it just turned out to be some vision in the corner of his eye or some animal probably on its way for food, reminding him of his first one or two days on the run.
After some time, they entered a patch of growth on the base of the hill just outside the city. Zym could see the shimmering gold of the nearest buildings just about blending through the tree line. But they still weren't really headed towards them. Zym began to wonder what the one in the mask had in store.
They had been traveling downwards in a spiral-like fashion towards the center of the city this whole time, presumably towards this patch of trees, but as the shadows of the canopy once again enveloped them, the one in the mask never deviated from their course. They were now walking just about parallel to the outer rim to a destination that Zym couldn't see, which made him all the more nervous. He thought about asking where they were going, but what good would that do? They probably wouldn't respond, and he'd probably just end up being heard by someone in Lux Aurea.
Finally, the one in the mask stopped; it took a few seconds before Zym caught up to see where their walk had come to a close and he did the dragon equivalent of raising his eyebrow when he did. Just under and in front of them was what seemed to be a small, shallow stream that fed into a dark circular tunnel made of what appeared to be some type of marble. The tunnel went straight into the side of the terrain, out of sight, seemingly going right under the city.
A storm drain.
Immediately, the masked figure jumped into the shallow water, only deep enough to flow over their boots, and stared into the vast darkness ahead of them. The tunnel was rather large, open enough for the masked one to stand up straight with a bit of room to spare and sufficient enough for Zym to fit through.
The masked one had only taken a few steps before Zym called out. "Hey, where are you going?... You're crazy if you think I'm going in there."
The masked figure looked up at him, stared at him for a bit, and then walked into the tunnel ahead, the darkness already starting to envelop them.
Zym sighed.
I hope they know what they're doing, he thought to himself before following meekly behind them.
—-
Callum awoke to a clear blue sky dotted with the occasional cloud peacefully drifting past. The light from outside shined through the bedroom window, reflecting off of dust particles gently floating in the air, causing them to shimmer like tiny stars in the ever-welcoming light outside. It was… beautiful. It was almost beautiful enough for him to forget all he had endured the past couple of days… and his uncertain future.
Looks were deceiving.
He sat on his bed and slowly rubbed his eyes, kicking some dust from his white bed sheets up and having it flutter to the ground in the process. He quietly looked around the room for no particular reason, just observing, as if making sure everything looked the way he left it last night, which it did. Nobody had been in here other than him.
He had slept well last night, probably the best sleep he had had since this whole crisis started. It wasn't the exhaustion-induced sleep from when he first got here; this was better, more akin to the usual nights of sleep back when there was still peace. He had been in a rather pleasant dream that night, though he couldn't exactly remember it. All he knew was that he wished he would be able to go back to it.
But he knew he couldn't.
So, after quickly rubbing his eyes one more time, he lifted the sheets off of him and slowly turned around to face the small wardrobe sitting to the left of the window. His old orange Katolian pajamas, which, luckily, the Banther Lodge still had, glowed brightly in the sunlight as he slowly stood up and walked over.
A little while later, Callum emerged from his room and yawned, seeing the rest of the lodge flooded with the outside light. His heart dropped momentarily when he heard a door open near him, only to see Opeli walk out of that room, having clearly just woken up herself. She rubbed her eyes, regarded Callum for a second, and then seemed to have a question on her face as to why Callum was looking at her like that, but she never said anything.
Callum guessed he was still a little jumpy after all this.
He sighed and slowly descended the stairs, thinking about what they would do for breakfast. The lodge wasn't exactly fully stocked, and they were getting through the last of the supplies (rock-hard bread); there were plenty of berry bushes and other edible vegetation outside, so he figured they could probably last on those for a while with the knowledge he had gained on Rayla with what was safe to eat. He just needed to-
His mind stopped as he turned the corner towards the dining room at the bottom of the stairs. In front of him, with still-lit candles, was Janai, in the same place she had been last night, with her head down, leaning into her hand propped up by her elbow, sitting at the table. Her mount was huddled up in the corner closest to Callum, still fast asleep. She didn't even seem to notice him coming down the stairs.
"Janai," Callum tried quietly but got no response. At this point, Opeli had descended the stairs and stood worriedly behind him.
"Janai," Callum tried again, this time a little louder.
At this, Janai jumped and snapped her head up to look at Callum in surprise, relaxing upon seeing him. "Oh… Callum… sorry I-"
"Were you up all night?" Callum asked…
"I've uh… been up several nights...I couldn't get much sleep."
Callum slowly approached and pulled out a chair beside Janai, listening intently. Opeli decided this conversation was not for her to hear, so she joined the crow master, who was apparently outside right now, on a routine watch for incoming crows.
"What's wrong?" Callum asked.
Janai let out a large breath, seemingly exasperated… "I don't know… this." She made a random gesture with her hands. "Everything…"
Callum chuckled. It was nice to have a chuckle again, even if what caused the reaction was quite bleak. After everything he had gone through, it was nice to relate to something.
"I just…" Janai continued, "I've been thinking, when I put down the crown… I mean, I obviously thought what I did was right, but… I left a lot of people behind… and… I don't know if I could've helped more…I don't know."
Callum leaned in closer to realize what she was saying.
"I'm… having second thoughts, I guess… even though I know I can't change it now, and I still don't know if I'd even want to, but… that lingering thought and… the fact that Karim is probably going to take my place after they realize what I've done… ."
Janai looked at Callum, despair heavy on her face. "My people probably hate me… and the one in charge of Lux Aurea now…although I love him… he's probably going to be fully on board with whatever Sol Regem does… and after what I did, my people probably as well…"
Callum interjected. "There was nothing you could've done."
Janai probably already knew this; as King of the Dragons, Sol Regem had authority over the queen or King of Lux Aurea. It didn't matter what Janai would've said if Sol Regem overruled her. The people loyal to Sol Regem in her city could've staged a revolution and overthrown her regardless, putting her life at risk and having Lux Aurea end up the same way it was now. Still, despite all that, Callum could see her worries.
"I don't know… I mean I hope this was my best option…" Janai responded, still downcast, "I just… I still feel… I don't know… for a ruler to abandon their people like this; it's… treason… I just… I keep having these thoughts of… you know… did I really do the right thing by leaving? Maybe there was something I could've done, you know?"
Callum laughed. "Okay, now you sound exactly like me."
Janai raised an eyebrow at him.
"When I handed my kingdom over to Sol Regem… I thought it was the best possible option at the time… Sol Regem was killing my people and… I didn't have the resources or the time to fight him off before he reduced all of Katolis to ash." Callum's stomach dropped, recalling that memory, that time spent in the throne room going through possible battle strategies or contacting the other kingdoms for help, only to learn that it was all useless, had not been pleasant. "So I surrendered… but… that still haunts me to this day I-" Callum choked. "I've possibly condemned my people to a life of subjugation under Sol Regem just out of the hope that he might stop slaughtering them… I still think back to that decision today… I still don't know if it was the right thing to do…. I don't know, it's all so confusing," he said, trying to keep the tears down. He didn't need to cry again, not now. He had to stay focused on what he wanted to say. "The point is… whether or not what you did was right… that's going to stick with you for a while and ultimately… I can't make that decision for you… as the others here can't exactly tell me if what I did was the right choice or not… it's confusing, but… we'll have to figure it out for ourselves, I guess… Stars know I haven't yet."
Janai thought for a moment. Of what, Callum wasn't sure, but it must have been a big realization to speak to someone who was going through the same things she was.
They remained silent for the next thirty seconds or so before Callum shakily said. "F-for what it's worth, Janai, I'm glad you're here."
He smiled at her, eyes red from the moisture that had managed to build up in them regardless, and she smiled back.
It was nice that amidst all this chaos, there was proof that peace between humans, elves, and dragons could still work; enough people just had to want it.
Suddenly, the crow master came bursting through the front door, followed swiftly by Opeli, startling both Callum and Janai as their heads darted up to meet them. Callum was just about to ask the crow master what his deal was when he saw the letter in his hand.
The crow master looked urgent. "Crow just came in," he said between breaths.
He handed the letter to Callum, and his eyes immediately went wide at the seal. It was the seal of the crown guard, one of the guards he had sent to monitor the status in the other kingdoms. Finally! After what felt like forever waiting, he was finally going to get an update.
Callum bolted out of his seat, the chair making a harsh screech and almost falling backward as he did so. He practically shredded the envelope as he tore it open, hurriedly getting to the letter inside.
Everyone else watched silently as Callum hastily read through the words on the page, including Iris, who had now come down the stairs with Bait, thanks to all the commotion. Alleviation flushed over Callum's face as he read through the contents, and his mouth finally curved up with a wide smile.
"I-it's from one of my men in Duren," he said. "He wrote that Duren is aware of Sol Regem's attack and that he got caught up in the evacuations. He's in Berylgarten, where they're keeping all the refugees from the border. He doesn't know much about what's happening on the border right now, but he does know that the fighting has started and that they're successfully holding Sol Regem's forces off."
Everybody breathed a sigh of relief. Opeli laughed and clapped her hands, and the mood in the room was uplifted tenfold. While still smiling, Janai had something on her face, a slightly pained expression. She opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it and instead opted for a "That's… nice… Callum."
Callum was too ecstatic to notice Janai's weird behavior, however. Instead, he was lost in thought, still processing the news. Something Callum had done had worked. Sure, it was just sending warning letters, but it had worked, and after everything he had gone through, that was one piece of good news he desperately needed. Maybe… just maybe… they stood a chance after all.
—-
SPLASH
A large stream of cold river water flew out of the top of the water skin, impacting the face of a short-haired sunfire elf. His helmet had been removed, but he was still sitting in his chest plate and leggings from his armor set. He groaned, his head slowly straightening out as he regained consciousness.
The knight yelped as Rayla immediately grabbed the collar of his armor and thrust him towards her, looking him dead in the eye with a stern expression.
"Okay, friend, time to talk… I want answers," Rayla said harshly.
The knight looked around briefly, blinking a couple of times and taking in his surroundings. His head still slightly hung from his body as he completed the process of waking up. Immediately upon registering his situation, his eyes widened as he attempted to rip himself free from Rayla's grip while reaching for where he thought his spear was.
Rayla, however, wasn't letting go so easily and forcefully shoved him back into the tree he had been sitting against while taking her other hand and immediately unsheathing one of her blades, holding it right to his throat. "Uh uh uuuh… I wouldn't try that," she said, smiling wickedly, now poking him with the tip to deliver her point home.
Unfortunately, when Rayla and her team had departed Katolis, they hadn't brought any rope with them, so there was no way to restrain their new prisoner. Thus, this would have to do for now.
"You and I… we're gonna have a little bit of a chat first," Rayla said, smiling sardonically.
The sunfire elf narrowed his eyes and looked around for a moment. The group was in the middle of a dense forest with no end in sight. The canopy from overhead let in small rays of light here and there, which lit Rayla and the others in an almost ethereal glow. Amaya had a similar smile to Rayla and punched her open hand with her fist, while Soren, Corvus, and Gren simply had their arms crossed and looked at the sunfire elf with disapproving faces.
Meanwhile, Nyx was sitting by a tree behind them, watching the exchange with fleeting interest. She tilted her head as the knight looked at her, but her expression was unreadable.
"Ey!" Rayla snapped her finger before the Sunfire's face. "Eyes over here, big guy."
"W-where am I?" the knight said in a low, gruff tone filled with frustration and a little bit of hatred.
"In the great outdoors," Rayla mockingly gestured to the scenery around her. "Where we've been for the past two weeks… welcome in our shoes."
Rayla grabbed the knight's armor collar again and forced him forward. "But enough about us… We want to know something from you… and you're going to tell us," Rayla twisted her blade subtly as she said that.
The knight looked at her, one eye narrowed, his mouth hanging open as if thinking of something. He regarded Rayla for a good couple of seconds before seemingly coming to a realization and then laughing.
"What's so funny?" Rayla asked.
The knight calmed down before he responded. "I recognize you…" he said, smiling. You're the traitorous Moonshadow assassin — the one who abandoned their mission because they couldn't take a life… the one who now… is betraying all of Xadia by standing with humanity. Oh yes, I know you, and I don't fear you.
Rayla clenched her teeth. She couldn't deny that it got under her skin slightly. For a brief moment, she wanted to go off on a rant and explain how everything she did was for peace and a better future everyone could enjoy. But she stopped herself; he wouldn't listen to that anyway, and they had a job to do right now. So instead, she played it off, chuckled, and said, "Oh, you're right… I'm not going to kill you… but I can hurt you… real bad." At this, the sunfire elf audibly gulped, and Rayla couldn't deny that she felt a tiny bit of satisfaction from the effect she had. "So… I'm only going to ask this once… where is Ezran?"
The knight coughed for a moment, regaining his composure before lightly chuckling. "Hmmm… well, you're not going to get that from me, even if I did want to tell you because… well… I simply don't know." He shrugged.
"Really, now…" Rayla narrowed her eyes, pushing the blade a little further. If she pushed the blade any harder, she would start drawing blood.
"Y-yes," the knight started, clearly becoming more desperate. "King Sol Regem doesn't really give that information away… only he and a small inner circle of knights know Ezran's location… heh… and King Sol Regem's inner circle is practically always in contact with him so good luck with that."
Rayla sighed internally. As much as she wanted him to be lying, She could see that he was telling the truth. They were never going to get answers from him.
"Who…" Rayla demanded. "Who is in this inner circle of Sol Regem's?"
The knight raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want me to go off listing names?" He laughed. "I don't see how that would be helpful to your cause-"
Rayla pushed the blade further, and a tiny trickle of blood emerged. It slowly flowed down the knight's neck, creating an irregular path as it seemed to make its way down before disappearing under the knight's armor. "Tell me," Rayla hissed.
"Okay, okay, fine…" He waved the sword away with his hand, and Rayla let up just a little bit. "Let's see… there's Meera… Irida…Pyrrhos…Menes… Cyprien…Photios… Helena… and I don't know the names of the others…" he said, looking a little disappointed in himself at that last part.
"Any idea how often these people are in contact?" Rayla said through her teeth.
"Hell, if I know," he responded, chuckling. "I know Iridia is around Sol Regem practically 24/7 and Pyrrhos… well, he's the one in charge of the whole operation concerning Ezran… but if you find him, then you've already succeeded in your original goal… maybe you'd have some luck with one of the other ones?" He thought… "I'm sorry… that's all I can do to help you… now… uh… if you'd kindly move that sword away so-"
Rayla pushed the sword harder again, drawing another drop of blood. "You will not tell me what to do… but yes… I believe we're done here… When I retract my blade, you will stand up and take 30 steps that way," she gestured to her right. "And stay there with your back turned to us for about a minute before you turn around… ya got that?"
The knight narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, sure, whatever."
Rayla then retracted her sword, and the knight slowly stood up. However, the entire group kept their weapons drawn at him, warning him not to try anything funny. The knight eyed his old helmet and spear lying on the ground just to Rayla's left, but Rayla caught his gaze before he could even say anything.
"Don't even think about it," Rayla said. "You're not getting those back… now do as I told you…"
The knight shrugged and turned around, beginning to walk where Rayla had instructed. Meanwhile, Rayla picked up the helmet and the spear and eyed them with intense scrutiny before Soren came up behind her.
"So uhh… What are we gonna do with those?" he asked.
Rayla shrugged her shoulders. "Dump them off somewhere in the woods… where he can't find them."
The group quickly returned to their mounts while Rayla closely watched their ex-prisoner. He was now deeper in the forest, his back to them, just as instructed.
Rayla scoffed to herself. For someone who acted all though, he didn't seem to be much of that at all.
"So… what happens now?"Corvus asked.
"Well…" Rayla said, half sighing, "I guess we track down Sol Regem's 'inner circle.'"
—-
BOOM!
The sound of an explosion shattered through the streets of the Del Barian town of Hollow Horn as the once-tall town hall toppled under the everbearing assault of Dragonfire. The sky above bled with a blistering orange hue, broken apart by the ever-encompassing shadow of dragons circling above the town and spitting fire at the streets below.
Panicked screams erupted as people ran in every direction, trying to escape the burning frenzy. Some ground to a halt and collapsed, coughing and wheezing as billows of smoke rose with the everpresent vortices of flames that tore through the town, easy prey to be finished by the dragons above.
On the city's southern side, a group of citizens attempted to escape the blazing inferno. Their numbers were dwindling, cut down from running through mountains of fire and burning homes. They stopped in their tracks when a tower to their left rang out with a large CRASH, whisking a storm of embers and debris above the street, carried by the blistering heat, opening fire on the fleeing citizens. They screamed and attempted to shield themselves as the barrage of dust, debris, and embers plowed through them, searing skin and knocking many over, forcing them onto hard stone floors.
When the view finally cleared, they stared in horror at the scene before them. The tower had collapsed, and what had been an open street lay cluttered with fragments and rubble from the once strong-standing building.
Behind them, another explosion rang out, blowing back a few soldiers who were trying to defend the border. After the dust settled, in the blast's wake, they saw… Katolis…
The wall had been breached.
Hordes of knights began rushing into the town, splitting into various avenues and streets, with one group headed specifically for them.
"Hey! In here!" A Del Barian soldier yelled to the panicked citizens, pointing to an alleyway that headed into a neighboring street, a possible escape route.
Quickly, the townspeople began to run into the small opening as the soldier stood at the entrance, trying his best to help the crowd through. The knights down the street started to pick up the pace and run after them, and that's when the Del Barian took out his sword and began sprinting at the incoming horde.
Hopelessly outnumbered, it was a short battle. In a desperate attempt, he swung his sword at the knight in front, which was blocked by their blazing hot spear. The sword melted in two almost immediately. With no option left, the soldier lunged at the knight, toppling him over, but not without a hellish sharp pinch ringing out on his stomach, a burn from the spear.
As the knight and the soldier fell to the ground, the knight's helmet quickly popped off, rolling away onto the street. The Del Barian soldier gasped and went wide-eyed as he saw what lay behind the visor.
A human…
Pale-skinned and with short brown hair, he looked back at the Del Barian with fear filling his eyes and a hint of… shame…
The Del Barian sat on top of the human knight, stunned. He hardly even registered the thundering pain of a kick to the side from someone else. Time seemed to slow to a crawl around him as he hit his head on the floor…hard and bounced a little before coming to a dead stop. With his ears ringing, and head throbbing, he watched as the human knight slowly rose to tower above him and picked up his spear. He was trying to avert his gaze, but despite that, he could still see his face, a black void of despair.
The knight who had kicked the Del Barian simply watched expectantly.
"W-why?" Was all the Del Barian soldier could croak out, the hot smoke of betrayal filling his soul.
The human looked back at him with an expression of pure heartbreak and helplessness as his eyes filled with tears. "I-I'm sorry…" he stuttered. "T-they m-made me-"
His speech was cut off as the knight behind him shoved him forward. The human looked back at the one who had pushed him as they began to draw a spear and point it at the Del Barian's head before giving a slight nod.
A cry of agony erupted out of the human, the anguish on his face more present than ever before as he turned back around to face the Del Barian, slowly lifting the spear to prepare for the finishing blow. The Del Barian slid back on his elbows, trying as hard as he could to back away, but that's when he noticed the groups of knights standing right behind him, watching the scene unfold.
There was no getting out of this.
The spear in the human's hand shook as its owner began to weep…ever so silently. He took one last despaired look at the Del Barian, containing nothing but the purest sorrow, and mouthed, "I'm sorry."
The knight behind the human nudged him one more time, clearly getting more impatient.
And then he swung…
and everything went black.
—-
The melting heat of blistering fire crushed the aching body of a woman as she ran through the burning streets of Hollow Horn. Her lungs seared, partly from exhaustion, partly from the chemicals she was inhaling, but she had to keep going. She looked ahead, the once recognizable skyline had transformed into a wall of bleeding orange and billowing, towering black with only tiny sparks of sunlight cracking through the overbearing ceiling.
But she kept running. She had to find a way out. She had to find safety, she had promised her family that she would see them again, and whatever she did, she was going to keep that promise now.
Running past several charred, and collapsed houses, she stopped at the few that seemed unscathed by the town's losing battle.
Banging on the door, she begged for somebody, anybody to let her in. That's when she noticed a group of knights, now gaining closely behind her. Her knocks became more urgent, and she practically slammed the door with her fists with tears erupting from her eyes, praying that somebody would please answer the door. But no matter how hard she tried, the doors never welcomed her into their safe embrace.
She was going to die here.
Giving up on the house, she turned left at a nearby intersection and yelped, almost losing her balance when a stream of billowing dragon fire roared out behind her, sending some of the houses on the street she had just been on bursting into flames.
She quickly turned right at her next opportunity, and right ahead, she finally found her salvation.
An old animal stable, with its front doors wide open.
This was her chance; if she was going to find shelter anywhere, it would be here. And so, she dove into the large building at the first chance she could. The stable was completely abandoned and had not been lit in ages. The darkness quickly consumed her, enveloping her with the smell of old wood and rotting hay. It ensnared her, further blinding her senses as she searched for a suitable hiding spot, trying to get her breathing under control.
She could hear the footsteps of the knights outside, slowly gaining ground. She would need to get somewhere fast.
As her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, she found an old animal stall towards the back of the shed, its door having been long torn off. She took cover inside it, sitting on a cushion of old hay and covering her mouth with her hands, continuing to try and silence her rapid breathing.
The footsteps reached the outside of the stall… and stopped.
No
Her heart immediately dropped as she desperately shut her eyes, hoping and begging them to continue onward.
"You think she went in here?" A male voice with a sunfire accent called out.
"No harm in finding out," a female voice responded.
They took a few steps forward before a much bigger sound erupted from outside, a large, heavy set of four feet colliding with the ground — the sound of a dragon landing, followed by laughter.
"I guess Pyrrah wants to take a look herself…"
"Why doesn't she… just burn the place down?"
"Hey! Don't question her! Dragons work in mysterious ways!"
"Right, sorry…"
There was silence for a moment, followed by a pained CREAK squeaking out from the wooden floorboards, causing frigid chills to immediately shoot through the woman's body. She knew what that sound meant.
The dragon had entered the building.
The woman could feel her heartbeat now, getting faster and louder. She couldn't calm down. She wondered if the dragon could hear it, too. Perhaps it was stalking the sound, playing with her. She nestled in closer, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them with her free arm, trying her best to muffle and control her heartbeat as she felt the dragon creep nearer, but it was hopeless…
She heard it growl as it checked one of the stalls, followed by another set of desperate groans from the weakened floorboards, slowly increasing in volume. The sound of the roaring flames, as well as the panicked screams from outside, were completely muffled in the building, trapping the woman in utter silence with that creature, allowing her to hear every creeeeaaaaaakkkkkk in frightening, painful detail as it slithered closer.
She could hear it breathing now, long, deep, and relaxed breaths.
Hunting breaths.
It was over.
She knew she was going to die here now.
She tried as hard as she could not to start crying; doing so would give away her position, and she would not provide the dragon with the satisfaction of a dead giveaway. Yet, despite all that, she was stuck here, waiting for the inevitable to happen.
Her entire life flashed before her eyes as the stall next to hers slammed open. She saw her friends and family in that vision, those she would never see again. She had broken the promise she had made this morning.
Are they even still alive? she suddenly thought as a wave of darkness consumed her.
She hoped they were, she prayed to her deity that even if she was fated to die here, she to at least let her family make it out in one piece.
I'm so sorry…
She thought.
I'm so sorry I couldn't get out in time.
Before she knew it, her vision blurred with tears.
Please… forgive me…
It was then that she saw a glowing blue eye peer across the stall entrance, and her heart lurched in her chest. The dragon turned its head around the corner to face her and let out a gut-wrenching hiss as it towered above, spreading its wings out to the corner of the stalls. Her breathing intensified again as she desperately reached her hands out to the wall behind her as if looking for an exit, but there was nothing there.
Something in her turned, and she began hyperventilating, her previous sadness overwhelmed with the all-consuming darkness of fear. No. She wasn't ready to die yet, not now.
The dragon growled and crept ever closer to her as the young woman pressed harder against the wall. She locked eyes with it and saw, whirling in those blue irises, a perfect storm of hatred, anger, and animosity. It chilled her to her core and turned her blood to ice.
"N-No-" she managed to get out between breaths. "P-please!"
The dragon ignored her, hissing again as it stepped closer, the floorboards around them bending, causing her to feel the weight as they sunk in under the creature's enormous power.
Suddenly, the dragon raised its head, and the lines on its neck immediately began glowing, one by one, from the bottom to the top. A guttural sound emanated from its maw, along with a soft glow that slowly began getting brighter and brighter.
"No! NO!" she begged.
But it fell on deaf ears. The soft glow sparked to life a raging fire as the dragon lowered its head again and began to pull back.
Getting into position for the kill.
"PLEASE! NO! NO-AAAAHHHHH!"
She screamed with all her might as a bright orange light invaded her vision. A bomb of fire hurtling straight towards her. She instinctively blocked her face with her arms, though she knew it wouldn't do much in the grand scheme of things, and waited for the inevitable. Then, finally, she felt a searing heat as the billowing flames WHOOSHED through the air…. Just to her left.
The inevitable never came.
Slowly, she uncovered her face and carefully looked at what had happened. To her left was a massive hole in the wall that led into an adjacent alleyway—an escape route with no knights or dragons in sight to stop her.
Confused, she looked at the dragon, Pyrrah, bewildered. The dragon narrowed its eyes into a look of fierce determination and immediately gestured with its head over to the newly made exit. The message was clear.
Run. NOW.
Immediately, all the built-up tension she had been feeling left her body in one big exhale, and she looked back up at Pyrrah with an expression of thankful, desperate, and tired relief. She put her two hands together as if she was praying and breathed out the words "Thank you-"
Pyrrah hissed and took a big step forward, their two faces being only inches away from each other now. This message was also evident.
Quiet!
The women nodded, quickly turned, and ran out the exit, never looking back towards the old stall.
—-
Zym squinted hard as his glowing eyes peered through the darkness ahead. He'd been squeezing himself through this narrow tunnel for what had felt like hours, and any source of light had long been lost, left at the entrance of this storm drain, not daring to creep in any further than a few meters. He was, for all intents and purposes, running completely blind, the only thing he could see being the outline of the masked figure who had led him in here, walking forward and guiding him through the seemingly endless maze of tunnels.
All of his other senses weren't much better off either. The entire time, a humid, decayed stench that wafted its way throughout the entire system, assaulted his nose. The source of this smell was unclear as it seemed omnipresent, creeping across the whole stretch of tunnels just like the all-consuming darkness surrounding them. He had hoped to have gotten used to this smell by now; however, despite being exposed to its ruthless assault for so long, it still managed to sting his nostrils every single time he inhaled. His feet also stung, not just from the wear of walking for so long, but from the small stream of water, the sound of which bounced off the drain's walls, twisting and distorting it until the simple flow of water sounded like a barrage of ghostly whispers echoing throughout the tunnel. It was just deep enough to cover his claws, seeping into the breaks in his skin left behind by all the different types of wounds he had endured prior, causing the aforementioned pain he felt with every step he took. A dragon's immune system was powerful, so Zym didn't think this would get infected in any sort of dangerous way, but still, he didn't even want to imagine what was in that water.
As if it could get any worse, Zym noticed that the tunnel around him was much smaller than when they had first entered. He now had to pull his wings in far more tightly in order to avoid scraping them across the walls, something he still didn't manage to avoid despite his efforts. Soon, he wouldn't be able to fit anymore.
"Hey!" Zym called out to the masked one before him. "Do you even know where we're going?"
There was no response.
Figures
The longer Zym trudged through this cursed storm drain, the more his distrust for the masked figure began to build. Sure, they had helped him before, but Zym still couldn't decipher their intentions.
What if they were playing some sort of long game?
What if he was being led in here… to die?
Zym shuddered at the thought. He pinched his eyes closed and shook his head. He couldn't think like that. He was here now and would have to deal with that situation, should it arise. This was still seemingly the only way through the city, so he would have to maintain the shred of trust he had for the masked one for now, as difficult as that was.
SPLASH
Zym took another step forward, sending up a cascade of water that sprayed all over him. Looking down in shock, he suddenly paid closer attention to the stream he was standing in.
It had gotten deeper.
Zym's heart dropped as he felt the rushing water squeeze past his legs, far faster than it had been moving before. The gentle trickle of the water had strengthened without Zym even realizing it. The ominous whispers in the distance it created were gone, but Zym almost wished they had stayed because something far more bone-chilling was in its place.
A roar of racing water, quickly approaching them.
It was then that Zym finally felt it. Being a Storm Dragon, he was susceptible to changes in the weather. Usually, he'd always feel a surge of energy racing through him as weather systems pulled in and rained down on the land. It was a euphoric feeling that he had always enjoyed, marking when his connection to the sky was at its strongest. But now… it filled him with nothing but dark, cold dread. He didn't know how he hadn't felt it before; perhaps he was too distracted, but he could certainly feel it now.
It had started raining.
It was raining, and they were in a storm drain.
Oh no…
"Hey!" Zym yelled.
He barely saw the masked figure turn back to face him in the darkness.
"This place is flooding; we have to get out of here!"
The masked figure took one look around and, seemingly convinced about their situation, took off running, not considering how much time they were giving Zym to react to their sudden action.
Zym grunted and bolted to catch up just before the darkness absorbed the masked one completely.
Soon, the water was already up to his knees, and there was no end to the tunnel in sight. The stream had become violent now, pushing against the back of his legs with an excessive force that threatened to topple him over at any minute. He stumbled frequently, trying to gain his footing and move with the stream as it tried to push them further and further through the tunnel.
Ahead of him, he could see the masked figure was having similar troubles, hobbling throughout the water, shifting left to right, desperately trying to maintain balance, and doing their best to last until they made it to any exit.
Manholes would flash by every now and then, but unfortunately, all of them were way too small for Zym to fit through. All they provided was a view of the rivers of water from the streets cascading into the tunnels below, mocking them.
The roar of water had intensified, it was almost deafening now, with Zym barely able to hear the trudges of the masked person before him as he leaped through the water to try and make any sort of progress. The water was up to their waist and continuing to rise. It thundered violently and without mercy, not giving any sign of letting up.
Something, a piece of debris, collided with Zym's leg hard and made him roar out in pain, a roar that quickly became drowned as what felt like gallons of ill-tasting water forced its way into his mouth.
He had lost his balance.
The world around him appeared to blur as he heard the SPLASH of his massive body being submerged, the remainder of his vision becoming lost as the rushing water enveloped him entirely and burned his eyes, forcing him to close them.
Zym didn't have any air on reserve; he had not taken a breath before becoming submerged due to the unexpected nature of what had just happened, so his lungs quickly began begging for much-needed oxygen. He tried to stand up, to force himself above the water's surface, but the current was too strong. His feet had lost their footing with the ground, and Zym could not regain his stability, his feet scraping across the tunnel floor, never truly able to anchor themselves as the flow pushed him forward endlessly, whizzing by him like rapids.
His attempts to raise his head above the water were unsuccessful; every attempt made to break the surface ended with his head being once again shoved downwards by the overwhelming force of the current like a cruel hand, intent to push him under and keep him there.
His lungs were burning now, a sharp pain drilling its way through his chest.
The thought became more apparent with every failed attempt to gain his footing and resurface. This cursed stream would never let him to the air he so desperately craved; it would never let him escape. His struggles became increasingly more desperate, but it was no use. This river of water was toying with him, enjoying watching him suffer.
The sky was raining down on him with a vengeance for what he had allowed to happen to the world and his mother.
It was his judgment day, and it was time for execution.
Suddenly, however, after what had felt like a cruel many hours under the water, Zym felt something else. Two hands had now taken hold of his upper horns. They jerked up harshly, leading Zym to rise just a little bit. They pulled upwards again, and this time, Zym responded and tried his best to push his head up himself, causing him to leap upwards and finally spear through the surface of the water.
He took a big, desperate gulp of much-needed air as he opened his eyes and adjusted to the sight around him. The masked figure was just in front of him, holding tightly onto his horns and walking backward with the flow of the water, trying desperately to stay balanced while dragging the dragon's weight.
Zym took deep breaths, in and out, as he resumed trying to find his footing on the floor below.
Up ahead, a large flash of light filled the tunnel around the curve briefly before engulfing them in darkness once again.
Lightning…. An exit!
However, Zym didn't have much time to think about it because another surge of water blasted them from behind, causing Zym to topple backward and the masked one to lose their grip on his horns.
The current sent them both tumbling, racing forward, and colliding with foreign objects and debris before finally crashing into the curve and spitting them into the open air. The current broke and came to a stop around them as the violent rapids collided with the calm and peaceful creek.
The masked one managed to grab hold of a tree that had fallen into the water, and soon enough, Zym felt himself being heaved up as well. Taking note of the situation, Zym immediately grabbed the large trunk and coughed the excess water out of his lungs, feeling the rain pour down on him.
Zym found his bearings and looked where they had just been dropped off. Two small hills surrounded the small creek they had found themselves in, with tall trees lining either side. Winds fiercely whipped through them, causing them to bend over quite significantly—a bright flash shot through the clouds, followed by an immediate crackle of thunder.
There was quite a storm brewing.
Through the small cluster of trees, Zym could see faint light sources surrounded by bright gold that appeared to glow in the light's reflection.
So they were still in Lux Aurea… Great…
Zym didn't have much time to process it, though, as he immediately heard a loud "HEY!" erupt from his left. Snapping his head to the source of the sound, he saw as the next flash of lightning briefly revealed two golden armored knights racing down the hillside right towards them.
Whatever thoughts Zym was experiencing quickly dissipated from his mind as a significant spike of adrenaline pierced him, and he leaped off the log, diving to his right, falling into the stream but remaining close enough to shore to be able to pull himself out.
Quickly looking back, he saw that the masked one had followed suit and was right behind him, followed closely by the two knights racing across the river, thrashing through the current to catch up with them.
Zym and the masked one darted desperately, clawing their way up the hill, slipping on mud and wet leaves ripped from the trees by the storm still raging above them until finally, after what felt like forever, Zym got a grip of the stone walkway that lined the top of the hill just above him, his claws sinking into it and creating deep scratches as he held onto it for dear life, trying to heave himself the rest of the way up the hill. A glance behind showed that the knights had made it across the stream and had their spears out, aiming and ready to throw them up the mountain.
Without thinking, Zym forcefully wrapped his left front claw and arm around the masked one and burned the rest of his strength to leap over the summit and onto a stone walkway. Zym immediately rolled over, gasping for breath. He let go of the masked one, who stood up and looked down at Zym, apparently surprised at what he had just done.
They didn't have much time to get their bearings, though, as both of them picked up a loud call from the bottom of the hill they had just climbed.
"STOP THEM!"
A glance to their right revealed that their pursuers were yelling at a pair of two additional knights that had just emerged into the street and were now running towards them. Zym immediately got to his feet and began sprinting as fast as he could in the other direction as the masked one grabbed hold of a nearby cabbage cart and forcefully threw it onto its side. It hit the ground with a large CRASH and tossed its contents all over the sidewalk.
Immediately after, the masked figure caught up behind Zym just in time for two more knights to emerge from the alleyway ahead. They didn't have much time to do anything, however, as Zym, on instinct, immediately fired a bolt of lightning at the left one, causing them to shake and sputter for a short while before collapsing. He then lunged at the right one, knocking them off their feet and forcing them onto the ground, trampling them as he scrambled to follow the masked one who was now beckoning him into the alleyway the two knights had just emerged from.
The path spilled out into what seemed to be a large main street that thankfully wasn't seeing much traffic right now due to the storm. However, those who did see them immediately began yelling at people Zym didn't see, and running out of view. Where they were going, he didn't know. It was the last thing on his mind as the pair dove through alley after alley, turn after turn, trying as hard as they could to lose their pursuers.
Eventually, after Zym had utterly lost his orientation of where he was, he finally leaped out into a minor back street with, thankfully, nobody in sight. Zym did not calm down, though, as he quickly looked around for his next move, still hearing the commotion behind them, when suddenly…
"...Azymondias?"
Zym immediately whipped around and snarled, cracking a bright aura of electrical energy around him, a warning to whoever was approaching them.
A figure was a couple of meters away, hidden by the darkness and curtains of rain. A lightning bolt thundered nearby and illuminated the entire area in a bright flash, revealing the stranger wearing a dark cloak with thin strips of gold running along the edges of the hood and down the middle. They had a hand outstretched and were slowly walking toward the pair.
Azymondias' growling grew more intense as he slowly began to back away.
"Stay back," he hissed.
The hooded figure stopped and moved their hands up over their head, pulling down their hood. Just then, another flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and Zym immediately gasped at what he saw.
Standing in front of him, with a somewhat concerned expression, was a familiar short-haired Sunfire elf he had grown acquainted with on most of his visits to Lux Aurea, still wearing the same glasses he had grown so accustomed to.
Kazi.
—-
SQUEAK
A loud shrieking of the thick metal door hinges to his cell ripped Ezran out of his thoughts. He squinted as the influx of light from the torches in the hallway flooded the room, in a vain attempt to determine who had just opened his door. Despite the shock, however, Ezran still felt rather lethargic, his head and eyes heavy. He had spent the last couple of hours dozing off, trying to get any amount of sleep he could possibly squeeze out of his body.
He always tried to sleep, partially because he was tired and because he hoped sleeping through his time in captivity would make this all go faster, or allow some escape from his current situation. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't actually fall into his much-needed slumber.
His arms, having spent so much time chained up above his head, were beginning to ache, crying out for Ezran to lower them and bring some much-needed relief to his body. But there was nothing he could do; no matter how much he adjusted them, it wasn't enough. And it was partly because of this ever-present, continuing pain shooting its way through his body, that Ezran failed to get the sleep he needed.
Another reason was one that Ezran didn't like to think about.
He was afraid.
Afraid of what Sol Regem and Pyrrhos planned to do with him in the future, how they planned to use him… and what they would do if they ever found out he was executing his own plans. It would spell certain doom.
Of course, he shouldn't be afraid of such things; Kings aren't scared… but he was… and each time he thought about it brought him more shame. And so, he elected to try his best not to think about it.
But Ezran always got the same outcome each time he tried to sleep. His thoughts would envelop him, start losing sense, and then he would doze off. But he'd never get to the edge of sleep, for every minute sound he heard outside or inside his cell startled him awake. Even when it was dead silent, and he had somehow managed to ignore the continuous ache in his arms, his heart wouldn't stop beating; it was like he was constantly listening for the sounds outside his cell on the off chance someone would come in and… demand something from him again. Even if it was just anticipation of Pyrrhos' regular visits to give him that…
Dreadful injection
And today, that time had come again.
As Ezran's eyes adjusted to the light in front of him, the silhouette of a golden armored knight became visible in the doorway, and it only took their ensuing sigh to figure out that it was none other than Pyrrhos.
Who else would it be…
He was the only one he ever saw down here. And no matter how many times Ezran saw him, it never dulled the pit in his stomach.
"Oh Ezran…" Pyrrhos started. He sounded disappointed. "We need to have a talk… you and I."
After which, he closed the cell door behind him, locking Ezran back into total darkness… with him.
Pyrrhos advanced steadily, not the least bit phased by Ezran's increase in breathing rate before finally getting down on one knee, their faces inches apart.
"I've got an interesting story to tell…" he said as he took out his spear and twiddled it around his fingers, the glow reflecting off his golden helmet, making it clear to Ezran just how close he was. "So… I was doing my usual rounds this morning. You know, cleaning, keeping this place up and running… preparing your medicine… making sure you don't escape… when all of a sudden… one of the associates comes over to me… with a bit of an… well, let's say an urgent expression on his face."
Ezran didn't know where he was going with this, but from Pyrrhos' tone, it wasn't anything good. Pyrrhos… was usually "cheerful" in a wholly sadistic and awful way… but cheerful nonetheless... This was different. His voice was steady… calmer… but still with a deep, sadistic undertone that made it clear that he was still smiling behind the mask. It was unsettling, and Ezran wanted out of it right now. He briefly considered getting up and running before remembering the chains shackling his arms and legs… no… there was nowhere to run. He was forced to sit here and let whatever was about to happen happen, and that thought terrified him.
"Please…" Ezran peeped out… "Whatever you're planning on doing…. Please…. Don't…"
Begging for mercy… It was pathetic. But it was the only thing he could do right now.
"Now why…" Pyrrhos tilted his head… "Would I want to do anything of the sort? Hmmm?"
Ezran didn't say anything; he just looked desperately into Pyrrhos' visor, continuing to try and calm himself down.
"Is there something…that perhaps you're hiding from me?"
Pyrrhos let the words hang in the air eerily as Ezran's entire body became overwhelmed with icy chills. He tried his best to maintain his demeanor and not give anything away, however hard it was. He didn't know whether or not he was successful. Pyrrhos certainly wasn't saying or reacting at all… but then again… maybe this was all part of his game. He seemed to enjoy striking fear into the young boy… almost as if he derived some sort of sick pleasure from it.
Ezran slowly shook his head, and Pyrrhos sighed.
"We'll see…" he said, twirling his spear around in his hand faster and faster. "Anyway… as I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me… one of my associates came over to me today and shoved a letter into my hand with a sense of… urgency… and when I saw who it was from, I could see why… because it happened to be from our dear friend, his majesty King Sol Regem… and let me tell you, Ezran… he… Well, let's just say he wasn't pleased." Ezran's breath hitched as Pyrrhos tilted his head again. "Do you have any idea why that might be?"
"N-no…" Ezran stammered, his eyes beginning to water.
He didn't know why he was lying. It was obvious what they had found out, and he was worried this would happen eventually… he just didn't know that it would be so soon. He just hoped he could keep the conversation going for as long as possible to delay whatever was coming for him.
"Hmmm…" Pyrrhos contemplated "I think you do… because Sol Regem…well…" he took a breath before saying… "He had some… questions… for you specifically, and he told me this… interesting story about how our forces, who were waiting on your little animal friend in Duren… never saw him again."
Something was forcing its way up Ezran's throat, and he tried to hold it together and keep down the immense fear surging up his body so that he could look for a way, any way, out of this situation he was in.
Cmon Ezran… STOP BEING A CRYBABY… THINK, DAMN YOU
"Now… Ezran… Me and King Sol Regem were wondering… Why?" Pyrrhos got closer. "Would that be?"
Ezran froze. His mind became a void of nothingness, failing to generate any meaningful explanation despite how hard he tried. All he could do was stammer as his vision blurred more and more through his tears. "U-uh…" Ezran said…
Pyrrhos remained silent, tilting his head even more, his smile likely growing.
Suddenly, all at once, it was like Ezran's survival instinct kicked into full gear, and Ezran came up with an idea. "Rats… they uh… I mean…" Ezran struggled to articulate the words through his throbbing heartbeat. "Y-you're asking a rat to travel through the kingdom of Duren and come back in a— couple of days… I-I'm sorry Pyrrhos, but these things take time… especially with the infiltration you're planning…give it some more time, please."
Ezran went quiet and studied Pyrrhos' reaction carefully, desperately clinging onto hope that his explanation would land. It wasn't a far-fetched explanation by any means… certainly possible… His only hope was that his captor would buy it.
Pyrrhos stayed silent for a while, only building the tension within Ezran as he waited for what felt like hours, before finally, he sighed.
"Very well…" he said, and Ezran instantly felt the tension release from his body. "Though I do warn you, Ezran… our patience is wearing quite thin…" he said as he stood up and began making his way back to the cell door. "So I hope you're telling the truth." He opened the door, allowing the flood of light to come in once more and reflect off of his spotless golden armor.
"For your own good."
—-
The fall of the night introduced an aura of peace into the small skywing village as it bathed in the light from the stars and moon above. The shadow of the storm spire, standing tall and distant across the narrow stream to the north, was barely visible. Its tip poking ever so slightly over the horizon.
It was a modest village, with houses seemingly haphazardly placed throughout the area in no clear pattern. They were made mostly out of different sorts of stone that contained veins of pulsating blue material, similar to what was seen on the storm spire.
The night was dead silent; most souls had retreated indoors to retrieve some much-needed rest hours ago; the remaining stragglers spoke to each other in hushed tones as they looked at the stars and, more importantly, the passing clouds as they blotted out the glow from above. The steady trickling sound from the open body of water just to the east of them, a peaceful river that separated their village from the drakewood and the mysteries of the uncharted forest, filled their ears, further lulling them to become entirely absorbed by the sky above. As was their nature.
That peace, however, was quickly disturbed by the sudden emergence of three pairs of footsteps trampling their way through the once-serene home. The moonlight and the night sky shone off their golden armor, warping the color of its golden features into a paler, bluer mixture as they made their way through the assortments of houses and citizens. Most of the pedestrians just stared for a while; their faces piqued with slight curiosity but no real fear or disdain, before going back to what they were doing.
Eventually, the band of three knights made it to one of the houses tucked in towards the back of the village; they stopped for a moment before the leader stood forward, extended his fist, and firmly knocked on the door three times. They heard a decent amount of shuffling from inside, muffled behind the door, which rang out for a good five to ten seconds before it all went quiet. The wooden door in front of them was slowly unlatched, emitting a pained creek as it crept open just a crack.
A blue eye, almost appearing to be glowing, peered at them from the darkness of the home before the door was finally opened all the way, revealing a male, winged skywing elf with short white hair and a tight dark blue uniform that contained lighter blue lines drawn over both arms, before curling around his neck, meeting in the middle and running down the torso where the zipper was. His pants were baggy, though similar in color. He looked to be around in his mid-twenties.
The skywing elf in question crossed his arms, relaxed his wings, and gave the trio an almost bored and frustrated look. "Can I help you?"
The lead, a female sunfire elf, cleared her throat. "Yes… Mr. Maverick, is it? We are here because a few of your neighbors have come to us with concern." She sounded very official and almost pleasant as she spoke.
The elf raised his eyebrow and tilted his head. "Concern?"
"Yes… how many people live here exactly, Mr. Maverick?"
The skywing paused for a moment as something completely unintelligible crossed before his face. "Just me."
"Just you, huh?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Hmmm… are you sure? Because a few of your fellow villagers are concerned that may not be the case…"
The elf's eyes narrowed. "How so?"
"Oh, you know, just reports of suspicious noises and sightings coming from your home… seemed quite frequent… you wouldn't happen to be keeping anyone here without the knowledge of others, would you…?"
The skywing moved to respond, but the knight quickly cut him off. "I should inform you that your past occupation already puts eyes on you, my friend. Word on the street is you worked quite closely with Azymondias."
His eyes narrowed again, a burning anger beginning to heat the cool blues of his clothing. "I don't see how my past occupation has anything to do with this."
"Well, let's just say that during your time under Azymondias, what if you had become rather friendly to his principles and began to do things you shouldn't be doing, or getting involved in matters you shouldn't be involved in? If… say… you had taken it upon yourself to hide things in your house…"
"-My previous occupation with Azymondias was one taken at the time, with the ideals this kingdom presented then. Nothing more. It does not reflect on my actions or beliefs now."
"That may be so, still, your specific occupation as a border officer helping humans into Xadia… does still put you into some suspect. Need I remind you that on top of all humans being banished from Xadia, if you are caught harboring them, you will be considered an accomplice under Xadian law and convicted as such? If you are caught after failing to confess, your consequences will be… much more severe-"
"I am well aware of the laws of this kingdom, Knight." he snarled. "It does not change my answer. There are no humans here."
"I see… since you seem so adamant about this, you wouldn't mind if we… had a look around, would you?"
There was a quick pause as silence once again filled the air. However, it ended just as quickly as it began, and the skywing elf began to smile and then laugh gently for a couple of seconds before looking back into the knight's visors with a sardonic expression. "Unfortunately, you're gonna need a warrant for that."
"The need to have a warrant was written into law by King Azymondias," the knight countered.
"Yeah… but King Sol Regem hasn't exactly written it out of law yet, has he? So, as far as I'm concerned, that law still stands," he said, bowing forward slightly as he spoke, helping his point land all the more firmly.
"For someone who has nothing to hide, you do seem rather protective…" the knight offered.
The skywing grinned and tilted his head again. "Well… maybe I just don't like strangers looking through my belongings without probable cause… If you have a warrant… Please, you are welcome to come in, and I will provide the utmost hospitality." He stepped to the side and made a mock gesture to the inside of the house with his two hands. Then, however, he returned to blocking the doorway and rested one of his hands on the door handle. "Until then, however… I can't help you… have a good day, Knights!"
The skywing then immediately swung the door shut firmly, making sure to lock it. He waited a couple of moments, in anticipation and with bated breath, for a second round of metal knocks to ring out on the other side of the door, but they never came. With that, the skywing slowly crept over to the window on his right. He stood on its left side and slowly bent his body to poke one eye through the glass, just in time to see the trio of knights on the other side leaving silently.
He turned around and faced the interior of his house, exhaling strongly, sweeping his hand through his hair and leaning back against the wall, an immense sense of relief washing over him. He sat there momentarily, passively observing his surroundings, not thinking of much. It was a rather small but cozy house, with a kitchen positioned just to the right of the entrance, a small island table in the middle, and a bed tucked into the far right corner.
And, of course, hidden from sight, blending into the floor, the door to the cellar. The skywing slowly approached the hatch before gripping the large, cold steel handle and lifting the entrance open as quietly as possible. The warm candlelight from the narrow wooden stairs and the room below illuminated his face.
He sighed and carefully made his way down, each step letting out a loud creak of despair as he tread on them. Reaching the bottom, he found himself in a small room with racks and shelves lining the entire wall, fully stocked with bags and bags of food and beverages. And then, of course, two humans, sitting on the floor with their backs up against a shelf filled with bags of grain — a mother and her child.
They inhaled sharply as he reached the bottom of the stairs, clearly startled.
"Hey, relax… it's just me…" the skywing said.
"Jay…" the mother said with a sigh of relief. She still had her child tightly wrapped in her arms but was slowly beginning to loosen her embrace.
The child, who had her face nestled into her mother's side, slowly and fearfully turned her head, poking one eye out, and then immediately broke out of her mother's hold and rushed at Jay, who then picked her up, spun her around, and wrapped her up in a hug. The mother smiled as she stood up behind them.
"Hey… Hey… good to see you too," Jay said laughing. "Even though we haven't seen each other for about five minutes," he added with a wink.
"We were so worried," the small child said weakly. "When you came down, we thought you were one of those-"
"Nooo nooo…" Jay said reassuringly, feeling a twinge of guilt in his chest for worrying them like that. "Don't worry… but that reminds me…" An expression of seriousness immediately enveloped Jay's face as he looked at the mother. "Start packing, we're leaving." Jay grabbed pieces of food and beverages that weren't likely to go bad off the shelves in the cellar and stuffed them into large bags, as much as he could carry.
The human family, taking the hint, began to pitch in, filling other bags with their own supplies.
"Where are we going?" asked the mother.
"Eh… who knows?" Jay said while rushing up the stairs and running around the house, picking up small items here and there and adding them to his collection. "Away from here… I managed to keep them away for now… but they'll be back, and when they are… it'll probably be a lot less pretty."
As he looked at the small duo, Jay suddenly froze and felt his body fill up with concern. They had shrunken, their faces downcast as they looked towards the floor with nervousness, fear, and… a little sadness.
"Hey… don't worry," Jay said, walking up to them and smiling. "We'll figure it out."
The mother looked up at Jay, her eyes filling with tears, which she had to fight to rub away with her elbow. "I'm… so sorry…"
Jay tilted his head and raised his eyebrow. "What for?"
The mother shook her head. "We're being such a burden to you… I never wanted this."
"Hey…" Jay put both hands on her shoulder and steadied her. "Relax. I know the risks, and I'm prepared to face them head-on… you're not being a burden… I promise, okay?" Jay smiled.
The mother sniffed and then nodded her head.
"Good, now…" Jay went over to a rack of coats on the far left side of the room and began picking three off the hook: large brown coats with bits of fur around the sleeves. "I don't think we'll need these right now, but who knows how long we'll be out there for and where we'll go-"
Jay paused for a moment, completely frozen. Slowly, he put the coats down and moved to pick up a blue pin that had revealed itself. It bore a circle design, which outlined the figure of a long blue sky dragon curled up inside it, almost as if flying in circles.
"Jay?" the mother said as the skywing twirled it around in his hand, seemingly almost entranced by it. Jay didn't even notice as the mother had come up right behind him. "You still miss him, don't you."
"Yeah…" Jay said sadly. "Working for him, it really felt… like we were making a difference… and now all of that's gone." He shut his eyes tightly and tried his best to suppress his emotions. He then shook his head and looked back at the mother, who was looking at him, noticeably concerned, while the daughter seemed to be frolicking around in her own world behind her."We can't get hung up on this right now, though."
He picked up the three coats and handed two of them out to the mother and the child while putting on the third one himself. The two humans pulled their hoods over their faces to hide the fact that they didn't have horns from any potential prying eyes as Jay checked outside for possible escape routes.
After a while, he put on a look of determination to the rest of the family and nodded. "Alright, let's go."